The Latter Day Lens

Episode 157: Stewardship or Ownership? Examining Copyrights, Inheritance Taxes, and Latter-day Prophecies about Gaza

Shawn & Matt

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This week, host Matt Miles is joined by co-host Shawn Record and Levi Barnes. The trio dives into the deep end of politics, property rights, and the complicated nature of modern prophecy. The episode kicks off with a celebration of Matt’s newest book, The Metrics of Faith, and a lighthearted (but debated) look at whether Donald Trump accidentally confirmed the existence of aliens on Air Force One.

Users are currently wagering over $29 million on whether the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will occur by the end of 2026. Shawn suggests that prediction markets might be more accurate than traditional polling, though he remains skeptical of the timeline. Matt and Shawn weigh in on whether they’d be willing to put money on such a prophecy.

The Thought Provoker

  • Martin Shkreli and the Wu-Tang Album: Using the legal battle over the world's rarest album, the team explores the distinction between physical ownership and copyright. Are intellectual property rights the kind of property God expects governments to protect?
  • AI and the Ownership of Knowledge: Following Matthew Call’s insights, we discuss the "knowledge harvest"—the process where enterprise AI systems record how employees think and solve problems. Does the restored gospel offer a perspective on who truly owns the knowledge we create?
  • Inheritance in Numbers: Turning to Numbers 27:7–11, we examine the ancient laws of inheritance given to Moses. Do these verses suggest a divine favor for passing down wealth, and does that make certain taxes or government seizures immoral?

The Big Question: Gaza and Article of Faith 10

The conversation takes a deep and difficult turn into the book of Numbers (chapters 31 and 33) and the 10th Article of Faith. As we look at the destruction and displacement in ancient Canaan alongside the modern conflict in Gaza, we ask: Was God supportive of such destruction? The hosts grapple with the violence in Gaza through the lens of the Old Testament and Latter-day prophecy. They explore whether the current conflict is a literal fulfillment of the 10th Article of Faith and the gathering of Israel, or if the spiritual gathering into "Stakes of Zion" is the true focus

Episode Chapters

00:00 | Intro: The Metrics of Faith and Trump’s Alien "Confirmation"

02:15 | Mailbag: The $20 Million Bet on the Second Coming

07:40 | The Thought Provoker: Shkreli, Wu-Tang, and the Nature of Property

25:30 | The Thought Provoker: AI and the "Harvesting" of Human Knowledge

40:15 | The Thought Provoker: Numbers 27 and the "Gross" Ethics of Inheritance

48:00 | The Big Question: Is the Gaza Conflict a Fulfillment of Prophecy?

01:01:00 | Closing: Safety, Welcome, and the Last Word