New Posts

RileyG · Mar 12, 2025

Good for her!

Clare73 · Mar 12, 2025

I see hyssop as a type of the Holy Spirit who applies the benefits of the atoning sacrifice.

Michie · Mar 12, 2025

Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., has publicly defended a prominent Argentine left-wing activist over accusations that he attempted to gain unauthorized access to Pope Francis’ hospital room at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

In a March 6 letter, Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, expressed his gratitude to Juan Grabois, an Argentine political activist and a consultant to the dicastery, for his visit to Rome and for his “closeness to Pope Francis and your witness of the Gospel.”

The cardinal also pointedly dismissed “unfounded versions that have been circulated in some media about alleged inappropriate behavior at the hospital,” related to Grabois having allegedly tried to force entry into the pope’s room.

Grabois, who is known to have a good relationship with both Czerny’s dicastery and the pope personally, seemed an unlikely figure to try to sneak past papal security and into the pope’s hospital room— but with both Czerny and the Vatican’s media department at pains to deny rumors about the alleged incident, why are they taking the matter so seriously?

Continued below.

Why the Vatican is rebutting ‘fake news’ about an attempt to visit the pope

Both a cardinal and the Vatican media office have moved to squash reports about Juan Grabois trying to get into Pope Francis' hospital room

www.pillarcatholic.com

Michie · Mar 12, 2025

Author interview with theologian Monica Migliorino Miller, who says that ‘the primary crisis of our culture right now is a denial of natural law.’

St. Thomas Aquinas (echoing Aristotle) in De Ente et Essentia famously said, “a little error in the beginning leads to a great one in the end.” When considering the immensely important topic of theological anthropology, Aquinas’ words ring even truer today. Our present culture is rife with dangerous ideological anthropologies that seek to distort and deny the reality of the human person. To destabilize a Judeo-Christian anthropology is to undercut the foundation of human dignity and leads to the slippery slope of dehumanization.

Into this dangerous breech steps Monica Migliorino Miller and her new book, In the Beginning: Crucial Lessons for Our World from the First Three Chapters of Genesis. Miller, a theologian and well-known pro-life leader, sees in Genesis the answer to so many of our present anthropological missteps.

Continued below.

Genesis Has the Answer to So Many of Our Present Cultural Missteps

Author interview with theologian Monica Migliorino Miller, who says that ‘the primary crisis of our culture right now is a denial of natural law.’

www.ncregister.com

Michie · Mar 12, 2025

Over a dozen family members of Israeli hostages shared the stories of their loved ones in Hamas captivity and asked for continued prayers during an emotional gathering that included several Christian groups in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

An intimate group of around 20 people attended the panel, including several representatives of the Philos Project, an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization that advocates for pluralism and Israel’s peaceful existence in the Middle East.

Organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Defense Forces, the panel included family members of Oct. 7 hostages Matan Angrest, 24, Manny Godard, 73, Guy Ilouz, 26, Tamir Nimarodi, 20, Evyatar David, 24, Idan Shvtivi, 28, Rom Brasvlavski, 21, and Omri Miran, 47.

“We are living for more than 16 months with a big hole in our heart,” said Ilan Dalal, whose son Guy Gilboa-Dilal was taken from the Nova Music Festival by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and is believed to be among the 24 remaining live hostages.

Continued below.

Families of Israeli hostages share their stories, met with Catholic support during D.C. visit

An intimate group of around 20 people attended the panel, including several representatives of the Philos Project, a multi-denominational Christian nonprofit organization that advocates for pluralism and Israel’s peaceful existence in the Middle East.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

tonychanyt · Mar 12, 2025

Nu 19:

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come.

Find a perfect red heifer.

3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him.

Sacrifice the heifer.

4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.

Sprinkle some blood with a finger.

5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.

Burn the entire heifer.

6 And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer.

Throw in some cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet yarn for the burning.

7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place.

Gather up the ashes.

And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel.

Add water to some small portion of these ashes. The resulting solution would be used for cleansing unclean individuals.

Find a perfect red heifer..
Slaughter it outside the camp.
Burn the entire heifer.
Add cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool to the burning heifer.
Collect the ashes and store them.
When needed, mix a bit of them with water to create a unique solution of cleansing.

For example:

11 Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean.

This was not bathing. It was sprinkling.

But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

How often did they perform the red heifer sacrifice?
Red heifers were extremely rare. The Mishnah noted that only nine were sacrificed throughout history, from the time of Moses to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. Once the ashes were produced, they could be stored and used for a very long time, as only a tiny amount of ash was needed to create the purification water when mixed with spring water. The ashes from a single red heifer could last over a century.
What was the red heifer sacrifice for?
The priest used the ashes of the sacrificed heifer to prepare a special cleansing water for impurity.

ThatRobGuy · Mar 12, 2025

DaisyDay said:
I don't think that is the main divide although it also exists. The bigger divide I've seen is the anti-intellectualism, anti-science, pro-magical thinking movement. I can't tell if it has always existed (which I tend to believe) or if it has grown during my lifetime.

I think it's always been there...

It's perhaps just more "noticeable" because it now pertains to some more politically divisive issues as opposed to one that people don't care about as much.

One glaring example I've mentioned before is in the realm of alternative medicine.

It obviously started getting a lot more attention amid the whole covid/vaccine debate of 2021-2022.

But it was always there.

Look at how many people have (and still do) go to Chiropractors regularly or partake in the usage of "essential oils". It's more than just a small amount of people. And those two things are every bit as "quackery-driven" as some of the alternative "therapies" pitched during covid.

However, people didn't really associate the embracement/rejection of either of those things as a political amulet or badge of honor.

I've never seen a Facebook banner saying "I got my adjustment" or "Proud to be oregano oil-free", followed by a lengthy argument in the comments section.

Likewise, there weren't any efforts to "regulate the misinformation" pertaining to either of those two things. My aunt/cousin are still trying to rope people into their DoTerra pyramid scheme lol.

DaisyDay said:
It seems altogether normal to me for people to want validation of their views. I agree that dishonest actors who knowingly tout bad or even outright wrong information are a giant problem, but those that reject scientific knowledge as mere opinion, those that can't or don't want to understand, are at least as big a problem. The whole "common sense" argument, that true knowledge is instinctive or only revealed by God, is as big a divide.

I don't even know that it's always a case of people trying to tout wrong information (at least not intentionally) as much as it is what I've called "The Amazon Next Day Shipping Culture". People want what they want, and they've become less tolerant to waiting for it. "Everything I want and wish to be true should happen by tomorrow at 5pm"

So it creates a "rushed science" for lack of a better term. And then people expect others to (and get mad if they don't) treat a "soft science", that's only been looked at on a larger scale for maybe a few years, with the same reverence and solidity as other far more established hard sciences that took decades and decades.

RDKirk · Mar 12, 2025

dogs4thewin said:
yes, that is true but when you are talking about cuts THAT large it has to come from somewhere and the question is is there enough "somewhere" to keep from cutting benefits at least a little bit; particular sense with a program THAT large you have a certain amount of admin cost/

Particularly when they make such comments without having studied the situation well enough to know.

Akita Suggagaki · Mar 12, 2025

I work in a hospital. We have people who take crosses off the wall.

Worse than that. We have pewter plaques for the stations of the cross in the chapel.
Station XII The crucifixion was stolen twice.
And for some reason, someone stole the roman numerals XI and X under them.

Laodicean60 · Mar 12, 2025

bniffty24 said:
There's talk out there in the conspiracy world of aliens working along side Donald Trumps space force

I wish we had alien tech so we could get off this planet and travel where no man has gone before.

bniffty24 said:
NIV - This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being

BSB - This horn had eyes like those of a man

NASB - this horn possessed eyes like human eyes,

NET - This horn had eyes resembling human eyes

I've presumed that "eyes like" and "They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men" are demons or fallen angels but definitely not human.

Christsfreeservant · Mar 12, 2025

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:1-4 NASB’95)

What was the kind of faith that Peter and the other New Testament apostles had and demonstrated? It is the faith that they all taught and lived. And what was that? That by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness – by the grace of God, in the power of God.

Therefore, we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies any longer so that we obey its lusts, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death (without Christ). But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. So a mere verbal confession of Christ as Lord and Savior, that does not result in self-denial, death to sin, and walks of obedience to our Lord, is not God-gifted faith.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24]

So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate context and who do not rely on other humans and on Scriptures taught out of context to teach us the gospel message of salvation. For many people today are teaching a false half-truth gospel which does not require the sinner to die to his sin and to now walk in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, as a matter of life practice, by faith, in the power of God.

For how does it describe our faith here in 2 Peter 1? Our faith is by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And what is his righteousness? It is all that is deemed right in the eyes of the Lord, that meets with his divine approval and excellence. And what is that? It is death to sin and walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. It is what was taught under the Old Covenant and again under the New Covenant.

So, this faith that we profess must meet with God’s righteous standards. It does not mean we will be absolutely perfect, and that we will never sin again (see 1 John 2:1-2), but that, by the grace of God, and in his power, we are being trained to say “NO!” to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For to this we are called of God if we are truly born of God, of his Spirit.

“For His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” So, we are not “saved” by a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. We are saved by God’s grace OUT OF our lives of sin so that we will now obey our Lord in walks of surrender and obedience to his will and purpose.

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” Far too many people today are claiming the promises of God over their lives who have not escaped the corruption of the world by lust, but who are still living for the lusts of the flesh, and so they are not partakers of the divine nature.

If we read the Scriptures, in context, we will learn that the whole purpose of our faith in Jesus Christ, resulting in salvation from sin and eternal life with God, is that we will die with Christ to sin and now walk in fellowship with him in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace, in the power of God, and not in our own flesh. He has a purpose for each one of our lives, and body parts, and spiritual gifts which he wants us to use.

We are not here on this earth to do what we want to do and then just expect that God is going to let us into his heaven because we confessed faith in him. For when we die with Christ to sin, we are dying to our old lives of living in sin and for self and for self-will in order that we might now live for him and for his will and purpose for our lives. Our lives are now to be surrendered to him to obey him and to do what he wills for our lives.

But, if we should get this notion that we can just give lip service to the Lord, and now we can go our own way, doing our own thing, and that God is going to let us into his heaven, then we need to think again. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not walks of obedience to our Lord, we will die in our sins regardless of what our lips profess, and we will not inherit eternal life with God. So we need to take this to heart and believe it!

[Romans 2:6-8; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 1:21-23; Colossians 3:1-17; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15-17; 1 John 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

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

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

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

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

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By the Righteousness of God
An Original Work / March 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Stephen3141 · Mar 12, 2025

alaric said:
I came across this verse in the bible,

John 1:17 = For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

I asked the Lord “Is there no truth under the law?” The Lord led me to the following bible verses that show me about the truth about the law.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Romans 2:13 = For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

Truth no.1 = As written in Romans 2:13. Anyone who can obey God’s law is righteous.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Galatians 5:3 = Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

Truth no.2 = As written in Galatians 5:3. The Galatians wanted to obey the law of circumcision. However, Paul told them that if they want to be under the law, they have to obey the entire law. You cannot pick and choose whichever law that is convenient for you to observe but rather you have to obey the entire law.

The law includes not just the 10 commandments. The law includes the followings as well;

Moral laws - on murder, theft, honesty, adultery, etc.

Social laws - on property, inheritance, marriage and divorce,

Food laws - on what is clean and unclean, on cooking and storing food.

Purity laws - on menstruation, seminal emissions, skin disease and mildew, etc.

Feasts - the Day of Atonement, Passover, Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks etc.

Sacrifices and offerings - the sin offering, burnt offering, whole offering, heave offering, Passover sacrifice, meal offering, wave offering, peace offering, drink offering, thank offering, dough offering, incense offering, red heifer, scapegoat, first fruits, etc.

There are over 600++ laws to obey. Keeping the 10 commandments is already impossible. Jesus said Matthew 5:27-28 = You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

When a person has an evil thought or a selfish desire, it is already a sin in God’s sight even before the person put the thought into action. Hence, I conclude that no one can obey the law fully.

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Galatians 5:4 = You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Truth no.3 = As plainly as it is written, this verse says that anyone who tries to be righteous by obeying the law has to depend on their own effort. You will be bless when you fully obey the law. But you will be cursed if you break any part of the law. It is a self-performance system, you perform and God judges you. In simple words, Do good get good, Do bad get bad. Isn’t all other religions practicing this?

Furthermore, under law there is no grace. It simply means that God will not lift a finger to help you. You have to help yourself. Therefore those who want to come under the law must not mixed Grace and Law together. There are many verses throughout the bible that sets Law and Grace apart. The Galatians are guilty of mixing Grace with Law. Paul had to write a letter to rebuke them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

James 2:10 = For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Truth no.4 = To the world, man sees a liar who tells a white lie must deserving to go heaven than a man who commits murder. However, the bible says otherwise. Every sin is equal in God’s sight. God sees a liar who tells a white lie and a murderer as sinners deserving punishment in hell. Hence I can conclude on the following;

The world sees an unmerciful God putting good and bad people into hell. Everyone who does not believe in Jesus, but depended on their own merits as a ticket to heaven.

But I see a merciful God who loved me so much that he is willing to sacrifice his one and only beloved son (Jesus) to redeem me.

To the world, they see that undeserving bad people is able going up to heaven effortlessly just by believing in Jesus + his finished work. And they said that this is not possible and do not believe. They laughed at the message of the cross and account it as foolishness.

But I see a merciful God who has made a ultimate payment for all our sins and this payment gives anyone who believes the right to enter into heaven. So to me, I do not see any good or bad person in heaven or hell. I can only see the redeemed in heaven and condemned in hell.

To be redeemed or condemn comes from personal decision to receive or reject the free gift which God paid a heavy price for us.

It is not about doing but believing and trusting Jesus + his finished work.

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom

1 Corinthians 1:18 = For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Romans 3:20 = Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Truth no.5 = The Law is from a perfect God, so the Law is perfect. But we are imperfect sinners. Because we are imperfect, we are unable to obey the law fully. When God’s law is broken, curses and punishment will come. In conclusion, those who seek righteousness through the law are cursed. As it is written in Galatians 3:10.

Galatians 3:10 = All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.

It says “ALL who rely on observing the law are under a curse”. It does not says the person who breaks the law is under a cursed but ALL who is under the law. So it is common sense to say that God already knows that no one can keep the law and under the law, everyone will be cursed. So why God gives the law? This is the reason.

Romans 7:7 = What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

Galatians 2:16 = know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

God give the law to show us that we are sinners, we cannot save ourselves and in need of a saviour.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Final conclusion

John 1:17 = For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Since there are truths in the law. Why did God put truth on the side of Grace?

It is because only the truth under grace can set us free.

John 8:32 = Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

Note: The law demands perfection but does not lift a finger to help. Grace on the other hand imparts perfection and does everything for man through Jesus Christ.

You're floating all over the place, using multiple meanings of "law".

In John 8.32, it could be simply that "truth shall make you free". The Greek
use of the article, does not necessarily mean the same thing as "the truth"
in English.

To try to make your argument, you need to use the Greek NT definitions of
"nomos", and deal with the multiple meanings of this word.

AveChristusRex · Mar 12, 2025

David Lamb said:
That is strange. I thought (apologies if I am wrong) that you believed that popes and other Roman Catholic leaders receive their authority through apostolic succession,

They do.

David Lamb said:
yet here you say that Paul, who was an apostle, preached as a fallible Apostle, and therefore it was necessary to check his preaching in the bible. Yet you also say that the church (by which you mean the Roman Catholic church) has more authority than the bible. You wrote: "The Bible itself was discerned, compiled, and preserved by the Church, which means the authority of the Church necessarily precedes the authority of Scripture in practice. "

The verse is speaking on the preaching of Sts. Paul and Silas in Berea (Acts 17:10), yet [while St. Paul was an apostle with divine authority] preaching is still a fallible act, in the same way that Papal encyclicals [while nominally of the truth] are indeed fallible and can be analyzed. Moreover, the Bereans were not yet Christians; they were Jews who only had the Old Testament. Such Bereans first received Paul’s teaching “with all readiness” before examining the Scriptures; which shows an openness to apostolic authority rather than a principle of independent judgment in opposition to it. Therefore, Bereans were not applying a principle of private judgment in the reformed sense (where each individual decides doctrine for themselves); rather, they were verifying whether Paul's claims about Jesus as the Messiah aligned with the Old Testament prophecies.

This also was an isolated situation, as once the faith was established, it was the Church [not individuals in isolation] that authoritatively interpreted Scripture (1 Tim. 3:15, 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

Stephen3141 · Mar 12, 2025

My first reaction to this article, was that it MUST be some sort of
JOKE.

But then, reading the article, I realized that there are people who are so
gullible, that they actually believe that this sort of massive "desert-sculpting"
would actually be possible (without water, etc.).

Now, I fear that a large number of poor people might actually BELIEVE this
fantasy, and waste their lives waiting for it to become true. That the Saudi
leader would stick to this sort of fantasy, is a comment on how many poor
Saudis are vulnerable to outrageous claims, that some leader will prepare
a new world, in which they can all live in prosperity.

This is the essence of the selling point for violent Muslim jihadism.
Desperately poor people, being promised that they can die, in order
to make some fantasy world come true. It's REALLY cynical!

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

If one could speak of Biblical verses as being vilified, then "an eye for an eye" would be the
most vilified verse in the Bible. It is commonly cited to "prove" the existence of an "Old Testament"
ethic of vengefulness, and then contrasted with the New Testament's supposedly higher ethic of
forgiveness. "An eye for an eye" is often associated with modern Jews as well, and invariably in a
pejorative manner. Israel's critics, for example, commonly accuse her of practicing "eye for an eye"
morality when she retaliates against Arab terrorist acts.

In actuality, the biblical standard of "an eye for an eye" stood in stark contrast to the legal standards
prevailing in the societies that surrounded the ancient Hebrews. The Code of Hammurabi, a legal code
hundreds of years older than the Torah, legislated retaliation even against innocent parties. Thus, if
A constructed a building for B, and the building collapsed and killed B's daughter, then A's daughter
was put to death. (Law number 229). The biblical law of "an eye for an eye" restricted punishment solely
to the perpetrator. Furthermore, unlike Hammurabi's code, one who caused another's death accidentally
was never executed.

"An eye for an eye" also served to limit vengeance; it did not permit "a life for an eye" or even "two eyes for
an eye." The operative biblical principal was that punishment must be commensurate with the deed, not to
exceed it. Blood feuds and vendettas were long practiced among the Israelites' neighbors---indeed, they
have persisted in the Middle East until this century---and revenge was often carried out without restraint.

Christians often contend that Jesus went beyond the standard of "an eye for an eye" that he advocated
forgiveness and saw retaliation as unworthy of man. Yet the New Testament records Jesus saying, "But
the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven"
(Matt 10:33). In other words, Jesus seems to advocate treating others as they have treated him; a
standard of justice that is perfectly commensurate with the demand of "an eye for an eye"

In the time of the "Talmud", " an eye for an eye" was not carried out literally, and Orthodox Jewish scholars
teach that it was never practiced. The Talmud's rabbis feared that the very process of removing the
perpetrator's eye might kill him as well, and that, of course, would be forbidden (Bava Kamma 84a)
"an eye for an eye" was therefore understood as requiring monetary compensation equivalent to the
value of an eye. The same understanding was applied to almost all the other punishments enumerated
in the same biblical verse, "a tooth for a tooth, a wound for a wound."

The only punishment in this set that was not converted to a monetary fine was capital punishments for murder,
"a life for a life." Because the Torah believed that premeditated murder deserved the death penalty, there was
no fear of punishing the killer excessively. Jewish law did dictate, however, that murderers be executed in the
quickest manner possible. Hence, later Jewish law forbade the Roman punishment of crucifixion.

Shalom שלום

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

IN THE BIBLE, THE STRANGER, THE ORPHAN, AND THE WIDOW ARE frequently offered
as examples of the weakest, most unprotected people in society. Because of their vulnerability,
the Torah repeatedly delineates the protection and help that must be afforded to them.
It regulates that there must be one standard of justice for both the strangers (non-Jews)
and Jews (Numbers 15:15) see also Leviticus 19:34).
"The stranger, the orphan and the widow" are linked together as naturally in the Torah
as our the "Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe" in the famous American song.
The moral measure of a society, the Torah constantly implies, can be gauged by how
it treats its weakest members.
In the case of widows and orphans, later Jewish law stipulates that financial support
is not enough; they must be given emotional support as well. In an uncharacteristic wordy
ruling *Maimonides writes: "A man ought to be especially heedful of his behavior towards
widows and orphans, for their souls are exceedingly depressed and their spirits low.
'You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan' (Exodus 22:21). How are we to conduct ourselves
toward them? One must not speak to them other than tenderly. One must take greater care of
their property than ones own. He who created the world by His word made a covenant that when
they cry out because of violence, they will be answered, as it is said 'If you do mistreat them, I
will heed their cry as soon as they cry out to Me' (Exodus 22:22)

Shalom שלום

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

THE MOST FAMOUS PRAYER IN JUDAISM IS THE SH'MA, whose opening paragraph
reads: "And you shall speak of them [the Torah's laws] when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up...And you shall
write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:7,9).
The Hebrew word for doorpost is mezuzah, and for thousands of years Jews have posted
small boxes, also known as mezuzot, on their doorposts. Inside each box is a small scroll,
which must be written by a scribe. It contains the first and second paragraphs of the Sh'ma,
including the commandment concerning mezuzah. When a Jew enters his house, he sees
the mezuzah and is thereby reminded how he should act in his home. Likewise, when a
Jew leaves the house, the mezuzah reminds him of the high level of behavior he is expected
to maintain wherever he goes.

To ensure that the mezuzah is always visible, it is attached to the upper third of the doorpost,
at a slant. Every room in the house, except for the bathroom, should have a mezuzah on its
doorpost. When a Jew moves into a new home, he or she is expected to put up a mezuzah
immediately, or at least within the first thirty days. A special blessing is recited when the
mezuzah is installed: "Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified
us with His Commandments, and who has instructed us to put up a mezuzah." Many Jews
kiss the mezuzah when they pass it, generally by touching it with a finger and then kissing
the finger. An unkosher mezuzah is one that was not written properly by a scribe, or one in
which a word or letter has become erased. To avoid having unkosher mezuzot, many Jews
have their scrolls periodically checked by a scribe.

Shalom שלום

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

The Bible regards human beings as distinctive because they alone are created, "in God's image."
A characteristic that endows human life with an inherent sanctity. Having being created "in God's
image," people are to try to imitate God's actions. Such behavior is commonly known by the Latin
term imitatio dei (imitating God), an idea derived from Deuteronomy 28:9: "The Lord will establish
you as his holy people, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of the Lord
your God, and walk in His ways."

The Rabbis point to several instances in the Torah of divine behavior that human beings are expected
to emulate. For example, because God is depicted as clothing the naked---"And the Lord God made
garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21)---Human beings should do
likewise and provide clothing for the poor.

Because God visited the sick---"The Lord appeared to [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre" (immediately
following Abraham's circumcision at the age of ninety-nine; Genesis 18:1)---we should visit and comfort the
sick. This important commandment acquired a special Hebrew name, bikur holim (visiting the sick) Within
Orthodox Jewish communities, one often finds Bikur Holim societies whose members make regular visits
to hospitals, where they often see patients who have no other visitors.

Because God buried the dead---"He buried [Moses] in the valley of Moab" (Deuteronomy 34:6)---one should
help bury the dead, particularly the poor, on whose behalf money must be collected to purchase a plot.

The Rabbis regard burial as the highest ethical act because it is done without any expectation that the
"recipient" will repay the good deed (in Hebrew, chesed shel emet, a true act of loving-kindness). Likewise
it is the highest form of imitation of God, since all of God's acts are done without expectation, or need of
repayment.

"To walk in His ways" means to ask oneself before performing a deed: "Is this what God would want me
to do? Is this the Godly way to act?

Shalom שלום

NewLifeInChristJesus · Mar 12, 2025

It's back...

But it appears they had to restore a version that is several days to a couple weeks old. Glad they were able to recover.

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

A whole world is hidden from the naked eye under the water, under the seas. Fish represents
the hidden identity of Yeshua and the concealed messianic aspects of His teaching. Many
religious leaders and others didn't understand His message and therefore didn't believe
He was the Messiah. Shortly after performing this miracle of the multiplication, Yeshua
was in the synagogue, probably on Shabbat, the seventh day, and He said to them,
"I am the bread of life, Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes
in Me will never be thirsty" (John 6:35)

Let's look at the numerical puzzle pieces in this passage and in the miracle of the multiplication
and discover a deeper meaning. The phrase Halechem hachai means "bread of life." The
numeric value of the word for Halechem (bread) is 83, and hachai equals 23. These words
total 106. The Aramaic word for fish, nun, also equals 106. Of the same value is one of the
names of the Messiah from the Psalms---Yinnon. In multiplying the bread and the fish, Yeshua
showed He is the messianic King.

The number 106 is also the numerical value of the following Hebrew phrases:
heemin, "one who believes"; halechem hachai, "bread of life"; and davak, "to cleave" or
"to hold tight." Deuteronomy 4:4 says, "But you who held tight to Adonai your God are
alive today---all of you."

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
'you will find rest for your souls.' For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Jesus' "yoke" (ulo)
in these verses is His teaching. And the numerical value of ulo is 106.

The number 106 is also the numerical value of layod, "to serve"; bekhol-levavkha, "with all your heart";
beyad melekh, "into the hand of the king"; hamelukha, "the Kingdom"; habigdei levan, "white garment";
and nun, "fish."

Let's put this all together: Those who believe (106) that Yeshua is the bread of life (106) cleave (106) to
Him and take His yoke (106). Those who follow His teachings serve (106) the Lord with all their hearts (106)
and commit themselves to the hand of the King (106). These people will inherit the Kingdom (106), be dressed
in white garments (106), and eat fish (106) at the wedding banquet of the Lamb! So, fish (106) connects not only
connects to the bread of life but also to the Kingdom. They point to the abundance that we're going to experience
when we cleave to Yeshua and love Him with all of our hearts. When we place our two fish (106) into the hand of
the King (106), God transforms them and multiplies them. He becomes the bread of life for us.

Shalom שלום

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

Since English translations can dilute or lose some of the intended message, it's
essential that we study the Bible based on its original languages of Hebrew and
Greek. These two primary languages are genuinely beautiful and unique.

Most of the world's languages separate numbers from letters, but not Hebrew
and Greek. Both languages use letters----their respective alphabets----for numbers.
Each letter in the Hebrew and Greek alphabets has a numeric value. Because of
this, numbers can spell words, and words add up to numeric values.

The Bible often uses numbers in patterns, and there is significance to many of these
patterns. For example, the first word of Genesis 1:1 is Bereisheet or B'reisheet,
"in the beginning." The first Hebrew letter of bereisheet is bet, which has a numerical
value of 2. Why is this significant that the first letter in the Bible has a numeric value of 2?
Because God created the world in twos. He created heaven and earth. He created
light and dark. He created the sun and the moon. He created the sea and dry ground.
He created man and woman. The letter bet also represents blessing. Only when these
two opposites come together is God's blessing fully released.

Shalom שלום

tonychanyt · Mar 12, 2025

Amos prophesied primarily to the northern kingdom of Israel during a period of relative prosperity under Jeroboam II, before the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC. Am 5:

25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king,

Sakkuth
סִכּ֣וּת (sik·kūṯ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5522: A foreign god

your king
מַלְכְּכֶ֔ם (mal·kə·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4432: Molech -- a heathen god to whom Israelites sacrificed children

and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves,

and Kaiwan
כִּיּ֣וּן (kî·yūn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3594: A statue, idol, for, some heathen deity

27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Brenton Septuagint Translation:

26 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Raephan, the images of them which ye made for yourselves.

BDAG Μολόχ:

Moloch, the Canaanite-Phoenician god of sky and sun

BDAG Ραιφάν:

Rephan, Rompha, a deity worshipped by some Israelites, put by the LXX in Am 5:26 in the place of כִּיּוּן (=Saturn)

Just before Stephen was martyred, he quoted Am in Ac 7:

43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

Stephen used the LXX version.

Koberstein · Mar 12, 2025

The alphabet in Hebrew is called Aleph-Bet. It derives its name from the first two
letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When put together, the first letter aleph, and the
second letter, bet, spell the Hebrew word for father (Ab, as in Abba, "God the Father").
This communicates that the Hebrew alphabet derives from God the Father.

If added together, the letters in the name Aleph-Bet have the same value as
"aleph and tav" the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Both phrases have
a numeric value of 523, which underscores the intentional alphanumeric structure
of Hebrew. But that's not all! Aleph and tav are the Hebrew equivalent of
"the Alpha and Omega" (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet), an
expression Jesus used to describe Himself in Revelation 22:13
"I am the Alpha [Aleph in Hebrew] and the Omega [Tav in Hebrew], the First and
the Last, the Beginning and the End.

What's more, since each letter in the Hebrew (or Greek) alphabet corresponds to
a number, it is easy to determine the given value of any word from the Bible and
use it to better understand the Scriptures. For example,

The Hebrew word for "leper" (metzora) has a numerical value of 400 when the individual
letters are added together. The number 400 is assigned to the Hebrew letter (tav). This
connection is significant because the ancient version of the letter tav was the shape of
a cross. The cross (400) is the reason they scorned Messiah and treated Him like a leper (metzora)
In Greek, the word for "grain" (kokkos) has a numeric value of 400. Jesus said, "Amen, amen I
tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies,
it produces much fruit" (John 12:24). Katzir, the Hebrew word for "harvest" also adds up to 400.
Jesus died like a "grain" (kokkos, 400) on the "cross" (tav, 400), ultimately fulfilling His role
as the "messianic leper" (metzora, 400) and bringing about a great spiritual "harvest" (katzir, 400)!

The number 400 is also associated with God's pouring out of judgement (Ps. 69:25). Jesus became
a "leper" (metzora, 400) and died like a piece of "grain" (kokkos, 400) on a "cross" (tav, 400) so that
God would not "pour out" (shofek, 400) His judgement on us. Instead, we can personally experience
that "the Lord is gracious and full of compassion" (Ps. 145:8), which also equals 400 in Hebrew.
What greater demonstration of grace, compassion, and love could there be?

Shalom שלום

tonychanyt · Mar 12, 2025

The good King Josiah started a reform in 2 Kings 23:

10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.

Back then, the Valley of Hinnom was infamous for human sacrifice.
Jeremiah 7:

31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere.

It was an evil unclean place.
Isaiah pronounced judgments against the wicked in 66:

24 They will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.

It was a stark warning to all mankind. Jesus used this vivid image and linked it to Hinnom in Mark 9:

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell <Hebrew: valley of Hinnom>, 48 where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

What do you think the "worm that never dies" in Mk 9:48 means?
The worm represents maggots eating the bodies. It is an imagery device to paint a horrific and ghastly picture of hell. It serves as a warning to all mankind: Avoid this destination at all costs. It is not going to be pretty.
Jesus didn't just stop here. He continued:

50b Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

Let the Paraclete dwell in you and be at peace in eternal life.

SabbathBlessings · Mar 12, 2025

Clare73 said:
They broke a command, which is not what Paul usually means by "the law."

We should never ignore the context- law is a generic term - the context shows which law is being referred to

Like this…

Rom 2:22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?

Do not commit adultery and idolatry is found in the Ten Commandments Exo 20:14 Exo 20:4 as is the law Paul quoted that he said is sin when breaking Rom 7:7 as did Jesus Mat 5:19-30

Clare73 said:
There was no Decalogue in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah.

There was no Decalogue during Sodom and Gomorrah.

God said they started at Eden Exo 20:8-11 right in the Ten Commandments, breaking one commandment, we break them all James 2:10-12 because God said they came in a unit of Ten Exo 34:28 Deut 4:13 Where do the laws they broke that Jesus and Paul said was sin came from- the Ten Commandments. Just because they were not codified at that time, doesn't mean they didn't exist as clearly shown through scripture they did. No law, no sin. You have no proof that committing adultery, lying and worshiping other gods do not come from the Ten Commandments, God said they do Exo 20:3-17 Mat 5:19-30 these sins came from the Ten Commandments that started in heaven 11:19 as Jesus revealed, because that's where sin started 1 John 3:8, no law, no sin. I can't make anyone believe God's personal will and Testimony. I guess we will have to agree to disagree and all gets sorted out soon enough.

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