Colonel Jeffrey Williams has just retired from NASA. He's seen and photographed the earth from space. He is a committed Christian. If you are FE or need convincing that the earth is a globe, please watch the interview.

Im a part time personal trainer and im currently about to train this woman and she revealed to me she’s a stripper and needs my help to be in better shape. Should I still trainer ?

Hello, i was Born Catholic but i cant remember much about Church. And i have recently became born again Christian, I want to learn Christian theology and more about the bible. I go to Bible Study On Friday Morning, but i wish to go deeper into Christian Theology and maybe even go to bible College. As i feel my life is for Christ//, i am unsure where to start apart from reading the bible i want to understand it more and learn from Jesus. But i am unsure where to start apart from the bible study at the moment. I want to help those with addictions, mental health and homelessness. I want others to come to Jesus, and I want to save those who are suffering and those who don't yet know Jesus and Show them the love of Jesus. Thank you

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." Psalms 83:18 KJV

Answer: I have faith I will not be tried, or have trials, tribulations and tests. I will win and have what I say.

Hello, my name is Brian Hannaford, the new author of "Mercy for None." I am originally from Tulsa, and moved all over growing up. My autobiography is a true-story unlike any other. I am basically a renaissance man, I was gifted to do many things. I believe my life was meant to deliver a message, and so I continue. Once this book is a movie, it will change the world for the better, for all children.

William Penn, 1644-1718 (This is from some writing about Penn in 1834 that I hand copied a few months back)
"The goodly tree of doctrines... First, repentance from dead works. Which comprehends 3 operations. First,a sight of sin. Secondly, a sense of godly sorrow for sin. Thirdly, an amendment for the time to come...
For of the light came sight: and of sight came sense and sorrow; and of sense and sorrow came amendment of life. Which doctrine of repentance leads to justification; that is' forgiveness of sins that are past, through Christ the alone propitiation, and the sanctification, or purgation, of the soul from the defiling nature and habits of sin present, by the Spirit of Christ in the soul; which is justification in the complete sense of that word: comprehending both justification from the guilt of the sins that are past, as if they had never been committed, through the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus; and the creatures being made inwardly just, through the cleansing and sanctifying power and Spirit of Christ revealed in the soul; which is commonly called sanctification.
But none can come to know Christ to be their sacrifice, that reject Him as their sanctifier: the end of His coming being to save His people from the nature and defilement, as well as the guilt of sin: and therefore, those that resist His light and Spirit, make His coming and offering of none effect to them.

From hence sprang a second doctrine they were led to declare, as the mark of the prise, of the high calling to all true Christians, viz. Perfection from sin, according to the scriptures of Truth; which testify it to be the end of Christs coming, and the nature of His kingdom, and for which His Spirit was and is given, viz. to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, and holy because God is holy. And this the Apostles labored for, that the Christians should be sanctified throughout in body, soul, and spirit; but they never held a perfection in wisdom and glory in this life, or from natural infirmities, or death, as some have, with a weak or ill mind, imagined or insinuated against them... This they called a redeemed state, regeneration, or the new birth; teaching everywhere, according to their foundation, that unless this work was known, there was no inheriting the kingdom of God."

* Of note: I do not ascribe to everything the Quakers taught, such as sinless perfection, though I believe in something close to that, and that Enoch & Elijah most likely did attain it in their walks, hence they were translated directly into Gods presence. There's also the possibility Moses attained it after his disobedience at the rock of Horeb, because he appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration along with Elijah.
I do believe in seeking the LORD through His Spirit, and returning to the primitive faith that was once delivered unto the Apostles.

(Would that this were preached today in the modern Laodicean era, that also sees many professing Christians as dead as the church of Sardis, having left their first love for their Saviour as Ephesus, and as idolatrous and immoral as Pergamos and Thyatira.
The Scripture most certainly does declare "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48) The Greek, "Telios" also indicates, perfect, finished, completeness, mature. This is referred to not just by Yeshua, but in the epistles: Philippians 3:15, "as many as be perfect, be thus minded," Colossians 1:27-28, "Christ in you, the hope of glory; Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
Colossians 4:12, Epaphrus labored fervently in prayers, "that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." James 1:4 "Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 3:2, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body." And many other passages refer to being made perfect in Christ. Indeed, a high calling.

When he says "Christians should be sanctified throughout in body, soul, and spirit" - this is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:25, "And the very God of peace SANCTIFY you WHOLLY, and I pray your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved BLAMELESS unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, indeed, a high calling, a high mark, as Phil. 3:13-16,

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing."

I made mention of 2 Peter 1:3-10 after someone said we will fall, we will struggle, and so forth - to the extent it sounded like an excuse. 3:10 says if you do the things listed in verses 5-9 "ye shall never fall." To which the man said, "Well, that's only if you do all those things," as if he felt they were unattainable. Peter would NOT have put that there if Yahweh by the Spirit did not give the power to DO THOSE THINGS! Amen. Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity. Those are the things that if you do , you will never fall.

Psalm 101:1-4,
"I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person."

The first "perfect" there is "tamim" תמים = without defect, blameless, perfect, innocent. The second time, where it says a perfect heart, perfect is "tam" תמ = blameless, faultless, perfect, undefiled, upright. It is indeed the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Psalm 4:4, "Stand in awe and sin not..."

Finally, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Here perfect means to be fitted, complete, perfect, fit for use.

Would that more believers, yea, that ALL believers who profess a faith in Christ strive to enter into this race so as to reach the mark of the high calling; He gives the grace to do so, and the power and gifts to equip us for victory.
Amen

As those who are born again believers in Jesus Christ, we have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ. And to be justified is to be declared righteous, approved by God, made right with God, and delivered from our slavery (addiction) to sin and the punishment of sin. But this is not a status we wear after we make a confession of Christ as Lord. This requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, in practice, then 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 God’s will (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And the faith that it takes to believe in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, so we don’t get to decide what that faith looks like. It is not of the will nor of the flesh of man. For this faith is authored by Jesus Christ, so it comes from God, it is perfected by Christ, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God. And God persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness and of our sinfulness and of our need to turn away from our sins to follow Jesus in obedience, for faith is obedience to God. And this faith is ongoing.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 3:4-10]

So, when this says that through Christ we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, please understand that faith is not a one-time deal. It has to be continuous until the end. And faith is proved genuine by what we do, not by lip service only. All throughout the New Testament we are taught that we must walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For if sin is what we obey, it ends in death.

Also, God’s grace to us trains us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. 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. For Jesus shed his blood for us to buy us back for God out of our slavery to sin so that we will now honor Christ with our bodies (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

And the reason that we suffer, as Jesus suffered, is because of our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord and to his commands. It is because we have forsaken our sins to follow our Lord wherever he leads us that we are rejected and cast aside and not wanted and hated and mistreated and persecuted. And it isn’t just the people out in the world who will persecute us, but it is many who also profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are still living like the world in ungodliness who will reject us.

And suffering, although painful, is for our good. For suffering, if responded to in the right way, produces endurance and good character and true hope. So if you are not suffering persecution for the sake of your walks of faith, it would be good to inquire of the Lord as to why you are not suffering for his name and for his gospel. And it could be that it is because you are not living that gospel out in your daily life but you are blending in with the world and so the world accepts you as its own. If so, please repent and obey God.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

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.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

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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With Iranian leaders believing that the Biden Administration could end in early 2025, there likely will be more significant advances in Iran’s nuclear program this year to take advantage of the current administration’s weak foreign policy and to pursue a possible last chance to revive the JCPOA on terms favorable to Iran.

It has been estimated that Iran received an additional 250 billion dollars because of the policies of the Biden administration. So now the nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran is imminent, and may very well occur on Joe's watch. I believe Israel will be forced to take action.

Does anyone wonder why we are hearing so much about the spending bill and government shutdowns? We can't afford to spend 1 Trillion dollars a year without going broke. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat our spending will affect Americans as a whole.


This spending is unsustainable.

There's no sympathy for the poor, the widows, the destitute, only sympathy for the Devil. The billionaires and multi-millionaires serve mammon, not God. The pigs with their nightsticks and guns are so brave and proud and ruthless as they sweep the defenseless homeless from the sidewalks like they're vermin leaving them no place to go. The people in power don't really care - "We need the money for our families" one government official declared as they voted themselves raises.

All will be held accountable by the Lord for their actions on earth. The rich will be sent away empty while the poor will be filled. Evil will be punished and the good will prevail.

Hell is a horrible place to be sent to.

The standard script for a casual greeting with a stranger is "How are you?", which is typically answered with something like "I'm fine, how are you?", which is typically answered with the same. However, I've noticed that sometimes, especially in the context of church, when I say "I'm fine" or "I'm ok" in answer to "How are you?", I'm met with "You're only fine?". This completely throws me off script and uses up an enormous amount of my already limited social bandwidth. And I'm not talking about a situation where the person actually wants to know how I am - these are brief encounters with strangers, not intimate discussions with close friends or family. So, two questions:

1: What answer would be acceptable to those people who won't accept "I'm ok" or "I'm fine", whether that is an honest answer or not. What are they looking for in the first place?

2: Once I've been presented with "You're only fine?", what is the appropriate script to follow? I've tried "Yes, I'm fine", and it is typically met with a repeated "You're only fine?" How should one proceed?

please pray for protection and sleep, thank you for praying

Public Domain: DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

When he says “We”, he refers to that once collective thought of country honor, unlike today’s hyper-focus on faults. For those aware of these two factors – How far we’ve ‘turned our backs’ and secondly, how badly this continues to increase till a populous perpetually champions these perverse, the wicked and self-destructive traits. Exhibit A: Explosive precipitation of drug use, human trafficking, abusive misinformation and a frightening ideological allegiance that has given rise to a weaponized two-tier justice. Any mixture of the above will suffice.

But, it is then no surprise that any nation’s remnant of God’s flock inner candle shines ever brighter, ever happier, exhibits the inner-man of the glory of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ “The power of God” which causes it to shine.

While some of us take pleasure in beauty when it comes to our meals, others value taste over presentation.

But no matter your stance on the topic, some foods are simply too bizarre to consume.


People from around the world have shared hilarious examples of their weird and wonderful fresh produce and Bored Panda collated the best into an online gallery.

The uncanny and often fascinating images showcase a range of food items that resemble something completely different.

From a foot-shaped radish with five perfect toes to a red onion eerily resembling an angry bird, prepare to view some of nature's most peculiar creations.


This bizarre radish formed perfectly in the shape of a very large human foot, complete with five toes

In one instance, a green-fingered individual shared a photograph of a tomato that delightfully resembled a butterfly.

Meanwhile, another person spotted a couple of naughty pairs that were up to no good.


Elsewhere, a carrot eerily shaped like hand produced endless entertainment for its creator.


A pair of carrots appeared to smooch one another, but one kept their headphones on during the cuddle


Continued below.

To imitate someone is to copy, emulate, follow, and model yourself after that person. And as followers of Jesus Christ we are to be becoming like him in character, thinking, attitude, speech, and actions more and more each day. He is our example for how we are to conduct our lives. Yes, on this earth, we will never be perfect like he was, for we are all born with sin natures in the image of Adam, and we have all sinned. But Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.

And we are to walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. And what did that mean for him? It meant death, for certain, but it meant being hated, rejected, hounded, persecuted, beaten, spat upon, mocked, called crazy, called of the devil, and falsely accused of wrongdoing, etc. And it meant that he told us the truth about ourselves and that we need to change, that we need to leave our lives of sin behind us, and we must now walk in holiness and in obedience to our Lord. Not a popular message!


No one likes to hear about sexual immorality, which is specifically mentioned at least 30 times in the New Testament in at least 13 of the New Testament books. And the word sensuality appears in the New Testament at least 8 times in 8 NT books. But the topic appears even more times under other names or descriptions. But in today’s Christian culture here in America this topic is considered “negative” and thus to be avoided. So it is like the elephant in the room that most people do not want to acknowledge.

But we need to talk about it because sexual immorality is running rampant in today’s modern market-driven “churches” (businesses), while the truth of the gospel is being altered and diluted in order to appease human flesh and to not offend the ungodly. And so we have a lot of professers of faith in Jesus Christ whose lives are not really much different from those who make no profession of faith in Jesus. And marriages and families are being damaged and the church is on a massive spiritual and moral decline.

But contrary to what so many are teaching today, if sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, moral filth, crude joking, and the like, are what we practice (habitually) deliberately, we have no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. It doesn’t matter what our lips have professed or we think we believe in our hearts. What matters is what we do and what we don’t do. For actions speak louder than words. So whatever we practice, whether it be sin or righteousness and obedience to God, it determines our final destiny.


So, we are not to let anyone deceive us by telling us that we can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven (past, present, and future), and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, and that no one can take it away from us, but regardless of how we live. For because of such things as sexual immorality being acted out habitually in the lives of those who profess faith in Jesus, the wrath of God is coming upon them. For disobedience to God = unbelief, and belief = obedience to our Lord.

So we are not to be partners with those who are living in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord. We are not to be in fellowship with them, and we are not to partake with them in their sins, thinking that our sins no longer matter to God. They do! For Jesus died to free us from our addiction to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands. So we are to walk as children of light in moral purity, honesty, uprightness, faithfulness, kindness, and in obedience to our Lord.

And not only are we not to take part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but we are to be those who are exposing these works of darkness for what they are and the consequences to us if we should decide to remain in our sins and to not follow our Lord in obedience. And we don’t expose these fruitless deeds of darkness because we are “negative” or “judgmental” or “legalistic,” but because we love God and we love our fellow humans with the love of Christ and so we are willing to be hated in order to tell people the truth.

[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 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 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]

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior
And your testimony is separate from Him.
Your words not matching your actions today.
Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.
Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,
For you profess one thing, but other you do.
Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.
Not living in truth to what you confess.
Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.
Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.
Your heart is not given to your Lord God.
Because of how you live, you are a fraud.
Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

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The Saint Paul Catholic Church in Kentucky posted a picture of the 'blessing' on their official Facebook page. The text accompanying the photo said that the 'blessing' was 'offered according to the guidelines in Fiducia Supplicans.'
Screenshot/St. Paul Catholic Church, Lexington KY

Continued below.

Numbers 21:

8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”

Click to expand...

John 3:

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Click to expand...

Matthew 10:

16 Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Click to expand...

Modern slavery is all around us, often hidden in plain sight. People can become enslaved making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies. Victims of modern slavery might face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have their passport taken away and face being threatened with deportation.

Many people have fallen into this trap because they were trying to escape poverty or insecurity, improve their lives and support their families. Now, they can’t leave.

According to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (2022) from Walk Free, the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration:

• 49.6 million people live in modern slavery – in forced labour and forced marriage
• Roughly a quarter of all victims of modern slavery are children
• 22 million people are in forced marriages. Two out of five of these people were children
• Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labour, 17.3 million are in forced labour exploitation in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation, and nearly 4 million are in forced labour imposed by state authorities
• The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the conditions that lead to modern slavery
• Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.

Source: Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, Geneva, September 2022

Types of slavery today​

Modern slavery takes many forms. The most common are:

• Human trafficking. The use of violence, threats or coercion to transport, recruit or harbour people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labour, criminality, marriage or organ removal
• Forced labour. Any work or services people are forced to do against their will, usually under threat of punishment
• Debt bondage/bonded labour. The world’s most widespread form of slavery. People trapped in poverty borrow money and are forced to work to pay off the debt, losing control over both their employment conditions and the debt
• Descent–based slavery (where people are born into slavery). A very old form of slavery, where people are treated as property, and their “slave” status has been passed down the maternal line.
• Child slavery. When a child is exploited for someone else’s gain. This can include child trafficking, child soldiers, child marriage and child domestic slavery
• Forced and early marriage. When someone is married against their will and cannot leave. Most child marriages can be considered slavery
• Domestic servitude. Domestic work and domestic servitude are not always slavery, and when properly regulated can be an important source of income for many people. However, when someone is working in another person’s home, they may be particularly vulnerable to abuses, exploitation, and slavery, as they might be hidden from sight and lack legal protection.

Why are people in slavery today?​

People may end up trapped in slavery because they’re vulnerable to being tricked, trapped and exploited, often as a result of poverty and exclusion and because laws do not properly protect them.

People can be particularly vulnerable to modern slavery when external circumstances push them into taking risky decisions in search of opportunities to provide for their families, or when people find they are simply pushed into jobs in exploitative conditions. Anyone could be pressed into forced labour, but people in vulnerable situations – such as being in debt, or not having access to their passport – are most at risk. Crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change can make people even more vulnerable to exploitation.

Where do we find slavery?​

People are being exploited and pushed into slavery all around the world. While it may take different forms, we’re committed to ending slavery for everyone, everywhere.

Slavery is a problem in the UK, where many people experience human trafficking, bonded labour and forced labour. Many products on our local shop shelves might have been made by people in forced labour, but the complex supply chains that businesses have created might make it harder for business to spot exploitation and abuses in their supply chains. In many cases they even hide behind this complexity to evade responsibility. That’s why we are pushing for new laws to protect workers and hold businesses accountable for exploitation occurring in their supply chains.

Jesus in Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Well, if nothing is left but Jesus’ words, then who will be around to hear them? Will Jesus and his words be all that is left, floating around in a void of nothingness? Or, to really take that Passage literally, will only Jesus’ words, without Jesus himself, be swirling around in that void, with perhaps the words in different languages for all of nothing to see and hear? Is there anything in the Bible to support such an assertion? Is it really true that ALL things must or will pass? If many people were asked if the Bible calls for the end of things, some may believe it’s like Harvard President Claudine Gray being asked by congress whether calls for genocide constitutes harassment under Harvard’s policy. Is the answer to the question posed here in reference to the Bible the same as the Harvard President, that is, does it depend on the context?

Logically, what’s the sense of Jesus’ words remaining if no one is left to benefit from them? SO right there, doubt could be cast about Jesus’ meaning Heaven and earth will just pass away. And since the Bible makes no reference to other life forms, we can center our attention on Heaven and earth. But what if someone says our belief in God is based on faith, which supersedes all logic and all knowledge, except what might be found in the Bible since it consists of God’s Words? Well, then, let’s see if there is some clue of what Jesus means.

In the Chapter before, in Matthew 23:1-8, Jesus rants against the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus says the following: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they clove the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”

Does this talk sound familiar to those who know their history? Replace “scribes and Pharisees” with, say, “The Roman Empire,” or “Russia under Czar Nicholas II,” And you can see the similarities. Like the scribes and Pharisees, the Romans and the Czar did nothing for the majority of the people they presided over. Instead, they spent their time flaunting their wealth and keeping the common people away from them. How did the people react, including those in the far-off provinces presided over by the Romans? They revolted, and in the process the Roman Empire and the neglectful government under the Czar are no more. BUT, the lands that the Empire and the Czar presided over, still exist. And for that matter, the Temple still exists, but not the way it did in the days of the scribes and Pharisees. To put it in CONTEXT, what if Jesus in the midst of the Roman Empire were to say that the Empire will pass away, but the lands and the contributions to mankind that the Empire will be noted for, will not pass away?

I tell you that what Jesus meant in Matthew 24:35 is that people like the scribes and Pharisees, and the Empire and the Czar for that matter, will pass away, but Jesus’ words will continue to be in the ears and on the lips of the people. The Heaven and earth the Jesus refers to, is the one that was dominated by those factions; but Heaven and earth for all the rest remains.

So, not all things will pass, neither must all things pass. One final point: What’s the good of having a Heaven, duly described in the Bible, with everyone populating it, when it will disappear? What remains?

Graphite and watercolor pencil

When God made humankind, he created us to worship him. And through all that he created he showed to all of humanity who he is and what he is about. For all of his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world. So all of us are without excuse if we choose to refuse God and his truth and his righteousness in favor of ungodliness and unrighteousness and open rebellion against him and against his commands.

Now God did not just create us humans and then leave us to our own devices. In the Old Testament he made a covenant with his people Israel, and after Jesus died and rose from the dead, he did away with that Old Covenant, and all God’s people who believed in Jesus entered into a New Covenant relationship with him. But all who denied Jesus Christ were cut out of that relationship with God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. But even the New Covenant has commands that we must obey.

And those commands are all written down for us in the New Testament Scriptures, which are primarily God’s moral laws, but many are carried over from the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. What didn’t carry over are all the liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions of the Old Covenant, including physical circumcision. Those we do not have to obey. But all God’s laws which are repeated for us under the New Covenant, we do have to obey.

But the situation we have today, at least here in America, is that there are so many undisciplined, unruly, morally impure, liars, deceivers, tricksters and con artists who are posing as those who believe in Jesus Christ but whose mission it is to lie to the people to lead them away from the truth of the gospel to follow after the lies of the enemy. And what they are teaching has gained much popularity among the people to the point that the lies have now been accepted as truth while the truth is being called lies.

Now one term for these liars is “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” For they are predatory people who prey on the naïve and the unlearned and those having not much knowledge of what the Scriptures teach. And so they teach their lies over top of the Scriptures as though they are teaching truth, but they are not. For they are operating in the flesh, and not in the Spirit. For they are wanderers, the self-indulgent, the crafty and sneaky and devious who teach false doctrines of man disguised as the truth of the Scriptures.

Now some of these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” are very charming and well liked by the people. Many of them know how to smooth-talk people into believing their lies. But they are immoral people, who are evil and wicked and who plot evil against others. They are those who betray and who stab others in the back and who are unfaithful. So they will just use other humans and take advantage of them in order to advance their own personal agendas and in order to deceive the masses into believing their lies.

So what they mainly do is that they remove Scriptures from their context and then they twist them to say what they do not say in context, and for the purpose to lie and to deceive and to lead people away from the truth to follow after the lies. And their diluted and altered character of God and of his church and of his gospel are largely what are being accepted today as the truth by the church at large because so many people are listening to these charmers and manipulators and are not testing them against God’s Word.

So what does that have to do with this passage of Scripture? Everything!! For this passage is talking about those who suppress the truth of God and of his word by their unrighteousness and ungodliness, and that is exactly what is happening in today’s modern market-driven “churches.” So they are rejecting what God has revealed about himself, both through his created works and through his divine word (the Scriptures). And they are accepting and worshiping the created rather than the creator of all.

And so they are choosing to believe the lies over the truth, and even if you point the truth out to them, so many will ignore it and will cling to the lies, instead, for the lies make no demands for them to change, to forsake their sins, and to now follow Jesus in obedience to his commands. And so God has given them up to their own devices to follow after the lusts of their hearts to do the evil that they want to do because they refuse to submit to him as Lord and to obey his commands. And this is sadly where many professing Christians are today, following the lusts of their flesh over obedience to God.

But the Scriptures teach us that if sin is what we obey, in practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, as a matter of daily conduct, then we are not in fellowship with Christ, we don’t know God, we are not born of God, but we are of the devil, and we will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what our lips profess. For Jesus 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 (Matthew 7:21-23).

[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 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 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]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Hi. I appreciate this part of the board being here.

I would like to talk to someone who is really close to the Lord. I would prefer it was a woman. I need to talk about my relationship with God. Could someone please help me? Someone who is very close to the Lord and walks the way they should.

In Islam, the Mahdi or the 12th Imam that means the guided one is the long-awaited Saviour. He is the establisher of the final caliphate. The world must follow him as he takes over or he will destroy all enemies of Islam. He will come and he will carry on holy war and either you convert or you're killed by the Mahdi. He will have an army, his army will be a massive army and his army will go from nation to nation to punish the unbelievers the holy writings of Islam. This army will carry black flags and on those black flags there'll be one word and that one word will be the word punishment by the way the Iranian army today carries black flags they want to be ready for the coming of the Mahdi. He will lead the army of black flags first to Israel slaughter all the Jews and then he will establish his rule in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, that's what their literature says: slaughter the Jews establish his rule on the Temple Mount. According to their holy writings, the Mahdi will bring rain and wind and crops and wealth and happiness so that all will love him and no one will speak of anyone but him. Their writing say the Mahdi will come and make at first a peace agreement with the Jews
and the West for seven years the reign of Mahdi lasts seven years in which he establishes Islam on the earth their holy writings say this the Mahdi will come riding on a white horse .

When the Mahdi arrives, he will discover hidden scripture, he will discover them interestingly enough somewhere near the Sea of Galilee, and there will be there hidden scriptures hidden Gospels and a hidden Torah and they will be the true scriptures which will be used by the Mahdi to show the Jews and the Christians they were wrong that their scriptures were the false scriptures. The Mahdi will be a messianic figure, he will be a descendant of Muhammad, he will be an unparalleled unequalled leader, he will come out of a crisis of turmoil, he will take control of the world, he will establish a new world order, he will destroy all who resist him, he will invade many nations, he will make a seven-year peace treaty with the Jews he will conquer Israel and Massacre the Jews. He will establish Islamic world headquarters at Jerusalem. He will rule for seven years established Islam is the only religion. He will come on a white horse with supernatural power. He will be loved by all people on earth. If that sounds familiar that is a precise description of the biblical Antichrist absolutely step by step by step by step. The Bible's Antichrist is Islam's Mahdi.

Watch this sermon by John MacArthur in full
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