Says economic, crime woes linked to 'spiritual problem'

Like so many of us, Pastor Ché Ahn was waiting for a sign.

Before announcing his candidacy for governor of California in June, the 69-year-old pastor, author and global ministry leader experienced what he calls a divine calling.

“On April 28th at 2:22 in the morning, I woke up and I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit,” Ahn told The Christian Post on Wednesday. But when he realized he was being called to run for governor of California, Ahn recalled his initial response: “Please God, not that.”

Seeking confirmation, Ahn says he prayed for an invitation to the White House, which materialized days later: “I said, 'Lord, if this is of you, let me be invited by President Trump to the White House.'” When he returned from a prayer meeting, Ahn received a text saying he would be receiving an email from the White House.

“When I got the email, I said, 'OK, Lord, I’m in, I'll do it,’” he said.

Continued below.

This is a personal prayer of mine so I don’t want to say what it is. I just ask that everyone pray that this prayer of mine gets answered sooner rather than later. Thank you.

Purely personal but lately I've been wondering just when I first made my Christian confession.

I knew it was shortly after the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982, which ran from 30 September to 9 October 1982.

I had the flu at the time and I couldn't do anything except watch TV. I don't normally watch sport, but since there wasn't much else on I watched a fair bit of the games. Two names readily come to mind - Tracey WIckham who won medals in swimming and Robert de Castella ("Deek") who won the marathon. Some years later my then Presbyterian pastor said of Tracey Wickham that she would go through a terrible time, which she did.

It was not a good time in my life. I was out of work, going through a divorce, going to lose the home I was paying off etc.

But as I sat there a very persistent image of the "Newmarket Presbyterian Church" kept intruding into my mind. I'd had a bit of Sunday School when I was young at that church. It's a private home now, but at that time it was still going.

This image just didn't go away. It was persistent. Since I had nothing to lose and was thinking "There's got to be more to life than this!" I ended up going to the church after the Games finished and the flu was gone. A few weeks later I made a confession.

For some reason I've recently started trying to remember when I made my confession. I think it was probably in the early part of November. Using AI I got the following dates for Sunday in November 1982 - 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th.

I suspect it might have been November 14, 1982. I remember making my confession, half reluctantly, and then going home feeling as though I was "walking on air" (to quote another chap who had the same experience after he made his confession, years earlier than I did as he's nearly 20 years older).

In turn I met the pastor of that church (there were three churches in the parish, Wilston-Windsor-Newmarket). I soon gravitated to Wilston which was the main church and where he had his office. Of the three churches it is the only one still going as Newmarket was sold off, and while I think they may still have the property rights for Windsor, it is not being used.

The website for the Wilston Church follows and I can still recognise at least four people even though I haven't been there for 34 years - a former treasurer and his wife, an elder, and another lady who also did some organisation at the Masters Athletics.


In this scene, there is a door down towards the right hand end, which is the office where the pastor and I had a lot of dicussions. There was also a gym under the church. I enjoyed my time there, not because it was "Presbyterian" but due to the people.


Incidentally the Presbyterian Church of Queensland is in receivership, not because of parish churches themselves or pedophile court cases which have been a burden to a number of churches, but due to financial mishandling of their aged care facilities. Apparently the aged care function was not a separate business entity from the Presbyterian Church itself.


The night my father died (when I was still atheist) he predicted I'd become Christian and that as part of that I'd meet a certain pastor, who would "discourage (me) even more". That turned out to be the Presbyterian pastor as he admitted circa 1991 that "You needed encouragement, but all I've done is to discourage you even more!", quoting my deceased father back to me word for word.

But I learnt a lot from him and still hold him with a lot of respect. In turn he predicted I'd become Catholic, which I did circa 1996/97.

I received a Bible dated 7/12/96 as part of RCIA which was probably during the Rite of Welcome. This implies I was inducted into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil in 1997, which happened to be on 29 March, 1997.

So I think I've managed to pin those two dates down. Just a bit of useless information for forum readers.

Journalist Ben Appel is on a remarkable journey, one that has taken him from being a disciple to a doubter to a full-blown heretic, but not in the way you might think.

You see, he is a “heretic” today not because he no longer ascribes to the quasi-Christian doctrines he was taught in his childhood, but because he dares to dissent from the tenets of what he calls the “Church of Social Justice.”

But first, let me pause and rewind a bit, as an interesting history is at work.

In 2021, a conservative Christian friend sent me Appel’s fascinating long-form essay in Quillette, and to date, it is one of the most memorable articles I have ever read. That essay from a truly gifted writer has now taken shape more fully in an upcoming memoir to be released next month (I was honored to read a preview copy).

The memoir is called Cis White Gay: The Making of Gender Heretic, and in case anyone’s wondering why a review of a book like this by a man who writes that his same-sex attraction “made [him] feel whole” and who campaigned for the legalization of same-sex marriage (and is in one) is appearing in a theologically orthodox Evangelical publication which does not hide its moral and spiritual commitments to historic Christian sexual ethics, I’ll gladly explain. First, it’s because I admire gutsy, transparent people, even those with whom I disagree on weighty moral and anthropological issues. Second, I also believe it’s vital for Christians to enter into, learn from, and understand the stories of those whom they might assume function as an ideological monolith. It is here where the author breaks the mold.

Appel poignantly details what it was like being a gender-nonconforming boy in a conservative religious covenant community called Lamb of God, a charismatic Catholic group, in a suburb of Baltimore that was formally investigated by the Archdiocese for “cult-like practices” in the early 1990s. When he was 12, his parents split up, and he moved to a new neighborhood. Although his new community was a relatively short physical distance away, ideologically it was far away from the tight-knit, insular context of his childhood. In the new environment, he would be bullied and tormented at his public school for being effeminate, develop an obsessive-compulsive prayer life, become addicted to drugs and alcohol, and wind up in a psychiatric hospital.

Continued below.

Opponents organize 'Resist Digital ID' protest; gov't says it's safe and efficient

The U.K. Labour Party is pushing for a digital ID for its citizens, a reprisal of former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s attempt under his premiership two decades ago, this time under the guise of using it to stop illegal immigration. Many, however, are raising concerns and warning about its implications for security and civil liberties.

The Labour government released a statement on Sept. 26 announcing plans to institute a free digital ID for U.K. citizens, claiming it will thwart the employment of illegal migrants by enhancing Right to Work checks. It does not address the housing, monetary and educational assistance provided to illegal migrants who apply for asylum and receive benefits until their cases are decided.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has claimed the digital ID initiative is necessary to combat the illegal immigration that has been plaguing the U.K.

Continued below.

Consider the verse below when thinking about the modern nation of Israel.

Isaiah 54:9 To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

The Apostle Paul declares the obvious in Galatians 4:26-27. That Isaiah 54 is a prophecy about the New Jerusalem. The context of that chapter is Old Testament believer’s being illustrated as the wife of God suffering at the hands of their own wicked kings and the gentile nations; someday winning the nations by the gospel and through that inheriting the world. This is why Paul called the New Jerusalem the mother of all New Testament believers. OT saints in Ancient Israel gave birth to NT saints, both Jew and Gentile.

Here is how Isaiah 54:9 ties into the debate over the two extremes between those who teach the name Israel IS ONLY referring to the Jews and modern Israel and God's covenant with them. Verses those who say Israel is now the church and God's NT covenant. In both the OT and NT we see God is almost continuously angry with Ancient Israel for its sin. The reason for this is God chose both the saints and sinners out of one nation, Ancient Israel, to bring his word and the Messiah into the earth. It was his Normandy beach head for his long-planned invasion of planet earth to spread the influence of his invisible kingdom.

Once the mission God chose all of Ancient Israel for was complete. His focus became the expansion of that influence worldwide. First through Jewish believers that naturally added Gentile believers to that mix. This new mix of believers, illustrated in the Bible’s prophecy was given a new name- The New Jerusalem

Isaiah 62;1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; YOU WILL BE CALLED BY A NEW NAME that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

That is why God would no longer be angry with his people. They are no longer a mix of ethnic Israeli's who had the faith of Abraham along with the ethnic Israeli's who refused that faith. Instead, his people, illustratively spoken of as God’s bride and the New Jerusalem consist of a mix of ethnic Israelis and gentiles who have embraced the faith of Abraham- in and of the Messiah.

Speaking to both extremes about this issue. This IS the Bible’s OT and NT doctrine on the matter. God will not smile upon anything else that is taught.

Does this mean ethnic Israelis, or Jews, who do not have or refuse the faith of Abraham are no longer God’s chosen people? That would depend on narrative you look at Bible's prophecy through. Which by the way is the main point of friction between the two extremes. One extreme says yes because there is end of the world prophecy in the Bible that revolves around a modern nation of Israel. One says no because only believers count as the children of Abraham by faith so the modern nation is an aberration not mentioned in scripture.

But what says the scripture? Well, according to many chapters of prophecy like Isaiah 54, 60, 61, 62, 65 Rev 20-22. Daniel 2 & 7 They say billions would come to Christ after the Roman Empire ends which happened in 1453 AD; and the natural result of that would be a world transforming for the better. We now know this was due to the general public, (illegally) beginning to gain access to their own Bibles to read themselves right when that empire ended. This is what the Bible means when it said the meek, or the saints, shall inherit the earth. It's why we went from the perpetual rule of kings and emperors to a growing free world of republics as it states in the passage below.

Isaiah 29:18-20 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrannical oppressor is brought to nothing…….

Now we have the key to understanding why modern Israel exists. The process of meek inheriting the earth would providentially lead to the world having mercy on the Jewish people and bringing them back to the land promised to Abraham. NOT for some end of the world apocalypse. But rather as part of the process of the meek inheriting the earth. As stated in the prophecy below. The regions future is 10’s of millions of Jews, Arabs, Egyptians and Syrians finding the faith of Abraham in Jesus their savior. The natural result of theirs and the Bible’s influence will be the transformation of the region. It's how the prophecy below is being fulfilled. All the war, death and destruction is Satan’s doings through darkened hearts to try to stop this from happening. Over the long run, it is not going to work.

Isaiah 19: 23-25 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Good news is it not? Peace on earth, good will towards men news.

Last week I had written out a long post 3-4 times but deleted it, saying I was feeling angry and frustrated with my stepson because I basically felt like he was being lazy and not committing to the job hunt like I expected of him. I think I felt unjustified to feel angry because I know the job market's tough in my town, but he recently go hired at a McDonald's and at least for now is working full time while he trains. Still, it really irked me that if he wasn't at work he'd be sleeping in the middle of the day or playing video games at 3 in the morning.

I don't know if you guys remember the backstory here but in 2023 my step son decided not to move to CA with us and he stayed behind in NY and lived with his grandparents. He got into drugs including pot and psychedelics like mushrooms and possibly LSD. Then at the end of May this year he announced to his mom he was going to move down to TX and live with his dad (something he's never done before, his dad is the definition of deadbeat and has never taken the kids for more than 1-2 nights). My step son's stay in TX lasted about 10 days and culminated in a drug fueled mental breakdown that landed him in the hospital. After he got discharged we had him come to us in CA and he's been living with us ever since in our overcrowded 3bd house with his twin sister, us, and our two baby boys (2.5y and 8m).

Fast-forward to yesterday and I get a call from my wife wanting to explain some things that I was apparently in the dark about. The first being that a few days ago she caught my step son smoking pot in the garage. He didn't seem to care, and clearly thinks it's morally acceptable even as someone who supposedly had a bit of a Catholic awakening in recent months. She made him throw the pot away, which she's only assuming he did cause she didn't witness him doing it, and he very casually said he's smoked once before since he moved in with us.

Not only are we not okay with pot use, regardless of it's legality, but we have two kids under three now and we don't want them within a mile of any kind of drug use.

I told my wife we need to take away his access to his bank account and his iPhone cause obviously those two things are what's allowing him to order weed. She texted me a couple hours later and said she talked to him and he understood. She did those two things, plus imposed a 10pm curfew where he can't even go out in the garage to workout.

The problem is, he's a very manipulative person and he especially knows how to control my wife. He does it indirectly with his own emotions, she's very tied into him because she's always felt guilty that his dad was such a loser and never man enough to be a father. So my step son uses that against her and therefore doesn't seem to care about what she says, especially when it comes to discipline, because he knows when he has her by the scruff of her neck. For the record, he's a 20 year old man now and he's living with us rent-free. I've tried to broach the subject of charging rent but that's anathema to my wife, apparently kids in Hispanic culture can live with their parents for free as long as they want.

I think my wife is finally in a place where she's not afraid to boot him out though, because now she has to protect our little ones and she's finally starting to see that my step son isn't a baby like them.

I told her I think we need to impose a three strikes rule, and consider that he now has two already (his admitting he smoked here once before is retroactively strike one), this latest offense is strike two, and strike three is he gets booted from the house. I know my wife feels upset, frustrated, betrayed, manipulated and fed up. She's finally seeing that most of what he says is just platitudes and placating words but that he doesn't really believe anything he says.

What would you do in this situation?

Wondering what the difference is between meditation and contemplation? Thanks.

All Praise, Thanks, Glory, Honor & Victory to The Holy Spirit for freeing all the remaining the 7-Oct-2023 Israeli hostages:

Matt. 3: 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O "generation of vipers", who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Same world, same serpent, same "other voice". Jesus fought against the philosophies promoted by these preachers His whole life. Not because they obeyed God's Word, but because they rejected God's Word.

How many time did Jesus address the mainstream preachers of His Time? How much of HIS Teaching was geared towards exposing the hypocrisy and wickedness of the Priests of the Temple in the City of God? And they murdered Him for it.

Paul, being zealous for the commandments and traditions of men this worldly religion promoted, persecuted God's Church, just as the wicked Kings of Israel did to the Faithful, and Cain did to Abel.

Jesus and Paul battled, Not God's Judgments and Ordinances, but the commandments and judgments of men that "professed to know God".

When Jesus was asked about the end times and what to look out for, here is what HE warned about.

Matt. 24: 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (He didn't warn about God or His laws and judgments deceiving us) 5 For "many" shall come in my name, saying, I (Jesus) am Christ; and "shall deceive" many.
He didn't warn about the "commandments contained of God's Ordinances", He didn't warn about the "handwriting of ordinances of God" that was against them, HE specifically warned about being deceived by "other voices" who profess to know God, even coming in HIS Name”.
Paul fought against these mainstream religions of the world God placed him in, every day after his conversion. Their philosophy, their ordinances and laws, were against him and against the church of God, just as they had been since the very first "other voice" who professed to God, deceived Eve. He didn't fight against God's Law, He fought against the principalities and powers of darkness. It was the Pharisees Law that condemned Jesus and Stephen to death. Just as it was their fathers law that condemned the prophets God sent to them, just as it was Eves Law that instructed her to eat, what God said not to eat.

But in many sermons on Colossians and Ephesians, promoted by the preachers of this world God placed me in, all of this is ignored, not even considered in the "context" of their teaching.
Because of the omission of these extremely important Biblical Truths, this world's religions have always united in their teaching that God's Judgments and Feasts and commandments are "against men". As a result they incorrectly identify the author of the "Handwriting of Ordinances" that Paul said was against Jesus, Paul and the Body of Christ, claiming it was God, when it wasn't, in Colossians. And they do the same in Ephesians, preaching that it was “God’s” Ordinances and Judgments" that relegated Faithful Gentiles as “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

Anyone who is willing to study God’s Word, knows this is not true. God very Law gave hope and an avenue to Him for "ALL" people, we can tread this for ourselves.

Lev. 19: 33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34 But "the stranger" that dwelleth with you "shall be unto you" as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.


This world's religions do the same When Peter says in acts 15, "why tempt you God to place a Yoke on the necks of the disciples that they or their fathers couldn't bear". The promoters of this world's religions teach this “Yoke” is God's Laws that they claim, and have always claimed "were against them".

But Jesus Himself tells us who created this Yoke.

Matt. 23: 4 For they (Pharisees, not God) bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and "lay them on men's shoulders"; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Of course Peter knew this because he was there when Jesus taught it, and he knew of the Shepherds who lead God people astray "by the precepts of men", spoken of by the Holy Prophets.
I could go on and on. Jesus said men are to live by "Every Word" of God, and I believe Him. But “MANY” have been convinced by the "other voice" that some of God's Word are against them and contrary to them and therefore men shouldn't live by them. Exactly the same message given to Eve in the very beginning. Paul warns about this very thing, from turning away from the Simplicity of Christ. “Live by God’s Words”, not "other voices".

Paul warns of this very thing also in Colossians and Ephesians.

Col. 2: 8 Beware lest "any man" spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition “of men”, after the rudiments “of the world”, and not after Christ. (The Rock that followed, Fed and Watered Israel)

Eph. 2: 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course “of this world”, according to the "prince of the power of the air", “the spirit” that now worketh “in the children of disobedience”:

But somehow in spite of all this teaching, we are preached to by "many", who call Jesus Lord, Lord, that it wasn't the Traditions, philosophies and ordinances of men that was against Paul and the Church of God, it was the Ordinances of God.

It is my hope that anyone reading this will “do the Study themselves”, in Faith that God is Perfect, and it is philosophies of the "other voices" in the World that God placed us in, that was against Jesus, Paul and the Church of God, and is against the Faithful even to this day. And that Jesus didn't "live by" the Commandments of men they taught for doctrines. And even though they killed Him, the very God they Professed to know, raised Him from the dead. Truly HE triumphed over the prince of this world whose ordinances condemned Him to death.

And for that I say, "Amen".

Please don't hesitate to ask questions or PM me to engage in honest discussions about these things.

I feel like with all that has been happening recently this story slipped under the radar but I think it's incredibly important. In the final days of September 2025 president Donald J Trump shared a Fox News clip of himself endorsing the new med bed health system.



His daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, host of the broadcast, broke the news : “Breaking. Now, President Donald J. Trump has announced a historic new health care system. The launch of America's first med bed hospitals, and a national Med bed card for every citizen.”

Trump: “Every American will soon receive their own med bed card. With it, you'll have guaranteed access to our new hospitals, led by the top doctors in the nation. Equipped with the most advanced technology in the world, these facilities are safe, modern and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength. This is the beginning of a new era in American healthcare.”



The clip has since been deleted from his social media and Trump has been mum about the new med bed system ever since then. Most likely because only a limited number of med bed cards will be available in the first phase and he wants to ensure that every American has full access before scheduling a special press conference at the white house.

According to long time insiders all treatments will be completely free to the public. There might be some scoffers among you who say this all sounds like some kind of ultra socialist utopia. Well... I guess I don't have a counter argument for that.

Now as an aside I want to caution you about the med bed craze that is just starting to unfold in light of this recent announcement. Please make sure you get the Weyland-Yutani brand med beds. These are state of the art and top of the line. The Tesla med beds so I've heard have a tendency to spontaneously burst into flames and you really want to avoid that.

This is a truly life changing announcement and would have been great news for the thousands and thousands of terminally ill people who had been eagerly awaiting the med bed rollout since 2017, were they still alive.

Sadly, scam artists have also been cashing in over the last decade, selling desperate people expensive devices that do nothing, fake cards that are useful nowhere, and treatments that claim to be a panacea but in actuality can't even cure a hangnail.

I can't express how truly repugnant it is to take advantage of people who are dying and in great pain, who have nowhere else to turn and sell them fake hope. As far as grifting goes, that is really the lowest of the low.



But now the President of USA has officially announced his healthcare reform plan and it's nothing short of revolutionary. Trump had been saying for years he was going to announce his healthcare plan in two weeks and let's all be honest, we didn't believe him. But boy is there egg on our collective faces now.

It makes sense that it took this long considering these new med beds will turn every field of science on its head. It just pains me that for some they arrive a little too late. But for the rest of us the wait is only two more weeks from whatever date you're reading this.

Time often smooths rough edges. Political movements tend to turn polarizing leaders into symbols — simplified and idealized.
People will remember “he spoke for ordinary Americans” more than “he tweeted insults at 3 a.m.”
Populism will remain strong globally, Trump will come to represent the origin point of a major political realignment rather than just a single administration.

I had thought, I am reading so little why even bother right now.

is this the wrong kind of thinking? I have so much going on in life with work, right now it seems I don't have the time to do anything

When I was a teenager I read the book 2150 by Thea Alexander where she theorizes the height of what she calls Macro Philosophy. Nice philosophy on the height of relationship between man and woman as well… I may try to find this book and hope I didn’t throw it away…

Macro Society - The place at its height
Micro Society - The place at its lowest



Thea Alexander...

Still has a wonderful look about her decades later…

Senior Christian leaders in the U.K. have warned that a proposed ban on so-called conversion therapy would criminalize core elements of Christian belief. In a letter to the equalities minister, they stated that the legislation could make it illegal to share the Gospel or guide children on issues of gender and sexuality.

The open letter, organized by the Let Us Pray campaign and backed by The Christian Institute, was signed by 24 leaders from various denominations and sent to Equalities Minister Olivia Bailey, The Telegraph reported.

The leaders wrote that Labour’s planned ban on sexual orientation change efforts therapy, including pastoral counseling, could “criminalize mainstream, historic Christian teaching on marriage and sexual ethics” and “make sharing the Gospel with some people illegal.”

The letter expressed concern that the legislation might prevent parents from urging caution if their child, who is experiencing gender confusion, shared an interest in irreversible trans procedures. It said existing laws already prohibit abuse and claimed that campaigners advocating for the new ban routinely conflate “the ordinary work of churches with abuse.”

The signatories argued that prayer and pastoral conversations were being wrongly framed as forms of conversion therapy. “They imply that merely expressing Christian beliefs on sexuality and gender in prayer and pastoral conversations constitutes ‘conversion therapy’ and should be outlawed.”

Continued below.

A day of remembrance for assassinated conservative Christian figure Charlie Kirk is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, which would have been the political activist's 32nd birthday.

Although the date has not been made an official national holiday, the Oct. 14 observance comes as both chambers of Congress passed resolutions honoring Kirk last month.

The House of Representatives passed its resolution in a 310 to 58 vote on Sept. 19, with dozens of House Democrats voting against. The Senate passed a measureunanimously on Sept. 16.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who attended the public memorial for Kirk in Arizona last month, introduced the Senate resolution. During his remarks in favor of the resolution, Scott stated that millions of people "felt the impact of Charlie's work and were inspired by his devotion to God and his beliefs."

"Charlie was a good man — a devout husband, father, and friend. His life was shaped by his faith and the idea that in America, debate and discussion are crucial to the betterment of our country," Scott said.

"He believed in God, the American dream, the value of family, and the principles of our great nation. … Charlie dedicated his life to the idea that the power of our ideas can not only win the day, but start a movement. That's exactly what he did."

Continued below.

Trump urges Israel to seize chance for peace ahead of Egypt summit​

The eight peace deal is the biggest as of yet - Thank God for our President. Blessed are the peacemakers.

Great question — Colossians 2:16 is often cited in discussions about whether Christians are still required to keep the Sabbath commandment (the Fourth Commandment). Let's look at the verse carefully, in its full context, and then assess whether it refers to the weekly Sabbath from the Ten Commandments or ceremonial sabbaths in the Law of Moses.

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Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV)​

16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Click to expand...

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Key Questions:​

1. What kind of “sabbaths” is Paul talking about?​

Let’s break the phrase down:

“festival, new moon, or sabbaths”

Click to expand...

This phrase appears in many places in the Old Testament, often in this same order, and always refers to ceremonial observances:

• 1 Chronicles 23:31
• 2 Chronicles 2:4
• 2 Chronicles 31:3
• Nehemiah 10:33
• Ezekiel 45:17
• Hosea 2:11

These texts link festivals, new moons, and sabbaths as ceremonial observances — part of the Mosaic (Levitical) system, not the weekly seventh-day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments.


That’s why Paul says in Col. 2:17:

"which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."

Click to expand...

In other words, these ceremonial laws pointed forward to Christ and found their fulfillment in Him.

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2. Is the weekly Sabbath also a shadow?​

There’s a strong distinction between:

• The weekly Sabbathwas:
  • Given at Creation (Genesis 2:2–3)
  • Reinforced in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11)
  • Not instituted as a shadow, but as a memorial of creation
• The ceremonial sabbaths(e.g., Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets) are:
  • Called sabbaths too (see Leviticus 23)
  • Fall on various days, not necessarily the seventh day
  • Shadows pointing to Jesus' work

Therefore, when Paul talks about “sabbaths which are a shadow”, he refers to these ceremonial sabbaths, not the weekly Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment.

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3. Did Jesus or the Apostles abolish the weekly Sabbath?​

• Jesus kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16)
• The disciples kept the Sabbath after Jesus' death (Acts 13:42, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4)
• Hebrews 4:9 says:
  

  "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest [Greek: sabbatismos] for the people of God."

  Click to expand...

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✅ Conclusion:​

Colossians 2:16 does not cancel the weekly Sabbath commandment.
It refers to ceremonial sabbaths, along with food and drink offerings, and religious festivals that were shadows pointing to Christ.


The Fourth Commandment Sabbath is not a shadow, but a memorial of creation and a sign of God’s sanctifying work (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12).

2. But Which Commandment Does God Emphasize Most in the Bible?​

✅ The Fourth Commandment (Sabbath) is the only one God:​

• Calls "My holy day" (Isaiah 58:13)
• Links to Creation (Genesis 2:1–3; Exodus 20:11)
• Uses to test Israel's obedience before Sinai (Exodus 16)
• Commands to remember as a sign between Him and His people (Ezekiel 20:12, 20)
• Institutes as a covenantal sign (Exodus 31:13–17)

The Fourth Commandment is the most directly spoken about by God throughout the Bible. It is personally claimed by Him, reaffirmed repeatedly, and tied to His identity as both Creator and Sanctifier.

What does born again mean? Born again means that we have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes when we accept Jesus into our lives. Jesus offers us forgiveness of our sins, not based upon our righteousness, we don’t work to receive the Spirit, and we don’t work to keep the Spirit, but we must resolve to repent, to leave behind our sins and the dark areas of our life.

Accepting Jesus brings with it much blessing. But we have to be careful how we present the idea of being born again, and the blessing that we receive, that it does not become a ticket for instant, or assured blessing. There are certain things we can believe God for, but equally there are things that we need to allow for God’s will.

As an example, although Jesus said things like:


A person may have a business, and claim that word over their business that they will make a great profit, and there is nothing wrong with claiming such a thing. With the following understanding:


There is a fine line between claiming Jesus promises, and boasting. We still need to allow for God’s will in all of our prayers. Although we can pray for our needs to be met, as an example, we can’t just pray prayers, for our own pleasures.


Also in the area of praying for those who are sick; Jesus would have us pray for the sick, but we can’t demand that God use us. Firstly we must be proved faithful.


If we are not able or willing to present the word of God faithfully, we will not be able to perform a sign.


This does not mean that if we don’t see healing “immediately” that we are unfaithful? Not at all. It is just a fact that “claiming” a promise does not mean that in all cases we will have it.

God actually assigns the gifts based upon the faithfulness and faith of the messenger.


Note Paul gives an order “first”, “second”, “third” etc. This shows there is a level of trust God gives people. He goes on to say not everyone is a miracle worker, an apostle etc.


He finishes by saying “earnestly desire” the best gifts.



However we should have great faith, and this is where verses like:


If we or someone else have a heath issue, financial difficulty, emotional issue; we can stand on the word of God, that He will answer us, to bring healing or provision. In many cases God will answer us because of our faith. But again we have seen we can’t demand, but we certainly should not quickly surrender. For God respects faithful, persistence, and faith.


I have heard it preached, that when we receive the Holy Spirit, are born again, we not only become a spiritual new creation, but we receive assured success, in healing, finances, emotions, as a part of the born gain experience. But we can not equate being born again with perfect success.

God certainly does not want us depressed, oppressed, or troubled. And we can stand on His word for personal healing. But we have to acknowledge that there are times when God’s will appears to be to allow us to walk through valleys, where things are not always perfect.


If everything was always perfect, we could not be refined with spiritual patience. Some time character is more important to God than our comfort.

The bible says that all scripture is God breathed. The scripture tells us that one of the greatest prophets in the Bible died from a sickness. This shows us that being full of God’s power, and having the Spirit does not always mean we are guaranteed perfect prosperity.


I think it is dangerous not to look at the whole of scripture; my mother as an example, tried in “faith” to go off her medication, and fast for healing, she almost died. For the rest of her life she advised against such acts of “faith”. I personally, although having prayed for the sick, and seen them healed both instantly, and through fasting, had to have an operation in hospital after I was not healed after many months of faithful believing and at times painful prayer.

Does this stop me praying for the sick? No. Does it diminish my desire to believe for the mountains to be moved? In no way. But if Elisha died sick, we need to allow for such possibilities in the lives of the people we pray for, and the church.

It’s been about 50 years since the eyes of the world were aimed at the figure of the Antichrist through the movie, “The Omen.”

If you haven’t seen it, the film's plot follows Damien Thorn, a young child replaced at birth by his father, unbeknownst to his wife, after their biological child dies shortly after he was born. Soon afterwards, a series of mysterious events and violent deaths occur around the family, and as Damien enters childhood, his parents realize that he is the prophesied Antichrist.

Hollywood resurrected “The Omen” franchise last year with the release of “The First Omen,” a prequel that follows an American nun sent to work at a Catholic orphanage in Rome who uncovers a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. If you’re a horror movie fan, the film is worth a watch.

I’m guessing that Peter Thiel has seen it.

A story in the Wall Street Journal recently profiled Thiel and said he “wants everyone to think more about the end of the world.” Unless you’re an extreme prepper, that’s not something most people do.

A Silicon Valley investor, entrepreneur, and hedge fund manager who co-founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies, Thiel has made headlines for his lectures, which cover, among other topics, the personality of the Antichrist. According to the article, “This is how Thiel says the end of the world might happen, according to a Wall Street Journal review of his recent lectures:

Continued below.

"Staff in Israel’s Knesset were seen handing out the caps for Trump's address, heralding a new era of peace in the region. ho received near-endless rounds of applause and standing ovations. Many also wore red ties in honor of Trump, who received near-endless rounds of applause and standing ovations."

Thank God for their release. I am sure President Trump will continue to work with countries in the region to try and bring about lasting peace.

Commemorates the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three children in Fatima, Portugal on the 13th of each month from May to October in 1917. Our Lady appeared to Venerable Lucia dos Santos, age 9, Blessed Francisco Marto, age 8, and Blessed Jacinta Marto, age 6, while they were tending sheep; they described her as “a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun”, and her message was to do reparation for sins that offend God, and to pray constantly for the conversion of sinners.

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Instead of cancelling Columbus, we need to restore his reputation and resurrect his historical accomplishments. It is for his magnificent courage, the boldness of his conception, and his deep Catholic faith that Columbus should be rightly honored now, as he was in all six centuries prior to now.

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I’m trying to stay awake but I’ve been working all day. Trying to hang in there but I might have to catch up later.

The children of Israel of the Old Testament were living in exile in Babylon as a punishment from God for their rebellion against the Lord and for their unwillingness to heed his commands. And God promised them 70 years of exile before he would deliver them. But they had prophets in their midst who were deceiving the people into thinking that they would not have to be in exile the whole 70 years. They were not to listen to the prophets who were speaking lies to them, for they prophesied falsely in the name of God.


A lot of people are quoting Jeremiah 29:11 out of context, and they are teaching that this is a promise from God for all of God’s people for all time, for all who profess the name of Jesus, for their prosperity (wealth). But that is out of context. Yet is there a message for us today that we can take from this passage of Scripture? Yes, there is. For, although God will discipline those he loves, and he will allow us to suffer and to go through hardships to test our faith, he does have good intended for us, but as he defines “good.”

What is for our welfare? It is something which is for our spiritual benefit, which can also be for our physical benefit, but it is what is for our good as God defines good, not as the world defines good. And it should be in agreement with the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures under the New Covenant God has with all of us who, by God-persuaded faith in him, have died with him to sin and who are now living to please God in walks of obedience to his commands, in the power of God, by his grace.

And even suffering and going through hardships and disciplines of God are for our good, for our welfare, to teach us to rely on God, and not on ourselves, and to humble us, to make us more like Jesus, to train us in righteousness and holiness, to make us compassionate people, and to grow us in our walks of surrender in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Therefore, what is for our welfare can involve pain and suffering and difficulties and persecutions and rejections, and not just the feel good stuff.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

For the future and the hope that our Lord has for us is contingent upon our obedience to him in walks of surrender to the will of God. We must die with Christ to sin, be reborn of the Spirit of God, and now walk (in conduct) in newness of life in Christ, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Sin must no longer be what we practice, what we live by; our lifestyle. But now righteousness, holiness, and godly living are to be what we practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit.

But we have “prophets” (false teachers) in our midst who are lying to the people, telling them that all they have to do is to acknowledge Jesus Christ and who he is and what he did for us on that cross, although they don’t give the full picture of what Jesus did for us on that cross. Or they tell them that all they have to do is to give lip service to God and heaven is guaranteed them upon their deaths. And they tell them that God makes no requirements of them for death to sin and for walks of obedience to our Lord.

But the plans God has for us who profess the name of Jesus are that we must die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, in the power of God, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins on that cross, and as evidence of believing faith which saves us from hell and which promises us heaven as our eternal destiny. For the plans God has for our good are not for what is evil, but for what is holy and righteous, and in order to give us a genuine hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

[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]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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What is For Our Good?
An Original Work / October 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love