I have a new view and siding regarding pre-destiny and grace.
All ancient and medieval views were wrong, because they thought one needed to believe and be baptized in order to go into the light of life as when leaving the Earth. 1 Timothy 4:10.

Babies sometimes die and are not baptized, and they never learned faith. But they go into the light whether aborted or they die from illness... They take to grace like a Dolphin to water. Later they are born again.

It is only as we grow up that we learn to harden our hearts to grace like Pharaoh who rejected Moses' words. If he had died or had a child NDE his fate would have been different. No babies go to Hell, or are judged by an anticipation of what kind of life they'd have led, in the dim light of this world. Grace saves any who will allow it to hold them.

A person can be taught or self teach a better response to grace a second time.

Tell them our borders cannot be open, but, for limited amounts of time, etc, we either build a wall, or gates, or fences, or whatever, etc, and then during or at certain times, there will be a lot of gates or booths, etc, where they can all line up and be interviewed/screened according only to some very simple and very basic criteria, etc, by a lot of personnel that will be there at or during those certain times, etc, but that will all be completely closed at other times, etc, and at or during those times when it is closed, etc, people trying to cross truly illegally will be "hauled back off/away to back where they came from", so to speak, etc, during or at those times when the border is essentially closed essentially, etc, but that will also be "kind of or mostly open" at other times also, etc...

We have illegal and legal immigrants, or illegal versus legal immigration right now, and maybe we will need a third category for these, I don't know? It's not necessarily an interview for full on citizenship necessarily, etc, but maybe we could direct them toward that maybe, etc, but and/or anyway, they might need to be classified or re-classified different maybe, etc...?

Temporary and conditional visas maybe, etc...?

This would allow us to let quite a few of them in, but would also give us a great deal of control over the whole situation also, etc...

The screening would have to be very, very simple and basic, so that it could all happen/be done very, very quickly, etc, just a very, very few conditions on their only very basic and temporary visas, etc, then close or shut down the border completely at other times, etc, and be willing to haul others off or back to where they came from during or at those times when it is not open also, etc...

Hopefully that last part won't be as much of a problem though with a border gate or wall or fence, etc, and with this policy also be instituted/implimented also, and them also fully knowing about it all also, etc...

We can restrict it to a certain amount of people or certain numbers at certain times, and it would give us a great deal of control over it, etc, and it would be a good balance (I think) between compassion, and what we know we must also adhere to also, etc...

God Bless!

I have already discussed this in the Sign Gifts forum, but I have decided to discuss it here so that a wider range of members can have the opportunity to give their opinions.

This is not a criticism of Charismatics, but because prophets and prophecy appear mainly within Charismatic environments I think that the belief that NT Prophets are itinerate ministries where people with the gift of prophecy go around giving general and personal prophetic words to people, and often these words include predictions of the future.

Now I am assuming that the gift of prophecy is still active in the church, and people promulgating their cessationist view would not be helpful to the discussion. However, by putting this discussion in an open Theology forum I guess I am not going to avoid some using this thread as a personal soapbox for their cessationist views.

But, is having the gift of prophecy as described in 1 Corinthians 14, make someone a NT Prophet? Up until now, I have accepted that view, but after prayerful consideration, I am having my doubts.

What came to me was that when Jesus spoke to the Seven Churches in Revelation, He was performing the function of a Prophet. What He was doing was to bring encouragement and correction to those churches. In some ways, Paul was functioning as a Prophet in his first letter to the Corinthian church, and also to the Thessalonians, with a prediction of the future as he described the events around the second coming of Christ. When I thought of Jesus calling those churches that had either lost their first love or thought they had everything they needed when in fact they were naked and blind to repent, I realised that an integral function of a Prophet was to ensure that the Church was going in the right direction and if they were straying away from being totally faithful to Christ, they should repent. It is interesting to me that John the Baptizer also called the Jewish nation to repent, and I asked myself, "What then is the difference between a Prophet calling the Jewish nation to repent, and a NT Prophet calling those parts of the Church straying into hypocrisy, apostacy, and heresy to repent. The message was and is the same, it is just the listeners who are different.

I then started to think about Martin Luther. He functioned as a Prophet when he challenged the established church to cease making money through indulgences and to accept that believers are justified by faith. I thought of the late David Wilkerson who preached against the worldliness and hypocrisy of the church; and Leonard Ravenhill who wrote, "Why Revival Tarries". After hearing Paul Washer preach, It appears to me that he is also functioning as a NT Prophet calling on the staying church to return to the Lord.

When I compared these with the OT Prophets, that was their message as well - for the people to forsake their idols and return to the Lord, otherwise accept the consequences. Their message was not popular and many of them were killed. It was described of Paul that he was "everywhere spoken against." David Wilkerson and Leonard Ravenhill encountered opposition and persecution. Luther often was in fear of his life. This made the NT Prophet ministry the most dangerous of the five fold ministries.

So, I wonder if the Charismatics have got it wrong in their definition of the NT Prophet and have left out the most important functions that make up a NT Prophet. This means that perhaps the ministry of NT Prophet has not ceased at all, but has continued to this present day, but not as the Charismatics know it.

In simple terms, how do you understand and defend the doctrine of purgatory?

1 Peter 4:12-16 ESV


We should not be taken back by the trials of life which come to test our faith. Now, this is not saying that we won’t feel pain. We will. That is why it is called “sufferings.” And it is not saying we should not take action where action is required, under the direction of the Holy Spirit who will give us wisdom to know what action is required. For we should never make quick, not prayed out decisions based on our emotions. Our feelings can lead us in the wrong direction if we are not careful.

And we are not to grumble and complain about our circumstances. Now this is not saying that we can’t cry out in pain or that we can’t inquire as to what can be done to alleviate some of our suffering, where possible. Like I Google things because it helps me to learn what is good for me and bad for me food-wise. And it is not saying that we can’t express concern over how some things were handled. But we should not be grumpy but we should rejoice that we are called to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

And this is so that we may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. And this is because these times of testing are to test our faith to see if it is genuine faith and if it will stand the test or if we will give up and run away. The Apostle Paul said this:


So, what’s he saying there? Our salvation is progressive. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present active), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus Christ returns and he takes his bride to be with him for eternity, which is when our salvation will be complete, and provided that we stayed the course and we did not desert the faith, but we continued in walks of obedience to our Lord and in daily dying to sin and to self. For we don’t just “get saved” and now we are going to heaven when we die regardless of how we live. How we live matters for eternity.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, whatever we are going through, whether it be insults or Satan attacking our bodies (like with Job) or natural disasters or flooding or fires or people persecuting and hating and rejecting us because of our walks of faith in Christ Jesus, we are blessed, because the Spirit of the glory and of God rests on us who have forsaken our lives of sin to follow Jesus in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives.

But we should not be those who suffer for wrongdoing. For it is not suffering for Christ if our suffering is brought on by ourselves because of deliberate and habitual and unrepentant sin in our lives.

But if our suffering is because we are people of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, who are following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways, we should not be ashamed to suffer for the name of Jesus or because of our testimonies for him or because we are standing out as different from the world, which is what we are all supposed to be. But we are to glorify God, because the Lord is doing something in our lives through what he has allowed us to suffer.

1 Peter 4:17-19 ESV


Again, our Lord takes us through trials and tribulations to test our faith, and these are his disciplines on our lives so that we will share in his holiness, and so that we will bear fruit that lasts, and bear fruit that is in keeping with genuine repentance. And trials are painful. There is no other way around it. But lessons are to be learned through what we suffer, and we should get stronger in our faith and now walk even more closely with the Lord than we did before.

We need to understand here that that way to heaven is a narrow and a hard way, and there are few who enter. The masses are on the broad road which leads to destruction. And we need to understand that we must keep in step with Jesus, and we must fight the good fight of faith and finish the course and not desert part way because it got too hard. All these trials along the way are testing to see if our faith is genuine and if it will endure, so we have to be determined to endure despite our suffering.

Now Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For we are all going to stand before Jesus one day and we are going to be judged by him by our deeds. And not everyone is going to pass the test. To many he will say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they continued in making sin their practice and righteousness and obedience to the Lord were not their practice.

I AM WILLING, LORD

By Joni Eareckson Tada

Sometimes when I am down,
And I don't feel like You're around, Oh Lord
Feeling so sorry for me,
Not knowing that all the while You're working to see,
If when I'm put through the fire,
I'll come out shining like gold,
Oh, Lord, please don't ever stop working with me,
'til You see I can be all You want me to be.

Often when I ask why,
Teach me then on You to rely O Lord,
You surely know what is best
May I learn that in confidence and strength I can rest
Then, leaning fully on You, my questions fall one by one.
Oh, dear Lord, please don't ever stop working with me
'til You see I can be all You want me to be

I am willing Lord, I am willing Lord,
To be just exactly what You want me to be

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Please add her to your prayers.

Summary Matthew 22:1-10

Jesus told a parable about a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. The king sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come, and so he repeated this, but still they paid no attention and went off to do their own thing. And some of them seized the servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and so he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers.

Then the king told his servants that the wedding feast was ready, but those invited were not worthy, so they were now to go out on the main roads and invite as many people as they could find and invite them, so they did, and the wedding hall was now filled with guests.

I believe the point of the parable is that the king represents God the Father and the Son is Jesus Christ. [The wedding feast won’t actually take place, though, until Jesus returns for his bride, when our salvation will be complete and our marriage to Christ will be consummated (completed).] And the invited guests were the Jews, who were God’s chosen people at that time. They, as a people, as a nation, rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

So, the Lord invited the Gentiles (the non-Jews) to believe in Jesus, and thus the gospel of our salvation went out to all people, to both Jew and Gentile, and many people trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. Thus, those who believed in Jesus were crucified with Christ in death to sin, and then they were raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23).

Matthew 22:11-14 ESV


Now, I believe this is speaking of something future when we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and we will have to give an account for what we did with Jesus, when we will all be judged by our works (See Matt 7:21-23; Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 5:16-21).

So, now both Jew and non-Jew have been invited to trust Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. And those who have believed in Jesus with genuine faith have now become the children of God. We have been turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that we can now receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18). And now we no longer live in sin, for we died with Christ to sin, but now we walk in righteousness in obedience to Christ.

Now when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, and we die with him to sin, and we are raised to walk in newness of life in him, we become our Lord’s bride and he becomes our husband, but it is like a Jewish marriage covenant of the Scriptures. So, our groom has gone to prepare a place for us and one day he is going to come and get us to take us to be with him for eternity, and that is when our marriage to Christ will be consummated and we will have the wedding feast. So, now we wait.

But not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ are God’s true covenant people. There are many without the wedding garments. They are not truly clothed in Christ and in his righteousness because they never really ever died with Christ to sin, and so they were never raised with him to walk in newness of life in him. They did not die with Christ to their sin because they didn’t want to give up their sin, and so they are still living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, so they will not inherit eternal life with God.

And one day when we all stand before God and he judges us according to our works, many are going to assume God is going to receive them into his heaven because they made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. But many are going to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because they would not obey the Lord, and they would not submit to him as Lord, and they would not leave their sins to follow Jesus. And so the eternity they thought was going to be in heaven will be in hell, instead. So, please take this to heart!

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

I’ll Live On

Lyrics and Music by Thomas Laney, 1914

’Tis a sweet and glorious tho’t that comes to me,
Jesus saved my soul from death, and now I’m free,
When my body’s slumb’ring in the cold, cold clay,
There to sleep in Jesus till the judgment day,

When the world’s on fire and darkness veils the sun,
Men will cry and to the rocks and mountains run,
In the glory-land, with Jesus on the throne,
Thru eternal ages singing, home, sweet home,

I’ll live on, yes, I’ll live on.
Thru eternity I’ll live on;
I’ll live on, yes, I’ll live on,
Thru eternity I’ll live on.

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The great falling away continues. It won't be long, now.

The young suspects fled the train at the 18th Street station after the assault, but three of them — two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old — were soon nabbed by cops, sources said.
Police eventually cut the trio loose.
“Juvenile reports were prepared, and their parents were called to pick them up,” a rep for the NYPD said Sunday.
It’s unclear why the three nabbed suspects were released without facing charges, but an NYPD spokesman claimed Sunday that the department did not have that option because of their ages and the fact that the crime involved an apparent misdemeanor.

#1. I heard it a few times, from different sources, when I was a small child. An uncle told me it was in the Bible. As I got older and read the Bible for myself, I found out it wasn't. In fairness it does teach a Biblical principle, and it's a parable such as Jesus used, but it just so happens it isn't in there.

A boy was standing under a tree when his father called for him. "Son, come here." (My uncle stressed that the father didn't in any way get emotional or raise his voice, but said it calmly.) In some versions of the story, the boy obeys and goes to his father immediately. He is therefore safe when, seconds later, a snake drops out of the tree and lands directly where he would have been standing. In other versions, the boy stands there asking why, or otherwise wants to put up an argument. (A babysitter quoted him as saying, "I don't want to, and I don't have to!") The snake then falls on him and kills him. The obvious moral this is meant to teach is that children must do as they are told right this instant, no questions and no backtalk.

What is the actual source of that story?

#2. I read this one some time ago, but I can't remember where. It might have been a magazine article. I assumed it was a detailed description of the Biblical account, but it isn't quite.

During the moments of the Crucifixion, a priest in the Temple was preparing to sacrifice a lamb. Even had the knife in hand, and was just on the point of making the fatal move. Then Jesus died, the earth shook, and the curtain in the Temple was torn in two. While the priest was distracted by all of this commotion, the lamb escaped and ran away unharmed. This was symbolic because the lamb’s sacrifice was no longer needed. The true Lamb had made His sacrifice and died to set it free.

The Bible gives me every element of this story except the freed literal four-legged lamb. Closest I’ve heard since reading that story is the Ray Boltz song, “Watch the Lamb.” Has anybody else ever read it?

Is Hebrew the World's Oldest Alphabet​

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Though I'm not an MJ nor affiliated with any denomination, I thought your feedback on this would be most relevant as those who know the Hebrew language best. (If you don't feel it should be posted here, you can suggest where mods can move it to.) I sparsely know four languages and Hebrew is not one of them, but I'm fascinated by it and always try to understand root words, especially in the OT. Shalom.


alternate...

Was Hebrew the First Alphabet? - Doug Petrovich ​

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Well, is it? I would also ask, was it also the pre-Babel and antediluvian one-world language?

[Gen 11:1 NIV] Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

The power of Nancy compels you!

Former House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi summoned priests to rid her luxe San Francisco home of evil spirits after a man allegedly attacked her hubby there with a hammer.

“I think that weighed really heavy on her soul. I think she felt really guilty,” said Pelosi’s daughter Alexandra, the New York Times reported Saturday.

“I think that really broke her. Over Thanksgiving, she had priests coming, trying to have an exorcism of the house and having prayer services,” she added.

Fr. Arturo Albano, the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church, Pelosi’s local parish, insisted his staff was not involved in such a rite.

“As far as I know, no exorcism or priest services were performed at her home,” Albano told The Post.

But Pelosi may have gone outside her local church hierarchy for holy help.

Continued below.

Despite the fact he was a thief, liar, deceitful, etc. Despite that, God loved Jacob. That gives some of us a lot of hope,. What do you think??

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, urged Pelosi to get “help” — from a psychiatrist.
“The woman is positively conflicted. She wears her Catholicism on her sleeve while basically sticking her middle finger at the Catholic Church every opportunity she has.”

I am staying with my parents but I feel lonely. My dad is self -centered My mom always treats me as a target of expressing her tension while she tolerates my dad very well though he accused her of having an affair. when in fact, he had an affair a long time ago. She tried her best to please him at my expense. I have no access to food that is good for me, but she cooks fresh food for my dad. He at different times. My mom even scolded me when I tried to order my food online, saying I occupy spaces in the fridge. When I join their talk at home, my mom would say why I join in. My dad is also a character behind the scene, making my life difficulty while managing health issues on my own and still looking for doctors who will not perform wild guesses but taken investigation to avoid unnecessary medication, treatment, and invasive check-up

Something small that came to me in church this morning-

Unless we find the root of our problem and pull it our problem will grow back!

The Republican representative sent his request last week.

“We are conducting oversight of the Justice Department’s actions with respect to former Vice President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, including the apparently unauthorized possession of classified material at a Washington, D.C., private office and in the garage of his Wilmington, Delaware, residence,” he and Rep. Mike Johnson said in a letter to Garland.

“On January 12, 2023, you appointed Robert Hur as Special Counsel to investigate these matters,” they said. “The circumstances of this appointment raise fundamental oversight questions that the Committee routinely examines. We expect your complete cooperation with our inquiry.”

I'm sure this is nothing new to many of you but their claim of thousands a year seems a bit exaggerated but they are spot on the money with younger generations just not even bothering with attending and it seems to be having quite an effect. Will those laws in the USA pursuaded by Christianity all fall in the coming years as the old timers die off in the government? I seem to think it will happen. Disturbing trends are spreading across the country. Ministry has long since been seen as a global outreach program but I feel they need to look closer inside our borders now too as so many walk away or turn the other shoulder in these "minister's" own backyards.

Revelation 3:1-6 ESV


The church in Sardis was the body of Christ throughout the entire city. There was and is ONLY ONE church, which is the body of Christ, with Christ as our head. But she can meet in various places, which I am certain this church in Sardis did, for back then they didn’t have big beautiful buildings to meet in. They met in homes or they met at the temple courts or wherever they could find a place to meet. So ONE CHURCH, different locations.

Now today, at least here in America, when we hear the term “church,” most people think of a building called “church” or a church denomination, but the church is neither the building nor the church denomination nor a business nor a corporation under the state. But yet that is what she has been turned into in practice, for the most part. Yet, the body of Christ still exists, but she is not one and the same as these buildings called “church.”

So, what has happened in our day and time, and perhaps this has been going on a lot longer than I am aware of, is that the body of Christ compromised with the world and with the government and with big business, and she incorporated herself under the state, and she turned the gatherings of the church into a business to be operated just like any other business so that she is now marketing “the church” to the people of the world.

So, in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world to their gatherings, they had to make more compromises with the world. And so worship services started turning into stage productions for the people’s entertainment. And pastors became showmen and actors and clowns in order to entertain the people and to keep them coming back for more. And they started getting their messages from people of the world and not from the Holy Spirit, and they pretty much all diluted the gospel message to make it more acceptable to human flesh and to the people of the world.

Across the Board

Now this didn’t happen to just one congregation. This happened across the board to pretty much all congregations, and it seemed to happen all at once in a big massive movement which crossed denominational boundaries and which got pastors of various church denominations to all follow the marketing schemes of one man who told them how they could all grow their churches (or plant churches).

And if you think about it with me for a moment, what would that take to make that happen? People in high up positions in church denominations and in Bible colleges and seminaries would all have to agree together to promote this to their pastors (and pastors in training) to where the masses of them would embrace the whole idea of incorporating under the state and to then run their “churches” just like businesses.

Well, that is obviously what happened, and then it appeared that most congregations did embrace the idea and so most gatherings called “church” today in America all seem to be incorporated under the state and are being run like businesses, and they are marketing their gatherings to the people of the world and so they are making compromises with the world, and the Holy Spirit has been pushed out of most of these participating “churches.”

Now, outwardly, many of these “churches” appear successful. Some are dying, true, but most appear to be alive and active in their communities with all kinds of fun stuff for families and lots of activities and fun preachers who know how to make the people laugh, and a friendly atmosphere where they make it their goal not to offend the people of the world. But isn’t the gospel supposed to offend the people of the world? Yes!

So, although they may seem alive, spiritually they are dead (or mostly dead) because they are following a religion of men and not of God. They are listening to marketers over and above the Scriptures. And they are getting their sermons from men, and not from the Holy Spirit. For it appears most of them are teaching the same cheap grace gospel (not true biblical grace). Now I am certain there are exceptions to this, but this does appear to be the majority.

So, the Lord is speaking to these “churches,” which do have true believers in Jesus among them, though they are in the minority. And he is calling them to repent. Now most of them appear to not be listening, but Jesus is still calling the believers in these congregations to repent of their desertion from the true faith in order to compromise with the world to be acceptable to the people of the world and in order to grow their earthly kingdoms. And he is calling them to wake up from their spiritual slumber.

If your congregations which have compromised with the world, and are now being market-driven, do not repent of their desertion of Christ as Lord and of their compromises with the world, God will judge them. I believe he already began that judgement, not sure when, but I definitely saw it begin to take place in March of 2020 when so many of these institutional churches had to close the doors to their “churches” because of the pandemic. I think things have not really returned to “normal” since then, but that is my opinion.

A Good Side

Now, there is a good side to this. Not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord” has deserted the faith and compromised with the world and agreed to allow the church to move in this wrong direction. There is a remnant of true followers of Jesus Christ who have not gotten on board with all this marketing stuff and with diluting the message of the gospel. There are still saints of God in the land who are holding true to the Scriptures and who are following Jesus in walks of obedience to his commands. Praise God! I rejoice!

Now we are in the minority, but that is okay to be in the minority if you are in the right and not in the wrong. And we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God because we have not compromised with the world but we have remained steadfast in our faith in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands and in lives dedicated to holy living. But those who are still making sin their practice, and who are not walking in obedience to the Lord, they will not inherit eternal life with God. Please take this to heart!

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

The Prayer

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager,
Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

I pray you'll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe.

I pray we'll find your light
And hold it in our hearts
When the stars go out each night
Remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe.

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P.S. This is not an endorsement of the singers other than as musicians

Watching the news conference right now. The suspect is described as an Asian male.

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.


Obviously, this is compressed, which should mean the details of what all this is involving, it is found elsewhere. Which could mean in the OT, the NT, and maybe even in Revelation itself.

The first thing to note, regardless where one places the thousand years, whether before the 2nd coming or after the 2nd coming, these in verse 8, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea, they are clearly alive and present during the thousand years if after the thousand years they are seen compassing the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city. They don't just come out of nowhere, right? As if during the thousand years they don't literally exist, then when the thousand years end, they all of a sudden exist. Obviously, that is preposterous, which then proves my point, they are alive during the thousand years.

The fact they attack the saints after the thousand years tell us that during the thousand years they are not among the saved. Unless one wants to argue that the saved attack the saved. As if that makes some kind of sense.

The question then is, why are these in verse 8 above only attacking the saints after the thousand years rather than during the thousand years? And does any of this involve the martyring of saints, meaning after the thousand years?

Speaking of that, if the thousand years are meaning now, and the fact saints have been martyred for the past 2000 years and are still being martyred, we are to then believe that none of these meant in verse 8 above are responsible for any of this martyrdom? Someone has to be martyring saints during the thousand years if the thousand years are now. Why not any of them, meaning those meant in verse 8 above? If not any them, who then? Obviously, satan and demons are behind martyring saints, but it still requires human hands to actually do the killing. And clearly, these meant in verse 8 above are humans.

Wherever one places the era of time involving the two Revelation 13 beasts, no one can deny that that era of time involves the martyring of saints. Obviously, the era of time involving the 2 Revelation 13 beasts involve the final days of this age, the fact when Christ returns, the beast and false prophet are cast into the LOF.

And since I already mentioned that Revelation 20:7-9 is compressed, thus the details involving all of that is found elsewhere, where are some or all of these details found? Could Revelation 13 be one of those places? Apparently, some Amils must think so. Which means they need to explain why saints are being martyred both during the thousand years and satan's little season, when Revelation 20 makes it clears, there is no battle against saints during the thousand years if after the thousand years is when there is this battle.

Keep in mind, the fact I'm Premil, I'm not coming from that perspective since it is plainly obvious that if satan's little season is after the 2nd coming, no saints are going to be martyred. Not only will no saints be martyred during satan's little season, none will be martyred during the thousand years. But what does all of this mean if the thousand years and satan's little season are before the 2nd coming rather than after? Keeping in mind, all of the things I brought up.

Daniel had visions.

Daniel 10:5
I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!
6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.

'This Man', Who Daniel addressed as LORD revealed that Michael helped Him against the prince of the kingdom of persia (v.13).

Michael may be a prince, but he's not the 'Messiah' Prince (Daniel 9:25) quoted in Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace".

Ten people were killed and at least 10 others were injured when a gunman opened fire at a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The mass shooting, one of California’s worst in recent memory, happened in the 100 block of West Garvey Avenue at around 10:22 p.m., sheriff’s Capt. Andrew Meyer told reporters Sunday morning. The shooting occurred on Lunar New Year’s Eve about seven miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

There was scant information on the gunman: male and still at large. There is no known motive, nor a description of the shooter. A law enforcement source briefed on the matter said the gunman used a high powered assault rifle at close range.

The shooting occurred near the site where tens of thousands had gathered Saturday for the start of a two-day Lunar New Year festival, one of the largest holiday events in the region.


Prayers for all involved.

Added a few different articles to list out a few different perspectives on it.

I hear the term "fossil record" a lot, and I submit it is misleading.

A "fossil record" is an interpretation of the "fossil layers" -- written on paper and subject to change.

It is the software* that describes the hardware.

You can change it by simply erasing something and writing in something else.

The fossil LAYERS, on the other hand, are the actual fossils themselves.

Agree or disagree?