2Cor 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exhalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exhalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. and He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

One of the most prolific assumptions in Christianity today is that Paul’s thorn was a disease that God said He would not heal. This assumption has been integrated into religious denominations for years and has in fact become a matter of tradition. Look at one commentary said about it.

“There are various opinions as to what this was. The view quite generally held, and to us, seems most likely to be correct, is that it was Chronic Ophthalmia, a disease of the eyes, which was not extremely painful, but at times made him look repulsive in appearance.”

The writer then backs this up with two scripture references which we will address in just a moment. The first thing I would encourage you to do is read the entire 12th chapter of 2Corinthians at least three times. Do this at your leisure, don’t rush through it, but read it in completion. We must read the context of a statement along with the statement to have a clear picture of what the writer is talking about.

The second thing I would encourage you to do is pray before reading further on. In the Epistle of James 1:5 we read:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given you.”
God would not have us ignorant of His Word, and it is He who brings illumination to our understanding. The first thing we need to do is look at the scripture.

2Cor 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exhalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exhalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. and He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

By reading the entire chapter we can come to the conclusion that Paul is writing of an actual experience that has happened and not metaphorically. That’s important to know because if it were in metaphor than we would interpret it differently. But being a literal account of an event, then we have to interpret it literally to be correct. I’ve broken the text down to a line by line description so the meaning will be clear. Let’s look at the first segment:

“And lest I should be exhalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations”
A key word in this phrase is exhalted and to better understand it, we have to look at the Greek word it came from.

Exhalted - huperairomai - to raise one self over, to become haughty-exhalt self.


This is the same as pride. It is interesting that this verse is the only place in the New Testament that huperairomai is used. All other references to being exhalted come from root words that show that God was the one doing the exhalting. In this case huperairomai literally means becoming haughty, or if your from Alabama, “getting a case of the big head”.

The phrase “abundance of the revelations” is in direct reference to the preceding verses where we read:

2Cor 12:4 “How he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter .”

Paul had just had an intense spiritual experience, where he was shown things that no one on earth had ever seen. He had seen into heaven itself and had heard directly from the throne of God.

How easy it would have been to become haughty or proud. Can you imagine!! Knowing heaven and the realm of God personably. Being in the presence of the Father and then returning to this world. It’s easy to see why so much of this chapter deals with humility.

Vs 5 “…yet of myself, I will not glory…”
Vs 6 “For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forebear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.”

Vs 11 “I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you; for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest Apostles, though I be nothing.”
Vs 15 “and I will very glad spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
Vs 21 “And lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you.”

If our enemy had any brains at all, he would have left Paul alone and let the self exhaltation or pride be his downfall. You see, God works through the humble hearted and resists the proud. The Apostle Paul walked humbly before man and God and his ministry flourished and was laced with power. We all could learn a lot through Paul’s example.

“there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, amessenger of Satan”

A very important key word in this phrase is given. Let’s look again to the Greek.

Given is translated from the Greek word didomi and is used in a very wide application, prop. Or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by connection. This means that there is a very wide application of the word didomi and is used in a variety of ways according to its connection in the sentence structure. The word didomi has a long list of possible meaning including - to suffer, to take, to utter, and to yield. The translators had these options to place in this verse, and they are basically interchangeable because of their wide application. we could also translate this verse - there was given to me or there was yielded to me.

a thorn in the flesh,

I think what is most interesting about this phrase is that it is used only two other places in scripture, and neither refer to sickness or disease. First let’s look at the word thorn.

The word translated thorn is skolops - withered at the front, i.e. a point or a prickle. (Figuratively - a bodily annoyance or disability) In other words skolops is used as a figure of speech. That seems to bear out in the other two times this word is used.

Numbers 33:55 “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those that ye let remain of them shall be pricks in you eyes and thorns in your side, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.”

And again in:

Joshua 23:13 “Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and trapes unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye persih from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.”

As you can see by the context, the thorns scripture speaks of are not diseases or illnesses, but people who were a hindrance to the chosen ones of God. To put this phrase into modern terms would be to say “pain in the neck”. A contemporary translation of these two phrases could be “there was yielded to me, a pain in the neck”.

the messenger of Satan to buffet me,

The word translated messenger here is aggelos - (to bring tidings) a messenger esp. an “angel”, by implication.

This Greek word aggelos if ound a total of 171 times in the New Testament and is always a messenger, or angelic being (demon or angel). There is no place where aggelos is translated sickness or disease. This scripture is showing us that there was an “angelic being” yeilded to Paul. But what type of “angelic being” was it? We see here by implication that it was a demon, because of who sent it, Satan, and what it did, buffet.

The word translated buffet is kolaphizo - to rap with the fist. This same word is found describing the guards beating Jesus before His crucifixion. This was a specific demon sent to buffet Paul. We can read this scripture -

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me

or

there was yielded to me a pain in the neck, a demon of Satan to buffet me

So far we have looked closely at the Greek translations of some key words. If you look at the scripture alone you would see that this thorn, this pain in the neck, was a demon whose main job was to torment Paul. But we also see that this scripture in no way indicates nor implies that Paul suffered some type of sickness or disease. Paul writes in the 11th chapter of 2Cor what some of the results of this demons buffeting were.


2Cor 11:23-30 “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils of the sea, in perils of false bretheren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is offended and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concerns mine infirmities.”
The claims of tradition.


This study would not be complete unless we looked at the scriptures quoted to support the view of sickness, particularly the theory that Paul had Chronic Ophthalmia.

Halley’s Bible Handbook quotes the following:


“There are various opinions as to what this was. The view quite generally held, and to us, seems most likely to be correct, is that it was Chronic Ophthalmia, a disease of the eyes, which was not extremely painful, but at times made him look repulsive in appearance. This seems to be borne out of the language of the Epistles. It came upon Paul 14 years before he wrote this Epistle which was about the time of his entrance into Galatia, on his first missionary journey. His entrance into Galatia was occasioned by some sort of physical infirmity, Gal 4:13, so offensive in appearance that it constituted a sore trial to anyone in his presence. Gal 4:14 They would have given their own eyes, Gal 4:15, Why eyes unless that was his particular need? Paul’s customary large handwriting, Galatians 6:11, amy have been due to poor eye-sight. This may have been the reason Paul dictated his epistles to some of his helpers.”


Let’s look at these two main points, (1) The ailment mentioned in Gal 4:13-15 and (2) The “large” handwriting mentioned, and other possible reasons for these.

1. The ailment - Gal 4:15 “Where then is the blessing ye spake of? For I bear you record, that, if (it had been) possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.”

Here Paul speaks specifically of having a “physical infirmity”, and there is no doubt that he had some type of physical ailment that had something to do with his eyes. From this scripture we can come to three basic conclusions about this ailment.

1. Since this ailment was not specifically named and the word infirmity can mean both sickness and malady (injury), there can be no specific conclusion as to what it was specifically.

2. We can safely assume that this infirmity was healed, because there is no other mention of it in all of scripture. To follow this line of thought you would have to ask if Paul was seriously injured around this time.

3. Did something happen to Paul on his first missionary journey in Galatia. The answer is Yes.

We have to remember that Galatia is an area in the middle east that incorporates a variety of cities. Turn to Acts to see the account of his first missionary journey and your will find:

Acts 14:19-20 NKJV “then the Jews from Antioch and Iconium (cities just outside Galatia) came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabus to Derbe(the first city in the region of Galatia).”

Just before entering Galatia the Jews stoned Paul to the point they though he was dead. Paul had to be a mass of bruises and welts especially around the head. The head was the main target of those doing the stoning. It is very possible that Paul was beaten so badly that his injuries made him look pitiful.

But what about the “large writing”, the scriptural answer to this is clearer than his ailment. Let’s look at some examples;

1Cor 16:21 “the salutation of (me) Paul’s with mine own hand.”

Gal 6:11 “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.”

2Thess 3:17 “the salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.”

Phil 1:19 “I Paul have written it with mine own hand…”

We have to remember that during the first century, writing was something not known by everyone. In fact, the Scribes and Pharisees are partnered throughout scripture, because it was the Scribes that wrote the words of the Pharisees. For Paul (a Pharisee) to be able to write was an unusual talent at that time. That is also why he and so many of the other writers had scribes to do their writing.

In regards to Gal 6:11 “ye see how large a letter…” The word translated large is the Greek word is pelikos - a quantitative form. The word literally has to do with the quantity of the letter, not the size. This shows clearly Paul is speaking about how long a letter he had written.

Because of these, I don’t believe that Paul’s thorn was a sickness or disease, and that Paul’s infirmity was most probably due to the stoning he suffered at the hands of the Jews.

When Jesus asked:

“Who touched me?” or, “Who do people say I am?” or more importantly, “Will you really lay down your life for me?”

I maintain His questions were primarily set to motivate, even something as small as the hem of His garment. A motivation towards establishing a conclusive precedence as in the above, “without Me you can do nothing.”

305 Questions Jesus Asked

Source

I am considered a young adult in my mid late 20s. I surrended my life to Christ 4 and a half years ago and was lonely for a long time until I found these females in the church. There were two girls I met in church that are young adult females. And one of the girls is closest to my age that joined our church a year ago. We seemed to have started off strong together.
The new girl I thought we were cool, but one day I invited her to come to my birthday party, and she said yes. The week of she made it seem like she was currently in another state that week as though she forgot about my birthday event. Then I saw her at church and Im like wait aren't you supposed to be in another state? She said no shes going next week and said stuff that was contradicting. That was def. a red flag. As time goes on, I was just happy to have a church girl I can relate to. I'd hit her up and we'd talk a lot but now and then she'd ghost me. This has happened on and off. Then talk to me again. Now shes recently ghosted me again, she wont answer basic questions that I know shes getting like "OMGSH you got a new job what is it?" Then she'll leave me on read. How she moves is distant. And the other girl, ever since she stopped going to the monthly meetups with me. I noticed she'd ignore my texts and Instagram consistently. They even plan stuff together like visit other churches young adult groups like just last week. And what got me today is that I asked her if she got my text? because people told me she knew information that I'd may want to know. And she was like ummmm... yeah oh ya I did see you texted me and wrote me on Instagram. I didnt click on it. um let me see. This proves she knows what she's doing. And they don't even consider me. This actually made me go into the bathroom at church and cry today so hard. Because I see them for what it is!
I work in the children's ministry and get along with all the older adults there very well. but the two females CLOSEST to my age act off and just click between themselves.
I understand I could easily move on But the reason im hurt is because of the fact they seemed like they liked me, and I thought I finally found CHRISTAIN friends. but then they would switch up and just hang amongst themselves. The other biggest reason is because they both are in the young adult group and the other girl is a youth leader with me. So I have to sit there and feel the energy shift, and connection change, and watch them in my face, being casually nice to me knowing they really don't like me like that. Then I have to do ministry with them and hang around them at the same time.
Another instance is a girl who I used to work with said she was saved and loved Jesus, and I would tell her every blue moon like you know claim the right tips at work , like being a accountability partner, and you know invite her to go to the gym, etc. and we went once, and after she'd preach God to me, over the phone on our first and last phone call, then after that she ghost me, and her energy shift and she'd avoid my question when are we hanging out again. But then she'd go out and hang out with people from work who get drunk with her, they smoke around her , and do things are not Christ like at all. But shes very much still professes God. Not judging her for her weakness but that's my experience with her. Recently, every blue moon shed hit me up plan something, then cancel on me. To the point the last time she asked I left her on read.
Its gotten to the point Im so hurt I don't even like Christians. Yet im a whole christain. I just want to walk like Christ, be Christ-like myself love and care for everyone in a manner that glorifies my Father out of love and be to myself and say forget turning it into anything other than associates. Because obviously the church is a bunch of broken people in a hospital. God knows I am big on loyalty, commitment, and lavishing others with love. But God had to put me in check and learn how to love, and honor the Correct people that deserve it in my life. And not give out loyalty so freely.
The people that I know that are luke warm Christians but try to pray try to go to church but aren't that deep as they should. Have shown me 10x more love and acceptance than people I've tried to befriend that are active in the church.
I don't do everything they do, but they aren't bad influences. And I can freely mention God with them. They have concern care and acceptance, no matter our differences in opinion or whatever that I get from them are better than the people i've met trying to do mission work for God. Or claim to be sold out for God.
It reminds me of the verse Luke 30 when The religious walked past the man bleeding out the road. But the Samaritan came and showed concern care and love. And I feel that Samaritan represents someone whose not religious or as religious but is capable of loving better than someone who swears they have it all together. The bible even tells us 1 corinthians 13:1 says we can speak in tongues be religious and prophesy and still not know how to love correctly. And no matter what gifts of the spirit we have, if we don't have love, we have nothing!!!!
I just wish if I did something wrong they'd tell me, if theres something I need to change tell me. I try my best to be a good friend person. I try to honor God. I know im not perfect. But I try to do good. And im always open for rebuke. Like rejection got to the point where Im trying hard to find wrong in me. Even if it may not be me. To make it make sense.

I also remember I had a dream from God a long time ago. This dream happened after I surrendered to Christ. In this dream I saw MANY people in a cafeteria, and I didn't fit in with almost NOBODY ..I thought! so I went to the uncool table and tried to sit with two of the people there and there was room in that table and guess what. I was pushed off the table, because I still didnt even fit in with the UNCOOLEST kids.
and then i'd had two other dreams one where I was in a classroom and God was teaching the class something, but my seat where I sat was the LAST seat in the class room. And the other dream. I was in line to go somewhere the line was long and I was last in line.
I know God speaks well of being last and the last shall be first. and im sure There is good reasons why God makes sure I don't fit in with people for his purpose. But it stilll....hurts . Rejection hurts. I gave up to the point I just want to focus on my family and my best friend and her family and focus on my goals and dreams and self only.
I don't even want to try to look for any new friends in the church. At this point in life , IM NOT LOOKING! That person has to just come and mesh with me natrually somehow someway, because God forced them into my life, because im not looking or desiring it anymore. Maybe that's how God wants it to be. So I can remain focused on His purpose. at this point. yeah

I won't let that affect my relationship with God. And trying to be like Christ. But it sucks to be so lonely in your walk that the people you thought you'd relate to them the most don't want to be around you.
I don't get drunk, I do drink wine, I don't party in clubs im more of a concert and travel girl, when it comes to my flaws I don't do anything they don't do. I try to surrender to God daily and not gossip, be friendly, giving, kind, encouraging. And Im constantly examining my self like...whats wrong with me?

I don't know where to post this but yeah.

I did a lot of damage to my life very quickly I guess. I came to know Christ at age 27. I'm now 31. As much as I pray and pray for deeper meanings of life, more on everlasting life, I just continue to come across the same boring themes...

Everything's so vain. Relationships are built on physical attraction, that once again is better formed if you get a headstart on earlier in life.

I feel by the time I do achieve my goals, I will be too old. Then off to being old, then the grave.

I don't get it. At all. If life is a spiritual thing, God is the living God who's spirit is in is, why is everything so black and white?
Why is it so easy to ruin our calling to happiness? And why do we even want things that in my opinion, are mostly unobtainable?

Purely looking at that state polls, to get to 270

Biden has to maintain lead in

WI 0.8% lead
MN 2% lead
NH 3% lead

He also has to win
MI 2.2% trails
PE 2.8% trails

That gets Biden to 268. So to win he has to take either

AR 3.2%
or
NE 4.3%

All others states are above 5%, given how the polls haven't moved....

IMHO is that Dems have to reduce impact of border issues on AR, I'm not sure about NE.

What is your path to Biden victory?
What does Joe need to do?
Or are just hoping the court cases impact Trump? (I think that is a fading hope)

If Biden wins MN, NH, MI, PE and AZ, then we would get 269 each and have a House/Senate election, President Trump, VP Harris LOL...

....Desantis must think Floridians are the most unobservant people on earth.

<excerpts>
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill removing most references to climate change in state law, Steve MacLaughlin, a meteorologist for the NBC affiliate in Miami, could not restrain himself.

“As Florida is on fire, underwater and unaffordable, our state government is rolling back climate change legislation and language,” MacLaughlin wrote on X — the prelude to a passionate minute-long video explaining why he felt the measure was unwise.

“The world is looking to Florida to lead in climate change, and our government is saying that climate change is no longer the priority it once was,” MacLaughlin said in his video, which was also posted on his station’s website.

In Miami, the past 10 days have seen four calendar-day records for high temperature and five for heat index, according to University of Miami meteorologist Brian McNoldy.
An analysis by Moody’s found that Florida faces the greatest economic risk from climate change of any U.S. state.


....meanwhile, as the water table rises, states like Florida are at risk of compromised septic tanks...

An estimated 120,000 septic systems remain in Miami-Dade County, their subterranean concrete boxes and drain fields a relic of the area’s feverish growth generations ago. Of those, the county estimated in 2018, about half are at risk of being “periodically compromised” during severe storms or particularly wet years.

Miami, where seas have risen six inches since 2010, offers a high-profile example of a predicament that parts of the southeast Atlantic and Gulf coasts are confronting — and one scientists say will become only more pervasive — as waters continue to rise.

Noah is a homeless man who has hit rock bottom. He lost his job, his house, all his money, and has been in jail for drug possession. Please pray for the right rehab to take him in, for housing, food and all his needs, and delivery from panic attacks and fear. Most of all please pray for the Lord to restore the joy of his salvation and surround him with brothers and sisters in Christ. God bless!

The court heard 61 arguments in 69 cases this term (some of the cases were consolidated for oral argument), 20 of which the court has already decided.
Opinions in some of the biggest cases, however, have yet to be issued. These cases address issues ranging from government censorship of online speech to abortion drug regulation to Trump’s immunity from criminal prosecution to how much deference courts should give to federal agencies’ interpretations of the scope of their own authority.
The court heard five cases this term that could significantly reshape administrative law and the regulatory state.
In Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, for instance, the court will decide how much courts should defer to agencies’ often expansive interpretations of federal law.

The world is a dangerous place to be an American ally right now. The Biden administration announced last Tuesday that it has paused arms deliveries to Israel until its concerns over the planned invasion of Rafah are “fully addressed.” Earlier that day, the State Department informed Congress it was extending waivers for Qatar, Lebanon, and five other Islamic nations to receive American weapons.

In other words, the Biden administration will supply weapons to state sponsors of terror, but not to our closest allies.

It should seem obvious, but “ally” is not an empty phrase for a “country we feel positively toward.” No, an ally is a partner, one we have agreed to work closely with, and one with whom we have established contractual obligations. Allies develop such strong mutual bonds that they are willing to work through minor differences in order to preserve the relationship. Punitive actions, such as sanctions and embargoes, are reserved not for allies but for hostile powers, geopolitical rivals, or at best frenemies.

Israel is currently fighting Iran-backed Islamist terrorists on three fronts (Hamas to the southwest, Hezbollah to the north, other factions to the west), not to mention fending off missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis in Yemen and from Iran itself. Israel is “our very closest friend and ally,” Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) declared on “Washington Watch” Monday. “We have friends like Israel. We have enemies like Iran.”

On March 13, 2024 — after five months of attacks on Israel and U.S. forces by Iran-backed militias — the Biden administration renewed a sanctions waiver giving Iran access to $10 billion.

Congress understands which countries are America’s friends, and which are our foes. In 1994, Congress amended the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (22 U.S.C. 2751) to prohibit the sale or lease of any “defense article or defense service” to any country known to participate in the “Arab League boycott of Israel,” although the State Department could grant waivers if America’s national security was at stake.

“As Floridians prepare for Freedom Summer, Florida’s bridges will follow suit, illuminating in red, white, and blue from Memorial Day through Labor Day!” Florida Transportation Secretary James Perdue wrote on X.

“Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida continues to be the freest state in the nation,” he added.

Mr DeSantis’ display will wipe out several scheduled lightings [of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which is outfitted with 1,800 LED lights], including for Mental Health Awareness (28-31 May); Juneteenth (19 June); and Ovarian Cancer Awareness (1-7 September).

[And Pride Month of course.]

Makes a lot of sense to be honest. Assisting someone who is actively sinning by breaking the law isn’t loving them.

2 John 5-6
I beg you, dear lady, not as though I wrote to you a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. This is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

With 6 weeks notice Sunak gambles on a July 4th election. At almost 22 points behind labour in the polls he has taken his own party by surprise.

Last summer, two years after an upside-down American flag was flown outside the Virginia home of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., another provocative symbol was displayed at his vacation house in New Jersey, according to interviews and photographs.

This time, it was the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which, like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

It seems Justice Alito is oblivious to the appearance of bias by such actions.

Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home

In 1967 Louis Armstrong popularized this song:

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At the same time, the University of Michigan was saying this:

During the late 1960s, an “environmental crisis” took shape as a series of environmental catastrophes and revelatory books transformed the American environmental consciousness. Soon before the crisis took its final form, several immensely popular books including Rachel Carson’s 1962 Silent Spring and Ralph Nader’s 1965 Unsafe at Any Speed pushed the public to question the relationship between the government, tasked with protecting the public interest, and industries, incentivized to act in their own economic interests. Pervasive smog in New York City and Los Angeles, the Santa Barbara oil spill, and the Cuyahoga River fires made headlines and frightened Americans across the country. Paul Ehrlich’s book The Population Bomb (1968) connected the dots and helped the public realize that the issues were all related: an exponentially growing population meant an increasing demand for limited resources, which led to unwise decisions about resource use. Driven by fear and empowered with information, the American public was poised to demand change.

Question:

Who do you believe?

There are several articles I just read over the last few days, by an archaeologist named Bargil Pixner which I thought I would post here. The first article is mainly archaeology, the discovery of the southwestern wall which enclosed that corner and gate of the Essene Quarter of Yerushalem. The findings are laid out fairly straightforwardly and are undisputed, and most everyone now understands this area to have been the location of the Essene Quarter. What I think less people realize is that the Upper Room was located in this same area, and below that was a very ancient Jewish-Christian Synagogue. That is where the second article comes in, written by the same author and archaeologist, and that article is much more from a standpoint of historical records with a background knowledge of the archaeology of the area. I found nothing in either of these articles that sounds outlandish or like wishful thinking, (and I am generally pretty skeptical about such claims as those made herein). The second article appears to be laid out quite well, at least to me anyway, being methodical, well researched, and well thought out, as well as reasonable and full of common sense. The following map is not from either of the articles but I include it just to show the location of the Essene Quarter and the very ancient traditional location of the Upper Room which he speaks about in the second article.



Both of these articles first appeared in Biblical Archaeological Review, but this is apparently a website for a Foundation called Century One, where the author also apparently posts some of his articles. The point is, this author is the real deal, a legitimate archaeologist.

An obscure provision of Ohio law could keep Biden off the ballot in November​

President Joe Biden might not appear on the November 2024 presidential ballot in Ohio. Ohio law requires that presidential candidates be certified – that is, the state must be notified that presidential candidates have been officially nominated – 90 days before the general election in order to get on the ballot. That is the earliest deadline of any state.

But the Democratic National Convention that will formally nominate Biden won’t open until nearly two weeks after Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline. The Republican National Convention will wrap up nearly three weeks before the deadline, so Donald Trump won’t have a problem getting on the ballot.

The 90-day deadline has often caused trouble since its adoption in 2010. Only in 2016 did both parties’ conventions take place before the Ohio cutoff date. Both conventions took place after the deadline in 2012 and 2020, and legislators extended the deadline both times.

There are ways to resolve this problem, as two other states with early deadlines have already done. Washington state officials said they will accept a provisional certification of Biden’s nomination before the convention. And Alabama’s Legislature shortened its deadline so that Biden could qualify for the ballot there.

Neither solution seems likely in Ohio, where Republicans may be seeking to make life harder for the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

--

Now, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has just send a letter to the Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party stating that he does not believe the legislature is going to grant an extension so the DNC is going to be forced to either change the date of their nominating convention to satisfy Ohio Republicans, or take them to court.

The Biden Campaign and the DNC has been largely silent on this issue, apparently attempting to resolve this behind the scenes through negotiations. However, LaRose's letter makes it clear that the time for a settlement to this appears to be at an end with Ohio Republicans prepared to force Democrats to take them to court.

“Veteran researcher George Barna of the Barna Group recently said that we’ve reached "Christian invisibility in our culture” amid a decline in biblical worldview and diminishing interest in spiritual formation.

People have become more selfish, churches have become less influential, pastors have become less Bible-centric,” Barna, a professor at Arizona Christian University and the director of research at its Cultural Research Center, told The Christian Post in a recent interview. “Families have invested less of their time and energy in spiritual growth, particularly of their children. The media now influences the Church more than the Church influences the media, or the culture for that matter. The Christian Body tends to get off track arguing about a lot of things that really don't matter.”

Click to expand...

Barna noted a troubling trend, such as a decline in discipleship and the lack of solid, biblical training in seminaries. He also contended that churches use measures for success, such as attendance, fundraising, and infrastructure have little to do with Jesus’ mission.


“There is poor leadership in seminaries that mislead local churches into thinking that they're actually training individuals whom God has called to be leaders and are qualified to be leaders and certifying them to lead local churches, not knowing any better bringing them on,” he said. Despite seminaries having “good intentions,” Barna said they are setting up young leaders for failures.

Continued below.

I would like to consider some terms used when considering salvation. Because it seems to flavor how one considers the topic.

SIN

• A rebellious act. E.g. God told Adam not to eat the fruit, yet he did. That was disobedience, and thus a sin.
• Any wrong-doing, even apart from willful disobedience. E.g. Lev 15:27 “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering."
• General ignorance. E.g. Ps 86:11 "Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name". Here we have the psalmist asking instruction that he might become more aligned with God, more perfect. 1 John 5:17 "All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death." In this construct, everyone will always have more to learn from God and even after the 2nd coming of Christ, we will continually be learning, improving and becoming more like our Father.
  

SALVATION

• Forgiveness of an offense. Adam sinned and created problems for his offspring. God forgave Adam and "saved" him.
• Protection against consequences. After Adam's sin, God put forth immense effort to right the wrong. Adam acquiesced power and authority to Satan in the garden. Christ overcame Satan by obeying the Father to the point of death, regaining the authority Adam had lost. Christ "saved" us from Adam's actions.
• Personal improvement. This would be the process whereby God empowers us to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. He helps us put our foolishness behind us and stop doing bad things, thereby "saving" us.
  

What do you think of my flavors of interpretation above? Do you think they are all the same thing? Is there some additional nuance I missed? And how does swapping one interpretation of a word for another affect your understanding of salvation?

Best wishes,

KT

I have been reading through the Bible (actually listening), and I have come across several passages relating to blessings and curses and thought I would explore the idea here.

First, there are the classic blessings and curses that God gives, linked to Mt. Ebal. And I have no issues with this. God issues a policy of blessing, and his servants (angels) carry it out to bless a person or nation. Likewise a policy of curse (disfavor) can likewise be carried out by angels such that everything seems to go wrong.

Next, I am not considering when a person might (wrongly) say a curse when they are angry, for example if they hit their thumb with a hammer.

But what interests me is when humans issue the blessings or curses.

I'm going to list passages relating curses that I found. Comments below.

1. Gen 9:24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
   
   
2. Gen 27:11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”
   
   
3. Gen 27:27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
   “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.
   28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine.
   29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.
   Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
   May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
   
   
4. Gen 27:33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
   
   
5. Gen 49: Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
   2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. ...
   5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords[a] are weapons of violence. ...
   7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
   
   
6. Numbers 22 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’” ... 12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”
   
   
7. Deut 21: 22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
   
   
8. Joshua 6 26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
   “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations;
   at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” ... (see fullfilment of this below)
   
   
9. 1 Kings 16:34 In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.
   
   
10. Joshua 9:22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way from you,’ while actually you live near us? 23 You are now under a curse: You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
    
    
11. Judges 9 Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal ... murdered his seventy brothers, .... But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. ... he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. ... 16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelek king? ... 20 But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!” ... 56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
    
    
12. Judges 21:17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite."
    
    
13. 1 Sam 14 24 Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food. ... 41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault,[d] respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. 42 Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!” 44 Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”
    
    
14. 2 Sam 16 5 As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!” ... 11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
    
    
15. 2 King 2 23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
    
    
16. Nehemiah 13 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.
    
    
17. Job 1:5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
    
    
18. Mat 26: 69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, ... 74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
    
    
19. Luke 6 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
    
    
20. 1 Cor 16 21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!

Here are my thoughts:

• Blessings or curses are a supernatural phenomena, so if carried out, the source of the power must be from God, either directly from the Father, or by one of His servants (angels) acting in accordance to His policy.
  
  
• Some of the blessings/curses seem to predict the future. E.g. Jacob's words to his sons before his death (item #5 above). I'm not sure if this curse came true. Were Simeon and Levi dispersed in Israel?
  
  
• When Isaac's blessing was stolen by Jacob, how did this work? Was Jacob bound by his word after being tricked? Was God bound to this? This doesn't make sense to me.
  
  
• When Hiel rebuilt Jericho, he lost 2 sons. Did God kill these two to honor the curse issued by Joshua?
  
  
• In the case of Baalam, why did God tell Baalam not to curse the Israelites? What was the worst that would happen, that God would ignore the invocation? What he trying to save Baalam's reputation of being an effective curse-giver?
  
  
• In #13 above, the situation where Saul had put a curse on anyone who ate, was God honoring Saul's authority by not responding after his son had eaten honey?
  
  
• In #20, is this type of curse the same kind of curse seen in the OT? Was Paul really evoking a curse, or was it more causal?
  
  
• In the Law that God instructed Moses to give, there is regulation that a son should not be punished for the sins of the father. But it seems that curses are applied over generations, to people that had not personally done wrong. How is this consistent?

I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts.

Best wishes,

KT

Ukraine's navy claims it has likely destroyed the last of Russia's cruise missile carriers operating out of the crucial Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

In remarks made to Radio Free Europe, Ukraine's navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the navy was currently trying to verify whether or not it had destroyed the small missile carrier "Tsiklon" on Saturday.

If confirmed, it would mean there is no longer a Russian missile carrier based out of the key peninsula, he told the outlet.
Ukraine says it may have destroyed Russia's last cruise missile carrier based out of Crimea

This conflict has caused the worst naval defeats on Russia since the Russo-Japanese war. And inflicted on them by a nation that doesn't even have a deep water navy.