Hello,

It's very hard to believe that 1 = 10. But it's actually true and possible.

How so, you may ask. It's based on the principle of time travel. If you travel 10 seconds later into the future, it would have to take you less than 10 seconds. If you travel in 1 seconds. You have traveled 10 seconds later into the future in 1 seconds later. Thus 1 seconds later into the future is 10 seconds later, proving that 1 = 10.

But you might say that time travel is impossible. That's not true. As some of us already know. Time must get skipped for time to exist. Otherwise, it would take infinite steps for 1 second to pass, because the first half of 1 second must pass before 1 second and so on ad infinitum. Thus it would mean that 1 = infinity in that case.

"In order to ensure the return of our countrymen with the protection of their human rights, we have agreed with the US government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with a first flight tomorrow," Venezuelan top negotiator Jorge Rodriguez said in a statement.
On the one hand it saves the U.S. money, on the other hand Venezuela can bide their time and try to get the criminals back into the U.S. the next time the U.S. elects a liberal for president.

Where is everybody today?

A guy who will get it done.

I have a lot on my plate right now and I’m about to be a dad, and I’m trying to get back to college and educate myself, and have a hard time with the last one due to lack of time. I’m also in a single income household and I’m the provider.

The question of whether individuals can be judged for the sins of their fathers is a complex and multifaceted issue that arises in various parts of the Bible. It touches on themes of divine justice, human responsibility, and the relationship between individual and communal accountability.
Moses gave a civic statute to the ancient nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 24:

16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

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No one could be executed or punished for crimes committed by others, even close family members.

17 Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.

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The emphasis was on human justice, which must be impartial and based on evidence of individual guilt.
The above was part of the Israelites' legal code. On the other hand, Joshua 7:

24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

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Joshua did not pronounce a national legal statute here but a divine judgment specifically on Achan's family. This judgment was not imposed by human authorities but by God Himself.
Further, Jos 10:

34 Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon. And they laid siege to it and fought against it. 35 And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.

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God judged the inhabitants of the whole city, killing everyone: men, women, boys, girls, babies, and pregnant women. This divine judgment wasn't based on a civic statue.
Another example is in 2 Samuel 12 concerning David:

9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. ...
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.”

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David sinned. His son hadn't done anything.
No human judge should put a child to death for his father's violation of the law.
Ezekiel hinted at the eternal divine judgment of salvation in 18:

4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

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Ezekiel rejected the idea of inheriting guilt or punishment for someone else's sins.
No human judge should punish children for their parents' sins. However, divine judgments could involve collective or intergenerational consequences, reflecting God's sovereignty and the interconnected nature of human relationships. Ultimately, from God's point of view, each soul is accountable to God for their own actions, underscoring the primacy of individual responsibility before him.
See also

• Now kill all the boys

Remember WW2?
Remember Hitler marching on France and France begging the USA for a huge air force to fly across and defend them?
Didn't happen. Not for years.
They were occupied - and it was horrendous.
They never forgot.

That's why France has its own nukes.

They never forgot - and always considered that the isolationism until Peal Harbour would be America's default position.

Since then we've had a history of western nations buying HEAPS of military kit from the USA as a sort of 'protection payment'.

But not France. They knew this was a risk!

As I've said in the other thread - the EU's 'protection payment' to America is worth a quarter of America's military industrial complex.
A quarter. $180 to $190 billion a year.
A quarter of those high paying Aerospace jobs!
It's 65% of all EU military kit!

Trump refuses to understand all this, and still whines about the mere $800 million America puts into NATO. (Someone should whisper in his ear that it's less than 0.5% of the money the USA gets back in arms sales as part of this 'little deal' America made!)

Unlike Trump, other Presidents get it!
Going back to JFK and every President since!
They discouraged an EU army - "Trust us! We'll protect you? And in the meantime - buy our kit!"

They all KNEW they had an awesome deal.

(Oh - and there was this little matter of defending against the Soviet Union as well - in a club of democratic nations that really WOULD defend each other!)

Now to Australia. We made a huge deal (for us) with the USA in the last few years.
$368 billion over the next few decades.
That's only 2 years worth of the EU's current purchase rate - but hey - we're only little Australia!

So here's where all this stands since Trump decided to betray the entire western world.
From an Aussie point of view.

Please watch Matt Bevan - "If you're listening" - from our ABC.

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Also, this ABC website article is pretty spot on about how we feel.

Get out of AUKUS and look to protect ourselves because there is no way the USA will go to war to protect Australia. — John, Melbourne, 70s

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Why is Australia putting all its eggs in one basket, with the largest transfer of wealth in the country's history, to a country which is no longer a reliable ally? — John, Sydney, 60s

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The USA has changed permanently and we can no longer trust them. — Phillip, Yorke Peninsula, 60s

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...

Get out of AUKUS. Trump doesn't even know what it is. — Rob, Perth, 60s

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What is Australia's position regarding the realignment of American support of its allies, especially when the US President is unaware of AUKUS when pressed? — Wayne, Ipswich, 60s

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We've given the US millions of dollars for AUKUS and Trump didn't even know what it was. Do we really believe that we can still rely on the US?? — Joelle, Melbourne, 50s

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Then the ABC went on to explain that the ADMINISTRATION knows what AUKUS is and would defend it even if Trump didn't know what it was - but really? Trump? We're going to trust 'back channels' - that those around Trump can make the COMMANDER IN CHIEF HIMSELF honour an agreement? This guy is so erratic I wouldn't put it past him to brush off some major international ally because Trump took offense at some joke from some media outlet down here!

So.... despite assurances from a nebulous group of administration officials - Trump himself is the problem. The article continues!

Even so, a number of Your Say contributors remain sceptical the submarines will ever be handed over to Australia.

WE HAVE TO LEAVE AUKUS! America will renege on the deal. — Harold, Perth, 30s

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Can't depend on Trump. He will pull the plug on AUKUS. — Wayne, Busselton, 70s

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The likelihood of the US selling us any submarines in the next 20 years is unlikely as the US is short of submarines. — Mark, South Coast, 70s

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And the whole program is at the mercy of Trump's thought bubbles and the ability of the British to design a submarine on time. — Peter, Hobart, 40s

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The U.S. will not deliver the nuclear submarines promised (witness their shortfall in the budget for their submarine building program). — Richard, Perth, 60s

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OH yeah - and there's this.

But this is TRUMP we are talking about?

Maybe he's got a deal to offer us?

First for me... Mall Evangelism!

My buddy Eric likes to do mall evangelism and has invited me in the past, but was never able to make it but today was the day! We went to the mall and I was actually shocked by how many people were there. Literally, the place was packed. So packed it was overwhelming.

Anywho, he said he normally likes to walk around and see who the Spirit wants him to talk to, so around the food court we went and nothing, so we go off into another part & going up the escalator I noticed someone sitting down & told him that person there is the one! So we approach and he gets into a conversation with her (Liz), and she was open to the conversation but is not a believer but "spiritual." After about 7 minutes she said she got a text from her daughter so had to go.

So, on to the next one...

Eric told me to pick out the person. Plenty of people walking around, standing around and sitting, but I did feel any of them were the one the Lord wanted us to talk to. Then, getting to the end of one side of the mall this guy sitting on one of the massage chairs with his daughter caught my eye and I knew he was the one. So, I tell Eric he's the one he needs to talk to and we approach, guy is open to the conversation and we're off.

Probably a good 30 minute conversation. Surprisingly, Jesús was his name. He told us how he's been hurt by many churches, but does his own thing. He also mentioned he knows he's not saved and has lots of work to do. "Work"... Oh how we know Jesus did all the work for us on the cross! We shared with him all we could, and eventually his wife came back from shopping and it was time for them to go. He did appreciate the conversation, said he'd think about what we talked about and shook our hands. I asked if I could pray for him right there, but he declined, but did say I can pray for him on my own.

Please be in prayer for Liz and, especially, Jesús, that they'll come to the saving faith of Jesus Christ while God has given them time!

Also, have you ever done any type of mall evangelism? Would love to hear about it.

That depends on your definition of genocide. No, he did not kill all the Canaanites, but yes, he did kill all the inhabitants of some Canaanite cities.

Dr Dan McClellan said:

If you look in Numbers, you look in Joshua where it is saying, "Kill everyone, everything that breathes those texts were written centuries after the fact and so they are looking back on history and trying to paint themselves as the victors and the champions, and those things never happened … they did not commit genocide.

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For some cities, Joshua killed everyone or just about everyone:

Joshua 6:17-21: In the conquest of Jericho, the Israelites were commanded to destroy the city completely, sparing only Rahab and her family because she had helped the Israelite spies.

Joshua 8:24-26: At the battle of Ai, after the Israelites defeated the city, they killed all its inhabitants and left no survivors.

Joshua 10:28-40: In the campaign against the southern cities (e.g., Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir), the text repeatedly states that Joshua "left no survivors" and "totally destroyed all who breathed, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded."

These are propagandistic fantasies from much later generations who are under the boot of larger states, fantasizing about a golden age when they were the ones who had the boots on. You can see the contradictions in the texts themselves in the Book of Joshua. You got these statements so these are all the cities where they killed every man, woman, child, every last thing that breathed, nothing was left alive and then three chapters later some of those cities, so there were these Canaanite cities that were still around and there were full of Canaanites.

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Did Joshua conquer all the Canaanite cities and kill all Canaanites?

No.

Joshua 9: The Gibeonites deceived Joshua into making a treaty with them, and they were spared from destruction.

Joshua 11:23 is a summary statement: "So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war." I would not interpret this verse literally without the broader context.

Joshua 15:63: "Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah."

Judges 1:27–36: This chapter explicitly lists numerous tribes and cities where the Canaanites remained, often paying tribute but continuing to inhabit the land.

So even when you look at the text itself, it is entirely inconsistent

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Bold added.

Dr McCllellan needed to quote the entirely inconsistent verses precisely. Making such a claim without precise quotations is not scholarly. I would agree that the passages are somewhat inconsistent.

because the ones who are talking about this genocide are these propagandistic fantasies that reflect things that never happened. … The notion that the Israelites came into the territory and committed genocide to the Canaanite peoples that were there. That's total fiction.

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The Book of Joshua is total fiction? I wonder who is fabricating the total fiction As a Christian, I would not assume such an extreme position.

Elon Musk warns he's 'had enough' and 'lawsuit inbound' after ex-Rep Jamaal Bowman's CNN appearance​

Elon Musk has threatened to sue after former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., used a recent TV appearance on CNN to call President Donald Trump's top adviser a "Nazi" and a "thief."

"I’ve had enough. Lawsuit inbound," Musk wrote on X on Friday, replying to a clip of Bowman's recent round table discussion on CNN.

Bowman, who was defeated in last July's Democratic primary by a centrist pro-Israel candidate, told a panel of commentators that the "American people do not trust Elon Musk and Elon Musk is incompetent in his position."

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David Brinson, found guilty of killing four men in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison, has not been charged with his wife's murder​

A 62-year-old grandmother was killed while having an overnight "conjugal visit" with her convicted murdererhusband at a California prison, according to reports.


David Brinson, 54, was found guilty of killing four men in 1993 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, court records show.

In November, Brinson had an unsupervised visit with wife Stephanie Dowells, 62, at Mule Creek State Prison in Northern California, FOX 40 reported.

Brinson claimed to prison officials she had passed out, but the Amador County Coroner said this week her death was a homicide and determined she had been strangled. No one has been charged in the killing, KCRA-TV reported.

Continued below.

I'm a fan of 80s/90s music and would like to showcase my favorite songs on an online radio station and post the station link on my Facebook page. It's a hobby I enjoy... I like the radio.
The songs don't have bizarre lyrics or rhythms that could be considered worldly... they're handpicked.
What I'm not sure about is if my motivation is correct... if I want to achieve "fame" or simply make my station available to other music fans...
If it were the latter case... would that be a sinful motivation?
The fact that the music is secular and other Christians find the link on my profile and listen to my station... would that give a bad testimony?
Again, it's handpicked music in terms of lyrics and rhythms.
Thank you.

This text was translated from Spanish using Google Translate. There may be inconsistencies.

From the video description, sponsored by the Center For Inquiry, Massimo Pigliucci offers his critique of thinking in which a person places too much credence in the efficacy of Science across the board:

The Variety of Scientisms & the Limits of Science | Massimo Pigliucci​

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For reference, I live in hot and humid tropical climate and my estimated daily water loss far exceeds my daily water intake(only 2 to 3 glasses of water from all sources). Yet I'm still able to exercise like an athlete without any difficulties and my heart rate and blood pressure is that of athletes. I still sweat but I don't feel hot during workouts. It doesn't make sense at all.

I only drink when thirsty and that is how my hydration went down to only 2-3 glasses over time.

Ten years ago, I started a thread titled 90 Years of Lies. I have continued to refine my report. In it, I argue that secular activists in America deliberately concealed the significant role of Darwinian ideology and science in the Holocaust after World War II. They employed tactics such as promoting an academic silence and popularizing the concept of Social Darwinism as a separate, discredited ideology to shield mainstream science from the negative implications of Nazi atrocities, fearing a resurgence of anti-evolution sentiment similar to that sparked by William Jennings Bryan after World War I due to the connection between Darwinism and German actions in Belgium. Watch the Video

This gives me a bit of hope in our future. The Electoral college was decisive, the average American not quite as decisive.

Trump got 77, 284 118 or about 49.8%
Harris got 74, 999, 166 or about 48.3%

He won by 2, 284, 952 votes

That is 152, 283, 328 between them

But there were 156, 302, 318 total votes

That means others got about 4, 018, 990 or about 1.9%

There are 186.5 million registered voters.
There were 30.2 million registered voters who did not vote.

The order affects around 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who came to the United States under a scheme launched in October 2022 by Trump's predecessor Joe Biden and expanded in January the following year.

There are still many more to go.

I have been thinking about this comparison as I have transformed under Christ. God says He is the potter and we are the clay. As born again Christians we have a new nature and sin cannot live in us anymore. We are constantly being rebuked and handing over to God our sinful desires and own will in an ongoing transformastion that gets us closer and closer to being Christlike.

How does this comapred with the worlds ideologies on morality. Is this more like the old law of Moses. No matter what system or basis that is used it will always be a law or a norm that people must uphold but be forever falling short. Thus sin is never overcome and what may seem moral or good works is in the end a system doomed to fail according to Christs teachings.

For it is not the law that makes us justified but Christ who lives in us which transforms our sinful nature to want to obey God by nature not by good works.

Boys reportedly using tampons for horseplay

Parents in San Diego, California, are reportedly irate as local school districts have installed tampon dispensers in boys' bathrooms at elementary schools to meet the requirements of a recent state law.

Parents from North San Diego County maintained that the tampon dispenser installations, which began during this school year, are a misuse of public funds and will only cause problems, according to The College Fix.

Marci Strange, who serves as chairwoman of the North San Diego County-based Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students, told the outlet that she has heard the only practical use the young boys have found for the tampons is to soak them and fling them at the ceiling to see if they will stick. She also speculated that the superfluous tampons are likely causing plumbing issues.

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So try to hold him to account, and he will strip any law firm of their clearances ensuring it will be impossible for them to represent their clients.

Bible Portion: "VaYekel" ( and he assembled) and "Pikudei" (accountings of) EXODUS 35:1-40:38

The original commentary for this portion of study is very long. I sent it to our Messianic congregation members, but for the sake of those in the Forum groups, I will shorten it a bit, and concentrate on the basic meanings of this portion of God's inspired Word.

The main point of this study is the construction of the Tabernacle, or in Hebrew, "Mishkan," which comes from three Hebrew letters: "Sh+k+n," which form the verb " to dwell, to live with or among." It isn't that God needs a place to live, He lives everywhere, from the farthest and remote parts of the universe to the deepest part of the oceans. It is "Man" who needs to "meet" with God, so God will meet with mankind in this place called the Mishkan.

God gives Moses the building plans while on Mt. Sinai in Exodus Chapter 25. This was a "God to Moses" conversation and instructions. Now, ten chapters later, it is the "Moses to the People" conversation. "This is what God wants."

The first thing that is mentioned in Exodus 35 is the "Shabbat." Even before the building project starts, God is ordering a day of rest, do nothing, just rest in your tents Israelites, and meditate on the goodness you have received from me! in a manner of speaking. Even when the building starts, they are to rest and stop work every Sabbath, which is every "Saturday." It is the 7th day, and God gives the example back in Genesis. "He rested on the 7th day from all his work"

This works for us too. We can work 6 days a week then rest on the 7th day. Most of us have 5-day work weeks, then on Saturday and Sunday, we rest and either attend Synagogue services or Sunday services. Some believe that the Sabbath day was changed to Sunday. Yet nothing was changed really. In Acts, it mentions that the disciples and other believers got together the "First Day of the week to break bread" (Acts 20:7) this was when Paul met with them and preached until midnight. The "First day of the week, or Sunday" starts when the sun goes down on Saturday afternoon-evening. Bible study, food fellowship, and communion were at this time too. So, Sunday, the first day of the week is also a blessing to get together and study God's Word at congregations.

Now for every building project, there are supervisors and workers appointed by the "Big Boss Man." We might say that Moses was the "Boss Man" and God himself was the "Big Boss Man." In this project, there were two supervisors; B'Tzal'el and "Aholiav" Intereresting names. B'Tzal'El means
"In the Shadow of God" and "Aholi-Av" "In My Father's Tent" or "My tent of the Father" According to the Talmud, B'tzal'El was only 13 years old. So, these guys worked under the "shadow of God" to build "Father's Tent."

He was to build the furniture for the Tabernacle and AholiAv was to teach others how to do the work. They were supernaturally gifted with the understanding and wisdom to do this work. Imagine going to sleep one night and waking up knowing all about electrical engineering and the night before you were just a common day laborer. The Israelites in Egypt were just that, laborers for Pharoah.

God has gifted all believers with the "gifts of the Spirit" To some he has given the gift of teaching, and pastoring, and being a rabbi (a teacher)
Some he has given the gift of administration, finances, music, singing, prayer warriors, and intercessors, some can speak different languages (tongues) in the Greek (Glossa) all for the Body of Messiah.

God told Moses to "collect a free-will offering" from the people. This is important because it had to come from their "hearts." All the materials would come from the people. Where did the Israelites get all the material to build the Mishkan? From the Egyptians of course. Egypt went into bankruptcy. The Egyptians gave them all their gold, silver, copper, bronze, fabric, fine wood, etc...just to get them "out of there" (and take your God with you!)

The people started bringing all that was needed to build the Mishkan. Even "too much" as they were commanded to "stop giving". Can you imagine a pastor telling his congregation to "stop giving, hey, we have too much already" That will never happen. God wants us to be "cheerful givers" with a glad heart, not with a sour face as if you were sucking on a lemon. There are three ways to give, the three "T"s, Time, Talent, and Treasure" Some have a lot of "treasure" (money) but little available time, while others have not so much treasure (like me) yet a lot of time and talent to give. Especially retired folks such as myself. Not enough treasure to keep living in the USA, but enough to live South of the Border.

Now, the furnishings that were built by the construction crews were; The Tabernacle itself, with the boards and the tenting fabric, and then 6 main items, all of which point to and illustrate YESHUA! The Ark of the Covenant, The Incense Altar, the Table of Shewbread, the Menorah, the Bronze Basin, and the Brazen Altar. So, how do these items point to Yeshua or illustrate the person of Yeshua/Jesus?

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT: Made of gold and hardwood. The humanity of Yeshua (wood) and the purity of His sinless person (gold) Inside the Ark of the Covenant were: The Tablets of the Commandments (Yeshua, the Living Torah) Aaron's Rod that budded (The Authority and Leadership of Yeshua
The container of Manna (Yeshua, the Bread of Life) His provision for us all, both physically and spiritually, both physical food and food for the soul.
The two cherubim on top of the covering of the Ark invited the High Priest to minister and come close to YHVH in the Shekinah glory that was between them. Remember, there were two Cherubim at the entrance of the Garden of Eden to keep man from "returning" to the Garden, now, there is an invitation to "come back" into fellowship with God.

THE INCENSE ALTAR: Made of hardwood and gold. (The humanity of God in Yeshua, and his pure sinless self) The incense that went up towards heaven, our prayers, and the intercession of Yeshua on our behalf as our "High Priest" (Cohen HaGadol)

THE ALTAR OF SHEWBREAD: Made of hardwood and gold. (The humanity of God in Yeshua, and his pure sinless self) the 12 loaves of unleavened bread, "Yeshua, The Bread of Life" who sustains us with his Living Word, and our daily bread (rice, beans, etc) The priests would eat the bread on the Sabbath and place more for that week.

THE GOLDEN MENORAH: Made of pure gold, seven branches and on top of each branch, a lamp with oil and wicks. Yeshua is the "Light of the World" and so are we "lights of the world" to reflect the light of Yeshua. We are the wicks and need to be connected to the oil in order to "shine brightly"

THE BRONZE BASIN: Made of bronze (which is a mixture of iron and copper). Bronze symbolizes judgment. It held water which the priests used to wash their hands and feet after performing the animal sacrifices. Yeshua is the "Living Water" He explained this to the Samaritan woman at the well.
We also identify water with the believer's baptism, and continuing fellowship with Messiah Yeshua, as when Yeshua washed the disciple's feet after Passover supper. When we look at still water, we can see our reflection, so, we must "judge ourselves" where we come up short.

THE BRAZEN ALTAR: Made of Hardwood overlaid with bronze. (The Humanity of Yeshua who went through judgment by the Father, to pay the price of sin in our place. This is where all the animal sacrifices were performed, they pointed to "Yeshua, The Lamb of God" who was "roasted in the fires of judgment" on the Cross of Calvary. This was the first place at the entrance of the Tabernacle. We could say that the "Tabernacle" is the community of believers worldwide. The first step is accepting Yeshua's sacrifice for sin, once and forever.

Chapter 38:21 until the end of chapter 40 is all about "accountability" and the "finished product" (putting it all together). The Tabernacle is finished and erected on New Year's Day (Nisan 1) which would be March 30th this year. Like in any building project, the expenses are listed and recorded and the finished product is presented to the public. The tabernacle was put together and the Glory of God filled it.

One day, we will give an account of all that we have done for the glory of God, what we did with our Time Talent, and Treasure. All will be revealed at the Judgment Seat of Messiah (The Bema) and rewards or loss of rewards will be revealed. Are you ready for that time? We only have this one earthly life to live, we don't know when our "clocks will stop ticking." Our rewards for eternity depend on what we do in the HERE and NOW.

Please pray for traveling mercies, as we will be going back to Texas then to Florida for family time and ministry on the 28th of this month, so, I probably won't be back writing until mid May.

Shalom / Shabbat Shalom

Ben Avraham
Kehilah Salem
San Salvador, El Salvador

A new NBC News poll shows that the Democratic Party’s popularity has dropped to a record low. Only 27% of registered voters said they held positive views of the party — the lowest figure in the network’s polling dating to 1990.

Is Joe the right guy to rebuild the party?

How many victims of these criminals let in by Joe Biden have their been?

Israeli strike, agreement, or regime collapse: Scenarios for the Iranian bomb:
The Iranian regime is very close to obtaining a nuclear bomb, but it appears the Trump administration is currently trying to stick to a negotiation strategy. What needs to happen for this to change, what options are available to Israel, and what are the chances of bringing down the regime in Iran?

One of the interesting questions regarding Iran's nuclear program is why Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, needs this headache. The diplomatic, economic, and even military pressure on him is enormous, as are the prices his country pays for choosing this path. After all, Khamenei is the man who decides everything in Iran, and he is also the one whose published religious ruling prohibits building nuclear weapons. How do we explain this contradiction, the enormous investment despite the religious prohibition and heavy prices, especially at a time when the Iranian currency is recording another all-time low, trading at one million rials to the dollar?

There are several reasons for this: A nuclear bomb, and the national pride it can inspire, could become a unifying factor for the Iranian people at a time when they are falling apart from within, social divisions are widening, and abandonment of religion is increasing. After the blows Tehran has suffered in the past year, success against all odds could help unite parts of the population around a common goal. Presenting the bomb might also justify the difficult economic situation of Iranian citizens in recent years, proving that it was worth enduring the suffering to maintain the country in a position of power. Another reason is related to power struggles within the Iranian leadership, and the internal confrontation between reformist and conservative currents.

The question is whether one of the lessons Iran drew from the current war is that it must develop nuclear weapons at all costs, as a final gamble for the entire pot. As a reminder, nuclear weapons are the means that more than anything ensures the survival of the ayatollahs' regime, and would protect it from further Israeli attacks – especially these days, when it is perhaps more unstable than ever before. If this assumption is correct, it means Iran will do everything to obtain this weapon, and the only way to stop it is through military means before it achieves it.

Trump publicly called on the Iranians to negotiate on the program, asked the Russians to mediate between them – although it's difficult to call the Kremlin a fair mediator – sent a letter to Khamenei through an envoy from the Emirates – a letter that according to reports included a two-month ultimatum to reach a new nuclear agreement. At the same time, the president advanced his plan to increase economic pressure on Iran to the maximum level, to force it to enter discussions about the program.

But Tehran is not willing to back down at this stage. Despite some ambivalence in the position of senior officials in the Islamic Republic, and the clash between different opinions that led, among other things, to the dismissal of former Vice President and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, most responses to Trump's demands have been quite negative. For example, President Masoud Pezeshkian told him "do what you want, to hell with it," and Khamenei himself declared that the US would not stop them. Among other things, Iran has made it clear that it will not under any circumstances give up its nuclear aspirations, and that in any future solution it will continue to operate a civilian nuclear program – so the room for dialogue between the parties is small in any case. The existence of a civilian program is a guarantee that the Iranians will accumulate more knowledge and will be able to secretly continue activities related to nuclear development. The West cannot risk allowing such a scenario.

But after all this, why have the Iranians gone on alert just now? Why would Israel attack now, when according to estimates there are still at least a few months until Iran reaches an irreversible state? First of all, Iran knew that the ceasefire end date in Gaza was approaching, and that the Americans and Israelis are working together, perhaps trying to surprise it simultaneously with attacks in Gaza. On other fronts, Israel is operating with force, and it is certainly preparing for a major blow to Iran itself. Israel Hayom 21st March 2025

I John 2:19 as quoted in the ESV

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

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Whether or not a believer can commit apostasy is a red hot issue. 1 John 2:19 is one of those “go to” texts for those believe in Eternal Security….meaning a believer cannot fall away from the Christian faith. There are basically three options 1 John 2:19 presents:

• A believer can commit apostasy.
• A believer cannot commit apostasy. This text deals with a person with a counterfeit faith.
• This text is not about apostasy nor a counterfeit faith, therefore the first two options are moot.

I shall marshal evidence for the third option. This pericope has nothing to do whatsoever with apostasy or people leaving the church with a counterfeit faith.

Exegesis:

The wider context indicates that vs. 19 sandwiched between two verses that describe the antichrist (with a small a).

• Vs. 18. speaks of MANY antichrists that have already come.
• Vs. 19 states “They went out from us, but they were not of us;
• Vs. 22 defines what the antichrist believes. “This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”

The structure of this passage of Scripture is a typical A-B-A. We see vs. 18 and vs.22 as contextual bookends which aid in understanding vs. 19. Some historical scholars believe these antichrists are Cerinthians. Irenaeus writes about these heretics which can be found in an internet search.

We divide vs. 19 into four parts of which 19b gives us the all important ἦσαν which is the interpretive key to this verse.

• 19a. They went out from us
• 19b. but they were not of us.
• 19c. for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.
• 19d. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

19a. The “they” is derived from immediate context….the previous verse. “They” are the “many antichrists.” I am going to leave 19a at this point but will come back to let later and interpret what “went out from us” means contextually.

19b. We focus now on the verb “they were not of us” which in the Greek text is ἦσαν. This NT word is in the imperfect tense and is very common. For those who can’t remember their high school or college grammar, here are some definitions of the imperfect tense, I have gathered from the internet:

• The imperfect tense describes past actions or states that were ongoing, habitual, or in progress.
• When discussing events that occurred numerous times in the past, the imperfect tense can be effectively utilized.
• In cases where an action was taking place over an extended duration in the past, the imperfect tense is ideal for illustrating the continuity of the action.
• Imperfect always describes something that is continued, repeated or habitual in the past. Shows continual action.

When John writes “they were not with us,” it could or would mean the following:

• These antichrists were continually not with them in the past.
• These antichrists were not habitually or repeatedly within the local churches in the past.
• These antichrists were never apart of the local congregation in the past.

This is significant. This indicates the local churches and the antichrists existed side by side socially, but their heretical teachings did not doctrinally influence the local churches. Today we may use the example of a Christian church in Salt Lake City within a Mormon community.

19c. for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. John repeats the same usage of ἦσαν meaning for if the antichrists had continually and repeatedly been with the local churches (ἦσαν) in the past, they would have continued with the local church. This is evangelism. John has no fear of these antichrists and is optimistic some would be converted. John uses μεμενήκεισαν (had remained) is pluperfect which indicates a past action whose results are no longer in effect. There is no question had evangelism taken place, some of these antichrists would be converted and separated from this false teaching. They would be apart of the church or as John writes “they would be continued to be with us.” But this was never to happen. Why?

19a. They went out from us. These antichrists for some reason left the region around Ephesus. This is natural. We know from our witnessing and preaching, the Word goes out which brings about faith, repentance and baptism or the unbeliever walks away. Perhaps some evangelism did occur with these antichrists, was rejected and they departed the region.

19d. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. This is a repetition from 19a. The structure of just vs. 19 would be A-B-C-A. When John states “but they went out” he emphasizing the antichristian teaching is no longer present nor a threat. John is probably addressing an unknown historical issue these antichrists had with the young churches. He is assuring his readers the situation with these false teachers is over, they did not influence the church, while at the same time, distancing himself and the congregation from their false teaching.