The Legend of the Martyr

We learn of the deaths of 21 Christian men in Libya in 2015. Links referenced in the episode: www.the21film.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkhsneGX52I

How can a good God allow evil and suffering? How could a loving God send someone to hell? These are just a couple of the questions we explore today as we seek to share Christ with our neighbor.

We learn of John of Damascus, an eighth century Christian living faithfully in Muslim lands.

The Feast Day of St. Stephen is December 26th.

We learn the story of the man "who through his life away," or so the world sees it. My commentary on the book of Daniel can be found on my website here: https://sandhandrews.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/the-book-of-daniel.pdf

We examine the attacks against the Bible and discuss how the Bible came together as the book we know today.

We learn about Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, whose generosity gave rise to the gift-giving traditions of December throughout Christian communities around the world. And, we see the third vision God gives to Daniel.

We learn of a martyr in the 4th century and study another of God's visions to Daniel.

We read from the Apocrypha today, seeing Susanna falsely accused of adultery, but God saves her. And, we see Daniel cast into the lion's den by King Cyrus for a second time!

Jan Hus was a Catholic priest in the early 15th century whose work influenced the Reformation a century later.

An atheist claim of our day is that Jesus is just a myth, a made up fairy tale. We examine the evidence of history to debunk this one. The page of resources mentioned in the episode: https://sandhandrews.wordpress.com/resources/apologetics/

We read and study Hebrews 11:1-12:3.

Due to the hate of the other officials, Daniel is thrown to the lions, but spared by God.

We see the martyrdom of James, brother of Jesus, and head of the Church in Jerusalem, and see the destruction of the Babylonian Empire in a single night at God's command.

We meet Rev. Paul Nelson, who serves as a career missionary in the LCMS, working as the area facilitator for the region of Asia.

I attended the recent "From the Field" conference hosted by VOM to hear from Christians all over the world how Christians are being persecuted, but also how they are continuing to faithfully serve the Lord in those places.

We learn of the martyrdom of two Christian women in the days of the early Church. And we see Daniel living out his faith before a pagan king.

In just the last few weeks, we have seen three Christians in America martyred for their faith in Jesus. We hear more about their faith, and reflect on the danger of the idols of safety and "God and Country Christianity."

Why is feminism a lie of the devil? What does God's Word actually teach us about His creation of male and female?

One of the most well-known martyrdom accounts in Scripture, as King Nebuchadnezzar casts Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) into the fiery furnace.

Daniel comes before King Nebuchadnezzar to share with him his dream and its interpretation.

What do we know about Mary from Scripture and history? Also we hear of King Nebuchadnezzar's demand that his magicians and officials tell him his dream AND its interpretation.

Rev. Tiews is an LCMS career missionary who works with Persian refugees in Hamburg, Germany. https://www.lcms.org/Tiews

Government is both a blessing and a curse from the Lord. We see them persecute His people all around the world, and yet the Scriptures can say they are from Him. Listen in to learn more about what the Scriptures teach about government, and what role the Christian has with his governor.

Today's episode is largely a review episode, as it is a presentation I shared at the 2025 Higher Things conference for LCMS youth held at Concordia University, NE.