Tag: Feast of Tabernacles

13-48 It’s Christmastime! Dating, Origins, History, and Biblical Accounts

13-48 It’s Christmastime! Dating, Origins, History, and Biblical Accounts

Show 13-48 Summary: Christmastime is that time of year when you run into the Christmas downers who try to convince you “real Christians” shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because it has “pagan origins.” You doubtless see them popping up on social media and among your circle of friends. And they will arrogantly scoff at anyone who doesn’t echo their dismissive Christmas attitude. The modern-day Christmas downer is a lot like the downer Puritans before them: if they don’t approve it, then it’s just not Christian. For much of American history, the Puritans and other protestant offshoots banned Christmas celebrations — especially merrymaking. This week, find out why you shouldn’t let them steal your Christmas joy. We talk with Pastor Richard Peil about the origins and history of Christmas celebrations, its potential dating, and some exciting insights into the two Biblical accounts of the Nativity story.

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Original Air Dates: December 2nd & 3rd, 2023 | Guest: Pastor Richard Peil

This Week – It’s Christmastime!

For most people, Christmastime is a joyous time. Filled with traditions, family, joy, and memories and nostalgia about Christmases past. But not for everyone. Some are committed to being the Christmas downer. Why? Because they’ve gotten it in their head that Christmas has pagan origins. That it was originally a pagan holiday that the early Church co-opted Saturnalia. Or other pagan holidays. So they spend what should be a joyous time of year dragging others down and, Grinch-like, attempting to steal others’ joy and Christmas spirit.

Don’t let them.

And when they’re not pushing the Saturnalia angle, they’ll point out similarities between the Mithra religion. Yes, there are alleged similarities. But you know who’s the greatest imitator of God and what is holy? Satan. (Funny how they forget that.) They’ll say we don’t know when Jesus was born. And that’s largely true. And they’ll also say whenever he was born it was not on December 25th, in 1 A.D. Yes, that’s possible. After all, if your focus is to pick a day that something didn’t happen, you’ve got a 364 out 365 chance of being right.

Calendars and the Dating of Christmas Day

Over the millennia, calendars and dates have been tweaked and revised and reordered to an extent that it’s hard to say which day might have been the true Christmas Day. And it’s a moving date. At one time, most scholars thought Jesus was born in 4 B.C. based largely on Josephus. But better information came to light, including a better dating for the eclipse Josephus mentioned. And, drawing on other historical sources, it’s now reliably likely that Jesus was born in  2 B.C.

But which day of the year?

Well, here’s the thing: no one knows. But it’s not the date that’s important – it’s what happened that’s important. Regardless of the day of the year. That the war against Satan had started and his time holding power over this world was coming to an end. And, as with any life, it’s not “just” that you’re born but what you do with that life. The date it started doesn’t matter in the greater scheme of things.

Origins of Christmas

We welcome back Pastor Richard Peil who leads Victory Baptist Church in Bend, Oregon, to talk about Christmas, its early church origins and beliefs. In the early days of Christianity, which had many Jewish converts and followed Jewish heritage, most people did not celebrate birthdays at all. Instead, they celebrated the day when someone died. Which is rather odd from our modern standpoint. But tune in to hear other traditions and about two competing theories of why the early church thought Jesus was conceived on March 25th. And therefore must have been born on December 25th.

We also talk about Christmas time celebrations during America’s early days. Or not. Because in some colonies and states, not only was Christmas definitely not celebrated but was even banned from being celebrated.

And then we talk about the two Nativity stories in the Bible, from Matthew and Luke. Which tell the story of Jesus’s birth from two different viewpoints. And intended for two different audiences. Why does Matthew focus on the arrival of the Magi and Luke ignores it? Why does Luke focus on John the Baptist and the shepherds? And why does Matthew ignore those?

Watch the fascinating “Star of Bethlehem” 2007 documentary by Rick Larson
Try this link if you have Amazon Prime Video

Speaking of Magi, you’ll hear what some sources think their arrival was really like. And with some historical context, you’ll never think of the “Three Wise Men” the same ever again.

Christmastime Traditions and Today

Then we wrap up with some important discussions of Christmas in today’s day and age. Should Christians even celebrate? If so, why? What do non-believers need to see and to hear during Christmastime? And the same for Christians? What traditions does Pastor Peil’s family and church family celebrate and are important to them?

So when you run into the Christmas downer, spewing their Christmastime hate, remind them the date is not important. The Joy of Christmas is found in what happened that day, not the day on which it happened.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Pastor Peil’s church is Victory Baptist Church. Their website is victoryforyou.church

The Problems Dating of Christmas

  • From Chuck Missler: When Was Jesus Born? (Koinonia House, Dec 1, 2020)
    • “We know that the flocks were in an open field (Luke 2:8). That means it was not after October, because it would have been too cold.”
    • 24 priestly courses
  • Jewish Calendar, 3BC and 2BC
  • Origins of April Fools Day (History.com)
    • “April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. …In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.”
  • Roman calendar (via Fandom)
  • The Essenes Calendar (Bible Prophecy Information, via Rev210.net)
    • The Essenes (who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls) kept the traditional Jewish solar calendar, not the Pharisees’ lunar calendar
    • See our previous show with Dr. Ken Johnson for a fascinating look at the Essenes — the ancient Jewish sect, including their calendar-based prophecies of Jesus’s arrival and completion of his mission as The Messiah.
  • The First Recorded Celebration of Christmas (Christianity Today, Oct 23, 2020)
    • “In an old list of Roman bishops, compiled in A.D. 354 these words appear for A.D. 336: ‘25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae.’ Or, ‘December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea.’ This… is the first recorded celebration of Christmas.”
  • Historians beware! Interesting discussion on Julian/Gregorian Calendars (University of Nottingham)
    • The Julian Calendar was the system of dating followed from 46BC onwards. It established a 365-¼ year. Except it was 11 minutes too long.
    • In 1582, the Gregorian calendar corrected the over-correction by eliminating ten days and adjusting leap years. But took nearly 400 years to be universally adopted!

The Magi, Other Christmastime

  • History of the Magi (Chuck Missler, December 1, 2021)
  • The fascinating “Star of Bethlehem” 2007 documentary by Rick Larson
  • The Origins of our Christmas Traditions (KHouse.org, Seasonal Favorites, Dec 2004)
    • “The first recorded mention of December 25th is in the Calendar of Philocalus (A.D. 354).”
  • The History of Christmas: Is It Pagan? (Koinonia House, Dec 13, 2011)
    • “Tertullian (AD 160-220), the early Church writer, noticed that the pagan religion [of Mithra] utilized baptism as well as bread and wine consecrated by priests. He considered Mithraism to have been inspired by the devil, who wanted to mock Christians and lead others to hell.”
  • John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The Greek word there for “dwelt” is  σκηνόω (pronounced, “skay-NAH-oh”) which means to tent or to encamp; which is why some translations use “tabernacled among us” instead of “dwelt among us.” See this link to Strong’s Concordance for more on σκηνόω.
  • What the Bible says about Feast of Tabernacles (BibleTools.org, No Date)
    • Required 189 animal sacrifices be made at the Feast of Tabernacles alone—more than all the other holy days combined.
  • Early Christmas (Britannica.com)
    • “During the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus.”
  • The Christmas Story – Part 2 – Chuck Missler (Koinonia House, YouTube Channel, Dec 25, 2019)

 

 

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

13-41 Israel-Hamas War. Israel Awakens with Vengeance — But What Next?

Show 13-41 Summary: Get some great insight into the Israel-Hamas war and into Israel’s surrounding neighbors. We’re talking with best-selling author, Scott McEwen, co-author of American Sniper, who has a ton of military contacts and special ops insiders he relies on to write his books. We talk about what happened, why it happened, and address some conspiracy theories. And what next? Will Hezbollah attack? What about Iran? Is the two-state solution off the table now? How does Israel build peace with a people who have lied over the last year, saying they want peace when the whole time they were preparing for this attack? And can Israel trust its other neighbors who have also said they want peace?

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: October 14th & 15th, 2023 | Guest: Scott McEwen

This Week – Israel-Hamas War

On Saturday, October 7th, a Jewish Sabbath after Sukkot (better known as the Feast of Tabernacles in the West), Hamas broke through barriers around the Gaza Strip and invaded Israel. They invaded from multiple points, fired some 5,000 rockets into Israel, and attacked by land and air and even by sea.

The operation, which Hamas dubbed, “al Aqsa Flood,” had apparently been in planning for over a year. A year during which Hamas had been assuring Israel that it wanted peace and normal relations. That it no longer wanted to fight.

Making the mistake of trusting Hamas, Israel was caught off guard. Security watch posts were overwhelmed in the early morning hours. Hamas attacked. By the end of the day, some 1,500 Israelis were dead, including women, babies and infants, and elderly. And another 100–200 Israelis had been kidnapped.

Israel responded by formally declaring war on Hamas.

Was it an intelligence failure? Did Hamas simply deceive a trusting neighbor into complacency? And happened to Israel’s Iron Dome? Did it fail? Did Hamas find out the secret to defeating it? Or did Iran give them technology to help defeat it?

Scott McEwen: Israel-Hamas War Analysis

Israel-Hamas War. Golda Meir Quote: "You cannot negotiate peace with someone who has come to kill you."We welcome back Scott McEwen to talk in depth about the Israel-Hamas war. We had scheduled Scott weeks ago to talk about other issues but after the Hamas terrorist sneak attack and Israel declared war, we scrapped that discussion to spend the full hour on Israel’s war with Hamas.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling, American Sniper, and has his own series of military novels and other non-fiction books about the military and combat operations. (See Scott’s full list of books.) And he has a number of military insiders and contacts, including in special ops, on whom he relies to write his books so accurately.

We talk to Scott about what happened but also how and why it happened. We talk about the $6 billion that the Biden administration handed over to Iran — on the 9/11 anniversary no less. Don’t tell me that didn’t have symbolism for our enemies. America is weak and bowed the knee to Islam.

Infuriating! After Hamas’s attack and a bunch of pro-Hamas rallies break out across Europe — now Henry Kissinger says Europe let in too many foreigners? Now he says it? Kissinger and his globalist goons were the ones pushing the mass immigration.

But we also wanted his military insights into what comes next in the Israel-Hamas War. A Gaza invasion. Will the larger terrorist organization, Hezbollah, join in and attack Israel from the north? What about Syria and Lebanon?

We also address some of the conspiracy theories that are already surfacing. But what does all of this look like in the long-term? Is the two-state “solution” now officially off the table? And how does Israel have normal relations with its neighbors going forward?

And it’s more than Hamas crossing into Israel. What about the incursion on our own Southern border? Could we be seeing terrorist attacks here at home?

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Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—catch the podcast version. I Spy Radio is now available on your favorite platform, or you can grab it right here. See the full list of podcast options.

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Check out all of Scott McEwen’s novels and nonfiction books on the Navy SEALS, U.S. military, special ops, and more.

Links and Info on Israel-Hamas War

Iron Dome – Did it Fail?

  • Israel’s Nearly Impenetrable Iron Dome Struggles To Stop Hamas’ 5,000 Rockets | Watch What Happened (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Electronic communications jammed?
    • Israelis told him, they “will sit in a bunker for a year if they have to, they want Gaza leveled. No more prisoner exchanges.”

What Now for Israel and Its Neighbors?

  • Great article: “What Israel Needs to Do Now” (American Spectator, Oct 9, 2023)
    • “Israel stupidly exited Gaza in 2005, evicted 8,500 Jews living there, and handed over the entire region to Arab Muslims, all to foster peace. That was Ariel Sharon’s folly and sounded the death knell for the Israeli Left.”
    • Hamas is not some “fringe group” that just happens to reside in Gaza. The residents of Gaza elected them as their leaders.
  • Thomas Sowell, from six years ago: “Why Trading Land For Peace Is Destroying Israel” (Thomas SowellTV, re-posted, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Thomas Sowell: Israel gave up land in exchange for peace; but they never got the peace. So it’s time to retake the land.
  • How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault (Reuters via Yahoo News, Oct 9, 2023)
    • In other words, they will lie to your face. You can’t have peace like that. And if now they say they want peace, how do you trust it? You can’t.

US Response and Responsibility

  • How the Biden Admin’s Foreign Policy Relates to Hamas’ Attack on Israel, with Victor Davis Hanson (Megyn Kelly YT Channel, Oct 9, 2023)
  • US puts special forces on alert to help Israeli forces locate American hostages as hundreds of brave IDF reservists arrive at JFK [Airport] to answer call to fight – after terrorists beheaded babies (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)

Gaza and Hamas

  • One-Eyed Hamas Chief Masterminded Israel Attacks | Who is Mohammed Deif – The Cat With Nine Lives (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
    • Mohammed Deif – Hamas leader who masterminded Saturday’s attack. He has escaped 7 assassination attempts
    • Hamas has dressed up the attack as a response to Israeli incursions around the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
    • Security experts suggest hat Deif’s ability to evade Israel’s military can, in part, be attributed to his deliberate avoidance of modern communication technology.
  • Hamas’ Big Offer To Israel Amid Intense Gaza Strikes: “’We Are Ready For a Truce” (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 10, 2023)
  • Israel Vows To Pummel Gaza Even If Hamas ‘Executes’ Israeli Hostages; Netanyahu’s Chilling Warning (Hindustan Times, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • No electricity, food or water in Gaza as Israeli siege intensifies (Scripps News, via YouTube, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Israel orders ‘complete siege’ of Hamas-run Gaza Strip after massive terror attack (NBC News, via YT, Oct 9, 2023)
  • Why no one likes Hamas: “Hamas supporters in the USA gather to mock a pro-Israel group that had met up to mourn together.”  (Visegrád 24, Twitter, Oct 10, 2023)

Two-State Solution

  • Two-State Solution (Britannica, Updated October 9, 2023)
    • Includes map of pre-1967 borders
    • Arabs allegedly okay with pre-1967 borders. Why? They weren’t okay with the pre-1967 borders before 1967, which is why there was a 1967 war. Why should anyone trust what they say now? Does any reasonable person actually think that once Israel gives up land, they will then be safe?
  • Mapping Middle East Peace Possibilities (Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2017)

2nd Amendment Discussion

In light of the Hamas surprise attack and Israel-Hamas War, will Israel get its own Second Amendment?

  • ‘We Don’t Want to Be Like America’: Will Israel’s Government Adopt New Gun Laws? (Haaretz, February 5, 2023)
  • Israeli gun ownership rising as violence surges (BBC News, March 30, 2023)
  • And then reality hits: “Israel eases gun laws to arm ‘as many citizens as possible’ after terrorist attack” (Just the News, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Israel is easing its gun laws with the goal of arming “as many citizens as possible,” according to Minister Itamar Ben Gvir”
  • Israeli woman Inbar Lieberman, 25, is hailed a hero for saving kibbutz Nir Am from invading Hamas (UK Daily Mail, Oct 11, 2023)
    • “Inbar Lieberman led a group of residents to kill more than two dozen advancing terrorists while defending the kibbutz (community) [Nir Am], just a mile from the Gaza Strip. …She quickly realized that the sounds were different to those she heard during the usual rocket attacks on the kibbutz and rushed to open the armory and distribute guns among the 12-member security team. … She killed five terrorists herself, while the others claimed the lives of 20 more over a four hour period.
    • Key: “Nir Am was turned into an impenetrable fortress, while nearby [undefended] kibbutzim’s suffered heavier losses.”

Speculation and Escalation

What about Our Southern Border?

  • Thousands of ‘special interest aliens’ from Middle East countries stopped at southern border since 2021: data (Fox News, October, 2023)
    • “Special interest aliens” is nice-guy code for “suspected terrorists.”

Other Related Links

  • Biblical Places on Modern Maps: Jordan (Bible Archaeology Report, 2018)
  • What is Sukkot? (via Chabad.org)
    • “Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt”