Jesus was a man but he was the Son of God too. He knew he would die but come back to life. Yet, he experienced intense distress and anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. Why? What was about to happen that caused him to sweat blood?

Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied him. The disciples forsook him. The wicked people spit on him, punched him, flogged him, mocked him, crowned him with sharp thorns, and finally nailed him to the cross. Jesus didn't complain about any of these to the Father.

Matthew 27:

46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

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That was the most painful moment of Jesus' life. As humans, we can't appreciate the depth of this pain. The Father and the Son/Word had been together for all eternity. There is a connection, a spiritual communion between the Father and Son. At this point, this connection was temporarily severed/forsaken for the first and only time. Jesus raised a rhetorical question because he experienced the cut/separation all humans experience when sinning. Without this separation, it was impossible for Jesus to die (Romans 6:23) physically. Sin cannot be imposed upon the divine nature of Christ. After this separation, he took on our sins and died for our sins. Jesus died; his divine nature did not.

Jesus alluded to Psalm 22:

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?

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Jesus felt forsaken and the separation. That was the temporal moment for the transaction of the divine exchange, 2 Corinthians 5:

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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Heb 9:

28b Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

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Soon after Jesus experienced this separation, Matthew continues:

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

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Did Jesus' divine nature leave his human nature on the cross?

I think so. When Jesus made the first cry, the Holy Spirit (the divine nature/component) disconnected from Jesus' human spirit. Jesus then took on sin. When he made the second cry, his human spirit left his physical body to die. But then, immediately, his human spirit rejoined the deity Holy Spirit. I speculate that Jesus' divine component left him between the 1st and the 2nd cry.

Sin cannot be imposed upon Christ's divine nature. Without carrying sin, Jesus could not have died physically. In terms of spiritual mechanics, that was how God/Man died. God did not die, and the divine nature of Jesus did not die. Jesus took up our sins and died. 1 Peter 2:

24a He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

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How would this affect the redemption of humankind?

After the 2nd cry, Matthew 27:

51 behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

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Jesus was the first man who had the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Jesus didn't just die: He yielded up his human spirit. By doing so, the separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn down. After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, he sent the Paraclete Indwelling Spirit to connect with our human spirit to God. The indwelling Spirit was released if and only if Jesus died.

What happened to the condition of Jesus' body?

Paul spoke in (NIV) Acts 13:

35 So it is also stated elsewhere:“ ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’
36“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay."

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Jesus' body was sinless. It did not decay.

See also From the sixth hour there was DARKNESS over all the land until the ninth hour.

I know it's "Good Friday" and many celebrate the crucifixion as being on a Friday, but it really couldn't have been because of the 3 days and 3 nights just wouldn't fit. You'd have 2 days and 2 nights only. Part of Friday before sundown could count as a day, then the night = 1 day, 1 night. Then Sabbath day and Sabbath night = 2 days, 2 nights, but then Jesus is already gone when the women get to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) at or before dawn.
Even Matthew 28:1 shows it may have even been earlier than that: "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week"
Since the end of the Sabbath would be sundown on Saturday, some have made the supposition that they went to the tomb

"“as it began to dusk and come toward the first day of the week.” This event, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary coming to view the tomb, is not recorded in any Gospel but Matthew.

The translations differ about this verse, so to properly understand it we must pay strict attention to the Greek text, the Jewish customs, and the event itself. This event occurred on Saturday, Nisan 17, in the late evening, just as the Jewish day Sunday was “dawning,” i.e., starting, that is just before the Saturday Sabbath ended at sunset and Sunday, the first day of the week, began. The fact that Matthew records that the Sabbath was just ending at sunset tells us that Matthew is written from the point of view of Jewish timing, not Roman timing. The Jews began their new day at sunset, while the Romans began their new day at midnight (like Westerners still do). This verse is not speaking about Sunday morning when the sun came up, as many people believe.

Although many translations have the word “dawn,” in this verse, we must not confuse that with the Western view of “dawn,” i.e., when the sun comes up. To the Jews, a new day “dawned,” or started, at sunset. The Greek text reads in a way that seems very difficult when translated literally, which is due to the idioms involved. A very literal rendering of the Greek text is: “Now late of the [on the] Sabbaths, at the dawn toward the first of the Sabbaths.” This is a very difficult sentence, and to understand it we need to know two things: the first thing is that “Sabbaths” (the plural of Sabbath) was the regular Jewish idiom for a week. The second thing is that the word “dawned” is the Greek word epiphōskō (#2020 ἐπιφώσκω; pronounced eh-pee-'phōs-kō), which literally means, “to grow light,” and it was used of the “dawn” or “beginning” of something. In the United States, we have the same basic idiom and use “dawn” for the beginning of something. When something brand new is coming that will make significant changes, someone might say, “A new day is dawning,” even though it is technically not either a new “day,” nor is it “dawn.”

[For more on epiphōskō, see " style="color: rgb(45, 123, 255); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit;">commentary on Luke 23:54.]

According to Jewish reckoning of time, the new day was beginning, or “dawning,” at sunset on the weekly Sabbath. Thus, sunset on Saturday started Sunday and the new week. Many English versions read “dawn” in this verse, but to understand the verse, we must realize that the sun is going down and the new day is starting; the verse is not saying that the sun is coming up. About this verse, Robertson writes: “This careful chronological statement according to Jewish days clearly means that before the Sabbath was over, that is before six PM, this visit by the women was made ‘to see the sepulcher.’”a Robertson is correct that this is a “careful chronological statement,” and not paying attention to it is one of the reasons people wrongly think the Bible contradicts itself in the timing of some of the events that occurred after the death of Jesus.

If we read the verse in an amplified form with notes included, we get: “Now late of the [on the] Sabbaths [the week, i.e., as the week was ending on Saturday night], at the dawn [the ‘beginning’] toward the first of the Sabbaths [i.e., at the beginning of the next week, which started at sunset Saturday night when Sunday, the next week began].”

Matthew 28, REV Bible and Commentary

Matthew 28 REV - Now late on the Sabbath day, as it began to dusk and come toward the first day of the week - Bible verse

www.revisedenglishversion.com

There is this that supports a Thursday crucifixion, however, she does not take into consideration the "dawn" being Saturday at sundown:

"The Passover Sabbath
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, also known as the Feast of the Passover, was celebrated in remembrance of the Israelites being delivered from Egyptian bondage. This feast is set on Nisan 15 (Leviticus 23:6) and could fall on any day of the week. This feast day, preceded by a day of preparation, is a High Sabbath (a day of rest). It’s also called a High Day.

John 19:31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

John 19:31 says that Jesus was crucified on the Preparation Day before the High Day Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This places the date of Jesus’ crucifixion on Nisan 14. Since the Passover feast is set according to a specific date on the calendar, the question becomes, on what day of the week was the feast day that year?

Three Reasons for a Thursday Crucifixion​

I (Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope* Jesus) hold to a Thursday crucifixion, and I will share three reasons and biblical support for this. I will also explain why a Wednesday or Friday crucifixion day does not fit with what the Bible reveals."

Was Jesus Crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?

Was Jesus crucified on a Friday? Did He die on Wednesday or Thursday? What does the Bible reveal? It might surprise you.

reasonsforhopejesus.com

And here is the Wednesday crucifixion, which I personally tend to believe is the likely one.
"The Bible indicates that Jesus had to be crucified on Wednesday and arose sometime in the Saturday evening hours before the end of the Sabbath, contrary to the popular belief that He was crucified on Friday. This is further supported by the fact that the Jewish day begins and ends at 6 P.M. (sunset), with the daytime hours beginning at the “First hour” from dawn until 8 A.M. and lasting through the “Twelfth hour” of 6 P.M. to sunset. Additionally, the six days of Passover were being observed, culminating with the yearly High Sabbath (Leviticus 23), a three-day feast beginning on Wednesday sunset."

Was Jesus Crucified on Friday or Wednesday?

Scripture trumps tradition when it comes to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible states Jesus was crucified on Wednesday and arose Saturday.

mesabiblestudy.com

Wednesday is also taught in many Messianic assemblies.
Keep in mind also this:
Easter has nothing to do with Passover nor does Easter have anything to do with any of the Jewish festivals. Pesach or Passover is the word that should have been used in Acts 12:4.

But, bottom line with all this is the Gospel, that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. His death on the cross redeems us, His blood cleanses our sin; His resurrection justifies us (Romans 4:25)

It seems like the best way to show that woke is a bad idea is to put it into place. Like what happens when narcotics are decriminalized. Yes, it ended up creating an extremely bad situation like conservatives said it would.

Ben Shapiro seems to have repackaged his attack on Marxists
He is now attacking conspiracy theorists that claim they will easily fix a problem
A big change is that he says the problem affects BOTH sides of the aisle
An he specifically attacked people that hide behind the claim "I'm just asking questions"
Which republicans could he be referring to other than the people that Denied Biden won the election







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These sisters are quite famous in the States. One of them is married.
I'm wondering.. if one accepted Jesus and the other didn't... How would that work out?

Another question. They share a body from the waist down... they share a single genital...
The married one, Abby, wants to start a family.
Would her unmarried sister be committing fornication?

Trump is doing a paid endorsement of a $60 bible. In what world is this not exploitation of the Gospel?

Jesus' only gospel He taught was the Gospel of the Kingdom as we see He said numerous times in scripture. Jesus' ministry was about the good news of the Kingdom, and Paul taught the same. Unfortunately, there are only three mentions of that in Acts, and none of those teachings, for some odd reason, made it to print despite all of Paul's letters. One would think such an important leader of Gentile Christianity, such as Paul, the man whose writings we had before anyone else, would have not only written out the Gospel of the Kingdom, but that it would have also been included. Its always been a mystery.

JESUS
Luke 4: 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

Mark 1: 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Matthew 4: 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom...

Matthew 24: 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 9: 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom

etc.

PAUL
Acts 19:8 He (Paul) went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God

Acts 28: 23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. 24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Acts 28: 30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Ethiopia​

Although the law allows requests for the building of facilities for ‘non-Muslim’ worship in Algeria, in practice no response has ever been made to an application. Pray for this to change.
Number of Prayers 10.

[Note: Going through these prayers I see that the site made an error here, in copying a post about Algeria. Sorry. But we can just pray generally for Ethiopia.]
YES - I WILL PRAY
Ethiopia

Algeria​

Although the law allows requests for the building of facilities for ‘non-Muslim’ worship in Algeria, in practice no response has ever been made to an application. Pray for this to change.
Number of Prayers 26
YES - I WILL PRAY
Algeria

Algeria​

There is strong family and societal pressure against those who choose to leave Islam in Algeria. Pray for their protection and that they will remain strong and withstand the demands to return to their former religion.
Number of Prayers 32
YES - I WILL PRAY
Algeria

Algeria​

Pray for Muslim-background believers who have encountered the gospel for the first time in Algeria, sometimes online or even through dreams and visions. May God guide and bless them in their next steps of faith.
Number of Prayers 35
YES - I WILL PRAY
Algeria

Algeria​

Pray for the women’s ministry of the Algerian Protestant churches, especially in places where the pastors have been prevented from ministering by the State. As a result, their wives effectively carry the churches through these challenging times.
Number of Prayers 31
YES - I WILL PRAY
Algeria

Algeria​

Ask for God’s protection on the Protestant churches that remain open, and that God will continue to bless their ministries.
Number of Prayers 34
YES - I WILL PRAY
Algeria

Algeria​

Pray for the Algerian pastors who have been arrested, tried and in some cases jailed for holding ‘unauthorised worship’ activity. Pray for courage for them, skill for their lawyers and comfort for their families during these trials.

Pastor Bil and Jessica Cornelius share some AMAZING marriage advice. With 25+ years of marriage they're dropping some wisdom!

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Hello brothers and sisters, I'm a new member. May Grace and peace be with you, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."
~ God (KJV)


Why would God deliberately harm us?

Please be praying for my friend and fellow evangelist, Joshua's wife Rachael and children. His wife was hit by a truck yesterday and is in ICU. Their daughter was with her and she's ok. Here's what Joshua said...

"Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed, offered to help, and visited me at the hospital. Some people drove many, many hours just to be here and pray. I have no words for my gratitude. I just want to say I am humbled and overwhelmed with joy for the support shown during this difficult chapter in our family thus far. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you.

As far as updates, the situation is fluid, but Lydia was released from the hospital. She is fine. Our other children are being watched by my parents, bless their hearts, and are also doing well.

For those of you who were unaware of exactly what happened, you have my permission to share this but Rachael walked across the street to get the mail at our house, and Lydia was with her. Apparently she ran a little too far ahead of Rachael and somehow a truck struck Rachael causing her to fall and hit her head. By God's grace, Lydia's life was saved I suspect Rachael protected her from the truck. Rachael, however was not so lucky. She has a major laceration to the back of her head and had to be life-flighted to ICU. She is in stable condition (as of this post). She had to have part of her skull removed and plastic surgery was performed successfully. The team at the hospital has done an outstanding job of caring for her.

Needless to say, life is about to change significantly for us. I have no idea if the woman who said "I do" over 7 years ago will ever be the same again. I do not know how our three children will be able to handle mommy not being around indefinitely. There are many more questions. One thing is for sure, God is in control and all things work together for good to those who love God.

Love in Christ,
Joshua"

Why a UC Berkeley professor’s dating toxic advice is a national story

The crime of this professor: Telling a student to get out of the Bay Area if he wants to find a girlfriend.

"Shewchuk, who later apologized for his comments, didn’t go into detail about what those “differences” might be."

Given the response by women, now there is no doubt about staying away. This is CrazyTown. The reality for most guys - no girlfriend. Well, they can have girlfriends but the whole "girlfriend" thing is going to bring a lot of trouble. Mostly that involves dating and getting their bank accounts drained with little to show for it - still no girlfriend. Or constant drama. Or something happens involving the law or university because she changed her mind after the fact.

Summary by ChatGPT:

- UC Berkeley computer science professor Jonathan Shewchuk's controversial advice to a student to "get out of the Bay Area" if he wanted to find a girlfriend sparked a nationwide debate.
- Shewchuk's comments, made on an official university online discussion forum, were criticized for their apparent dehumanization of women and promotion of male supremacy.
- The remarks were seen as coded language reflecting values that undermine feminism and LGBT rights activism.
- The rise of misogynistic ideologies like those found in the "manosphere" is attributed to factors such as pick-up artist culture, online harassment campaigns, and social media.
- These ideologies prey on vulnerable men seeking explanations for feelings of rejection or loneliness, often blaming feminism and female autonomy.
- Despite the profitability of promoting resentment towards women, it fails to address the root causes of social disconnection and loneliness.
- Men's reluctance to seek mental health treatment due to societal stigmas contributes to their susceptibility to radicalization in online echo chambers.
- The ideology of the "manosphere" has ties to white supremacy, conspiracy theories, and violent incidents, leading authorities to consider it a serious terroristic threat.
- The controversy surrounding Shewchuk's remarks evokes memories of past violence against women, such as the Montreal massacre in 1989, underscoring the importance of addressing toxic beliefs about women in society.

Hello folks, My name is David and I am from the Midlands of South Carolina. Columbia is the Capital with rich history. Many parks in the area have Civil War history and when roaming the parks, the imagination can really be exercised. I am a veteran of the Navy and I have been fortunate to be able to retire early after working in the Information Technology field. I've lived many places and since I was raised here, I think I've always eventually returned here to the Columbia area.

Best regards,
David

Rev. 8:2-6, WHEN DO THE SEVEN TRUMPETS BEGIN

Adventists recognize that the casting down of the censer indicates sudden termination of something. And, many claim that Mrs. White saw this scene in a vision. (See Early Writings, pp. 279-280) But, Mrs. White did not see that scene. If you read her comments in the given reference above , she clearly says that she saw Jesus standing before the Ark of The Covenant, not a angel standing before the Altar of Incense. E.W. view says nothing about the seven angels receiving seven trumpets (the first event in the sequence), neither does she say anything about the sounding of the trumpets in this reference.

Many seventeenth and eighteenth century Reformation writers believed the seven trumpets began with the fall of the Roman Empire around A.D. 400. William Miller too, excepted this view, so placing them in the past supported his claim of the coming of Christ in 1844.

Please give some thought to the following:

As one reads Rev. 8:2-6, the first event is of seven angels receiving seven trumpets.

Followed by an Angel having a golden censer offering incense on the Altar of Incense.

Followed by the same angel taking that censer filled with fire and hurling in on the earth.

Followed by peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake [all on the earth]

Followed by the seven angels preparing to sound their trumpets.

If you except that the trumpets began around 400 A.D. Then what does the angel ministering at the Altar of Incense mean, and what historical facts prove that it has been fulfilled, since the texts indicate that the angels prepare to sound them AFTER the angel cast it’s censer to earth?

OR, which traditional Adventists interpretation do you think makes more sense to you?

We live in a day and time when the truth is massively under fire, i.e. it is greatly under attack. Truth and lies are now being flip-flopped to where it can be difficult to discern truth from lies. Truth is also being altered and diluted to make it less offensive to the ungodly and to human flesh. And deliberate half-truths are lies. And these lies are being spread through some preachers’ sermons, video talks, movies, TV shows, cartoons, “Christian” song lyrics, social media memes, and famous people’s testimonies, etc.

But one of the big dangers of these lies is that they are cleverly blended in with the truth, and they are skillfully disguised as truth, and so they have the appearance of truth, and so many people believe them. And then we live in a “fast food” generation where the shorter that messages are the better that they are received. But the shorter they are the more they are missing in content, and thus it is easier to deceive naïve and unsuspecting minds who receive them as truth if they sound good, and if they make them feel good.

Therefore, the ability to discern if anyone is teaching a “different doctrine” becomes harder and harder to distinguish if we are not grounded in the truth of the Scriptures being taught IN CONTEXT, and not out of context, as so many are doing these days. And it is harder if we are just easily accepting what appears good and what sounds good, but without testing what we are reading or hearing against the Scriptures taught in their appropriate context. And CONTEXT is absolutely critical to correct biblical understanding.

For I know that a “different doctrine,” which does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus, is what is largely being accepted as the truth here in America, and it is what the masses who profess faith in Jesus Christ are following, and not the truth. For they are being taught that they can profess Jesus as Savior and Lord, have all their sins forgiven, be guaranteed heaven when they die, and promised that nothing can take that away, but regardless of how they live. And some are even promoting the continuance of sin.

And the liars are able to convince many people to believe this “different doctrine,” as though it is truth, because they are teaching the Scriptures out of context, and most people are not testing what they are hearing against the truth of the Scriptures taught in context, and so they are believing the lies and not the truth. But sadly, even if you present them with the truth, many are refusing the truth and are continuing with the lies for the lies do not demand that they forsake their sins and obey Jesus and his commands.

And it isn’t just the love of money which leads people to accept the lies and not the truth, but it is the love of self, and it is the love of the world, and it is the desires (lusts) of the flesh and of the eyes and the pride of life which keep them still in slavery to sin and living for self but while claiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And it is wanting to be approved and accepted by other humans and to not be considered as different. And for some, it is that they just like to create controversy because they love to argue and quarrel.

So, how do we separate truth from lies? We have to go to the source of truth to get the truth, but we have to read what is written in its immediate context and then compare it to the overall context, as a whole. For Scripture should agree with Scripture. So if you are being taught a particular doctrine, go to that Scripture in your Bible and read that Scripture in its full context. And please read a reputable translation and not some of the more recent translations that have come out which deter much from the truth.

And then pray to the Lord for spiritual discernment to separate truth from lies so that you listen to the truth and not to the lies. And sometimes the lies are just what Satan is whispering in our ears and they are not even Scriptures taught out of context and twisted to say what they do not say. And sometimes they are just “sayings” of other people which sound biblical, but which are not based in the Scriptures at all. But the truth should agree with the teachings of Jesus Christ, which accords with godliness.

For Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord, we don’t have eternal life with Jesus Christ. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, we have eternal life. For he also said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

VOICE OF TRUTH

By Mark Hall & Steven Curtis Chapman
II Corinthians 12:7-10/I Corinthians 1:20-24

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth..

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Now, when this says, “If anyone is in Christ..” it is assuming that not everyone reading this is in Christ, not even all who profess to be in Christ. And what did Paul teach us that it meant to be “in Christ”? It means that we are now walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:1-14)

And he said that we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. So, if we have been set free from sin, that means that we are now slaves of God, and the fruit of that is eternal life with God (Romans 6:1-23).

And he taught that the way that we should have learned Christ - assuming that we have heard about him and we were taught in him the truth that is in Jesus, is that we are “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17-24). So, being “in Christ” means that we have died with Christ to our old lives of living in sin and we are now living for Christ in walks of obedience to him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

But are we able to accomplish any of this in our own flesh? No! But does that mean that God does it all and that we do nothing? No! For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. And the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:11-14)

So, when we read this passage in 2 Corinthians 5 we should read it in the context of these other Scriptures and of these other teachings of Paul so that we get the correct context and meaning out of the passage. For this is not teaching us that anyone who says “Lord, Lord,” is truly a new creation in Christ Jesus. And it is not teaching us that God does it all and that nothing is required of us at all. Yes, it all comes from God, and it is all empowered by God and by his Spirit, but it involves our cooperation (partnership) with God and our God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Christ for it to happen.

So, the old isn’t really gone unless it is really gone. So, if you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, but then you go on living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, and not in walks of obedience to his commands, and not in holy living, then the old is not gone. It is still alive and it is still thriving! And you aren’t a new creation unless you have died to the old self, and to the old life of sin, and unless you are now walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living, empowered by his Spirit. For to be reconciled to God is to exchange your life of sin for a life of holy living.

So, when Paul implored the people to be reconciled to God, he was imploring them to die to their old lives of living in sin and for self and to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from a life of living in sin and for self to now living for God and for his righteousness in holy living and in walks of obedience and in surrender to our Lord and to his will for our lives. Then the old is truly gone and the new has come into being. For Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

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

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

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

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Hello folks. The year is 2024, and AI continues to grasp headlines in the news. Most AI models such as ChatGPT are run on servers, hundreds of miles away from the users. This means that data is not private, and AI could potentially be used to build a profile of you. There is a solution, known as Mistral 7B, an AI model that can be used locally on your own PC or Mac. It generates a bit of heat when running, but can answer basic to more complex questions (except math, cos AI is bad at math).

This is the AI explaining what a rosary is. It took about a minute or two to answer the question.



Article about ChatGPT privacy concerns: ChatGPT Has a Big Privacy Problem
Mistral 7B summary of the article (yes, my laptop got warm when summarizing this):

In July 2020, OpenAI released their large language model GPT-3, which was trained on millions of pages scraped from the web, Reddit posts, books, and more. However, this data inclusion has led to privacy concerns as it contains personal information of millions of individuals, including Italians.

On March 31, 2023, Italy's data regulator, Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali, issued a temporary emergency decision demanding OpenAI stop using the personal information of millions of Italians in ChatGPT. The regulator argues that OpenAI doesn't have the legal right to use people's personal information without their consent, which is a requirement under GDPR. In response, OpenAI has stopped access to ChatGPT for Italians while they work with the regulators.

This decision is the first taken against ChatGPT by a Western regulator and highlights privacy tensions around the creation of giant generative AI models. Similar investigations could follow across Europe, with France, Germany, and Ireland already contacting the Garante for more information. Tobias Judin, head of international at Norway's data protection authority, says that if a model is built on data that may be unlawfully collected, it raises questions about whether anyone can use the tools legally.

Under GDPR, organizations must rely on one of six legal justifications to collect and use people's information, including obtaining their consent or arguing legitimate interests. OpenAI's privacy policy mentions relying on "legitimate interests" but doesn't specify how they obtained the personal information used for training ChatGPT.

The Italian decision comes as scrutiny of large AI models increases, with tech leaders calling for a pause on their development due to potential future implications. The GDPR rules protect the data of over 400 million people across Europe, and OpenAI's actions could potentially breach these regulations by not having age controls, providing inaccurate information, failing to inform individuals about data collection, and lacking a legal basis for collecting personal information.

Experts argue that the issues raised by the Italian regulator are likely to apply to all development of machine learning and generative AI systems, as many data sets used for training have existed for years without considering privacy implications. The EU is developing AI regulations, but little action has been taken against the development of machine learning systems regarding privacy.

There's a lack of clarity on how to collect data lawfully for training data sets and how to delete or correct inaccurate information from large AI models, especially if the origins of the data are unclear. GDPR allows individuals to request deletion or correction of their information but may not be able to do so with large language models, as they don't have provisions for it.

The Italian regulator's decision has the potential to be the first of many cases examining OpenAI's data practices, as every individual European country can open complaints against it. OpenAI isn't alone in facing these issues, and many other AI developers may also need to address privacy concerns related to their training data and model development.

There are actual real cases of this, in which they are later found innocent.

Where are Christians to stand on this? Because they are lying when they say they are guilty in order to stop the beatings, but I do understand that they want the beating to stop.

Should they tell the truth always, even if it means death?

I am not an English speaker, so through an online translator:

My message to one person who is interested in Lutheranism: "@centurion1067, for Protestantism, technical continuity does not play a special role, this is facilitated by the Protestant doctrine of universal priesthood. Well, Lutherans will tell you that they have episcopal succession inherited from the Scandinavian tradition of Lutheranism, but a rhetorical question arises: how do their bishops differ sacramentally from the laity, or are all sacramentally equal? If they are no different, then their ordinations are no different from those in the Baptist environment. Well, judge for yourself, if there is no sacramental difference between a bishop and a layman, if they are both equal by grace, then there is no point in chasing episcopal succession, anyway it will not differ in any way from Baptist ordinations. That is, if it is claimed that pastors and laity are equal by grace, if they are sacramentally equal, then episcopal succession in the Lutheran environment does not give any special feature. And if by grace, pastors are no different from lay people in a Protestant environment, then in fact, any pastoral ministry in a Protestant (!) environment is purely administrative, administrative service."

Lutherans do not have a priesthood. Even if there is an episcopal succession (technical succession of ordination), but if the understanding of the priesthood is changed, the matter of the Sacrament is thereby changed, which in turn leads to the invalidity of the Sacrament, and therefore to the termination of the succession. In addition, in the traditional Christian understanding, a priest makes a Propitiatory Sacrifice, and if Lutherans do not have a Propitiatory Sacrifice, if gifts remain a natural gift, then priests are not needed. There is a priest if there is a sacerdotal service - the offering of a Propitiatory Sacrifice. And since Protestants deny sacerdotalism, they do not have a sacerdotal priesthood.

Today, my answer to a person who is interested in Lutheranism is: "@centurion1067, I know this feeling that you have, it's called throwing. When something pulls, you are not sure about it, you get information that refutes it. Then time passes, and you calm down, and what is pulling begins to beckon again. And so you write to me that my answer did not come from the heart. My most important answer was written to you much earlier. What is the point of telling Lutherans about the same episcopal succession from the Scandinavian tradition, if according to their teachings, a bishop by grace is no different from a layman? Therefore, it turns out that this is an administrative ministry, and not a sacramental one, because the Lutheran bishop and presbyter have no sacramental superiority over the layman. Lutheran bishops and presbyters have only administrative superiority over the laity. Therefore, all these Lutheran ordinations are no different from Baptist ones. Further, another thing was also important, if in Lutheranism there is no Sacrifice, not a sacrifice of the gratitude of believers, as Lutherans like to say, but a Sacrifice in the truest sense, a Lamb on the Altar, then there is no sense at all in the priesthood. There is a priest only if there is a sacerdotal service - the offering of Sacrifice. And since Protestants deny sacerdotalism, they do not have a sacerdotal priesthood. That's up to you, but if I were you, I wouldn't chase after non-traditional teachings that originated in the 16th century. Well, let's not write to each other a hundred times."

Rhode Island was the most recent state to join the list of states pledging to ban the sale of gas-powered cars, joining Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington.
According to the site, the District of Columbia has also made the commitment.

What you don't see are the plans for updating our nation's power grid. Of course there is no way our current power grid can handle the massive switch-over to EVs. That is, unless driving is slashed through government rationing of electricity.

My grandma is in the hospital. They just called my mom to her bedside because they are one step away from intubation, and that’s the last step my grandma wants them to take. I am not handling well. We were close til I moved states.