Joe Rogan, Riley Gaines discuss Satan, Jesus' return and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy
Joe Rogan and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines recently engaged in a lengthy discussion about Satan, Jesus, biblical prophecy and the role transgenderism plays in the moral decline of society.
Gaines appeared on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast in an episode released Thursday where she shared how she became an advocate for women’s sports after placing fifth place with trans-identified swimmer Lia (Will) Thomas at a national swimming championship.
“You've got a 6-foot-4 man in a women's swimsuit with a bulge next to a woman wearing only a speedo, with nothing covering her top,” the 23-year-old recalled. “I'm sitting there watching this, I'm thinking to myself, ‘It's me. I'm the crazy one. It must be, this is the freakin' 'Twilight Zone'.’”
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Rogan agreed that what was once considered “morally reprehensible” is now being re-framed as “identity,” adding: “If I was trying to destroy a country, I would throw that into the educational system, and I'd make it seem virtuous to discuss this in an open-minded and objective way, like they can't help who they identify with.”
Gaines, a devout Christian, pointed out that what’s happening in society was foretold in the scriptures: “The Bible tells us that we will reach a point, and Paul says it in Acts and Romans in different places, he tells us that we will reach a point where bitter is seen as sweet, dark is seen as light, and evil is seen as moral. It's undeniable that that's not what we're seeing now.
That's not to say that people who identify as trans are evil. I don't necessarily think that. But what is evil is deception. Manipulation is evil. Temptation is evil; lying and affirming delusions, that's evil. And that's exactly how Satan works and how he operates is in the darkness, but now a lot of it is coming to light.”
Rogan agreed that while it can start to sound “looney” when talking about “Satan and evil and good and biblical stories,” he’s starting to rethink his previous ideas about the Bible.
“I think that what the Bible is, is I think, at one point in time, there was a very sophisticated society that got wiped out by some sort of a massive natural disaster,” he said. “And then, over time, they told the stories that they had learned since they stopped writing things down. They probably had to live like barbarians for thousands of years, but they always had the stories.”
These narratives, including those of Adam and Eve and Creation, Rogan posited, are not just religious texts but also cautionary tales about the dangers of moral corruption and societal decline.
“It's like this is like a map of civilization,” he said. “It's just so old, and it's been translated so many times from ancient Hebrew and Aramaic and all these different languages down to Greek and Latin and English, finally. What was really said? What was really going on? Because a lot of it seems to be on the money. Like if you wanted to try to put this through some sort of a logical filter or figure out, is someone really trying to warn us about the natural progression that all societies and all civilizations go down if you don't have a moral compass, and if you don't follow and adhere to the rules of God?”
Gaines pointed out that there are events prophesied in the Bible that haven’t happened yet, adding: “Time will tell, right? I think Jesus' return is past due.”
Rogan later quipped, “Jesus on the White House lawn, wow. That would be the game changer.”
Riley agreed, adding, “I pray for that. Come back, please. Our media would spin it some way.”
The athlete, who said she’s faced significant backlash for her views on trans issues and protecting women's sports, also said the breakdown of “faith” has contributed to the moral decline of society.
“We used to be a country that proudly said, ‘In God We Trust,’ one nation under God,” she said. “You look at the breakdown of the nuclear family and really pinning parents and kids against each other. You look at the breakdown of our freedoms, such as the freedom of speech. You look at the propaganda that's being spread through the media, the list goes on.”
Also in the episode, Gaines and Rogan agreed that the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk contributed to the return of free speech in America. The athlete revealed that before Musk's takeover of the company, her account had been removed due to her posting on that platform that there are two sexes.
“If I was from another country and I was trying to ruin America … I would do it through social media. I would have the Democrats almost universally control social media. Except this one wild African American, this one wild genius dude decides to buy Twitter,” Rogan said. “If he didn’t do that, we would genuinely be f---ed. We would be in a real pickle.”
“So God bless Elon Musk,” Gaines agreed. “I really think he single-handedly almost turned this culture around. So, God bless him.”
Nearing the end of the discussion, Gaines said that while society is clearly in a moral decline, she finds solace in the fact that, as a Christian, she’s confident in the “outcome” and “knowing how this all ends.”
“Really trusting that, and having faith in that, and just knowing the battle is already won — that's certainly what keeps me grounded and keeps a smile on my face, and an incredibly light heart even when these crazy freaks at San Francisco are running at me,” she said.
“The first thing I do is pray for them. I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, you look miserable and I can't imagine having that much hatred in my heart.’ So I think all of those things are what maybe made me a little different. The combination of those things … set me apart from some of my peers.”
Rogan agreed that Gaines is the “right woman for the job.”
“It's really like the universe put you in that position because most people wouldn't be as uniquely disciplined about chasing this down as you are,” he said.
