What is the saying....those who live in glass houses....

TOMPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Rep. James Comer, a multimillionaire farmer, boasts of being one of the largest landholders near his rural Kentucky hometown, and he has meticulously documented nearly all of his landholdings on congressional financial disclosure documents – roughly 1,600 acres (645 hectares) in all.

But there are 6 acres (2.4 hectares) that he bought in 2015 and co-owns with a longtime campaign contributor that he has treated differently, transferring his ownership to Farm Team Properties, a shell company he co-owns with his wife.

For some reason, Mr Comer has not disclosed the land assets held under this shell company.

“It seems pretty clear to me that he should be disclosing the individual land assets that are held by” the shell company, said Delaney Marsco, a senior attorney who specializes in congressional ethics at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington.

Marsco and other experts were perplexed as to why Comer would place such assets in a shell company, especially since he disclosed his other holdings and does not appear to have taken other efforts to hide his wealth.

Giuliani has been ordered to pay $148 million in damages to both Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss. Of course, since Rudy apparently can't even to afford to pay his lawyers, it will be interesting how he'll be able to pay the damages in this case. The breakdown of the amounts: $16.171 million to Ruby Freeman for defamation, $16.998 million to Shaye Moss for defamation, $20 million to each for emotional distress, and $75 million in punitive damages.

I believe in faith alone in Christ alone. Will be just reading for a awhile.

This is a significant milestone in the Republican's journey to impeach Joe Biden.
I've been waiting days for the Far Right hyper partisans to create this thread. They seem to open a thread on pretty much any little thing whether it's real or gossip or conspiracy, that might look bad for any Democrats. But this thread on this very significant event has been strangely ignored by them. This should be a big WIN for the Republicans and big thorn in the side of Democrats, and yet no thread.

Anyway

I wonder if this is the first time in USA history where a formal impeachment inquiry has been opened without referencing any event or report of any wrongdoing.


I like boxing as a sport, so I have a little analogy here.
When a boxer comes out swinging from the get go, They rush in with big haymakers, hoping to get that KO.
But instead they leave themselves vulnerable, not having a solid strategy, not protecting themselves, not softening up their opponent.
That strategy generally is a disasterous one for themselves.

Anyway, time will show whether they get lucky with something or whether they end up looking very foolish, as Comer has looked very foolish so far.

A former congressional candidate from Mississippi has been charged with allegedly vandalizing the Satanic Temple of Iowa's statue depicting the pagan idol Baphomet at the Iowa State Capitol.

[Reportedly, it is "destroyed beyond repair."]

Michael Cassidy, 35, of Lauderdale, Mississippi, was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief on Thursday, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

The installation, permitted under state rules governing religious displays in the building, has been debated and criticized by Iowa and national politicians.

A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

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Its disappearance, which has not been previously reported, was so concerning that intelligence officials briefed Senate Intelligence Committee leaders last year about the missing materials and the government’s efforts to retrieve them, the sources said.

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In the two-plus years since Trump left office, the missing intelligence does not appear to have been found.

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The binder contained raw intelligence the US and its NATO allies collected on Russians and Russian agents, including sources and methods that informed the US government’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, sources tell CNN.

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The intelligence was so sensitive that lawmakers and congressional aides with top secret security clearances were able to review the material only at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where their work scrutinizing it was itself kept in a locked safe.

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The binder was last seen at the White House during Trump’s final days in office. The former president had ordered it brought there so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. Under the care of then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the binder was scoured by Republican aides working to redact the most sensitive information so it could be declassified and released publicly.

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Long article.

A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. [Nobody's saying much, but it doesn't appear that it has been found.]

The binder contained raw intelligence the US and its NATO allies collected on Russians and Russian agents, including sources and methods that informed the US government’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election, sources tell CNN.

The intelligence was so sensitive that lawmakers and congressional aides with top secret security clearances were able to review the material only at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where their work scrutinizing it was itself kept in a locked safe.

The binder was last seen at the White House during Trump’s final days in office. The former president had ordered it brought there so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. Under the care of then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, the binder was scoured by Republican aides working to redact the most sensitive information so it could be declassified and released publicly.

The day before leaving office, Trump issued an order declassifying most of the binder’s contents, setting off a flurry of activity in the final 48 hours of his presidency. Multiple copies of the redacted binder were created inside the White House, with plans to distribute them across Washington to Republicans in Congress and right-wing journalists.

But an unredacted version of the binder containing the classified raw intelligence went missing amid the chaotic final hours of the Trump White House.

--

In December 2020, then-Attorney General William Barr worked with Ratcliffe to dissuade Trump from declassifying at least a subset of the intelligence related to Russia, arguing that it would damage national security, sources familiar with the matter said.

On December 19, four days after Barr announced his resignation, Nunes met with Meadows at the White House to discuss how to declassify documents related to the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia, Hutchinson testified to Congress.

Eleven days later, sources say that a copy of the GOP report [generated by Nunes' team as part of an effort to discredit the intelligence (itself later discredited by the Senate Intelligence report)] was brought to the White House as one part of the massive binder of documents on Russia and the FBI investigation.

The version of the binder Hutchinson signed for was kept in Meadows’ office safe, she testified, except when it was being worked on by congressional staffers.

On January 19, 2021, Trump issued a declassification order for a “binder of materials related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”

The White House had planned to distribute the declassified documents around Washington, including to Trump-allied conservative journalist John Solomon. But Trump’s order did not lead to its release – and earlier this year Solomon sued the Justice Department and National Archives for access to the documents.

His court filings provide colorful details of the last-minute scramble.

Hutchinson writes in her book that Cipollone told her after 10:30 p.m. on January 19 to have Meadows retrieve the binders that had been given to Solomon and a right-wing columnist. “The Crossfire Hurricane binders are a complete disaster. They’re still full of classified information,” Hutchinson writes that Cipollone told her. “Those binders need to come back to the White House. Like, now.”

As for the unredacted version of the binder, Hutchinson writes in her book that she saw Meadows get into his limo the night of January 19 with the “original Crossfire Hurricane binder tucked under his arm.”

When she looked in Meadows’ safe for the last time before she left the White House, Hutchinson said it was gone.

Terwilliger, an attorney for Meadows, disputes Hutchinson’s account, saying Meadows did not mishandle any classified documents at the White House.

There is huge gap in the WH call logs on Jan 6, from about 11:00 to 7:00 pm. Now the Trump cell phone data from that day is in Smith's hands.
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Would anybody like to share their born again experience?

THE PASTOR KING

The Exalted Pastor over all

As shocking as this may seem, there is not one verse in the New Testament that speaks of a man over all the church called, “The Pastor”, who does most of the ministry, gets a regular salary and who acts as the head of the church. Rather, in the New Testament, we see the whole church ministering to one another in Christ who works effectually in all believers (Eph 4:11-16 , 1 Cor 14:26-38, 1 Peter 4:10,11)and we read of elders (plural) in every church(singular) who watch over and feed others spiritually (Acts 14:23, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1,2). They are not to Lord over others and control them in a supreme authority but are to be examples.

Paul said to the church, “Not that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers ..” (2 Cor. 1:24). The word “dominion”, here means “to rule: have dominion over, lord, be lord of...(from 2962),...supreme in authority, ie (as a noun) controller. By implication, Master (as in official title..)...” (Strongs Concordance. # 2961). Jesus also warned of such a false dominion and authority over others (Matthew 20:25-27), and said “it shall not be so among you”.

Yet in many gatherings today, this person called “The Pastor”, is exalted above all others as he stands on top a large platform behind a “pulpit”. He is the one who dominates and has preeminence over all others and does most of the speaking week after week. He generally rules in a large castle-like structure unbiblically called “the church” with lower ranked servants under him. Sometimes he has a sign outside with his name on it. Many flattering titles are given to him such as, “Reverend”, “Master of Divinity”, or “President”, and he uses expressions such as “My church” or “My people”. Scripture warns against one man in and exalted role having the preeminance over all in the church (3 John 9,10, 2 Cor 11:12,13,20, Acts 20:29-31, Col 2:8, Job 32:31,32) and Jesus said “Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ” (Matt. 23:8,10).

Almost all of the activities in the assembly today are controlled by the Pastor and no one is permitted to speak or minister unless he allows it. There is rarely opportunity for anyone else to minister as Christ leads, for they are not on the man made programs in man’s order. Many are unaware of their freedoms in the body of Christ and even if they were, they would be afraid to speak as God leads them, fearing the disapproval and rebuke of the pastor. Many dangerously look to this one man alone for all their spiritual guidance in the assembly, rather than wait on God and to be led by the Spirit in mutual edification of one another in God’s order.

The Modern Pastoral Role is Unbiblical

The position that the modern Pastor holds today is unbiblical. It fights against the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5,9, Rev. 1:6, Rom. 12:1), the mutual edification of one another in the body of Christ as He leads, (1 Cor. 14:26-38, 1 Cor 12:7, 1 Peter 4:10, 11, Col. 3:15,16, Eph. 4:16) and it hinders Gods direct leading and working in all believers in the church (Heb. 13:20,21, 1 John 2:27, Eph 4:16,21, Col 3:15,16). The role of the modern Pastor over all often quenches the spirt in the rest of the body and hinders the very function and growth of the church.

This modern role of “The Pastor” today, sets him up to reign as a king (or Lord) over the body of Christ and exalts him (2 Cor. 11:12,20, Rom 12:3-5). His position as head of the church can usurp the headship of Christ in the meetings (Col 2:8, 19) and bind up the saints in the traditions and commandments of men that turn from the truth and fight against the commandments of the Lord (1 Cor 14:26-38, Col 2:8,19, Titus 1:14).

Paul warned us of such serious things and said, “Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8). The word ”spoil” implies, leading believers away and robbing them of their goods. The one modern pastor tradition does this in part and makes the word of God of no effect by this role (Mark 7:13).These controlling men don’t allow believers to edify one another in the gatherings as they are commanded to do in scripture and hinder them from being good stewards of their gifts from God (1 Cor 14:26,30,37, 38 1 Peter 4:10,11). But If any man reject God’s commands to do so they are ignorant and should not be listened to and withdrawn from (1 Cor 14:26,30,37, 2 Thess. 3:6).

If anyone examines scripture closely they will see that this modern Pope-like figure called the “The Pastor “ today does not come from scripture but rather comes out of the worldly traditions of men, mixed with an OT priesthood and pagan traditions. It stems from the (so called) “church fathers”, such as; Ignatius of Antioch, Cyprian and others, from Constantine, a false Roman Catholic hierarchy and from reformers who retained many of the Catholic priest roles and misunderstanding of Christ headship in the body ministry.

Many Gifts Not Just a Pastor Gift

We read in scripture that God ”...gave gifts unto men...he gave some, apostles; and some, and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”, (Ephesians 4:8,11,12) Notice that the word, “pastors” is in the plural form. We do not find the singular one man pastor over all in the New Testament. All of these gifts are needed in the body of Christ and not just pastors. But somehow through the traditions of man, this one “pastor” gift come to dominate over all the other gifts.

Though there are blessed pastor giftings in the body of Christ, (just as there are apostles, prophets, evangelist and teachers), the modern role of the exalted “Pastor” over all does not exist biblically and is a dangerous distortion spiritually to the church. Many of those in this unbiblical role may be true believers and loving men with sincerity and have many good qualities, Others may be seeking their own glory and reputation. But either way they are still in error in this exalted role and they still hinder the body from functioning in Christ.

Despite the confusion of many religious forms today and the multitude of believers who gather in them, with the exalted Pastor over all, their various spiritual moments, evangelistic aspects and some good ministration seen in many of these gatherings, there is still a great problem in the churches and it must be corrected and set in God’s order.

We see in many assemblies today a weak, dysfunctional body that plays church and cannot follow the leading of the Spirit in the assembly as good stewards in mutual edification. Instead they are forced to look at the back of each others heads and are drawn after the exalted man on the the platform. Is Jesus Christ outside of many gatherings
today knocking and wanting to come into them and to “sup” with them (Revelation 3:16-20)and to participate with them, or is He ready to spew some out of his mouth, while they think all is well and they are rich and increased with goods and need nothing.

The reality is, that if this modern role of the Pastor today was taken away from most assemblies they could not function and would most likely be in a fearful panic and possibly collapse. But if you take away the modern one man Pastor role over all from a true biblical church gathering, they would still be able to use their gifts and edify one another and minister as God intended in His order.

God’s Order and Man’s Order

God’s order in the body of Christ is His spiritual working in every part as he leads and empowers believers in all things. Though hidden from the eyes of natural men, it is there nevertheless. This order begins in the spirit and the patient waiting on God as He leads into all gifts, ministry and fruits of the Spirit and sets the order in the gatherings, (Titus 1:5, Col. 2:5, Psalm 37:23, Eph. 4:15,16, 1 Tim 3:15, 1 Cor. 14:26-37, 1 Cor. 11:34, Heb 13:20,21, 1 John 2:27). No person can know this order unless they are in Christ, and walk in the spirit. But sadly, even many christians today are drawn away from God’s order and rule in their hearts into a religious form of man’s order and the dominion of exalted leaders.

Man’s order does not begin in the spirit, it begins in man’s carnal mind and human wisdom, and by what they know naturally ( 1 Cor 2, Jude 1:10) and is regulated by the modern pastor role, programs and traditions of men in the rudiments of the world.

Jesus said, “I will build my church” and he is fully able to do this by his power and might, which he has been doing all along. God’s order is very different than mans order and traditions in the church.

“Give us a King”

There is a story in the bible where God’s people said, “Give us a King, to judge us” (1 Samuel 8:6). God allowed it, but told Samuel, “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). God also told Samuel to warn them that the king would bring them into bondage, take their goods and use them for his glory (1 Samuel 8:11-19).

Saul also had some of the Levites killed (1 Sam. 22:17,18). The Levites being a type of the priesthood of all believers. Similarly, as Saul had them killed and they could no longer minister, so the modern one man Pastor Lord also quenches the spirit in the body and hinders or cuts off the priesthood of all believers where they can no longer minister freely.

Today, similar to the story of Saul, you can almost hear the people cry, “Give us a Pastor, like all the other churches”, especially when they are looking for a new one. But by doing so, they may be rejecting God from reigning over them in the gatherings.

Body Ministry to One Another

The bible teaches that Christ is to lead in every part of the body as the head of the church, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). This is how Jesus Christ builds (or edifies) His church. Notice, that through Christ headship the whole body can edify one another, and not just rely on one man the Pastor. This should be allowed to happen every time the saints gather together in Christ and wait on the Lord.

When the church comes together all can have something revealed to them and share it (1 Cor.14:30). They can also have a psalm, a doctrine, a tongue, a revelation and interpretation, (1 Cor.14:26); comfort and edify one another (1 Thess. 5:11); use all their gifts as they wait on God (Rom. 12:1-10); have a spiritual manifestation to profit all (1 Cor 12:7-); admonish one another (Rom. 15:14); teach one another (Col. 3:16); exhort one another, (Heb. 3:13); warn unruly (1Thess. 5:14); confess their faults one to one another (James 5:16); anoint the sick (James 5:14); prophesy to one another (1 Cor. 14:31); discipline erring brethren (1 Cor5:3-5, 6:1-6); pray for one another (James 5:16); lead in prayer and song (1 Cor. 14:15); have a psalm, hymn or spiritual song (Col. 3:16); any man can speak or minister as God leads (1 Peter 4:10,11). We must follow after Christ who will lead us in this way, and not follow after man-made programs and dead rituals and the exalted Pastor role that quench the Spirit.

..or the first day (or 'eight day' as some try to call it).

Exodus 20:8-11
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, not Moses' sabbath, or the Jews sabbath, or anyone Else's sabbath.

Leviticus 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

We see the same.

Deuteronomy 5:12-13
12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

Again the same.

Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

It was not 'Moses' sabbath.

Leviticus 19:1-2
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 26:2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

Isaiah 56:4-6
4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

Ezekiel 20:12-13
12Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Ezekiel 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

Ezek 20:19-24
19I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. 21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. 23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; 24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

Ezekiel 22:8 Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Ezekiel 23:38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.

The Lord claims the sabbath as His very own. It is a day, therefore it is literally, the Lord's day. This clear so how many times must the Lord call the sabbath His day to understand that there is only one day in the scriptures that would be referred to as the Lord's day? Other than the seventh day sabbath, the Lord's day can also refer to the day on which He will return to this earth. That is all. Sunday, or the first day of the week is never referred to as the Lord's day in the scriptures.

This title was only applied to Sunday later on, to cover their deception. It was applied by those who began the apostasy and abomination which was the result of the amalgamation of apostate Christianity and pagan sun worship.

I used to believe that humans had power over me that God could do nothing about. Why did I think that way? Because I grew up under the authority of the worst kind of abuser, my father, and God did not rescue me physically from his abuse. So I saw God as my comforter, and I went to him in prayer all the time, and he did comfort me in my suffering, but subconsciously I believed God did not have the power to rescue me physically from my persecutor. I even said to him once, “But God, you don’t understand!!”

And so throughout my life, when I would face persecution after persecution, mainly from pastors of “churches,” or from others who professed faith in Jesus Christ, although I endured much, and I persevered much, I had my breaking points, too, where the weight of it all got to be more than my emotions could handle. And this is because I did not fully comprehend the sovereignty of God over my life nor what he was trying to teach me through these persecutions and false accusations and personal rejections.

But after getting beat down time after time after time, the Lord finally got through to me the understanding of his sovereignty over my life, and that these situations that I kept coming up against were for my good, in reality, for the Lord was indeed training my hands for war. And it reminded me of his words to Jeremiah, “Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them” (Jeremiah 1:17). For the Lord was preparing Jeremiah for a ministry where he would be hated and opposed, but the Lord would be his strength.

So, depending upon God’s calling on our lives, he may take us through some serious trials and tribulations in order to train our hands for spiritual warfare. For I can attest to the fact that if you are someone who is following the Lord wholeheartedly, as the Scriptures teach we all must do, and if you are out there on the front lines sharing the full gospel (the whole counsel of God) with the people, and not the altered version that so many are teaching these days, and if you are refuting the lies of the enemy, you will be opposed.

But, if we are indeed following the Lord with our lives, and if we are trusting in his sovereignty over our lives, believing that the things he allows to come into our lives are in preparation of our hands for spiritual warfare, then we can be those who put our trust and our hope in the Lord despite our circumstances, and despite all opposing forces coming against us. And we can trust him to deliver us through our circumstances even if he doesn’t deliver us out of all of them. For we can take refuge in him.


But there is an upside to all of this. When we learn to understand and to accept God’s complete sovereignty over our lives, and that what he allows in our lives is, although painful, for our ultimate good, then we can sing a new song unto the Lord and in praise and worship of him. For now we have a different perspective than we had before. And now we have a much clearer understanding of his will and purpose for our lives, and for why all those bad things happened to us. He was/is training our hands for spiritual warfare.

And when we get to this place of understanding and acceptance of our trials and our tribulations and their purpose in our lives, it will also give us a new freedom and a new sense of purpose for why God created us, and for what purpose we exist, and of how all those painful circumstances fit in with his plan and his purpose for our lives. And from the Lord and from that understanding of purpose we can draw much strength and determination to keep moving forward with God in his power and strength and wisdom.

And the Lord may open wide all sorts of new opportunities for us that we may not have ever even imagined. I know he did that for me. He took me out of these market-driven and flesh-driven “churches” (businesses of men), and he placed me on the internet (my mission field) where I have been able to serve the Lord in the way he intended for me even from before he created me in my mother’s womb. And he has me writing out what he teaches me from my times with him daily in his word and posting these on the internet.

And these writings, but not due to anything I am doing, are going to people all throughout the world in multiple nations. All I do is write what the Lord teaches me and then I post these writings on the internet on multiple sites and then the Lord takes these where he wants them to go. And over the years he has added on songs and poems and memes and video talks, too, which then expands the ministry to which he has called me as it is reaching people with the gospel via multiple platforms. To God be all the glory!!

So, the encouragement for today is to look past the trials and the tribulations you are presently facing, and look to God, and seek his face, and see what he has for you. For none of what you are going through escapes his notice, and it all serves a purpose when we learn to respond to our circumstances with the understanding that all this is ultimately for our good. And God will bring good out of these trials if we will let him, and if we will not be consumed by the trials to where we can’t see God and his working.

Yes, we are still going to be persecuted if we are truly following the Lord with our lives, so this is not a promise that now life will be easier for us. In fact, it will probably be much harder, which is why we needed a history of abuse and persecutions in order to prepare us for worse to come. So if we can keep that perspective, it will help us to stay strong through the persecutions that are yet ahead. And we will be able to set our faces like flint (Isaiah 50:7) and not cave to opposition or to temptations to retreat.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

I Will Call Upon the Lord

Words and music by Michael O'Shields

I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be saved from my enemies
The Lord liveth and blessed be the Rock
And let the God of my salvation be exalted

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This OP is not a debate. You may however, make observations and suggestions. There will be other related OPs that will allow for more robust discussion, as I intend to make an new thread to discuss matters related to the 1st Day of Creation, the 2nd, the 3rd, etc.

This is an overview of a Revelation granted to me. One that I will explain to the best of my ability. It is intended to be a collective study that would benefit from your participation. So here is my understanding of these matters:

Adonai made declarations related to His Creation that He divided into Days. For each day, He made a declarative statement. These were meant to be taken literally, figuratively and spiritually; both physically and metaphysically, within the overall context of His Word! So first comes the matrix of Sevens followed by some of my observations. Here is is a link to Brenton's Septuagint account of Genesis 1 for reference.


I wrote THIS in the Circumcision thread hosted by @HARK! Perhaps this may give you a clue as to how this matrix works.

Perhaps a small bit of context concerning the source of circumcision might be in order. After all, context is the only way to discern a 'prooftext' from a 'pretext', short of direct intervention by Adonai.

Think of the following as a key to understanding the interrelationships of elements in a matrix. The reason I bring it up is that 'circumcision' is one of those aforementioned elements as you will soon see.

Suppose we take the Days of Creation and use that sequence as primary elements needed to construct a matrix. In this case, only the first three sets are required. It would appear as follows;

1. Creative declaration
2. Covenants
3. Terms
4. Sign of Covenant

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Light/Darkness	Water Above/Water Below	Water/Land->Seed Plants
Adam	Noah	Abraham
Life	Saved from destruction	Blessings on Descendants and the Nations
Gates of the Garden	Rainbow	Circumcision

When Adonai separated Light from Darkness, these elements are clarified in Torah. Light & Darkness are repeatedly associated with life & death, good & evil, blessings & curses, etc., throughout scripture. Even His instruction is characterized as a 'lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path'.

His covenant with Adam is explained as follows;

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

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We may understand the Sign of the Covenant as passing though the gates of the Garden of Life into a life ending in Death.

The second Covenant He made with Noah. Here He is bringing the Waters above and Waters below back together to flood the entire surface of the planet. At the end of Noah's ordeal, He makes a covenant promise that He will never again destroy the earth by Flood. In this covenant, Noah must obey His instruction in order to survive. But this covenant does not require Noah to do anything further to receive the blessings associated with this promise.

The Sign He gives is a Rainbow. Any scientist will tell you that a rainbow is formed by the refraction of the various frequencies of visible Light again, passing though, the Waters above. Starting to catch on?

The third covenant He makes is with Abram. It has to do with Abram's seed. He changed Abram's name to Abraham to reflect His as yet to be fulfilled Promise to multiply his offspring exceedingly. Now do you see it? The Third Day, He separated the water from the land to produce Seed bearing plants

Pay carful attention here: The mark or sign of this covenant is the circumcision. Please notice (forgive me if this is a little graphic) that of Abraham's Seed passing though through the Sign of the circumcision in order for the Covenant promise to be fulfilled.

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Thank you for giving me your attention in this matter, but being just a man I must sleep. Tomorrow I will continue to expand on how this matrix works and further define the elements I have noted above.

Blessings & Peace!

Islam teaches that Israel prevents their false Messiah from appearing. Shia (Iran) believes the "Mahdi" is alive and waiting for the right time to appear. Sunni (Saudi Arabia and the majority of Muslim nations) says that he has yet to be born. Either way, Israel and the Jews must be destroyed in Islam's teachings. There are 7.6 million Jews in America, 3.4 million Muslims. The EU has about 750,000 Jews and 28 million Muslims. If I was a Jew, I would be getting well away from Europe.

Lately we have been looking at different ways in which the enemy of our souls comes against us to attack us, in order to take us down. If we are following the Lord in obedience, one of the ways is to attack our walks of faith and to attack us verbally and/or physically when we share the truth of the gospel of Christ and when we are actively refuting the lies of the enemy. The last way discussed was the enemy baiting us to get us into meaningless and fruitless arguments with others who have no intention to change.

And this is yet another way in which the enemy of our souls works to take us down and that is to tempt us and to try to manipulate us and persuade us to sin against the Lord and to do what is evil in his sight. And there are multiple ways in which the enemy may go about trying to tempt us to sin against the Lord. And he likes to choose times in our lives when we are the most vulnerable, usually when we are physically and/or emotionally weak due to difficult circumstances in our lives, which could be a physical illness, too.

And the temptations to sin against the Lord may begin with very subtle suggestions or persuasions to compromise our faith and convictions even one small inch. But as soon as we take that first compromise, no matter how little it may seem at the time, we have opened that door wide for even greater temptations and invitations to make even more moral compromises until we eventually are deep in sin doing things we never thought possible, even in our wildest of dreams.

For example, as human beings we have a natural desire to be entertained and to want to laugh or even to cry as an emotional release or fulfillment of some type, and that is why television and now the internet have been so popular and have sucked so many people into their “claws.” But the entertainment industry is so deceptive, and there are so many subtle lies and subliminal messages inserted into TV shows and movies and commercials and into social media memes and short videos, too.

And before you know it we are talked into one little compromise at a time until we become desensitized to all the evil we are consuming day after day. And I am speaking here mainly from my own past experience, for I was there, and I did make those compromises, and they did lead to bigger compromises until eventually I did the unthinkable and I went where I would never have imagined that I would ever go. But thank the Lord, he delivered me out of that life, and he put a new song in my heart. So I praise him!

But it isn’t just TV and movies and the internet and social media and YouTube and all those various places where we might go where we might be faced with such temptations, but this has to do with the people we are around, some of whom we cannot avoid, and some of whom we can. For other people can wield enormous influence over our lives if we let them, and if we are not guarded, and if we don’t have on our spiritual armor with which to fight off those lies of the enemy and the temptations to compromise.

So, we must be so guarded, and we cannot do that if we are casually spending hours a day watching TV and movies and videos and surfing the internet in order to be entertained. For as the saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” What we take into our minds we also take into our hearts, and it is out of the heart that comes all this evil. So we have to set limits for ourselves. We must set boundaries and then never compromise those boundaries, even if other people think we are going overboard.

But even if we do all of that, it may not work. Why? Because we can do all that we know to do in our flesh to guard our hearts against evil, but if daily we are consuming what is junk, and if daily our lives are not surrendered to the Lord, and if he is not our life, but just someone we visit for a few minutes each day, then we have it all backwards. God/Christ has to be in first place in our lives. Our lives need to be surrendered to him fully, and he should be the one we go to and not to movies and TV shows, etc.

And I am certainly not saying that all entertainment is evil or that all that is on TV or on the internet is evil, although probably most of it is, in one way or another. But our lives must be being led by the Lord and not by our flesh, and not by our emotions, but by our faith, and by our commitments to serve the Lord above all else. For if our eyes are not truly on the Lord, but they are captivated by the world, then we cannot expect our Lord to be our defense and to keep us from all evil. Jesus has to be the one directing our lives.

And then we must be those who are following in his footsteps one step at a time. We must be those who are letting him lead us in what to do and in where to go and in what to say. We must be those who are listening to his voice continuously throughout the day, who are following his lead, and who are doing his will. For it is us who follow Jesus with our lives who will not walk in darkness, and it is us who are being led by the Spirit who will not gratify the sinful cravings of the flesh (John 8:12; Galatians 5:16-21).

I Will Call Upon the Lord

Words and music by Michael O'Shields

I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
So shall I be saved from my enemies
The Lord liveth and blessed be the Rock
And let the God of my salvation be exalted

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It's been quite a while since I've been here, and I'm finding that my life has gotten a bit better. I quit porn back in April and am proud of how long I've been clean. I'm spending my time more wisely. I still have some questions about the Bible, though, and unfortunately the people in my church are way too busy to be able to answer most of my questions. I've been attending a Nazarene church since 2018, although I was raised Presbyterian (PCA). Going to the Nazarene church was a bit of a culture shock for me because I'd never seen authentic community and faith before. As a kid I didn't pay attention to the Bible, and now I'm finding that there's a lot I don't understand. Because of that, some of my questions involve disagreements between Calvnist and Wesleyan theology. A third option like Catholicism or another ancient/traditional group is fine, but it's not the sort of church I grew up in, so I don't know if I'll agree with it.

1. How can we be sure that Isaiah is talking about Jesus in various verses that the Gospels cite, as opposed to just talking about himself like Jews claim?
2. Is a Christian's life supposed to be full of misery and hardship? Lots of people at my church imply this, but it seems like most of them have fairly decent lives. Maybe a few tragedies like a loved one getting cancer or dying, but nothing truly horrific.
3. At the end of Judges, why did God allow the Benjaminites to be nearly wiped out by the other tribes? And why did God later allow the Benjaminites to abduct and rape women from the other tribes?
4. Did Ruth and Boaz have sex?
5. How does the Song of Solomon point to Jesus when it seems to be about sex entirely?
6. Are you "not a real Christian" if you face persecution? (Someone at my church that I normally look up to said this at one point and I disagreed with him).
7. Does people harassing you online for your Christian beliefs count as persecution? (Again, same person as with the previous question. He seemed to think that this counted as persecution, while I would not consider that to count as such).
8. What is spiritual warfare, and can I have some examples?
9. Why does Saul not seem to recognize David in 1 Samuel 17 (the Goliath episode), even though David became Saul's armor-bearer at the end of chapter 16 for driving out an evil spirit?
10. Some OT testament verses say that the Mosaic covenant is forever. Does this contradict with Jesus fulfilling the spirit of the law in the Gospels?
11. Proverbs says to train up a child and he won't depart from God's teachings. But plenty of children raised Christan become atheists in their teenage years or later in adulthood. Why is that? Does this fact make verses like this unreliable?
12. Someone at my church had a dream that a couple that had recently gotten married were arguing. From this other people in church took this as a sign that they needed to go to the couple's recently-bought home and exorcise it. How is this supposed to make sense? I don't understand a lot of this "spiritual warfare" stuff at all because Presbyterians don't talk about it much, or at least I heard little about it growing up.
13. In Jeremiah 4:10, which I read recently, Jeremiah remarks to God that He has "completely deceived" His people by saying that there will be peace "when the sword is at our throats". God doesn't actually say that here, nor does Jeremiah quote him saying that. Second, isn't it against God's nature to tell a lie? Isn't that usually sinful?
14. In Titus 1:12-13, is Paul saying that a stereotype about Cretans is true? How do we square this with the belief we have today, that stereotypes are inaccurate and hurtful to apply to people?

Good day, I'm asking for prayer for the return of my wife Cindy-Ann and restoration in my marriage, for Dwayne .Please pray that unforgiveness is removed and the Lord fills our hearts with love for each other. That the works of the enemy are complete destroyed out of our marriage and family and that the Lord Jesus's will be done in our marriage and family. Thank you for all of your prayer.

In the scriptures there are stories about how Jesus interacted with people who had sinned. One is the story of the woman caught in adultery. There are others too. So, what has this to do with Absolution you may wonder?
Well, it is the last part of the interaction that is the absolution, as a Catholic would understand the passage, Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.



No one accused her, no one condemned her, Jesus did not condemn her, and her 'penance'? what was it, just "Go and sin no more".

---

A Catholic act of contrition:

A short prayer:

The priest's prayer of absolution:

I still send out Christmas cards in this day and age of the internet. Most people think I'm old fashioned, but I like sending them. They get me into a festive mood.

Acts 7:43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon." This star of David junk is not biblical, there is no star of David cover to cover. this comes up in Churches people will bring in the Remphan Star and say "Oh Israel" and think they are doing something. I know these people are likely brainwashed and deceived not willfully doing it, but it is still harmful and I don't like it.

1 John 2:22 “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” Judaism denies the Son, therefore they do not have the Father, they are not worshipping Jesus Christ, they reject the Lord Jesus Christ. if you don't have the Son, you don't have the Father therefore they are worshipping a false god.

We are Christians not Jews, we don't need to be using Jewish symbols or judaizing because remember Galatians 3.

Galatians 3:6-9
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The Times we Live in and what we need to do.

Many of us realize that the times of the Gentiles ruling is coming to an end. We see them futilely attempting to form a central world government thinking they can bring peace upon the earth. However, we know man can only seek to control others either through military or economic means.

The IMF (as some say, the International Mafia Fund) predicts the world is heading for an economic collapse. As if they haven`t planned that through pumping trillions of dollars into the world`s economies. Thus, we are seeing and hearing the `Black horse` striding across the world bringing famine and great inflation in its wake.

`You will own nothing and be happy` is their catch cry, their answer to the world`s problems. The elites & technocrats think that they can sit atop the pile of humanity and God does not see.

`Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! …..You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed, the wages of the labourers who mowed your field, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ` (James 5: 1 – 4)


So, we know God will judge them, but what about us, in the Body of Christ? What do we look for?

`To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.` (Heb. 9: 28)

`And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…..exhorting (encouraging and warning) one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.` (Heb. 10: 24 & 25)

That `Day` is the Day of the LORD, God Almighty in judgment. We are not in that Day but see it approaching. Now that Day begins when the Russian Federation, plus Iran and others come down to the Golan Heights to destroy Israel. These nations are already connecting and planning against Israel. However, it will be in God`s own timing.

`I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and lead you out…..I will bring you against my land…` (Ez. 38: 4 & 16)

`The Day of the LORD is coming……like the morning clouds spread over the mountains, a people come great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them…` (Joel 2: 1 & 2)

Thus, when we see God turning Russia away from the Ukraine and starting to come down towards Israel, then it will be our time to be `caught away` to be with the Lord.


Any thoughts?

Christmas is upon us, and most people give some slight consideration to its true meaning... The birth of Jesus. A birth that resulted in what we call the gospel.
The "good news", ie the gospel, seems to mean different things to different people. Before I comment further, have a listen to the following. Some of you may have heard this already...

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There is so much truth in those lyrics, and it applies not only to the US. It's just as bad (depending on your worldview), if not worse in New Zealand, and heading that way fast in Australia. Britain, and Europe have their issues as well. Before I continue, I'm a kiwi living in Australia, so I am observing the state of US politics and society from afar. I am not judging anyone, but like my user name, sending out a signal as a word of caution.


There is a global crisis, at least from my Christian perspective, of immorality, godlessness, political narcissism, and ideological craziness. Particularly in the western world. Praise God for the great moving of the holy Spirit in places such as Africa and Asia where hundreds of thousands are being converted and baptized.
The question however, what we do about it in the west, particularly in the US where Christianity and politics can be so intertwined, is very much open to debate. The topics of Christian nationalism, Zionism, and the separation of church and state, are subjects often treated and discussed with much reluctance in the church, similarly to the reluctance of secular people to discussing politics and religion... Reason being that no-one seems to be able to talk about these things without losing tempers, abusing one another, and losing friends over it. So they tend to keep their thoughts to themselves.

The answer to the ills of our world as we all know, theoretically, is the gospel. Jesus and Him crucified. Preaching the gospel won’t literally turn the world upside down, and may not avert impending disasters, but in the midst of turmoil and strife, the gospel does offer individuals the opportunity to have their lives changed for the better, sometimes radically. On that all Christians at least, tend to agree.

How that plays out, and how the gospel is taught and preached and implemented, well, that’s another story. I thought, perhaps naively, to dedicate a post to discuss such matters, but surely we are all pondering on these things, whether it’s over our coffee or our Bible, or both, for where and to what the direction the world is heading is of great concern to anyone with half an eye open.

I have mentioned several times on other sites PROJECT 2025.


No-one it seems wants to talk about that. Why not? Or have you not heard of this? Would anyone like to discuss it? Is it good or bad? Basically, it is evangelicanism and the conservative right’s answer to the nation’s perceived need of a change of mind and heart in response to the current spiritual malaise and political antagonism toward Christianity in the US. The question is, is this the correct response? Very interested in people’s thoughts on this.

Personally, I believe it is dangerous, anti freedom, and unconstitutional. Superficially, and from the Christian perspective,, it may seem a good thing to undo all the ‘evil’ that had been foistef upon society over the last 10 years or so. But is politics and Christianizing the nation through law and statute the right way to go? Is righteousness by politics a thing? Is righteousness by faith now a defunct concept? History is written in the blood of its victims through eras wherein religion was implemented by law. It seems the pendulum, having of late been hanging out on the extremities of the left, is now trending to the other extreme. Are we about to enter once again into the dark ages, when church and state United to enforce a particular brand of Christianity, and persecuted and killed those who disagreed? We shall soon know.

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone,
I am from New Zealand and my wife and I are starting (restarting) on our journey in Christianity (my wife was a Christian in her teens and I was a JW in my teens - family were attending). We are now finding ourselves drawn to Christ (sensing the increase in evil in the world and being drawn in the opposite direction) and wanting to find the purest form of Christianity (as Christ taught) and are working through this process via research, to determine what denomination may be appropriate for us. High level research led me to the Eastern Orthodox denomination (the 'original church', which included what also later become the Roman Catholic Church, after the schism?) but I am little unsure of the kissing of icons, the saints etc and the rigirous requirements to fully enter the church as a member (not afraid of hard work but just seems like barriers to potentially feeling part of the church). Also, here in NZ the EO churches mostly speak their own language in service (greek, arabic, romanian etc) and unsure how we would be received. We would appreciate any thoughts from members who are in a similar position (seeking the purest form of Christianity) and what their research and experiences have uncovered/revealed. Many thanks and God bless.

Keep up the good work.

The Harvard-educated mother of two is now at the center of America’s never ending tussle with race and identity when she accidentally invited every member of her City Council to a party intended solely for Council-members who are not white. Wu’s actions would almost be comical if they weren’t so disingenuous, if not downright dangerous.