We’ve been lucky enough over the past several years to see at least one solar eclipse here in the United States.

With another one – this time a total eclipse for people from Texas all the way to Maine – occuring on April 8, 2024, it’s a good time to talk about all of the strange phenomenons that occur along with it.

Like, for instance, the way animals immediately change their behavior in the lack of sunlight midday.

When the eclipse happened in 2017, scientists were able to make some firsthand and interesting observations.

For example, they saw bees taking a break from their daily routines in three states. Namely, they stopped buzzing at the time of totality. Since bees usually fly more slowly at night, this suggests that they rely on environmental cues like light to know when it’s time to return to the hive.

At the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina, scientists observed 17 different species behaving oddly. The gorillas and the elephants, for example, all started heading toward their nighttime enclosure.

Continued below.

Roll that headline around for a bit, before diving in to the story. What could it possibly mean?

Fairfax police academy bars Herndon officers in dispute over Chinese signature​

When 61 law enforcement trainees graduated last month from Fairfax County’s Criminal Justice Training Academy ... each received a certificate signed by the academy’s director, county police Maj. Wilson Lee, who is Chinese American.

Lee, whose given name is Lee Wai-Shun, signed the certificates in Chinese, as he typically does. Among those who received certificates March 7 were three new officers from the Herndon town police force — the first trainees from that department to attend the academy since Lee took command more than a year ago. When Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard noticed the Chinese signature shortly before the graduation ceremony, she was not pleased.

“This is not acceptable for my agency,” she told Lee in an email. “I don’t want our Herndon officers to receive these.”

Not only did Fairfax County refuse to issue new certificates as DeBoard requested, but a top Fairfax official has notified DeBoard that Herndon police trainees will no longer be welcome at the academy.

Unforeseeably one of the people behind the overturning of Dobbs worries that women have been left to using potentially life threatening procedures to obtain abortions.

Is this a case of simply the 'consequences' of unprotected sex or was the reduction in abortions NOT the primary drive of the pro-life movement?

We are told in Genesis 2:7 "Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being". First of all, when we see the word: THEN, we have to look at why it is there. We have to look at this in context.

We know that Adam came from the dust of the ground. We know Adam was given plants to eat. Plants that were created days before Adam was created. If you read every science book in the world that helps to explain Genesis chapter one, we would just begin to understand what God is doing. We should use every tool we have to help us understand what we are reading in the Bible, God's word to us.

John 21 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

Genesis 1:29 "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'"

We could spend our whole life to study Genesis 2:7 and in the end we would just be beginning to understand.

I was blessed to be a part of the March for Jesus in Medina, Ohio on March 24th! Below is a video which I hope it's an encouragement for you to get out there and share the good news of Jesus with someone, whether it's a sign or Gospel Tract, the good news of Jesus goes forth!

The great cloud of witnesses, I believe, is in reference to Hebrews 11, which is regarded by many as the “faith chapter” of the Bible, for it details for us so many of the saints of old who walked by faith and who did what the Lord led them to do. They obeyed God, which was evidence that their faith was genuine faith. For imagine with me if Noah claimed to have faith but he did not build the ark, where would his faith be then? And what if Moses did not lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt? Faith is shown by what we do.

So, all of these people of faith set before us an example of what it looks like to have faith and to live by that faith, in practice. By faith Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice to God. By faith Noah, in reverent fear of God’s warnings, constructed an ark for the saving of his household, as directed by God. By faith Abraham obeyed God and went where God was sending him, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, etc.

So, following their examples of faith, we are to lay aside every weight (hindrance), and sin which clings so closely. For faith in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, but it comes from God, is perfected by God/Christ, is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God. So those of genuine God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ will do as God commands. We will die with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and we will now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer under the control of sin, in the power of God.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44]

We will get rid of every hindrance to our walks of faith, too, i.e. all that tempts us to sin, and all that leads us into sin. We will discard them from our lives. We won’t “play with fire” and expect not to get burned. We will be proactive in knowing our areas of weakness so that we do not “tempt fate” and then expect not to fall. But the biggest thing that leads people into sin is what is stored up in their hearts. If their hearts do not change, they can try all they might to change, but they will keep going back to their sins.

So the weight that many need to lay aside is hate, pride, resentment, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness, etc., for as long as these are what are stored up in their hearts, this is what they will produce. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. These are what defile a person.” (see Matthew 15:17-20) For, “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil” (see Luke 6:45).

So, we must first of all have a spiritual cleansing of our hearts and minds of the Spirit of God, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. And this is what should take place by genuine faith in Jesus Christ whereby we die with him to sin so that we may now live for him and to his righteousness. Our hearts should be transformed of the Spirit of God and so we now are putting sin to death in our lives, by the Spirit, and we are now walking in the ways of the Lord. But we are still human, so we must do this daily.

And then, as empowered by God’s Spirit living within us, we can run with endurance the race that God has set before us to run. And all throughout the New Testament we read what that looks like. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).

But we cannot do this in our own flesh, of our own making. For Jesus Christ is the author and the perfecter of our faith, so our dependency is in his power and strength to help us to resist the devil and to flee temptation to sin and to walk in holiness and in righteousness and in purity of devotion to our Lord and no longer in deliberate and habitual sin. But our eyes and our minds and our hearts must be set on Jesus Christ and on following him in obedience and not on our own flesh and on our own fleshly desires.

And he is our example that we must follow, too, for he endured the cross, and he endured taking upon himself the sins of the entire world on that cross so that in his death he put our sins to death with him so that by faith in him we might now be 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 now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And this is possible through faith in Jesus Christ which dies daily to sin and lives to his righteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; 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; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

VOICE OF TRUTH

By Mark Hall & Steven Curtis Chapman
II Corinthians 12:7-10/I Corinthians 1:20-24

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth..

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Hi there,
it's a while since I have come last here.
Lately I have been studying Judaism, since I realised that I practically know nothing about it. Since there is no real forum anymore, at least I couldn't find one, where you can discuss and learn about other faiths, I decided to post in this forum. Feel free to move, if I missed a forum in here.
As a Christian it is, in my oponion, indeed useful to learn about Judaism, to understand the Bible better. I have learned about the Tanach so far, also about the Talmud and the various existing Jewish groups today (from Orthodox to Restorationist).
In my research I learned that originally the Septuagint was a Translation from Jews for Jews around 100 BC. Also, and this is interesting, for learning Hebrew.

My question today is however, do Jews read the apocryphal books in the Septuagint still today? They are not read in Shabbat of course (I have found already the Jewish Reading plan for the week and Shabbat in the Internet), but privately? Or are they meanwhile completely unknown in modern Judaism?

I am talking about the Books :
Prayer of Manasseh
1 Esdras
Tobit
Judith
Additions to Esther
1 Maccabees to 4 Maccabees
Psalm 151
Wisdom or Wisdom of Solomon
Sirach or Ecclesiasticus
Baruch
Letter of Jeremiah
Additions to Daniel
Psalms of Solomon

I couldn't find out which of these are already of Christian Origin. I believe the book of Baruch is however.

I would be happy, if there are (former) Jews in this forum that could answer my question, and maybe some follow up questions, as I study along about Judaism and Jewish history.

Yours,
Timothi

Why it will be the Mt. Sinai covenant.

Deuteronomy 31, Moses starts off by speaking to all Israel, i.e. the people gathered together, saying that he was 120 years old and not as fit as he once was. And that the LORD told him he would not be entering the promised land. But also informing them that God will destroy the nations in the land that they would inherit.

Then after giving some encouraging words to Joshua, in verses 7-8, Moses wrote a law which is essentially instructions to confirm the Mt. Sinai covenant on a 7 year basis and handed it to the priests there that day.

9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

In the law, instructions, Moses commanded them to

10 And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,

So the cycle was set after that first seven years. And has been done every seven years since - unless circumstances like being in exile from the land prevented it. It has not been done in recent times because of the access issue to the temple mount.

Moses continued....

11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

The place of God's choosing is currently taken to be the temple mount by the Jews. I was informed by the Jews (Judaism) themselves of their position.

12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

So the whole nation is going to be a participant to confirming the Mt. Sinai covenant of God giving the promised land as their forever.
You can see how that would not go over with Muslims under the current circumstances. So it will be done once the Muslim presence is removed from the temple mount - i.e. following Gog/Magog.

13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

Moses was intent that future generations would not forget everything the children of Israel of his generation went through under the Mt. Sinai covenant by which God gave them the promised land as theirs forever.

-----------------------------------------------

So that ceremonial event will be overseen by the Antichrist on the feast of tabernacles from the temple mount. A big speech, confirming the Mt. Sinai covenant for the 7 year cycle established by Moses. The false prophet will also take part in the ceremony in my view.

Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley’s vehicle found abandoned near Kansas border​

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that it believes two women who vanished over the weekend while traveling to pick up children are "in danger" as it’s now been days since they were last seen.


The vehicle that Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were driving in was found abandoned Saturday in a remote part of the state near the Kansas border. The women were "traveling together to pick up children" but they "never made it to the pickup location," according to the Texas County Sheriff’s Office.

"We believe they are in danger because we have not heard from them in, coming up on three days now," OSBI public information manager Hunter McKee told Fox News Digital. "Where their vehicle was last seen was a very rural area of the state as well. We have not found them yet. We are doing everything we can."

The OBSI earlier described the situation as a "suspicious disappearance case."


Continued below.

Hi,

So I have been thinking and it seems I have this bad habit, maybe it is pride, maybe it is sin, maybe it is not wanting to depend on God, I need to think more about this.

Just sharing to gain more insights faster, so drop your opinion.

God can always give us strength and wisdom to handle all kinds of suffering I suppose, the thing is we should keep praying to God to give us strength and wisdom.

But it sometimes feels awkard to pray for this as a full grown adult or not ?

Maybe that's why some christian fail morally, who knows ?

Br,

Hi all,

I was trying to cover the various extreme weather phenomenon and sea level rise etc. But then I thought of actual effects on people and ecosystems - and grouping the different climate phenomenon that way.

I had FIRES - Famines, Instability - threat multiplier (war), Refugees, Extinctions, Sea level rise (and city damage).

But if you've seen another good climate impacts memory aid or acronyms, I'd love to consider it for my blog. I'm doing a bit of a rewrite of my summary threats page.

Oh wonderful: Don't you love the internet. Wars are won by secrets. Just go ahead and tell Russia, hey there's American veterans fighting in Ukraine. In fact they're killing Russian soldiers.
If US Vets are going to fight in Ukraine, just go and SHUT UP! Well, now the cats out of the bag, and it's not even the first one. Give an interview so it can be blabbed all over the world. Even talks about tactics. Sheer stupidity!

American sniper in Ukraine says he couldn't care less about expensive weapons like tanks. 'Give me artillery' and ammo, he says.​

American sniper in Ukraine says he couldn't care less about expensive weapons like tanks. 'Give me artillery' and ammo, he says. (There's a cuss word in the article, I'm not posting that part. Goes to show how the West just don't care if they throw horrible profanity out in public media))

An American veteran fighting in Ukraine said soldiers were desperate for artillery and ammunition. He doesn't care about getting more expensive equipment like tanks right now because that isn't what they need most, he added.

Jonathan Poquette told Business Insider that Ukraine's ammunition shortages meant its soldiers had to become much pickier about which targets to hit, even sometimes not engaging groups of advancing Russians that they would have hit earlier in Russia's invasion.
......

He said they stopped firing on small groups of advancing Russian soldiers like they would have earlier in the conflict.

"It started getting to the point to where if the group was small enough that was assaulting, then the Ukrainians would evaluate it and be like, 'Well, it's only two or three guys, maybe four. Is that really worth an artillery round or a mortar round?'" he said.

Instead, they would consider whether the infantry could take them on. That strategy puts greater risks on Ukraine's soldiers.

I was really appreciating Fox News' commentary about Tik tok and how dangerous it is to the US

But then I saw an ad on Fox for Tik Tok!

Wow! I don't get that at all. The Chinese are spying on us through that venue, gathering info. We all have to remember that China is our enemy and they are NOT Christian (though some of their everyday people are)

On that, I can agree.

It seems there is some debate as to whether D J Trump raped E Jean Carroll or not.

Facts:

• D J Trump was never found guilty in criminal court of raping or sexually assaulting E Jean Carroll.
  E Jean Carrol did not make her claim of being raped until after the statute of limitations expired and so Trump could not be criminally charged.
• D J Trump was found liable of sexual assault of E Jean Carroll in a NY Court
  NY laws determine that rape must require penetration by male genitallia
• D J Trump failed in court to sue E Jean Carroll for defamation when she publicly claimed he raped her
  The Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, ruled that the jury verdict showed Carroll's rape allegation was "substantially true" and dismissed the counterclaim
• General definitions of rape are not restricted to penetration by male genitallia, but can include fingers or objects
  Wikipedia Rape: Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent.
  

  Rape in the United States - Wikipedia

  en.wikipedia.org
  Rape in the United States is defined by the United States Department of Justice as "Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
• Guilt is determined in a criminal trial and has a very high bar of proof
• Liability is determined in a civil trial and requires a lower bar than criminal guilt

Reference links

I had an old account I don’t remember, but have returned. I’ll just start with stating where I have been spiritually, since this is a form about Christianity. Basically, I feel like I’ve been growing in my faith a lot more recently than I had for a while. I am active in my church, volunteer and children’s ministry every week with kindergarten and sometimes with disabled kids. I attend to life groups for women, one is large and for general ones and the other is small, and for single ones. I started using this audio Bible app an ago couple years ago and it has gotten me into the word a lot more. I am not trying to brag, I really don’t feel like I’m have anything to brag about in that all the glory goes to God since it’s him working through this.

Quick answer: impossible even if theory is correct.
Quick reason; it's impossible to gather all possible
data- so disproof could lurk somewhere.

Purpose- to, hopefully, avoid some of the diversions
resulting from the endless creationist objections
to " unproven theories".

Ideally there will be a debate, but Joe Biden continues to duck a debate. The remarks start in about an hour and I hope to hear what Trump has to say.

Jesus was physically going up to the skies till above clouds and that was the last time they saw Him.

We know today that, there is no heaven beyond the clouds/firmament, but a vast space, first our solar system, then the rest of our galaxy etc.

So, what was happening? Where was He going?

19 I wanted to be sure about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and was exceedingly terrible: it had iron teeth, bronze claws, it devoured and crushed and trampled the rest with its feet,
23 He said this: “The fourth beast - there will be a fourth kingdom on earth, it will be different from all kingdoms; he will devour the whole earth, tread it down, and crush it.
(New world order)
24 And ten horns - ten kings will arise from that kingdom.
(Ten equally powerful countries will want to form a one world government)
After them another will arise, he will be different from the previous ones and he will depose the three kings.
(Globalists/antichrist, will destroy three kings out of ten .. weakening and destroying USA, Russia and China)
25 He will speak against the Most High and destroy the saints of the Most High.
(Denying the Bible and Jesus Christ, banning Christianity)
He will seek to change the times and the law. The saints shall be delivered into his hand until time and times and half a time,
(Creation of one new super tolerant religion....persecuting Christians and those who will not want the "mark of the beast", duration of NWO for "42 months")
26 but the judgment will sit and the rulership will be taken away from him, and he will be completely destroyed and destroyed.
(The destruction of the NWO, a global storm after which the small remnant of humanity will start over)

Does prayer work? By "work" I mean "produce the desired (asked for) results".
How do you know?

Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple and signs of the end times in Matthew 24:

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

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Vultures will gather at an exposed dead body.

37 "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away,

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they drowned and died

so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.

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Barnes explained:

One shall be taken - The word "taken" may mean either to be taken away from the danger - that is, rescued, as Lot was Luke 17:28-29, or to be taken away "by death." Probably the latter is the meaning.

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Gills agreed:

one shall be taken by the Romans, and either put to death, or carried captive; and the other shall escape their hands, through the singular providence of God.

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They were taken by death.

Parallel account in Luke 17:

34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?”

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The disciples wanted to know more.

He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

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The bad people will be taken by death.

Parallel account in Mark 13:

21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

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Be on your guard so that you will not be taken by the vultures.

On the last day, Jesus will be coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt 24:30). The bad people will be taken to eternal death. Live believers will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord (1 Thess 4:17). Then, they will descend back to the earth for the wedding banquet. The 'left-behind' people are believers who first go up to meet the Lord and then come back down with the Lord. They are the welcoming party.

See also Great tribulation, then rapture