Not only was Alexander the Great’s reign predicted in the Old Testament long before he was born, but when Alexander visited Jerusalem during his rule, the high priest showed those prophecies to him: These Bible prophecies are about you, Alexander!
At that point, prophecy and history intersected in a dramatic way. If you’re not familiar with this fascinating, yet seldom-discussed chapter of world history, you may be astounded to learn how Alexander reacted.

We’ve all felt frustrated by how forgetful and unreliable our memories are. We work hard to learn new knowledge and skills, but then if we don’t regularly maintain it, we forget it all within a few months or years. It is frustrating, but we should not give up.

Today’s episode discusses some mysterious stories that give us a glimpse into how astoundingly powerful the human memory is. They show that much of what we think is slipping into the abyss isn’t actually gone.

These stories show that each of us has worlds within us. To borrow a line from Whitman, we “contain multitudes.” The question is: Will we ever learn to easily access those worlds of knowledge contained in our memories?

The week is foundational to the rhythm of human life. It influences dozens, maybe hundreds, of the decisions each of us makes every day. But where did it come from? And how did it become the universal backbeat of human activity? The truth about the mysterious origins of the week can help us better understand not just our calendars, but our world and our place in it.

When it comes to intellect and creative power, there’s no question that humans vastly outperform every other creature on earth. But did you know there is also a basic physical ability in which people can outperform the animals? Today’s episode takes a look at the marathon as a metaphor for life, and examines some life lessons we can learn from endurance running.

This episode examines how a serious injury sustained by a factory worker in 1867 not only changed the course of that man's life, but also set in motion a chain of events that changed the course of American history—in a way that countless people for generations have benefited from.

Calum MacLeod lived on the North side of the small, rocky island of Raasay, Scotland—miles away from the nearest road. One night his 12-year-old daughter became stuck in a blizzard as she was trying to walk up to their isolated settlement from the roads on the south of the island. Calum rescued her, but was furious and petitioned the government to build a road. The far-off bureaucracies refused. So Calum decided to conquer the unforgiving landscape, and build the road himself. What followed was an astounding testament to one man's determination.

“I am a friend of Plato, and a friend of Aristotle, but truth is my greater friend.” These are words from a personal notebook of Sir Isaac Newton, written when he was around 20 years old. With these words, he was proclaiming a revolutionary decision to search beyond the boundaries of classical teachings to understand the biggest questions about the world and universe. Proverbs 25 in the Bible says it is the honor of kings to search out the things that God has concealed. In Newton’s search to understand various baffling aspects of the creation, he proved to be regal. And his search and his work made a momentous difference in the world.

Links

Mystery of the Ages

Our Awesome Universe Potential

By the beginning of the 1800s, Bell Rock in Scotland’s Firth of Forth was responsible for wrecking numerous ships each winter. It was clear to everyone that sailors needed to be warned. But since the Rock was miles from shore and submerged by the sea for all but two hours a day, experts thought it would be impossible to build a lighthouse there. For Robert Stevenson, the challenge would become an obsession.

Despite America's deep-rooted problems, the nation remains an unmatched paragon of prosperity, providing opportunity and wealth for great numbers of people.

But how and why did the United States became so exceptional? Pundits debating this question point to things like America’s laissez-faire economic system, values, politics, societal mobility, freedom of religion and speech, and its prioritization of equal opportunity. But there is another, often overlooked answer. In many ways this unnoticed factor is the foundation that has made other aspects of America’s success possible. It is a deeply inspiring facet of the U.S. that takes us all the way back into the mists of the earliest human history.

Education, Aristotle said, is an ornament in times of prosperity and a refuge in times of adversity. This episode shines the spotlight on some remarkable individuals who sacrificed in order to give others the precious and versatile gift of education. We also discuss the dimension that is woefully absent in modern education.

The Key of David: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLso_e6g5s

There is little in the human experience that hooks attention and holds it like a story. In this episode, we demonstrate and explain the power of story. And we encourage listeners to more regularly tap into that power.

The post-World War II rebuilding and reeducation of Germany and Japan contains lessons that remain as relevant as ever, especially at this time of year, when we look forward to a time when the entire world will need to be rebuilt out of the ashes and reeducated.

On this episode, we discuss three remarkable yet mostly forgotten stories of heroism that occurred in Soviet Armenia in the 1970s and 80s—and a twist that connects them.

We’ve seen the grainy video footage of Neil Armstrong, and heard the recording of his famous words about the “small step." In our imaginations, this unbelievable achievement has essentially been distilled down to that. But it was the result of a massive team of people laboring for a decade on an effort unlike anything that came before it.

If you were among the few North Koreans who break free, and who escape the country, what would your next move be? Most escapees choose to settle into a new life in a new country, and they try to forget the nightmare they left behind. But other escapees do something more noble, and more giving. Their example provides us with a powerful analogy.

What is it about superhero stories that makes people want to put on a brightly-colored leotard, and yell “Flame on!”? This episode shows that the fascination with superhero-type figures is not a new phenomenon. It has left a herculean footprint on just about every culture that has come and gone for thousands of years. We love these stories because people through the ages have wished to break free from the limits of our finite human existence. But could there be something more behind this fascination?

Racism often becomes a self-exacerbating force. If a person feels hated by a certain group, his normal reaction is to hate that group right back: Meet hatred with hatred. It’s the natural, usual reaction. But today’s episode examines a man who does not behave in the natural, usual way. This man doesn’t meet hatred with hatred, but with authenticity, humility, patience, friendship and hope for his fellow man. This man’s unusual approach has achieved some extraordinary results that we can all learn from.

What is humor? Why is it? Where does it come from? What happens in its absence? In this episode, host Jeremiah Jacques addresses these questions, and also attempts to demonstrate humor in a way that makes the listeners laugh. Also discussed is the vital role that humor played in the life of a history-altering man.