UK prime minister Starmer:

"We need to put Ukraine in its strongest position to negotiate and we will double down on our support."

From a weakened position, the more powerful can manipulate the situation to their own interest.

And as a Christian I must add that I don't intend to partake of the knowledge of good and evil, but we can see the truth in that statement from a more objective point of view.

Starmer seems to have a level head that is probably more free from offenses, or other such personal rhetoric.

Jo555 said:

I found it very interesting too when he spoke of name it and claim it without considering the will of God and such.

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I agree. I've been seeing the 'name it & claim it' theology in a lot of teachings. I think this is Prosperity Gospel. It boils down to this: "God will give you everything you want if you say a prayer b/c he loves you." Sometimes this Gospel hides very well. The Bible's Gospel in regards to prosperity is God will give you everything you need, & that's even better then what you want.

Some history: a lot of this incorrect look on Christian prosperity we see today like w/ Joel Osteen to give a more obvious example had its origins in preachers like Billy Graham who had Biblical teaching on other topics. I was paging thru a Charles Stanley book I was given once & see the same thing. Good teaching about God's character, who he is, & salvation, but an incorrect understanding of 'prosperity.' The modern church has taken those incorrect understandings & ran w/ it but tossed out the good teachings. Don't mean to derail the thread, but it's a big issue today, & I think maybe it is a bit relevant b/c this is why we don't put our trust in a preacher, b/c there's topics an indivdiual preacher can be wrong on.

Jo555 said:

We do know He has made promises to us and we can stand on those promises, but even then I believe we can put more faith in our own ability to believe instead of God empowering us there.

Was in a group once, large group, and remember a vision given to me while there. I was watching a lady from an "above" view. She has her bible, but there was also a witchcraft book, although she didn't know it was witchcraft.

There are religious books that can take the Word of God and teach witchcraft instead of the truth.

I took it in regard to things Graham spoke of in that department.

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The Lord's been teaching me a lot about witchcraft lately. That's exactly what 'name & claim it' is. What you saw was how it decieves best: putting it alongside the Bible. There's other manisfestations of witchcraft too. It's not like myths where the person is creepy looking & wearing a pointy hat: it's sweet & charming to lure people in, tho when you see more obvious manifestations of it, that's the end result. He's also been showing me all the witchcraft symbolism all over.

Tom Maccabeus said:

I think there is a good consensus that Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes IV (167 B.C.) is seen as the archetype of the antichrist. He fulfilled many of the prophecies in Daniel 11 and Daniel 8. In blasphemous pride Antiochus assumed the title "Theos Epiphanes" (god manifest) Daniel 11:36 states… he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods" (also in 2 Thess. 2).
What do you think, any others ? BTW there is a reason I ask.
Tom

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Nimrod would be one of the first, who was building the Tower of Babel
the Pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus, not sure which one he is historically, but some think Ramses II
Goliath, and probably some of the other giants faced by Moses and Joshua before Israel was settled by Joshua.
Nebuchadnezzar with his golden idol that he forced people to worship or threw them into a furnace is definitely a type, though I think weirdly enough he might have gotten saved after losing his mind and not being restored until he acknowledged God, God did restore him, and he actually wrote a chapter of Daniel, which is astounding for him to have been so evil to be a type of Antichrist, but somehow redeemed.
Haman, a Persian King's advisor in the book of Esther which if you look past the surface level meaning has a LOT of Eschatological meanings, with the Persian King representing Christ, Esther representing the Church (the bride of Christ), Haman representing Antichrist, and Mordecai representing Israel.
That plus Antiochus covers the types that are found in the bible, outside of the bible, I'd have to say Adolf Hitler stands as definitely a type

essentialsaltes said:

JD Vance's visit to Vermont ski resort interrupted by pro-Ukraine demonstrators after Zelenskyy exchange​

Vance, who brought his family to Sugarbush Resort in Warren, Vermont, was greeted by a half-mile gauntlet of protesters holding pro-Ukraine signs Saturday. There appeared to be hundreds in the crowd.

The protesters carried signs calling Vance "Nazi scum," accusing him of being a "traitor" and telling him to "go ski in Russia."

Fox News was also told Vance and his family planned to stay at a four-star inn near the resort, but they moved to an undisclosed location after seeing the ruckus.

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From the OP article:
A source also told Fox News that the Vances initially intended to stay at a four-star inn near the resort, but that they moved to an undisclosed location instead, though that decision preceded the protests.

[emphasis mine]

Stephen3141 said:

I was talking specifically about the ad populam logical fallacy.

If you want to be specific about theology, you need to specify
what you think this verse means. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees,
who like to make themselves out as righteous before "men".

I hardly think that Jesus is addressing a larger principle.

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God does not flip flop like a man and he has confirmed that principal throughout scripture that those who proclaim the wisdom God are the few and the despised and those who proclaim the wisdom of the world are the loved and the esteemed.

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 KJV
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; [28] And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

2 Timothy 3:12 KJV
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 KJV
This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: [14] There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: [15] Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. [16] Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

Luke 21:17 KJV
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

2 Corinthians 12:15 KJV
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

God is not the author of confusion and if you think that you can pick specific scriptures that disagree with the theme of other scriptures, it is hardly any wonder that you believe what you do.

Isaiah 53:3 KJV
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Anybody who has the mind of Christ and who proclaims the wisdom of God will be despised and rejected by men.

Nevertheless, I know the scripture is true.

Proverbs 27:22 KJV
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.

Neostarwcc said:

So I've been sick for two weeks now. Found out yesterday when I went to the doctor's that it's bronchitis. I'm on antibiotics now for 10 days I just started them last night. Please pray that I'll start feeling better soon. Thanks.

At least this time it's not bronchitis and pneumonia like it was last time. My doctor completely ruled out pneumonia and gave me a flu/covid test. All results of that are negative. So... Just bronchitis this time.

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Prayers sent for you, hope you fell better very soon.

From the article linked above..

The law known as 18 USC §1716(c) & USPS Publication 52 §§526.5 will also be examined.

It makes it a federal crime to mail living scorpions unless the box clearly is marked 'live scorpions' and is also within another box also labeled 'live scorpions.'

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Good!

It has been so hard to surprise someone with a box of live scorpions with that pesky label saying "Live Scorpions" right on the box giving away what is inside!!!

Isaac Newton/ said:

Should Jesus have any right to be discontented with the Father's decision to not grant him the power of more obvious miracles in order to have saved those individuals with whom he would so graciously disclose himself to only to have them disbelieve?

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I and the Father are one.
John 10:30

Isaac Newton/ said:

I like cats. Just thought I'd share that

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That's good to know, it's hard to trust anyone who doesn't like cats.

1800 BCE, Egyptian pharaohs enslaved the Hebrews.

1446 BCE, Moses led the exodus.

1374 BCE, Israelite judges led the people.

1050 BCE, United Monarchy under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon.

930 BCE, Kingdom of Judah followed the split of the United Monarchy.

586 BCE, Babylonian Empire conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple, and led to the Babylonian Exile.

539 BCE, Persian Empire took over. They freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity. The Persians allowed Jewish self-governance under appointed governors.

301 BCE, Following Alexander's death, Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty controlled Judea.

198 BCE, The Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic state founded by Seleucus. I Nicator following Alexander the Great's death. Their rule, especially under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, led to the Maccabean Revolt due to religious persecution.

142 BCE, Jews, led by Maccabees, revolted against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Hasmonean dynasty started.

63 BCE: Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem and brought Judea under Roman control.

JimR-OCDS said:

Wasn't his profession as a standup comedian?

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Yep.

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I've never seen a standup comedian read his jokes from a clipboard before.

Valletta said:

You don't need fancy equipment for a good education. My wife went to grade school in the country, one room and one teacher for all grades until high school. I think it averaged about 3 kids in each grade. For my high school there would be different versions of say, a math book each year, and the teacher would try and give homework that was in all of the versions (he'd call out different numbers for different versions) because a number of us had used books.

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You don't "need" fancy equipment, but having some more modernization helps when you're dealing with high student:teacher ratios.
(which a lot of the poor struggling schools are)

The kind of individualization you describe isn't feasible with 30 kids per classroom.

There's data we can refer to that shows the patterns pretty clearly.

Given that schools are funded with property taxes, the public schools in the higher-income areas have:

• Better facilities and technology
• More experienced teachers (which require higher salaries to be paid)
• Smaller class sizes
• More extracurricular activities and advanced courses

The nostalgic tales of "a teacher who's willing to work for peanuts in drab conditions because they just want form a deep bond with students and are truly passionate about making a connection with students and educating them" happens more in the movies than it does in the real world.


For the record, I'm totally sympathetic to the arguments about the mismanagement, undue influence, and all of the other ways the teachers' unions have bungled things (prioritizing the wrong things, insulating bad teachers from repercussions, etc...). But I'm also not so naive as to think that teachers should be the ONLY ones who society expects to do their job out of the goodness of their own heart with no financial motivation (just like any other profession would have a financial interest)

I hear you.

Christians, worldwide, need to ask some questions...

1 What comes first? A coherent (philosophical) worldview,
or, a gathering of opinions about worldviews, done by computerized
search engines?
2 For those who think that they can find a coherent worldview, and "truth" from the
browsing of a search engine, I would say that there is no guarantee that a
computerized search engine SHOULD encounter all truth.

Although some Christian groups argue that a worldview should not be
part of a Christian's thinking (they argue that we should go directly back to the
Bible to get "truth"), from a philosophical viewpoint, the Bible presents a
coherent worldview. And this realistic worldview must be embraced, in order
that we can accept that we live in a "shared reality", that the Bible presents.

A basic philosophical wordview is UPSTREAM of being ablt to understand
the Scriptures, as an artifact that inhabits our shared reality.

RDKirk said:

Well, the writer of Hebrews gives us the last word on that.

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Believing that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

Abraham believed all along that God would honor His promise, and that somehow he'd leave that mountain with Isaac still alive.

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Right. See How did Abraham reconcile God's promise of a future through his son with the command to sacrifice that same son? and follow up there

essentialsaltes said:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents clad in tactical gear and ski masks stopped a Connecticut lawyer's car outside a courthouse and arrested his client, a Polish immigrant working to adjust his visa status.

Adrian Baron, a New Britain-based attorney, detailed the incident on social media, describing how multiple blacked-out vehicles surrounded his car after he left a local courthouse.

"You might have heard that ICE is only going after hardened criminals, drug dealers, and gang members. It's simply not true," Baron said in a statement.

[Gotta hit those quotas somehow.]

According to Baron, the immigrant had legally entered the country on a tourist visa, which he later overstayed. While overstaying a visa is a civil infraction, not a criminal offense, it has become a growing target of federal immigration enforcement.

Baron criticized the use of heavily armed federal agents for such cases, arguing that resources should be focused on criminals and public threats rather than individuals trying to adjust their status legally. [which is what they were doing at the courthouse]

He was giving his client a ride home when his car was boxed in by four federal vehicles. Armed agents from ICE and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) ordered Baron to shut off his engine before removing his client from the vehicle.

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ICE has stated they're going after EVERYONE who is here illegally.

One has to wonder if this person was just committing a minor infraction like the article implies, why would he need an attorney? And if the person knew his visa was going to expire, why did he wait until it had expire before trying to renew it from the courts? Nope, doesn't add up.

As far as ski masks goes, the left has been taking pictures of ICE agents and posting them around town, endangering them and their families. So please stop the whinning in protecting criminals. I'm glad to see that ICE is protecting our police force.

God’s servant Job was a righteous man who feared God and who walked in obedience to his commands. But God allowed Satan to test this godly man. First his animals and many of his servants were killed. Then his sons and his daughters were killed. But what was Job’s response? He mourned their deaths but he worshipped God. He said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” And the Scripture says, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” (see Job 1:1-22).

But then God allowed Satan to test Job even more. And so Satan smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. But when his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!,” he replied, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” And then the Scripture says, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” And although his friends initially consoled him in his suffering, then they began accusing him of sinning against God as the reason for his suffering. And so he and his friends talked back and forth (Job chaps. 2-37).

But Job was not perfect in all of his responses to his persecutors who were judging him falsely and who were accusing him of sinning against God as being the reason for his suffering. So, God then began to speak to Job (beginning in chapter 38, I believe). And he corrected Job on some things that he got wrong. But Job was not wrong about the fact that his suffering was not because of sin in his life, for he was a godly man who worshipped and served the Lord with his life, and who was righteous in the eyes of God. But Job repented of what he had wrong:


Was Job a righteous and a godly man? Yes, he was. Was he deserving of the suffering that he went through? i.e. did he do something to deserve what all he suffered? No, he didn’t. His suffering was not the result of sin in his life. Did he initially have the correct responses to his suffering? Yes, he did. But as things got much worse, and as his friends continually tried to convince him that his suffering was a result of sin, then he didn’t do as well, and I believe he began to question God, and so God had to rebuke him on that matter. But Job then repented, and God honored him for speaking the truth.

But what I believe the Lord wants me to focus on here is Job’s words in chapter 23 where he described his relationship with the Lord. He said that his foot had held fast to the path of God, that he had kept the ways of the Lord, and that he had not turned aside from them. He said that he had not departed from the commands of God’s lips, but that he treasured the words of the mouth of the Lord more than his necessary food. And this is the life of a Christian which God desires of all of us, that we should walk in his ways and in his truth, and that we should obey his commands and speak truth.

And the truth which he wants all of us to speak is the truth of His Word as he taught it in its pure sense. He wants us to be sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world and with the worldly church for their salvation from their bondage (addiction) to sin so that they can now serve God with their lives in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. And he wants us to keep speaking his truth even while being tested and tried and falsely accused of wrong we did not do, and even if all our friends turn against us and we go through tremendous suffering for our walks of faith.

And we need to be telling people the truth of the gospel, in opposition to the lies which are so popular today, because there are so many people without faith in the Lord Jesus who will die in their sins because they did not repent of their sins, and they did not die to sin, and they are not now walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands. For the truth says that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, that we will not have eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in him we profess with our lips. So it is critical that we should be telling people the truth for their salvation.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

A Missionary Cry

By Albert B. Simpson
Melody by J.H. Burke

A hundred thousand souls a day
Are passing one by one away
In Christless guilt and gloom;
Without one ray of hope or light,
With future dark as endless night,
They’re passing to their doom.

The Master’s coming draweth near;
The Son of Man will soon appear;
His kingdom is at hand.
But ere that glorious day can be,
This gospel of the kingdom we
Must preach in every land.

Oh, let us then His coming haste,
Oh, let us end this awful waste
Of souls that never die.
A thousand millions still are lost;
A Savior’s blood has paid the cost,
Oh, hear their dying cry.

They’re passing, passing, fast away,
A hundred thousand souls a day
In Christless guilt and gloom.
O Church of Christ, what wilt thou say
When, in the awful judgment day,
They charge thee with their doom?

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I Have Treasured the Words of His Mouth
An Original Work / March 2, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

FireDragon76 said:

The Pope's duties are mostly ceremonial, like a monarch. Kings don't usually abdicate, neither do popes.

Also, Catholics view his role as a spiritual one, meaning it's a sacred vocation... not a "job" in the usual sense. You can't apply profane logic to that you would a "desk job".

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Yes! Exactly right! Thank you, sir!

That Guy 11200 said:

It struck me as a capitalist version of soviets.

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I’ve thought of it as Ayn Rand writing a sci-fi novel.

Lord have mercy

A D.C.-based federal district judge ruled late Saturday evening that President Donald Trump's firing of the head of the Office of Special Counsel was unlawful, keeping him in his post. The Trump administration filed their notice of appeal shortly thereafter.

Continued below.

I'll also add this:

If we go way back to the first covenant, GOD made a promise to bless the Israelites. But there were conditions too. To receive the blessings or rewards from GOD they (the Israelites) had to obey and follow the laws they were given.

In the new covenant, we are told:
"There is forgiveness of sin for all who turn to Christ Jesus and that the way to eternal life is knowing GOD ALMIGHTY and Christ Jesus WHOM HE SENT to earth."

But as with the old covenant, the new one also offers rewards that are far greater. Look at Revelations:

1. Rev 2:7:
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

2. Rev 2:11:
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

3. Rev 2:17:
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

4. Rev 2:26:
To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

5. Rev 3:5:
The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

6. Rev 3:12:
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

7. Rev 3:21:
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”


It's wonderful to be a servant of GOD because the rewards are great.

Thank you everyone for praying

We know Revelations has much symbolic reference. I believe the mark of the beast is serving human power and interest over God. Basically it is humanity, empowered by the enemy of our souls, over God. Believers will eventually be shut out, etc.

Revelations 13:
15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.

essentialsaltes said:

Indiana man fatally shot by sheriff's deputy identified as Jan. 6 defendant​

• A Jasper County sheriff's deputy fatally shot 42-year-old Matthew W. Huttle during a traffic stop in northwest Indiana on Sunday after an altercation in which Huttle reportedly resisted arrest and was armed.

"An altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect," the Jasper County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Further investigation revealed the suspect was armed with a gun during the traffic stop.

He got 6 months for trespassing during the Capitol riots and was released last July. [His uncle got 2.5 years for assaulting police.]

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Clearly rhe police are at fault like they aee at fault for every other shooting. We should riot in rhe streets and defund them.

PLM-Protesters Lives Matter