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Michael Snow · Feb 2, 2024

Grandparents can be a big influence in the lives of their grandchildren, for good or for ill.
Think seriously about Your Grandchild and Your TV.

Your Child and Your TV | Back to the Word

Kokavkrystallos · Feb 2, 2024

Matthew 3:1-12,
"In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
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?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
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.
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

While the Pharisees relied on being children of Abraham, in these days many think, "We have our big church: I've been a member for years," "We live in a Christian country," "I come from a long family line of Christians, and some were preachers," "We are prosperous, and blessed in all things, proving God is for us." - Rubbish! It's what I called the "Laodicean Syndrome" back in the 90s and that sickness has continued to ruin churches to this day.

He came in the spirit in John the Baptist, Elijah himself also appeared on the mount of transfiguration. See, there is "trans" in the Bible! Absolutely: Transfigured, transfiguration, an act of mighty God: Transformed by the renewing of your mind, not conformed to this world.

Malachi 4:1-6,
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The wording of Malachi points to a last days "Elijah" as well, though I think it's a "spirit of Elijah" such as fell upon Elisha. This is the forerunner to one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11, which most think to be Elijah, though the other witness seems to be a toss up between Moses, and Enoch.
The context where it says "dreadful" - Hebrew, "yare," is dreadful, fearful, terrible. For in the very next verse the LORD says if the hearts of the fathers and of the children are not turned, that He will come and smite the earth with a curse.

There was an event that happened before when scripture says the wicked were "cut down out of time..." It's in Job 22:115-17,
"Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?"

"Out of time," there has a twofold meaning, and both meanings are ominous: 1) They were cut down out of time: They were utterly removed from the timeline, and from time itself; they ceased to be, and then were no more. 2) They were "out of time" in that the 120 years granted while Noah was building the ark and preaching righteousness, had expired: there was no more delay; judgment came suddenly and without warning to those who did not believe.

Acts 13:46,
"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

This too is a dire warning to those who continue in unbelief: judging themselves unworthy of eternal life. I learned in church recently that "put it from you" is the same as divorce; that is, they divorced themselves from God by continual unbelief, and by their own judgment become condemned. John 3:36 - because they have not believed on the Son, the wrath of God abideth on them. They become condemned because they are condemned already, as that is our state, our condition without Christ.

The last days and the coming of Christ are compared to the days of Noah, and we know that great annihilation came upon them, as the waters swelled up and poured down, gushing from the deep, and dropping from the sky rain that was pain. Ever been in a storm where the rain's so heavy it's painful when it hits you? It's as if it was being forcefully thrown down; it stings. I believe the rain of the flood must have been such, for the windows from on high were opened.

Now in the process of composing this message I also did read at random some of the old Preachers, and came across this by Horatius Bonar:
"Has an Elijah stood forth in the midst of us with his word, ‘As the LORD God of Israel liveth…there shall not be dew nor rain these years’ (1Ki 17:1)? Or does Elijah sleep, forgetting to reopen what was shut up? Church of God, thou little flock of Israel, thou people of His possession, thou art as Elijah! Yes, thy voice can call forth clouds of rain. Arise and call upon thy God.”

"Elijah is preëminently the elder of the prophets. The crown, the throne and the scepter are his. His garments are white with flame. He seems exalted in his fiery and prayerful nature, as a being seemingly superhuman, but the New Testament places him alongside of us as man of like nature with us. Instead of placing himself outside the sphere of humanity, in the marvelous results of his praying, it points to him as an example to be imitated and as inspiration to stimulate us. To pray like Elijah, and to have results like Elijah, is the crying need of the times."
Prayer and Praying Men, Rev. Edward M Bounds 1921

Isaiah 66:15-16
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many...

Serious stuff here. Some call it "doom and gloom" preaching. But when a city or a nation is given over to gross sin, God sends prophets to warn, and those warnings will be of judgment: hence, doom and gloom. As Ezekiel received the word he was to speak unto the people:

"Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.
And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.
And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe." (Ezek 2:3-10)

Lamentations, mourning, and woe! Sounds like gloom and doom, and surely it was, for the whole nation had been given over to idolatry and bloodshed: they had turned their backs on Yahweh, the LORD, literally! Ezekiel 8:16 "were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east"

Look how the LORD ordains a prophet and sets him up. He is to stand with boldness, as Elijah did stand against the prophets of Baal:

Jeremiah 1:6-10
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

1:16-19
And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

God said He would send Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. That great day is fast approaching! The nation has not heeded the warnings given it. The call to the prophets is to stand up and proclaim the word given.
Prophecy is not that feel good false stuff in some Charismatic churches that preach prosperity and dominion now theology. They prey on the poor whilst they grow their churches large, and many of the mega-churches are built on the dollars of people in poverty. That's not the gospel, and not the message of Elijah.
We should be seeing a bold witness and testimony to what the LORD is doing, and that He is coming, and will come to judge the quick and the dead, and there should be humility, not pride: for pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Pride, the sin of Lucifer, and the one thing that can wreck a man who is lifted up in it, puffed up and boastful. For the western world is rife with pride, and thus shall be cut down and smitten.

FutureAndAHope · Feb 2, 2024

The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:3-11 has been the subject of debate as to whether it should have been included in the scripture. Due to not appearing in all versions of the original text. I came across something quite interesting when reading the Early Church Fathers.

Papias [A.D. 70-155.] has the credit of association with Polycarp, in the friendship of St. John himself, and of “others who had seen the Lord.” Although only a small fragment of his writing exists one thing that points to the fact that the story of the adulterer may be scripture is his statement:

Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could... And he also gives another story of a woman who was accused of many sins before the Lord, which is to be found in the Gospel according to the Hebrews

This may point to the story in John 8:3-11.

IceJad · Feb 2, 2024

Federal court rules Emergencies Act invocation 'not justified'

The federal government says it plans to appeal a ruling by the Federal Court stating that its use of the Emergencies Act to shut down the so-called Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa two years ago was “not justified.”

www.ctvnews.ca

Well it might be 2 years too late but boy does it taste sweet, bitter sweet. This shows that the government when not put in check always abuses the power given. When later put to the scale is usually found wanting. All the heavy handedness the Canadian truckers and their supporters endured must be ratified with all haste. The Trudeauian government must be subjected to punishment to the fullest extent of the law for the breach of constitutional rights.

Someone must be in jail for this and that someones must be the head and high ranking officers of the Liberal Party of Canada that makes up the administration.

rambot · Feb 2, 2024

Or are details like this just pedantic, tired, and not really representative of the candidate as a whole?

I can see both positions. Personally, I think it is details JUST like this that tell you about priorities.

Yes Trump is willing to "get his hats made for cheaper to save his supporters some cash" (whether his hats are ACTUALLY cheaper, i may just take a look.) Ultimately, Joe's hats employ Americans and contribute to the US economy while Trump's hats....don't.

Part of me feels that if you don't let details like this inform your opinion of people, your discernment is too shallow.

Oh, if it's interesting:
OFFICIAL Trump MAGA hat from the store: $50
The SAME Joe hat as the picture, I could only find at Walmart for 23$
And a comparable hat on Joe's
A typcial hat on Joe's Fundraising website? $32

LOL.
MAGA supporters....you guys know this right?

Oh man....what an interesting topic to explore....There are people selling "OFFICIAL TRUMP 2024 MAGA HATS: California Edition" on ebay for 133$.

Man..it's just all grifters. I saw an interview on the Daily Show a couple years ago where they interviewed a couple of black clothing merchants who sold MAGA stuff. They said it was all dumb and they disagreed with it but they could sell a sweater for 150$ so why not?
Well, a capitalist would argue "that's what the market can withstand...."

Harley. · Feb 2, 2024

I am typing this in a rather frantic state, so be warned, i dont know how clear this will be.

I have spent the last 2 years trying to get my porn addiction under control and I just CANT. I am DAMNING myself due to my weakness. I have tried everything from website blockers to just "manning up" and controlling the urges. Yet nothing works. I developed this addiction in childhood and I am reaping what ive sown now. God has been SO patient with me, and yet I keep failing him! I keep turning away! I want to stop!! But I can't! If I could press a freaking button that would eliminate my sex drive I would hit it in a heartbeat. I don't care about sex, I just want to stop failing God. Please, someone HELP.

timewerx · Feb 2, 2024

I had an interesting day at work today. Sorry if this is the wrong section to post this stuff but I can't seem to find another section for posting apparently supernatural or paranormal occurrences on the mundane, day-to-day parts of our lives.

I was going to work on a job requirement outlined in a document only to realize I already completed the requirement.

I checked the dates and I completed the requirement two weeks before the requirement was sent to me in document! :scratch:

I checked the same but older version document at the same time I finished the requirement but the requirement was not there in the document. My boss never let me work on anything that is not on the document. Even if we verbally talked about it.

In fact, I made a record of our last call before I completed the requirement and still, no mention of those requirements.

What's more, I only remember bits and fragments of doing any work on that anomalous work requirement. Ironically, I did dream about working on that requirement when I took a short nap in the afternoon yesterday.

Well, I'm not complaining because a lot of time was shaved off the work and my boss is happy that I promptly delivered. Otherwise, I have absolutely no memory how I completed the requirement.

This is really weird that I completed a work requirement two weeks before I was given the requirement. I never do such thing at least in our current work arrangement to take initiative in adding features to a work without documentation. Even my bluetooth headset started acting weird and the music just keeps skipping in time.

Joseph G · Feb 2, 2024

Over the last 2 years I have developed several serious diseases. I have received prayer from my pastor, a deacon, my best friend in Christ and my family. One disease was diverted through surgery, others are being managed well through medication. I give God thanks daily.

However the most frightening symptoms have eluded the doctors and grown progressively worse. I have been to countless specialists and endured every conceivable test, including a bone marrow biopsy. All without a clear diagnosis or treatment, much less a cure. They are stumped.

Quite frankly, I can't escape the conclusion now that my time is short. I am that ill. I've only shared that conclusion with my best friend. I've debated for months about sharing this request here and how much to share. After all, how many people can you ask for prayer before you trust that God hears you and that His perfect will shall be accomplished - healing or no?

All I can say is that I am just feeling led to finally. I can certainly say that I have confidence that it is a wise move because I've been reading your prayers for months and am convinced that they are effective. A blessing that I have received is that I've seen the burdens that you bear yet you give God praise anyway. That has greatly encouraged me to do likewise.

So there it is. But if you'll indulge me, I would also like to offer a bit of praise and encouragement.

While the last 2 years have been a trial physically I have simultaneously experienced the presence of God more deeply than ever before. He has graciously touched me in the deepest part of my being - revealing the depths of His love and the absolute BRILLIANCE of His greater will. And the utter reliability of His promises. He has healed my spirit in ways I can't even express. I have never felt so alive spiritually. Every day I find something in this walk that gives me true joy. I have found this experience to be a tremendous gift because I know I can testify to my brothers and sisters in Christ the following in all sincerity:

2 Corinthians 4:15-16 NIV

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."

As a result, I would like to ask most of all that you pray for me what I pray for all of us - that He would grant us the privilege of planting just ONE more seed for His kingdom. I find more joy in that than anything.

Thank you.

Michael Snow · Feb 2, 2024

Christian Flat-Earthers commit the cardinal sin of hubris.

They break the Great commandment to “Love the Lord your God...with all your mind.”--Matthew 22:37

They break the ninth commandment. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor"--Exodus 20

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”--Matthew 13:13

“Every fact is to be confirmed by the Testimony of two or three witnesses.”--2 Corinthians 13

They slander faithful witnesses by making them out to be liars.

February 1st, marks the anniversary since COLUMBIA Broke Up after Re-entry.

Columbia was our first shuttle. STS-1 in 1981, Twenty-eight missions in all.

After first seven flights it flew at least once a year, some years 2x, twice 3x, from 1989 -1999

Then 1 more flight in 2002 and the final launch in 2003.

That tragedy and the funerals left seven families and the nation grieving. But Christian Flat-Earthers try to turn this into an Alex Jones, Sandy Hook moment. Truly despicable. Truly sin. This disregard for Christian ethics calls for repentance.

Tens of Thousands of people have watched the launches of Columbia and of the other four shuttles. Thousands more have watched them land. Thousands have watched the launches of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. The International Space Station (ISS) celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Over 200 people from more than a dozen countries have lived on the ISS.

Twenty-four men have made the journey to the Moon. The minds and hands of thousands of people made that possible. Twelve men have walked on the Moon, among them this faithful brother in Christ, Charlie Duke, a faithful witness.
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rockytopva · Feb 2, 2024

If E = mc2 then we can divide and conclude that...

Mass (m) = Energy (E/c2) --- Making this eternal stuff

And there are three varieties...

Natural E/c2 - All mass is basically cooled plasma --- And bang! Back to plasma!
Mental E/c2 - Mentally, A mathematical formula, and a mind to study these things
Spiritual E/c2 - E (motivation, warmth, love) / c2 (faith, hope, charity, joy)

Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? - Isaiah 40:13

Even if we could... What could we do with basic silica sand save make sand castles? And even then we would have to exist in a perfected environment to do so!

R.Weeks79 · Feb 2, 2024

I keep reading stories of abusive mothers or fathers and yeah you got some abusive moms. And then I read about the child protecting there parents. My mom had a bad relationship. She put up with it while she was trying to get out. The man my mom was with made the mistake of hitting me and blackening my eye. My mom got home from work and my mom called her brother who is now a retired army ranger. I got up next moring and mom is holding a very big knife in her hand, she wakes her ex up and has the knife were know guy wants a knife and she pointed out to him that everyone has to sleep sometime. About 5 minutes later my uncle showed up and he grabed him threw him out in the yard and beat the heck out of him. My uncle let him get his stuff and said my mom has a month to find a place and he better disapear. My Uncle also said if came back or cause trouble that my Uncle would make him disapear permantly.

The point of the story is my mom protected me. She did her job as a parent. It is a parents job to protect there children and if they can not do that they do not need to be parents

linux.poet · Feb 2, 2024

Please pray for that family:

1. My uncle was living with my grandmother when she died. They lived in a remote part of the world, and he has type 2 diabetes and is struggling with impaired vision. (Last I saw he was wearing two sets of glasses.) Please pray that the Lord would provide financially, medically, and emotionally for him, and guidance for his family and friends as they arrange that support.

He is not a believer, so also pray for his salvation, and that the Lord may provide opportunities for my mother and her sister to witness to him.

2. My aunt is in the hospital with gallbladder problems. She has type 1 diabetes and is perpetually in and out of the hospital. Please pray for enough healing for my aunt that she may be able to attend her own mother’s funeral and help with the first situation. She is a believer in Christ.

3. Pray for wisdom and emotional support for my mom and dad as they plan to help and attend the funeral.

R.Weeks79 · Feb 2, 2024

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"Social media made y'all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it." -Mike Tyson and I say dang strait.

When I was a child if I spit on a cop my mom would not have not had a problem with the cop for smacking me, she would have thendroppeed my pants and blistered my butt in front of everyone. In the quest to protect children from abuse we know protect them from simple discipline. and its not working.

Xeno.of.athens · Feb 2, 2024

quoting from The Faith of our Fathers:

By unity is meant that the members of the true Church must be united in the belief of the same doctrines of revelation, and in the acknowledgment of the authority of the same pastors. Heresy and schism are opposed to Christian unity. By heresy, a man rejects one or more articles of the Christian faith. By schism, he spurns the authority of his spiritual superiors. That our Savior requires this unity of faith and government in His members is evident from various passages of Holy Writ. In His admirable prayer immediately before His passion He says: “I pray for them also who through their word shall believe in Me; that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me,”16 because the unity of the Church is the most luminous evidence of the Divine mission of Christ. Jesus prayed that His followers may be united in the bond of a common faith, as He and His Father are united in essence, and certainly the prayer of Jesus is always heard.

St. Paul ranks schism and heresy with the crimes of murder and idolatry, and he declares that the authors of sects shall not possess the Kingdom of God.17 He also addresses a letter to the Ephesians from his prison in Rome, and if the words of the Apostle should always command our homage, with how much reverence are they to be received when he writes in chains from the Imperial City! In this Epistle he insists upon unity of faith in the following emphatic language: “Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; one body and one Spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.”18 As you all, he says, worship one God, and not many gods; as you acknowledge the same Divine Mediator of redemption, and not many mediators; as you are sanctified by the same Divine Spirit, and not by many spirits; as you all hope for the same heaven, and not different heavens, so must you all profess the same faith.

Unity of government is not less essential to the Church of Christ than unity of doctrine. Our Divine Saviour never speaks of His Churches, but of His Church. He does not say: “Upon this rock I will build my Churches,” but “upon this rock I will build My Church,”19 from which words we must conclude that it never was His intention to establish or to sanction various conflicting denominations, but one corporate body, with all the members united under one visible Head; for as the Church is a visible body, it must have a visible head.

The Church is called a kingdom: “He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”20 Now in every well-regulated kingdom there is but one king, one form of government, one uniform body of laws, which all are obliged to observe. In like manner, in Christ's spiritual kingdom, there must be one Chief to whom all owe spiritual allegiance; one form of ecclesiastical government; one uniform body of laws which all Christians are bound to observe; for, “every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate.”21

Our Savior calls His Church a sheepfold. “And there shall be made one fold and one shepherd.”22 What more beautiful or fitting illustration of unity can we have than that which is suggested by a sheepfold? All the sheep of a flock cling together. If they are momentarily separated, they are impatient till reunited. They follow in the same path. They feed on the same pastures. They obey the same shepherd, and fly from the voice of strangers. So did our Lord intend that all the sheep of His fold should be nourished by the same sacraments and the same bread of life; that they should follow the same rule of faith as their guide to heaven; that they should listen to the voice of one Chief Pastor, and that they should carefully shun false teachers.

prayingforhelp86 · Feb 2, 2024

Hi all. I grew up in the Catholic church but as I got older I grew distant from my faith. I'm currently going through a very difficult season in my life and that has found me rediscover my faith and I feel closer to God than I ever have. I'm feeling very excited today. As I was praying this morning and asking God to help me, I felt the Holy Spirit during my prayers for the first time that I can remember. It was an amazing feeling and really what I think I needed right now. While I still see a lot of difficult days ahead, for the first time in several years I feel like I can make it through with His help.

orbiter · Feb 2, 2024

Peace in Christ.

The children of this current evil age (not “world”) “marry” and are given in marriage.

This is like the saying that they are “married to the job”…only it applies to people who “marry” their churches and their church teachings, commandments of men, etc.

It is a “strange wife” that the children of this age are married to where there is only death. There is no age-lasting life of Jesus found among the churches of men where they are deceptively teaching many strange teachings that only lead to death. They do not preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ among them that are perishing away in their mortal bodies to the grave. We must not be joined together with them or we are then "one flesh" with them in their mortal destruction of the body.

Luke 20:34-36
(34) And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world (AGE) marry, and are given in marriage:

But those who are accounted worthy to obtain the AGE that is coming are resurrected from OUT of the dead ones.

They hear His voice and awaken and depart from the dead churches….from the dead people where there is no age-lasting (eternal) life.
They are resurrected OUT from among the “dead” people of the churches of men.

They will continue to live here in this age (in their mortal bodies) until the coming age as they will then have the "eternal" (age-lasting) life of Jesus.

(35) But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world (AGE), and the resurrection from (OUT) the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Neither can they die any more as they will have taken hold of “eternal life”….that is, an age-lasting life in this present evil age. They will be accounted worthy to live (have an age-lasting life) to the coming age.

They are equal unto the “angels”….messengers…for they preach the true good news that comes down from Heaven.

(36) Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

These are they which are not defiled with “women”…..that is, WIVES. They are redeemed among men. They leave the dead churches of men where there is no life.

Rev 14:4-5 KJV
(4) These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth is found no “guile”….no decoy “Jesus”. They preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ and not “another jesus” and another “gospel” that we all are currently hearing in every "church" gathering.

(5) And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

His wisdom shall deliver us from the “strange woman”.

Pro 2:10-22 KJV
(10) When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
(11) Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
(12) To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
(13) Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
(14) Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
(15) Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
(16) To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
(17) Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

Her “house” inclines unto death and her paths unto the dead.

(18) For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

NONE that go unto “her” return again neither do they take hold of an age-lasting life. They do not go in right direction but the broad way that leads to their mortal death.

(19) None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
(20) That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

The upright shall dwell in the “land”….that is, the earth….and the complete shall remain in it but the wicked shall be cut off from the earth and transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

(21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
(22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Those who go to the churches of men are perishing away in their mortal bodies to the grave.

2Co 2:15-17 KJV
(15) For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
(16) To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

They are listening to the MANY who “corrupt”…that is, retail…the word of God. They are not hearing the true good news of Christ.

(17) For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Xeno.of.athens · Feb 2, 2024

Quoted from The Faith of our Fathers by Cardinal Gibbons:

The Supremacy Of The Popes.

The Church did not die with Peter. It was destined to continue till the end of time; consequently, whatever official prerogatives were conferred on Peter were not to cease at his death, but were to be handed down to his successors from generation to generation. The Church is in all ages as much in need of a Supreme Ruler as it was in the days of the Apostles. Nay, more; as the Church is now more widely diffused than it was then, and is ruled by frailer men, it is more than ever in need of a central power to preserve its unity of faith and uniformity of discipline.

Whatever privileges, therefore, were conferred on Peter which may be considered essential to the government of the Church are inherited by the Bishops of Rome, as successors of the Prince of the Apostles; just as the constitutional powers given to George Washington have devolved on the present incumbent of the Presidential chair.

Peter, it is true, besides the prerogatives inherent in his office, possessed also the gift of inspiration and the power of working miracles. These two latter gifts are not claimed by the Pope, as they were personal to Peter and by no means essential to the government of the Church. God acts toward His Church as we deal with a tender sapling. When we first plant it we water it and soften the clay about its roots. But when it takes deep root we leave it to the care of Nature's laws. In like manner, when Christ first planted His Church He nourished its infancy by miraculous agency; but when it grew to be a tree of fair proportions He left it to be governed by the general laws of His Providence.

From what I have said you can easily infer that the arguments in favor of Peter's Primacy have equal weight in demonstrating the supremacy of the Popes.

As the present question, however, is a subject of vast importance, I shall endeavor to show, from incontestable historical evidence, that the Popes have always, from the days of the Apostles, continued to exercise supreme jurisdiction not only in the Western Church till the Reformation, but also throughout the Eastern Church till the great schism of the ninth century.

First—Take the question of appeals. An appeal is never made from a superior to an inferior court, nor even from one court to another of co-ordinate jurisdiction. We do not appeal from Washington to Richmond, but from Richmond to Washington. Now, if we find the See of Rome from the foundation of Christianity entertaining and deciding cases of appeal from the Oriental churches; if we find that her decision was final and irrevocable, we must conclude that the supremacy of Rome over all the churches is an undeniable fact.

Let me give you a few illustrations:

To begin with Pope St. Clement, who was the third successor of St. Peter, and who is laudably mentioned by St. Paul in one of his Epistles. Some dissension and scandal having occurred in the church of Corinth, the matter is brought to the notice of Pope Clement. He at once exercises his supreme authority by writing letters of remonstrance and admonition to the Corinthians. And so great was the reverence entertained for these Epistles by the faithful of Corinth that, for a century later, it was customary to have them publicly read in their churches. Why did the Corinthians appeal to Rome, far away in the West, and not to Ephesus, so near home in the East, where the Apostle St. John still lived? Evidently because the jurisdiction of Ephesus was local, while that of Rome was universal.

About the year 190 the question regarding the proper day for celebrating Easter was agitated in the East, and referred to Pope St. Victor I. The Eastern Church generally celebrated Easter on the day on which the Jews kept the Passover, while in the West it was observed then, as it is now, on the first Sunday after the full moon of the vernal equinox. St. Victor directs the Eastern churches, for the sake of uniformity, to conform to the practice of the West, and his instructions are universally followed.

St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was martyred in 258.

From his appeals to Pope St. Cornelius and to Pope St. Stephen, especially on the subject of baptism, from his writings and correspondence, as well as from the whole tenor of his administration, it is quite evident that Cyprian, as well as the African Episcopate, upheld the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome.

Dionysius, Bishop of Rome, about the middle of the third century, having heard that the Patriarch of Alexandria erred on some points of faith, demands an explanation of the suspected Prelate, who, in obedience to his superior, promptly vindicates his own orthodoxy.

St. Athanasius, the great patriarch of Alexandria, appeals in the fourth century to Pope Julius I. from an unjust decision rendered against him by the Oriental Bishops, and the Pope168 reverses the sentence of the Eastern Council.

St. Basil, Archbishop of Cæsarea, in the same century has recourse in his afflictions to the protection of Pope Damasus.

St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople, appeals in the beginning of the fifth century to Pope Innocent I. for a redress of grievances inflicted on him by several Eastern Prelates, and by the Empress Eudoxia of Constantinople.

St. Cyril appeals to Pope Celestine against Nestorius; Nestorius, also, appeals to the same Pontiff, who takes the side of Cyril.

In a Synod held in 444, St. Hilary, Archbishop of Arles, in Gaul, deposed Celidonius, Bishop of Besancon, on the ground of an alleged canonical impediment to his consecration. The Bishop appealed to the Holy See, and both he and the Metropolitan personally repaired to Rome, to submit their cause to the judgment of Pope Leo the Great. After a careful investigation, the Pontiff declared the sentence of the Synod invalid, revoked the censure, and restored the deposed Prelate to his See.

The same Pontiff also rebuked Hilary for having irregularly deposed Projectus from his See.

The judicial authority of the Pope is emphasized from the circumstance that Hilary was not an arrogant or a rebellious churchman, but an edifying and a zealous Prelate. He is revered by the whole Church as a canonized Saint, and after his death, Leo refers to him as Hilary of happy memory.

Theodoret, the illustrious historian and Bishop of Cyrrhus, is condemned by the pseudo-council of Ephesus in 449, and appeals to Pope Leo in the following touching language: “I await the decision of your Apostolic See, and I supplicate your Holiness to succor me, who invoke your righteous and just tribunal; and to order me to hasten to you, and to explain to you my teaching, which follows the steps of the Apostles.... I beseech you not to scorn my application. Do not slight my gray hairs.... Above all, I entreat you to teach me whether to put up with this unjust deposition or not; for I await your sentence. If you bid me rest in what has been determined against me, I will rest, and will trouble no man more. I will look for the righteous judgment of our God and Savior. To me, as Almighty God is my Judge, honor and glory are no object, but only the scandal that has been caused; for many of the simpler sort, especially those whom I have rescued from diverse heresies, considering the See which has condemned me, suspect that perhaps I really am a heretic, being incapable themselves of distinguishing accuracy of doctrine.”169 Leo declared the deposition invalid and Theodoret was restored to his See.

John, Abbot of Constantinople, appeals from the decision of the Patriarch of that city to Pope St. Gregory I., who reverses the sentence of the Patriarch.

Jim1995 · Feb 2, 2024

Hey there,

About a year ago, I became a believer in Christ after being heavily involved in New Age practices and self-development for 5-6 years. The transition was tough, as I experienced nightmares and some friends and family distanced themselves from me. It felt like my whole world was turned upside down. One of the first things I focused on was working on my ego, dying to self, and becoming a new creation in Christ. After a few months, I delved into Bible studies, immersed myself in the Word, and sought to understand its relevance to my life. I let go of self-help, meditation, hypnotherapy, and subliminals for power.

Gradually, I began rebuilding myself with Christ, incorporating practices like cold showers, fitness, red light therapy, and nootropics to improve myself. Unfortunately, I fell back into listening to subliminal tracks to make myself smarter and more driven. The nightmares returned, and I sensed a negative change within me. I realized that this was not good; I was trying to change myself through my own efforts. Subliminals, in particular, led me astray as their content can quickly become adulterated and unknown. I repented but still don't feel great about it. The challenge is that I'm a teacher and mental coach. I've always believed in the need to understand and help oneself in order to improve. However, my faith teaches me to rely entirely on Jesus and use the Bible as the path to growth.

I struggle with not reverting back to the self-help trend, which I genuinely enjoy. I've always been drawn to the idea of self-improvement. However, like most self-help practices, it's rooted in not feeling enough and constantly striving to be better. On the other hand, God created us to create, work, and improve ourselves. it feels like 90-95% is good, but that 5% is rooted in evil. It changes very fast into visualisation, manifestation, etc. etc.

How do you guys navigate this? Especially for those who were part of the self-help community before coming to Christ. Do you have any tips or advice? I find it incredibly challenging to reconcile faith with worldly things. It almost feels impossible to me.

Kind Regards,

Jim

Christsfreeservant · Feb 1, 2024

“Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;

there is no fear of God

before his eyes.

For he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

He plots trouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in a way that is not good;

he does not reject evil.” (Psalms 36:1-4 ESV)

Sadly this is not speaking only of those who have never made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. This is speaking largely, as well, of many who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who attend weekly gatherings of the church (or of the false church) and who believe that when they die that they are going to go to heaven. For many of them have put their trust in a diluted and altered gospel message of human origin which promises them forgiveness of all sins and heaven when they die, but regardless of how they live. But that is not biblical faith nor is it the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught.

So, if these first four verses describe the kind of life that you are now living, and sin is your practice, and obedience to the Lord and holy living are not your practice, please know that the Scriptures teach that you are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ, you do not know God, and you are not born of God, but you are of the devil. And although you profess faith in Jesus Christ you will not inherit eternal life with him because obedience to God is not your practice, but sin is your practice. So you take God’s grace to you for granted, and you do not take his words seriously, so you don’t reject evil.

[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; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O Lord.” (Psalms 36:5-6 ESV)

Now, in contrast to the wicked who make sin their practice and who do not obey the commandments of God, in practice, our God is faithful in all that he does, and in all that he says, and in all that he promises and warns us about, too. He is true to who he says he is and to all that he says that he will do. And his whole purpose in sending Jesus Christ to that cross to die for our sins was to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now walk in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, in faithful surrender to him and to his will for our lives (see Romans 6:1-23).

And so he let us know in advance that if we choose to not obey him, and if we choose to continue in sin, in deliberate and habitual sin, that we should not expect that he will receive us into his heaven. He will not! But he will say to all who called him, “Lord,” but who did not do what he said, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (see Matthew 7:21-23). For he told us that if we want to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God (see Luke 9:23-26).

“Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen;

they are thrust down, unable to rise.” (Psalms 36:10-12 ESV)

God’s steadfast love and faithfulness is for all who know him. But if we say that we know God, but we do not obey him, in practice, we are liars who do not live by the truth (1 John 2:3-6). And if we claim to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ, but we still walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:5-10). For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, we are not born of God, and we do not have eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in him we profess. For it is not lip service, but obedience and righteous living that God requires of us (1 John 3:4-10).

So, those who know the Lord are those who have died with him to sin, and who are continuing to die to sin, in practice, and who are walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living, in practice. For it is those who make righteousness their practice who are righteous in the eyes of the Lord, not those who merely make a profession of him as Lord and as Savior. For the upright in heart are those who are walking in moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness to the Lord, who humbly serve the Lord Jesus with their lives, and who do not plot evil on their beds, but who honor Christ with their lives.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas O. Chisholm / William M. Runyan

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

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returntosender · Feb 2, 2024

I thought maybe we all could post our experiences, thoughts, tips and tricks in dealing with it. Even questions.
Maybe together a breakthrough.
Not to take away from the prayer wall thread.
Please share experiences

Christsfreeservant · Feb 2, 2024

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-8 ESV)

I find it interesting that even back in Paul’s day there were men, apparently, who were proclaiming the testimony of God with lofty (haughty, arrogant) speech and lofty (prideful, snooty) wisdom, which appears to be the implication in Paul’s words in stating that he was not like that. And chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians appears to support that, as well. For what is important is not how talented and gifted a speaker (preacher) might be in presenting the gospel, but it is how truthful and sincere and humble he might be in speaking the truth in love, even if the truth offends some people.

For we have many gifted and talented speakers today who are not speaking the truth of the gospel, but who have huge followings because they know how to say things in such a way as to draw large crowds to themselves. For they are smooth-talkers and charmers and entertainers who know how to persuade people to follow them and their teachings. Some of them are not particularly charming, though, but may use other manipulative means to persuade people to believe them and to follow them and their teachings. For they are wolves in sheep’s clothing pretending to be sheep, but not.

But Paul’s focus was on speaking the truth of the gospel, not in trying to charm people and in trying to get people to like him. His focus was on getting the truth to them, the whole counsel of God, and nothing altered or diluted that would appeal to and appease human flesh. And so he taught that Jesus died on that cross so that we would be crucified with him in death to sin, and so we would be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And he taught if sin is what we obey it will lead to death, not to life eternal.

Now Paul stated that he approached what he did, not in pride, and not in arrogance, and not in lofty speech and wisdom, but in a demonstration of the Spirit of God and of the power and wisdom of God. And he did so in weakness and in fear and much trembling. What do you think he meant by that? Well, based on my own experiences and on what I read of his, I would say that he was describing the kind of life we will live if we have the same approach to the preaching of the gospel as he did. For we will be rejected, hated, cast aside, unwanted, and even falsely accused of wrongdoing.

And he did and said what he did and said, in the manner in which he did and said them, so that our faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. And this is essential that we get this truth. For so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ today are relying heavily on the teachings of human beings and they are not adequately testing what they are being taught against the Scriptures in their context. For so many will accept the message if it feels good regardless of whether or not it is truth. And that is a very sad present day reality that needs to change.

But what Paul stated is where we all need to be. We should be those who are diligent in making certain, to the best of our understanding, that what we are teaching is the truth of the Scriptures, in context. This is not saying that we are going to get everything perfect every time, but that we should show due diligence in making sure that what we are teaching is the truth and not the lies that so many people are teaching today. For they are taking the Scriptures out of their context and they are twisting them to make them say the opposite of what they say in context.

But so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are ignorant of what the Scriptures teach, and not all of them are because they just haven’t been taught the truth. Many are willfully ignorant by ignoring the Scriptures they don’t like, and that teach them the full gospel message, because they prefer the lies, because the lies do not demand that they die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness. The lies give them permission to keep on in their deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord while promising them salvation from sin and eternal life with God guaranteed. But the lies end in death.

[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; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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daq · Feb 2, 2024

Paul is not overturning the Torah, rather, he no longer recognizes the authority of the rulers of the people in his day. I understand that this is not something MJ's are prone to hear, but it is surely the case. Paul teaches the new Way of understanding the Torah taught by the Teacher of Righteousness whose Testimony we now read in the Gospel accounts and his Gospel is no different from that Testimony. Some of these things may seem to be verging on the offensive to some MJ's, but please know that any offense is not what is intended herein, rather, the goal is to present the truth as straightforwardly and precisely as possible, without watering anything down to the point of trying to hide or avoid what may be considered unpleasant to some who may happen to read what is presented herein.

With that said, I have labeled this thread MJ Only because there is a companion thread in the "Sabbath and the Law" Board. If you are not an MJ, but wish to discuss or debate the material herein, you are free to respond at the following link:

Handwritten Dogmas and the Letter (Sabbath and the Law Forum Board).

The following translator understands the following passage quite well, even to the point that it is the Body of Meshiah which is to judge regarding what is mentioned in the text, meaning that the word order, (which is not all that important in Greek, but more critical in English translations), is not properly rendered in most if not all English translations. The phrase, "the Body of Meshiah" is more properly placed at the beginning of verse sixteen. This is why so many translators find the need to either add to this statement or change the meaning of soma from body to substance: for it does not read properly in English without adding to it or redefining words so as to make sense of it, and the reason why is because it does not belong where it is generally placed in English translations, (the end of verse seventeen).

Colossians 2:13-22 TS2009 W/Footnotes
13 And you, being dead in your trespassesc and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, Footnote: cEph 2:1.
14 having blotted out that which was written by hand against us – by the dogmasd – which stood against us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the stake. Footnote: dDogmas - also see Col 2:20 and Eph 2:15.
15 Having stripped the principalities and the authorities, He made a public display of them, having prevailed over them in it.
16 Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths –
17 which are a shadow of what is to come – but the Body of the Messiah.e Footnote: eThe Body of Messiah is to give ruling on all matters, not the outsiders! See also Mat 18:15-20.
18 Let no one deprive you of the prize, one who takes delight in false humility and worship of messengers, taking his stand on what he has not seen, puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the Body – nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments – grows with the growth of Elohim.
20 If, then, you died with Messiah from the elementary mattersf of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to dogmas:d Footnotes: dDogmas - also see Col 2:14 and Eph 2:15. fSee Col 2:8 and Gal 4:3 and Gal 4:9.
21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” –
22 which are all to perish with use – according to the commands and teachings of men?g Isa 29:13. Footnote: gSee also Mat 15:8-9, Mar 7:6-7.

The translator footnote for verse seventeen rightly says that it is the Body of Meshiah that is to rule on all matters, not outsiders: but it appears that the translator misses one thing, that is, the meaning of "the Body of Meshiah" in this context, and almost no doubt the Body of Meshiah in this context concerns the Tanak Body of the Meshiah because he is the Word. The Tanak Body of Meshiah was raised up in Matthew 27:51-53, and entered into the holy city, which means Yerushalem of above, not Yerushalem of below, (see Hebrews 12:22-24).

Thus it is the Torah, Prophets, and Writings, the Tanak Body of Meshiah, which is to be our judge in the matters mentioned in that portion of the text above where this is mentioned. If therefore we correct the word order, as it appears to be meant in the Greek text, it should read and be rendered in the following manner.

Colossians 2:13-22
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 having blotted out the handwriting in dogmas that were against us, which were contrary to us: and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the stake:
15 having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no one but the body of Meshiah therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new month or the Shabbat:
17 which are a shadow of the things to come.
18 Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary humility and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increases with the increase of Elohim.
20 If you died with Meshiah from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to dogmas,
21 Handle not, Taste not, Touch not,
22 (all of which things are to perish with the using), after the commandments and doctrines of men?

Nowhere in the scripture is the Torah ever called dogmas, and Paul explains at the end of the portion above that he speaks of the commandments and teachings or doctrines of men: that is surely not speaking of the Torah. However dogma does appear in the Septuagint, and is always used for edicts, decrees, dogmas, and proclamations from kings and rulers. In the sense of the Colossians passage herein above it is no doubt the rulers of the people, the Sanhedrin, Elders, Chief Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, and their handwritten dogmas and decrees which were against the people, and contrary to us all: for their interpretations of the Torah were based on a natural minded, outward, and physical understanding of the Torah, which we know from Romans 7:14 is spiritual, just as Elohim Himself is Spirit, (John 4:24), so His Word is Spirit, and likewise the Testimony of the Meshiah is Spirit, (John 6:63).

The handwritten dogmas and decrees of the Sanhedrin, Elders, Chief Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, which were binding upon the whole nation, and which were contrary and against the people, are the same "letter" which Paul says kills.

The letter which kills is not the Torah. The letter which kills concerns the handwritten dogmas of the Sanhedrin, Elders, Chief Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, which Paul speaks about in Colossians 2:14. Meshiah indeed triumphed over them and their carnal minded rulings, dogmas, and decrees, all over the place in the Gospel accounts for all to see: making a show of them and their hypocrisy openly before all the people, which is one of the main reasons why the rulers of the people had him killed.

Vambram · Feb 2, 2024

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Egypt, and Ethiopia are joining BRICS.
How will this alliance impact the world?

Veni · Feb 1, 2024

An animal cannot choose the path of celibacy or refrain from eating (fasting). Only a man can choose this path.

When we refrain from eating or choose the path of celibacy, our soul is in control of our flesh. Is this proof a man has a soul?

Is it safe to say,
Fasting & the path of Celibacy will destroy all sin.

Do we see this in the Gospel?

LoricaLady · Feb 1, 2024

Feb. 01, 2024 | Iran
Pastor Faces 20-Year Sentence
[11] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Pastor Avedian.

On Sept. 18, 2023, Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, who is 61 years old with a wife and two children, was summoned by police to Evin prison to begin a 10-year prison sentence. Pastor Avedian was arrested on Aug. 21, 2020, when approximately 30 security agents raided his home while family and friends gathered to pray and worship. The group met in his home because the government closed their church several years earlier. Government agents confiscated Bibles and mobile phones, taking Pastor Avedian and two Christian converts to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Read More.
Feb. 01, 2024 | Nepal
SD Cards, Daughter's Healing Bring Family to Faith
[7] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Manju and family.

When Manju's husband became a follower of Christ, Manju and their children were very opposed to his faith and berated him to abandon it. But in May 2023, a pastor asked her to watch a film about Jesus. He installed a memory card with several videos on her phone. The family began to watch these films, calling the pastor to explain parts they did not understand. Manju invited the pastor to her house one day. While he was there, 14-year-old Sharda was watching one of the videos by herself when she experienced a demonic attack. Read More.
Feb. 01, 2024 | Nigeria
Teens Traumatized by Islamist Violence Attend Camp
[6] prayers in [1] nation have been posted for Nigeria Teens.

Front-line workers recently held a camp for teenagers from several different areas across Nigeria where militant Fulani Muslims and Boko Haram militants have slaughtered thousands of Christians. Each teen in attendance during the camp had lost one or both parents in Islamist attacks. Some of the young people continue to live in areas where militant attacks are common. Read More.

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Locked

Flat-Earth, Slander, and Christian Ethics

The Supremacy Of The Popes.

Feb. 01, 2024 | Iran

Pastor Faces 20-Year Sentence

Feb. 01, 2024 | Nepal

SD Cards, Daughter's Healing Bring Family to Faith

Feb. 01, 2024 | Nigeria

Teens Traumatized by Islamist Violence Attend Camp