essentialsaltes said:

Tens of thousands flee Aleppo neighborhoods as Syrian government clashes with Kurds intensify​

The SDF [Kurds] has for years been the main U.S. partner in Syria in fighting against the Islamic State group, but Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey.

Click to expand...

They fought ISIS in Syria for years. Now U.S. allies say they've been abandoned.​

A fragile truce reached this week between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters was seen as a blow by many Kurds in their hard-won fight for autonomy.

Longtime American allies who have been guarding tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and their families agreed this week to be integrated into the Syrian armed forces.

While the deal marks a major victory for the country’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, it has been a brutal blow to the fighters, who are mainly ethnic Kurds.

Integration has largely been forced on the Kurds by Washington and the government in Damascus, Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based Chatham House think tank, said Thursday.

Under a deal announced Tuesday, which came after Syrian forces seized swaths of territory in the northeast, the SDF was given four days to agree on integrating into the state, with its key ally, the United States, pushing it to accept.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack welcomed the truce as an “inflection point, where former adversaries embrace partnership over division,” as he made clear the SDF’s role as a key ally in battling the Islamic State had become obsolete with the emergence of a new central power to partner with.

ISIS fears grow​

The SDF blamed “international indifference” toward ISIS for the withdrawal, as concerns grow of an ISIS resurgence in Syria.

The SDF and Syrian government are trading blame over a mass prison escape in the town of Shaddadeh amid a breakdown in the truce between the two sides.

Douggg said:

As far as the abomination of desolation set up, first there has to be the Gog/Magog event, and afterward the 7 years begin, and 1185 days into the 7 years the abomination of desolation will be set up.

Click to expand...

This sequence of events is Biblically correct. But the AoD setup is clearly stated to happen at the mid point of the final 7 years,
I have given the proof of the extra 30 and 75 days, as per Daniel 12, take place after Jesus Returns.

Your charts are wrong and I have requested nicely before - that you don't post them on my threads

Thanks Moderator; for removing the vituperative and nasty comments from here.

Pastors and churches have a crucial role to play when it comes to helping formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society. Jermaine Wilson, whose life was changed through the ministry of Prison Fellowship, said when he got out of prison as an adult, his pastor was key in helping him rebuild his life.

“When I got out of prison, employers didn’t want to hire me because I had a criminal record. And landlords didn’t want to rent to me because I had a criminal record,” Wilson told ChurchLeaders. “And when my pastor found out, he provided me and my family with a place to live and also gave me an opportunity to work at the church as a janitor, which covered my rent.”

“And he also gave me an opportunity to be able to serve within the ministry. And by him giving me that opportunity,” said Wilson, “it empowered me and helped me to realize that even though…I’ve been to prison, you know, he still sees me as a person and not a person incarcerated.”

Continued below.

Postvieww said:

The part of this country that is uncivilized is the lunatic mobs in the streets screaming like animals, throwing objects at law enforcement, ramming law enforcement cars with their own, blowing whistles and using air horns like spoiled brats.

Click to expand...

Ah, alternative reality. Now I understand. Or were you talking about the guy who threw a Subway Sandwich at an ICE agent? The horror... the horror. ICE actually charged him with a felony, and the agent recounted in court the pain and suffering as the mustard went across his face. Unfortunately, where was video, and it showed that the sandwich never came unwrapped. This is the kind of hysterical exaggeration we're seeing from ICE.

Deacon Mark Paine has produced two new resources that he hopes will assist people on the autism spectrum and those who serve them in the Church.

A Catholic deacon in England has responded to what he says is “a crying need” for new catechetical resources for people with autism.

Deacon Mark Paine from the Archdiocese of Birmingham — who is autistic himself and a parent to autistic children — has produced two new resources that he hopes will assist people on the autism spectrum and those who serve them.

"Called By Name: Guide to Religious Education with Autistic Pupils Aged 5–11 Years” was written for teachers to help them teach religious education, and "Radical Belonging: Guide to Sacramental Preparation with Autistic Young People” is aimed at catechists in parishes and those helping young people prepare for the sacraments in schools.

Paine said he believes there is an urgent need for the resources because “the number of pupils in our mainstream Catholic primary schools identified with complex needs relating to the autistic spectrum has increased considerably.”

Continued below.

Father Miguel Silvestre explains his role in facilitating the bishops’ ad limina visits to the Holy See and what they entail, with a focus on the recent visit by the bishops of Puerto Rico.

Last week, the “ad limina apostolorum” visits began at the Vatican. These official pilgrimages to Rome are undertaken by all the bishops of the world, usually organized by episcopal conferences, to renew their communion with the See of Peter.

The expression “ad limina apostolorum” comes from Latin and means “to the thresholds of the apostles.” During this time, the bishops visit the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul, as well as the various dicasteries of the Vatican, ending their pilgrimage with a meeting with the pope.


Bishops pray before the tomb of St. Peter during their ad limina visit. | Credit: Father Miguel Silvestre

When do they take place?​

Continued below.

Those were some nice posts you guys made. The Scriptures are so beautiful, they provide hope!

The time he spent as a volunteer and later as the director of “Our Little Brothers” home for disadvantaged children in Latin America profoundly marked the new archbishop of New York, Ronald A. Hicks.

Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, whom Pope Leo XIV recently appointed as the archbishop of New York, comes to one of the most important sees in the United States with an experience that shaped his ministry: his time in Latin America, where he lived among vulnerable communities, which left a pastoral legacy that still endures.

He speaks Spanish, and one of his favorite saints is the Salvadoran martyr St. Óscar Arnulfo Romero, but his connection to Latin America was forged through his experience with the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos organization (“Our Little Brothers”; NPH by its Spanish acronym), which he joined as a volunteer before entering the seminary.

NPH is an international organization founded in Mexico in 1954 by an American priest, Father William Wasson. Since its founding, the institution has provided comprehensive support, including a home, education, and medical care to more than 20,000 minors in extremely vulnerable situations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 1989, Hicks arrived as a volunteer at the NPH headquarters in Mexico. During that first encounter, he met orphans Emilia Cárdenas Ponce, 11, and her brother Abad, 9, who were living at the institution after their parents’ murder.

Continued below.

bling said:

We have free will and it is our choice the humbly accept or reject God's Love.

Click to expand...

Hey bling

I'm not sure who you're arguing against, but this thread is actually critiquing a classic reformed doctrine and how it defines total depravity. In short, I believe that our depravity is in our ability to do anything good by righteous standards, that being God's Law. Thus, we are incapable of saving ourselves by doing good works, or by the Law. I also argued that man can desire to be saved, though that desire, or initial faith, would not be untainted with sin, and thus "good", and "righteous", but still can be accepted by God as a genuine initial faith. Then when that person receives the Holy Spirit indwelling, they then have the life, and the Spirit that can produce "good" and "righteousness", which is good according to the Law. But still, not justifying us. Only Jesus' righteousness justifies us.

Our wills are not coerced by God, but the effects of sin can be very coercive. Perhaps God draws us as a counterpunch to that sin and it's coercion. In other words, a person drawn is not necessarily a person coerced, which is what you seem to be implying. Rather, a person drawn can be a person persuaded. It starts with the Word, which is Truth, which sets us free from the coercion of sin. Is there a common grace involved in the drawing? Jesus said that when He is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself. There's a lot that goes into that, but this thread is just touching on one part of that.

Dave

Congratulations on your new aquisition, please drive it safely.

You can always pray for clarity of thought, you can tell Jesus you are worried or confused, nothing wrong with "was that You Lord?" I cannot see how you have done anything immoral or sinful, you bought a vehicle, you borrowed from family, I assume you either need it or can make good sensible use out of it. You did not get a high interest credit card and throw it's whole limit on a Ferrarri because you want to impress or intimidate others.

When we hear or believe things that we should not, they are things that will lead us to a sinful action, or to make us doubt the truth of the gospel. Probably the best ways to reinforce your protection and faith in general are study the Bible, pray, and be in contact with other believers.

Hi! That actually sounds like a very interesting job. I will pray for you that everything works out.

stevevw said:

This is interesting. I will check it out. I think hate is the opposite pole of love and is also a powerful force that can destroy even nations. I would have thought there was an opposite pole to fear. Like maybe Christs peace, or Hope.

Click to expand...

After looking it up, The Harlow Monkey drug trials is not the experiment I meant to reference. The one I'm thinking of was where baby monkeys were raised in isolation and became "hyper-vigilant", a nuance of fear. I would like to know if you can think of any personal hatred in the moral/immoral context that is NOT based on some type/form of perceived betrayal.

stevevw said:

Fear stems from the unknown. But if we are confident in salvation then fear will not overcome us.

Click to expand...

I agree that fear stems from the unknown. When I was a kid, I was scared of the dark. When I would turn the Light on it subsided almost immediately, like relief. I believe Agape Love holds all emotions just like white Light disperses into all the colors. The reason why I don't believe fear is found in agape is because scripture says, perfect Love casts out all fear. It sounds like love dissolves fear.

stevevw said:

What do you think of Terror theory I think its called ? Which is the basic inbuilt instinct in humans to fear death. Everything is geared around the fear of death.

Click to expand...

I'm familiar with the concept of the fear of life having no meaning. Fear of death sounds like a survival instinct to me. Ironically, it seems like if life had no meaning, then death would be nothing to fear. When Paul talked about the power of the fear of death, I think he was talking in the context of the law; sort of like trying to be good out of a fear of death rather than out of love for others.

stevevw said:

This is interesting. From what I understand this perhaps inbuilt sense of knowing the imbalance even in money transactions is subjective yet also intuited or sensed as to where that balance is. When it steps into the bad price or good and fair price. Just like we have a built in sense or empathy that tells us when a line is crossed for immoral treatment of others.

Click to expand...

If empathy could be twisted into cruelty of torture, then I would think unfair measures could be counted as winning. I believe

stevevw said:

Which makes sense as to the 2nd comandment being to love your neighbour as yourself which underpins all the moral laws along with the greatest commandment. That a great deal if not all morality is basically about our relationship with others and how we treat them.

Which ties back to Christs sacrificial love that we may example this in reality. Which is radically different to the worlds idea of how things should be ordered. Like you said an opposite pole and a flip on Christs sacrificial love.

Ok this also sounds very interesting. I will have to look into this. Can you elaborate a bit ?

Click to expand...

The law and grace have different substrates and therefore different languages; Two different types or means of righteousness. I don't know if the two cherubim are the two covenants or the dichotomy accuse/excuse. In some ways it's a subtle difference, but I do know why a person would need to forgive to be forgiven, as if only agape love can pass through.

Colonel Kurtz

Pray The Holy Spirit comforts & heals family, friends & loved ones of all those affected by the death of the 7-Oct-2023 Israeli hostage named Ran Gvili

Kjelete said:

If something bad happens somewhere, like a massacre for example, nightterrors and sleep-paralysis are usually reported in a big scale. They say 1 in 3 people have experienced it based on difficulties in their enviroment also in most countries. Most doctors will say that vivid nightmares when awake is due to mentall illness like scizophrenia. I haven`t really denied that possibility because I can see that most patients who experienced it, has glazy eyes.

But, what is not known is why you experience these nightmares when awake. Some say it`s an adrenaline-dump right before you awaken, I think that is due to the nature of the nightmare, it scares you so the body excrete it. The feeling of heaviness in bed, is usually explained as sleep-paralysis, to prevent you from moving when dreaming.

Why are you awake when this happen, that`s the real question. People see shadows in front of the bed and in door-ways, floating faces moving towards you, they crack teeths also from the intensity of the dream.

I`ve been reflecting over dreams myself a little, and I know that when you dream, you only observe it, you don`t really think about the dream. But when you have nighterrors it`s a little different because you`re awake. What`s your opinion on the subject?

Click to expand...

I think theres a difference between dream states or imaginings due to stress or trauma. These are usually vague. Though it may seem real at the time. The realness fades and there is a question mark. Its usually irratic, confusing, dreadful or disturbing in some negative way.

I think night terrors come under some sort of dream state that appears real. But can quickly be dispelled as a disturbance rather than anything real.

From what I understand if someone has an out of people experience where it seems they are seeing things from their body (eyes). Like figures or faces. They will usually remember and have a clear recollection. It will usually be an identfiable figure or face. Or linked to them in some way such as an unknown relative.

But the main difference is there is no ambiguity. To the experiencer its not a dream like state. Or a delusional state which is fragmented and its rarely terrifying. Its usually peaceful or enlightening.

But I am not sure if there is any connection. Because for me any dream like state or imaginings about terror are themselves a strange phenomen. The whole area of the mind is interesting and unknown. Whether these strange dream like states are connecting to some other dimension and the negative experiences are fragments of this realm.

Postvieww said:

All of those things you claim were already happening.

Click to expand...

Society was embracing them because appreciating peoples' backgrounds is a nice thing to do.

What's more recent, and more salient at the time of this speech, is that that consideration had finally been extended to groups other than whites of European descent. It was already acceptable for us white Europeans to celebrate our heritage and our religions and tie our identities to them, but it was considered "identity politics" to afford other groups the same courtesy.

Postvieww said:

Why is so many regress to Jan 6 to justify the chaos in Minnesota?

Click to expand...

Who's justifying anything? You asked me to look up stats on organized protests against police (which, I'm sure you know is a nonsensical request). I provided an example of how Minnesota is hardly alone.

Job 33:6 said:

Excuse me, but dont you know that the Bible is a science textbook? The age of the earth is 7 days (geology), the origins of mankind from dirt (biology and evolution), and plank time (physics).

Click to expand...

The first planck moment in time is the Beginning. That is when we are able to observe. Nothing has been added from that first moment. Yet for God all of time is a moment. People say it is about this and about that. But with God it is very exact and very precise. For example, from Adam to Noah to Abraham to David to Jesus is all very exact and very precise 1,000 years or four days. Then of course the church age is 2,000 years. But we are observers. We are told, esp Job to look and see (that the Lord is good)

Two Iranian Christian sisters who were detained by federal authorities last month under accusations that they entered the country illegally have been freed while their cases proceed.

A judge granted the release of Mahan Motahari, 38, and Mozhan Motahari, 31, on Jan. 16 after their attorney filed a petition for their release. Mozhan was released the following day, while Mahan was released last week, according to Episcopal News Service.

The sisters came to the United States in 2022 and were active members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia.

The Rev. Fran Gardner-Smith, the rector at St. Thomas, told ENS that she and her congregation “were just thrilled” by news of their release and “can’t wait to welcome them back [to the church] when they’re feeling well enough.”

“They’ve done nothing wrong,” Gardner-Smith said. “There are people all around our country who are being detained for spurious reasons. … My joy [at the Motaharis’ release] is so tempered with seeing what’s happening to others.”

Continued below.

Would I pray for Putin? The answer is a resounding yes! Everyone needs a chance or two to come to Christ, so I will pray he gets saved.

I actually have compassion on Putin despite everything he has done. I feel sorry for him in that he doesn't have a relationship with Jesus.

Are we in what is called the Age of Grace? Also called the Church Age, its a span of time that God is using to save people and call out a people for His name.

And if God is exercising His Grace towards us, then why shouldn't I do the same? With grace I give to Putin the gospel and show mercy.

There’s a popular teaching regarding Israel in the Church. It’s known as the replacement theory or hard supercessionism, and, while it’s been around for centuries, it’s actively resurging in places that ought to quash it.

The replacement theory essentially says this: God has rejected Israel, and the Church has now “replaced” them as His chosen people, meaning the promises, covenants, and blessings God made to Israel no longer apply to them but only to Christians.

But it’s not a biblically viable position to take, and here’s why. Romans 11 is unambiguous. God has not rejected His people. Israel remains central to His plan, and His promises are irrevocable.

As Michael Bird explains, “The church does not replace Israel, but is the representative of Israel in the messianic age … God is not finished with national Israel and salvation will yet avail for them.” Craig Keener likewise notes that God’s covenantal faithfulness is not contingent on human acceptance. God’s promises to Israel endure whether or not all believe.

When replacement theory takes over, Christians are tempted to abandon our God-ordained obligation to bless Israel and, worse, often to embrace idiotic attempts to scapegoat Jews for everything under the sun. We are used to watching Islamists persecute Jews on college campuses and elsewhere, and most of us on the Christian right know better than to side with that effort, because we understand that radical Islam leads to real-world terror.

But it’s a lot more slippery when we somehow convince ourselves that we are replacing Jewish teaching with a brand of Christianity that promises us power and influence at Israel’s expense. I’ve written before about the rise of Christian Nationalism (the scary kind, not the boogeyman slur progressives hurl at anyone right of Mitch McConnell).

Continued below.

Peace in Christ.

The scoffers (when they will hear the Word of Truth) shall come and say “where is the promise of His PRESENCE”? The Greek word is “Parousia” which means presence.

We are to receive the promise of His presence in this earthen vessel…in our mortal bodies now in this earth…. so that the people of the outside world who are sitting in deep spiritual dark may “see” Him shine through us. They will see the glory of God shine upon us and will then praise Him above.

His arriving presence in this earthen vessel gives our mortal bodies an age-lasting life so that we never mortally die. We shall continue to live in this earth to the last day of this age when this mortal body shall be changed into immortal thereby circumventing death completely in Christ Jesus. We shall stay alive and remaining here in this earth and will not mortally perish.

2Pe 3:3-9 KJV
(3) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

Yet the unbelievers in the man-based churches who will hear this will reason in their unbelief : Since the church fathers fell asleep (mortally died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.

Where is the promise of His presence since all have died just as they did from the beginning of creation?

(4) And saying, Where is the promise of his coming (PRESENCE)? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
(5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
(6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But they do not know (being willingly ignorant) that they are under the judgment of God now (just as the old world was flooded back then) as His wrath is revealed (PRESENT TENSE) from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness

Romans 1: 18 - For the wrath of God is revealed (present tense) from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

The heavens and the earth WHICH ARE NOW are stored with fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men who mortally perish under His wrath.

(7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
(8) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

His wrath is revealed by our mortal perishing from this earth. He is not willing that any of His people should mortally perish but that all should come to change their minds.

What we have witnessed so far in Christian history is His wrath coming upon all those before us who did not do His will. In contrast, whosoever will DO the will of God ABIDES here in this earth into the age.

1Jn 2:17
(17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth into the age.

They …the Christians before us who have not done His will….have been the vessels of His wrath….the generation of wrath…the flock of the slaughter. They had not changed their minds about these things and have mortally perished.

His longsuffering toward us is our salvation as He gives us time to come to repentance and not mortally perish. He does not destroy us immediately as He graciously is patient with us.

(9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He has endured with MUCH LONGSUFFERING the vessels of His wrath who all have mortally perished because they held down the truth in their unrighteousness. By their unrighteousness, the truth was not known by them.

Rom 9:21-24
(21) Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
(22) If God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

What we have witnessed so far were/are the vessels of His wrath so that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of His mercy which are prepared unto glory as His glory shall be revealed upon us to this dark world. These vessels of mercy are the 144,000….the house of Jacob.....who shall show forth His glory to this world.

(23) And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
(24) Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

The “generation of His wrath” has been rejected and forsaken because they do not obey…that is, to hear intelligently….His voice …nor did they receive correction.

And so the truth is perished from this earth. It is cut off from their mouth. Their pastors are not preaching the truth of the gospel as the truth is cut off from their mouth. His presence is not being made manifest through them as they have no understanding.

Jer 7:28-29 KJV
(28) But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
(29) Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

Jer 7:23-24 KJV
(23) But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
(24) But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

The gospel is being hid to them that are currently mortally PERISHING.

2Co 4:3-5 KJV
(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (PERISHING)
(4) In whom the god of this world (age) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
(5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

The unbelievers of the truth will turn their ears away from hearing it. They will not hear and believe but will instead listen to their false teachers who will instruct them to behave in unrighteousness towards the hearing of the truth. They will not receive the love of the truth and be saved but will listen to their false teachers.

2Ti 4:2-4 KJV
(2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
(3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
(4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Tuur said:

OTOH, you've equated bloggers with drug lords.

Click to expand...

Not just any bloggers. The comparison is, that both (these »bloggers« and drug lords) are indirectly responsible for the death of persons.

But I admit that - as to now - more people died of drug addition than committed suicide because of harassment by those »bloggers«.

Tuur said:

Tell you what: Try to enforce UK law in the US and see what happens.

Click to expand...

It is not enforced in the USA, it is enforced in the UK, including internet services in the UK from servers in the USA.

I listened to I 2 Eye quite a bit back in the 1990s. I think it was the first album of MWS I had. I think this song had a lot of "cross-over" potential. I don't know if it was released as a single, or got any airplay outside the christian radio stations?

Michael Sweet and Oz Fox of Stryper on background vocals.

Fisherking said:

Rev. 13:6, imho, is not about other world/aliens et al. To blaspheme simply means to bear false testimony against, or to willingly lie about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit

Click to expand...

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God. To blaspheme God's name and God's tabernacle (God's tabernacle is on top of the sky) and them that dwell in heaven. (The city of heaven is beyond the sky Revelation 21:1-2)

Revelation 13:6 is saying that the beast will lie about what is in heaven, he will lie about God and about what is beyond the sky.

Revelation 5 tells us that Jesus prevailed over death to open the seals. And that the scroll is at the right hand of the Father. Jesus died, rose from the dead, ascended and sat down at the right hand of the Father and began to open the seals. That is what we can conclude from scripture. Acts 1:9-11 Hebrews 12:2 Revelation 5:5 Therefore the initial opening of the seals happened, that is what the Bible tells us. Revelation also tells us that the office of the beast was already in place when it was written Revelation 17:8-12. Therefore it should be clear that Revelation is and has been happening.

The notion that Revelation 4:1 is 'the rapture' is part of the unrighteous deception Paul spoke about in 2 Thessalonians. There is no mass disappearing of people described in the Bible.