Kirkolliskokous 2025: Viidennessä täysistunnossa yksi pöydällepano, viiden asian käsittely päätökseen - Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko (Item 24)

Ok, wow... what are the thoughts of EO folks on here? Is this nothing of any real consequence and the Church is just trying not to get into trouble with the government, or is this coming closer to formal approval?

I can see how these statements could be taken either way; as stating compassion without affirmation or stating a possible approval, depending on how one wanted to view them.

~ ~ ~

Item 24 (General Synod initiative on recognizing and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church)​

The General Synod decided to approve the initiative.

Rationale:

The General Synod's initiative on recognising and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church states: "The Church is the body of Christ. The exclusion of certain parts of the body – the denial of their identity – not only hurts these individuals, but cripples the community itself, wounds the church and makes it less of a church, weaker. In the church, everyone – absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, skin colour, health challenges, social status, etc. you have to feel safe and genuinely be heard and encountered."

The General Synod considers that the objectives of the initiative – to strengthen the security, dignity and equal encounter of church membership – are in harmony with the pastoral tradition and educational mission of the Orthodox Church.

The General Synod considers it necessary for the Church to develop training, guidance and communication that support the comprehensive encounter and inclusion of all members belonging to minorities.

The General Synod does not take a stand on doctrinal issues, but emphasizes that the Church's policies must be in harmony with Finnish legislation and that the Church's educational and pastoral work requires clear practices that support equality. The Church must walk alongside every person and support them in all situations of life until the end.

Democrats are having existential meltdowns over RFK's department issuing revised recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines in children. Instead of the current recommendations that have Hospitals as a matter of course inject all infants with Hepatitis B vaccines on the day of their birth, the new recommendations are that infants whose mothers have Hepatitis B be given the vaccine for protection at birth, but the others who have no risk getting the disease, instead delay until 2-3 months after birth before getting the vaccine. Apparently this will cause all sorts of death and destruction according to dems. The reality is there's nothing wrong with the recommendations at all, and there's no reason we should be injecting newborn infants who are not at risk, with something that they don't need, on the day they're born.



https://ground.news/article/us-vaccine-advisers-say-not-all-babies-need-a-hepatitis-b-shot-at-birth_014461

I'm considering using Amazon Renewed to find a good quality cheap refurbished iPad. I am wondering how reliable a refurbished device would be, because one time a friend bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy phone from Walmart and it had severe charging problems. So I have a distrust of buying refurbished, and wonder if I want to go with a brand new device. I have a brother who has autism and lives at a care center, and I can FaceTime him if I have an Apple device, and the care center is overly restrictive on not allowing any cross platform apps (not allowing Zoom or WhatsApp for Windows or Android).

New research reveals that most self-identified Christians think doing “good things” for others is enough to secure them a spot in Heaven, in what one leading researcher laments as the latest example of a widespread embrace of “unbiblical beliefs” among American Christians.

A recent report released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University examining Americans’ views on the afterlife constitutes the latest installment of the American Worldview Inventory 2025, a survey of 2,000 American adults conducted in March.

Overall, majorities of all Christian subgroups believe that every person will be judged personally by God, with 95% of theologically identified born-again Christians, 86% of Pentecostals, 84% of Evangelicals, 84% of independent and non-denominational Christians, 83% of Protestants, 82% of Mainline Protestants, 78% of self-identified Christians and 74% of Catholics embracing this belief.

Continued below.

"Questioned about a growing trepidation among western Christians about the growth of Islam outside of the Middle East, especially in predominantly Christian nations in the West, the pope said this was something touched on in his discussions with interfaith leaders in Turkey and Lebanon.

However, he cautioned that oftentimes these fears are “generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race.”

Pope inflight says fears over Islam often a political maneuver against migrants | Crux https://share.google/S89I3mLpZGSSx9eTv

The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently announced its "resident-only patriotic fee-free days" for 2026, and missing from the list were MLK Day, which has been a National Park fee-free day since 2018, and Juneteenth, which was introduced as a fee-free day in 2024.

In place of these days commemorating American history, civil rights and equality, the Trump administration has instead opted to celebrate additional former presidents' birthdays and Flag Day, which is also President Donald Trump's birthday.

The removal of these days as fee-free National Park days follows the Trump administration's pause on certain days of remembrance, including MLK Day and Juneteenth, earlier this year, as part of the president's ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

For next year, the days chosen seem to fall in line with the Trump administration's "America-first" policies.

The department also announced the launch of new digital "America the Beautiful" passes, which will allow Americans to buy and use their passes on mobile devices ... The new passes also feature Trump's face, according to People

There is a thread in the Christian-only section, consisting of lots of misinformed opinions. Apparently when you don't read the assignment, you can just cite the Bible and then complain when you fail! Here's the Fox News version:

United States senators are speaking out after a student at the University of Oklahoma said she was given a zero on an assignment for her "Christian kind of worldview" questioning gender norms. Word of the failed assignment has now reached the halls of Congress, raising eyebrows from top senators, including former presidential candidate and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who represents the university in Congress. "That’s insane," Mullin told Fox News Digital. "Especially in Oklahoma. There should be zero tolerance for woke activists disguised as ‘educators’ who punish students for no reason and put their toxic political agendas ahead of our kids’ education."

Aaaaand here's what really happened:

[From Rachel Hurley as quoted on FB]:]

The conservative media machine has been running this story for days now, painting her as a persecuted Christian hero standing up against radical transgender ideology in academia. Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s disgraced former schools chief, called her “an absolute American hero.” Fox News gave her the full sympathetic treatment. Turning Point USA blasted it out to 38 million views.


The assignment was to write a 650-word reaction paper to a 2014 study called “Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence.” The study looked at 84 middle schoolers and examined whether kids who don’t fit gender stereotypes - tomboys, boys who aren’t stereotypically masculine - get bullied more. It found that gender-atypical boys especially faced more teasing, and that this teasing was associated with worse mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety.

That’s the whole thing. The study was asking whether kids who don’t fit neatly into “boys play sports, girls play with dolls” boxes get picked on, and whether getting picked on makes them depressed. The answer was yes. Not exactly radical territory.

But Fulnecky apparently skimmed the abstract and saw the word “gender” and decided the whole thing was actually about transgender people trying to turn kids demonic. Her essay argued that gender teasing in schools is not a problem because God made men and women different on purpose. She wrote that society pushing “the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth.” She prayed that children would “not believe the lies being spread from Satan.” Not a single engagement with the study’s methodology. Not a single mention of its actual findings about depression and anxiety in bullied kids. Not a single counter-argument to the researchers’ data. Just vibes about how Satan wants kids to be different genders and God’s plan involves letting gender-nonconforming eleven-year-olds get teased.

The grading rubric was straightforward: 10 points for demonstrating a “clear tie-in to the assigned article,” 10 points for a “thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary,” and 5 points for clear writing. She met none of these criteria.

And the whole conservative persecution narrative falls apart even faster when you look at who’s running this show. Her mother is Kristi Fulnecky, a Missouri attorney who defended January 6 rioters, filed lawsuits against mask mandates, and had such a contentious tenure on the Springfield City Council that the city spent nearly $100,000 on legal fees dealing with her eligibility fight after she operated a business without a license for seven years. One city attorney accused her of “grandstanding.” Kristi posted on Facebook that her daughter was “a warrior for Christ” and helped her daughter decide who to take her complaints to.

This is a manufactured controversy.
The formula is simple: find a culture war angle, refuse to do the actual assignment, cry discrimination when the grade reflects the work quality, and then watch the right-wing media ecosystem do the rest. Fulnecky gets to do the Fox News circuit. Ryan Walters gets to rail against “Marxist professors.”
The university, spooked by political pressure, put the graduate teaching assistant on administrative leave and assured Fulnecky the zero won’t affect her grade.

But sure, religious persecution.


Years ago a teacher handed out Christian materials in class with the Declaration of independence stapled to the back. When the administration banned the assignment, the right started screaming that "Radical left bans the Declaration from classroom!"

It's a simple formula.

Do you have videos of water baptism in your language?

Here is one video in finnish language ( it has english subtitles). It is important to say "...in the name of Jesus Christ" as it is instructed in Acts 2:38.


“…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ…” (Acts 2:38).


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The Lord has convicted me strongly about me being arrogant.

We know that he hates arrogance. We see over and over in the Bible that sin can be connected to illness. And I have been having some health concerns.

I have been praying not to be arrogant and to be healed. But I confess to a feeling of hardness in my heart that keeps me from getting free of arrogance.

Even though in my mind, I see clearly how stupid it is. We are but dust and every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord.

Please pray that the Lord will do for me what I cannot do for myself, so that I am free from arrogance for life, and that I’m healthy in every way so that I may better glorify him for life as he deserves. Thank you.

Pastor Stuart Knechtle recently claimed that President Donald Trump's 19-year-old son, Barron, is interested in claims of supernatural dreams about Jesus Christ in the Muslim world and is "very close" to becoming a Christian.

Knechtle, who has 2.4 million followerson TikTok and serves as assistant pastor at Grace Community Church in New Canaan, Connecticut, shared Thursday on "The George Janko Show" that he recently witnessed to Barron on the phone at 12:30 a.m. about Christianity.

“I thought I was hitting him with everything but the kitchen sink when it came to all the evidence for God and Christianity," Knechtle said.

"I thought I was really on, I was pumped," he said. "And at the very end, I came up pretty much totally open-handed with nothing. But I brought up dreams and revelations."

Knechtle claimed Barron was fascinated when he brought up reports that have circulated in recent years of many Muslims experiencing striking encounters with Jesus Christ in their dreams. Mission Frontiers magazine reported that a quarter of Muslim conversions to Christianity are because of such experiences.

Continued below.

Interesting article:


One of the more compelling threads in Viking history and Norse mythology is the winter role played by Odin, the Norse god known for his wisdom, magic, and sky-riding abilities.

Scholars like Margaret Baker have noted that the long-bearded, cloaked, and sky-faring Santa Claus shares striking similarities with Odin, particularly in his Yule manifestations.

In her work, Baker describes Santa Claus as a “blue-hooded, cloaked, white-bearded Giftbringer of the north,” which she links to Odin’s own depiction as a gift-bearing rider in the midwinter sky (Baker, 2007, p. 62).

This resemblance is not just cosmetic. Odin, known to lead the Wild Hunt during the Twelve Nights of Yule, often rode his magical eight-legged horse Sleipnir through the night sky, a detail echoed in Santa’s reindeer-pulled sleigh.

Such traditions reveal the persistence of pre-Christian beliefs within Christmas customs and may explain how Santa is Odin, at least in part, in European folk memory.

The Wild Hunt is a spectral, airborne procession led by Odin who was central to Germanic and Norse Yule traditions.

This myth was not only widely feared but also deeply ingrained in old Norse winter rites.

George H. McKnight identifies this imagery as formative in the evolution of the Christmas tradition, with Saint Nicholas eventually assuming traits of Odin such as gift-giving, nocturnal rides, and of course with a long beard (McKnight, 1917, pp. 138–139).

Children once left hay or oats for Odin’s steed, much like the later custom of placing out stockings or shoes, ultimately evolving into a hallmark of modern gift-giving.

This is a powerful demonstration of how ancient Yule traditions stuck around, reemerging in forms like Father Christmas and Santa Claus.

In Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Clement A. Miles explores how pagan and Norse customs informed Christian celebrations.

He notes that Saints Martin and Nicholas may have served as Christianized stand-ins for Woden (Miles, 1912, p. 219).

The timing of Yule, falling close to December 6, the feast of St. Nicholas, plays a crucial role. During the Yule festival, figures like Odin were believed to ride the skies, rewarding the good and punishing the bad, basically echoing the now familiar “naughty or nice” list.

Though Miles presents other interpretations (including Roman influences and seasonal personifications), he acknowledges that the connection between Odin and Santa Claus cannot be dismissed outright.
Even Santa’s occasional mischief, generosity, and supernatural qualities align with Odin’s character in Norse mythology..............

Canada saw a record number of citizens end their lives by assisted suicide, with an official report documenting that over 5% of all deaths in the country were as a result of the controversial procedure.

According to a Canadian government report released on Nov. 28, titled “Sixth Annual Report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada,” 16,499 people ended their lives in 2024 by medically-assisted suicide, officially known as “Medical Assistance in Dying.”

The 16,499 assisted suicides were among the 22,535 requests for premature death sent to Health Canada. Of the requests that did not result in assisted suicide, 4,017 individuals died of another cause, 1,327 individuals were deemed ineligible for the procedure, and 692 individuals withdrew their requests.

Continued below.

If we are Jesus’ sheep, we are his followers (his disciples). By faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, but which is gifted to us by God, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and as servants of his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands. Our old lives of living in sin and for self are put behind us so that we can now live holy lives pleasing to God, in the power of God, by His Spirit.

And although that is what the Scriptures teach, studied in their appropriate context, not many people seem to be believing that today. Even if they have heard the truth of the gospel taught to them at some time, many are rejecting the truth of the gospel in favor of the lies which tickle itching ears and which appease human flesh. So, for many, it isn’t that they don’t know the truth, but they don’t want to believe the truth, for then they would have to give up their sinful practices and now live for God and for his perfect will.

Therefore, there are a lot of people today who are teaching only verses 28-30 here while leaving out verse 27 which tells us who these promises are for. But that is a lot like receiving a letter in the mail, but we don’t know who the letter is for, for it is not addressed to anyone specific, but since we read it we go ahead and apply it to our lives even though we don’t even know if it was intended for us or not. We cannot just randomly apply verses 28-30 to our lives if we are not the ones addressed in verse 27, can we? Of course not!

So, if we are to be Christ’s true sheep who have salvation from sin and eternal life with God that no one can take away from us, then we need to be his sheep who are listening (adhering) to his teachings, not just with our ears, but with our hearts and minds and attitudes, and who are following him in surrender to his will, in obedience to his commands, in holy living. And this does not make us perfect. But we need to know that if sin continues to be our practice, and not obedience to God, we do not have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Follow Him

Based off Luke 9:22-25
An Original Work / February 21, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus, Son of God,
Died for us on a cross.

Anyone who would come to Him
Must deny himself and follow.
He must take up his cross daily;
Die to sin and self each day.

Father, God above,
Loved us so: gave His Son.

If you want to save your old life;
Keep on sinning, follow your ways,
You will lose your life forever;
Hope of heaven gone away.

Spirit of our God
Gives us life in God’s Son.

Nonetheless, if you die to self;
Forsake your sin; follow Jesus,
You will live with God in heaven,
And forever praise His name!

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Listen to and Follow Jesus
An Original Work / December 5, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I do take advice from AI, but I learned to not treat AI like it is perfect in its answers.

I asked AI about forgiveness, it said it's a good thing, but not good to forgive those who are not remorseful, and who are still malicious.

I would find it hard to forgive those people, and very hard to forgive someone who took pleasure in hurting me.

What does the Bible say, am I supposed to really forgive a murderer that killed my mom and dad if it happened? It did not happen just as an example, what if the murderer doesn't take any accountability has no remorse, and the murderer took pleasure in his crimes. Am I still supposed to forgive?

Mary is the woman that tells Gabriel yes, likely assents this yes is valid for her son too, at least as long as Jesus 's not given the signal for the end of her protection, when she, with Joseph, finally discover him in the temple.

I feel it like Jesus' protection switches then from hers to God's, and she tells "yes" to this change as well.

Which makes me assume she tells yes to the death of Jesus too. Actually, i'm not sure, and thus is it i have a question please :
Hadn't there been this episode of his 12 year od in the Temple, wouldn't have Mary tried and avoid the cross for him ?

And, second question :
what makes me subsequently wonder whether she'd not guessed about resurrection is this trustful yes of her, for her giving birth to the son of God, for her accepting God's protecting takeover of the 12 year old Jesus, and finally this death, is (at least in my opinion) to make sense or consistency with the plan God gives through Gabriel's initial speech.
So, do you think, please, she could have guessed about resurrection, since it seems it was the only option that could make sense for her after the cross ?
(Actually up back to recently, i considered the three days for the finding Jesus in the Temple was linked with the three days for resurrection, but i just saw this as a mean for her to not fall in despair, whereas i question myself now up to what preceeds)

Sorry i wonder whether i shouldn't have post this thread in christian apologetics..

Well, Pope Leo is trying to bring all the world together, but at the same time spreading fear and terror of a third World War....

"Pope Leo on first foreign trip says future of humanity at stake from conflict
Pope Leo XIV has warned that the world should not give into "a heightened level of conflict on the global level", at the start of his foreign trip in Turkey.
"The future of humanity is at stake, said the Pope, urging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to act as a source of stability because of the need to promote dialogue and stability.
Leo warned that today's wars were like a "third world war fought piecemeal"....

Over recent months, though he has spoken out on some issues dear to him such as the dignity of migrants, he has certainly not been as overtly political as his predecessor could be.
He has walked such a fine line that in some cases both progressives and traditionalists within the Catholic Church have made the case that he supports their school of thought.
It was for similar reasons that cardinals of different persuasions were thought to have coalesced around him at conclave.
Pope Francis was seen as a visionary but one who was not overly worried about creating consensus, leaving behind a somewhat divided Church. Pope Leo has so far operated very differently, gently holding on to some of the progressive ideals of his predecessor while paying heed to the views of traditionalists."Pope Leo visits Turkey and warns humanity at stake from high level of conflict

Looks like he will say whatever is needed to spread ecumenism with the other churches....

I've been reading lately about suggestions to denaturalize legal immigrants. The Trump administration has already been working on revoking green cards and deporting legal immigrants in certain cases. I'd like to know what people around here thing about this, and specifically how far the government should be able to go.

Should the government be able to denaturalize legal immigrants if they've committed crimes in the US? Or for any reason at all? For that matter, should the government be able to revoke the citizenship of citizens born in the US and deport them? Although discussion of babies born in the US of illegal immigrants would deserve another thread, I wouldn't consider it to be off topic here.

Personally, I am currently against denaturalization unless fraud was committed during the application process (as per 8 U.S.C. Section 1451). As far as I'm concerned, once you're a citizen, you remain a citizen unless you voluntarily move out and revoke your citizenship.

Now, this isn't meant as a criticism of the Trump administration. They're exploring the legality of denaturalization, and that's fine. I would just hope that they run into a hard legal wall.

What does persecution look like in Tajikistan?
Tajikistan is a former Soviet state. Despite now officially having freedom of religion, the reality is different.

The state still imposes restrictions on religious gatherings and activities—mainly to contain Islamist extremism. But the rules and surveillance affect Christians too, and the state is becoming increasingly wary of and hostile toward them.

There are many elements to the Christian life that are illegal without a permit, from holding a religious meeting to printing religious literature.

Anyone under age 18 is not allowed to attend church services, and Christians are not allowed to share their faith. In recent years, church meetings have increasingly been raided by the authorities, with church members being interrogated for hours at a time and pressured to inform on others.

They can be detained, fined or imprisoned. As a result, the risk of persecution has driven many Christians underground.

There are strict laws about religious education, so training church leaders is a problem. Much of the country is Muslim, and believers who come from this background face rejection, humiliation and possible violence from their families and communities.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Rights violations targeting all Christian communities and carried out by government officials can occur all over the country. Pressure from family, friends and community on converts is stronger outside the urban areas.

Meet 'Khasan'
For two weeks, we were summoned every day to the state intelligence service. They threatened, frightened and insulted us. But I thank God because we were able to testify about our faith in Jesus Christ ... Let’s pray for those people who oppressed us so that they would know the truth.
KHASAM, CENTRAL ASIA

What has changed this year?
Tajikistan jumped seven positions on this year's World Watch List. Pressure increased across all areas for believers, and violence went up as well. Christians face challenges and pressure from their communities and families, and the government imposes many restrictions on church activities.

What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Tajikistan?
Open Doors strengthens the church in Central Asia* by providing relief aid, Bibles, ministry training, prayer support, vocational training and business microloans, as well as projects such as rehab centres.

* For security reasons, the name of Open Doors cannot be associated with certain activities in this country. When communicating about projects in this country do not use the country name, instead use the region name: Central Asia.
How can you pray for Tajikistan?

• Christians who meet in house churches can face monitoring from authorities and government raids. Pray that these believers can worship together without fear.
• Pray for a change in heart for government officials, so that they will stop infringing on religious freedom.
• Ask God to protect evangelists and other Christian workers who bring God’s Word and other Christian resources to His people in Tajikistan.

Will it be freedom as we know it?

The phrase “the Messiah the Prince” in Daniel 9:25 is intentionally multilevel in meaning. When the seventy weeks are read as divided into two 70 week cycles within the text itself, the Hebrew grammar allows the title to operate simultaneously on Messianic, historical, and dual-cycle levels without contradiction.


---

Daniel 9:25 — Translation

> “Know and understand from the going forth of the word to **build** and **restore** Jerusalem for an anointed one and a ruler, seven sevens; weeks 60, the second; and again it shall be returned and built, with anguish and diligence in its streets in those times.”




---

Hebrew Nuance — נָגִיד וּמָשִׁיחַ

The phrase נָגִיד וּמָשִׁיחַ (nagid u-mashiach) permits two grammatical readings:

1) Single figure — Anointed Ruler
A unified King-Priest typology: mashiach (anointed one) + nagid (ruler).

2) Two figures — Anointed One and Ruler
The conjunction וּ (“and”) allows distinction of roles.
Daniel 9:26 confirms this separation:

> “The people of the ruler who is to come…”



Thus the Ruler is distinguishable from the Anointed One in the prophetic flow.


---

Three-Layer Structure

Messianic Layer

Christ fulfills both titles in unity:

Anointed One — Messiah

Ruler — King


The prophecy centers on His appearing within the first cycle and His authority extending beyond it.


---

Dual-Cycle Layer

Daniel 9:24 declares:

> “Seventy weeks are divided out” (נֶחְתַּךְ)



This verb indicates partition, not a single uninterrupted span.

Daniel 9:25 includes the internal marker:

> Weeks 60, the second (שָׁבוּעַ 60 הַשֵּׁנִי)



This identifies the 60th week within the second cycle, not the beginning of it. The second cycle therefore begins earlier and advances toward that marker.

Under this reading:

First 70 week cycle culminates in Christ as the anointed ruler, starting from the *building*.

Second 70 week cycle begins with the **restoration** of Jerusalem under Suleiman as the ruler in (1542). (In the reading the anointed one is Christ and remains in the first 70)

Its 60th week corresponds to the modern return of Jerusalem.

Its final week concludes with the kingdom’s establishment.



---

Historical (Persian) Layer

The prophecy also functions inside Persian history:

Cyrus = Anointed One (Isaiah 45:1)

Artaxerxes = Ruler (nagid) issuing the command in Ezra-Nehemiah


Hebrew confirmation:

> מִן־מֹצָא דָבָר — “from the going forth of the word”



This phrase denotes divine authorization rather than a merely civil edict.


---

Timeline (Integrated)

First Cycle — Ancient Fulfillment

457 BC — Word goes forth (Artaxerxes)
7 weeks (49 yrs) → Jerusalem rebuilt under Nehemiah
62 weeks (434 yrs) → Messiah revealed
Final week: AD 26–33
 Mid-week: Christ crucified
AD 70 — City and Temple destroyed


---

Second Cycle — Restoration Pattern

1542 — Suleiman rebuilds Jerusalem walls
60th week reached — Jerusalem regained
Final week: 2025–2032
 Mid-week (3½ yrs): covenant broken, persecution intensifies
Kingdom consummated at the decreed end.

---

Structural Markers

Hebrew PhraseMeaning

נֶחְתַּךְDivided / apportioned
שָׁבוּעַ 60 הַשֵּׁנִי60th week of second cycle
וְחֲצִי הַשָּׁבוּעַMidpoint of final week
נָגִיד וּמָשִׁיחַUnified or dual subject
מִן־מֹצָא דָבָרDivine decree



---

Summary

LayerAnointed OneRulerFulfillment

MessianicChristChristEternal
Dual-CycleChristSuleimanRestoration
PersianCyrusArtaxerxesFoundation



---

Conclusion

Daniel 9:25 is deliberately multivalent. The Hebrew syntax permits singular or dual identity, the structure divides the weeks into cycles, and history confirms both. The prophecy unfolds in layers: Persian inauguration, Messianic fulfillment, and later restoration — culminating in the decreed end.

Former Senior DEA Official Indicted For Conspiring To Provide Material Support To A Foreign Terrorist Organization

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Terrance C. Cole, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging PAUL CAMPO and ROBERT SENSI with narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics...

www.justice.gov

With all of the money the cartels pulled in I am concerned they now have a solid foothold in the United States.

​

​

That molecules ended up hitting each other forming amino acids and biological matter and that by chance Earth just had just the right properties to help harbor life, and that these molecules turned into living things, and eventually just knew how to evolve into more complex sentient beings, like all this happened by mere accident.

I believe God was involved, he created life. We are sentient because of him, he knew where to put our fingers, our eyes, and how to make our eyes work, and our body digest food, he has made this all possible.

But of course the scientists would say where is our proof for our belief in the existence of God, we point to Jesus and the testimony, however they want undeniable proof and facts. How do we give them that?

​

I’ve been reflecting a lot on the tension many Christians feel around the phrase “social justice.” It’s a topic that seems to trigger strong reactions from different sides of the church — both progressive and conservative — even though Scripture speaks frequently about justice, mercy, the poor, and the oppressed.


In studying this subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be one main reason many believers push back against the idea of “social justice” today. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard this same objection from both sides of the political spectrum, even though they frame it differently.


Rather than turning this into a political debate, I’m curious from a theological standpoint:

What do you think is the primary reason Christians object to talk of “social justice”?​

Is it:

• a misunderstanding of the biblical meaning of justice?
• a reaction to how the term is used culturally or politically?
• fear of drifting into works-based righteousness?
• concerns about ideology?
• something else entirely?

I recently explored this topic in the final part of a video series I’ve been working on, and it led to some interesting insights. For anyone who wants to see how I approached the question, I've linked the video below. But the main purpose of this post is to hear your theological perspective and learn from the broader Christian community here.


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Looking forward to a respectful, Christ-centered discussion.


Grace and peace.

Priestly fraternity and lay support are of vital importance. How can we do better?

When Toby — not his real name — approached the altar during his ordination Mass roughly a decade ago, he was understandably nervous — perhaps much more so than the average ordinand.

Despite growing up Catholic, loving his faith, and enjoying constant encouragement throughout his seminary experience, Toby had nevertheless been harboring serious doubts about whether he could truly say “Yes” to priesthood. But he says expectations from family, supporters and the seminary itself created a situation where he felt it impossible to step back from ordination.

Though he immediately felt deeply insecure in the priesthood, Toby, on the advice of an older priest, decided to take his best swing at parish ministry.

“By Christmas, I was on the edge of a nervous breakdown,” Toby recalled.

“I was trying to do something wholeheartedly and properly and conscientiously, and my heart wasn’t there. Especially, saying Mass became very painful. It was this experience of this chasm between what I was doing and where I was [mentally].”

Toby requested laicization just a few years after his ordination day. He told the Register he had always harbored a strong attraction to marriage; he’s happily married today.

Continued below.

# 1 IN ////. EN. is a PREPOSTION

# 2. THAT HE SAITH //// LEGO. is. in. the PRESENT TENSE in. the ACTIVE VOICE

# 3 A. NEW. //// KAINOS. in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR

# 4. COVENANT /// KAVEN

# 5. HE HATH MADE ///. PALAIOO. in. the PERFECT TENSE in. the INDICATIVE MOOD , and this MOOD , means you BETTER BELIEVE IT

# 6 THE /// HO is a DEFINITE ARTICLE in. the ACCUSATIVE CASE , in. the SINGULAR

# 7. FIRST ///. PROTOS. , in the ACCUSATIVE CASE , in the SINGULAR

# 8 OLD /// PALAOO , in. th PERFECT TENSE , in. the ACTIVE VOICE , in. the SINGULAR

# 9 NOW ///. DE. , is a CONJUNCATION

# 10 THAT WHICH DECAYETH. ,///. in the PRESENY TENSE , in the PASSIVE TENSE . in. the NOMINATIVE CASE. in. the SINGULAR in. the NUTER

# 11 AND ,/// KAI is a CONJUNCATION

# 12 WAXETH. OLD. , /// GORASHO. in. the PRESENT TENSE in. the ACTIVE VOICE means CHRIST is causing. it to be OLD is a PARTICIPL

in the NOMINATIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR and in. the NEUTER , meaning neither MALE or FEMALE

# 13. READY. , ///. ONGYS. is an ADVERB

# 14 TO VANISH AWAY , ///. APHANISMOS. in. the GENITIVE CASE in. the SINGULAR

#A. THIS MEAND THE OLD LAW OF MOSES has been sat aside FOREVER. !!

# B. And Rom 6:14 FOR YOU ARD NOT. //. OV s a DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE and means you will NEVERRRRR. be under

the LAW but UNDER GRACE. ,

# C This means that SALVATION is by ROM 10:9 and 10

# And John 3:3 and verse 5. will not save anyone and John is speaking to Israel ONLY. !!

dan p