REVERENT AND REBELLIOUS

Today we make some space and take some time to go down memory lane. What actually happened in the world this past year? What in the wide wide world of sports went on? And politics - and church world? Who died? What did the weather throw at us? What were the best books - songs - and movies? And why in the middle of our episode were we visited by drones? Join us as we look back on 2024 - REV-REB style!

Christmas carols. We sing them every year - enthusiastically - with great joy! We love the images - the ornate language - the artful way the Christmas story is woven into the classic melodies. But did you know - there is more to these iconic songs than meets the ear? Some are ancient - some are more modern. Others have a dark history and are filled with veiled references to myth and mystery. Still others are born out of tragedy - or composed under duress! Did you know - more than one Christmas carol caused a 24- hr. cease-fire in the chaos of a major war? This is what we're here for in the aftermath of the most wonderful time of the year! Join us as we slip behind the shiny veneer of our favorite Christmas carols and hear the real story behind Silent Night - Good King Wenceslas - O Holy Night - and many more!

Welcome to the oldest fraternal organization in the history of civilization. It's the Masons - who meet in the Masonic Lodge! What do they do in there? Why so secret? Is this the group that pulls the strings behind every government of every nation? Do they secretly control the stock market 0 the black market - and the free market? This is an organization that started simply! Really - a bunch of actual stone masons! Over the centuries it turned into something much different - much bigger. In fact - this is a global phenomenon! Every country in the world has at least one Masonic Order! They claim to be spiritual - even religious. Are they? If so - who is their deity? To whom does their worship go? Join us as we go freebasing the Freemasons!

This is a tricky one. Jehovah's Witnesses. There is no mystical prophet - no special glasses or magic underwear - just a really different take on theology from a well-meaning self-appointed preacher. They seem devout - sincere - and hyper-focused on evangelism and missions. It's just a different version of Protestant Christianity. Right? Eh - maybe - except for their assertion that Jesus is a created being, and He was created through a union of God the Father and His wife - and that the Holy Spirit is not the 3rd person of the Trinity, but the energy of God. In fact - to them, the Trinity doesn't exist! And - they have their own translation of the Bible, produced by scholars from their headquarters - The Watchtower. These scholars don't know Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic. They just download it from the heavens! If something sounds sketchy to you, it does to us too! Come with us as we dig a little deeper!

What's up with the wackos in Waco? This story dominated the headlines in 1993. A huge compound - a strange cultic community led by a man who claims to be the Messiah - the Lamb of God - the one chosen to open and interpret the seven seals of Revelation! A search warrant - a siege - a 53-day standoff. A disaster of immense proportions! What did these people believe - and why such maniacal, unwavering devotion to a man who turned out to be sketch - in every sense? Was the government justified in what they did? What happened to the children? Where are the survivors now? We have so many questions! We may raise more than we answer - but we're going in anyway!

We've been in this series - examining cults - movements - and bizarre strains of Christianity. Today's episode leads us into a controversy of sorts. The Mormon church - more properly - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - LDS if you will - is one of the largest - wealthiest - and powerful religious organizations in the world! What do they believe? What are their practices? Why are they so secretive? What has fueled this insane devotion, commitment, and rapid growth? Are they Christians - or just another cult? Is the Book of Mormon really another testament of Jesus Christ? Who is Moroni? What are the Golden Tablets? This is not a rabbit hole. This is a cavernous sinkhole - and we're going all the way in! Come on in with us!

What do Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Isaac Hayes, and Lisa Marie Presley all have in common? They are - or were - heavily entrenched in this strange religion called Scientology. It was the brainchild of science fiction writer turned professional hypnotist turned megalomaniacal mind controller L. Ron Hubbard. We call him Lafayette! This turned out to be a disorienting, dystopian, dark journey into a mystical world of nothingness! No kidding - the deeper you dig - the weirder it gets! Join us as we slither through the world of Xenu - the volcanoes - the Gold Base - the Sea Org. - and over a thousand seemingly intelligent men and women dressed in Coast Guard uniforms living in a heavily guarded compound scrubbing toilets and making fifty bucks a week! Whew! What is it? It's Scientology, baby!

We're taking a well-deserved break from our wild ride through Revelation. We'll come back for Round 2 after the first of the year. Meanwhile - we are starting a mini-series by request - on cults - movements - and bizarre strains of Christianity. We're going to pull back the curtain and reveal what's behind some of these crazy religious trends that are sweeping the nation! First up - the Church of Satan - The Satanic Temple - and other sects that dabble in dark magic and are fixated on the underworld! Do they really worship Satan? Can they cast spells - pronounce curses? Why are they all up in government buildings and public gatherings? Let's find out! Let's talk about SECTS!

We've seen the LAMB open six of the seven seals. We eagerly await the breaking of the final seal - to see what is written in the scroll! But first - an interlude - a pause in the heavens to recalibrate - refocus - to prepare the universe for what is coming! The previous scene ended with a question. In the Day of the Lord - who can stand? The interlude answers that question. 144,000 - 12 X 12 X 1,000 - the people of God on the earth. They can stand! The four horsemen of chaos are ordered to pause while the seal of God is applied to their foreheads. It's the protection of God to withstand the coming tribulation. The commissioning of God to continue in the word of God and their testimony! At this word - and this seal - the heavens erupt in glorious praise and worship - and repeat the promise of the age to come! Who are these 144,000? Who is the multitude? what's coming next? Join us as the tension grows - anticipation rises - and we get another glimpse of heaven!

In the last episode, we were introduced to the LAMB - the risen - ascended Jesus - the only one worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. He takes the scroll from the right hand of the One who sits on the throne - there is a giant worship service - and then - in dramatic fashion - the LAMB begins to break the seals. As He breaks the first four seals in successions - each living creature says Come! What emerges are 4 horses - each of a different color. The 1st - white - conquest. The 2nd - red - conflict. The 3rd - black - famine. The 4th - pale - sickly green - death! They are released into the world and cause widespread destruction and chaos. When He breaks the 5th seal - we see the martyrs - under the altar - protected - crying out How Long! The chapter culminates with the 6th seal. A great earthquake - the sun turns black the moon turns to blood - and the stars fall from the sky! People everywhere are running for cover! It's bedlam and chaos! What does all this mean? Join us as we pick our way through this. Watch how Scripture unfolds - and paints this incredible - powerful picture of the Day of the Lord!