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While atheists mock Christians because of our belief in God, a 2021 Pew survey found that 85% of atheists/agnostics believed in little green men and aliens. But they weren’t alone. The same survey revealed that 80% of nones, those with no religious affiliation, also believed in aliens.

Though certainly not as high, overall 57% of Christians also believed in alien life. But this involved a very broad definition of Christian. More specifically only 40% of Evangelicals believed in aliens and UFOs.

And if a survey conducted over 11 years ago by Astronomer David Weintraub is any indication, atheists’ belief in aliens has surged in recent years. In his book, Religions and Extraterrestrial life, published in 2014, the Vanderbilt University professor found only 55% of atheists believed in aliens at that time. This represents a 50% increase in just 11 years.. 

But to be fair, Evangelical Christians also saw an increase rising from 32% to 40% today. 

The growing belief is probably due to the recent uptake in media stories on UFOs and of course social media.

This included the release of a report on UFO sightings in June 2021, by the US military.  On top of this, you have YouTube videos of people testifying they were captured by aliens for experimentation.

While we saw the release of Sci-fi movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 and Star Trek Beyond in 2016, no-one has ever gotten their hands on an actual UFO.

Of course, conspiracy theorists claim the US government has some secretly stashed away at Area 51 in the US state of Nevada. And if the mega movie hit, Independence Day, is to be believed, there are even live aliens at the site.

But the lack of concrete evidence doesn’t stop atheists from believing.

Stephen Hawkins, one of the world’s most famous atheist before he died in 2018, was vocal about his belief in alien life and his disbelief in God.

In a documentary produced for the Discovery Channel, the outspoken physicist said:

“If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.”

But to be fair, not all physicists hold Hawkins’ opinion.

In a mini-documentary series produced in 2014 for the BBC, entitled Human Universe, famed UK physicist, Professor Brian Cox stated that he doesn’t believe in alien life because what happened on earth was so miraculous, it would be impossible to repeat. 

Though still an evolutionist, Cox explains:

“There is only one advance technological civilization in this galaxy and there has only ever been one– and that’s us. We are unique.“

The Bible holds a different opinion, and starts with these words:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NIV)

READ: For Atheists, the Idea of Aliens Seems Real. Religious People Doubt it. AND Is Stephen Hawking right about aliens? AND Believe in Aliens? Then you’re probably an atheist or Muslim: Study reveals how religion affects your likelihood of believing in ET

ESPAÑOL: La extraña conexión entre la historia de Navidad y la mujer sorprendida en adulterio

Hi my name is Dean Smith and with Christmas around the corner, I thought I should do a podcast with a bit of Christmas twist.

So, I want to discuss the strange connection between the Christmas story and the woman caught in adultery.

We know from the Christmas story, that Joseph was engaged to Mary. When Joseph returned to Nazareth for the wedding, he was shocked to find Mary pregnant – having conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Though Joseph initially intended to send Mary away, he changed his mind after an angel spoke to Joseph via a dream telling him of Mary’s divine conception and encouraging Joseph to go through with the marriage in Mathew 1:18-25.

But with Mary showing signs of pregnancy so soon after the wedding, the village wags would have been very suspicious.

The gossip would have been all that more juicy considering Joseph had not been around. 

But several things muddied the waters. First, Joseph continued on with the wedding. Normally, in similar situations the outraged husband would have nothing to do with his bride to be.

Secondly, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) for three months (Luke 1:39-56). Finally there was the census requiring Joseph to return to his home town — Bethlehem – where Jesus was eventually born.

But don’t kid yourself, people would have been suspicious and we even see this being hinted at in Mark 6:3:

“Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.” (NASV)

What is so strange here is that the people of Nazareth referred to Jesus as the son of Mary, not the son of Joseph. Even though Joseph was probably dead at this point, a child was traditionally referred to as the son of the father.

In Jewish culture referring to someone as the son of the mother was an intentional slur. We see that at play in the story of Jephthah in Judges 11:1-2. His father, Gilead was married and had several children through his wife.

However, Gilead had a dalliance with prostitute which produced Jephthah. 

After the father died, the others sons drove Jephthah from the family home. While doing so, they purposefully referred to Jephthah as his mother’s son, to emphasize the fact she was a prostitute and his illegitimacy. 

So it seems the rumors of Mary’s infidelity were still circulating and could potentially harm Jesus’ credibility in the Jewish community. 

This is because we read in Exodus 20:4-5 that the iniquity of the parents would be passed down on the children for three to four generations. In Jewish culture, it was believed the sins of parents transferred to the children. If Mary was a fornicator, Jesus was guilty by association.

With Christ’s growing popularity, the Jewish leaders were desperate for ways to discredit Christ. Any slander they could dig up about Mary would certainly do the trick.

I believe this was behind their decision to drag the adulterous woman before Jesus while He was at the Temple in John 8. 

John adds that the purpose of this confrontation was so the Pharisees “might have grounds for accusing Him” (v 6). But we are not clear at this point what these accusations involved.

When the pharisees asked Jesus if the woman should be stoned according to the law of Moses (v 5), the Lord diffused the situation by stating, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (v 7).

We are told that the woman’s accusers skulked on their own volition. 

I believe they intended to use this adulterous woman as a way to launch their accusations against Mary and against Christ.

If Jesus had tried to defend the woman or say she was forgiven, this would be an opening for the pharisees to accuse Jesus of letting her off because His own mother was guilty of the same sin.

But Jesus never gave them the opportunity as they slithered away on there own accord.

But the accusers regrouped and for next forty-six verses from verses 13 to 59, they engaged in an intense confrontation with Jesus which exposed their real agenda.

The first accusation occurs in verses 16-19, when Jesus said that He testifies of His Father — God.

The Pharisees responded,

We read:

“So they were saying to him, ‘Where is your father?’” (v 19).

Notice how John writes that multiple Jews were repeatedly asking Christ, “Where is your father?” There were many of them making this accusation.

We have to picture the situation as it was occurring. It was a confrontation. On one side were Jesus and His disciples and on the other a group of angry Pharisees and scribes aggressively trying to discredit Christ.

While Jesus was speaking, several were interrupting and shouting out, “Where is your father?” “Where is your father.”

This was not a peaceful discussion.

But did you notice the way they phrased it. They weren’t asking “Who Jesus’ Father was”, they were asking “Where He was.”

Doe this imply that the pharisees believed they knew already who Christ’s father was?

Jesus responded by saying that they had no idea who Christ’s Father was.

Then a few minutes later, when Jesus questioned the pharisee’ lineage as descendants of Abraham, because of their failure to recognize Christ as the Messiah, the Pharisees countered with, “We are not born of fornication” (v. 41).

That was an odd defense. They were all true blooded Jews. At this point, they were not defending their lineage but now directly questioning Christ’s lineage.

The conversation was getting heated. The pharisees finally tired of dancing around the issue and they finally just blurted out exactly what they were thinking.

We read:

“Do we not say rightly that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?,” (v 48 NASV).

This would not be the last time they accused Jesus of being demon possessed (see Mathew 12:22-32).

But what is new here is the accusation that Jesus was a Samaritan.

The Samaritans were people of mixed lineage – half Jew and half Gentile that emerged during the Assyrian captivity when the Assyrian king displaced many of the Jews living in Samaria and replaced them with Gentiles. These foreigners intermarried with the remaining Jews resulting in the formation of the Samaritans, who were utterly despised by the Jews.

Since both Mary and Joseph were full-blooded Jews, it doesn’t take much to read between the lines. The Pharisees were not only accusing Mary of fornication, but were actually accusing her of having an illicit affair with a gentile.

And the words, “do we not say rightly” tells us they were not joking, they were dead serious about this accusation.

During this intense confrontation, the disciples had a front row seat. 

They would not have missed the insinuations they were making about Mary. If Mary was a fornicator, Jesus was equally guilty of his mother’s sin.

As Jesus and the disciples walked out the temple after this intense confrontation, they came upon a blind man begging for money.

Without thinking, the disciples blurted out:

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” (John 9:2 NASV)

Jesus answered neither and said it was so God’s work could be manifest in the man and then Jesus healed the blind man (v 1-41).

These accusations and slurs about Mary showed up early in Christ’s ministry, but they quickly faded away as Christ moved with power. 

The pharisees and scribes were quickly overwhelmed by the flood of healings and deliverances being performed by Jesus, as God the Father confirmed His only begotten Son.

ESPAÑOL: ¿El Trono de Satanás de Pérgamo todavía ejerce influencia?

According to Wikipedia, Caracas, Venezuela is the murder capital of the world. It has held that position since 2016, when it wrestled the crown away from then reigning champ, San Pedro, Honduras.

But that brings me to an interesting article from 2013 on the British new site, The Guardian. 

The article discussed the murder rate in San Pedro, which at that time was running at 20 a day or over 7,000 murders a year. This works out to an annual murder rate of 173 per 100,000 residents.

To put this in perspective, Birmingham, Alabama has the highest murder rate in the US running at 62.5 per 100,000 while Chicago has the highest total number of murders at around 500 a year. 

For its article, The Guardian interviewed a San Pedro mortician named Lucas, who said:

“Satan himself lives here in San Pedro. People here kill people like they are nothing more than chickens.”

Lucas added that when he first started working as a mortician, most deaths were from natural causes. By 2013, that had completely reversed. Deaths from natural causes were now rare. He said it’s common to see corpses coming in with multiple gun shot wounds. Lucas added that bodies even show up with with heads and body parts cut off.

But more than that Lucas believed that Satan himself lived there, that Satan lived in San Pedro.

In a veiled reference to the work of Satan, Jesus stated, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).

Satan wants to kill. Murder and the breakdown of society is one of the defining trademarks of Satanic activity. Whether Satan himself lived in San Pedro it is hard to know. But undoubtedly there is a strong satanic influence of some kind.

The Place Where Satan Dwells

But we know at one point Satan lived in Pergamum.

In a warning to the seven churches of Asia, the Apostle John wrote:

And to the angel of the church of Pergamum write: I know where you dwell (The Greek word katoikeo), where Satan’s throne is and you hold fast My name and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where satan dwells (again the Greek word katoikeo) … (Revelation 2:12-13 NASV)

Immediately, we notice that the prophetic word addresses the murder of Antipas. According to tradition he served as the Bishop of city. He was brutally burned alive in a bronze bull statue for casting demons out of people.  

Pergamum was a powerful and influential city located in what is now modern Turkey. It was a government town serving as the capital of Asia. It was on a major trade route, so it served as the financial hub. It also had a massive library with over 200,000 book, making it a center of learning. It was the equivalent of a university city today.

But the verse also speaks of both the church and Satan dwelling in Pergamum.

The same Greek word for dwell, katoikeo, is used in both instances. According to the Expository Dictionary of the New Testament, katoikeo, means “to settle down in a dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place.”

In the same way that church members had homes and lived in the city, so did Satan. 

However, Pergamum was more than Satan’s dwelling place. John adds that Satan also had his throne there. 

The city not only functioned as the administrative center for earthly government, it also served as the satanic headquarters in the spiritual realm.

This reveals that there is some type of organizational structure within the satanic realm, with certain fallen angels having more authority.

We see hints of this throughout the Bible.

In Matthew 12:22-27, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out a lower demon by invoking the name of a more powerful evil spirit named Beelzebul. Jesus never challenged the existence of this demonic being.

Revelation 9:11 provides the name of another ruling satanic angel known as Abaddon, which means destroyer. He is described as the King of the Abyss and ruled over a horde of locust-like demons. I would liken him to a general who commands a large unit of men. 

Though Satan’s kingdom is spiritual, this spiritual dimension often manifests itself in our physical world.

In Pergamum’s case, it was revealed through the throne of Zeus — a giant altar built around 200 BC. It was a massive structure 118 feet wide and 110 feet deep.

The altar existed when the Apostle John wrote Revelation. This is no doubt, the throne of Satan, that John was referring to. 

The Zeus altar was a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality. 

The Pergamum altar was dedicated to the Greek gods — primarily Zeus. 

In Greek mythology, Zeus was the head of the gods. Zeus may have been a veiled reference to Satan’s rule in the demonic kingdom.

Paul refers to Satan as the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Perhaps, it was through this altar at Pergamum that Satan received human worship. 

In Deuteronomy 32:17, Moses addressed this connection between idols and demons when he warned Israel:

They sacrificed to demons who were not God,
To gods whom they have not known (NASV)

There was a connection between the worship of demons and the Canaanite gods.

When Christianity began dominating the Roman Empire, the Zeus temple and its altar fell into disuse. The temple was transformed into a fortress. It was partially destroyed through several battles. The altar eventually disappeared as it was covered by debris and dirt.

But Satan’s largely intact throne in Pergamum was finally uncovered by German archaeologists in 1878. In 1901, it was dismantled and the altar was moved to a museum in Berlin, Germany. It has since been renamed the Pergamum Museum in honor its infamous relic.

So what would happen if Satan’s throne is uncovered, restored and moved to a new location in Europe?

In Deuteronomy 7:25-26, Moses gave Israel an interesting warning about the Canaanite idols:

“The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. You shall not bring an abomination thing into your house and like it come under the ban (The Hebrew word cherem which means devoted/cursed) and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned  (again the same Hebrew word cherem).” (Deuteronomy 7:25, 26 NASV)

The Hebrew word “cherem”, translated by the NASV as banned, refers to any object that was devoted or dedicated to someone else. This setting aside for another’s service meant no one else could use it.

These idols were devoted to other gods, who Moses said were demons.

Cherem is actually derived from another Hebrew word “charam” which means to “lay under a curse.” It referred to the ancient practice of putting a curse on any objects that were devoted. 

Consequently, any individuals who came in contact with these devoted items would come under the demonic curse attached to them.

We see this at play in Israel’s battle for Jericho. 

In Joshua 6 verses 17-18, Joshua warned his soldiers that the city was under the ban, the Hebrew word Cherem. This meant they were to take nothing from the city, because by doing so they would “make the camp of Israel accursed (The Hebrew word cheram) and bring trouble on it” (Joshua 6:17, 18 NASV). Unquote

Unfortunately a soldier took some items and when Joshua later sent soldiers to take Ai, a small outpost, they were soundly defeated.

After this defeat, a prophetic word revealed what one of the soldiers had done making Israel vulnerable to satanic attack because of that curse. 

After Joshua dealt with the issue, they were then able to successfully defeat Ai.

This leaves us with a couple of questions. Was there a similar curse on Satan’s throne in Pergamum? Secondly, with this alter transferred to Germany, did a curse go with it? 

I will let you decide.

Thirteen years after Satan’s Throne arrived in Berlin, World War I broke out with the Germans on the Axis side.  It is estimated 16 million people were killed during this war.

That war ended in 1918 with the defeat of Germany. Twenty-one years later, 1939, Germany’s Adolf Hitler initiated World War II. This massive conflict involving Germany, Japan and Italy resulted in the deaths of over 60 million people including 6 million Jews in concentration camps. 

One of the goals of Hitler and his three nation axis was world domination.

In his vision of the End times recorded in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John revealed that world domination is one of the ultimate goals of the Anti Christ.

Was there a demonic influence behind these two wars and specifically the rise of Hitler?

In his book, Mass Hate: The Global Rise Of Genocide And Terror, Neil Kressel describes Hitler with these words:

“Overwhelmingly … Germans speak with mystification of Hitler’s ‘hypnotic’ appeal. The word shows up again and again; Hitler is said to have mesmerized the nation, captured them in a trance from which they could not break loose.”

Though we know the antichrist will appear at the end of the age, the Apostle John warns that before that happens many wannabe antichrists will make an appearance in 1 John 2:8.

Hitler was not the antichrist, but I do believe he was Satan’s attempt to set up the Antichrist reign before its time.

Daniel 7:25 warns of Satan’s desire to change the times and seasons. He wants to be in charge of the end time’s timetable.

But God stopped Hitler. God is sovereign. God is in control. God will decided when the antichrist will rise up, not Satan.

But oddly this was not the end of Satan’s throne’s journey or its possible influence.

After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union took Zeus’ altar as a spoils of war. In 1945, it was transferred to Leningrad’s Hermitage Museum.

For most of the time it was in the Soviet Union, the country was ruled by Joseph Stalin — one of the bloodiest mass murderers in earth’s history. It’s estimated he was responsible for the deaths of 20 million people.

Now to be fair, Stalin was involved in mass murder before the throne of Satan arrived. But after the arrival of Zeus’ altar, Stalin set up of the Eastern Bloc made up of the countries supposedly liberated by the Soviet Union’s war with Germany.

For the next few decades, Soviet communism pushed for world domination via the Cold War.

The Soviets returned the Pergamum altar to communist controlled East Germany in 1958. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, East Germany was eventually reunited with West Germany in 1990.

And again God intervened and the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991.

Today, the altar sits in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Of course, the questions remains. Does it have a Demonic curse on it? If so is it potentially exerting some type of demonic influence in this region of the world?

We need to remember that after His resurrection, Jesus was given all authority over all tribes and all the world. The Lord has the final say. He is ultimately the One in control.

Thanks for joining me on the podcast, and I will catch you again.

ESPAÑOL: 148 | What Ancient Non-Christians Had to Say About Jesus

Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I want to discuss several mentions of Christ made by ancient secular sources.

Incredibly there are people today who will claim that Jesus did not exist. They are certainly a minority, fringe group, because we have nearly 6,000 fragments (some complete) of the New Testament with many such as the Gospels providing first hand reports on Christ’s ministry. 

There are also archaeological evidence of Christ’s influence in the Roman Empire.

One of my favorite archaeological finds provides a negative spin in how Christ was often portrayed. It is called the Alexamenos Graffito.

As its name implies, it involves graffiti scrawled on a wall near Rome’s Palatine Hill. It is dated between the first and third century.

It portrays a man with the head of a donkey and his arms stretched out on a cross.

Below and to the left of this image is a figure of man looking up at the cross with one hand raised. The words, “Alexamenos worships his God” are roughly scrawled on the right. 

Though it is mocking the Christian faith, It is believed to be one of the earliest known depictions of Jesus. It was found on the wall of a boarding school that once stood at this location used to train messengers for Imperial palace and Nobles.

The building was originally built by the Emperor Caligula as part of the palace complex, but was converted to the boarding school called Domus Gelotiano after Caligula’s death in 41 AD. 

It’s suspected that one of the messenger trainees etched the image into the plaster to mock Alexamenos, a fellow student, who was obviously a Christian. 

The individual who created the image showed a remarkable insight into Christianity. He knew that Christ died on the cross, and Christians believed that Jesus is God. This may suggest Alexamenos had been sharing his faith.

Ancient Christian historian Tertullian noted in his book Ad Nationes that the Romans often portrayed Christ as a donkey as a way of disparaging Christianity.

Intended as an insult, the graffiti has become a testimony of Christianity’s growing influence in a world hostile to the Christian faith. 

My second favorite archaeological find about Jesus involves a cup found in the ancient harbor of Alexandria, Egypt in 2008. It was discovered on the now submerged island that once held Queen Cleopatra’s palace.

The near fully intact cup had the words, “Through Christ the enchanter” which could also be translated magician inscribed on it.

Known as the Jesus cup, it is dated to the first century. The cup was used in fortune telling ceremonies where oil and water were poured into the cup. The practitioner interpreted the oil as at dispersed on the surface.

The owner was obviously not a Christian but was trying to incorporate what was believed to be Christ’s magical powers into ceremonies.

It was obvious that the magicians who flourished at this time, were keenly interested in the miracles being performed by the disciples through Jesus.

We see our first hint of this in the Book of Acts, when Simon the Magician became a Christian while Philip was preaching in Samaria. The story is recorded in Acts 8. 

Simon was amazed by the miracles that were taking place at the hands of Philip. 

But things turned when Peter and John came to Samaria and began filling people with the Holy Spirit. Of course, this came with the usual displays of power: speaking in tongues and prophesying. 

When Simon saw what happened at the hands of Peter and John, the magician offered money so he could do the same feats. 

He ended up being soundly rebuked by Peter. But it shows that magicians were intrigued by this belief in Jesus.

With first century magicians already incorporating Christ in their clairvoyant  rituals, it’s obvious that Christ’s reputation was spreading rapidly across the Roman Empire.

But aside from these archaeological finds, there are many written accounts about Jesus from secular sources that speak of Christ.

One of my favorite references to Christ from a non-religious source was made by Tacitus a Roman historian and senator. He wasn’t a Christian and lived between 55AD to 118AD

In his book entitled Annals he mentioned Jesus in a couple of paragraphs. One was written while he was discussing the Roman Emperor Nero who lived between 37AD and 67AD. 

When people began to blame Nero for the Great Fire of Rome that took place in 64 AD, Nero deflected this by accusing the Christians of arson. This resulted in a horrific persecution of believers.

Tacitus writes:

[neither] human effort nor the emperor’s generosity nor the placating of the gods ended the scandalous belief that the fire had been ordered [by Nero]. Therefore, to put down the rumour, Nero substituted as culprits and punished in the most unusual ways those hated for their shameful acts… whom the crowd called “Chrestians.” The founder of this name, Christ [Christus in Latin], had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate… Suppressed for a time, the deadly superstition erupted again not only in Judea, the origin of this evil, but also in the city [Rome], where all things horrible and shameful from everywhere come together and become popular.”

In this paragraph, Tacitus refers to both Jesus (Christus) and the Chrestians. He also reveals his disgust for Christianity, by referring to it as a deadly superstition and evil.

But he also uses the word erupted to describe the rapid growth of Christianity across the empire.

When Nero blamed the Christians for the Great Fire, it led to a brutal persecution of Christians that included crucifixion and soaking them in oil, setting them on posts and burning them alive. They were also thrown into the Colosseum to be torn apart by animals

Tacitus provides this horrific description:

“Accordingly, arrest was first made of those who confessed [to being Christians]; then, on their evidence, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much on the charge of arson as because of [their] hatred for the human race. Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clothed in the hides of beasts and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed. Nero had thrown open his grounds for the display, and was putting on a show in the circus, where he mingled with the people in the dress of charioteer or drove about in his chariot. All this gave rise to a feeling of pity, even towards men whose guilt merited the most exemplary punishment; for it was felt that they were being destroyed not for the public good but to gratify the cruelty of an individual.”

But Tacitus called Pilate a procurator while the Bible describes him as a ‘prefect’ or governor in Luke 3:1.

Immediately the critics claimed the Bible was wrong. 

That was until Italian archaeologist Antonio Frova found a limestone inscription in Caeserea describing Pontius Pilate as a prefect, confirming the Biblical title.

The terms “prefect” and later “procurator” reflect a title change instituted by Roman Emperor Claudius (41 AD to 54 AD). Basically it was the same job, just a different title.

The earlier term ‘prefect’ reveals that the Gospel writers were writing before Claudius’ instituted the change, while Tacitus was writing after. The usage of prefect meant the Gospel writers were the eye-witnesses that they claimed to be.

Another of my favorite written references to Jesus by an ancient secular writer involves a stoic philosopher, named Mara Bar Serapion.

Some believe his mention of Christ in 73 AD, about 40 years after Christ’s crucifixion, is the earliest written reference to Christ from Non Biblical sources.

Serapion refers to Christ in a letter that he wrote to his son encouraging him to embrace wisdom. Serapion was in prison at the time after Rome conquered his homeland, Samosata, in 72 AD. It is located in modern Turkey. 

After the invasion, the Romans arrested hundreds of residents and relocated them to prisons across the empire.

Though, he doesn’t specifically mention Christ, Serapion refers to a Jewish ‘wise king’:

What else can we say, when the wise are forcibly dragged off by tyrants, their wisdom is captured by insults, and their minds are oppressed and without defense? What advantage did the Athenians gain by murdering Socrates, for which they were repaid with famine and pestilence? Or the people of Samos by the burning of Pythagoras, because their country was completely covered in sand in just one hour? Or the Jews by killing their wise king, because their kingdom was taken away at that very time? God justly repaid the wisdom of these three men: the Athenians died of famine; the Samians were completely overwhelmed by the sea; and the Jews, desolate and driven from their own kingdom, are scattered through every nation. Socrates is not dead, because of Plato; neither is Pythagoras, because of the statue of Juno; nor is the wise king, because of the new laws he laid down.

Though he doesn’t specifically reference Jesus by name, most researchers are convinced this is who the Jewish wise king is referring to.

Throughout the Gospels, the gentiles looked up Jesus as a Jewish King. Pilate and the Roman guards referred to Christ as the “king of the Jews” in  Luke 23:3 and Matthew 27:27-29.

At the Lord’s crucifixion, the Romans put a sign on Christ’s cross, that read “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews” (John 19:19). The Romans used these signs to inform people what the person was being executed for.

There was only one person in the first century who was referred to as both a king of the Jews and faced execution by the Jews and that was Jesus.

Because of this reference to Christ some suggest that Serapion was a Christian. We know he wasn’t, because he talks about people being separated from ’our gods’ when they were hauled off to foreign prisons. This was reference to the pagan gods that permeated Roman life.

Serapion also mentions God judging the Athenians for murdering Socrates. This is not a belief that Christians would have held.

But then Serapion does another things, he ties the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD to God’s judgment on the Jews for killing their wise king.

This may indicate that stories about how Christ prophesied the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24 were also in circulation.

Though Jesus had died only four decades earlier, Serapion was already including Christ with famous people of influence like Socrates and Phythagoras (a famous Greek mathematician).  All who died centuries earlier.

Serapion finished this section writing that this wise king is not dead because of the new laws he laid down. It was a reference to the growing influence of the early church, empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

ESPAÑOL: ¿Estamos viendo evidencia de que la guerra espiritual se intensifica?

Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this episode I want to discuss spiritual warfare, because I am seeing increasing evidence that things are starting to heat up.

At a recent church service my wife and I attend, our pastor shared an interesting story. He never gets headaches. But a few months ago he started having a headache every day for three weeks. It was always in the same spot. 

He prayed about it but it didn’t stop.

Then the Lord spoke to him that he needed others to pray for him. 

So at the end of a Saturday evening service, he asked for prayer. As people gathered around, someone had a word that while he was on a hospital visit, something demonic had attached to him. 

The group then took authority and dispelled the demonic oppression.

The pastor said that as soon they prayed, he felt immediate relief.

There is always a tension between whether the source of our problems are demonic  or whether they are due to our sin, choices and just life’s circumstances.

Certainly, our sin nature plays a big role, but I think Western Christianity has tended to downplay the impact of the demonic realm.

But as we study the book of Revelation, there are several indicators of increasing demonic attacks as we approach the end of the end-times.

This will culminate in people being forced to worship the Beast in Revelation 13:8.

Some believe we have entered this time. Though I am not sure, I was surprised recently by a video released by Tim Pool, a popular YouTube political pundit with two million followers on his various channels. 

Tim describes himself as middle of the road politically. By his own admission, he is not a Christian. 

But after the assassination of popular Conservative Christian Charlie Kirk, Tim released a video entitled “It’s time to bring back exorcisms.”

Tim started off the podcast with these words:

“It’s time to bring back exorcisms. And the reality is they’ve never gone anywhere. Did you know that the Catholic Church still performs exorcisms? Now, I’ve personally seen things that make me believe genuinely there are people who are possessed. I am not a Christian, but I do believe in God. I do believe that there is evil. And the response I got from many people is, Tim, you’re almost there. Maybe.”  

Later in the podcast, Tim cites two news articles. The first was published by the Catholic Herald in January 2021 entitled “Demand for Exorcisms Soared After Lockdowns of COVID-19.” And a second published by Newsweek, entitled “Catholic Exorcists say they are overloaded with ‘possessed’ people: Study.”

Both articles discussed the growing number of people who are approaching the Roman Catholic Church for deliverance from the demonic. It has been particularly acute since COVID.

Tim then goes on to say that since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he has seen quote “the willful tolerance of what is both figuratively and literally demonic and what appears to be demonic possession. Videos of people cackling, freaking out and laughing like demons in the movies.” Unquote

Tim acknowledges that secularists would claim these people are just mimicking what they have seen in the movies.

Tim admits this is possible, but he is not convinced that this is happening in all cases. 

He goes on to share an interesting story associated with using the drug DMT and the trips associated with its usage:

“But I’ve heard many other stories and this one’s for the secular liberal friends, DMT trips and machine elves and demons.”

“I’ve heard stories from people who are not very religious who have taken DMT dimethylrypamine and they’ve experienced what’s called breaking through the veil. With a high dose of this drug, they blast off, as they call it, and go to another place of nearly indescribable proportions.

“Some have told me on these trips, they’ve met people, they’ve met entities who have promised them power if they just give in.

“I don’t know.

“There was a great article on Vice. I say great as in it was very interesting when a man said that he did DMT and he met a purple woman who talked to him and told him things he thought it was really interesting.

“He explained to a friend of his and the friend said he knew the purple woman and explained in detail things he could not have possibly known indicating that taking this DMT brought them to a a point that actually exists and that by both experiencing it proved something.

“I don’t know.”

Is this drug opening people up to the demonic realm?

Tim says that there has been a decline in Christianity in recent years. He adds that this has coincided with an increase in depravity and what he describes as demonic behavior.

Now, I know some will criticize this podcast because some of those stories are Catholic-based. I am not a Catholic, and I don’t agree with many of their doctrinal positions.

But I know that within the Catholic Church there are true believers. Much in the same way I know that not everyone who attends an evangelical church is automatically a Christian.

It is a matter of faith. Catholic exorcists as an example, would need a genuine faith to be successful.

A few years back someone suggested that there may be some validity to use of Holy water and other religious icons such as crucifixes in deliverances and healings. 

But these religious items are not what brings about a deliverance. 

Rather it is a foundational belief in the authority of Christ that provides the power. It is similar to what happened in the Book of Acts, when people were healed and delivered from demons with handkerchiefs touched by Paul in Acts 19. It was not the handkerchief that had power, but rather the underlying belief in Christ’s power and authority.

I also believe we are seeing evidence of increasing demonic activity, through the growing number of media reports of UFO sightings.

Now I believe that the bulk of these sightings can be explained away. They are drones, weather balloons and even unusual atmospheric conditions. 

However, there are a significant number that can not. This includes reports of UFOs being picked up by military radar which are defying the laws of physics. This includes travelling at astronomical speeds and being able to stop and turn on a time, and then instantaneously resume their astronomical speeds.

At this point, I turn to Hugh Ross who helped found reasons.org. He is a Christian with a Ph.D. in astronomy. 

When he hears of UFOs defying the basic laws of physics, he believes we are no longer looking at something natural, but rather supernatural.

Curiously, in his visions the prophet Ezekiel saw several bizarre looking things that travelled at the speed of lightening and could fly, stop and turn on a dime. 

While some insist that the prophet was seeing UFOs, Ezekiel is equally adamant that he was seeing Cherubim from the heavenly realm.

This leaves us with the question. Are UFOs visitors from a far off alien planet or simply godly and even fallen angels manifesting from the spiritual realm?

In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul warns of the type of people that will start showing up in the end times. They will lack self control They will be brutal and will literally hate what is good.

Some will even embrace the demonic realm. In verse 8, Paul warns about the emergence of people who will be like Jannes and Jambres.

These were two Egyptian magicians, who publicly, but unsuccessfully, tried to match Moses’ display of power in the book of Exodus. 

What happened in Egypt was in its simplest terms was an out and out, power encounter.

Paul writes:

“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.”

This ideas continues in verse 13 which reads:

“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, the Greek word translated impostors refers to wizards and one who mutters spells. 

Thayer’s Greek Dictionary states that the word refers to “enchanters” or those who uttered in a kind of howl in casting their spells.

Paul states that not only will these power confrontations start happening again, it will get worse, as these practitioners become more bold and aggressive as they openly embrace the occult in order to gain influence, culturally, politically and financially.

It’s a warning of a coming time of intense spiritual warfare,

According to an article on Faithwire, Scotty McDowell, the son of apologist Sean McDowell was manning a ‘change my mind’ table in the New York City a few weeks back.

A man named Jason, approached Scotty wanting to talk about the innerancy of the Bible.

Scotty was shocked when the man brazenly identified as a “self-proclaimed Satanist.” This was potentially leading to a direct spiritual power encounter.

But things took a turn, when Scotty asked if he could first explain what the Gospel was. Jason responded by pulling out some tarot cars and said he needed to “check my map.”

Jason then started making some funny sounds and Scotty put his hand on his shoulder, because he seemed to becoming disoriented.

Scotty said:

“The craziest thing to me was when the man didn’t do anything. But the second I said, ‘Jason, do you know who Jesus is?’ It was like a switch in his brain. Something went off.”

Jason then swore and said “Peace Scotty” and literally ran away.

Scotty stated later that he wasn’t scared, because he “had the Holy Spirit” and added, “There’s power in the name of Jesus.”

If we are entering a time of increased spiritual conflict, as believers we need to first understand our position in Christ. 

Throughout the Gospels we read that Jesus gave His disciples both authority and power. 

In Luke 10:19 the Lord told His disciples quote:

“Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.”

We have authority as we believe in Jesus who according to Matthew 28:18 has been given“All authority in heaven and on earth.” 

Jesus is the source of our authority. He essentially deputizes us.

But authority is not enough. We also need power and that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus was accused of casting out Demons by a more powerful demon, Beelzebub, after delivering a mute man, Jesus responded by stating that He drove out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:28.

The Holy Spirit is the one Who deals with the demonic.

As enter this new era of warfare, we need to understand our authority in Christ and need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Thanks for joining me on this podcast, and I will catch you again.

ESPAÑOL: Lo que Job nos dice sobre la Edad de Hielo, los dinosaurios y el Consejo Divino

The Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. Many believe it was written shortly after the worldwide flood and before the Tower of Babel recorded in Genesis chapter 11.

Job probably lived in the time of the genealogy listed in Genesis 10. This meant his neighbors may have been people like Peleg, Joktan and Uzal.

While Job is most famously known for dealing with the age old question of suffering, it also paints a picture of a different world. 

One of the more fascinating aspects of the Book of Job is that it talks about ice and cold more than any other book in the Bible.

Not only does it speak of ice, but it also does in an unusual way. 

In Job 37:9-10 we read:

Out of the South comes the storm.
And out of the North comes the cold
From the breath of God ice is made
And the expanse of the water is frozen.

Other Bible versions translate the Hebrew word for expanses as “broad waters.” This refers to massive bodies of ice. Since Job lived in the Middle East, where did the idea of a bro;ad expanse or sea of ice come from?

But Job doesn’t stop there. Two chapters later, it talks about the quote waters became hard as stone and the face of the deep being frozen (Job 38:30).

The Hebrew word “tehom” refers to deeps, abyss and great quantities of water. This verse talks about thick quantities of ice, miles deep.

Dr. Henry Morris, founder of Institute of Creation Research, believes Job was describing the Ice Age when glaciers covered parts of the Northern Hemisphere including much of Canada, Russia and Europe.

It’s believed the ice was one to two miles high (three to four kilometers) and and in North American the ice cap extended down to Wisconsin and New York City.

One of the biggest problems of the ice age is finding a reasonable explanation for where all the water came from to cover nearly a third of the earth with a thick bed of ice. 

For the ice to move out from the Arctic, two things needed to take place. First there needed to be a cooling. It’s estimated that the summer temperature in the US would have averaged around 58 F. 

It also required a dramatic and rapid increase of water. Scientists can provide no reasonable explanation of how this happened, other than it did.

But its no coincidence that Job describes this ice age showing up shortly after the world wide flood had taken place. 

This would not only have cooled the earth, but it also provided the massive quantity of water needed to cover nearly a third of the earth’s surface with ice caps two miles high.

But it doesn’t stop there. 

The Book of Job mentions a beast that many believe describes a dinosaur. 

God talked about a creature called Behemoth to show Job how inadequate he was because only God could control this creature.

According to Job 40, Behemoth was a land creature that lived near water. It was a plant eater. It was massive in size, powerful and fearless.

Some believe this was referring to a crocodile or a hippopotamus, but the book of Job does an interesting thing, that shows it wasn’t. 

It provides a unique description of Behemoth’s tail.

We read:

Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron. (Job 40:17-18)

Middle Eastern Cedars grow upwards of 60 feet or taller and the Bible makes several references to their size 2 Kings 19:23 and Isaiah 2:13.

When Behemoth’s tail is compared to a cedar, you don’t think of a Cedar when it’s a five foot sapling. No, you envision a tall full sized adult tree. 

There is nothing alive today that comes even close to having a tail that could be compared to 60 foot Cedar Tree.

The only possible creatures that could fit that description would be dinosaurs.

Only a few creatures from our ancient past have a tail even remotely close to that size. This would include Sauropods, and brontosauruses who due to their size preferred water over land.

The supersaurus as an example was up to 112 feet long. It has a small head, long neck, massive body and of course long tail.

But Job does one more interesting thing, it tells us that Behemoth’s tale swayed like a cedar tree.

Today, paleontologists agree with the Biblical description and state that dinosaurs carried their tales high.

But they didn’t always believe that.

For decades, scientists believed dinosaurs dragged their tales on the ground. Charles Knight’s famous painting of a Brontosaurus from 1897 have them do exactly that.

But that depiction was wrong and Job was right.

So if Job was describing a dinosaur, it reveals that for a brief period of time they coexisted with man. 

This explains why we have stories of dragons in cultures around the world. These are based on ancients accounts of man’s encounters with dinosaurs.

Add to this they are now finding non-fossilized organic material — blood, cartilage, blood vessels — inside fossilized dinosaur bones thought to be upwards of 60 million years old. 

How is that possible? 

This shows us that dinosaurs are not as old as evolutionists would have us believe.

But the book doesn’t stop there.

With Job being the Bible’s oldest book, it speaks of an interesting feature of the Spiritual realm referred to as the Divine Council.

It shows up in the first chapter as we read:

Now there was a day when the [a]sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and [b]Satan also came among them. (Job 1:6)

This is literally a conclave or meeting of spiritual beings or angels. What is even more curious is that at this point Satan, the accuser, is also part of this meeting.

We find several references to this Divine council throughout the Old Testament. 

It is described as the council or assembly of the Holy ones in Psalm 89:5-7. God is described as having taken His place in the divine council in Psalm 82:1. 

So what is the purpose of the Divine Council? 

We have a few hints.

We are told that the sons of God or angels presented themselves before the Lord. 

The Hebrew word yâtsab, translated present, is used in Deuteronomy 31:14, where we are told that Jehovah asked Moses and Joshua to present themselves before the Lord in the tabernacle, so God could give Joshua a charge. 

These Divine Council meetings seems to be a time, when Jehovah gives instruction to angelic beings.

In 1 Kings 22:19, we have another reference to a meeting of this Divine council, when Micaiah reports that:

“I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.”

At this conclave, Micaiah reports that angelic beings actually gave suggestions on how they could accomplish a particular task that God wanted done. The one of the angels stepped forward and volunteered to do it.

In Daniel 4:17, we read that angels fulfilled the decisions made by the Divine Council.

We read:

“This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the Kingdom of Men.”

In this instance, the angels relayed to Daniel, via a dream, the judgment that had come down against the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar by the Divine Council.

While God is all knowing and all powerful, the Lord gives angelic beings decision making responsibilities and tasks, much like He does believers.

While the book of Job suggests that Satan was initially part of this divine council, this access seems to have ended at the birth of Christ, when Satan tried to assassinate Jesus at His birth. 

At this point, there was a great war in heaven and Michael and godly angels drove Satan and a third of the angels out of the heavenly realm (Revelation 12:7-12)

So Job provides some interesting insights into both the physical world and the spiritual realm.

Thanks for joining me on this podcast, and I will catch you again.

One of the stranger manifestations that took place when the Holy Spirit fell on the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in 1994, were the animal sounds.

There were other manifestations including Holy Laughter as people experienced overwhelming joy. People were slain in the spirit. Others were shaking and rolling on the floor.

Some became so drunk in the Holy Spirit they could not longer stand, which according to Acts 2:13, also took place on the Day of Pentecost.

The church’s pastor, John Arnott, was actually speaking overseas when he was told that a man was roaring like a lion in the services.

Arnott initially wanted it stopped, but changed his mind and said he would talk to him when I got back. Maybe there was more going on here than he realized.

When Arnott returned, he found out that it was a Chinese man, Gideon Chua, who was roaring.

When asked why he was doing it, Gideon said he felt the Holy Spirit urging him to roar to free China from its oppression. The Lion of Judah was roaring over China.

Arnott invited Gideon to the stage where Gideon asked God to forgive the sin of the Chinese people. Gideon then said, quote “Let the Lion of the tribe of Judah rise and ROAR, and ROAR and ROAR.”

Yes, he literally roared.

Then Gideon proclaimed “Let my people go. Let my people. Dragon let my 1.2 billion Chinese go.” 

When you looked at what happened in China over the next twenty years is incredible. The people were freed. It became so open that the underground church was actually constructing churches on street corners.

Along with this came an unparalleled economic prosperity. The oppression has since returned under Xi Jinping who became president in 2013. 

But this takes us to an interesting verse in the book of Joel.

Where we read:

The Lord roars from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is a refuge for His people,
And a stronghold for the sons of Israel. (Joel 3:16 NASV) 

Joel proclaimed that God will roar and utter His voice from Zion and when God roars, the people are protected.

I have looked upon this roaring figuratively. God wasn’t really roaring.

But what if it isn’t figurative. Did the Holy Spirit ask Gideon to roar for God? Did Gideon utter God’s voice from Zion?

What happened next in China, literally fulfilled Joel’s promise as Chinese believers were able to express their faith freely.

When we look at the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12, many are activated using our voice, such as the gift of prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, words of wisdom and knowledge.

But our voice is important in the gifts of healing, like Peter did when he told the lame man, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” (Acts 3:16).

Or in the discerning of spirits, when Paul bound the spirit of divination with these words “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” (Acts 16:18).

The believer’s voice is important. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul tells believers to “encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.”

This involves words. We are told to speak words of encouragement to each other. This is because a believer’s words have power.

Though it happened decades ago, I still remember the look on his face, after I uttered those horrid words.

Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast, I want to talk about the power of words.

I was attending Bible school at the time, and living on campus in the boy’s dorm or maybe it was the men’s dorm. I can’t remember. Over the school year, we got to know each other pretty good.

There was one fellow who was struggling spiritually. He was an athletic body builder type of guy, as wide as he was tall. Almost immediately, we realized that he was struggling spiritually.

But many prayed and ministered to him, and by the end of the school year, it was obvious that the Holy Spirit was moving in his life.

He was softening and good things were happening. 

With the school year basically over a bunch of us were wrestling and horsing around in the dorm, as guys are prone to do.

He ended up slamming me to the floor. I wasn’t injured but it hurt.

Though it was accidental, I was angry and unleashed a torrent of words against him.

Though I can’t remember what I said, I can still see the shocked and hurt look on his face.

In a matter of seconds, my words undid what the Holy Spirit had been doing in his life.

I asked God to forgive me, but I may still need to forgive myself.

But I have been on the receiving end of negative words as well. 

Several years back, I received a strange prophetic word from one of the few full-blown prophets that I have come in contact with.

He prophesied, “God says you have the ability to start a business, I am not saying that you should, only that God says you could do it.”

God was not calling me to start a business, the Holy Spirit was only saying that I had the ability to do it.

Why would God give me such a bizarre word?

I believe it was connected to something that happened to me about ten years earlier. A friend told me to my face, that I could never run a business, and that I was incapable of doing it. Those words uttered in moment of frustration, haunted me. I can still remember the room where he said them.

I told no one about this, but ten years later the Holy Spirit knew it as still impacting me, probably in ways I didn’t know. The Holy Spirit wanted to cancel the negativity of those words spoken over me nearly a decade earlier.

This is because words have power.

Perhaps the best example of this, is a Bible verse that has always caught my attention. The Apostle Paul writes, that, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Paul states that faith comes by hearing. This is not to say that it can’t come from reading, but for Paul hearing imparts faith or creates faith inside the one hearing it.

Words are so powerful that they can transform a person’s life for an eternity.

But if this is the case, then the opposite can be true as well. Negative words have the ability to create unbelief in the one hearing it. 

A classic example of this involves the story of the 12 men sent to spy out the Promised Land by Moses.

Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, returned stating that God was giving them a bountiful land.

But ten spies gave an evil report. All they saw was the giants and the impossibility. They said we looked like grasshoppers in our own sight (Numbers 13:33). They publicly spewed out their unbelief and contaminated the whole nation of Israel. 

But here is the key, they were speaking out of there own insecurity. There own lack of confidence. Remember how they worded it.  We looked like grasshoppers in our own sight. Our own sight. 

This is how they looked upon themselves.

They were simply speaking out of their own personal inadequacy.

Soon all Israel was seeing themselves in the same way because of these words. Gripped with fear, they back away from fulfilling their calling. Israel would spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, until everyone contaminated by those words, except for Joshua and Caleb, had died.

The sad thing is I have no doubt that before this happened, thousands of men were ready to enter the Promised Land. But they would never fulfill their destiny.

Joshua would go on to lead Israel after Moses died. Because to be an effective leader, you must conquer fear. 

As we study the Book of Proverbs, several verses speak of the power of negative words. In Proverbs 12:18, they are compared to “the piercings of a sword”.

These negative words have the ability to cut deep into our psyche. They can cause wounds and infection. But the verse continues that the words of the wise bring health. They can bring healing to the words that were spoken negatively. 

In Proverbs 15:4, a wholesome tongue is compared to the tree of Life, while a perverse tongue “crushes the spirit.” This is exactly what happened to Israel after they heard that evil report.

Along this vein, a good friend of mine has purposefully chosen to quit listening to the news because of what it creates in his life, worry and fear.

Later, Solomon warns that, “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).

There is a reason for these ominous warnings, because Jews believe that words had power. 

William Barclay explains in his commentary, “To the Jew a word was far more than a mere sound. It was something which had an independent existence, and which actually did things.”

The Jews believed that once spoken, words had a life of their own.

Throughout the Bible, we see God constantly speaking encouraging words to His people. Often, it was done to counter the negative words spoken by others.

After Moses died, Joshua took over the leadership of Israel. 

In Joshua chapter 1, verses two through 9, the Lord spoke encouraging words over five times to Joshua. I am not sure exactly how this happened, perhaps it was through a prophetic word. 

For example in verse 6, the Lord said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

And finally in verse 9, the Lord says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

It seems that the negativity of those fear-filled words that Israel wasn’t good enough to drive out the giants were still hanging in the air.

God countered this with multiple powerful declarations of confidence, that Joshua could do it. 

God wrote the users manual for the human body He created. He knows how our mind works.

Not surprisingly, this was the same conclusion that University of Chicago Professor Dr. John Cacioppo came to in a study conducted in 2003.

He found out that people are affected much more by negative words than positive one. Maybe its due to our fallen human nature, but negative words have much more of an impact on us than positive ones.

It explains why political parties run negative ads. They are simply more effective than positive one. Voters may not like them, but they work.

The second thing their research showed is that takes two positive comments to overcome one negative one.

In an article for Today’s Christian Woman analyzing Cacioppo’s study, author Peggy Bert writes:

“That’s why personal insults or criticism hit us harder and stay with us longer.”

“Our brain needs a higher number of positive entries to counterbalance this built-in negativity bias. And several small, frequent, positive acts pack more punch than one giant-size positive. The size of the positive doesn’t count; quantity does. It’s strictly a numbers game.”

But negative comments can even be more damaging if they come from family members, close friends or coworkers.

According to Hara Marano’s article in Psychology Today, entitled, Our Brain’s Negative Bias, research has shown that if the negative comment comes from someone who is close, the impact is much more severe. Their words are much more potent and It takes upwards of five positive comments to overcome the damage done by one negative comment.

Other studies have found that negative feedback can directly impact a person’s ability to their job.

In an article, published by Time, Eric Barker looked at how negative and positive reinforcements affect the work place.

One study found that work groups which performed best had a positive to negative comment ratio of 5.6 to one. They had over five times as many positive reinforcements as negative.

Medium performing groups had 1.9 positive words spoken to them for every negative. 

The worst performing teams had the exact opposite. They had three negative to every positive.

While, there are times for admonishment and correction, these must be heavily balance with words of encouragement.

As believers we are told to, “encourage one another and to build one another up in the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

The Greek word, ‘oikodomeo’. literally refers to building or renovating a house. It often described expanding or enlarging a building. 

Paul says we are to build each other up in the Lord. We are told to deliberately speak words of life and encouragement to people, expanding their spiritual life.

With every construction project, there is a purpose and in many instances even a plan. It makes me wonder if God has a similar plan for encouragement?

The Holy Spirit knows what every person needs to build them up, so we need to be sensitive to His leading. 

With that in mind, we need to ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to say that will encourage and edify others. He may give you a prophetic word, a word of knowledge or wisdom.

God is calling you to be an encourager.

Thanks for joining me on this podcast and I will catch you again.

Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this podcast I want to talk about a couple of odd facts about the Jewish temple.

Since the last Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, Orthodox Jews have wanted to rebuild the temple.

But the biggest hindrance today is the fact that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where the Temple once stood is currently controlled by Muslims through the Jordanian Waqf.

There are also two Islamic buildings on the Temple Mount including the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

But despite that, there is still room for a Jewish temple on the site. But the Israeli government currently doesn’t have the political will to approve such a construction.

But the Temple Institute, an orthodox Jewish organization in Israel, is dedicated to seeing a third temple constructed. 

It has built furniture for the temple, including the sacrificial altar. The only thing it hasn’t constructed is the Ark of the Covenant, on which the presence of God rested.

The Institute also created the priestly robes and is currently training priests to work in the Temple. In the fall of 2022, the Institute purchased five red heifers from America to be used for the purification ritual for the priests. The five animals were examined with a magnifying glass to ensure they had no off-colored hairs that would disqualify them for the sacrifice.

Recent reports state that three have since developed off colored hairs, and they are no longer suitable.

The ashes of the red heifer is mixed with water and sprinkled over the priests to purify them in Numbers 19:1-10. Without this ritual, the priests are not allowed to minister in the Temple.  

Since the ashes from one heifer can purify hundreds of priests, only nine have been sacrificed since the start of the Jewish priesthood. But there has not been a red heifer sacrifice since the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD

But there was some curious news recently. According to Israel365 News, a group of orthodox Jews conducted a practice ceremony of the red heifer sacrifice. The heifer was burned on a wood pyre at an undisclosed location in Samaria. It had discolored hairs which meant it couldn’t be used in the actual sacrifice.  

A red heifer practice run was also conducted in 2024. In this instance, they only used a cut out of red bull (not a heifer), as they rehearsed the ritual itself. 

Over the centuries, rabbis have added several rules to the red heifer sacrifice that are not mentioned in the Biblical text.

Though the Bible states the sacrifice only needed to be conducted outside the camp, rabbinical tradition states it must take place at a specific location on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. This would require government permission to conduct the sacrifice.

Other non Biblical rules regulating the sacrifice include the type of rope used to halter the animal and the kind of sandals the priests must wear. 

These practice rounds suggests that Orthodox Jews are seriously considering performing the red heifer sacrifice in the near future, provided they can get permission.

But there are a couple other things about the Jewish temple that you may not be aware of.

Did you know that at one time, there were two Jewish temples in operation at the same time?

In the late 1800s, ancient papyri was discovered that talked about a Jewish temple that existed on Elephantine Island located on the Nile River in Egypt around 525 BC.

It is believed that the descendants of Jews who fled to Egypt during the Babylonian invasion about 60 years earlier. settled on the Elephantine Island.

This group is even mentioned Jeremiah chapter 42, when they approached the prophet for a word about their decision to leave. Jeremiah told them to stay and warned that they would fall into idol worship if they left. 

The group left. Babylon breached the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish temple. 

On Elephantine, their descendants built a temple, including furniture and began making animal sacrifices, since the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. They also set up altars to other gods, to appease the local inhabitants fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy.

But they ran into problems with the locals because they were sacrificing animals such rams who the Egyptians considered gods.

Those associated with an Egyptian temple dedicated to the ram god called Khnum attacked the Jewish Temple and damaged it. 

At this point, the group on Elephantine heard that the Jews had returned to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah and were rebuilding the temple. So they sent letters on papyri asking for financial help to rebuild the temple on Elephantine.

The letters actually refer to people mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah including Sanballat, Hananiah who was Nehemiah’s brother, and Johanan the high Priest. 

They even agreed to quit sacrificing animals if they received financial help. 

Though the Jews in Jerusalem refused funding, the Elephantine group received financial assistance from the Persian government who controlled Egypt at that time. The Persians had also provided assistance to rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.

When the Egyptians broke free from the Persians, they destroyed the Elephantine temple around 410 BC. But for about a century there were two functioning Jewish temples.

But there is a second story that I need to discuss and that is the mysterious disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant.

The very presence of God rested on the Ark of Covenant making it the most important piece of furniture in the Temple.

Ironically, the Temple that Jesus visited did not contain the Ark of the Covenant, because it disappeared in 586 BC, when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple.

Following the its destruction, the Babylonians hauled away booty from the temple. But in all the passages listing the items the Babylonians stole such  2 Kings 25:13-18, there is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant.

Following its destruction, the Babylonians hauled away the booty from the temple, but in all the passages listing the items the Babylonians such as 2 Kings 25:13-18, there is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant.

The most important piece of furniture in the Temple on which God’s presence rested wasn’t taken. 

I suspect that the Jewish High Priest hid the Ark in the caves beneath the Temple Mount, before Jerusalem fell.

But when Babylon executed the high priest and his second in command in Jeremiah 52:24-27, the Ark’s secret location was lost.

The Jews at the time, however, believed the prophet Jeremiah took the Ark of the Covenant and hid it

That theory is seen in the Book of Maccabees. Though not considered scripture, it writes that Jeremiah hid the ark in a cave on Mt Nebo. 

We read: 

5 And Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and he sealed up the entrance. 6 Some of those who followed him came up to mark the way, but could not find it. 7 When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: “The place shall be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. 8 And then the Lord will disclose these things …” (2 Maccabees 2:1-8 RSV)

Many Jews believed Jeremiah was a prime suspect for taking the Ark because he was from the priestly tribe. This meant he had access to the temple or knew people who did.

The Jews believed he also had motive because Jeremiah prophesied that the Ark of Covenant would be lost and not rebuilt.

“It shall be in those days, when you are multiplied in the land, declares the Lord, ‘they will not say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord,’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.” (Jeremiah 3:16 NASV)

This prophecy is probably the reason why the Temple Institute has not constructed the Ark of the Covenant. They believe the original one will eventually be found. 

And there is even a verse in the gospels that hints of this conspiracy that Jeremiah stole it. In Matthew 16:14, Jesus asked the disciples quote “Who do the people say that the Son of Man is?” 

The Son of Man is mentioned in Daniel 7, and has a throne where He sits beside Jehovah. In verse 14, He will be given authority over all the earth at the end of the age. 

Though we know now that Jesus is the Son of Man, at that time, the disciples said that some Jews thought that John the Baptist was the son of man. Others said Elijah. 

But some believed Jeremiah was the Son of Man. Since 2 Maccabees stated the ark’s hidden location would eventually be revealed, the Jews believed the Jeremiah would return at the end of the age, restore the Ark.

So this theory that Jeremiah had stolen the Ark of the Covenant was still circulating in Christ’s day. 

Today, many believe that the construction of a third Jewish Temple is necessary for the fulfillment of end times prophecy. Paul talks about the lawless one desecrating the temple in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and John was told to measure a temple in Revelation 11:1-2.

While these could be referring to a physical temple, we know that that the church is now the temple of God because the presence of God is now inside people.

Paul write in 1 Corinthians 3:16: 

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 

So it’s possible, these passages in Thessalonians and Revelation are referring to a spiritual temple, not a physical one.

On a final note, you may have heard that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Axum, Ethiopia claims to have the Ark of the Covenant. Over the years, many people have asked for permission to see it, but all have been refused.

As a result, many question if the church actually has it or if it’s just some fake, cheap replica.

However, I have a different theory. Like Elephantine, Axum is located on the Nile River and since Elephantine Island is about half the distance to Jerusalem I wonder if this church has a replica of the Ark of the Covenant that may have been made for the Elephantine Jewish Temple.

Thanks for joining me on the podcast, and I will talk to you again.

ESPAÑOL: Pastor Americano Crucificado por Creer que Jesús es Dios

Hi my name is Dean Smith, and in this podcast I want to discuss one of the most tragic and most bizarre cases involving a Christian pastor that I have heard of in recent years. 

Unexpectedly, it didn’t happen is some distant country. It took place in America.

On April 28, 2025, Arizona pastor, Bill Schonemann, was found dead in his home. He had been crucified. His hands were pinned to the wall and he had a crown of thorns on his head. 

The alleged murderer, Adam Sheafe, was captured by police two days later near Holy Cross church in Sedona, Arizona where he allegedly planned to execute two pastors in a similar fashion.

In an interview with Fox News’ Briana Whitney, Sheafe admitted to the murder and added he was planning to kill 14 pastors. It was part of a mission that he called, quote “Operation First Commandment.”

Sheafe did it because—and this is incredible—Pastor Schonemann believed Jesus was divine and was leading his congregation at New River Bible Chapel astray.

According to Sheafe, this belief was a direct violation of the Bible’s First Commandment that “we should have no other gods.”

In the interview at Maricopa County jail, Sheafe added:

“Yahava alone is God. It’s the first commandment; it’s the most important commandment of them all.” 

“There’s a commandment that if somebody is preaching that somebody other than God is God, we are to execute them and rid evil of Israel, so I’m obeying that commandment.”  

When Whitney pressed Sheafe that murder was a sin, he bluntly answered:

 “Well, yeah, it is a sin, but God also commanded us to execute anyone that’s preaching that someone other than him is God because it’s that serious. They’re claiming that Jesus is God and that somebody other than God is God. So what’s this ‘Jesus is only God’s son’ garbage that I was raised to believe? That’s not what God said.”

In the interview, Sheafe stated that he expected to be caught, but believed that God would ultimately protect him.

He not only showed ZERO remorse for his brutal execution, Sheafe added if he is ever released, he would keep killing pastors and priests, who taught the divinity of Christ.

At times during the interview Sheafe seemed to suggest that Jesus was the son of Satan.

Over the past few weeks, I have done a couple of podcasts on Christ’s divinity. I did it largely in response to several YouTube atheists who have been attacking the Bible and challenging the fundamental belief of Christianity, that Jesus was divine.

As I explained in a previous podcast, it was ultimately Christ’s claim of divinity that resulted in His crucifixion.

As Christ was being interviewed by the Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas, the Lord stated in Mark 14 that He was the son of man coming in the clouds. 

As soon as Jesus said that, the high priest ripped his clothes and shouted blasphemy. Caiaphas said no more evidence was needed and called for Jesus to be sent to the Romans for execution. 

By calling himself the Son of Man coming in the Gods, Jesus compared Himself to the Son of man mentioned in Daniel 7 which portrays two thrones in heaven and two Gods, Jehovah and the son of man.

It’s shocking that a pastor in America would be killed for calling Christ God. Some atheists like to push the idea, that Christ’s divinity was a later addition to the Christian faith. 

In fact, some argue that Christ’s divinity first shows up in the Gospel of John which is believed to be the last of the four gospels to be written.

They state that Christ’s divinity is not seen in the Gospel of Mark, which many believe was the first Gospel, to be written.

But as we study the Gospel of Mark, Christ’s divinity is clearly on display in the third verse of the first chapter. 

Sure this is not as good as the Gospel of John which has Christ portrayed as divine in the opening verse stating ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

But hey, the third verse is not bad. 

In this verse, Mark not only calls Jesus divine, but more specifically for the benefit of his Jewish readers, Mark said that Jesus is Jehovah.

In chapter 1 verses 3, Mark wrote:

“The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”

In this verse, Mark is simply citing a verse in Isaiah of one in the wilderness who would come and prepare for the appearance of the Lord.

Then in the very next verse, Mark makes it very clear that this voice in the wilderness was none other than John the Baptist.

Mark writes in verse 4:

“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

It’s obvious that John the Baptist was the voice in the wilderness who was preparing the way for the Lord, Who is Jesus Christ.

But like English, the Greek word ‘kurios’, which is translated Lord has multiple meanings. 

It can refer to God but it can also refer to a person of rank or importance, like the Lord of the Manor. 

But Mark was directly quoting Isaiah 40:3  and when you look at this verse in the Hebrew, there is no doubt about who is being referred to here.

The Isaiah verse reads:

The voice of one calling out,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

The word “Lord” is in all caps, which is the English Bible’s way of telling us that this is the Hebrew word for Jehovah. This is the proper name for the all powerful God.

But to make sure there is no doubt, Isaiah continues that the voice in the wilderness would make a strait path in the desert for ’Elôhı̂ym’ the Hebrew word for God.

By quoting this verse, Mark is stating very plainly that John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus who is both Jehovah and God.

This isn’t the only time Mark reveals Christ’s divinity. He does it again and again throughout his gospel.

This shows up in the very next chapter, chapter 2. 

Mark talks about how four men were forced to tear a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was staying because the crowd was so big. They then lowered down a paralyzed man.

When Jesus saw the man, the first thing the Lord says to him was “Son, your sins are forgiven” verse 5.

But notice how Jesus said this. 

He didn’t ask God to forgive the man’s sins, like Daniel did in Daniel chapter 9, when he confessed sins of the Jewish people and their kings, so the Jews could be restored back to their homeland while in Babylonian captivity. While Daniel confessed the sins of others, God was the one Who ultimately needed to forgive.

In this instance, Jesus simply forgave the man’s sins, Himself. 

Mark adds there were scribes in the crowd and they immediately noticed this and called it blasphemy because only God could forgive sins in verse 7.

Undaunted, Jesus said, “’so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins‘—He *said to the paralyzed man, 11 ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.’”

To the shock of the gathered crowd, the man was instantly healed. But notice how Jesus said that He had authority on earth to forgive sins. This is because He was God in the flesh. He was God incarnate.

In the first two chapters, Mark clearly reveals Christ’s divinity. It was a dangerous thing to do in the first century.

And it seems it’s still a dangerous thing to do  today.

Thanks for joining me on this podcast. I will catch you again.