WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:01.919 Hey, everybody, we're the Bible guys, and if you're just 2 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:05.040 tuning in recently, just know that we are showing a 3 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:06.839 little bit of reruns for a few months, and then 4 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:09.519 we'll be back bigger and better than ever on August 5 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:13.240 thirty first, because behind the scenes, we're taking a hiatus 6 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:14.439 to do some very important things. 7 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:18.120 Yeah, we're building building out a new studio and we've 8 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.199 got some new structure. Super excited about it. So August 9 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:24.120 thirty first, brand new content. But in the meantime, enjoy 10 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:25.199 some of our greatest hits. 11 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:29.239 So today, poor Peter gets left out into the dark. 12 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:33.039 Yes, so it's going to be very exciting. There's also persecution. 13 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:52.200 James winds up losing his head. So okay, I thought 14 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:54.920 you were like stop, no, no, no, I was meaning, 15 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:59.439 you know, losing head. Yeah yeah, maybe, yeah, yeah, okay. Well, hey, 16 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:02.119 you remember when we did the whole stump the pastor 17 00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:04.959 thing and we solicited people to send us questions. Well, 18 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.120 so many people send in really really hard questions, and 19 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:10.799 today might be one of the tougher ones. Yeah, so 20 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:13.079 we were picking five more controversial, Well. 21 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:16.000 For sure, we're picking five this week, so the whole 22 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:17.280 week and by the way, if you want to send 23 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.879 in questions to stump the pastor you can just send 24 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:20.879 it to right here. 25 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:25.400 It is info at dot com. 26 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:27.359 And just just email question in and then we'll use 27 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.519 it on future episodes. Yeah, yeah, it'd be fun or 28 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:33.280 maybe possibly maybe So how about And I'm very glad 29 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:35.439 by the way that you looked up and did some 30 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:37.599 homework on this and you get some verses to read. 31 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.159 Well, this this topic has been something that even as 32 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:43.079 a kid, I loved, Like, I read everything I could 33 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.079 find about this this topic. I just thought it was 34 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:46.040 one of the coolest things. 35 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:48.319 Yes, and so I'm glad that you did all that. 36 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.840 So let me read what Skyle wrote. Skiy says in 37 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:56.079 Isaiah job and other parts of the Bible, dragons and 38 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.879 Leviathans are mentioned, and some versions these words were replaced 39 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.719 with jackline other such creatures. What is actually being referred 40 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:05.280 to and why is there such a massive difference in 41 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:06.480 the creatures being mentioned? 42 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:11.039 Ooh, so there's really two questions here. Yes, The bigger 43 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:14.919 question I think that she's asking is is the Bible 44 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:16.919 really talking about dinosaurs. 45 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:17.719 And stuff like that and dragons? 46 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:21.680 Yes? And the other question is why do some translations 47 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:24.680 change some of the words. Yeah, right, right, So those 48 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:27.840 there's two questions. Let's address the second one first, Yes, 49 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:31.800 why do some translations change? So there's several passages that 50 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:38.240 talk about dragons, Leviathan, behemoth, and sea monsters and giant creatures. Right, 51 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:41.039 So those would be like the Five Things Psalm chapter 52 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:48.439 seventy seventy four, Psalm, Isaiah thirteen, Job forty, Job forty one, 53 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:52.800 Isaiah twenty seven, Ezekiel twenty four, Ezekiel thirty two. So 54 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:54.520 this isn't just like a yeah, look at you. It 55 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:56.919 just gets mentioned one time in your little research. It's 56 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:00.960 mentioned a bunch of times, right that these creatures, And 57 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.800 the two where the name gets changed would be in 58 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:10.759 Psal in Isaiah thirteen. And I would say probably those 59 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:14.759 words get changed because the word in the original language 60 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.520 in Hebrew is more vague, it's not super clear. So 61 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:22.159 then translators are are trying to choose best on the 62 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.560 the other cues that are within the passage. For instance, 63 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:30.159 in Isaiah, it's talking about all these desert animals and 64 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:36.639 mentions hyenas, and then this other word that they wind 65 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:40.520 up translating is jackal. But in another place it talks 66 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:44.080 about in some of the older translations, maybe it would 67 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.879 reference something like dragon, So either it's a giant lizard 68 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.439 out in the desert or in the same context with 69 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.759 the hyenas as their jackals. So whatever it is, it's 70 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:58.919 fierce and eat stuff. So that's the that's the thing. 71 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.639 But it's too it's so vague of a word that 72 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:04.879 I think the translators had a lot of leeway as 73 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:07.680 to what it meant. The other ones, though, there's not 74 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:11.240 much doubt about these things as far as not. 75 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:13.719 Only are they called something, but there's descriptors. 76 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:18.600 Yes, So you know, Leviathan talks about how whenever passages 77 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.360 talked about Leviathan talks about how huge its neck is, 78 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:24.360 how powerful his tail is, how fierce its teeth are, 79 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:27.959 how impenetrable its scales are, you know, all. 80 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:29.600 These kinds of things. How it breathes fire. 81 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:32.240 Yeah, yeah, well that's in Job. That one is crazy. 82 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:35.240 It literally says when it sneezes, it flashes light. Its 83 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:38.439 eyes are like the red of dawn, Lightning leaps from 84 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:42.480 its mouth, flames of fire flash out. It's a job. 85 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:43.079 Yeah. 86 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:45.600 So Job is the oldest book of the Bible. It's 87 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:47.920 the first one written and By the way, people think 88 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.240 Genesis is yeah, right, because it speaks of creation. Right, 89 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:54.439 And yet actually Job was written before all of those. 90 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:59.240 Job very likely was alive about the same time Abraham was, 91 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:01.920 so they would be contemporaries. 92 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:07.800 Yeah, so Job clearly describes. And by the way, it's 93 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:11.600 a whole chapter, it's a whole chapter on this dragon 94 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:12.199 type creature. 95 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:15.240 Yeah, on Leviathan. And he says, can you catch Leviathan 96 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:17.000 with a hook or put a noose around his jaw? 97 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:19.480 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose 98 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:22.839 or pierces shall with a spike. He goes on, and 99 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:25.839 he says, I want to emphasize Leviathan's limbs and its 100 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:29.079 enormous strength and graceful form. Who can strip it of 101 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.079 its hide? Who can penetrate its double layer of armor? 102 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:34.680 Who could probably open his jaws? His teeth are terrible. 103 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.480 Its scales are like rows of shields, tightly sealed together. 104 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:40.920 They're so close together that nowhere can get between them. 105 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:43.720 Each scale sticks tight to the next, and the interlocked 106 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:47.120 cannot be penetrated. Talks about fire. Smoke streams from his 107 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:51.879 nostrils like steam from a potted heat heated over burning rushes. 108 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:53.639 I mean, you just go on and on so cool, 109 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:55.079 the ground shakes when it walks. 110 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:59.720 So to make sure that we address other things. So 111 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:02.160 here here's my question. And see if you take a 112 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:05.800 stabb at this. So that brings up the question. So 113 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:09.160 there's sort of two big things. There's dinosaurs, right, so 114 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:10.800 the word dinosaur means terrible lizard. 115 00:06:10.879 --> 00:06:12.040 Sure, and then you. 116 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:16.720 Have dragons, which are two different things, and so do 117 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:22.000 you believe both existed? And do you believe that mankind 118 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:23.079 existed with them? 119 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:27.879 Second question? First, yes, I believe that mankind probably existed 120 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:31.360 with well did exist with them, because I believe that 121 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:35.160 humanity and all the creatures that God made were all 122 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:37.199 at the same time, right in the six days of creation. 123 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:42.319 So the idea of a dinosaur dinosaur just means terrible lizard. 124 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.120 That's what it means. Clearly, this is a terrible lizard. 125 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:49.839 Is clearly what he's describing here in the Book of Job. 126 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.240 There's other times, like in Ezekiel when it mentions this 127 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:58.720 Leviathan in the river Nile referring is referring specifically to 128 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:02.759 Pharaoh there, that's like an analogy. It's talking about a nile, crocodile, 129 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:04.920 so it's talking about so when you look at which 130 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:08.279 are huge, Oh they're giant, they maybe eighteen twenty feet long, 131 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:12.480 they're massive, so and weigh a thousand pounds. I showed 132 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:14.040 you the video when one as in Costa Rica and 133 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:15.879 we had those crocodiles come up and they weigh a 134 00:07:15.959 --> 00:07:20.279 thousand pounds and it's just crazy. So you know, if 135 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:25.040 you watch a modern show about wild animals, they will 136 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:30.920 describe a crocodile as a living fossil or a living dinosaur. 137 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:37.279 Same thing with what are those komodo dragons. If you 138 00:07:37.319 --> 00:07:39.199 ever watch a show about komodo dragons, those things will 139 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.279 be ten fifteen twenty feet long, fifteen feet long, and 140 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:46.800 they'll describe them as living dinosaurs. So we tend to 141 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:52.120 separate dinosaurs from giant reptiles we currently have, and it's 142 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.319 because of the narrative of evolution. But if we just 143 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:58.600 say there are some extinct reptiles that don't exist anymore, 144 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.439 that we're pretty big, very big, and now we've still 145 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:03.040 have some pretty big ones, just not as big as 146 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:05.560 those forty footers, right, well, then it's not that big 147 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:07.720 of a leap. There's all kinds of creatures that used 148 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:11.600 to exist that don't exist now, but it doesn't require 149 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:13.879 you know, billions of years to separate us. And so 150 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:19.439 I do believe that humanity in what we would consider dinosaurs, 151 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:21.160 these huge reptiles, lived together at the same time. 152 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:22.079 Yeah, you too. 153 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:27.120 And obviously Job is speaking of such a creature. And 154 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:30.480 to your point earlier before we started the podcast, he's 155 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.120 not writing it to introduce the idea. No, it's not 156 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.039 like I saw a mythical creature like I saw a 157 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.679 big foot in the woods, right right, right. He's describing it, 158 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:39.919 and he's sort of saying, like, hey, what man can 159 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:43.200 actually put you know, a bit on him or put 160 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:45.480 a ring through his nose. He's making a point like that. 161 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:47.480 Everybody would say, yeah, that's correct. 162 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:49.879 Right, He's saying, everybody knows this, everybody the way he's 163 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:52.480 describing it, he's describing it like you know this, you know, 164 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:56.039 arrows can't penetrate it, you know, you know, and and 165 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:59.399 he's just trying to define for people how powerful this 166 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.159 creature is. But God can subdue it. That's what he's 167 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:04.519 talking about in that passage, even though we can't. And 168 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:07.440 so everybody understands his reader would have understood what he 169 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:07.759 was righting. 170 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:09.679 So the last thing I want to say is you 171 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:12.360 referenced earlier that there's a beetle that it could actually 172 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:13.639 produce fire. 173 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:13.919 Yeah. 174 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:15.919 Yeah, yeah, it's cool. There's several there's a couple of 175 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:18.559 animals that we know could. But there's a beetle that 176 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.200 mixes two chemicals and it'll blow out fire out its 177 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:24.840 rear end, and it'll burn any kind of attacker on it. 178 00:09:24.840 --> 00:09:25.679 It's really kind of cool. 179 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:28.120 Yeah, so we know it is possible even today. 180 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:32.279 Yeah, oh absolutely, yeah, sure. So I don't have any 181 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:35.080 reason to dismiss this as being mythical or fake. He's 182 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:38.159 not writing it that way. There are references that are 183 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:42.240 maybe talking mythically about Pharaoh or about the enemies of Israel. 184 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:44.799 But when Job's writing or when David is writing, they 185 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:47.600 both seem to be talking about something that they're aware of, which, 186 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:49.399 by the way, I mean, there's cave drawings here in 187 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:52.159 the US and in Europe of what appeared to be 188 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.799 oh and in South America of what appeared to be 189 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:59.200 very long necked water creatures of you know, in the 190 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:01.960 caves of people that you know from thousands years ago 191 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:05.360 who were drawing these things having not seen the flintstones, 192 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:08.879 right right, they're drawing pictures of things that they believe 193 00:10:08.919 --> 00:10:09.360 that they saw. 194 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:10.600 So yeah, that's great. 195 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:13.720 Sure, all right, so I think that's a really cool one. 196 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.919 I'm glad Skylie asked that question. And once again we 197 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.320 can't know for sure what those are, right, But the 198 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:22.480 Bible doesn't even seem to apologize for the fact that 199 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:27.559 it references these great, big giant lizards, I agree, or beasts. Okay, 200 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:29.759 so we're going to continue pivot. I don't even know 201 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:31.799 how to pivot off of that one. Let's just do it. 202 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:37.200 We're going to move into Acts chapter twelve, and this 203 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:40.039 is I'm sorry, Acts chapter eleven is where we're at. 204 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:40.919 Yeah, verse nineteen. 205 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:46.000 Yeah, so we actually introduced the wrong passage today. 206 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.120 Oh sure, said Barnabas. 207 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:51.320 Yeah yeah, well we didn't say, Barnabas. We said Peter 208 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:56.120 is left out in Nicole and James loses his head. Okay, 209 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:57.240 neither one of those things happening. 210 00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:58.120 People will forgive us. 211 00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:00.840 They'll forgive thank you for forgiving us an advance. So 212 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:06.600 we are actually reading in Acts chapter eleven, verse nineteen, 213 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:08.639 and this is going to be even more exciting. So 214 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.279 here we go. Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered 215 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.759 during the persecution. After Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, 216 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:18.519 and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, 217 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:20.919 but only to Jews. However, some of the believers who 218 00:11:20.919 --> 00:11:23.080 went to Antioch from Cyprus and syreen began preaching to 219 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:25.679 the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. The power of the 220 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:27.960 Lord was with them, and a large number of these 221 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.799 gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. When the Church 222 00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:33.360 at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 223 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.200 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God's blessing, 224 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.399 he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers 225 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:41.120 to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, 226 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:43.759 full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, and 227 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:46.360 many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went 228 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:48.879 on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, 229 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:51.399 he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed 230 00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:53.519 there with the church for a full year, teaching large 231 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:56.080 crowds of people. It was at Antioch that the believers 232 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:59.960 were first called Christians. During this time, some prophets travel 233 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.600 from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus, stood 234 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:05.879 up in one of the meetings and predicted by the 235 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:08.519 spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire 236 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:12.120 Roman world. This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius. 237 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.840 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to 238 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:17.759 the brothers and sisters in Judea, anyone, giving as much 239 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:21.320 as they could. This they did, and trusting their gifts 240 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.600 to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of 241 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:27.759 the church in Jerusalem. There it is wow. So this 242 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:30.000 is a pretty significant thing. This is another one of 243 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:33.159 those moments when Barnabas takes a significant lead. He keeps 244 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:35.480 coming up over and over again. I remember Barnabas's name 245 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:38.519 means son of encouragement, right, which is such a great name. 246 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:43.039 And you see him always serving in that fashion. So 247 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:43.840 what do you have to say? 248 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:47.440 No, no, I was just reading the notes here. So 249 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:50.639 in Acts chapter eleven twenty one, it says in Antioch, 250 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.519 Christianity was launched on its worldwide mission, and they're the 251 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:59.120 believers aggressively preach to the gentiles, non Jews. And then 252 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.440 this skips all the way down believers who were scattered 253 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.879 after the outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem, spread the good 254 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:06.879 news to other Jews into the lands, and they fled. 255 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:10.039 The seeds of the missionary work had been sown after 256 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:13.039 Stephen's death. That's the part I was looking at at 257 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.720 this time. The believers begin actively sharing the good news 258 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:19.559 with the Gentiles, you know. So you know, in Act 259 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:24.480 chapter seven, that's when Peter or that's when Stephen was killed. 260 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:27.360 And then and then sort of we fast forward and 261 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.559 we can just see the connecting of the dots where 262 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:34.720 Barnabas goes and grabs Saul at Tarsus, which is where 263 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:37.000 he was from. He's still called Saul, he hasn't changed 264 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.600 his name to Paul yet. And we're seeing that the 265 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:43.799 gospel is being spread and you know it mentions in 266 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:49.159 these notes because of partly and because of Stephen's martyrdom, right, 267 00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:51.120 you know, because when people are willing to die for 268 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:55.919 their faith, it just propels, you know, the word of God. 269 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:58.480 And we've seen this throughout all of history. You know, 270 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.480 in China, the church has never spread as quickly in 271 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:05.080 China that when it was persecuted. And so when there 272 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:09.600 is persecution and when there's oppression and when people are 273 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.440 against what God is. That's when the word of God 274 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:15.879 shines brightest, that's when people are most bold. And I 275 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.720 just think it's great how the dots are connecting. We 276 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:22.480 know what those who know Christianity know what Paul is 277 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.000 going to do, right, and we just we see the 278 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:28.120 dots connecting, and I think it's a great thing. 279 00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:35.120 So this Antioch is Some archaeologists and historians would say 280 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:38.919 that this Antioch. There were sixteen Antiochs, by the way, 281 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.480 and Paul actually visits another Antioch in what is now 282 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:46.279 modern day Turkey, but this Antioch is in Syria. It 283 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:50.240 was probably the third most influential city in the entire 284 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:57.759 Roman Empire. It was incredibly affluent, it was very very powerful. 285 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:01.399 The whole world kind of came through Antioch to do business. 286 00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:04.799 The colonnades that the main road that went through Anioch 287 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.320 was a couple of miles long, was colinnaded on both 288 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.440 sides and would have been one of the only cities 289 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:10.799 in the world, maybe one of the first cities in 290 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.600 the world to have their streets lighted at night. So 291 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:16.720 they lit up torches up and down this giant colonnade. 292 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.480 They did business day and night. They were famous for that. 293 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:23.559 They were also famous for their for their worship. They 294 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:27.360 worshiped all of the Roman gods, but they particularly were 295 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:32.840 dedicated to Daphne, had this big temple there, all these things. 296 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.200 So this was a very strategic city to go to. 297 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:38.240 It would have been natural to go there because it 298 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:39.679 would have been like, you know, hey, let's go to 299 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.279 New York City, or let's go to London or something. 300 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:44.840 It's just it was a natural hub. But you could 301 00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:47.759 also blend in with this massive crowd one hundreds of 302 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.080 thousands of people, kind of stay underground a lot easier 303 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:53.320 than being the only Christian in your village of you know, 304 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:56.200 one hundred people. And so it was a natural place, 305 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.240 but it was incredibly strategic for the spread of the Gospel. 306 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:02.159 And so when they're reaching you know, some of them 307 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.639 they go and they only share the Gospel with the Jews, okay, 308 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.840 But then others start sharing the Gospel with the Gentiles, 309 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.080 which is way more of them, and they become Christians. 310 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:12.799 Then the Christians down in Drusalem go, we should go 311 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:16.399 check this out. This is kind of confirmation from what 312 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:19.720 they had affirmed with Peter. Let's see if it's kind 313 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:21.639 of working out the same way with all of these 314 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.159 new Christians in Antioch, and that's why they sent Barnabas, 315 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:26.600 because you're such a trusted leader. 316 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:29.519 I love how it says in Antioch, this is where 317 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:33.360 the believers were first called Christians. So before that time 318 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:38.120 there wasn't so think about this. Yeah, So last podcast 319 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:42.240 yesterday we talked about how Pentecost had taken place, and 320 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.559 between Pentecost and this timeline is almost a decade. Yeah, 321 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.360 so for a decade of the beginning of the movement 322 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:54.600 of Christianity, it wasn't called Christianity, right, so it's movements 323 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:55.080 of the Way. 324 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:55.399 Yeah. 325 00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:57.320 They were the followers of the Way of the Way. 326 00:16:57.559 --> 00:17:00.919 Yeah, and so you know, assuming that came from you know, 327 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.279 when Jesus said I Am the Way, the Truth, and 328 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:05.079 the Life. No man gets to the Father except for 329 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:08.640 me John fourteen six. And so so here now they're 330 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:12.240 called Christians, which means little Christ, right, that's right, So 331 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.480 it means little christ. I think that's interesting too, because 332 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:17.079 we throw around the word Christianity. 333 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:19.119 We've we've been raised with our whole lives. 334 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:22.519 We just it's just a thing, you know, we just know, right, 335 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.799 But the word christ, the word Christian is it means 336 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:29.240 little Christ. So there are so many people in this 337 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:32.599 world but say, oh, I'm a Christian, but there's no 338 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.680 direct you know, they don't look like Christ at all, right, 339 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.839 And what they're really saying is, yeah, I sort of 340 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.480 believe that there's a God and I believe that. You 341 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.160 know that all that stuff's true, it's just not for me. 342 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:46.640 Or what they mean is I'm not a pagan and 343 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:49.720 I'm not a Muslim, and I'm not an atheist. Yeah, 344 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:52.799 there you go, So I must be a Christian right now. 345 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:57.279 Remember this was a derogatory term. They weren't complimenting and going, 346 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.480 you look a lot like Jesus. You remind me. They're 347 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:03.720 mocking them, saying you're little Jesus is aha, right, right, 348 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.640 And so it was a mocking term. It was a 349 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:09.759 derogatory term. We've had a season in our nation where 350 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.519 it was a beneficial thing to be called a Christian, right, 351 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:15.559 it was a respectable thing to be called a Christian. 352 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:19.680 But that good moniker is going away and it's going 353 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:22.279 back to being a negative in a lot of environments. 354 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:26.519 So these people proudly wore the name Christian, These followers 355 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:29.079 of the Way proudly wore the name Christian, even though 356 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.680 it was a mocking title. I wonder how many of 357 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:35.240 us are willing to wear this mocking, negative title today proudly. 358 00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:36.680 A lot of us try to hide the fact that 359 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:38.680 we're Christians. I had one a friend of mine tell 360 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:41.079 me he was an undercover Christian. Es, that's what he's 361 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:42.640 at work. I don't tell people I'm Christian. I'm an 362 00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:44.440 undercover Christian. I'm like, there's no such thing as an 363 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:45.759 undercovered Christian, right. 364 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:49.519 And I'm pretty sure you're supposed to not be exactly. 365 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:53.039 But they proudly wore this mocking name, and I think 366 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.640 it's important for us to be willing to do the same. 367 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:55.200 Yeah. 368 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:57.880 I always tell people I'm a Christian before I tell 369 00:18:57.880 --> 00:18:58.680 them of a pastor. 370 00:18:58.799 --> 00:18:59.319 Oh me too. 371 00:18:59.400 --> 00:18:59.640 Yeah. 372 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:01.160 I first of all, I never tell people I'm a 373 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.880 pastor because people act differently around me. 374 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:05.279 Or they won't believe it. 375 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:09.799 Right, you're not a prastor, man, Come on, you're not 376 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:11.599 even in shade, right. 377 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:15.359 But no, but you know. 378 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:17.400 And then finally, when people sort of do corner me 379 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:20.519 in this in the conversation becomes spiritual. If they don't 380 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:22.160 know me at all, I'll just say, oh yeah, because 381 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:25.759 I'm a Christian because they carried it should carry more weight, yes, right, 382 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.440 as opposed to him, I'm a pastor, you know. 383 00:19:28.519 --> 00:19:31.119 So that's doctor Chris Zarball to you. 384 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:34.359 So so then they start to see, they start to 385 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:37.440 see while God is doing great things among the gentiles, 386 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:40.160 this is good news. And Barnabas says, you know what 387 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:42.640 I need. I need, I need some help. 388 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:44.119 And so. 389 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:49.200 Barnabas goes on to Tarsus to find Saul. Remember Saul, 390 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:53.599 we just saw several chapters ago. Saul has this encounter 391 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.480 with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was a 392 00:19:56.519 --> 00:20:00.039 Pharisee of pharisees. He was at least if not a 393 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.079 member of the Sanhedron, he would have been a clerk 394 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:06.279 to the Sanhedron. Right. He was at Stephen's first at 395 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:09.640 the first martyrdom of Stephen, the deacon in the church. 396 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:11.759 And did you mention he's a Roman citizen. 397 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:14.279 Oh yeah, he's a Roman citizen, Roman citizen. 398 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.200 That's a big deal. And he's a Jew and a 399 00:20:16.279 --> 00:20:17.440 Roman citizen. 400 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:20.039 Right, and he's living in But remember he had to 401 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:23.319