The Strange gods of Zaphon

I had an interesting & strange encounter at the Farmers Market with a man named Timothy, and woman named Sarah that I assume was his wife. Timothy heckled me, in an acceptable way, just after 3-1/2 minutes into my public preaching last Saturday, talking about "the gods of Zaphon." (Remember, hecklers are a good thing when open-air preaching, so I'm not complaining.) You can check it out via the link to the audio on my previous post, or on the Audio: Open Air Preaching page above (should be the top link on the page, the file starts with the date 20150627....)


When I finished speaking and stepped off my box, Timothy showed up right away, again talking about "the gods of Zaphon." A young brother in the Lord by the name of Ray had just got up on the box and started preaching, and I actually wanted to listen to him, but this conversation started with Timothy & Sarah, so we talked.

Be my guest, and listen in on the audio recording of this street corner encounter: LINK

I tried to tweak the audio to bring up the conversation and quiet the background, but it's the Farmers Market, what can I say? That young brother, Ray, is preaching 6 feet away from me, there's a singer using amplification across the intersection, etc. etc. But I think you can follow the discussion, and I wanted to share it just because:

1. I've never heard of "the gods of Zaphon"
2. I wanted you to hear an example of what one encounters out on the streets, often around strange teachings & beliefs our neighbors have, that are founded in pagan religions, as I think this one is
3. People wrest the scriptures (2 Peter 3:16), and we need to be able to answer with truth (Sarah's belief we are all born children of God; that Jesus' first coming was more about showing us how to do what He did and more than He did, not so much to rescue us from eternal damnation; that all the people in Hell will one day be released - just some examples you'll hear in the audio)

Hope this is an encouragement to boldly share the gift of eternal life we have, who have turned to Jesus alone and been born-again. Time is short. I hope to be back down to the Farmers Market this Saturday, the 4th of July, but we don't know what tomorrow may bring. Jesus may come to catch us away before then, or I may go to be with Him. 

Here's a few notes from a quick search for "the gods of Zaphon."

Holman Bible Dictionary

Zaphon

(zay' pahn) Place name meaning, “north.”
1. City east of the Jordan River in Gad's territory (Joshua 13:27 ). It was probably a center of worship of the god Baal-zaphon in the days of Canaanite supremacy before the Gadites took over. It is identified with tell el-Qos, tell es-Saidiye, or tell el-Mazar. Shophan (Numbers 32:35 ) may be another spelling of the same city.
2. Mountain viewed as home of the gods in Canaanite thought, perhaps referred to in Psalm 48:2 (NIV), Isaiah 14:13 (NRSV), and Job 26:7 (NRSV), showing Yahweh controls what Canaan thought their gods possessed.

The Official King James Bible Online

'ZAPHON' in the Bible ... 1 Instances   

Joshua 13:27
And in the valley, Betharam, and Bethnimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward.