After the 2020 presidential election, as some Trump supporters falsely claimed that President Biden had stolen the office, many of them displayed a startling symbol outside their homes, on their cars and in online posts: an upside-down American flag.

One of the homes flying an inverted flag during that time was the residence of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., in Alexandria, Va., according to photographs and interviews with neighbors.

The upside-down flag was aloft on Jan. 17, 2021, the images showed.

The justice blamed his wife and her beef with a neighbor:

”I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Justice Alito said in an emailed statement to The Times. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”

Hey something just came to me- it seems that there will be a time that we pass on from this life and enter heaven, but once we arrive there it is for eternity, we will never leave! I think this means something, but I am not sure what it is! Is anything coming to you? Let me know. It seems that there is a timeline in heaven, but maybe it is on a different timeline than the earth!

Psalms 121:8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in:
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

How would you describe your "going out and your coming in"?
Here is an instruction from Leviticus:

Leviticus 18:
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them:
I am the Lord your God.
3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt,
you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan,
where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in
their ordinances.
4 You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances,
to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.

Christians are said to be brought "out of the world",
but what are they brought into?
A megachurch environment? A home fellowship?
A traditional denomination?
Is there a point in common with these instructions?

Matthew 23:3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe,
observe and do, but do not do according to their works;
for they say, and do not do.

The context for this is the Pharisees and Moses seat.
But many people enter the faith and into a church only
to immediately find fault with the leadership and members
of the church. There is no perfect church, because the church is people.
It takes faith to abide in where the Lord places.
"Look unto the Lord, maker of heaven and earth". "And grow in grace".

Were the Israelites not forever ‘coming out’ of Egypt?
It is a Memorial of the Torah every seven days!

Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that thou were a slave in the land of Egypt,
and that the Lord thy God brought you out thence through a mighty hand
and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded you
to keep the Sabbath.

In regards to your going out and coming in, are you in a wilderness trek
to "a promised land", or returning to the tents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

The "promised land" of course is the age to come:
2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

In this age, we live as "strangers and sojourners".
Hebrews 11:
9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents
with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul....

Hey this is a riot- I found this video on YouTube, a fake dog attacks real dogs on camera! If you want to have a look at this the link is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEbb1tl5Qbk
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Jessica Tapia displays a sign outside the Garden Grove Unified School District board meeting on behalf of the Teachers Don’t Lie program. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Advocates for Faith and Freedom and Jessica Tapia

A Christian teacher settled in court for $360,000 earlier this week after suing a California school district board for firing her after she refused to comply with gender ideology rules that went against her religious beliefs.

After refusing to comply with a preferred pronoun rule, Jessica Tapia was fired by the Jurupa Unified School District from her job as a physical education teacher.

“It ultimately really does come down to my faith and how I believe that it’s always worth it to stand for righteousness and fight for truth,” Tapia told CNA in a phone call. “And ultimately, I believe the word of God is that truth and is the instructions we’ve been given to live our life upon. There’s really nothing else or no one else that I lean on for that.”

After students reported Tapia’s private social media account to the school district, an account where she shared her views, the school district placed her on administrative leave and investigated her in 2022.

Continued below.

“This money awarded by Congress was specifically to help ease the backlog and make it easier for the men and women who served our country and became injured or disabled to receive the compensation they deserve,” she said in a statement. “To instead see that money go toward lining the pockets of execs and not help those who served should upset a lot of people.”
The Biden administration will do what they wish with the money.

Professional scientists have relied on the average person in the street who have an interest in science but are not qualified to participate in research activities.
The activity is known as citizen science and in fields such as astronomy the research from citizen scientists is at times of such high quality, their work appears in peer reviewed journals.

Here is a general description of citizen science.

Here is a specific example of citizen science.

People hate me because of my religious beliefs, mental illness and sin.

I'm feel despised, rejected, scorned, mocked, walked on, lorded over, disliked and hated.

I have no friends but Jesus and I'm an imperfect sinner. I repent of everything but I struggle with lustful thoughts still. I'm pretty low. I have nothing but judges and haters

Matthew 7:22 MANY will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

There are many people who say they do not have to follow the law of God. Is this what the Bible means by "lawlessness". Did they really prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles? Or did they just think they did?

What happens during the 1,000 year reign of Christ, and beyond?

jonojim1337 said:
The Saints are given authority to judge during the 1000 year reign, but the final judgement, or the second resurrection, is at the end of the chapter, or after the 1000 year reign.

CoreyD said:

Okay, so you were referring to the final judgment, and not the judgment that takes place during the 1,000 years.
So then, tell me a little about the 1,000 years. What takes place during that 1,000 years, and can Isaiah 65:17-25 fit into there?

Why do you call the final judgment the second resurrection though?

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jonojim1337 said:

Because some will rise to shame and destruction and some to everlasting life.

The new heaven and the new earth are after the final judgement. Revelation 21 NLT

During the 1000 year reign, Satan is locked so that he cannot deceive the nations. The Beast, the prophet and the harlot are destroyed.

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If the new heavens are after the final judgment, when does 2 Peter 3:12, 13 take place, and does Christ's 1,000 year rule not begin after Armageddon, with a new heaven and new earth?

jonojim1337 said:

I think the clue being given here is that the Beast and the false prophet are overcome by "the first resurrection", but Satan is only defeated by "the second resurrection".

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I think you mean they are overcome at Armageddon. Revelation 19:17-21
Is that right?

The implications of this ruling are dire. Montgomery County Public Schools has explicitly stated that parental rights do not extend to the classroom, even if the classroom instruction violates the religious beliefs of the family. Effectively, the teacher has replaced the parent as the child’s primary educator.
We need vouchers for children so that they are not forced to attend classes with anti-Christian messages.

• RAND researchers reviewed 96 studies conducted over 20 years on the effects of granting same-sex couples access to legal marriage. The review found no reliable evidence of adverse consequences to the general U.S. population.
• On the contrary, the researchers found some evidence of an increase in marriage resulting from legalization of marriage between same-sex partners. This increase was not driven solely by newly marrying same-sex couples.
• The analyses found no evidence of a statistically significant increase in nonmarital cohabitation (living together while unmarried) by different-sex couples after states legalized marriage for same-sex couples.
• The researchers found no consistent changes in divorce as a consequence of legalizing marriage for same-sex couples.
• Finally, the researchers found no consistent evidence of a negative shift in young adults' attitudes toward the institution of marriage—and some evidence of an improvement—after states legalized marriage for same-sex couples.

The researchers' analyses suggest that the arguments available to opponents of legal marriage for same-sex couples today are narrower than they once were. Where once it was possible to speculate about the consequences of extending legal status to same-sex couples in the United States, now the consequences are known. There is no empirical basis for concerns that allowing same-sex couples to marry will negatively affect the intentions and choices of different-sex couples and families. The only empirical evidence of effects that the researchers found suggests that policies allowing marriage for same-sex couples lead to a renewed salience of marriage among the broader public.

Cable News Refused to Report Trump's Bombshell Quid Pro Quo Offer to Big Oil Execs

"The most under-covered Trump story is his complete selling-out of the American people on issues they care about most," one political insider said.

Major cable news networks Fox News Channel, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC all failed to cover former President Donald Trump's promise to Big Oil executives that he would reverse President Joe Biden's climate regulations if they donated $1 billion to his campaign, according to an analysis published by Media Matters for America late Tuesday.

When the news first broke, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch wrote, "You won't read a more important story today." Yet, in the four days after the story broke, it only received 48 minutes of cable airtime—all on MSNBC.

"The most under-covered Trump story is his complete selling-out of the American people on issues they care about most," Jesse Lee, a former Biden communications adviser, posted on social media in response to the report. "If gas prices go up soon, these same networks that ignored Trump's $1 billion oil bribe will cover it constantly—and crucify Biden."

"He is basically saying he's going to destroy the planet that our children... are growing up on just if these guys will write him a check."

The story of Trump's quid pro quo offer to fossil fuel executives was first reported by The Washington Post on May 9. It detailed a dinner the former president hosted at Mar-a-Lago in April attended by leaders of oil and gas firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Occidental Petroleum. During the dinner, Trump told the executives that a $1 billion donation would be a "deal" for the industry "because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid thanks to him."

To assess how cable covered—or didn't cover—the story, Media Matters for America looked at the transcripts from May 9 to May 12 for CNN; Fox News Channel; MSNBC; ABC's "Good Morning America," "World News Tonight," and "This Week;" CBS' "Mornings," "Evening News," and "Face the Nation;" and NBC's "Today," "Nightly News," and "Meet the Press." They searched the transcripts for the words "Trump," "former president," or "Mar-a-Lago" close to the words "oil," "donor," "executive," "billion," "industry," "fossil," or "fuel," as well as any version of the words "environment" or "CEO."

Only the MSNBC transcripts turned up any results. These included:

1. Just over 18 minutes—or nearly 40% of the total—on "Velshi" on May 11, featuring interviews with climate activist Bill McKibben, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington president Noah Bookbinder, and The Atlantic's David A. Graham.
2. A discussion on the May 9 edition of "Alex Wagner Tonight" between host Wagner and guests former Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes and former Biden Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
3. An interview on the May 10 edition of "All in With Chris Hayes" with New York Times climate reporter Lisa Friedman.
4. An exchange on the May 11 edition of "Alex Witt Reports" between host Witt and New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker.
5. An interview on the May 12 edition of "Ayman" with Princeton University sociology professor Kim Lane Scheppele and New York Times columnist and analyst Michelle Goldberg.
6. Mentions on "The ReidOut" and "The Weekend."

Several of the MSNBC interviews did highlight the importance of the story—which has prompted an investigation by a top House Democrat.

McKibben told Ali Velshi that "in a very real sense this is the most important climate election ever."

Others focused on the blatant corruption of the exchange. Graham noted that it was particularly brazen.

"He is making it clear what the quid pro quo is without any kind of pretense. It's just right here, 'You give me money; I'll do what you want me to do,'" Graham told Velshi.

Rhodes called it "basic pay-to-play corruption," adding, "He is basically saying he's going to destroy the planet that our children... are growing up on just if these guys will write him a check."

There were also comments on what the news said about the fossil fuel executives themselves.

"These are the same executives who, in the wake of January 6, said, 'We're not going to support people who undermined our democracy,'"
Bookbinder pointed out. "And there they are, these couple of years later, meeting with Donald Trump, courting his support, hearing his offer—his demands—that they give a billion dollars to his campaign."

Baker told Witt: "I think it's going to confirm for a lot of people who are already suspicious of the fossil fuel industry that they have, over the years, bought off Washington writ large. That's been a longtime conviction on the part of people who think that the energy industry has too much power."

"It's going to cause a lot of cynicism, obviously, especially if Donald Trump were to win and then to try to roll back some of these climate initiatives," Baker continued. "People will make the assumption—and it will have some obvious evidence to back it up—that he is doing so in exchange for large contributions from an industry that's affected by it."

They will, that is, if they caught the 48 minutes of reporting the story received.

By "church" I mean a local assembly.

You don't have to attend church to be saved, but you should attend some Christian meetings regularly to have fellowship, Hebrews 10:

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

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Find a group/church/fellowship that you like. Get involved with church programs. Make friends.

For example, once in a while, there is movie night. Anyone can show up and have a simple love meal followed by watching a movie and then discussing the movie. I try to bring an unbeliever with me.

There is an outreach activity in different Toronto neighborhoods to spread the gospel.

You don't need an officially registered church to do this. However, you do need a group of Christians who meet regularly physically, do things together, are accountable to one another, love one another, etc. You need a regular fellowship.

See also Home church

Paul said that he didn't judge himself but waited on God to judge. How is it that this man the apostle Paul who built churches and judges them doesn't judge himself? It's a mystery, is it not?

It means that Paul seen his own mind as his enemy. In my opinion anyway. He had a messenger of Satan torment him. He called it a thorn in his flesh. He said that he and the apostles were out of their minds for God at timeS. Paul said that there was nothing good in his flesh.

So I wonder if Goliath doesn't represent our mind and pride? Paul said to be wise we must become foolish in the world's eyes. He said that the natural man cannot understand spiritual things. There is a war between flesh and spirit.


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Jn 1:29

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Now the sin of the world did involve unbelief. Eve didn't believe the truth of God. God had said in the day that you eat you shall surely die. Observe Gen 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Now Gen 3:2-4

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.


4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:


as a result of unbelief:


5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Mine:

Mr. Biden: What was the inflation rate the day you took office?

I have psychosis and it may come from depression but I'm unsure. Anyway I've seen visions or something and I experience times of confusion and fear.

This experience leaves me scared but I put on Christ my redeemer and my older brother who is my friend and my God. He strengthens me. I don't comprehend his mystery but it's ok. He is surely with me.

Romans chapter 8. Nothing can separate me from God's love in Christ. Nothing can take me from Jesus hand as Jesus said in John 10:28

Hi,

This is a well known verse:

So I have been thinking sometimes it is not so clear what these abstract words means exactly in some cases:
true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, praiseworthy.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Br,

I thought I would make my own thread so I don't derail the other thread on healing

Why did Paul boast in his infirmities? Why did he tell Timothy to drink a little wine for his often infirmities? Why does Romans chapter 8 say that pestilence can't separate us from God's love? Please realize that this chapter is teaching us that we will face great hardship and not have good health necesarily. Indeed we are sheep led to the slaughter.

Jesus did physical miracles as a sign but in my opinion the real promise is spiritual healing. Jesus said that the sick need a physician and he refers to sin and spirital blindness but not physical illness.

What we do when promising physical healing is destroy people's faith. They end up thinking that their faith is false because they dont get physical healing. They torment themselves instead of growing in grace. Paul said that God's grace was sufficient for his infirmities. I have mental illness or spiritual warfare. I'm OK. God loves me. My body is old and run down. Its ok.


2 Corinthians 12:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

In Christ, God is our father and mother. He refers to himself as a mother hen. We are all siblings. In a way we are like fathers and mothers to each other but in an older sibling kind of way.

We lead each ither to Christ always but we are Christ as well. We weep and care for each other in our weaknesses.

Our natural family however can be a hindrance to our faith. We might act like them but not Christ. This is a mistake..

I am reading in Zephaniah 3, which is a very long passage of Scripture, and as I was reading it, it occurred to me that at least part of this may be a prophecy with regard to the last days, and it definitely fits with where much of God’s people, his church, are today, at least here in America, but probably not only in America.

For God’s people were rebellious and defiled, and they did not listen to correction, and they did not trust in the Lord, in truth, nor did they draw near to God. And their spiritual leaders were those who profaned what was holy, and they did violence (destruction) to our Lord’s commandments, to His Word, just as is happening in much of what is called “church” today. And even when God judged them, as a people, they were all the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt. I believe this is a picture of America, at large.


As soon as I read this, my mind immediately went to the passages of Scripture, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, which describe for us the judgments of God in the final days before the return of our Lord. And I cannot help but see that this is happening now, in our time period, for I see how God is presently judging the nations of this earth. And the end result is that all the earth shall be consumed, destroyed by fire. And it certainly appears that this is where all this is headed, too.

[Matthew 24:1-51; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 2 Peter 3:1-18; 1 John 2:18-25; Jude 1:17-23; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-14; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 18:1-24; Revelation 19:1-21; Revelation 20:1-15; Revelation 21:1-27, etc.]

But what is the purpose of it all? What is to be the end result? The same as what is talked about here in Zephaniah 3:


I can’t help but see here that the period of tribulation on the earth, that honestly we have certainly been in ever since Jesus was crucified on that cross for our sins, but that keeps getting worse and worse, is here and now, and not something future, though I believe things are going to continue to progressively get worse as they are now until the time of Jesus’ return.

And then if you pay attention to the order of things in the book of Revelation, it basically begins with letters to the churches, and five out of seven of them are warned that they need to repent of their sins or that judgment is going to come upon them. And then following that we have the declarations of judgments. So the church at large that is worldly and is catering to the world and to the ungodly and to human flesh is definitely going to face the judgments of God.

But what I read in the book of Revelation speaks of God’s bride having made herself ready, and that it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (see Revelation 19:6-8). And then we have many Scriptures throughout the New Testament where we are told that God will discipline us and that we will go through trials and tribulations and hardships and persecutions, but that these are necessary in order to purify our hearts.

But one day all that will be over, and those who have made themselves ready, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, by the grace of God, and in his power, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, will no longer fear evil, and we will no longer suffer reproach, but we will be with our Lord for eternity, and all our suffering and crying will be over. Amen! Praise the Lord!

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

When We All Get To Heaven

By Eliza E. Hewitt, pub. 1898 / Emily D. Wilson, pub. 1898

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

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IQ scores among Americans are falling. The evidence seems to be that it is due to environmental changes, possibly due to social media consumption and screen time: