My Answer is -- "yes they can and should" ... many do not engage in it.

Gaslighting is a term for denying the obvious as if such denial will confuse the other person into thinking that the obvious is not true.
For example:

Person A says "Two and Two is four" or "The rapture shows up in 1 Thess 4:13-18"
Person B says "I don't see that so it must not be true... it must be your imagination... you only think that because you don't listen to tradition"....

====================================
Here is an example of a Catholic website that is NOT using gaslighting to make its case against the rapture doctrine we see in 1 Thess 4:13-18

Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. (Matthew 24:40-41)​

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For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)​

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===================== END QUOTE

That is a great example of NOT using gaslighting. Rather they admit that the text clearly supports the view when one reads it on the face of it - but then they go into reasons from scripture why they choose to reject anyway.

I accept the rapture in John 14:1-3 in John 17 and in 1 Thess 4:13-18 -- but I can appreciate the fact that someone who objects to it - is doing a good thing by not resorting to gaslighting.

BTW - their Matt 24 example above - could also have included

Matt 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Thank God - Trump did not do that for Jan 6.

In fact he did not do most of what you find in this clip --

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They use the "good for us when we do it and much more ... but bad for you when you get accused of doing it by us"

Galatians 5:25 (NASB20)
If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A question, if the answer is in the affirmative, then follows, an encouragement to the deepening of that answer… This deepening of the answer, being just another way of saying ‘let the peace of Christ rule in your heart’, for this is the ultimate goal for all believers, to be inwardly directed to the will of God……

For those that belong to Christ Jesus have the Spirit dwelling in them, listening to this inward guidance is being encouraged by this above scripture… For if one would grow in Christ one must of all necessity listen to, be listening to, and a growing in this listening to…. For self-will is that that elevates itself above this listening to, putting one’s own will above that which brings peace to one’s innermost being….. For this inward listening is to be one’s inner guidance to all things….

One might ask; how can one be sure of this inward guidance..?

One can be sure because this inward guidance will always and only direct one to the righteous thing…. For this is the purpose of the life of the new birth, that righteousness would be brought forth by this new birth of life….

For God is righteousness and His will and purpose is always righteousness, blessed are they that pursue righteousness as their highest goal in life…..


So blessed of the Lord are those that would, Not me

One of the biggest lies in Christianity is that we do not have to repent in order to be saved and that repentance is just a mere "changing one's mind about who Jesus is."

But yet, we have clear teachings in the Bible that cannot be ignored that those who are not Holy and who do not do what is Holy and righteous in a given situation are damned and never were/are children of God in the first place. God warns about peoples conduct multiple times in scripture. Paul also warns in several of his letters that those who remain in the sins that they have regularly practiced before will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. John even says in his letters that those who do not practice what is righteous are not children of God and that those who live like the world are of the world and are children of wrath. It just cannot all be ignored. You know where in the Bible it says all these things because you've been either twisting them or obeying them your entire life.

Because, I know what you're thinking but Paul said you were washed and that is who you once were. Exactly! Who you once WERE not who you are CONTINUING to become. Those who do not repent and do not seek to be Holy in all of their conduct will NOT see the kingdom of God. The Bible calls them false converts and it's a very serious matter.

By now you must be thinking, if i have to be completely Holy than i am doomed because ive sinned and i am definitely NOT holy. You're right, we are not Holy but that does not mean we insult the death of our Lord on the cross by living like our father the Devil does. You are part of the world but you are not OF the world. People who have truly been regenerated by the Holy Spirit know in their hearts that true repentance is an ongoing action and that without God true repentance is impossible because our hearts are so wicked and that our hearts are made of stone. It is God who takes our hearts of stone and turns them into hearts of flesh. When we sin it kills us inside because we know that we're falling short of God's perfect standard and we desire with all our hearts to please God and be the perfect beings that God wants us to be.

People who have been truly converted know that abortion is murder, that homosexuality is not blessed or approved of by God, that divorce is wrong except for on the natural grounds of sexual immorality, that to be angry with somebody makes them guilty as if they had killed the person. True Christians listen to the Bible and the words of God and love the God of the Bible. We know these things because God has said them ALL in the Bible and the Holy Spirit confirms them in our hearts. But the unsaved love to twist the very words of God to get people to believe whatever they want them to believe and draw them further and further away from God. If God has declared it is true than we must obey it. Otherwise we twist it and tell the God of the Bible that we want a different God than him. Otherwise known as the devil.

To live by the spirit means to live according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within you. You know the Holy Spirit is within you because you will have an aching desire in your heart to please God. Something that could never happen without the Holy Spirit regenerating your heart. You will recognize just how far you are from God's perfect standard and that will cause you to truly repent because like i said it makes you feel like youre completely dead inside. Those who repent to God know they are saved because God promised to save all who truly come to him and that none of his sheep are lost. No! not ONE single one.

I do not say this to condemn but to educate the true children of God on things that they should know already. Following God and bring a Christian is not picking what parts of the meal you like and to completely ignore and tear out the rest of the meal. It's consuming the whole meal and savoring ALL of what the God of the Bible has said and declared to the world about himself. What I've had to say here should not be anything new and if it is new to you I plead with you to repent at the perfect time in which God has planned out for you. Call out to God in full and perfect repentance and he will not only declare you righteous, he will not only declare your feeble attempts at perfect holiness Holy, but he will be your God and you will be his child. Forever.

Romans 6:23, often quoted out of context, is best read in its full context, for in context it is letting us know that we are no longer to be enslaved to sin. We should no longer let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, in practice, it leads to death. But if obedience to our Lord is what we practice, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord.

So, let’s look at some of these key verses, but I recommend reading the entire chapter in its full context.


By God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives, but now dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died so we would live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery to sin so that we will now honor him with our bodies (our lives).

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]


When we believe in Jesus Christ with genuine biblical faith in him, that faith that is of God, is gifted to us by God, that is persuaded of God, and that is not of ourselves, not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of mankind, our old sinful lives we once lived now die with Christ for the sole purpose that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we will no longer be enslaved (addicted) to sin, but so we will be slaves of God and of his righteousness, to the glory of God, in his power, strength, and wisdom.


So, now we are not to let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions and desires. We have to daily die to sin and daily walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands. In practice we are to consistently be saying “NO!” to sin and “YES!” to God. Jesus made the way for us to no longer walk in sin but to now walk in righteousness, but we have to daily choose to take the way he provided for us, in his power, and daily we have to say “NO!” to our flesh so that we can walk in obedience to his commands.


Now, this is not written to the unsaved. These words are written to those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and who were crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him. And these kinds of warnings are given to the church all throughout the New Testament. If, after we make that profession of faith in Christ we continue in slavery to sin, it will lead to death. But if we walk in obedience to our Lord, that leads to righteousness and its end is eternal life with God.


Do you see what this says immediately? If we are slaves to sin, we are free in regard to righteousness, i.e. righteousness is not part of our lives. And if we are still living in deliberate and habitual sin, the end result of that is death, not life eternal with God. Only those who have truly been set free from their slavery to sin and who are now living as slaves of God and of his righteousness have the hope of eternal life with God. For if sin is what we practice, it ends in death, not in life eternal.

So when we read Romans 6:23, we need to read these words in this full context. For this is not teaching that the gift of salvation from sin and eternal life with God are given to us freely without conditions. Yes, Jesus paid the price so we can go free, but the gift is deliverance from bondage to sin so we will now walk in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin. For God’s grace teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Hymn lyrics by Henry F. Lyte, 1833
Music attr. to Mozart, 1831/ Arr. Hubert P. Main, 1872

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav’n are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me, show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”; I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me; heav’n will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heav’n’s eternal day’s before thee, God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

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All told, then-Vice President Biden emailed Schwerin 35 times before and after his 2014 trips to Ukraine. Five emails were exchanged just prior to a trip by Vice President Biden to Ukraine on June 7, 2014, and 27 emails were sent from the end of June to a second trip to Ukraine by Biden on Nov. 21, 2014.
The bulk of the communication occurred in the lead-up to and following an agreement for Hunter Biden to serve on the board of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma.
Let's see the emails.

Hey, here's an early recording of my Christmas sermon at Kita-Osaka Evangelical Lutheran Church. Merry Christmas!

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This is a good read describing how important maritime global trade as well as the 6 various choke points for international trading.

Any and all responses will be appreciated or informative.

This article causes me to be cautiously pessimistic about Artificial Intelligence.

What are y'alls thoughts about this?

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15

For a while now, as I have been reading my Bible and studying evangelism, things have also stood out to me about those who do not preach the Gospel. It seems that there are several reasons why those who choose not to share the Gospel, or those who do not get behind and support someone who is sharing the Gospel, could be in big, big trouble.
Now, I am not saying that to get to heaven, we have to preach the Gospel or support someone who is. That would be works salvation. But someone who truly believes will act in a particular way regarding his belief. Knowing that there is a God, a heaven and a hell will mean that you should act according to those beliefs. So, telling people the Gospel is simply an action of true belief.

Reason 1: Parable of the minas
In the parable of the minas/talents (Luke 19:11-27), we are the servants of God, and we are told to go and do business to multiply what we have been given. Now, back when Jesus said this parable, one of the main ways of multiplying your money was to sow seeds and make a harvest that could be then sold. One servant did this and produced tenfold, one produced fivefold, and the last did not produce anything he simply returned what he was given. This last one was a bad servant. He knew that we were meant to sow the Gospel to make more believers. But he chose not to. And then the bad servant says, "For I was afraid of you because you......reap what you did not sow." We are to sow the Gospel to as many people as possible and it is Jesus who reaps. Then because the servant chose not to sow, the master then says, "But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence." So, those who say that they believe but they simply warm the pews are in big trouble. They did not obey the master. They confess Him with their lips, but their actions show a blatant disregard for what He has commanded.

Reason 2: Love God.
Jesus commanded that we preach the Gospel to all peoples. To spread as much seed as possible. And then he said that those who love Him will keep His commands. So, if we choose not to obey and tell people the Gospel, how much do we really love God? Telling other people the Gospel is a result of a true love for God. If we love Him, we should want to obey Him.
"The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me." John 14:21-24

Reason 3: Love your neighbour.
Warning others of the wrath to come is also a result of a true love for your neighbour. It would be unloving not to warn others of the wrath to come if you know of a way to be saved. That would be wrong.
James 4:17 says, "So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." We know the right thing to do and if we do not do it, then it is a sin. Continuing to do the same sin over and over is not good.

Reason 4: The Bible warns us not to be cowardly.
We have been commanded to preach the Gospel to all people. But many people choose not to share the Gospel because they are afraid. It is a scary thing. Now, if we look back to WW1, when a soldier was commanded to go over the parapet, if he refused because he was afraid, then there were consequences. He was court-martialled and then put to death. If we then look at what Revelation 21:8 says about the cowardly, it says "But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." We know who the unbelieving are. And who the murderers are, and liars are, but who are the cowardly? Are they the people who have been given a command but choose not to obey it?

Reason 5: Depraved Injustice
In life, if you have the opportunity to stop someone from being killed or injured but you choose not to warn them, then in man's court, you are guilty of a crime called "Depraved Indifference". This shows that you have a blatant disregard for life. It is like if you see a person drowning and you have a life jacket right beside you that you could easily throw to the person. But because you cannot be bothered, you choose not to throw the life jacket and the person then drowns. This is depraved indifference.
If man's court recognises this injustice, how much more would a holy, and just God recognise the injustice of us not warning of eternal death?
"So, for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17

Reason 6: Watchman
In Old Testament times, a watchman was a soldier who would be on the outer wall of the city, and he would warn everyone inside the city of any incoming enemy armies. Now, if this soldier did not do his duty and people died, he was in big trouble. He would be put the death.
Ezekiel was also a watchman for the people of Israel. God gave him a command to warn everyone in Israel of their sins, and He said that if Ezekiel did not warn everyone, then the blood of those whom he did not warn would be on his hands. So, his blood would be substituted for those who died in their sins.
".....the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand. However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3:16-19
We too have been given a command and we should obey. It is wrong not to obey. Paul looked at himself as a watchman too. In Acts 20:25-27 it says "And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God."
So, we are to warn people because God has commanded us to. But if we do not, then we are going against God. Disobedience has consequences.

Please note that preaching the Gospel does not save us. Telling people the Gospel is simply a result of a true belief, a true love for God and a love for your neighbour.
If you truly believe that you have sinned and fallen short of God's standards, and so, therefore, deserve death, but Jesus came and died in your place, then why would you not want to warn others of the condemnation that they are under? It would be unloving not to warn others.

Hi,

I am currently looking for prayers against witchcraft on the internet, I feel that I am being targeted by witchcraft people, they are out there in town and they know about me and are targeting me. I am currently rebuking witchcraft, commanding the witchcraft to stop in the name of Jesus, and I also break the witchcraft people's power in the name of Jesus. Is it scriptural to pray that the witchcraft people's spells are returned on their own head? I believe I have heard people praying for this before but I am not sure. Thanks!

If this is true, should we be concerned about this accusation?

Should the FBI be so focused upon Diversity, Equity, Inclusion issues?

Breaking. Trump recorded pressuring Wayne County canvassers not to certify 2020 vote

Audio of a call with Trump and county level election canvasers in Michigan has been leaked. Trump asks them not to certify the election for Biden in exchange for legal representation.

Remember, Trump wants you to believe democrats were engaging in election interference while he was trying to rig it in his favor.

Hi all,
what goes around comes around. America - please stay true to your reformed founding principles.
Those principles as clarified after your Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
Don't go down this pathway of prejudice and "othering."
You know who I'm talking about - the ultimate dog-whistler.

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I always wondered how Trump could appeal to so many people so fast. But a cultural undercurrent of the themes in the above video have been growing in the gun movement. Now - as an Australian I have a VERY different opinion on the American "Right to bear arms" but that's a different subject.

Trump and his simplistic appeal to simplistic narratives is one issue.

There's another cultural phenomenon spreading through Facebook like a disease.
I'm talking about the extreme alt-right that see the NRA as soft lefty compromisers.
I'm talking about "Christian Reconstructionists" that go around saying there should not be ANY limits on ANY personal firearms whatsoever - that individuals should be allowed to carry fully militarised kit with them everywhere - whether bazooka's or whatever.
They abuse the phrase "RINO" - Republican In Name Only.
They're all over facebook.
If you love guns you've probably seen them.
But warning! They could be packing more than guns. They could be packing a whole agenda that looks straight out of "Handmaid's tale" - as their father home-schooled these guys and raised them to be so called "Christian Reconstructionists."
These guys are frauds.
They are NOT protecting your right to bear arms - but are staging fake activism on Facebook to take your money.
Do not give them your money.
Listen to the NPR coverage instead.

This podcast won a Pulitzer.
Please listen.

Worded differently. Mainstream media ignores event in Gaza where an IDF sniper kills innocent and non-combative people as reported by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem 5 days ago. Oddly their official website has been down since. Ironic it comes at a time when a saviour once came to this area to set the populace straight in their ways, but no one learns.

Another Trump co-defendent trying to avoid paying his bills!

Giuliani Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Rudolph W. Giuliani filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, a day after a federal judge ordered him to start paying the $148 million in damages he owes to two former Georgia election workers for spreading lies that they had tried to steal the 2020 election from Donald J. Trump. Mr. Giuliani also owes millions of dollars in legal fees as well as unpaid state and federal income taxes, according to the filing.

In total, Mr. Giuliani said in the filing, he owes creditors $152.7 million as well as other potential damages he faces in pending lawsuits. Mr. Giuliani owed more than $700,000 in back federal taxes and almost $300,000 in delinquent state taxes.

Hunter Biden is a CPA by comparison!

My job is regularly hectic and chaotic, but it helps to make sure that patients get the healthcare they need. Asking for prayer that God helps me to do well at my job and that I shine the light of Jesus while there. Thanks!

You know, many of us have thought the same thing, is your mind just a product of certain emotions. But, there`s really nothing, just emotions to make us behave in a certain way. Well, if that`s so, we`re all just dead bodies, moving around with no purpose, just certain processes to make us re-produce. I have another take on it, we`re all the product of energy. I mean, the universe began with a sun, energy, then when the energy cooled down, it formed mass, and because the sun was so heavy, it collapsed under it`s own weight, and why we have gravity also, because of the momentum this caused. I think energy, which the first sun consisted of, is a little living; the reason why we`re living also. If you look at someone closely, in their eyes, you can see this light. It`s the reason we`re living, and not just bodies, walking around. We lived before DNA, we`re all sons, of this energy, sort of. LIke God`s sons. The soul isn`t from DNA, anyways, I`m just making a point. The soul get`s transfered, in another way, before birth. That`s why they spent billions on researching also, without finding genes linked to the personality.

Anyways, I just wanted to share my take on it, it`s a popular thing now to think there`s nothing in the soul, they say "nothing", among western people. I always knew I felt real, to me it`s just nonsense to think there`s nothing. I think they fall under their own irrationally also, because they still care about others, wants to have sex, and so fourth; what`s the point then, if there`s nothing. Exactly, I wouldn`t like care about others, or talk to them, if there`s nothing. I`d just be under my own reflexes then, and not in control of myself, and spending life in society.

My point is, I think energy is living a little. The whole universe, is living. The thing, we all consists of. What`s your take on it? We feel a "self" also, which also could just be a trick from nature, to make us feel real. But, I don`t think so. Science knows we have a soul. scientist says so, and they struggle with this "self" also, they can`t understand why we have it, because in their minds, we`re just brains ... Happy Holidays!

If you like to study Bible every day, bit by bit, I strongly recommend this book:




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Full text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV)
The words of Jesus are in red letter.

Can the relationship just work from shared values and beliefs or is interests and hobbies really important too ?

Gen 24:

50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing has come from the LORD; we cannot speak to you bad or good. 51 Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”

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Laban was Rebekah's brother; Bethuel was her father. Laban was listed first because of his prominent role.

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the LORD. 53And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her.” 58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”

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Who were they?

She said, “I will go.” 59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

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“Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!”

Gill explained:

This is to be understood of her brother Laban, and of other brethren and sisters she might have; though by the connection of the words with the preceding, they seem to design her brother and mother, who spoke last; and probably all her relations are meant, who call her their sister, because so nearly related to them

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Two chapters later, even her husband called her his sister in Gen 26:

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,”

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Did Isaac lie?

In a sense, he didn't. They were second cousins. In an extended sense, Rebekah was Isaac's sister. Also in Song of Solomon 4:9, "my sister, my bride" referred to the same woman.

for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

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Why did you lie to me? Why did you mislead us?

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

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Did Isaac lie about Rebekah being his sister?

According to the Hebrew usage of the word "sister", it allowed a degree of flexibility. However, in the case of Isaac, he deliberately used the term misleadingly to protect his safety. In his heart, he did lie; he did not tell the whole truth about his relationship with his wife.

Greetings to all members of this wonderful forum!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Miloš, I am 42 years old and I live in Smederevo, Serbia.

I have been in Christianity since 2016, but with a lot of ups and downs. I got acquainted with how important it is to read the Bible through a YouTube lecture previously given by the famous Serbian theologian and creationist Miroljub Petrović. I found out very quickly that he was a former Adventist, so I joined the Christian Adventist church in my town. But, after the initial enthusiasm, very quickly it all became very burdensome for me, and I left it. Later I realized that it was because then I still didn't believe in Jesus, I still didn't understand the essence. Then I joined a group of Protestant Christians in my town led by a pastor from the GGWO (Greater Grace World Outreach) church. It was good for a few months, we even had gatherings in my apartment, but very quickly we broke up, and I was very bad mentally. I have had mental problems since I can remember.

After a break of a year or two, I began to take an interest in Orthodox Christianity, which is the most widespread in Serbia. I was baptized in 2019 in that church. After that, I tried to go to church regularly, but after a few times I definitely gave up, because my psychological crises are very strong and frequent. Another reason why I gave up is that I realized that Orthodoxy is not in accordance with the Bible.

After several years of trying to get back to a fellowship Bible study with a group of Protestant Christians in my town, and a long wandering, I am finally leaving it all, and I realize that it is all burdensome for me. I don't know what it is. Maybe I have low capacity. Who knows. Maybe it's my mental illness. Who knows. Also, I recently realized that social media is also a very stressful thing for me. So I deactivated all social media.

For this reason, I decided to slowly read and study the Bible, every day, little by little. I got the latest edition of the book "NIV Life Application Study Bible" and slowly, every day a little bit, I read and study the Bible like that, with the help of that book. And I can say that he agrees with me, that day by day I understand the point of the story better and better, that our God is the only true God, he created everything that exists, everything starts from him. I have accepted Jesus into my heart, and I regularly practice prayer. I believe that the way of our God Jesus, the Lord, is the only way, and there is no other.

So, I have set some healthy boundaries as far as my life is concerned. I hope you understand me. But I still decided to join this forum because I think it's really good and valuable.

I have been treated for depression for over twenty years. And recently I started psychotherapy and I can say that it really helps me a lot.

That's all from me for this time. Thank God for everything and may God bless you all! Thank you for existing.