Lady Bug said:

Oh no. That sounds bad. I relate to this because I live in a nearby Diocese.

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We have to keep praying. Sometimes it’s all we can do.

sovereigngrace said:

Are you a proponent of apostate Judaism? The old covenant died with the death of Christ. It is finished!

To achieve this you have to ignore the repeated teaching of Christ, Paul and all the New Testament writers that show Christ as the fulfillment of the temple, the whole sacrifice system and the Old Testament priesthood.

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I am asking you why Paul did not tell James everything you are saying here, during Acts 21:18-25.

It is fine to say you don't know why.

9Rock9 said:

Hello!

I'm undecided about eschatology but doing some research on it. I think good points are made for both amillennialism and premillennialism. The only view I currently hold to with is inaugurated eschatology (or "already and not yet") where most prophecy has double fulfillment. It's normally associated with George Eldon Ladd, who was a premillennialist, but I don't see why one can't be amillennial and also agree with inaugurated eschatology.

I'm wondering if one can hold to a non-literalistic premillennialism?

Like, I don't think the events in Revelation are strictly chronological and probably could be oit of order or just the same events from different angles.

I also don't know if I believe the 1,000 years mentioned in the book to be be a literal millennium.

Could one believe in a Millennial State after the Second Coming, but not think the Millennial Kingdom will be a literal 1,000 years?

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No.

(1) Premillennialism is totally preoccupied with, and dependent upon, one chapter in the Bible – Revelation 20. It interprets the rest of Scripture in the light of its opinion of one lone highly-debated chapter, 3 chapters before the end of the Bible, located in the most figurative and obscure book in the Bible. All end-time Scripture is viewed through the lens of Revelation 20. This is not a very wise way to establish any truth or doctrine. Take this passage out of the equation and Premillennialism has nothing in the inspired pages to support all its main tenets. This is demonstrated by the fact, there is not one single second coming passage in the Bible that teaches 1000 years (or any significant period of time) follows this great glorious event where sin and death continue. Amils have a problem with, and are opposed to, this loose form of hermeneutics and questionable mode of exegesis.

(2) Premillennialism hangs its doctrine on a very precarious frayed thread: that of Revelation 20 following Revelation 19 chronologically in time. To hold this, it has to dismiss the different recaps (or different camera views pertaining to the intra-Advent period) that exist throughout the book of Revelation, divorce their opinion of these 2 chapters from repeated Scripture on this matter and also explain away the clear and explicit climactic detail that pertains to Revelation 19. Revelation 19 depicts the end of the world where all surviving mortal life is destroyed - "the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Premillennialists conveniently refuse to take this literal because it exposes their thesis.

Disprove the chronology between Revelation 19 and Revelation 20 and Premillennialism falls apart.

(3) Premillennialists interpretation of Revelation 20 contradicts numerous explicit climactic Scriptures. The coming of the Lord is shown throughout the Word of God to be "the end." There is no gap of time in-between the coming of Christ, the resurrection/judgment of mankind and the end. This all belongs to the one final all-consummating overall event. The second coming is shown to be the termination of all rebellion. It is the time “when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." This is the time “when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.” This is described as the end (1 Cor 15:24)! It is clear that everything is tied up at the end (“His coming”). Repeated Scripture calls this "the last (or final) day."

(4) Premillennialism is always explaining away the clear and explicit New Testament Scripture (the fuller revelation) by the shadow, type and vaguer Old Testament. It uses indistinct or misunderstood Old Testament Scripture to negate and reject clear and explicit New Testament Scripture that teaches otherwise. We Christians have the benefit of the New Testament to explain what is difficult or obscure in the Old Testament. Christ has superseded the old covenant arrangement and now fulfils the new covenant arrangement as predicted. The New Testament is the greater revelation. The interpretation placed on the Old Testament by Christ and the New Testament writers override all other opinions and interpretations of man. As Augustine wrote: “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.”

(5) Premillennialism lacks corroboration for all its fundamental beliefs on Revelation 20. Whether you look at the binding of Satan, the release of Satan 1,000 years after the second coming, the restoration of animal sacrifices in an alleged future millennium, a thousand years of peace, perfection and prosperity, two different judgment days, two different resurrection days, the rebellion of the wicked at the end of the millennium, these enjoy no other support in Scripture. I struggle with this, because the only way to authenticate and understand any doctrine is interpret it with other Scripture.

Premillennialists somehow extrapolates two distinct physical future resurrection days (the first for the righteous, the second for the wicked) separated by a literal 1000 years+ out of Revelation 20. Where in Scripture does it even mention "resurrection days" (plural), pertaining to the end? Nowhere! What Scripture corroborates the Premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20 that there are two distinct future judgement days (that will see all mankind stand before Christ to give account for their lives) separated by a literal 1000 years+? Where in Scripture does it mention "judgement days" (plural), in regard to the end? What Scripture corroborates the Premillennial interpretation of Revelation 20 that Satan will be bound for a time-span of 1000 years after the Second Advent, then released for a "little season" to deceive the nations, and then destroy them? There is no other Scripture that teaches this doctrine. Premillennialists force that upon the sacred text.

They have absolutely nothing to reinforce their core beliefs. They interpret their opinion of Revelation 20 by their opinion of Revelation 20. This is ridiculous! This is one of many reasons why this non-corroborative doctrine should be rejected.

I kind of do a merry-go-round with 3 parishes.

Parish 1: I don't have enough experience with it to know if it's welcoming or not, but it does have a reputation for being one of the best places to feel welcoming. I just don't know. I may never know if I'm not deeper involved.

Parish 2: I used to be a member of this one. For years, I had felt that it wasn't quite welcoming enough. It appears to be a parish where you have to dig deeper to realize that there are some decent people there, but it can be very easy to back out and give up on this place. I'm still not entirely sold on this place, but my opinion has softened.

Parish 3: The one I'm a member at. I find this parish very unique among any other parishes I've ever been in. I just go in the nave and feel relaxed right away. I don't feel this tension when I walk into a room. I feel like it doesn't take as much work to talk to people here. I keep wondering why this parish is different, but it is.

If we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior of our lives, we are to be his followers, his servants who do as he commands. We are to follow him wherever he leads us in doing whatever his word requires of us, as those who profess his name. And we are to follow the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives who gifts us with Spiritual gifts so that we can know and do what God has for us to do as his servants.

We need the wisdom of God in living our lives day in and day out so that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and so that we do no wrong. But this isn’t just about moral right and wrong, but this has to do with God’s callings on our lives collectively, as well as individually. We need understanding to know what he has for us to do in his service, and in the giftedness he has bestowed upon us, so that we do his will in all things.

And this isn’t just about us and how we are living and what we are to do or not do, but we need a God-given sensitivity to see what is going on all around us in this world of ours, as well as in the gatherings of the church (or what are falsely being called “church”). In this way we are able to know what to pray for, and how to pray, and what to address as serious issues going on which need to be addressed and reconciled within the church.

For, the Scriptures not only give us guidance in how we are to believe and to behave as followers of Christ, but they command that we expose the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are, that we call out the lies being spoken in the name of Jesus by “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” and that we speak the truth of God to one another, and that we warn one another against false doctrines and false gospels which are leading many astray.

We should never hate anyone, but we should love all people, and we should hate every false way. We are to hate the evil, not the people. And out of genuine love for one another we are to speak the truth to one another for our good. And so we should let the church, the body of Christ, know what is truth, and what is being spoken of as truth but which are lies intended to deceive and to trap and to lead people to sin and to false gospel messages.

For we have many charlatans and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” among the gatherings of “the church” who are teaching the people lies, and not the truth of the Scriptures. They pull Scriptures out of context, and they twist them to make them say what they do not say if taught in the correct biblical context. And they are leading multitudes to believe that they can make a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now their salvation from sin and eternal life with God are guaranteed them, no matter how they live.

But Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

So, be people of discernment who are testing what you hear against the teachings of the Scriptures, taught in the correct biblical context. And compare Scripture with Scripture, for the gospel message should not contradict itself. Therefore, Romans 10:9 must agree with Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; and Romans 12:1-2. For Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross that we will now die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands in holy living.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Your Servant

An Original Work / September 21, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Lord, I love to have You near me
As I go throughout my day,
Walking daily in Your footsteps,
As I humbly pray.
List’ning to You, hear You teaching
Me to live and work for You,
Lord, I pray You lead and guide me
Daily in Your truth.

Lord, I want to be Your witness,
Telling others of Your grace;
Telling how they can be set free
Of their sins today;
Share with them the love of Jesus,
He died on a cruel tree,
So that we’d be forgiven
For all eternity.

Lord, I want to serve You only,
As I bow on bended knee,
Making You my Lord and master,
And Your servant be.
Humbly walking in obedience,
Doing what You say to me,
Lord, may I be an example
Of one who’s set free.

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I Am Your Servant
An Original Work / November 18, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

mark46 said:

Why not simply deport all our poor (and those lame, sick) or simply refuse them medical service.

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Seems to me someone came up with a plan along those lines a while back.

-- A2SG, wonder what ever came of that....

Job 33:6 said:

I think, to answer that question, we would just look at whatever a person is already paying in premiums, deductibles, and co pays, and subtract 20%.

How we would get there with such an entrenched private healthcare system, I don't know. But that's what it would be.

Maybe for starters, someone would have to create a government health insurance option, that anyone could buy into. America doesn't have such a thing. We have programs like Medicaid, but they're restricted from the everyday public. We would need a government insurance option, that could compete with private insurers.

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When Mitt Romney established the Heritage Foundation plan that the ACA is based on here in Massachusetts, a government insurance plan was instituted for those who can't afford private insurance, called MassHealth. While not perfect (what is?) it serves those who need it better than many for-profit health insurance plans do.

Why can't we do that on the national level?

-- A2SG, just kidding, we all know the an$wer.....

Right now, I am feeling emotional; there is a lot going on in my head and heart.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Never heard of Eric Metaxas and i do not know what he believes.

But this person might be, that is if Eric Metaxas tells Donald Trump to believe in Jesus (the person) for God's free gift of Eternal Life. Any other message will not get Trump to heaven.

Valletta said:

This move comes as President Trump looks for ways to boost affordability for Americans. The renewed focus follows the victory of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, which has heightened attention on housing and everyday living cost.

Trump Signs Order Rolling Back Tariffs on Hundreds of Food Items

Trump rolls back tariffs on food items to reduce grocery costs for Americans.

townhall.com

I lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck and the Schumer shutdown was a shot that had a ripple effect that economically hurt a lot of people. President Trump is right on top of the situation.

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Wow.

So much spin here that you could hook the author up to a dynamo and power a small continent.

37 Years After Death, Baby Looks Like He Was Sleeping​

In this episode of Dive Deep, we explore a story many are calling miraculous: a baby that incorrupt. This is Baby Brian Gallagher, who died in 1982. But these images of him aren’t from 1982 — they’re from 2019, nearly four decades after his death. And yet, he looks as though he’s simply sleeping. What happened? We interview Brian's brother, Thomas, to get the full story and message the family wants you to know.

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28:35

Mmm. I'm thinking there's work to be done in equipping people to navigate community life - cultivating opennes, flexibility, creativity, mission focus, and so on - but I don't think it's a matter of a one-on-one conversation or a sermon. I think these are things that the community has to own as values and goals.

A Message from St. Augustine - Padre Pio Press

Vambram said:

The Trump businesses have a long standing decades history of success waaaaay before he decided to run for president. On the other hand, Hunter Biden doesn't.

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Do you have any idea how many times Donald Trump and used and abused the bankruptcy laws by using corporate bankruptcy to avoid paying contractors? And also stockholders? Abusing the bankruptcy laws is not business success.

Yarddog said:

A better example would be Norwegian countries but they really practice Social Democracy rather then Democratic Socialism.

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Not just better, they represent the best quality of life in this planet. If only they were less pacifists, it would be perfect. For such precious accomplishment, it must be well defended. If you want peace, you must prepare for war.

BobRyan said:

"The seventh day IS THE SABBATH of the Lord" Ex 20:10

That is pretty clear.

It is THE seventh day, devoted to God by God.
IT is THE seventh day , made holy and sanctified by God
It is THE Seventh day "made for mankind" Mark 2:27

Nothing else was made on the 7th day of creation week other than the Sabbath.
"God made it holy" Ex 20:11

or we could just quote scripture

It is the same day, THE seventh day.

if you were actually quoting the commandment that you are talking about, it might be more clear to you.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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.


sadly that statement seems to lack foundation

Genesis 2 is before the fall of man and makes no reference to Sabbath as a means of rescuing mankind from sin.

Genesis 2 is completely devoid of mankind being condemned to hell and in need of salvation.
Context matters.

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This is not a critical response and you are not factoring in the conditions of rest according to the 7th day of creation.

Comparing the 4th commandment with the 7th day of creation, we can mark differences. How they are initiated is the big one, the 7th day of creation is ushered in by completed work; this is why God ceases, not because he is tired or is in need of rest, but he ceases work because he finishes the work. When an action is finished, that action ceases. The 7th day observance based on the 4th commandment is ushered in by a weekly ritual, not through completed work; thus the ceasing/rest/sabbath can only be superficial because it decouples completed work from its requirement but completed work is essential.

The 4th commandment opens with "remember..." remember what? Remember that on creation week (some 1500 years before the 10 commandments) God rested on the sabbath day. Gen 2:2 ..."God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work" why does God rest? it says so right the text, because he finished the work. Without finished work we do not usher in the rest as God ushers in the rest and thus it can only be superficial. For one when sabbath is over the work starts all over again; the resting according to the 4th is decoupled from the work, the rest is not a result of the work, nor has any effect on it's continuation, this is simply not how it is in creation, so again, the 4th can only be superficially observed.

If we want to observe the sabbath as God does we must finish the work... but that's the rub... we can't do it. Our superficial observance cannot achieve the same result as the 7th day of creation because the work is not complete. However, all is not lost because we know someone who has finished the work. That someone is Christ and Christ shows as a better way than the superficial observance. This is more of a heuristic statement because it is not limited to the sabbath and includes circumcision, sacrifice, clean/unclean foods, and the entire law. Calling Sabbath law special over other laws like circumcision is inconsistent and cannot be defended biblically. We are left with this awkward fumbling around trying to find reason to elevating law over law arbitrarily calling some better than others, all the while missing the point. It all points to Christ; the Sabbath does not point to itself, the 7th day is a metaphor for the completed work of God through Christ in our lives.

Mat 5:17 says it “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." So what does he come to fulfill? all of it. Christ does not separate law; it is an all-inclusive statement for the whole thing, plus the prophets. With the same authority Christ fulfills sacrifice and circumcision, he fulfills the Sabbath. We do not call the sacrifice abolished; we call it fulfilled and Christ as a better way. What limits Christ's power to extend this authority to the Sabbath law? Is he not Lord of the Sabbath (Mat 12:8)? Does he not have authority to do so?

SabbathBlessings said:

It still doesn’t say the commandments of God are the promises to Issac. God’s owns His commandments, He defines them, He wrote them, He claimed them as His Deut4:13 Exo20:6 Exo31:18 They are under His mercy seat. It’s not something defined by man, because we are not God. We are just to be His servant, like His faithful prophets and apostles. Like Abraham He obeyed by faith, what righteousness by faith is all about. Doing what is right, obeying God, because we have faith that what He asks is because its for our own good, even if we don’t understand it.

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Gen 26:1–6 describe a decisive point in Isaac’s life. There's famine, he receives divine instruction. Don't go down to Egypt, stay in the land (Gerar) God will show him. God reiterates the promises made to Abraham. And how Abraham obeyed (as stated post #7, after Gen 6 where the Lord God had already declared Abram, BY FAITH, righteous). The context here is Isaac's test of obedience.

rjs330 said:

When did liberals become fiscal conservatives?

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When were fiscal conservatives fiscal conservatives?

Pope Leo XIV urged parishes to invest in liturgical formation, especially for lectors, while also encouraging people to pray the Liturgy of the Hours and calling for attention to be paid to popular piety.

While receiving participants in a course organized by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm in Rome at the Apostolic Palace for diocesan liturgical pastoral workers, the Holy Father saidthat “in the dioceses and parishes there is a need for such formation” and encouraged the creation of “biblical and liturgical courses” in places where such formation programs are lacking.

Through such courses, the pope said the institute could help local churches and parish communities “to be formed by the word of God, explaining the texts of the weekday and feast day Lectionary.”

For the pope, it is important that the liturgy be “expression of a community that cares for its celebrations, prepares them, and lives them to the full.”

Continued below.

FAITH-IN-HIM said:

You are oversimplifying a complex issue. If Democrats created a single-payer health system that excluded transgender surgery or treatment, would conservatives then support it? I do think they would.

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What makes you think that? The Republican Party has been vocally opposed to single-payer healthcare since long before transgender treatment was a turned into a wedge issue, and for plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with gender or sexuality.

dms1972 said:

No fundamentalism exists outside the US too. I think a lot of the churches here (N. Ireland) tend toward fundamentalist, or evangelical. We have many denominations, there is at least four Presbyterian denominations, and many of the others Anglican, Methodist, Baptist etc, but I don't think there are very many Lutheran churches here.

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If you were in the US, I'd suggest visiting an Episcopal church, as we're mostly free from the no-drinking-no-dancing prohibitions. But I don't know enough about the Anglican congregations in Northern Ireland to know how culturally similar they are to our Episcopal parishes.

Anything but Shakespeare.