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The_Mantis · Tuesday at 7:47 AM

It started with sleep paralysis. I was choked by a shadow entity, it was terrifying. It was a very dark time in my life which I think attracts demons. At the time I was reading books and practicing lucid dreaming etc. I was also miserable and a drunk. Fornication was the norm, bars etc. My life was a hungover mess.

Well one night I had a moment of serious repentance. I was tired of living this life, trapped in sin. I started praying to God. I was open to the idea of God but didn't subscribe to any religion as I thought they were all man made. I thought christianity was the least likely of all of the religions to be true, but I knew in my heart that there was a God. I needed God and I knew it.

So I started praying in my bed one night. Just to "God" be it Buddha, Allah, spaghetti monster, YHWH or whoever God was. I was almost in a trance but well aware of my surroundings. I heard a voice, then two voices. Not audibly but more like a telepathic communication. I was floored. These were two male voices speaking to me. I started asking questions about the spirit world and they were answering my questions. Now the whole time we are having this conversation, they are speaking friendly to me but I can feel a sinister hate toward me from them. I knew it was a charade. I knew they were evil, I realized I had some spiritual discernment. The whole feel or vibe was very dark, so I asked "Is there any humor in the spirit world?" And right away one of the voices tells me a joke that had to do with the proliferation of the "Smith" family. I can't remember the joke but I remember laughing. Later I realized this was was a joke about the mormons and how the demons deceived millions of people to that cult.

Well about that time the whole vibe changes dramatically. I feel something very good approaching. I see closed eye visuals of these blue crystals growing and like out folding from each other. I say "God is here" and then I hear the two male voices say "What is he doing here?" and "I don't know" and they disappeared, they fled.

Then I hear my name called in a gentle voice...."Ian". Then again "Ian". I say "Yes?". Then he says "You have sinned against the Lord". I know who it is right away. It is Christ Jesus. I know the voice. And I realize some how from before time, we know each other and I am astonished.

I hang my head in shame. I don't even ask what my sin is, I have too many sins to count. I am lower than a worm. Now the whole time he is speaking I do not feel condemned. Instead I feel a love from him that is unlike anything I have ever experienced from earth born life. A love that is unimaginable. A love I never want to leave. I realize he is offering me a hope, salvation.

"You have sinned against the Lord. You have three choices. You can go to prison, die, or live with pain, extreme pain. But I will be with you and I will bless you and many people will come to the Lord through you."

I choose option #3.

He then says "If we are going to do this we need to be head to head, heart to heart and fist to fist.

This happened well over a two decades ago. Well here I am today with extreme pain. I have extensive nerve pain from problems in my back/spinal cord. I have spent over $25,000 trying to diagnose and fix my back. I walk with a cain most of the time. I had spinal cord stimulator surgery and I am heavily medicated. I have to go to physical therapy and chiropractor all the time. I can't stand, sit or drive for any decent amount of time. And as miserable as that sounds it gives me comfort. God is doing a work in me. I have came so far from that first meeting. I praise God, devour the Bible. I have been baptized. I love the Lord so much.

I am an introvert. I cannot see me being a preacher as those people are extroverts. I have no idea what his plans are for my life. I am the only christian in my family. I thank God for revealing himself to me and pulling me from darkness.

By his stripes we are healed, in God we trust. This is chastisement and I thank the Lord for it. I would rather take some chastisement and pain now then end up in a lake of fire.

perplexed · Tuesday at 7:42 AM

Oompa Loompa said:
And a system that liberals accused of being hacked by the Russians.

The clearly established Russian interference was not about voting machines being hacked.

Hentenza · Tuesday at 7:42 AM

Apple Sky said:
During the Apollo 1 pre-flight test on January 27, 1967, Gus Grissom expressed concern about communication difficulties, stating, "How are we going to get to the Moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings?" on Wikipedia. This quote highlights the frustration with the communication system during the test, which was hampered by various issues. The test was also plagued by other problems, including a fire that ultimately killed the three astronauts.

So what changed ? Nothing.

The communication issues were resolved. The tragic accident that killed the three astronauts was the result of a pure oxygen environment in the capsule and not having an emergency escape hatch. After the accident the breathing environment was changed to an oxygen and nitrogen mix. An escape hatch was also added among other structural changes for subsequent Apollo missions.

rambot · Tuesday at 7:41 AM

Postvieww said:
The creator of the universe put Trump where he is to save this nation from internal destruction. .

Lol!

God put him in power absolutely.

But I don't see how a thinking christian can look at what's going on and think he installed Trump to save you guys.

There is no guarantee he gave Trump power for a good outcome for the us.

rambot · Tuesday at 7:38 AM

ozso said:
Any objective observer can see they're comparable.

But then why do you think that?

Bradskii · Tuesday at 7:35 AM

Tuur said:
Robert Heinlein, through the character Lazarus Long, had a comment about someone who's only sense of worth came from a distant ancestor. But Heinlein got it wrong. When you start digging into ancestry, you come up with so many scoundrels and outlaws that when you find one who isn't, you want the whole world to know it.

I always thought how great it would be to go back and visit each of my ancestors. But you are guaranteed to find some really bad dudes somewhere on that direct ancestral line.

Hentenza · Tuesday at 7:35 AM

Apple Sky said:
@prodromos @Strong in Him @Hentenza

I have three questions in regards to the moon landings.

1. Why have we never been back ?

We have been back. For example, China’s Chang’e 4 mission in 2019 that landed on the far side of the moon. The US achieved the goals of the Apollo program. There are plans to return to the moon through the Artemis program with a manned flight scheduled for April 2026 and a lunar landing sometime in 2027.

Apple Sky said:
2. Who filmed the Apollo Lunar Module leaving the moon ?

Michael Collins from the camara mounted on the lunar orbiter.

Apple Sky said:
3. Why has NASA never landed a camera on the moon ?

They did for every lunar mission and were left on the moon because of weight considerations. The left both the still picture camaras (hasselblads) and the motion picture camaras. None of these had extended time batteries or solar chargers to continue operations after the missions. Not to mention that streaming is a relatively recent construct.

Hawkins · Tuesday at 7:33 AM

Humans are a small trinity composing of body, soul and spirit. The spirit is a necessity because by design humans will live a multiple stage eternity. On earth, humans have earthly emotions, between husband and wife, mother and son, etc. These earthly emotions are governed or "stored" in the spirit. When we die the spirit will leave (it's said to be returned to God), all left is our soul representing the true self of us. Those emotions will also be gone (there's no love in Hades or hell).

The chances are, once we are given a new body it may be embedded with a new spirit which marks our second stage of living. By then, the emotion left could be that we humans love each other as brothers and sisters.

prudent_commenter · Tuesday at 7:29 AM

timewerx said:
Does that include aging? Have you stopped aging as well?

It's a theory at this point, and never gotten more than the surface with it. However, it would appear as if it is some kind of backwards-aging. Everything gets better with the advancement. Even looks are better than before. Everything grows significantly.

I'm debating the subject with others.

Why exactly do you ask?

pastorwaris · Tuesday at 7:28 AM

Soyeong said:
The context of that verse is speaking about the Israelites missing the goal of the law and has nothing to do with Christ ending it. It doesn't even make sense to think that God's Word made flesh ended God's Word, but rather God's Word made flesh is the the goal of God's Word.

Brother, you make a very important clarification: the Word made flesh "Jesus" is indeed the goal (telos, Greek) of God’s Word, not its end in the sense of removal or cancellation. Romans 10:4 uses telos in precisely that way: “Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” The Greek telos carries the sense of completion, fulfillment, and intended purpose, not destruction.

The Law was always a pointer to its true fulfillment. In Hebrew, the concept of malkhut (kingdom, completion, reign) shows that God’s intention in giving the Law was to bring His people into alignment with His ultimate plan. Jesus did not abolish or nullify God’s Word; He embodied it perfectly, lived it flawlessly, and fulfilled its righteous requirements (Matthew 5:17). He is the living Torah, the logos made flesh (John 1:14), showing us the way of obedience, faith, and love that the Law pointed toward.

The context of Israel “missing the goal” of the Law (Romans 9–10) highlights that keeping the letter without faith could never achieve righteousness. The Law was never meant to save on its own it was the tutor (paidagōgos, Galatians 3:24) leading to Christ. Now that Christ has come, the Law’s covenantal role binding Israel is fulfilled in Him. Its moral truths remain, but they are now internalized in the Spirit (pneuma, Ezekiel 36:27) rather than imposed externally.

Dear Brother, the Law does not vanish it reaches its intended purpose in Christ. To walk in faith in Jesus is to walk in the fullness of the Law’s intention, not outside it. Jesus ended the Law as a covenantal system of works, but He completed it as God’s perfect Word living among us.

Dear Brother,

I have made every effort to address all the points you raised, providing references where possible. I hope this clarifies your questions. Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to let me know, and I will do my utmost to provide guidance.

May the Lord bless you abundantly and continue to increase you in wisdom and understanding.

David Lamb · Tuesday at 7:27 AM

boughtwithaprice said:
I believe that you are misreading the Psalms. We do not use them as an excuse to pray to the sun, moon and stars. It is a shout of joy to God, as they are the work of His hands. .His works declare His magnificence. They are not the source of it

I am sorry, but you have misunderstood what I wrote. I was replying to Valetta, who had said that the psalmist was praying to angels. I meant by my reply that the psalmist was no more praying to angels than he was praying to the sun, moon and stars.

boughtwithaprice said:
You are correct in that asking to pray and "praying to" are two different things. We do not pray to Mary and the saints, we ask them to pray
can you give an example to the contrary?

Not sure what you mean by "an example to the contrary." I would ask you to show me where in the bible do we read of Christians praying, or being taught to pray, to other Christians who have already died and gone to heaven? Paul, in some of the epistles, asks his Christian readers to pray for him. However, I cannot think of one instance in the bible of a Christian communicating in any way with a Christian already in heaven.

boughtwithaprice said:
The Ave Maria begins with direct quotes from the gospel of Luke and ends with a request that Mary pray for us. Do you consider this praying to, or asking to pray?

Ave Maria gratia plena, Dominus tecum (Hail Mary, Full of grace, the Lord is with you) Luke 1:28
Benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesu (blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus) Luke 1:42

Well, I would say that part is praise, which is an aspect of prayer.

boughtwithaprice said:
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae Amen
(Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen)

That part is asking a believer already in heaven to pray for "us". As I have said, I find no evidence at all in the bible for such a practicwe.

pastorwaris · Tuesday at 7:22 AM

Soyeong said:
Someone who disregard everything that their tutor taught them after the purpose of the tutor has been fulfilled would be missing the whole point of the purpose of a tutor.

Dear Brother, I see exactly what you’re saying: ignoring a tutor after the lesson is finished would indeed miss the whole purpose. And that’s precisely what Paul is highlighting in Galatians 3:24–25. The Greek word for “tutor” is paidagōgos, which in first-century context referred to a trusted guide who supervised a child until they came of age. The tutor doesn’t cease to teach arbitrarily their role is temporary, intended to lead to maturity.

The Law was God’s paidagōgos, meant to show us our need for righteousness and point us to the Messiah. Once Christ came the fulfillment of the Law (telos nomou, Romans 10:4) the tutor’s purpose was complete. But here’s the key: this doesn’t mean we throw away what we’ve learned. The moral and ethical truths of the Law still reflect God’s character; they are written on our hearts through the Spirit (pneuma, Ezekiel 36:26–27).

Hebrews 10:1 shows the Law was a shadow (skia) of the good things to come. Shadows are temporary, but the reality the substance is Christ. To disregard the Law entirely after Christ’s fulfillment would be like discarding the outline of a painting once the full image is before you. The Law was never the end; it was the preparation.

Dear Brother, walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean we abandon God’s standards, it means we internalize them in Christ. The tutor is done, but the lessons remain alive in our hearts. Jesus ended the Law’s role as a guardian and burden, not its moral truth. He fulfilled it, and now we live in the freedom and maturity that comes from the Teacher Himself.

Oompa Loompa · Tuesday at 7:19 AM

A2SG said:
You mean a system that takes much longer to count, and is far more prone to human error? Why would anyone have a problem with that??

Hand-Counting Votes: A Proven Bad Idea

Efforts to replace modern voting machines with hand-counting are based on false conspiracy theories. But the machines do still need to be protected and kept up to date.

www.brennancenter.org

But, as to rigging an election, that already seems a lot harder to do than some might wish to suggest. Especially in view of the fact that no one has ever been able to prove any such thing happened on any significant scale.

-- A2SG, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories notwithstanding.....

And a system that liberals accused of being hacked by the Russians. And a system that Republicans have said we're double counting votes? I just dont get it. Why now, all of a sudden, is making elections more secure a bad thing? Oh, I know the answer, Trump.

Anthony2019 · Tuesday at 7:18 AM

lismore said:
Hi Anthony. Good to see you again

Thank you lismore - it's really great to hear from you too!

pastorwaris · Tuesday at 7:18 AM

Soyeong said:
Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus removed his give of salvation by fulfilling the law on our behalf.

Dear Brother, I understand your concern, and it’s important to be precise here. You say, “Nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus removed His gift of salvation by fulfilling the law on our behalf.” That is true in the sense that salvation is always God’s free gift (charis, grace) and is never dependent on our works. But Scripture does show that Jesus fulfilled the Law in our place, and that fulfillment is the very basis by which God can freely give salvation to all who believe.

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill (plēroō, πλήρωσα) them.” The Greek word plēroō means to complete, accomplish, bring to fullness. By fulfilling the Law, Christ satisfied its righteous demands something we could never do ourselves and thus opened the way for God to freely give salvation by faith.

Hebrews 10:1–10 reinforces this. The sacrificial system of the Law could never fully remove sin, but Christ’s perfect obedience and His once-for-all sacrifice fulfilled (plēroō) the Law’s requirements. In Hebrew, the idea of “fulfillment” ties back to malkhut (completeness, perfection of God’s plan), showing that God’s plan for salvation was always intended to be realized in Christ. By fulfilling the Law, Jesus did not cancel God’s gift of salvation. He secured it, making it accessible to all who trust Him.

Romans 8:3–4 puts it beautifully: “God condemned sin in the flesh by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to fulfill (plēroō) the righteous requirement of the Law, so that the just requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Here, Christ’s fulfillment doesn’t take away salvation; it guarantees that faith, not law-keeping, is the way into righteousness.

Dear Brother, the Law points to our need; Christ fulfills it on our behalf. That fulfillment is not a subtraction of God’s gift, it is the means by which the gift is fully given. We cannot earn salvation by obeying the Law, but we can receive it because the Law’s demands have been perfectly met in Jesus.

Oompa Loompa · Tuesday at 7:15 AM

ozso said:
It also seems a tad suspicious that they'd object to a system that makes it harder to rig an election.

Yes...suspicious indeed.

com7fy8 · Tuesday at 7:15 AM

joechristianwarrior said:
does Scripture call us to systemic justice, or is the focus primarily on individual devotion?

Well, already we have God's social justice operating, including how >

"God resists the proud" > in James 4:6 and also in 1 Peter 5:5.

God's resistance is working at every level of human activity, including for whole nations.

And what works well is how we are humble. And we minister this to others. By being submissive to God in His peace, we now have all the good that God has for us at this moment. And by doing exactly whatsoever He has us doing, right now, we have His own all-loving results for whatever He now has us doing, plus future results, guaranteed.

For example > after Abraham obeyed God, in Genesis chapter 22 > here is what the LORD says to Abraham >

"'In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.'" (Genesis 22:18)

All nations are guaranteed blessed because of what Abraham did in secret. Because he obeyed God who is all-loving, his private action has gotten God's all-loving results.

And, like this, Jesus on the cross has been getting God's all-loving results, because Jesus was obeying our Heavenly Father, on the cross.

pastorwaris · Tuesday at 7:14 AM

Soyeong said:
We can't earn our righteousness even as the result of having perfect obedience to God's law (Romans 4:1-5), so that has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of the goal of the law. Righteousness has always been by faith (Genesis 15:6), so that is not something that changed.

Dear Brother, you are right to say that righteousness has always been by faith, Genesis 15:6 makes that clear: “And he (Abraham) believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.” The Hebrew word ḥāšab (חָשַׁב) means “to reckon, credit, or impute.” Abraham’s righteousness wasn’t earned but credited because of his trust in God’s promise.

Paul takes that very point in Romans 4:1–5, where he contrasts works (ergon in Greek) with faith (pistis). He says if Abraham had been justified by works, he would have something to boast about, but not before God. Instead, his faith was logizomai (λογίζομαι)“accounted” or “reckoned” as righteousness. That shows God’s consistent method from Old to New Covenant.

But here is where Christ brings the Law to its fulfillment: the Law was never given as a ladder to climb to righteousness. Instead, it functioned as a tutor (paidagōgos, Galatians 3:24) to lead us to Christ. Its goal (telos, Romans 10:4) is Christ Himself, who embodies both perfect obedience and the sacrificial atonement the Law pointed toward.

So yes, righteousness has always been by faith, but now that faith has its fullest object Jesus the Messiah. Whereas Abraham believed God’s promise of a seed, we believe in the fulfillment of that promise in Christ. The Law’s role was preparatory, showing our need and pointing us to Him. Now, through Christ, we receive His righteousness, not through law-keeping, but through union with Him by faith.

Here’s the beauty: Jesus did not abolish the Law, because its moral core and prophetic promises stand fulfilled in Him. But He ended the Law’s role as a covenant of works, because in Him the true righteousness by faith has been revealed (Romans 3:21–22).

Dear Brother, this is why Paul says in Galatians 2:21: “If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” But Christ did not die in vain. He died and rose to bring us into a righteousness we could never earn but can only receive by faith.

So, yes! faith has always been the way. But in Christ, faith now rests not just on a promise of what God will do, but on the finished work of what God has done.

Oompa Loompa · Tuesday at 7:13 AM

essentialsaltes said:
Getting rid of machines or mail-in voting does nothing to make voting safer or more secure. Trump is not even claiming that it does (apart from lies about what other countries have done). His beef seems to be that elections need to be called on election night. Maybe he should look into allowing states to count ballots as they are received, rather than having to wait to count them last after the election day ballots are counted.

No. It just makes it harder for people to cheat. BTW, remind me how long democrats were counting ballots after the 2020 election.

A New Dawn · Tuesday at 7:12 AM

Jack Terrence said:
The Berean Jews didn't have a long history of rebellion against God. Luke says that they were of more noble character in contrast to their counterparts from Thessalonica.

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men." Acts 17

When you parse the Greek you will find that it says that they were "born" of more noble character meaning that they were brought up from birth to seek God and to search the scriptures.

There were always some along the way that followed the teachings of the prophets and such (hence the famed hall of faith), but the fallen nature of man, in general, prevents men from seeking and understanding God (Romans 3).

Hawkins · Tuesday at 7:11 AM

I speak for myself and from my own experience, speaking in tongue is just a soul speaking language. Humans' language barrier is gone once leaving the body. "Speaking in tongue" is a common language spoken by souls without a body. When you speak in your own native tongue, everyone (soul) else will hear as their own native tongue. Souls even communicate with angels this way. Once enabled (can be disabled under different circumstances), you can hear the angels speaking in your native tongue.

The Pentecost event is rather a temporary enabling of this soul-to-soul speaking mechanism by God the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, the Corinthians' way of speaking in tongue can be a way of praying in an unknown tongue, that is, not actually a human language. To identify or distinguish the two, a interpreter is needed,

1 Corinthians 14:27-28
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.
If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

It means, at the time of speaking, both can possibly be gibberish as it's supposed to be an off-body language. More like though, the speaker is trying to speak in his own native language, but it turns out to be in gibberish (equally possible is that, it's not gibberish but just his native tonuge), while at the same time all other people will hear as their own native tongues.

David Lamb · Tuesday at 7:10 AM

Apple Sky said:
During the Apollo 1 pre-flight test on January 27, 1967, Gus Grissom expressed concern about communication difficulties, stating, "How are we going to get to the Moon if we can't talk between two or three buildings?" on Wikipedia. This quote highlights the frustration with the communication system during the test, which was hampered by various issues. The test was also plagued by other problems, including a fire that ultimately killed the three astronauts.

The fire was (according to your Wikipedia link) what brought Grissom to ask his question. So it is wrong to say that the test was plagued by other problems.

Apple Sky said:
So what changed ? Nothing.

Well, there certainly was communication between the astronauts and Houston by 1969, for a start.

RainySunflower · Tuesday at 7:10 AM

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Well, I'm not the only one with same dream / vision .... For sure it's not random. ^^

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