This appeal was posted on Facebook by a dear friend of mine who is a former convert and now an OCA priest. He ministers in Williamsport PA. I know him and trust him.

Please consider helping this priest to get out of his situation.

First thing Amillennialists have said to me that doesn't fit: Isaiah 2 is about this current age, not a future age, or they may say it's about the eternal state, I've heard both from Amillenialists.

Isaiah 2

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

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Now first off this can't be the eternal state, because as we'll see it conflicts with Jeremiah 31 which I'll discuss later as the 2nd thing. This is a period of time where people will make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to learn about the Lord, Jeremiah 31 has no more teaching about the Lord because everyone will already know all about Him.

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

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Obviously this is not this current age, they're talking about nations not the church before someone claims it's within the church..
it isn't the eternal state because the new earth they never will have had weapons to refashion into other tools.

and next.. Jeremiah 31

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

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and I've heard Amillennialists say this is fulfilled now, but the great commission absolutely trainwrecks this idea because the Lord is talking about a future where evangelism won't be happening because everyone will already have been evangelized. It can ONLY be the eternal state. Why do amillennialists claim this is now?

Both Isaiah 2 and Jeremiah 31 are not this current age
and they can't be the same age simultaneously as the eternal state/new earth.

Isaiah 2 fits a Millennial Kingdom on Earth, and Jeremiah 31 fits an eternal state on a new earth. But they contradict if applied to the same age, and neither fit this age at all.

This is watercolor. Just playing around with a new look. It's based on the Caravaggio painting 'David with the head of Goliath' where Caravaggio based Goliath on himself. Should I keep going or is it better deliberately unfinished? It seems to have a lot of impact as is in the more abstract state.

I was brought up in a secular Jewish family in Russia, so religion wasn't something that was in my mind a lot. In fact, religion was limitted to passover celebrations. Outside of that, I didn't think much about it.

So one of those days, when I was around 12, there was an article in the secular newspaper about 10 commandments: just introduce them to people. So my grandpa sat me down to read them to me. Not any specific point. Just a nice thing to read to a kid I guess. And when he read the commandment love your neighbor, I took it literally, as in love specifically my neighbor. Except that in Russian it doesn't read as "neighbor", it reads "the person close to you". So I understood it as in I am to love my family or something similar. But then my grandfather clarified to me that it means I am to love everyone. And I asked him "why are you saying everyone, if it says the person close to you?" He responded "by the person close to you, it means any person, since you should regard any person as close to you". And I was like how are we supposed to know it? If it wants us to believe everyone is close to us, why doesn't it say so?

Fast forward many years. I wasn't thinking back to this conversation up till now. Instead, I just used to the idea that this commandment says to love everyone, and was taking it this way. And for the most part everyone takes it that way too. Even the people to whom it is inconvenient, they would use the "hate the sin love the sinner" line, since they still assume that somehow that commandment applies to all people rather than some. I think there were VERY few times when I heard some Christian say that not everyone is your neighbor. But those times were very few, indeed. And that would typically be some Christian at the fringe. And I would assume they are twisting the words to suit their own "hateful" agendas.

But now that I remember this conversation with my grandpa back when I was little, I realize: its not them who twists the words, its everyone else who does. Because when I was 12 year old, I didn't have any agenda. In fact, like I said, religion wasn't anything I ever thought about. But taking "love your neighbor" to mean as "only" people closest to you was my own, natural, way to understand it. So who is doing the twisting here?

The devil is in charge of this world until Jesus saves us. Perhaps his evil has penetrated and continues to penetrate Western Society. Is he really the cause of the turmoil in our country? Can we as Americans, in a day of prayer, pray to the Eternal for our country's sins of not following the Commandments of God? 2nd Corinthians 4-4, Revelation 12-9-thru17, also Ephesians2-2.

The co-founder of a fundraising group linked to Steve Bannon that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern U.S. border was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors.

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It is unfortunate that the decorated Air Force veteran got involved in this.

A tansgender lawmaker says they are fighting for democracy in Montana over a bill that the votes didn't go their way. Sorry but that is true democracy.

A couple views on atonement and what it might mean to us.

How West and East take it different directions.

The last few years I have been astounded at the bad management decisions of Woke Hollywood and other similar places (The British series Doctor Who has done the same stuff). The Bad management from Disney with the Star Wars franchise another Biggy where I think, your average fan who grew up with the franchise, loves the Lore and Basic story setting and wants to make something that other similar fans would like would have done a vastly better job than Kathleen Kenedy did. And then came the Rings of Power... that seemed to set new precedents for spending train loads of money on Woken content, ignoring and deliberately mocking the established fans as a form of viral marketing...


Well if you follow entertainment News things with the Rings of Power were worse than anybody ever realized. It wasn't just that the Show Runners built a show that violated common sense, and basic customer service principles.... they really went out of their way to hire expensive market research., but ignored all the warnings. They actually told the market research company, that they were redefining the success criteria, and that their goals were more important than other success benchmarks. After that they looked for other market research companies on the West Coast that would give them results that matched closer to what they wanted in the first place, to give them rationalization to continue to develop their project until we eventually got the masterpiece that we got.


Only 37% of the Rings of power audience that started watching the Show continued and finished it. And there is no telling how many were "hate watching" to write content reviews for the columns, blogs, YouTube channels etc., or maybe watching it for the unintentional Mystery Science Theater 3000 style humor.


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Video Talk

Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV


I read this whole section to get the context, but I am going to focus my attention here on just verse 14:


Now, the Lord put in mind a picture of a teeter-totter (See-Saw) which is a recreational object (piece of equipment) found on some children’s playgrounds. It is a long board centered on what might be called a “sawhorse.” And one person sits on one end of the board, and another person sits on the other end. And they push themselves up off the ground with their feet and legs so that one side goes up while the other side goes down, and so this gets repeated over and over, going up and down.

And I definitely saw this in relation to children being tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. For if you can imagine with me that it is the same person sitting on either side of this teeter-totter, then this is a person who is pushing himself up and down and up and down, and sometimes he is up, and sometimes he is down. But let’s look at this from a spiritual perspective. And to help us understand this, we will look up these words in a thesaurus:

Teeter-Totter (See-Saw): teeter – waver, stagger, wobble, sway; totter – falter, stumble, flounder, walk unsteadily.

Teeter-Totter’s can be found on children’s playgrounds.

Children – (in this context) the immature, childish, irresponsible, foolish, self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking, selfish, self-centered

Playground – where children Play – recreation, amusement, fun, diversion, perform, playact, fool around, waste time.

So, collectively, what this gives us a picture of is a person who is childish, immature, pleasure-seeking, foolish, selfish, and self-indulgent who is wavering and swaying back and forth between what is right and what is wrong, basically. And so he (or she) is stumbling, faltering, and floundering spiritually, going back and forth between trying to follow the Lord but following the flesh, instead. For this is a double-minded person, in other words. And he is focused much on being amused and entertained, and on having fun and fooling around and wasting time, but while he at least is giving the appearance of wanting to do right and to obey the Lord.

But in James 1, where such a person is called “double-minded,” it says that that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, for he is double-minded, unstable in all his ways (which is what is meant by teeter and totter). And we read in other Scriptures that we either are for the Lord or we are not. We are either walking in obedience to the Lord, in practice, living holy lives, or we are walking in disobedience to the Lord, in practice, living in sin and in wickedness. This is not saying we are perfect people, but we can’t be those who deliberately and habitually sin against God and other humans, and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord.

So, the encouragement here is that if you are one who is teetering and tottering, and you are living in self-indulgence and in selfishness, and not according to the will of God, honestly, you need to decide if it is the Lord you want to obey, or if it is self you want to please, instead. For this going back and forth and back and forth is not a picture of someone who truly wants to obey the Lord. It is a picture of someone who is still running his own life hoping he can please God while still walking according to the flesh. And that will never work. So, surrender your life to Jesus today, and daily deny self and die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

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

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

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On the last Wednesday of the month, we have our retreat day. It is a day when our schedule is simplified, and there is only necessary work. Our first office of the day, which is named Vigils, is toned down. Except for the responsorial psalm, and the opening hymn, the office is said in the dark, the six psalms broken down into two sections, separated by a scripture reading, and then we only have five minutes of meditation, instead of the usual 30 minutes. We also have a second reading by a writer from our past after the last three psalms are read.

Right after the hymn, we sat down to listen to the psalms, when my phone vibrated. It was Fr. Gerard asking me to please come up as quickly as possible to the Infirmary. I knew what it was about. Our Fr. Matt who has been in our Infirmary for many years has been declining over the past week or so. When I arrived at his room, he was near death, in his final struggle, which was peaceful.

In moments such as these, all that can be done is to pray and hold onto his hand. We both prayed for his peaceful passing into eternal life. Fr. Gerard sang the Hail Mary, and I recited the chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is often said at the bedside of the dying by Catholics.

I went back to Vigils and announced that he had passed, and after vigils, we would process up to the Infirmary to say the last prayers for Fr. Matt, after the Toll was rung.

After Vigils, we processed up to his room as a community and after everyone was there we said the prayer for Fr. Matt’s soul, and that he would have a peaceful passing into eternal life.

Fr. Matt had a great influence on my life. When I was a young monk, from 25 until I was around 35, he was my Spiritual Director. He was excellent and helped me to learn how to navigate my own inner domain in faith and trust in God’s love and presence in my soul. He taught me not to fear anything that I encountered, but to walk through with as much peace as I could. Even if I was not at peace he told me, still trust.

He helped many monks on their spiritual path, as well as many who came here to visit on a regular basis. He was kind and gentle, as well as at times like all humans could be a tad stubborn, ok very stubborn. However, often what we call stubborn, is in fact an often misunderstood virtue. We do have to be true to ourselves while listening to others, but not always agree with them.

We were honored as a community to partake in his care. Br. Emilio, Fr. Gerard, and Sr. Beatrice were very loving with Fr. Matt, and took very good care of him. I was honored to work the first shift for the past three years to do my little part as well. Br. James, Sister Ana Maria, Fr. Peter Damian, Br. Juan Diego and Fr. Francis Michael, were also good and loving caregivers for Fr. Matt. The abbot, Dom Augustine, was always a good loving shepherd for Matt, showing great concern for his wellbeing.

He was loved for his wisdom, gentleness, and wit. He will be missed, and his absence will leave a void that can only lessen but will always be there for those who knew and loved

Not sure when the funeral will be, but most likely, it will be on Monday. I will keep everyone posted.-Br.MD

After a handful of moderate and conservative Republicans aired concerns with the bill overnight -- jeopardizing its passage -- Republicans tweaked the legislation in hopes of holding a vote Wednesday.​

The House is set to begin debate Wednesday on a Republican bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, slash federal spending and repeal some of President Biden’s top legislative accomplishments, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) embarks on a last-minute scramble to win over a handful of holdouts in his ranks.

With a vote expected as soon as this afternoon, top GOP lawmakers have expressed a measure of confidence even as they acknowledge they have little room for error, since their slim advantage — and persistent ideological schisms — could easily frustrate their plans. Overnight, Republican leaders even tweaked their bill in an attempt to assuage skeptics and cobble together the 218 votes needed for passage, defying their own, earlier promises to leave the legislation intact.

By Tuesday night, there were about a dozen skeptical moderate and conservative lawmakers who privately expressed various misgivings with the legislation.

Some GOP centrists, especially those from Midwestern states, expressed concern that a repeal of Biden-backed climate programs could cancelfederal tax credits for ethanol production and solar energy, potentially harming their districts. Conservatives, meanwhile, said they hope to push the bill further right politically, particularly by imposing work requirements sooner on low-income Americans enrolled in programs such as Medicaid and food stamps.

--

Just as a reminder: The debt ceiling was subject to less partisan controversy during the Trump presidency, when the administration and its supporters prioritized tax cuts over a balanced budget. The ceiling was suspended three times: from September 30, 2017, to December 8, 2017, later extended to March 1, 2019, and from August 2, 2019, to July 31, 2021.

Of course, that was then, this is now. Rather than a relatively clean bill to avoid defaulting on our debts, the House GOP now wants to try to attach various strings. It's not yet clear if McCarthy has what it takes to get it through his own members, much less the Senate and the president.

Matthew 7:13-14 ESV


Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He also said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture” (John 10:9). So, Jesus Christ is both the gate (the door) and he is the way (the road) that leads to eternal life with God.

So, how do we enter this gate? Jesus said that if we want to come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. He said, basically, that if we save our lives (hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self) that we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness), for his sake, we will have eternal life with him (See Luke 9:23-25; cf. Romans 6:1-23; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 4:17-24).

So, Jesus Christ is the narrow gate, and the gospel he taught is the narrow gate, and the gospel his New Testament apostles taught is the narrow gate. And the only way to enter this gate is by the grace of God, via God-given faith in Jesus Christ. And it is not of our own doing. We cannot, in ourselves, decide what that narrow gate is. We can’t make it up to suit ourselves and to fit with our own lifestyles. But that is what many are doing, and that is what the majority appear to be accepting, which is a modified “narrow gate.”

But not only is this narrow gate being modified, but it is being turned into the wide gate that leads to destruction. For it is contrary to the gospel which Jesus taught and which his NT apostles taught. But many do not see this. In fact, many don’t want to see it. They want to see the wide gate as the narrow gate that leads to life, and many are choosing also to see the narrow gate as the one that leads to destruction. So they have turned truth for lies and lies for truth in order to appease their own consciences.

Now, this is important that we get this, for Jesus never taught that we can make a one-time profession of faith in him and now our sins are forgiven for eternity, and now heaven is guaranteed us when we die regardless of how we live. Go back and read Luke 9:23-26. He taught that we must deny ourselves, die daily to sin and to self, and that we must follow him in obedience. For if we do not obey him, we don’t know him, and we don’t have eternal life in him (Matthew 7:21-23; John 10:27-30; John 14:15-24).

And what did the Apostle John teach? He said that if we claim to be in fellowship with God while we still walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars who do not live by the truth. And if we say that we know the Lord, but we do not keep (obey) his commandments (New Covenant), we are liars, and the truth is not in us. And if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness is not what we practice, we are of the devil, and we are not born of God (See 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10).

And what did the Apostle Paul teach? He taught that our faith in Jesus Christ should result in us being crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and in us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are to no longer let sin reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, that leads to death, not to eternal life with God. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, that leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life (see Romans 6:1-23).

And he taught that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For to walk according to the flesh is to have our minds set on the flesh, and to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. So, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if we live according to the flesh, we will die. But if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the body, we will live (Romans 8:1-14; cf. 1 Peter 2:24).

Paul also taught that we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) by the Spirit and we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. But if we make sin our practice, and we are idolaters, adulterers, liars, thieves, and the like, in practice (habitual and deliberate sin), we will not inherit the kingdom of God, and heaven will not be our eternal destiny. And he warned us against deception, for we are all going to reap what we sow. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap destruction, but if we sow to the Spirit, we will reap eternal life.

[Galatians 5:16-24; Galatians 6:7-8; cf. Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 1:21-23; Colossians 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14]

So, this narrow gate is all about, not just that initial step of faith in Jesus Christ, but it is about our walk of faith in Jesus Christ. It is about walking in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin. So we are not saved with heaven secured us based on a one-time confession of faith in Jesus Christ, but on the basis of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ and on our obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). And that is why few find it, because the way is hard that leads to life eternal.

So, if you are being taught that you can make a one-time confession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all your sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and now heaven is secured you when you die, but there is no talk of walking in obedience to the Lord and of living holy lives, as required of God for our salvation and eternal life, then you are not being taught the truth. Read the verses I referenced here. And read them in their full context. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteous living and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we do not have eternal life with God, period!

So, believe in Jesus, and walk with him in holiness and in righteousness, and obey his commands (New Covenant), and no longer walk in sin. And continue in these walks of faith unto the very end and you will have eternal life with God. But if you choose not to, then you are choosing that wide (broad) gate and way which leads to destruction, not to eternal life with God. For it is few who enter the narrow gate and who find eternal life.

My Sheep

An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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The decade-plus-long relationship between Blinken and Hunter made headlines last week after the House Judiciary Committee revealed that former CIA acting director Michael Morell testified in private that Blinken — then a Biden 2020 campaign adviser — “triggered” a letter from 51 ex-intelligence officials that sought to discredit The Post’s reporting on bombshell emails from the first son’s abandoned laptop.

The Post’s initial scoop detailed Hunter’s role on the board of Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma, a position he attained in April 2014 despite no previous industry experience.

Remember it was Blinken who was the instigator of the intelligence people's letter that interfered in the results of the U.S. presidential election.

The Telegraph

Tucker Carlson reportedly taken off air by Rupert Murdoch for 'overtly religious remarks'​

Story by Rozina Sabur • 1h ago

Tucker Carlson was taken off air by Rupert Murdoch because of overtly religious remarks he made during a recent speech, according to Vanity Fair.


Tucker Carlson - AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File© AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

Carlson’s nightly show, which brought in more than three million viewers, figured prominently in the case.

The decision sent shockwaves through the US media industry, and wiped more than $500 million from Fox Corporation's value within hours.

Speculation was rife that the legal entanglements involving Carlson, 53, who is also named in a lawsuit from a former Fox producer, had brought about his demise.

However, according to a report by Vanity Fair, Carlson's remarks at a speech on Friday night that rattled Mr Murdoch, chair of Fox Corp.

The media mogul was alarmed by the religious language and found it "too extreme", according to Vanity Fair.

Carlson opened his remarks at the Heritage Foundation's 50th anniversary gala by encouraging everyone to "include the country in your prayers".

His assessment of the state of the US was laced with religious language, framing America's partisan battles as a division between "good" and "evil".

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Please continue reading the entire article if you'd care to (and see the video of Carlson's speech at the Heritage Foundation that got him fired) at the link below:

~Tucker Carlson reportedly taken off air by Rupert Murdoch for 'overtly religious remarks'
.

Hello
Which Western Europe country has the strongest Christianity?
Let's discuss why

There are some who think that there is no distinction among the peoples of the world, they are all simply descendants of Adam. The idea of the ubiquity of all humans.

However, God did choose a man, Abraham; to be the father of peoples who would be God’s special people to be His witnesses, Isaiah 43:10, John 15:27 and to display His Light to the nations. Isaiah 49:8, Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 8:11-12 Many, I tell you; will come from the East and the West and sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast of the Kingdom. But those who were born into the Kingdom, will be thrown out into the dark, where there will be wailing and extreme sadness for what they have lost.

These Words of Jesus plainly show that there is a people who are part of the Kingdom of God by descent, but they can lose that advantage by their own rejection of Jesus and failure to keep the Commandments. This was spoken to a Roman Centurion, so it applies to Gentile and Jewish peoples.

We know that the Jewish people only represent the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The Jews themselves admit this truth.
The other 10 tribes remain scattered among the nations, Deuteronomy 4:27-28, John 7:35, serving their decreed time of exile. Ezekiel 4:4-5, multiplied by; Leviticus 26:18 = 2730 years. This time of exile is nearly finished and those people who have accepted the Salvation offered by Jesus, Matthew 15:24, will be Redeemed, restored and forgiven for their iniquities.

They ARE the people who comprise the ‘nation’, who bear the proper fruit; Matthew 21:43, all faithful Christians, now belonging to many diverse nationalities and speaking many different languages.
They will all come together, as prophesied; Ezekiel 34:11-16, Isaiah 35:1-10, Jeremiah 50:4-7, +, into the holy Land, all the area given to Abraham, but never yet fully occupied by the Lord’s people.

John sees them in his vision of the future; of Revelation 7:1-14, when the Lord will select 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to go out and proclaim the coming Kingdom. Isaiah 66:19, Revelation 14:1-7

Malachi 3:6-7 I the Lord do not change and you, [my People] have not ceased to be the children of Jacob. Ever since the time of your forefathers, you have been wayward and have not kept My Laws. But if you return to Me, I shall return to you.

We Christian believers ARE the Lord’s people., who have returned to Him in faith.
WE must keep our trust in His protection through all that must happen and prove ourselves to be worthy when Jesus Returns, to be His priests and co-rulers. Revelation 5:9-10, Isaiah 66:21

Isaiah 49:8-13 says that the tribes of Israel will be restored and the Lord’s Salvation will reach to the ends of the earth. The Salvation has reached us and now we await the restoration back into our heritage. Ephesians 3:6, Romans 8:16-18, Psalms 37:29, where we will be called the children of the Living God. Romans 9:24-26

Don't reject the math of dispersion and the genetic ubiquity of all humans.
What is the truth, however is that God does know who the descendants of the people He originally chose to be His witnesses to the world. How He does that is told to us in Galatians 3:26-29 and Ephesians 2:11-18

Isaiah 14:1 The Lord will show compassion for Jacob and will once again make Israel His choice.... and; The Lord will gather Israel for the second time. Isaiah 11:11-12
Jacob, Israel; the father of the 12 tribes, far more than just the Jews.

Isaiah 65:8-16...as there is juice in a cluster of grapes....I will give descendants to Jacob and to Judah; heirs who will possess My holy Land...those who serve Me will live there. But you who forsake the Lord......I shall destine you for the Sword, they will not enter the Land. Ezekiel 20:34-38
There are, in fact over 160 verses in the Bible that tell us about God's plans for His people, a people who don't know their ancestry, but have come back to God through the Way given to us by Jesus.


Those who claim to be Israel and live in the Jewish State of Israel, are mainly not true Israelites as their known, recent ancestry and their rejection of Jesus precludes it.
Jesus' Words prove it: Luke 19:27, Revelation 3:9 and Paul says in Romans 2:26 that the real Jew is one who is circumcised of the heart.

The Church of England’s decision to bless same-sex couples continues to reverberate throughout the global Anglican Communion as a global meeting of Anglican leaders in Rwanda deemed the move “pastorally deceptive and blasphemous.”

The meeting voiced no confidence in Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and called on him and the Church of England to repent of their decision.

“Despite 25 years of persistent warnings by most Anglican primates, repeated departures from the authority of God’s Word have torn the fabric of the Communion. These warnings were blatantly and deliberately disregarded and now without repentance this tear cannot be mended,” said the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans’ fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in an April 21 statement.

In February the Church of England’s general synod voted to approve blessing same-sex couples in civil marriages. The GAFCON statement characterized the move as “another departure” from scriptural authority that damages the Anglican Communion.

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More recently, several pro-life leaders, frustrated by what they see as Frank Pavone’s lack of transparency and accountability, have gone public with complaints.

Frank Pavone, the national director of the pro-life organization Priests for Life, has repeatedly framed his dismissal from the priesthood late last year as the culmination of a long-running campaign by some in the Catholic hierarchy to undermine his outspoken pro-life activism.

“This is not just an attack on me,” Pavone said in a Dec. 19, 2022, statement, “but an effort by forces both inside and outside the Church to intimidate every courageous pro-life priest and lay activist.”

Pavone’s narrative is difficult to square with his recent troubles, however, as former members of his own organization and other leaders in the wider pro-life community have sought to distance themselves from him, especially after several women went public with allegations that Pavone sexually harassed them while they worked for him at Priests for Life. Those accusations, first reported by The Pillar, led two former Priest for Life officials to call for Pavone to step down from the organization to allow for an independent investigation.

More recently, several pro-life leaders, frustrated by what they see as Pavone’s lack of transparency and accountability, have gone public with complaints that Pavone has not provided straight answers either about the Vatican’s action or the misconduct allegations.

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Christ is risen!

Is the tax/fee for the priest to perform baptism or wedding set by the hierarchs or open to the local parish to determine? I see different prices around. Ours seems fair at $200-$300, but I've had friends claim theirs were upwards of $500-$1500.

When we Open the יוד ‘Manual’ of בראשית [Genesis] we get, בראשיודת BRAShYWDTh In the [RASh] First [YWD] Manual of [Y(h)WDTh] the Jews of [YW] Yah’s [DTh] Religion, Faith, Belief, Gospel, Law Rule, Decree.



In this particular case, we can clearly see that Knowledge of a Word [i.e., yowd], and it’s Definitive meaning, [Hand, Manual, etc.,], is evidently a Key means in which to Open the Books, or What Book is not Sealed Shut unto those who do not understand the Meaning of the Words contained therein?



The Truth is Hidden within our Open View



…Who Stretches Out [Extends] The שמים ShMYM [lit., ‘Names’ of את ‘Namely’ our אב] like a Curtain….



Extending a את ‘Letter’ of the אב ‘Alphabet’ out to it’s שם ‘Name’, also appears to be Key to Opening the Books here in this particular illustration.

Too many threads follow a logic “ its salvation by faith” as if nothing else matters, or as though “ faith” renders works “ unnecessary” using “ either/ or “ logic. One or other.

The problem with all threads like this is disagreement on the meaning of words, so no surprise a different conclusion is reached.
At a simple level even the devil believes Jesus is Lord , so faith is certainly more than intellectual assent.
It is clearly not enough to “ confess” you believe Jesus is Lord, , since the devil also does that. There is clearly more to it than that.

I recommend all read the “ salvation controversy” by Jimmy akin that highlights how many of the words of soteriology are used differently by factions differently, and are part of the reason they do not agree. Words like “ faith” “ justification” and so on are used differently . Suffice to say one section of Lutheranism achieved an accord with the Holy See on salvation , once They had agreed a meaning of the word “faith” which is not just intellectual assent and includes charity.

Another aspect of the false soteriology of many post reformation factions is an error in simple logic.
Any student of logic can attest “ necessary“ is not the same as “ sufficient”.

“ Salvation by works” is a false misrepresentation , which implies works can be “ sufficient “ for salvation which is simply not so, but Works can still be “necessary” !!! even though never sufficient.

The failure to recognise the difference between “ necessary” and “ sufficient” is why many post reformation groups wrongly take an “ either or “ view of salvation, not a correct “ both and “ view.
It is also why false doctrines like OSAS proliferate.

Faith , as intellectual assent is not enough. We are commanded to do many things As ordinances.

Such as Sheep and goats ( charitable works)
or John 6 ( the Eucharist ) tells you what happens if you do not do them.
but none of what we do is sufficient to merit salvation , so this is not salvation by works.
But we are clearly told what happens if we don’t ! So works are still necessary,
( there are many more ordnances , but the above will do as example)

In the end nothing we do is good enough, and we are saved by grace , which is also why until the race is run you cannot know for sure.
that is why salvation in the bible has components of past , present and future, using the text “ were saved” “are saved” “ will be saved”
Jesus on the cross made our salvation possible, we still have free will, and we must cooperate to be saved. We can also have faith that is a seed that grows quickly , then dies in the parable of the sowers, or is consumed by weeds.

If salvation were just the result of a one off statement of intellectual assent, the bible would only need to be 30 words long! It isn’t. we are asked to do many things. We have free will everyday to do them.

So all of you readers, today were you a sheep or a goat?
What did you do in charitable works? Did you take a valid Eucharist To be “ raised up at the last day” or do you “ have no life in you”.

It could be likened to a job interview.
The experience and qualifications get you an interview (so these are necessary)
They do not get you the job because none of them are sufficient
.
Its down to the discretion of the interviewer who gets the job.
The just judge will decide. But he will decide from among those who did what was necessary!

How will you answer when our Lord says to you” but I asked you to feed me, clothe me and visit me” but you didn’t!!
I made it clear what would happen if you did not”
How Will you argue with Jesus , that He got it wrong, because works were not needed?
it doesn’t matter how you argue with us, on this forum, it’s how you justify yourself to Him that matters.
It is not a good look if you ignored most of what you were told to do , with easy believism OSAS, or faith alone without charitable Works.

Hi my name is Thomas I’m 23 I’m new here and I was a non-believer who found his faith again, this is my first post. My name is quite fitting in regards that Saint Thomas was the doubter of Christ. But I just wanted to say hi and tell you my story.

My story begins when I was first baptised as a Catholic as a baby, fast forward a few years and I attended church regularly with some of my family. On one occasion according to my parents I described a man who was bleeding and wearing sandals, so they asked me where he was and it was in corner of the church where there wasn’t any crucifixes of Jesus just an empty wall. Of course my parents thought that it was a bit strange. However I had forgot about this until last week I believe God stopped me from knowing this because of my lack of faith but as you’ll read on you’ll see I gained it again.

Next I completed my Holy Communion and that’s when things changed, I just stopped believing in God, I don’t know why. I just did. For the following years my life was a mess. Many bad things happened to me, I won’t explain them all but it was a bad time that’s for sure.

Fast forward to a week ago and I was at the final straw I had no purpose as a man, and my friend moved away I felt like a failure. So I decided to pray to God to guide me on the right path and show me a sign, I pleaded to him asking for help.

Less than 10 minutes later I got up to go in the shower and I felt something that I can only describe as a force pushing me off balance slightly and as if my chest had opened up, my breathing was extremely heavy, and my emotions took over like I’ve never felt before. The strange thing about this was they were happy tears, I was smiling but crying my eyes out. I know it wasn’t a panic attack because I have had these before. This was something different. Then suddenly I knew what my purpose was in life, it had been staring me in the face since I was a child, I’m a historian, and will always be a historian. As I continued to cry, I got in the shower and I knew this was God who had answered my prayer, I begged him to forgive me for my sins, I have never felt happier since, I get emotional just thinking about God even writing this. I promised God I would be a better Christian and I don’t want to let him down, I know I will sin but I want to learn to recognise my sins and repent. I am also now moving towards my goals and have a clear path that I can only thank God for.

That is my story I would love to learn more and speak to some great people.

May God bless you all.

How is it that in many evangelical meetings, many go forward in response to the invitation to receive Christ, spend a couple of minutes praying the sinner's prayer, but there is no increase in the attendance of the churches? Is it because most who make a verbal commitment to Christ leave the meeting and go on living the same way as before? "I prayed the sinners prayer, I now believe in Christ therefore I'm saved now." Really? How about conviction of sin, repentance with tears, forsaking all known sin, striving to purify oneself? I wonder how many went forward at an altar call, prayed the sinner's prayer, carried on for a couple of months, and then decided that it wasn't working for them. Someone has said that the greatest enemy to true conversion is easy believer evangelism where all that is needed is for the person to go forward, make a verbal commitment and then go off and live life as before. No agonising over sin, no spending time in prayer and seeking God for a sanctified life; just turning up to church on Sunday morning to do their religious duty. Would that be what the Scripture says, "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

Yes anything under 190cm is consider to be small nowdays. myself i am 185 cm which is average. why is average not enough anymore?