Ive been going through genesis, and learning that josephs coat that was given from jacob, was a symbol of status, privelege and birthright, and that working men did not wear tunics like this. Especially in how Joseph seemed to be a supervisor over his brothers. In Ch. 37

And in Josephs two dreams it was stated that, best-case scenario, in joseph telling his bros about them bowing down, he displayed a great lack of tact. And worst case scenario, he was gloating.

Then the coat was withheld and torn. Covered in blood and used in a lie, concealing israels sons crimes in regards to joseph.

Which brought me to potiphars wife. After joseph is so succesful "supervising" again, that potiphar only had worry about what food he ate....now gen 39:11-18 josephs coat is withheld AGAiN by potiphars wife and used in a lie to cover her crimes and in turn, again, put jiseph in shackles.

Do yiu think there is any parralel between josephs coat and his self-reliance/pride that God was purifying him from?

Just wondering if there are any animals that recognize human footprints?

A lot of people don't realize it but we are living in the end times. We have been in the last generation since 1948 when Israel became a nation again. The pretribulation rapture theory is a lie. Those who believe in a pretribulation rapture will be caught by surprise by these end times events. The mark of the beast is also being prepared in the form of a digital currency and a microchip implant. I believe that Jesus will return within the next 10 years and possibly within the next 5 years. We are living in the end times and the signs are everywhere.

For about 6 weeks, I have had derealization and depersonalization constantly.
It's like I'm in a fog and feel no emotion.


I had some stress this year that brought it on.

Anyone else have this?
How do you cope?

It can ve hard to feel God or any joy beneath this fog.

Why on earth would they send a grenade launcher as a gift? And loaded?

There has to be more to this story.

Hebrews 6:1 says to leave “the elementary doctrine of Christ.” But to what extent does that elementary doctrine reach? Commentators say it includes the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Beyond that, though, it is a bit murky. They say the elementary doctrine, which is a point of reference for Jesus in his teachings, includes various parts of the Law and the precepts it upholds. The inference of Hebrews 6:1 is to advance beyond the ceremonial aspects of the Law, along with certain of its parts and precepts. Does helping others survive the cut in leaving the elementary doctrine, or is it left behind as part of the parts and precepts of the Law that those, who have borne witness to, and experienced, the Light of God through Lord Jesus, are now permitted, even expected, to not spend any more time on since by now it’s inherent in them to some degree?

We who abide by God through Christ apparently have enough respect for the Old Testament that it is included in the Bible along with the New Testament. Is it there to serve as a reminder of what we are expected to advance from, or is it there because Jesus upholds it when he says that nothing is accomplished until it is fulfilled, as he says in Matthew 5:17-18? Could Jesus have conveyed to us an understanding of God without referencing the Old Testament? Could he have spread the Word to non-Jews, such that it has become the focal point for many around the globe, from the West to the East? It is apparent that Jesus believed the Old Testament, with its ceremonial Law along with all the parts and precepts, to be important enough to address in his mission to save mankind.

About the Old Testament...Helping others is rooted in its Law. Leviticus 19:34 says to love the stranger among you as you love yourself, just as Egypt under the rule of the Pharoah Ramses I welcomed the family of Jacob who needed a place to live because of the famine where they presently lived. And Deuteronomy 24:19-22 says to leave any excess harvest for “sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow,” in the spirit of remembering the Hebrews having been “a slave in the land of Egypt” under Ramses II, until Moses led them to the Promised Land.

What would leaving the “elementary doctrine of Christ” mean, in the context of abiding by any of the Laws of the Old Testament, presuming that the Laws involving helping others, constitutes part of the elementary doctrine that Hebrews 6:1 tells us to leave? How would it pan out in the context of the New Testament?

The New Testament implies that when you love God and have faith in Him, the expectations of the Law are imbedded in your heart. As an analogy, what if there was a Law that says we shall breathe, that we may stay alive? Do we need someone to tell us to breathe? Seems that to a certain extent, in the context of Hebrews 6, and perhaps Hebrews 5, certain parts of the Old Testament are figuratively commanding us to breathe. But the Hebrews who were already receptive enough to breathing, that they did not need to be told by the Law to do so, must have felt some sense of relief that, as provided for in Hebrews 6:1, they need not be taught again how to breathe, if even they had to be so taught.

In that context, can helping others amount to breathing as well? Well, the New Testament seems to lean to helping others. Jesus, at least in Mathew 25:31-46 warns us that those who don’t help the poor and needy will end up in a Lake of Fire prepared for them, but those who do help them will join Jesus in God’s Kingdom.

Why does Jesus feel it’s important to help the poor and needy? The Bible doesn’t say. Seems it’s because it says in the Old Testament to do so, and did Jesus not say he would uphold the Law and the prophets? But if Jesus says to help the poor and needy, we can surmise that it’s part of the Will of the Father that Jesus refers to when he says it won’t help a person who merely says “Lord, Lord” without doing the Will of the Father, as it says in Matthew 7:21. Seems then that those who love God and have faith in Him, need not be told to help others as if it’s part of the “elementary doctrine,” but it should be as natural as breathing.

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum. My question is:
Can God send a troublesome time upon you in order to draw you closer to Him?

I am here looking for answers and just read the forum...
Perhaps other people's experiences and questions.


Thank you.

I have been insecure for many, many years. I'm 6 months into my new job. This unbeliever man, whose position is not very high and merely clerical, nevertheless has managed to shine in the office for many years.

Everyone just likes and admires him. Unbeliever, yes, but he has managed to be nice to everyone, patient, so industrious and excellent in his job. Even the high bosses give him extra tasks that belong to higher positions, although there is no increase in salary. He is good-looking, yes, and the most good-looking of all of us. He is also intelligent. When we played an interoffice contest about worldly programs, he knew a lot and won the game, and everyone was amazed. When we played a history game, he answered some questions, and they praised him. But I answered more questions, and a lady called me a nerd.

The shirts he wore, girls would swoon. During the dance, the girls praised him, but in fact, one guy was truly the better dancer. During our singing session, I, being a worship leader, truly sang well and they praised me for singing, but he still got praised alongside me as if we are par on singing (but in reality, he was so-so, just in tune).

I tried to exert a lot of effort to mingle with the people in the office. But it just resulted to just getting by. Not being hated nor outcasted. That's it. I never shone in the office. But this Unbeliever guy has shone all these years.

Plus, his niceness is appropriate, but not Christlike excessive kindness. He is nicer to the bosses for instance, greeting them. But never complimenting nor greeting us.

My wavelength is just different from them all the time, despite my efforts to mingle What should I do with this insecurity?

Looks like more companies are being forced by bidens border policies to hire children.

I mean sure in Arkansas there are full grown adults (heaven knows some living wages payed out to adults could be a great thing foe Arkansas) who could do the work but Biden is forcing these companies to break the law.

If only these poor corporations weren't under the control of this autocratic regime. I mean the poor company was so scared of bidens jack booted thugs they forced all the illegal and underage workers out of the building during a surprised inspection of the facility.

Will the inhumanity of this heartless regime never end? Just leave Hyundai alone!!!
Child workers found throughout Hyundai-Kia supply chain in Alabama

I for one cannot wait to fork out 99 dollaridoos a piece on building my very own set of Trumptastic trading cards based on images of Mr Trump in his various iconic disguises.


I’m most excited about the laser eye, muscleman Trump!

Even Trumps previous allies think this is a stupid, stupid move/obvious grift.

This is from a webpage that talks about a strategy guide for "the game of life"

As you’ve undoubtedly discovered, the game of Life is often quite difficult. You will face unexpected challenges and long periods of frustration. You will often struggle with self-doubt, feel overwhelmed by helplessness and loss, and sometimes take a s**t when you’re out of toilet paper.
....
The goal of Life is simple: it is to Level Up as much as possible. Each Level in life presents a particular challenge that you must overcome. Once you overcome that challenge, you get to move on to the next Level. The goal is to complete as many levels as possible. At the end of the game, the person at the highest level gets to have the best funeral.
....
Life is designed to continually throw difficult and unexpected problems at you. Life is a never-ending stream of problems that must be confronted, surmounted, and/or solved. If at any point, Life runs out of problems to give us, then as players, we will unconsciously invent problems for ourselves.

Click to expand...

I find it comforting when I am experiencing major difficulties that this is apparently normal...

I think life probably is literally a video game. The author of that quote might believe that too but he seems to believe we're on our own.

Related to this is my belief I'm playing "hide and seek" with God. That means God isn't obvious...
Perhaps my favourite quote about "God" is from Futurama:

GOD: Bender, being God isn't easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you. And if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch like a safecracker or a pickpocket.

BENDER: Or a guy who burns down the bar for the insurance money.

GOD: Yes, if you make it look like an electrical thing. When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

Click to expand...

At the end of the episode God chuckles and repeats that last sentence so it looks like the creator of the show thought it was an important quote.

I don't believe that Jesus literally came back to life (I think it was mistaken identity) so most Christians would say I'm not a Christian.

2 Esdras 8:50-58 In the last days, the inhabitants of the world will be punished for their arrogant lives, by prolonged suffering.

But you, direct your thoughts to yourselves and look to the glory awaiting you and those like you.

For all of you, paradise lies open- the tree of life is planted, the age to come is prepared and rich abundance is in store. The City is already built, rest from toil is assured. Goodness and wisdom are brought to perfection.

From you, the root of evil has been cut off. For you, disease is at an end and death abolished.

All sorrows are at an end and the treasure of immortality is revealed.

Regarding the lost- when they had their freedom, they used it to despise the Most High, to treat His Laws with contempt and to go their own way.

What is more, they trampled on the godly. There is no God, they said - knowing full well that they must die.



2 Esdras 8:59-62 Yours then, will be the joys that I have prepared, theirs the thirst and torments. It is not that the Most High has wanted any person to be destroyed, but those people have brought dishonour onto their Creators name and shown ingratitude to the One who put life within their reach.

That is why My judgement is now close at hand, but I have not made this known to all - only to you and a few like you.
Reference; Revised English Bible Apocrypha, some verses abridged.



Esdras = the Greek form of the Jewish name Ezra. Ezra was a prophet who returned to Jerusalem with Nehemiah and the exiles from Babylon, circa BC515.

The Book of Ezra in the Bible Old Testament, is basically an account of this Return of the Jews at that time. It gives details of events and people, but it has no prophetic statements in it.

So, for whatever reason, the early Church placed the two other books written by this Ezra - which contain his prophetic writings, into the Apocrypha. We can now, with modern translations, obtain the benefit of Ezra's prophecies and the writings of other early Israelite authors.

This Prophecy by Ezra, refers to after the thousand year of the reign of Jesus.
Proved by how the new City: Jerusalem comes down then,. Revelation 21:1

And when these become members of the Community in Israel according to all these rules, they shall separate from the habitation of unjust men and shall go into the wilderness to prepare there the way of Him; as it is written, Prepare in the wilderness the way of ... , make straight in the desert a path for our God (Isa. xl, 3). This (path) is the study of the Law which He commanded by the hand of Moses, that they may do according to all that has been revealed from age to age, and as the Prophets have revealed by His Holy Spirit.

Excerpt: The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Geza Vermes, P. 141


These fragments from a collection of blessings were originally attached to the Scroll containing the Community Rule and the Messianic Rule. They have been skilfully pieced together by J. T. Milik (DJD, I, 118-29), who dates them to around 100 BCE.


The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation ... and shall renew for him the Covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom of His people for ever, [that he may judge the poor with righteousness and] dispense justice with {equity to the oppressed} (Schøyen) of the land, and that he may walk perfectly before Him in all the ways [of truth], and that he may establish His holy Covenant at the time of the affliction of those who seek God. May the Lord raise you up to everlasting heights, and as a fortified tower upon a high wall! [May you smite the peoples] with the might of your hand and ravage the earth with your sceptre; may you bring death to the ungodly with the breath of your lips! [May He shed upon you the spirit of counsel] and everlasting might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of God; may righteousness be the girdle [of your loins] and may your reins be girdled [with faithfulness]! May He make your horns of iron and your hooves of bronze; may you toss like a young bull [and trample the peoples] like the mire of the streets! For God has established you as the sceptre. The rulers ... [and all the kings of the] nations shall serve you. He shall strengthen you with His holy Name and you shall be as a [lion; and you shall not lie down until you have devoured the] prey which naught shall deliver ...

Excerpts: The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Geza Vermes, P. 444, 446, 447

Lord, reveal the work of God the Father to me, my people(Ha-young, Ye-young, Ui-seop, Jung-won, Hye-ok, Yul-bin, Suzy, Eun-tae, In-sook, Im-hak, Tan-ae), and to all who read it and pray, and let us know that the Father is in the Son Jesus and that Jesus is in the Father. The will of the true God, who knows all our needs, transcends our personal will. And that all of us will clearly see the Glory that God the Father gave to the Son because He loved His Son before the foundation of the world. Let Jesus Christ directly reveal the name of God the Father to us and see His glory. I Pray that all our glory be truly dedicated to your Son, Jesus Christ. And that we all shomer mitzvot regarding his commandments(keep hiscommandments) without failure. May God make possible what is impossible for man.

I realize that I'm posting this in the political forum but I'm doing so as a reminder to my Christian brothers and sisters that we are commanded to produce GOOD fruit for our Lord and Savior. Political discussion frequently gets heated and sometimes doesn't bring out the best in us. Let us strive to be like Christ even when others are being hateful and unkind to us.

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV​

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Colossians 1:10 ESV​

So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

"When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in a field, you do not return to take it; it is for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow, so that your God YHWH blesses you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive, you do not examine the branch behind you; it is for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When you cut your vineyard, you do not glean behind you; it is for the sojourner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; and you have remembered that you have been a servant in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.”
– Deuteronomy 24:19-22 Literal Standard Version

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God often inculcates generosity among His people time and time again, inviting us to imitate Him by showing liberality to those who need help. In this passage, because the sojourner, fatherless, and widow are those who do not possess a field of their own to sow or reap, it should be in the heart of those who do to share with them in their abundance. In a modern application, while there are many ways the poor are helped by our governments, we should strive what they fail to do, and that is to be the hand of God that reaches out to those fallen between the cracks of society. If no one notices the forgotten and neglected, we should be the ones that sees, so that they may come to God with thankfulness, praying the ancient words of Hagar, "You are a God of seeing; truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.” (Genesis 16:13)

I wonder, though, what other ways we can practically apply this passage in specific circumstances in our day and age. It doesn't have to be limited to handing food to the homeless, or donating a few dollars to charity, but could be providing change to the person in front of you at a convenient store to pay for coffee who may be short. In a sense, this is sharing what little you have that can be liberally given to those in immediate need that aren't necessarily in desperate situations.

Whenever I am at the self-checkout at Walmart, I always see every now and then a chance to round-up my total to give a little to a charity organization. I think that, even in those circumstances, we should not withdraw our hand if the opportunity presents itself. Why not? God has made giving so much easier in our day and age that you can do it when you shop! Why not make a little impact for those who ask for help? Yeah, sometimes those organizations may not be honest about their use of our money, but God cares about the heart in it I believe.

What about you? Do you have an example? Or, do you have something to share about this text?

DIFFICULT MORAL QUESTIONS: The distance between Baptists and Catholics is much closer than the distance between believers and nonbelievers.

Q. My son, who was raised Catholic, is marrying a Baptist woman and I am not sure how I feel or what the specific protocols are for interacting with my new daughter-in-law. I don't know enough about the Baptist communion, and I am not sure if there are specific actions my wife and I need to be aware of and sensitive to. I’m hoping to connect with a religious authority in this area to help educate us and guide us as we navigate this foreign territory in our limited religious landscape. Is this something you can help us with? — Gilman, Augusta, Maine

A. It’s not clear to me whether you are asking whether you should respect the faith of your son’s fiancée or asking for more knowledge about the Baptist faith. Thus, I will briefly respond to both.

Continued below.

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Several orthodox nuns and monks on their own will left the civilization and move away to remote siberian mountains.
They have no phones no connection to the entire world. If they get sick they can die... Near their house there are several graves of those who passed away during these years...
Life here is hard! Freezing cold in winter and summer is short and full of mosquitoes and ticks.
Their goal is to restrict themselves to make their prayers closer to God

Isn't a free-will choice like a shot in the dark?

Only God knows the end from the beginning of a thing.
How could we ever hope to make a right decision based on our human abilities to do so?

I know, I know... that's why we follow the teachings of the Bible. It's already figured out for us.
And we also have a God-given conscience to guide us. Not to mention the indwelling Spirit.

The most catastrophic example I can think of is Adam. (the first Adam)

In the Genesis account, God tells Adam not to eat of the tree, or he will certainly die.
What did that mean to Adam? Did he have any idea what death was?

After that discussion with God, Eve was taken out of Adam via his rib.
Since Eve hadn't been there for the "do not eat" discussion, Adam needed to misinform her.
Yes, misinform. Where did, "not even touch it" come from? Not from God.
According to the text, anyway.

So, how informed was Adam's free-will choice?

Is free-will ever really an informed choice?

Would you honor the misinformed free-will choice of your own child if you knew it would cause them harm?
What about the Father of all fathers? Better informed than any human father. What would he do?

I see a wide spectrum of beliefs amongst liberal Christians, from those who affirm miracles and those who deny miracles. Given that liberal Christians seem more tolerant of people who depart from historic Christian understanding, are there any mandatory theological beliefs?

Look out! Republicans are coming for your healthcare!

A longtime businessman in Barrow County who was elected unopposed in November to the state House Representative in District 116 was arrested Thursday after authorities said he burglarized a residence at a Winder retirement complex where he works.

The stolen drugs involved prescription narcotics, Smith said.

Rampey, a Republican, was scheduled to take office on Jan. 9, 2023. In the Republican Primary, he defeated Marcus Ray by receiving nearly 83% of the vote.

Currently, Rampey is charged with the distribution or possession of a controlled substance, burglary, and exploitation of a disabled adult.

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The Law of Moses being given to Israel manifested the love of God to them, and eventually to the world! He chose a “people,” which could have been any nation, to establish knowledge and faith in Himself. First, He must inform man of his guilt before Him, in order that that may choose to believe in Him, love Him and follow Him. Thus it was by the Law that He showed them their wrongs (Jhn 9:41; 15:22, 24); and it was by the sacrificial ordinances that He forgave those who believed in Him.

Thus, it was obedience to the Law that men chose to perform, in order to manifest their love to God; but it was through the sacrificial ordinances that forgiveness was established. Though there was still was some disobedience from the believers, God continued to forgive, for He knew man was a sinner and in need of redemption (which came latter).

The reason why the Law could only condemn was because it required the obedience of One who is without sin to obey it, so that the sacrifice would be flawless. No other sacrifice could God receive than that of a spotless and perfect nature. The Father could have sacrificed Himself, but that would not have been the greatest sacrifice!

“Until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Eph 1:14) could take place, the Father first chose to deal with the Jews (Rom 1:16; 2:9, 10), and after the rejection of the Lord Jesus by most of them (of course He knew would be the case) He proceeded to the Gentiles, which He also knew would be rejected by most (Mat 7:13, 14). Thus, the Law directed man to the Gospel of Christ (Gal 3:24, 25), and it being fulfilled by the Lord Jesus (Jhn 19:30), the Father made redemption possible.
NC