VCY America

Pastor Jim Scudder Jr. is senior pastor of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, IL. He's an author and also is the speaker on the program InGrace which airs on WVCY Television, VCY.tv and on VCY America Radio. Pastor Scudder has a passion for souls and a desire to teach others about our Savior's love. He also has a special love for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. For 738 days, people around the world had been praying for the release of the hostages, brutally taken by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. Then in Egypt yesterday, President Trump, along with world leaders from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, signed the Gaza peace plan. This has resulted in 20 live hostages being returned along with the bodies of four deceased hostages, leaving another 24 behind. Listen and get details regarding the hostage release you won't get from mainstream media as Pastor Scudder, from Israel, discusses comments from the captors regarding President Trump and Kamala Harris, what he encountered at Hostage Square, the significance of Joy of Torah, Trump's quote of "peace forever," why Israel is a miracle nation and much more.

Jim began the program with news out of Israel that all remaining live hostages taken by Hamas were returned to Israel amidst great joy and celebration. He also noted that as part of this, President Trump made an address before the Israeli Knesset. Be listening to Crosstalk tomorrow where we will have more on this story as details continue to unfold. While the celebration of Halloween in America goes back many years, it's become such a phenomenon that spending on this holiday is forecast to reach a record high of over 13 billion dollars, with the average person spending just over $114. Is this day and its various activities just innocent fun or is it something that glorifies Satan and the occult and therefore should be avoided? Returning to Crosstalk to answer that question was Dr. David Brown, Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Dr. Brown began the discussion regarding Halloween with a Bible verse that should put to rest any controversy surrounding this issue. That verse is 1 Timothy 4:1 which says: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;" From that basis, Dr. Brown continued by providing some background information to get listeners to see exactly why the Bible contains this warning. So this edition of Crosstalk you'll learn about: The history of Halloween going back to the days of the Druids. The history of Halloween costumes, bonfires, trick or treat and jack-o'-lanterns. "White witchcraft"--Is it really different? The astonishing number of people relying on astrology, tarot cards, fortune tellers and horoscopes.

Jesus' teaching in Matthew 24 aligns with Revelation 6: the first three-and-a-half years bring war, famine, and death, "the beginning of sorrows." The latter half becomes the Great Tribulation with severe persecution. Preparations in Israel for a future temple highlight prophecy's nearness, pointing ultimately to Christ's saving work.

Jim presented news items from many parts of the world with initial emphasis on Middle East peace, China and the government shutdown. Here's a sample of stories that were highlighted: --After more than six hours of debate, the Israeli government voted to approve the first stage of a U.S. brokered plan to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages. --Yesterday, the Trump administration announced that the U.S. is sending approximately 200 troops to Israel in order to monitor the peace deal in Gaza. --Yesterday President Trump confirmed that he will visit Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and deliver a major address to Israel's parliament. --President Trump said that he would try to attend an official signing ceremony for the agreement in Egypt but said the exact timing for the meeting still needed to be determined. --In New York City, on October 7th, on the second anniversary of the terror attack on Israel, Muslims yelled out in protest. Jim provided audio. --The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado. --Russian strikes in recent days have wiped out more than half of Ukraine's domestic natural gas production, likely forcing the war-battered nation to spend about 2.2 billion dollars on fuel imports in order to survive the upcoming winter. --The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned more than 50 individuals, entities and vessels involved in the export of Iranian energy. --China has unveiled sweeping new export restrictions on rare earth minerals and related technology. --The U.S. State Department has fired a diplomat over his relationship with a woman alleged to have ties to the Chinese Communist Party

Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Jr. is a speaker, teacher, Mideast guide, videographer and speaker on Prophecy Today. He lived and worked in Jerusalem for many years before he returned to the States for continued ministry. He is a fully credentialed journalist and has led numerous tours to Israel. Yesterday the news broke. Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a peace deal that would free the remaining hostages, while Israel's troops would withdraw from Gaza. In addition, Israel will have to give back about 250 terrorist Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences, along with about 17 others who were arrested after the October 7th massacre. When will the remaining Israeli hostages be able to walk free? Will releasing 250 terrorist Palestinian prisoners merely reset the clock for the rebuilding of Hamas? Has the IDF stopped fighting in Gaza? What affect is all this having on the Israeli cabinet? These are just some of the questions that are answered on this edition of Crosstalk, as Jim and Dr. DeYoung discuss: Operation: Returning to Their Borders, which is based upon Jeremiah 31:16.

Ralph Sutera is an evangelist who saw revival in Saskatchewan, Canada Revival is not a periodic event or emotional spectacle, but a profound spiritual reawakening rooted in genuine repentance, personal surrender, and a transformed worldview that places God at the center of life. It arises when believers humble themselves, seek God's face, turn from sin, and allow Him to restore what has been lost—joy, divine consciousness, and a sense of royal identity as children of God. The sermon emphasizes that true revival is marked by a shift from self-centered religious performance to a life of worship, intimacy with God, and holy living, where the Holy Spirit fills those who have died to self. It is illustrated through personal testimonies of transformation, including restored marriages, renewed pastors, and aging saints who surrendered their wills to God, demonstrating that revival is not about programs or schedules, but about God taking control of hearts and lives. Ultimately, revival is a divine call to authenticity, where individuals are revived not merely for personal benefit, but to become living witnesses of God's glory, capable of impacting nations and generations.

We continuously hear of the atrocities happening in Central Asia. Then there's the devastation of Russia's war with Ukraine with thousands of lives lost. There's the Taliban's control of Afghanistan with those living there having to flee to other nations. As devastating as these issues are, what must not be ignored is the fact that the persecution of believers continues. In spite of this, the Gospel is flourishing. People are coming to Christ and churches are being planted. The burden of the laborers is heavy. They need help to take care of physical needs to grant relief to many who are hurting or suffering. That opens the door to Gospel ministry. Are you willing to help? Appearing on Crosstalk to tell us more was "Timlar Kovalchuk" (Koh-vul-chook) (a pseudonym used to protect him and others). Timlar has been actively involved as a missionary in evangelism for nearly 28 years, the last 15 in outreach to Muslims in Central Asia. Beginning with Ukraine, Timlar noted how it's getting increasingly worse around the Kiev area. In spite of that, he's seen military members coming to Christ while other individuals have come to Christ via camp ministry. Timlar also recounted plans for a youth camp in Turkmenistan. Somehow the secret police (KGB) found out about it, followed up on the youth contacts and began to threaten the parents with loss of work as well as jail time. This is just two examples of what Timlar and his co-laborers in the Lord are having to face, yet the Gospel is moving forward. In fact, as it pertains to the Gospel's impact in Ukraine he said "...it's been beautiful to watch." Listen in as Timlar recounts more!

Some days will forever live in infamy. In America, the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the Islamic attack on New York on September 11th of 2001, are two such instances. Another such day is October 7th, 2023, when Islamic terrorism struck America's greatest Mideast ally, Israel, in a horrendous and barbaric attack. Afterward, many nations, media sources and even politicians flipped their narrative and have actually blamed Israel, accusing them of genocide. Returning to Crosstalk to look back at this day in Israel's history was Dr. Richard Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt is pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church, and founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries. He is the speaker on the weekly TV program, Prophecy Focus and the radio broadcast, Prophecy Unfolding. He spent 32 years in law enforcement until his retirement in which he was acting sheriff of Milwaukee County. He has authored several books including: Are You Going to a Better Place?, Daniel's Gap Paul's Mystery, Tribulation to Triumph: The Olivet Discourse, Globalism: The Great World Consumption and Artificial Intelligence: Transhumanism & the De-Evolution of Democracy. Dr. Schmidt covers a lot of ground on this broadcast starting with his review detailing how the attack on Israel went down and the satanic nature of the abuse that the hostages had to endure. As the conversation moves along you'll find out what worldview was behind the attack, if Israel can accurately be accused of committing genocide, the latest on President Trump's 21 point peace plan and much more. Get a perspective on this subject you won't hear from the mainstream media when you listen to this edition of Crosstalk.

How old is the earth? According to The Planetary Society it's 4.54 billion years old and we're told that the evidence for that age is overwhelming. On the other hand, creationists that hold to the literal teachings of the Bible believe that the earth is roughly 6,000 years old. They, too, will say that the evidence is overwhelming for their position. What is the reason for this massive discrepancy and what exactly does the evidence show? Joining Jim to answer that question was Dr. Terry Mortenson. Dr. Mortenson has a PhD in history of geology from Coventry University in England. He is a speaker, writer, and researcher with Answers in Genesis. How could there be such a drastic difference in opinions regarding the age of the earth? Are both sides looking at the same evidence? Dr. Mortenson noted that both sides are looking at the same rocks and fossils, the same radioactive isotopes, the same erosional features and more. The problem is that each side is interpreting the evidence through two different sets of assumptions. Evolution stems from a uniformitarian worldview. This assumes that nature is all that exists and everything must be explained via time plus chance plus the laws of nature working on matter. Finally, they assume that the processes of geological change continue at the same rate, frequency and power as they always have. Evolutionists use this as their starting assumption. From there the program moves to discussion concerning the fossil evidence and how they form, the Grand Canyon, the gap theory, what the Bible's genealogies tell us about the age of the earth, why 2 Peter 3:8 is not proof of an old earth, and more.

The Old Rugged Cross is one of the most beloved - and most claimed hymns! Our Christian Heritage has been to the Old Rugged Cross church on Pokagon, MI where it was first performed in its entirety and we've interviewed the couple that restored the church. We've also been to Sturgeon Bay, WI where the Friends Church is that it was first partially performed. But on this stop we're at the site where it was written - in an apartment of a professor of Albion College that became a fraternity house before it was demolished in the 60s. This marker was recently restored after the previous was destroyed in a car crash in 2020.