• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

The Sabbath – the fourth of the Ten Commandments

2022.08.20 The Sabbath – the fourth of the Ten Commandments.jpg


The seventh day Sabbath is God’s gift to humanity. It was blessed and sanctified by God after He had created the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them. It was written into the Ten Commandments by His finger, was kept, and taught by Jesus Christ, and was observed by the apostolic church. A memorial of both creation and redemption, it should be faithfully celebrated by believers now as a day of rest, worship, and well-doing.

The Sabbath, as outlined in Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:8-11, falls on the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday. However, it's important to note that according to Genesis 1:5, God declared that a new day begins at sundown, not at midnight. Therefore, the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.


Here’s where the Sabbath was first instituted by God:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1-3 ESV)


Here God defines when a day commences and finishes, from evening to morning:
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:5 ESV)


Here’s the fourth commandment:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV)

So very tired…

I don’t even know where to begin…. Childhood perhaps? I was beaten severely during my elementary school days. I was always told to show the other cheek like Jesus so the proper thing to do was accept the beatings without fighting back and so that’s what I did. For years. By the time I was 8 I began to desire death to escape as God never saved me regardless of how much I prayed and begged and cried before bed and on the bus to school. I told my parents who put me in therapy where I was drugged to the point of not feeling anything for years. During that time many things happened to me but we won’t go into detail. Just know life did not ease up. I eventually got off the drugs and regained my senses. This entire time I’ve been attending church with my parents and reading the Bible with them. I’ve also been praying nightly and trying to build a relationship with God. Finished our high school and joined the U.S. Navy. Lost my contract due to a paperwork issue and granted a job as a mechanic. I’m no good with my hands so this was a horrible job choice. But I do my best, get first in my training school and get my dream orders to Japan with a meritorious promotion. Next thing I know NCIS is investigating me for child pornography. Turns out a ex called them and said I was producing child porn in my barracks and distributing it on base when she heard I was doing well. Even though I was cleared of the allegation after several months, I was still stripped of promotion and my orders were rescinded. The news I was investigated for the above crimes made it to duty station even though I was proven innocent… needless to say my 4 years in were a living hell. I get out of the military and here I am nearly a decade later, several failed businesses and meaningless jobs deep into this life and I’m only 30. I’ve lost faith in Gods goodness. I no longer trust him and I’ve never “felt” him or heard him. There has never been peace or joy…. Only pain. I’ve prayed for death for years and obviously it’s never been granted…. I’m just so tired yet when I ask for strength, beg for rest, plead for mercy, it doesn’t come. Even now I’m trying to build a business that will pull my family out of this massive hole of debt. There is no escape for me. I’m too cowardly to kill myself, I can put the gun in my mouth but can never pull the trigger. God has turned his face from me since I was a child despite his “promises” in the Bible… I’m just… tired. I’m hurting. Full of self hatred. No confidence in myself since my first memory. Wishing for death. I’m Mad. Furious. Hopeless. Abandoned… how do you go on? How do you trust God and move past the pain he’s put on you when there’s been no purpose? I’m sorry for the rambling I just have no one to vent to or talk with. I apologize for the length of this post.

Just Are You

“And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying…” (Revelation 15:2-3 ESV)
“The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say…” (Revelation 16:4-5 ESV)
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty…” (Revelation 16:12-14 ESV)

Just Are You

An Original Work / August 26, 2013
Based off Revelation 15-16


Great and marvelous are Your deeds, O God.
Just and true Your ways, King of all the earth.
Who will not fear You; glorify Your name?
You are righteousness. Praise Your Name!

Just are You, O Lord, our Eternal ONE,
For You judge the earth in Your righteousness.
They have shed the blood of Your righteous ones.
You give their reward. They’re to blame!

Kings of all the earth gather, one accord;
Make haste to engage in a mighty war.
They oppose the Lord and His holy saints.
They serve wickedness, to their shame!

Jesus comes again, to some unforeseen.
Blessed are those who wait for Him at the gate.
They’ll not be ashamed. “Glad” be their refrain.
When He comes again, He’ll remain!

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Chicago police aim to reduce thefts and carjackings

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the plan focuses on four pillars: technology, focused missions, public engagement and accountability.

”We want to be proactive and not just reactive when these crimes occur,” Snelling said.
The superintendent said the department has a focused mission to prevent carjackings and car thefts.
“So we’re starting with stolen vehicles, because we know those stolen vehicles are being used in secondary crimes like robberies,” Snelling said.

Snelling added that police need the full support of the criminal justice system.

More than 2,200 robberies have been reported to Chicago police this year.


Accountability is one of the pillars of the city’s plan to combat robberies, he said. Victims have been forgotten, and Snelling said violent offenders must be held accountable for the trauma they inflict. Police are doing everything in their power to hold offenders accountable, he said.
“Our officers are risking their own safety to apprehend these violent criminals, knowing the violence they are capable of,” Snelling said.
The superintendent said that police sometimes have to arrest kids.
“When these young children are engaging in violent acts, today’s juvenile robbery offender or shooter is tomorrow’s adult murderer,” Snelling said.

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Summary Book of Job

Job was a righteous man in the eyes of the Lord, and he was a wealthy man, too, in the eyes of the world, for he had many possessions. But he was a man who was blessed of God, and he worshipped the Lord with all his being. But one day Satan stood before God, and the Lord asked Satan if he had considered the Lord’s servant Job, “that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.”

But Satan’s response was to say that Job was only righteous because God was protecting him and because the Lord God was blessing him. So Satan said to God, “But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And so the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

At first Satan arranged that all of Job’s servants (except for maybe a few), and all of his animals, and all of his children would be killed. But when Job received the news of all of this, he fell on the ground and he worshiped God. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

After this, Satan had another encounter with the Lord, and this time Satan said to God, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So Satan “went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

Then Job’s friends came to console him, and they sat with him on the ground seven days and nights, “and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.” And then Job was in much anguish, and so great was his suffering that he wished he had never been born. So he said, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”

Then Job’s friends began to speak, one by one, but not to encourage him, but to accuse him falsely of sinning against the Lord, and of that being the reason for his suffering. And no matter what Job said to them to try to convince them otherwise, they would not relent from accusing him of sin and to advise him that he must repent of his sin to God. And this only added on to Job’s sufferings, for his friends did not believe him. (see Job 1-37)

Then the Lord responded to Job, and the Lord scolded him for questioning the sovereignty of God over his life (Job 38:1-41; Job 39:1-30; Job 40:1-2). And then Job responded to the Lord in all humility (Job 40:3-5), and then God responded to Job (Job 40:6-24; Job 41:1-34). Then Job answered the Lord again where he acknowledged the sovereignty of God over all things, and where he confessed that he had spoken of things he did not understand. And he repented in dust and ashes for his unwise words (Job 42:1-6).

And then God spoke to Job’s friend, Eliphaz, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Then he instructed Eliphaz to go to Job and to offer a burnt offering for themselves, and that he would have Job pray for them that the Lord would not deal with them for their folly, “For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (see Job 42:7-9)

And that is the book of Job, in a nutshell, but not including everything that took place, but hitting just the highlights. So that is to give you some understanding of Job’s words in today’s passage from Job 19:23-29, for this was what was going on his life when he spoke these words:

“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’
and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’
be afraid of the sword,
for wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
that you may know there is a judgment.” (Job 19:23-29 ESV)

So, what is the essence of Job’s words that he spoke here? Well, first of all he was answering his accusers (his friends) and their charges against him. For they were tormenting him with their false accusations against him and with their refusal to believe the truth coming from his mouth. And they were not ashamed that they were wronging him. And then he went on to describe for them what God was allowing to happen in his life, including, “My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me.” (Job 19:14)

Yet, in all that he suffered – which was not for any wrongdoing that he had committed, but because he had led a righteous life, and because God was putting him to the test – he did not curse God, i.e. he did not reject God as his Lord, but he spoke with confidence that he knew that his redeemer lives, and he knew that, when he died, that he would see God. For he knew, even if no one else did, that he was not suffering because of sin against God.

Then he warned his friends that if they continued to pursue the course they were on with their false accusations – which felt to Job like vicious attacks against himself and against his character – that it would not go well for them with God. And he told them that they should be afraid of the sword, which was the judgment of God, if they continued to pursue Job in that manner, and if they continued to accuse him of sin he did not commit.

And if we follow the Lord Jesus with our lives, in surrender to his will, in truth and in righteousness, we also will have our faith tested, and we will have friends and family and neighbors and fellow professing Christians and pastors and elders turn against us and falsely accuse us of wrong we did not commit. And this will be because they are not seeing things through the eyes of God but through the eyes of the flesh and through worldly thinking.

But in all that we suffer, we are not to lose sight of God and of his sovereignty over our lives. For our Lord does not promise us a life of ease if we follow him, but he promises a life of suffering, rejection, persecution, false accusations against us, and the like. So we must keep our focus on the Lord through all the trials that come our way, and keep pressing forward in obeying the Lord, no matter how others treat us. And we will be blessed.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

What a Savior

By Marvin P. Dalton

Once I was straying in sin’s dark valley
No hope within could I see
God sent from heaven a loving Savior
To save a poor lost soul like me

He left the Father with all His riches
With calmness sweet and serene
Came down from heaven and gave His life blood
To make the vilest sinner clean

Death’s chilly waters I’ll soon be crossing
His hand will lead me safe o’er
I’ll join the chorus in that great city
And sing up there forevermore

O what a Savior, O hallelujah
His heart was broken on Calvary
His hands were nail-scarred
His side was riven
He gave His lifeblood for even me

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Did King Saul lose his salvation?

1 Samuel 10:

10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
Note that the Spirit was not in him.

1 Samuel 16:

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
Did King Saul lose his salvation?

It depends on how you define salvation. Saul did lose the Spirit that was given to him.

Did Saul know about resurrection and eternal life?

Saul understood salvation this way, 1 Samuel 11:

11 The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”
13 But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”
To him, salvation meant God's physical deliverance, not spiritual eternal life.

1 Samuel 28:

19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.
That meant that they would be dead like Samuel.

The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
Will Saul inherit eternal life?

I don't know. But it is not promising for him.
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What happened to the mentality of the human race?

People don't seem to be normal in these end time prophecies , as there seems to be a lack of logic and common sense , it's just not there.
Like there's a guy performing signs and wonders even causing fire to come down from heaven , now if you or I were there we would accuse him of using modern technology such as maybe using holograms or satellites to perform such acts.

But no one in this prophetic scenario seems to be concerned about the possibility that he might be using modern tech , their all just very excited and can't wait for more.
So i'm just wondering if something not mentioned in the prophecies has happened to people , something that has caused them to be dumbed down , or mentally impaired in some way.

I'm thinking maybe chem trails or something like that , just spray everybody and make them stupid.
Any thoughts ?

Blasphemy

April of last year I was given a prophetic message that there was a sense of urgency on my life. I said many God whatever you want, I will do it. I don’t know how, but no problem. A few weeks later, I slipped up into a sin of touching myself( I was 7 months pregnant). I asked God to forgive me right after, but I knew it was wrong. I felt a little sick after but I thought it was from me being pregnant . Fast forward to June, I have my baby. 36 hours of intense labor. Afterwards the medicine wears off, and I instantly felt cold.
I started shaking uncontrollably, that my own mother couldn’t pin me down. I just knew something was wrong. Fast forward I go home after a week in the hospital. While there, I have these intense muscle spasms, and at night my body was heating up as if I was inside of a furnace.

I get released a week later. I go home, I recognized that I couldn’t sleep. I try sleeping pills, melatonin, every [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] one thing, no pill has any effect. It’s like just eating a piece of candy. I go to the doctor to get prescribed antidepressants, they don’t work. Fast forward to where I am now. I still can’t sleep, I have this weird pressure behind my eyes, my body heats up like a furnace at night, I’m having issues with going to the bathroom. I haven’t gotten sick since last year, no pills work. Every time I try to read the word, I get these bad headaches. Tylenol doesn’t have any effect.

My bones hurt really bad. I don’t get sick anymore( ie, common colds or allergies ). My body smells like a dead body, no matter how many bathes or showers I take. I feel no love, no peace, no joy, I’m numb, I don’t feel any conviction . I hear these demonic voices that sound like me that say you know you’re going to hell. That I hate Jesus. He hates me, I cry terribly because I believe that I’m not going to see Jesus. I look at hell videos and have no emotion. My memory is fading greatly. I can only remember my sins. I can’t remember what happened the previous day. I can’t hold the word of God when I read it. I only care because I’m going to hell, I feel like it’s not genuine at all. Has anyone ever experienced this? Has God turned me over for to my own devices for good? I keep seeing the number 6 everywhere. And these big black crows are everywhere I go. Please help me

Russell Brand announces baptism after months-long spiritual journey: 'Taking the plunge'

Brand says many returning to Christianity as world crumbles

Actor and comedian Russell Brand announced Friday that he is going to be baptized this weekend, the culmination of his months-long public wrestling with the tenets of Christianity.

"This Sunday, I'm taking the plunge," Brand, 48, said in a video he posted to X. "I'm getting baptized."

Brand said he had heard baptism explained to him as "an opportunity to die and be reborn; an opportunity to leave the past behind and be reborn in Christ's name like it says in Galatians — that you can live as an enlightened and awakened person."

He also referenced what he suggested were non-Christian reflections on the same theme of embracing death for the sake of life, quoting Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the Buddha.

"All of these things seem so inviting and beautiful," he said.

Brand also suggested that increasing numbers are turning back to Christianity as the empty value system of modernity disintegrates and leaves them wanting more.

Continued below.

Forgetting what to do during Mass, this is unlike me.

Sigh, sorry for making the third post in like a day, but seriously, I did forget to talk about this.

I did make a post about how different (in other words, weird) the parish (I visited yesterday) felt compared to the other parishes I've gone to, but one thing I forgot to mention was that there were no pews, just seats. That meant that my brain was thrown off about when to stand/kneel/sit when otherwise, all of this is second nature when going to a church with pews. I forgot what parts of the Mass I was supposed to stand/kneel/sit for, and this is something I didn't expect, because I didn't have the problem before. It doesn't mean I'm losing it, am I?

I'm starting to wonder if the building that this Catholic parish is for was originally another non-Catholic church. It just looks that way, both inside and out.

I'm not sure I like to give information on the church I visited but here it is. (I'm not in the video, so I guess it's alright)
(Those musicians were not there yesterday, only the "piano lady" who doesn't seem to be there in this video)

Alaska has a plan to save its salmon but some Native leaders are wary

Seems that Alaska has a little bit of a salmon issue, caused by over fishing. Article link: Alaska has a plan to save its salmon but some Native leaders are wary


Short summary of the open-access article by The Guardian (<20% in length, for fair usage reasons):

In an article published on April 28, 2024 in The Guardian by Lois Parshley, Alaska officials announced a new plan to revive the struggling Chinook salmon population in the Yukon River by suspending all fisheries until 2030. However, some Native leaders argue that the closure disproportionately affects their communities and culture, as they rely heavily on subsistence fishing. Critics also point out that previous efforts to limit subsistence fishing have not addressed the root causes of salmon declines, including competition from hatchery fish and bycatch in federal waters. The article highlights concerns about the lack of consultation with Indigenous communities and calls for more inclusive decision-making to effectively preserve biodiversity.
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Misbehaving and Unruly Tourist in Japan



Sometimes I wonder why tourists can't behave in other people's country. Blocking the road and even pulling on people's hair and clothes. What kind of human are they?

And now Japan is getting fed up and placing restrictions here and there. Genuine tourists like myself will find it harder to enjoy places on interest all because of some uncultured and ill-breed waste of a soul can't act like a decent human. People's country is not a theme park. The people are not employees to cater to your every needs. Sometimes I feel Japan should embrace back some of their savage warrior attitudes. Being non-confrontational and polite do not get you anywhere with these tourists. They should act more like the Thais in the below video.

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Tourists like these in the news must be only allowed to go places where the society is unruly as themselves just to give them a taste of their own medicine. Places like Haiti, Sudan or Somalia where you can go in but there is no guarantee you can get out. Let them pull the hair and clothes of the local and stand in the middle of the road there.

Four Passages

Hello folks. Here is my Bible study on Hebrews 6:4-6, Jeremiah 31:33, 1 John 1:9 and Romans 8:1-4. It is a big one, but here it goes.

Date
April 28, 2024​
Verse
Hebrews 6:4-6 (ESV): "For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt."

Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV): "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

1 John 1:9 (ESV): "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV): "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."​
Explanation
The four passages address different aspects of God's relationship with His people and the concept of salvation. Let's examine each passage and then discuss how they relate to one another.

1.Hebrews 6:4-6: This passage emphasizes the gravity of falling away from faith in Christ. It suggests that if someone has experienced the blessings of God's Word and the Holy Spirit, yet deliberately turns away, it might be difficult, but not impossible for them to return to repentance. However, this passage does not exclude the possibility of restoration entirely, as some interpretations may suggest. Instead, it highlights the seriousness of turning away from God and the potential consequences.

2. Jeremiah 31:33: This passage speaks of a new covenant that God will make with Israel and Judah, in which His law will be written on their hearts. This promises a deeper relationship between God and His people, emphasizing the importance of obedience and intimacy. It suggests that salvation is not only about forgiveness but also about transformation and restoration.

3. 1 John 1:9: This passage assures believers that if they confess their sins, God is faithful and just to forgive them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. This passage emphasizes the importance of confession and the promise of forgiveness, reassuring believers that they can always return to God when they stumble or sin.

4. Romans 8:1-4: This passage declares that believers are free from condemnation because of Christ's sacrifice, allowing them to live according to the Spirit instead of the flesh. It highlights the power of God's grace and the transformation it brings about in a believer's life.
*Disclaimer: These passages do not exclude the possibility of God saving someone who has returned to Him after falling away. Each passage emphasizes different aspects of salvation and faith, but none of these verses suggest that God's mercy and forgiveness are limited to a specific period in one's life. Instead, they encourage believers to remain faithful, emphasizing the importance of repentance and obedience.
Societal Relevance
In our modern lives, these passages serve as reminders of God's faithfulness, mercy, and the importance of remaining committed to Him despite any challenges or setbacks. They reassure us that, no matter how far we may stray, God's love and forgiveness are always available to us if we choose to return to Him. No sin is too great for His love and compassion. Additionally, they encourage us to live in obedience to God's will and to seek His guidance daily.
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Luke 19:12-27 (Parable of the Talents/Minas) - Use God's Resources Productively

Another user on this forum, @Christsfreeservant , posted the Parable of the Talents, so today we will be taking another dive into this important passage from Luke 19. The passage tells us not to be idle with our gifts or talents, but actively pursue ways to be good stewards of the Christian community.

Date
April 28, 2024​
Verse
Luke 19:12-27 (ESV): "A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’"​
Explanation
Luke 19:12-27 is a parable Jesus told to teach His followers about faithfulness in managing God's resources and being dependent on Him rather than others. The nobleman in this story represents Jesus, who went away to receive the kingdom of God and then returned. The servants represent believers, given various talents or resources (in this case, minas, a form of ancient currency unit) to use wisely while He was away.​
The passage emphasizes the importance of being faithful in managing God's resources and using them for productive purposes. The first two servants multiplied their minas through business, demonstrating a good return on investment. In contrast, the third servant hoarded his mina out of fear, failing to put it into productive use and ultimately losing what he had been given.
This parable also speaks about being overly dependent on others. The third servant was fearful of his master's severity and failed to trust him, ultimately losing the opportunity to increase his master's wealth. Instead, he should have trusted that his master would be gracious and rewarding for faithful stewardship.
Societal Relevance
In modern society, this passage challenges us to:
  1. Use the resources God has given us wisely and productively. Try not to be idle with our money or our aptitudes, but pursue ways to help be good stewards to others to advance God’s community.
  2. Trust in God's grace and provision, rather than relying on others or being fearful. However, if you are truly destitute, you can ask for help (1 Kings 12:6, Galatians 6:2).
  3. Avoid hoarding or misusing the resources God has entrusted to us, recognizing that we will one day give an account for how we've used them.
  4. Seek opportunities to invest in others and help them grow, just as the first two servants did in the parable, even if you get nothing in return. This could mean donating to a charity (investing your money), or helping a sick family member by shopping for them (investing your time).
  5. Understand that our ultimate reward comes from God, not from other people or their approval. This ultimate reward is spiritual and eternal, not monetary and fleeting.
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Electronics interference

Does anyone else seem to have an abnormally high level of electronic mishaps? Others have witnessed the borage of problems I encounter when navigating technology. I've come to think that Satan aims to buffet me with a slew of issues to frustrate and break me down. I'm currently attempting to apply to a job I've previously opened an account for and not for a lack of trying on my part its just not allowing me to. Unbelievers won't understand what I'm talking about so I'm asking fellow believers to pray to the LORD that I not only login but complete the application process. Thanks sooo much in advance.

Be Wary of Stories of Persecution in Far Flung Corners of the World

I'm in no way trying to downplay the persecution of Christians by creating this thread. There is a great deal of persecution taking place in the world, but you will often find that some of the stories about persecution don't always match up with the truth on the ground. I first became aware of this problem after moving to the Philippines in 2011, when I started to notice that some Christian websites and prosecution sites were misrepresenting events that were taking place there. Some of these events I had first-hand knowledge of and was working in the places where they took place.

This is the first story that made me realize that all persection stories are not as they seem:

Philippines: Islamic extremists attack a Christian majority city leaving 60,000 Christians as refugees

Jihadists attack Christian majority city, Zamboanga, in Southern part of Philippine, rendering 60,000 Christians without home... This massive attack has left about 60,000 Christians to flee from their homes. They have been forced to live as refugees now.

What is more, international media has turned a blind eye to this incident. Thousands of Christians have been left stranded as a result of this attack. No one has even highlighted their plight.

Muslim rebels held thousands of residents of these areas captives, for a period of six days. The coastal villages in the south came under attack by these Islamic rebels.

As a result of these attacks, the Islamic extremists killed about 56 people while about 60,000 local Christians were forced to leave their homes.


While the city this event took place in is a predominantly Christian city, it wasn't Christians who were displaced, although there were some. The six villages where the fighting took place were Muslim villages, and while some Christians live in these villages, the population would be 5% or less. How do I know this? I have been visiting those villages before and after this event took place. Based on my own observation, the number of Christians found in the refugee camps following the siege was less than 10%, with the remaining being Muslims.

Below is a local news report that confirms that it was primarily Muslims, not Christians, that were displaced.


Zamboanga City standoff not a religious war—ARMM gov

In Zamboanga City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s operations center reported that 62,329 persons are now staying in 20 evacuation centers in the city.

“A lot of people, about 90 percent Muslims, are suffering from this man-made calamity that Misuari is answerable for,” Hataman said. Hataman warned residents of Zamboanga City and Mindanao in general not to be misled by deceptive tactics aimed at driving deeper the wedge between Muslims and Christians. “We need to be informed properly and not to believe in deceptions,” he said.



When events like the example above and the ones I will give below happen in far-flung parts of the world, it's easy for media outlets and organizations that report on Christian persecution to misrepresent the facts to further their agendas. Not all are guilty of intentionally publishing misleading information, of course, but many are. Sometimes they rely on second-hand information from sources they believe to be reliable and run with a story without doing any fact-checking; in cases like that, they would not be at fault.



This next example comes from Uganda and is a story about a man who was killed for leading Muslims to Christ. Local news reports that he was killed for frequenting his ex-wife’s new home.


Christian Slain for Leading Muslims to Faith in Christ

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Body found with note in Arabic saying he was warned.

Islamic extremists in eastern Uganda on March 8 killed a Christian for leading Muslims to faith in Christ, sources said.

Kiisa Masolo, 45, had returned to his home in Nakitiku village, Bunabuka parish, Bubeza Sub-County in Sironko District at 7 p.m. after preaching on the streets of Nakaloke and Busajjabwankuba when seven masked men dressed in Islamic attire broke in and took him away, said his mother, Norah Nandege.

“After whisking him away, three men remained behind and told me that, ‘Allah is very displeased with your son, and we’re out to punish him,’” Nandege told Morning Star News. “Then the three men left.”

“I tried to advise my son to be very cautious with his life, but he used to tell me that his life was in the hands of God and that he was called to carry out the preaching of the gospel of Christ,” Nandege told Morning Star News. “Since then, I knew that the life of my son was in danger, and he might not live for long due to the many threatening messages of Allah who was out to kill him.”



MBALE CITY: Man Murdered for Frequenting Ex-Wife’s New Home

A body of a 45 year old man hailing from Nakitiku village, Bunabuka parish, Bubeza Sub County in Sironko district has been found dumped in River Namala in Mbale City

Kisa Masolo’s lifeless body was discovered by residents on the morning of Sunday, 10th March, 2024.

Norah Nandege, the deceased’s mother says her son and wife only known as Jane separated in February, 2024 meaning each has been staying independently here in Mbale City.

She adds that the wife got another lover (names withheld) with whom she has been living with in a rented house in Namatala.

She told this reporter, that the deceased used to visit her at the rented house pleading with her to go back to him.

Nandege also says that the deceased used to tell her about how his wife’s new lover was threatening his life. She now strongly believes, the death of her son is related to these threats.

The body was taken to Mbale city mortuary for postmortem and later handed over to the relatives for burial.




This example says this man was killed by Muslims in retaliation for preaching. The local news reports that his ex-wife killed him, and a source said that she had planned to kill her husband with poison.


Muslim extremists beat, kill evangelist in his home in retaliation for preaching

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Muslim extremists on July 29 came to the home of an evangelist who had held open-air events in eastern Uganda and killed him, sources said.

Cut with a sharp instrument that left his head and neck with deep wounds, Sozi Odongo was killed at his home in Omorio cell, Agule Town Council, Pallisa District, while his wife and four children hid in a room, she said. Odongo was 45.

on July 29, he arrived home and had eaten dinner with his family when they heard a group of people coming toward their house at about 7:15 p.m., said his wife, Stella Kilo. They locked the door.

“We heard them talk in the Arabic language and wondered what could be the matter,” Kilo said. “They then arrived and knocked at the door.”

She and their children went into the bedroom, but Odongo unlocked and opened the door, and the assailants began beating him on all parts of his body, she said.

The neighbor arrived and informed the LC1 chairperson of the area, George Ochola, who came and found Odongo’s body cut several times in the head, neck and arm, Kilo said. Ochola called police, and officers immediately arrived.



Woman Arested Over Husband's Murder

The Police in Pallisa district is investigating circumstances under which a 45-year-old man was killed. Sozi Odongo, a resident of Omorio cell, Agule Town Council in Pallisa district was murdered while in his house on Friday morning.

Stella Kilo the wife of the deceased who had slept in the same house with the husband woke up at around 0300hrs and heard the deceased (husband) who had slept in another bedroom, alone, unwell.

"She informed him about the situation and he also informed the LC 1 of the area, George Ochola who came and found the deceased body was cut several times in the head,neck and the arm.

Sarah Akurut a neighbour said Kilo should be held responsible.

A young man who pleaded anonymity said Kilo had planned to kill her husband with poison and that case was still open at Agule police station.

Umar Mugerwa the Pallisa district police commander said communities are ever policed in how to handled issues arising from domestic violence and which office to go to before they take murder as the best option.




This example says that a man was killed by Muslim extremists because he led four men to Christ. The local news reports that he had recruited four men to make liquid soap and that these men may be connected to his death.

Muslim extremists target evangelist in eastern Uganda.

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In Busei B village, Nakalama Sub-County in Iganga District, sources said Ronald Twinomugisha had received threats by text message from Muslims before he was hacked to death on March 30. He was 32.

Twinomugisha moved to the area from western Uganda in February 2022, and by the end of 2023 he had led four Muslims to Christ, a source said. The four former Muslims had relocated elsewhere due to threats from their families.

“In March 2023, Twinomugisha came to my office and reported threatening messages from Muslims,” area chairperson Gozan Waiswa told Morning Star News. “Their complaint was him changing Muslims to Christianity.”



Police in Iganga district are hunting for four men over the murder of a businessman.

Ronald Twinomugisha, 35, of Twinos Investment Ltd was murdered in cold blood using an axe in his compound.

Twinomugisha, who was a resident of Busei B village in Nakalama sub-county, was dealing in making plastics and liquid soap.

According to the Police, the deceased recently hired four people to help him in making liquid soap but the said persons escaped in the night purportedly after the tragic incident.

"Recently, he had recruited four workers and during day time, they were making liquid soap. However, after his death, they are nowhere to be seen,” he said.


"We have started hunting for four men whose identities are yet to be established. They are suspected to have information about the deceased,” Nandawula said.

She added that the deceased's body was found with two deep cut wounds on the head and Police managed to retrieve an axe suspected to have been used for the murder and will be used as an exhibit.

"The body of the deceased was found in the compound with deep cuts on the head while the axe was next to the dead body,” Nandawula said.

She noted that the body was taken to Iganga Hospital Mortuary for a postmortem as the hunt for the suspects continues and once arrested, they will be charged with murder.

Amidu Kawanguzi, the LCIII chairperson of Nakalama sub-county decried the murder which has caused fear in the community.

He noted that he was informed about the death of the deceased through his local council community members.

“It's on a sad note that we have lost a business person who had come in the area and employed people who turned against him and took his innocent life,” he said.

Gozani Waiswa, the Busei B village LC1 chairperson, said the deceased had lived in the area for over two years.

He noted that on a glance into the house, the deceased's properties where distorted and we highly suspect the four retrieved documents he was asking from them on employment which include photocopies of national identity cards and passport photos.




And finally in this example, it says a man was killed for leading Muslims to Christ, but the local report says he was killed over a land dispute.

Muslim Extremists Suspected in Killing of Church Elder in Uganda

Muslim extremists in eastern Uganda are suspected in the killing of a 60-year-old Christian elder who had led Muslims to Christ, sources said.

“He was a peaceful man whose murder shook the community members and the Church of Christ at large,” said the Christian, unidentified for security reasons. “He was a very respectable elder and leader who frequently offered timely advice and God’s messages to warring parties within our community. We were shocked to find out that he had been butchered by Muslim extremists.”


“The murderers are not from heaven but from the community, so we call upon the community to give us information about the incident which can help us in arresting those behind this brutal murder,” Oese said.



60-year-old man beheaded, body dumped in sugarcane plantation in Luuka

Suleiman Dhabasadha, a resident of the area, says that Mukasa was a peaceful man whose murder has shocked his community members. "He was a very respectable elder who frequently offered timely advice to warring parties within our community. We were shocked to find out that he had been butchered," he said.

Kyotanalya told Daily Express that the deceased has been having misunderstandings with some people caused by land wrangles. The land in question according to Kyotanalya is over 40 acres and it’s found at Busandha LC 1 B in Bukoova Town council.


”He has been having misunderstandings with some people on land issues which is over 40 acres at Busandha LC 1 B. One of these people threatened to stab Mukasa one day,” Kyotanalya said before adding that they suspect them to be behind the brutal murder.

”The murderers are not from heaven but from the community, so we call upon the community to give us information about the incident which can help us in arresting those behind this brutal murder,” DPC Oese said adding that police will intensify investigations by involving the community.

Giving guidance while also not having a good relationship with god

So as you know from my other post I’m very far from god. I feel like I’ve become reprobate because these sins were abominations and I refused to let them go, grieving gods spirit to the point where he left. I wasn’t saved but the Holy Spirit was somewhat pursuing me. I fear I fell away from god as stated in Hebrews 6 and because my sins were so heinous and I refused to let them go and repent of them because of my love of them, god had given me up to then rightfully so. Sometimes I feel that gods giving me signs and sometimes I feel that it could be the devil so I can’t discern it for myself. I haven’t read the Bible in a while so maybe if I read it I’ll definitely be able to discern but even if I do, I don’t think god is calling me back to repentance. He gave me too many chances in the past and I still refused to listen it’s only now when things are getting bad, so I realize that I allowed myself to become a slave to these sins. I feel like no matter what I can’t come back because of my situation personally- if I was able to tell the whole situation a lot of people would tell me that I’m condemned already.




On the flip side I have a friend online who feels the same. He’s felt that Hebrews 6 describes him and he doesn’t know what to do. He’s very scared and I’m not sure how to console him- I’ve sent him a good response someone has given me before but I know he might need more help. I’ve told him to go to a pastor but he hasn’t answered about that yet. In short- he’s been feeling hopeless and restless.

I also have another friend who is a baby Christian but might be somewhat lukewarm I don’t know how to confront her about specific things but at the same time I don’t want her to be lead astray like me. I’m not judging her or anything I just don’t want her to be lead astray and staying silent about it- if she realizes for herself then she might feel betrayed or wonder why I didn’t say anything if that makes sense.

What does baptism do?

Matthew's gospel ends with what many people call the great commission which reads as follows:
Matthew 28:16-20 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. (17) When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. (18) And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'​
So, what does baptism do? It seems to be associated with making disciples. And after baptism comes teaching, or so it seems.

Back to God

About the past year I’ve undergone a great transformation. I fell away from God for a while, and I’ve recently come back. My detour was 100% my fault because I wasn’t faithful or committed enough. Everything that I went through in the past year was a direct result of my failings. After a long period of soul-searching, I’ve decided to get rid of all the obstacles that are blocking me from living for God. I don’t claim any denomination. I’m just a Christian. I’ve walked away from all the worldly things that I can for example music, books, television & situaltions/people. I’ve purged my life completely. The people I interacted with in the past/recent past are no more. No explanation to them needed because I don’t owe anyone anything & they don’t walk in truth & light. My home has been decluttered & I’m now a minimalist. My soul & mind have been set free.

I have no one to answer to except for God. I will continue to do everything to serve Him not man. I’ve done all this in order so I’m not fooled by the world a second time. I won’t be deceived anymore. I won’t listen to the world anymore. I stick to myself & do the things that are good & true. I didn’t want to be around the world, so I moved to a remote place where I can contemplate & have peace with God.

Sikh warriors wielding swords injure pastor in brutal attack: ‘We warned you not to conduct church’

NEW DELHI — A group belonging to a Sikh warrior order last week attacked a pastor and another Christian with swords and knives in northern India’s Punjab state for leading church worship in their village.

Four Nihang Sikhs, who as members of the traditional warrior group are permitted to carry such weapons, attacked Pastor Gurjeet Singh, alias Gurjeet Rinku, and his younger brother, Gurdeep Singh, on April 18 in Sultanwind village, Amritsar District, a relative said.

The assailants first told Gurdeep Singh, and later Pastor Singh, “We have warned you earlier as well to not conduct church and not convert people, but you have not paid heed,” according to Daljit Kaur, the pastor’s wife and an eyewitness.

Continued below.

Birthrates in the U.S. hit historic low in 2023, preliminary CDC data show

The number of babies born in the United States fell by 2 percent in 2023, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop signals a return to the downward trend in birthrates seen before the pandemic, with numbers hitting historic lows.

The decline follows relative stability in the birthrate from 2021 to 2022 after a modest 1 percent rise from 2020 to 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic raged.

Hamilton also noted that the data show the fourth consecutive increase in the yearly rate of caesarean deliveries since 2020. [to 32.4%] That is a worrying trend because of the high risk of complications associated with caesarean versus vaginal births.

Julia Strasser, director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health and an assistant research professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, said that although experts have not pinpointed a single cause for this decline, factors such as student loan debt, high housing costs and economic uncertainty are thought to influence younger generations’ decisions to delay or forgo having children.

Strasser added that recent court rulings on birth control, fertility treatments and women’s reproductive health also could have an effect on birthrates.

--

From the CDC link, the total fertility rate was 1.62 births per woman. Replacement rate would be a little over 2 per woman.

Enter by the narrow gate

According to Matthew 7:13, most people are headed for destruction. That's not me saying this. Matthew 7:13 is saying this. But what does that mean exactly? What are the details surrounding this destruction? And how can we avoid the destruction via the narrow gate?

The Narrow Way
Matthew 7:13 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Enter what by the narrow gate? You are trying to enter the kingdom of heaven on Earth. When Jesus finally arrives he is going to establish the kingdom of heaven on Earth. Shortly before he arrives there will be great destruction via the harvests (nuclear wars) and the fake Jesus (false prophet.)

What are the minimum requirements to have a shot at entering the kingdom of heaven?

1. You have to be alive with no mark at the arrival of Jesus;
2. Or die for refusing the mark.

Notice that in any case you have to be alive when the fake Jesus arrives. That means your focus should be on avoiding death. If you are taken out by a harvest or fooled by the fake Jesus, then you are not getting in. This is the fate of most people.

The wide gate is the do nothing gate. You just sit around and wait to get taken out by a harvest. There is no attempt to get out of the way. This is the fate of the majority of people.

The narrow gate is the do something gate. This path is very difficult because it requires you to leave your home in order to avoid the harvests. If there are rumors that your land is a target for nuclear attack then you have to leave and get far away.

The narrow gate is the adventure trip that could take you around the world. Will even 1 in 1000 attempt this trip?

Maybe now you understand why those two verses in Matthew 7 are so vague. Nobody is going to believe the details. According to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, even if someone rose from the dead, they could not convince you.

Below I provide more detail.

Let's see about those nasty harvests.

The Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30)
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The wheat is expected to get out of the way, or it will get caught up with the weeds.

Matthew 13:28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
Matthew 13:29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

Notice in Matthew 13:28-29 that the weeds (tares) cannot be gathered up without risk to the wheat. That risk remains today as fields are burned. But now the wheat is expected to get out of the way.

Matthew 7:13 says most people are going to be wiped out. How is that going to happen?

Matthew 25 (parable of the talents) explains what happens to Christians who are too lazy to get out of the way of the harvests. Mr. 1-Talent Christian gets tossed into hell for being lazy. He went through the do nothing gate (the wide gate) and got caught up in a harvest.

I don't understand Matthew 25 so that absolves me, you say. Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Hell for Mr. 1-Talent is merely the effects of nuclear radiation. It produces so much pain that there will be screaming/weeping and gnashing of the teeth. This will last from 3 days to 3 weeks.

After Jesus finally arrives, the few remaining (charred and beaten up) wheat kernels are gathered up. Not many survived the harvests and the fake Jesus who made everyone take the mark of the beast.

Take a look at the harvest in Isaiah 17:

Isaiah 17:1 “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.
Isaiah 17:5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms ...
Isaiah 17:11 In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish;
But the harvest will be a heap of ruins; In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.

In Isaiah 17 it's likely that Israel nukes Damascus, Syria. This is a harvest. If Christians are in Damascus, Syria then they are getting nuked along with everyone else. They are expected to get out of the way.

The retaliation for Isaiah 17 comes in Isaiah 18. If Isaiah 17 is a harvest, then so is Isaiah 18. Here, a powerful friend of Israel will be getting wiped out. Isaiah 18:3 tells the entire world to stop and pay attention to the events of Isaiah 17, because retaliation is coming.

Isaiah 18:4 This is what the Lord says to me: “I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
Isaiah 18:5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Get out of the way.

The harvests are at the national level. So specific individuals are not targeted. Hence, a rich man would be anyone who lives in a rich country. This would be the West and friends - the rich lands. The rich lands are targeted for harvest.

Matthew 19:24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (God.)

The rich (people in the rich lands) aren't getting in because they will be wiped out in the harvests. If you flee from one rich land to another rich land, then you will still be at risk. This is the pit mentioned in Isaiah 24:17-18. The snare would be the fake Jesus.

Too bad nobody will listen. Look at this short section from Luke:

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
Luke 16:27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family,
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.
Luke 16:29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
Luke 16:30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Luke 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

The rich man is in hell. He wants to warn his brothers not to come to that place. But they are not going to listen. In this case, "they" means you.

In real life, the rich man had just experienced a harvest (nuclear war). He is in the process of dying from nuclear radiation and is in extreme pain. He will be dead soon. Lazarus (the poor man) is in the kingdom of heaven which is on Earth.

How does one go about avoiding the harvests?

Watch for the return of Jesus, so you can be ready for the harvests:

The Importance of Watching
Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
Luke 21:35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Now you see that the return of Jesus is near and the harvests are threatening. It's time to pick gates. The poor lands are not directly targeted for harvest. They are the safer option. But you literally have to move to a poor land. And that is not going to happen. Hence, the whole camel, eye of needle thing in Matthew 19:24.

Matthew 25 seems to give us the big picture surrounding the return of Jesus. The harvests are covered in the parable of the talents and the fake Jesus is covered in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.

Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable Of The Talents | Christian Forums
Matthew 25:14-30 - Parable Of The Talents

Hey Foolish Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13: Did you hit your head or something? | Christian Forums
Hey Foolish Virgins from Matthew 25:1-13: Did you hit your head or something?

If a harvest is nearing your country, then leave on an adventure trip. Move down to South America. Possible countries include Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.

If you just don't feel like taking an adventure trip, then there will be consequences. Your death will be extremely painful, and it will be unfavorable to Jesus.

What radiation does to the human body | HBO's Chernobyl - YouTube
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What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 9:24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 9:25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory,
and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:23-27 is talking about the time surrounding the return of Jesus and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven (God) on Earth. You will have to deny yourself (Luke 9:23). And you may have to accept death by refusing the mark (Luke 9:24.) You will need to avoid the harvests of destruction (Luke 9:25.) Finally, you will need to stand before Jesus upon his arrival (Luke 9:27.)

Choose the do something gate over the do nothing gate.

I just want to vent (spontaneously)

Just venting here

hate the way our country is headed, hate that people who break the law (illegals entering the US) are rewarded and Americans' tax dollars are used for THEM (even though they are criminals), while legal folks are ignored. We heard about illegals being put up in 5 star hotels in places like New York City while the legal citizens sleeping on the street are ignored... tired of the insanity

And then people actually consider voting for

more of same?

But then I guess it's possible people don't KNOW what's going on, don't watch Fox or any other conservative news station. Well, doesn't that say it all, right there?

I've noticed that people disparage Fox a lot, and since I am a regular viewer, I am always wondering WHY (they do that)? I can understand the left doing it, but I've heard "conservatives" bad mouth Fox, as though they can't bring themselves to disagree with their leftist associates, whomever they may be. It's the old Gotta be popular thing, as opposed to just speaking (living) the truth.

Taking up one’s cross…..

Luke 9:23 (NASB20) And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What part of our salvation are the words ‘take up his cross’ meant to portray…?

The simplicity that is in Christ Jesus makes our salvation as simple as believing what God has said He did for mankind… This, what God said He did for mankind is believing that when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world He did this by taking all of mankind with Him to death…. Thereby fulfilling the law that says, ‘the soul that sins that soul shall die’…. For mankind’s death with Christ on the cross is how Christ fulfilled the law concerning man, thereby God can be ‘both just and the justifier of him that has faith in Jesus’….. For to the degree and depth one believes this truth, to that degree and depth will that one walk in newness of life…

For taking up one’s cross is one willingly taking their place, by faith, on the cross of Christ with Him, grabbing onto His death as one’s own…. Taking up one’s cross is meant to portray this faith that would willingly grab unto His death as one’s own death rather than sin…. For this is the purpose of this faith to free one from the power of sin that one was born under when they were born into this world…. For one’s death does free one from all the power that sin has over the believer, it is this willingness to believe in one’s death with Christ on the cross that is the faith that frees….

For this faith that is willing to die rather than sin is the faith that will experience Christ being formed in one, it being the new creation that sins not…. For it, the new creation is a new life that Christ needs to bring to life in one, this life man himself can not bring to life, but is something Christ can and will do if man will accept the salvation offered in Christ and choose to be dead on the cross with Christ…. Thereby as scripture says, ‘take up one’s cross daily’, meaning, that by faith remain on that cross through all the circumstances of life….

For this is the one and only way to be made free from all the influences of one’s fallen nature, which nature has been separated from one by one’s death on the cross with Christ….

For the believer is to live by faith, that faith being that when Christ died on the cross He took all with Him to death, taking up one’s cross is by faith holding onto this truth that He might bring to life in one the new creation without the hands of self tainting it with that which self can do, or, in other words, ‘that which is not of faith’…

For our salvation is a free gift, it can have nothing of self in it so one might not glory in oneself but in what Christ Himself has done in and for one….

The cross being that place of separation, blessed are they that do indeed embrace by faith their death in Christ, for the salvation offered in Christ as a living reality will be experienced by the faith that so grabs unto this taking up one’s cross and by faith trusting Christ to live His life in and through, being that life that sins not…. For if one is not grabbing onto their death in Christ one is not taking up their cross and is leaving something on the table that was meant to be experienced by the believing one….

To the experiencing of the freedom of the new life that the cross brings to life in the believing one…..


Unto Him, Not me

Marks Of a True Conversion

George Whitefield

Matthew 18:3 — “Verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

I suppose I may take it for granted, that all of you, among whom I am now about to preach the kingdom of God, are fully convinced, that it is appointed for all men once to die, and that ye all really believe that after death comes the judgment, and that the consequences of that judgment will be, that ye must be doomed to dwell in the blackness of darkness, or ascend to dwell with the blessed God, for ever and ever. I may take it for granted also, that whatever your practice in common life may be, there is not one, though ever so profligate and abandoned, but hopes to go to that place, which the scriptures call Heaven, when he dies. And, I think, if I know any thing of mine own heart, my heart's desire, as well as my prayer to God, for you all, is, that I may see you sitting down in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. But then, though we all hope to go to heaven when we die, yet, if we may judge by people's lives, and our Lord says, “that by their fruits we may know them,” I am afraid it will be found, that thousands, and ten thousands, who hope to go to this blessed place after death, are not now in the way to it while they live.

Though we call ourselves Christians, and would consider it as an affront put upon us, for any one to doubt whether we were Christians or not; yet there are a great many, who bear the name of Christ, that yet do not so much as know what real Christianity is. Hence it is, that if you ask a great many, upon what their hopes of heaven are founded, they will tell you, that they belong to this, or that, or the other denomination, and part of Christians, into which Christendom is now unhappily divided. If you ask others, upon what foundation they have built their hope of heaven, they will tell you, that they have been baptized, that their fathers and mothers, presented them to the Lord Jesus Christ in their infancy; and though, instead of fighting under Christ's banner, they have been fighting against him, almost ever since they were baptized, yet because they have been admitted to church, and their names are in the Register book of the parish, therefore they will make us believe, that their names are also written in the book of life. But a great many, who will not build their hopes of salvation upon such a sorry rotten foundation as this, yet if they are, what we generally call, negatively good people; if they live so as their neighbors cannot say that they do anybody harm, they do not doubt but they shall be happy when they die; nay, I have found many such die, as the scripture speaks, “without any hands in their death.” And if a person is what the world calls an honest moral man, if he does justly, and, what the world calls, love a little mercy, is not and then good-natured, reacheth out his hand to the poor, receives the sacrament once or twice a year, and is outwardly sober and honest; the world looks upon such an one as a Christian indeed, and doubtless we are to judge charitably of every such person. There are many likewise, who go on in a round of duties, a model of performances, that think they shall go to heaven; but if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads, they have no Christ in their hearts.

Full sermon:

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