REVERENT AND REBELLIOUS

You may have heard of this phenomenon by the terms euthanasia, assisted suicide, or physician-assisted suicide. Perhaps you're familiar with the original Dr. Death - Jack Kevorkian. What you may not know is that this is now an established and growing practice in many countries, including ten states in the U.S.! Traditionally, the guidelines and policies surrounding what is now called medical assistance in dying required that a person was in such a condition that there was no hope. Terminal illness, unbearable pain, a few months to live, etc. But several countries, including Canada, are loosening those restrictions to include conditions such as mental illness or mental disorder! And - they are considering extending the opportunity to request this service to people they call mature minors! What is going on? Where will it end? What does the Bible and Christian tradition have to say about all this?

One of the most talked-about and controversial episodes in the Bible is found in Ezekiel 1. In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel describes an otherworldly vision he receives unexpectedly. It is wild! He sees fire, lightning, and clouds of smoke. He hears thunder and a cacophony of noise! Winged creatures appear, each with four faces and eyes all over them! Then a wild-looking throne, with wheels inside of wheels and a human-like figure seated on it! He is transported by this throne-mobile and experiences extraterrestrial sights and sounds! What is Ezekiel seeing? Many have speculated over the decades that Ezekiel had an encounter with aliens and some sort of spacecraft. We might call it a close encounter of the third kind, complete with an abduction! There have been books written (one by a NASA engineer), and thousands have become convinced that this is indeed the prophet describing aliens and rocket ships in the only vocabulary available to him. Are there aliens and rocket ships in the Bible? What did Ezekiel see?

In keeping with the Halloween-ish vibe this time of year, today we're talking about two of the most bizarre episodes in the New Testament. Both are a part of the passion narrative, and they are related in a strange sort of way. In Matthew 27, just as Jesus gave up His Spirit on the cross, three things occur. The veil in the temple is torn in 2, there is an earthquake, and the rocks split. Then the tombs are opened, many bodies of the saints who had been dead are raised, and they enter the holy city and appear to many! Who are these un-dead people, and what are they doing in town? This leads right into the next question. What was Jesus doing during the three days He was in the tomb? I'll give you a hint. He wasn't just sitting around! He was busy! Now you can find out why they call it the Harrowing of Hell!

What is the Day of the Dead? Perhaps you've noticed the decorations and all the paraphernalia. Skulls, colorful figures, and creepy candles. What's that all about? Some call it Mexican Halloween. As we found out, that's not accurate. As it turns out, it is a celebration with roots in the ancient Aztec tradition. It's a time to remember the ancestors and all that have gone on before us. But it's not just a remembrance, it's a time to welcome the dead. To honor the dead. To help them make an actual appearance on these nights! Is this okay? Is it just an innocent, fun kind of activity like trick-or-treating? Or is it something more sinister - even demonic? Let's dive in!

This is the first in what we hope will be a bunch of these kinds of episodes. As a follow-up to our iconic 100th episode, we collected all of the questions we didn't have time to get to, and we answer them in exhaustive detail! We had a blast doing this! It sparked so much conversation between the three of us, and we learned a thing or two along the way!

Here it is! It finally happened! We reached our first milestone. 100 episodes in the books! We had a great and grand celebration with a bunch of our biggest fans live and in person! We had nachos prepared by our incredible youth pastor and her crew, some of the best cookies on the planet from Mt. Zion bakery, plenty of merchandise including mugs, coasters, stickers, and our signature REV-REB t-shirts with "Remember Lot's wife" proudly displayed on the back. We answered questions rapid-fire, and in the spirit of the Halloween season looked at a creepy verse from the book of Job, where apparently one of his friends saw a ghost! It was such a great time, and we can't wait to do it again! Come join the celebration!

Psalm 91 is one of the most quoted Psalms among the 150. We read it as a Psalm of comfort and protection. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High! You will not be afraid of the terror by night! No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come against you! That verse was everywhere during the great lockdown! Is there more to it? Have we just been skimming the surface? And why did Satan quote a verse from this Psalm to Jesus as he was tempting Him? There is convincing evidence that this Psalm is about protection from demons and dark spiritual powers! Do you want to know more? Join us as we go behind the curtain and explore this iconic Psalm!

We read this iconic passage. A vision experienced by the prophet Ezekiel. a valley of dry bones. Can these bones live, God asks? Ezekiel has no idea. Only You know, he says. God tells him to prophesy to the bones! They come together! Now prophesy to the breath! They come alive! It's a great army! What is this communicating to us in our day? Does it mean we can prophesy to whatever is sick, weak, or dying in our lives, and it will magically and mystically be healed and restored? Or - have we taken this incredible vision straight outta context? Join us as we dive deep into the valley of dry bones!

1 Corinthians 13. You've heard it. Probably at every wedding you've ever been to. What is love? Love is patient - kind - does not boast - yaddah yaddah. It's a beautiful passage of Scripture! Paul outdoes himself! It's elegant and well-crafted. But is there something else going on beneath the surface? After all, this letter is a stern rebuke to a wayward church! It's full of reprimand and sometimes strong language - even sarcasm! It's not wrong to read it at a wedding, because it is absolutely true! But we have to ask ourselves. What are we missing? What do we read right over when we take it straight outta context?

The evangelical church world has made an entire theology around the idea of being BORN AGAIN. It has become the litmus test for salvation in today's church culture. I know you claim to be a Christian, but are you a born-again Christian? It all comes from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. You must be born again! What is Jesus actually communicating, and what is Nicodemus actually hearing? Born of the water - and of the Spirit! What is Jesus really getting at? Today, we dive into this ancient conversation and discover some things! While it is perfectly okay to imagine being born again as getting saved, there is a whole bunch more under the hood that we've been missing! Let's understand this conversation in its full depth of meaning - instead of taking it straight outta context!