The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and Toronto’s Cardinal Francis Leo are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to withdraw the Liberal Party’s reported agreement with the Bloc Québécois to remove religious-belief exemptions from Canada’s hate-speech laws.

In a letter published Dec. 4, CCCB President Bishop Pierre Goudreault of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière warned that repealing Section 319(3)(b) of the criminal code — which protects good-faith expressions or opinions based on religious texts from hate-speech prosecution — would have a “chilling effect on religious expression.”

“The removal of this provision risks creating uncertainty for faith communities, clergy, educators, and others who may fear that the expression of traditional moral or doctrinal teachings could be misinterpreted as hate speech and could subject the speaker to proceedings that threaten imprisonment of up to two years,” Goudreault wrote.

The CCCB urged the government to retain the religious-text defense.

Continued below.

Please pray for my son Aaron that the Lord will heal his health problems. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the faith stating that Mary was conceived sinless in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. While this truth has been believed since the early times of the Church, it was not until December 8, 1854, that Pope Pius IX dogmatically decreed this truth, thus ending any possibility of doubt. All Catholics are required to believe in this dogma without exception.

Please pray that if it is God's will my son Jakeb can feel better and have relief. Please ask God to cure his problem today so he isn't uncomfortable or has pain and please pray for my husband's safety and our health. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you.

I am a High Church Anglican, married for over twenty years to a man who survived severe mistreatment at a Catholic boarding school run by The Society of Jesus in the 1950's. My husband has been offerred an in person apology from the current Provincial Superior, and he is intending to travel to London to meet him on the 19th of December, in order to receive it.

My husband and I would both appreciate the prayers of any Catholic members of Christian Forums regarding this meeting, for his protection (and my own) as we prepare and travel, and especially for his first encounter with any Jesuit since he left school. I will be going to London with him, but he has said that he wishes to actually experience the meeting alone. This is the bravest thing I believe I have ever personally witnessed someone doing for the Christian faith, and I trust that some who are seeing this post can understand how I hope my life partner will feel Jesus' love and see true recognition of past wrongs.

No judgement of your Church is intended by this post, my own has as much to be ashamed of in terms of letting God down over children entrusted to it's care.

Dear Beloved Family in Christ at Christian Forums, including the honorable staff, moderators, and administrative team,
Grace and peace to you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Christmas season has begun a season that reminds us of “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14) I write to you with a heavy but hopeful heart from Pakistan. For three decades I have served the persecuted church here, walking with our people through fire, storm, and suffering. Yet by God’s grace, our faith remains unshaken.

A Season of Joy Shadowed by Pain​

Here in Pakistan, Christmas does not always bring the safety and celebration many Christians enjoy around the world. Instead, this season often becomes a time of increased threats, hostility, and attacks.
For many years, we have witnessed painful realities:

• Churches burned
• Christian homes destroyed
• Christian girls forcibly converted and married
• Teenagers abused and raped
• Families threatened
• Believers beaten or killed simply for their faith

Even during our holy festivals, when believers gather to worship, we often stand unsure whether we will return home safely.

A Grievous Loss: Pastor Kamran Michael​

Recently, our community suffered a heartbreaking tragedy.
Our dear brother, Pastor Kamran Michael, a humble servant of God, was repeatedly warned to stop preaching the Gospel. But like the apostles who said, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), he refused to stay silent.

on 6th December 2025 , while dropping his little daughter at school in the morning, he was murdered in cold blood by extremists, in Gujranwala City, killed because of his unwavering faith in Christ.
His little daughter witnessed her father fall as a martyr.
The pain of this loss has shaken our hearts, yet we rejoice knowing the Word says:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

Click to expand...

Pastor Kamran has finished his race (2 Timothy 4:7), but his wife, children, and congregation now face deep grief, fear, and practical challenges.

Our Humble Request to the Christian Forums Community​

Dear brothers and sisters, we need your prayers.
Christians in Pakistan feel isolated, voiceless, and forgotten, yet your prayers give us strength to stand firm.

Please pray for:

The family of Pastor Kamran Michael​

• Comfort, provision, and protection
• Healing for his little daughter who witnessed the tragedy
• The Holy Spirit’s peace that surpasses understanding (Phil. 4:7)

The Christians of Pakistan​

• Protection during the Christmas season
• Safety for pastors, evangelists, churches, and families
• Courage to stand strong in the Gospel
• Unity and spiritual endurance under persecution (Hebrews 13:3)

Our nation of Pakistan​

• That hearts of persecutors may turn to Christ
• That justice may be upheld
• That God may grant peace where hatred abounds

The global Body of Christ​

That we may continue to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), standing as one family in the household of faith.

As I share these words, I am reminded of the early church in Acts misunderstood, attacked, scattered, yet unstoppable. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Pastor Kamran’s blood will not silence the Gospel; it will strengthen it.​

Your prayers mean more to us than you can imagine.
Thank you, Christian Forums family, for being a place of refuge, encouragement, and unity in Christ.

May the Lord bless you richly this Christmas season!
May His light shine ever brighter through His persecuted church!

In Christ’s love and service,
Pastor Waris Masih
Pakistan

Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception, has been patroness of the United States since the mid-19th century. But her protection of the nation dates back to its earliest history.

One of the first Catholic churches in what is now the United States was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception in 1584: the now-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Jacksonville, Florida.

John Carroll, the first bishop in the United States, had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1792, he placed the Diocese of Baltimore — which encompassed the 13 colonies of the young republic — under her protection.

Over the next 50 years, seven more dioceses were created, including New Orleans, Boston, Chicago, and Oregon City.

Continued below.

On Dec. 8 the Catholic Church celebrates the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception — a paramount feast in the Church’s liturgical calendar and one that indirectly touches on a regularly misunderstood but important piece of Church dogma.

The solemnity is the patronal feast of the United States and marks the recognition of the Blessed Mother’s freedom from original sin, which the Church teaches she was granted from the moment of conception.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Mary was “redeemed from the moment of her conception” (No. 491) in order “to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation” (No. 490).

The dogma was disputed and challenged by Protestants over the centuries, leading Pope Pius IX to affirm it in his 1854 encyclical Ineffabilis Deus, stating unequivocally that Mary “was endowed with the grace of the Holy Spirit and preserved from original sin” upon her conception.

Continued below.

The founder of an antisemitism watchdog group condemned actors Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch and the hundreds of celebrities who signed a petition demanding that Israel release Marwan Barghouti, a convicted terrorist found guilty of orchestrating multiple attacks that killed Israeli civilians.

The "Free Marwan" campaign is calling for the United Nations and world governments to "actively seek" Barghouti's release from Israeli prison, alleging in the petition that the political figure and terror leader faces "violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned."

Over 200 public figures, in addition to Ruffalo and Cumberbatch, have signed the petition, including musician Paul Simon, author Margaret Atwood and actor Sir Ian McKellen.

According to Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Barghouti is associated with the Fatah terrorist organization, having served as the leader of the Al-Aqsa Brigades, which carried out thousands of terror attacks against Israel between September 2000 and April 2002.

"Just as we wouldn't expect a counterterrorism expert to win an Oscar or Grammy, no one should listen to celebrities' opinions on a mass murderer and arch terrorist," StopAntisemitism founder and executive director Liora Rez told The Christian Post.

Continued below.

A year has passed since Luigi Mangione allegedly pulled the trigger on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. When arrested, Mangione received a tidal wave of sympathy that emanated everywhere from online forums and social media to the streets of Manhattan. People across the country celebrated the accused killer as a quasi-folk hero who struck a blow against what they saw as the vile institution of American healthcare.

Ed Davis, a former Boston police commissioner who led the police response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saw the outpouring of support for Mangione and remarked, “I’ve been shocked by it. It’s actually troubling to see it, and I really am surprised that people are reacting that way considering the tragic loss here and the violence of what happened.”

The support for Mangione hasn’t cooled down over the past year, as evidenced by a $1.4 million crowd-sourced legal defense fund and the continued displays of public support that appeared at his court hearings this month. Jeff Goodwin, a New York University professor who studies social movements, said, “He had the chutzpah to actually do something spectacular, which certain people find attractive and courageous.”

I’m not the only one disturbed by people describing murder as being “spectacular” and “attractive” — Heather Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, stated: “The only question after the assassination and its immediate celebration is: What the heck is going on with America’s moral compass?”

Mangione’s celebrators brought to my mind what Paul spoke about centuries ago: “They were fully aware of God’s death penalty for these crimes, yet they went right ahead and did them anyway and encouraged others to do them, too” (Rom. 1:32).

Someone else who sees this in our culture is Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf, who makes a connection with a disbelief in God and the kind of social justice violence we see when he writes: “Most people who insist on God’s ‘nonviolence’ cannot resist using violence themselves (or tacitly sanctioning its use by others).”

Volf then makes an excellent point when he notes the important distinction between Christianity and the secular culture’s methods for pursuing justice: “The practice of non-violence requires belief in divine vengeance.”

Think about that.

Continued below.

“By any objective, scientific standard, blacks are not fully human.”

“Adolf Hitler was a Christian prince.”

“It was evil to permit women to vote.”

“You can have either a civilization or blacks — but not both. What must be done is obvious.”

“Jews and blacks are both a problem.”

“It should be illegal for women to work outside the home.”

“Tolerance for the Jews is apostasy before God.”

“Adolf Hitler is in Paradise.”

Thesestatements — and many, many more like them — were posted on X over the past few years by Corey Mahler, a self-identified “Christian nationalist,” who is co-host of the Stone Choir podcast.

Last week, Mahler’s podcast was recommended by Gab CEO Andrew Torba as the “#1 Christian Nationalist podcast in the world” on his new website ChristianNationalist.com. More concerning still was the fact that Torba’s website was immediately praised by Christian nationalist pastors like Joel Webbon and Brian Sauvé, whose ministries were also recommended on the site.

How did Christian nationalism go from an ambiguous pejorative invoked primarily by progressives, to a small but growing movement among Reformed Evangelicals, to a repository for gutter racism, misogyny, and antisemitism? The story is complicated.

Christian nationalism as vague pejorative

Continued below.

Set aside any distinctly political topic or person for a moment, if you can.

If you’re a 40-year-old (or over) Evangelical like me, you’ve probably seen and heard so much about who Christians are in the last 20 years, and much of it has been hogwash. I know this personally, having spent nearly a decade in the media, and I have seen from the inside how these distortions and cartoonishly Ned Flanders caricatures are generated in real time.

Before the proliferation of social media platforms, many legacy media narratives that sincere, theologically orthodox believers faced were, and still are, beyond tiresome. While I can't speak for everyone, many Christians have been intensely frustrated that no matter how graciously they tried to explain where they were coming from, they were routinely misrepresented in the press, and they’ve often felt as though they were neither heard nor understood. And to be sure, I’m not defending truly evil people within churches and ministries who are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15) in sheep’s clothing, who should be exposed.

But I was wrong about something that I’ve believed for a while. Maybe partially wrong, but still wrong. As the world rapidly changes, it's important to be honest about what I've seen previously but now see more clearly.

Continued below.

December 8, 2025

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – Immaculate! Immaculate! By Fr Faber


One Minute Reflection – 8 December ‘ … Pure and Immaculate Virgin, chosen from among all other beings … ‘

Immaculate Conception propers & commentary (EF)

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary propers & commentary (EF)

December 8 – The Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin propers & commentary (EF)

Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's Instruction on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary readings & commentary (OF)

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary readings & commentary (OF)

Daily Gospel

The Immaculate Conception (Declared a dogma December 8, 1854 by Pius IX)

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saints of the Day

Sermons for Everyday Living

Pope John Paul II’s Last Sermon on the Immaculate Conception

Tallis’ Gaude Gloriosa

Audio The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Guéranger)
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Anybody remember me? I was a regular on this forum from 2004 until 2018, after which I mostly moved on to other things. I don't plan on becoming a regular here again, but I'm back for the time being to ask about a recent piece of evolutionary anthropology news.


According to this analysis, when the human and chimpanzee genomes are compared while including portions that hadn't previously been sequenced, their similarity drops from the commonly given 98% value to 84.7%. On the surface this seems valid, and the conclusion has been accepted by Jerry Coyne, an evolutionary biologist who is qualified to evaluate it. Jerry Coyne's post from yesterday is what brought this analysis to my attention.

But there is something odd about this conclusion: it's virtually identical to an argument made in 2012 by Jerry Bergman and Jeffrey Tomkins in the Journal of Creation. Bergman and Tomkins' 2012 argument was that when human and chimpanzee genomes are compared using data typically omitted from these comparisons, the percentage similarity drops to somewhere in the 81-87 percent range. Either the recent analysis by "Origins Unveiled" is an example of a major creationist claim being vindicated by mainstream evolutionary anthropology, or it's a very clever false flag operation by a creationist or Intelligent Design proponent, which was convincing enough for even Jerry Coyne to be fooled.

Looking more closely, I've noticed a few other possible red flags. First, the argument made by "Origins Unveiled" (and accepted by Jerry Coyne) is based on a paper published in Nature on April 9th. The exact same argument made by "Origins Unveiled"—that this paper shows the creationist figure of 81-87% to be correct—was previously made six months ago by Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. And second, "Origins Unveiled" is a relatively new Twitter account (registered in 2024) without any identifying information, aside from that they were a were considering a Ph.D in evolutionary anthropology until they quit due to "the rampant political correctness I witnessed among professors and students in potential university programs". Some of the account's other posts include accurate summaries of evolutionary anthropology concepts, but a fair number of creationists have legitimate PhDs and have published mainstream biology or geoscience research, so the ability to accurately explain these concepts doesn't prove the account's provenance either way.

I would like some help evaluating whether the "Origins Unveiled" Twitter account is for real, and whether it's a coincidence that they've reached the same conclusion as Luskin (and also previously Bergman and Tomkins), or whether this Twitter account is being operated someone associated with the Discovery Institute who's posing as an evolutionary anthropologist. I suppose it's also possible that this account belongs to a creationist or ID proponent but that the substance of their argument is still correct. I'm aware of one other case where a creationist objection (not to the theory evolution itself, but to the way it's been presented in textbooks) turned out to be valid.

Our God, the one and only true God of the universe, is Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. So, not one of us can believe in God the Father and not believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son. So all who profess to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, do not truly believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, all Jews who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah do not believe in the same God as we do who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master.

For no one can come to God the Father except through Jesus Christ, and none of us can believe in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey God, as those who profess faith in our Lord Jesus. For faith in Jesus Christ requires that we deny self, die daily to sin, and that we walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 6:44; Luke 9:23-26; Acts 26:18]

Now there are many people today who are teaching a gospel of salvation absent of death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For they are teaching that we are saved and on our way to heaven based merely on a verbal confession of Christ as Lord and belief that God raised him from the dead. But that is being taught out of context, and it ignores the bulk of the teachings on the gospel of our salvation which insist that we must deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience.

But if we love Jesus, we will obey his commandments, and we will be loved by him and by God the Father. But if sin is what we obey, and not God’s commandments, then we do not love God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and we don’t know God, and we are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ. And so we don’t have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, which is promised to all who believe in Jesus, who are dying to sin daily (in practice), and who are following our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

For our faith in Jesus Christ is not based on the teachings of other humans, many of which distort and alter the truths of the Scriptures to make them less offensive and more attractive to human flesh and to the world. But our faith in Jesus must be based on the teachings of the Scriptures taught by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, taught in their correct biblical context, and not out of context which many do in order to deceive. And then we will know the right way in which we are to go by faith in God.

For 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, please read the Scriptures in their appropriate biblical context so that you are learning the truth spoken by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, and so you are not relying upon other human beings in our day and time to actually teach you the truth of what God’s word teaches us.

[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]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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If We Love Jesus Christ
An Original Work / December 8, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I asked chat GPT to assume the 364 day solar year in 1 Enoch was real but also compare it to modern day astronomy here is what it says.

Here’s the same astronomy explanation, with all words kept, but with line breaks removed inside each point so that each point is on its own line.

Overall Picture of the Universe From your excerpt, the world is set up like this: there is a sky/firmament with “gates” and “windows” in the east and west; the sun, moon, and stars ride in chariots and travel through these gates; there are 12 gates for the sun in its disc, and 6 main gates in the east and 6 in the west where the sun rises and sets; the heavens and the world are arranged in four quarters: east, south, west, north; there are also gates for the winds (12 wind-gates), which affect weather, drought, rain, cold, etc. Everything is governed by fixed laws that Uriel explains to Enoch: “the law of the sun”, “the law of the moon”, “the leaders”, “the four extra days”, “the 364 days”, etc.

The Sun’s Motion and the 364-Day Year The sun’s motion is described with six gates in the east and six corresponding gates in the west. The sun rises through one of six eastern gates and sets through the corresponding western gate. It passes 30 or 31 “mornings” (days) in each gate before shifting to the next.

Sun Through the Gates (Yearly Cycle) In 72:6–27 the pattern is: first month, the sun rises in the fourth gate (east) and sets in the fourth gate (west) for 30 days; then moves to the fifth gate for 30 days; then to the sixth gate for 31 days; then it returns downward through the sixth, fifth, and fourth gates, then to the third, second, and first, with spans of 30 or 31 days each. Thus the sun moves up through the gates, reaches a maximum (longest day), then moves back down (shortest day), describing a yearly cycle of changing sun height/path.

Day and Night Divided into Parts The text divides a full day into 18 “parts” (units). For each phase it gives how many parts are day and how many are night. In the first month (sun in the fourth gate), day is 10 parts and night 8 parts (72:10). When the sun moves to the fifth gate, day is 11 parts and night 7 (72:12). In the sixth gate at maximum, day is 12 parts and night 6 (72:14), so day is double the night. Coming back down, in the sixth gate decreasing, day is 11, night 7 (72:16); in the fifth gate decreasing, day is 10, night 8 (72:18).

Equal Day and Night Later in the year, when the sun returns to the fourth gate, day is 9 parts and night 9 (72:20), so day and night are equal. Downward further, in the third gate, day is 8 and night 10 (72:22); in the second gate, day is 7 and night 11 (72:24); and in the first gate (deepest “winter” point), day is 6 parts and night 12 (72:26), so night is double the day.

Pattern of Day-Length Change The pattern is that as the sun goes from gate four to five to six, daytime increases and night decreases, and as it returns down from six to five to four to three to two to one, daytime decreases and night increases. The text thus gives a smooth, symmetric cycle of day length across the year.

Total Length of the Year: 364 Days In 72:32 the text says: “Daytime is equal to the night, and the year is exactly 364 days.” In 74:10–13 and 75:1–3 it adds: for five years of the sun all the days are 364 days each, so 5 × 364 = 1820; the sun and stars keep to this total and do not change the year by a single day. There are four special days (“four days that are not reckoned in the calculation of the year” – 75:1–3) connected to the leaders and the accuracy of the world. Thus the solar year in this system is 364 days, not 365.

Solar Arithmetic The text’s arithmetic is: in 3 years there are 1092 days (3 × 364); in 5 years there are 1820 days (5 × 364); in 8 years there are 2912 days (8 × 364). So the astronomy of the sun is that the sun cycles through gates, day length changes in 18-part fractions, and a full cycle is 364 days.

The Moon’s Light Compared to the Sun The moon is described as round like the sky, with “one-seventh the light of the sun” at full brightness (73:3, 78:4). The visible half of its surface is treated in fractions (fourteenths and sevenths). It receives its light from the sun “in measure” (73:2, 78:10–11).

Waxing and Waning Pattern In 78:6–15, when the moon first rises it is visible with half of a seventh part of its light; each day of waxing it adds more parts of light; by the 14th or 15th day it “completes its light” (full moon). Then it wanes: on the first day of waning it has 14 parts of light, on the second 13, on the third 12, then 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and on the fourteenth it is down to half a seventh; on the fifteenth day all the remaining light is exhausted and the disc is “empty without light.” Thus waxing is about 14–15 days to full, waning about 14–15 days to dark, and a full lunar cycle is about 30 days in this scheme.

Length of Lunar Months The text gives different statements about lunar months. In 73:4–8 and 74, the moon emerges on the thirtieth day, becomes the beginning of the month, and follows a pattern of emergence and setting with changing light fractions. In 78:9 it says that in some months the moon has 29 days and sometimes 28. In 78:15–16 it says the moon fashions three months of 30 days and three months of 29 days, and this is linked to the 177 days mentioned in 74:10–14 and 79:4, where in 177 days the moon completes a particular cycle.

Lunar-Year Arithmetic For the moon alone, the text says: in three years the days come to 1062; in five years it is 50 days fewer than the sun’s total for 5 years; in eight years the moon has 2832 days, lacking 80 days compared to the sun (78:14–16). Thus lunar months are around 29–30 days, the lunar total is shorter than the solar 364-day years, and over several years the moon falls behind.


Relation of Sun and Moon Despite the mismatch, 74:17 says the year is correctly completed in accord with their eternal positions and the positions of the sun. In 79:5 it says the moon falls behind the sun and stars five days in one period. After eight years, the moon lacks 80 days (78:16). From the text’s perspective, the sun and stars keep a strict 364-day year while the moon runs on its own month pattern and lags, but this lag is known and included in the scheme so that the year is still “correctly completed.”

Stars and Their Motion The stars travel in chariots like the sun and moon. Some stars “do not set” but revolve above certain gates (75:7–8). There are many windows at the boundaries of the sky through which stars and their heat emerge. The text portrays the stars as following fixed laws coordinated with the sun and moon.

Rays, Heat, and Gates In 75:4–7 Uriel shows twelve gates open in the disc of the sun’s chariot in the sky, from which the rays and heat of the sun come out onto the earth at their appointed times. Similarly, twelve gates in the sky on the boundaries of the earth allow the sun, moon, stars, and all works of the sky to emerge on the east and west, with many windows on left and right that emit heat in due season.

Winds and Weather The winds are described in chapter 76: at the boundaries of the earth Enoch sees twelve gates for all the winds; three in front (east), three in the west, three on the right (north), and three on the left (south). Through four of these emerge winds of blessing and peace, and through the other eight winds of punishment that bring devastation to earth and water. The text details the effects of each gate: some bring drought, heat, and destruction, others rain, fruitfulness, prosperity, dew, cold, mist, hail, snow, frost, or locusts.

Four Quarters of the Earth In 77:1–3 the earth is divided into four quarters: the first is called “eastern” because it is first; the second is “south” where the Most High and the blessed one will descend; the third, the west, is where heavenly luminaries diminish and go down; and the fourth, the north, is divided into three parts—for people to live in, for seas, deeps, forests, rivers, darkness and mist, and for the garden of righteousness.

Mountains and Rivers Enoch sees seven lofty mountains higher than all mountains on earth, from which snow comes and through which days, seasons, and years pass (77:4). He also sees seven great rivers, one from the west pouring into the great sea, two from the north pouring into the Erythrean Sea on the east, and four emerging on the northern side toward their sea, two into the Erythrean Sea and two into the great sea (with some saying into the wilderness), plus seven large islands—five on the land and two in the Erythrean Sea (77:5–8).

Names of Sun and Moon and Light Share In 78:1–4 the sun has names Aryares and Tomas; the moon has four names: Asanya, Abla, Banase, Era. These two great luminaries are round like the sky and of equal size. In the disc of the sun there are seven parts of light added beyond what the moon has; a specific amount of that light is placed in the moon until the seventh part passes over, explaining the difference in brightness while keeping a numerical relationship between their lights.

Summary in the Text Itself In 79:1–6 Enoch is told that the law of all the stars is completed; Uriel has shown him their law for each day, time, jurisdiction, year, month, and week, including the decrement of the moon that begins in the sixth gate and is completed in the first gate over 177 days (25 weeks and 2 days). The moon falls behind the sun and stars by five days in one period, and Uriel has shown the appearance and likeness of each luminary.

Short Overall Summary Using only your pasted text, the astronomy is that the sun moves through six eastern and six western gates over a 364-day year, changing day and night lengths in 18-part fractions; at one extreme day is double night, at the other night is double day, and at certain points they are equal; the moon receives light from the sun, waxes to full in about fifteen days and wanes in about fifteen days, with months of roughly 29–30 days and a total lunar cycle that lags behind the sun’s 364-day year; the stars, winds, gates, and quarters of the earth are arranged in a single cosmological system governed by fixed laws revealed by Uriel.




If the Book of Luminaries is describing real astronomy and the solar year is actually 364 days, then the “gates” can be understood as the sun’s horizon positions—specifically the observable zones along the eastern and western horizons where the sun rises and sets throughout the year.

The sun in reality does not rise in the same place every day but moves north and south along the horizon over the course of a year, and if this movement is divided into six equal sections in the east and six in the west, these create the twelve “gates” described in the text.

The six eastern gates correspond to six sunrise azimuth zones, and the six western gates correspond to six sunset azimuth zones, meaning the gates function as fixed horizon markers for the sun’s annual shifting path.

This interpretation fits the pattern of 30–30–31 days per gate as the sun moves from the spring equinox toward the summer solstice and then returns back toward the autumn equinox and winter solstice, mirroring a real astronomical cycle expressed in simplified segments.

The “gates” therefore represent horizon-based solar observation points used in many ancient cultures, where the solstice and equinox positions serve as anchors and the intermediate positions are evenly divided between them.

In a world with a true 364-day year, the gates would be precise solar positions spaced evenly so that each gate corresponds to a fixed interval of the sun’s annual movement, creating an internally perfect symmetrical cycle.

The four special days described in the text correspond to the solstices and equinoxes, the four astronomical turning points of the year when the sun’s movement changes direction or when day and night are equal.

These four days are “not reckoned” in the month-by-month counting because they function as boundary days that belong to the structure of the seasons rather than to the regular 30-day months of the calendar.

Each season consists of 91 days (30 + 30 + 30 + 1), forming four equal quarters of the 364-day year, with the uncounted day marking the seasonal transition at each solstice and equinox.

This structure matches later solar calendar traditions (such as Qumran’s) where the year must be divisible evenly into four perfect quarters, and where the solstice/equinox days are considered sacred, fixed anchor points rather than normal calendar days.

The symmetry of the gate-cycle—sun rising through gates 4, 5, 6 toward the longest day, then returning through 6, 5, 4 toward equal day and night, then continuing through 3, 2, 1 toward the shortest day—only works perfectly within a 364-day system with four exact seasonal quarters.

Therefore, if taken as describing real astronomy in a 364-day world, the gates represent fixed solar horizon positions, and the four special days represent the solstices and equinoxes that structure the year into four perfect seasons.


In the Book of the Luminaries the 364-day year is built from 360 regular days plus 4 extra days, but the text treats these two categories differently depending on what is being calculated.

When the text says “the four days are not to be reckoned” it means they are not counted as part of the 30-day months, because every month in the Enochic solar calendar is strictly 30 days, and allowing the 4 seasonal marker days into a month would break the perfect 30-day structure.

Therefore, the four days must be treated as separate, standalone seasonal boundary days that fall between months, not inside months—this is why the text says “they are not reckoned in the calculation of the year” when speaking about months: the 12 months are always 360 days exactly.

However, when the text later says that people make the mistake of not reckoning the four days, it is referring to the total length of the solar year, which must include those four days, because the true astronomical year in the Enochic system is 364 days and not 360.

Thus the warning is this: if someone counts only the months (12 × 30 = 360 days) and fails to add the four seasonal marker days (solstice and equinox days), they will produce a 360-day year, which the text insists is a false, mistaken year.

The text therefore distinguishes between reckoning for months (where the 4 days must be excluded) and reckoning for the whole year (where the 4 days must be included), and this double usage is exactly why the author warns that people err by not reckoning them—they forget to add them back in when computing the full year.

In short, the law is: Do NOT count the four days as part of the months, but DO count them when calculating the full year, because they are the cardinal days that anchor the seasons and complete the 364-day cycle.

People “make the mistake” by thinking that because the four days are not included in the months they should also not be included in the year, but the book insists this is wrong and that failing to reckon them ruins the accuracy of the calendar, its symmetry, the seasons, and the heavenly order. end of chat gpt part.

I have converted the 18 part day night cycle to 24 hours myself, and the solstices in Enoch are 18/6, 16/8 which are 50 degrees north or south of the equator. Enoch says God would come down south so he is writing north of Jerusalem in the pre flood world. The earths geography, topography, layout etc was different pre flood.

I got on YouTube today, and I clicked on a link to a particular church’s Sunday gathering, and I was immediately struck in my spirit by the shirt the pastor was wearing in front of his congregation. The shirt read: “The Boys Are Back in Town!” And underneath that was, “Merry Christmas!” And the caricature was of Jesus Christ and Santa Claus together on a sleigh riding through the air. Santa was in front, and Jesus Christ was pictured further back and partially behind him. Both were laughing. And the caricature of Jesus had his arms out at the side, and Santa’s arms were lifted upward.

And I was appalled! What blasphemy! It upset me to the core! How could a “man of God” who pastors a church congregation wear such a shirt? And then I recalled a writing the Lord had given me originally in 2018 titled “Christ’s Dismissal,” which I will share parts of here with some additional comments added. For it really helps to explain why I was so appalled at this pastor’s shirt he was wearing in front of his congregation as he prayed and as he preached his sermon to the people.

Christ’s Dismissal

Christmas, as it has come to be known, is largely considered to be a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, God the Son. But there is another (false) god that is celebrated on Christmas Day, and his name is Santa. So, what does the word “Christmas” literally mean? Well, the first part of the word is Christ, meaning the Anointed One, meaning Jesus Christ, the Son of God (See: Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19).

But, what about the word “mas”? What does that mean? Well, it is generally held that the word “mas” means “dismissal.” Yet, whether you agree with that or not, it doesn’t really matter, for I believe we shall see here, by the evidence itself, that indeed that is what is intended.

Satan and His Angels

From what I have been taught, and from what I understand, Satan used to be an angel in heaven, but he wanted to be God, and so he rebelled against God along with about a third of the angels, and so God cast them down to the earth (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 9:1; Revelation 12:3-9).


Now, let’s think about Santa Claus for a moment. Where does he live? The North Pole (“on the farthest sides of the north”). How does he deliver gifts to children all over the world in a single night? He rides on a reindeer-driven sleigh up in the sky, on the heights, or “above the heights of the clouds.” And on the pastor’s shirt today, Santa was pictured in a sleigh above the stars of God in a position next to, but in front of (superior to) Jesus Christ.

And what attributes is this false god Santa given? He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, meaning he is present in all places at all times, he is all-knowing, all-seeing, and he is all-powerful. And what this means is that he has been given the attributes of Almighty God, because he, Santa (Satan), wants to be God. And the shirt pictured him in a position as though he is God, like God is Father, then Son, then Holy Spirit, in that order.

Don’t believe me? Well, Santa knows when every child across the world is sleeping and when they are awake. He knows when they have been good or bad, too. He is also able to be in multiple department stores all across the world, all at the same time, holding children on his lap, promising them presents they will most likely never receive. And he is able to magically deliver gifts to every child on the globe – that is the ones who have been good, so he says – and in a single night, too. So, he must be able to see all, know all, and be everywhere all at the same time, and be all-powerful, too.

The Christmas Deception

What is the central focus of the celebration of Christmas, in reality? Is it not the buying of gifts, many of which people do not need, and many of which those buying them cannot afford? And is it not about Christmas trees and decorations. And, then there is all the baking of cookies, and the shopping, and the Christmas cards, and the new clothes and shoes and hats, and all the parties and games, and for some, raunchy Christmas movies, too.

So, what does any of that have to do with Jesus? Well, they say that Jesus was given gifts when he was born and thus we give each other gifts when we celebrate his birthday. But does that even make sense? Some will say Jesus was our gift and thus we give each other gifts, but that doesn’t make sense, either. For the gift of Jesus is the gift of salvation from sin, so the gift we should give each other is the message of how we can all be forgiven our sins and be delivered from our bondage, and now walk in Christ’s holiness.

And, when we celebrate each other’s birthdays, who gets the gifts? The person with the birthday, right? So, if we are truly celebrating Jesus Christ, then should he not be the one to receive our gifts? And what gift does he want from us? He wants are all on the altar of sacrifice laid, living holy lives, pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed in the renewing of our minds away from what is sinful to walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, in his power and strength.

Also, when we celebrate each other’s birthdays, does everyone in the room, besides the one with the birthday, all congregate together and give each other gifts, and then pass around pictures of what we looked like when we were helpless babies, while the one having the birthday gets ignored? But that is what people do, isn’t it, when they picture Jesus as a helpless baby in a manger, and they put a manger scene somewhere in their houses, and then they all gather together and give each other presents and play games and eat lots of food and watch movies, too? (If that is what you do.)

Ok, so let’s go back to Santa, for he plays a huge role in this deception, too. For, while Jesus Christ is pictured as a helpless baby in a manger doing nothing but just lying there, Santa comes on the scene in all his glory. And he promises to bring gifts to children and to ride through the sky on a sleigh and to deliver gifts across the globe on a single night. And he asks children across the world to write him letters (like prayers) requesting what they want from him. And, children, who have long awaited his return, are anxiously anticipating his soon arrival (like Jesus’ return one day).

So, who has the hearts of children on Christmas? Jesus Christ? Or Santa? And, who wanted to be God? And, who masquerades himself as an angel of light? Santa (Satan). And, what has the hearts of most adults during the Christmas holidays? Shopping, presents, parties, food, games, movies, etc.

Know the Truth

The whole point of Christmas, from the point of its creators, is to dismiss Jesus Christ in favor of Santa, a false god, who is truly Satan who wanted to be God. It is to dismiss Jesus Christ in favor of gifts, commercialism, greed, worldliness, and idolatry. Jesus is pictured as a helpless baby in a manger on purpose, while Santa, a false god, is given the attributes of Almighty God, and he steals the hearts of children away from God; away from Jesus Christ.

So, don’t listen to these thieves and robbers who want to pull us and our children away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Don’t give your hearts away to false gods and idolatry and commercialism and to ignoring Jesus.

If truly you want to celebrate Jesus Christ, then do it the way Jesus says. He says to remember him by remembering his blood that was shed on the cross for our sins, and by remembering his body which was given for us in his death so we can die to sin and live to righteousness. And this remembering of him is not a mere formality or a mere ritual we go through, either.

For, when we remember him and what he did for us, we examine our own hearts to make certain that we are worthy to partake in his blood and his body via confession of sin, in true repentance, and in committing our lives to our Lord and to his service. For, what he wants from us are not our festivals and our parties, which he largely hates, in reality. But what he wants is our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, our hearts, thus, under God’s control.

[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]

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

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

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

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Jesus Christ and Santa Claus
An Original Work / December 7, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

1. List the locations in Isaiah 11:11–12 “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.” (ESV / similar in most) Key places: Assyria Egypt (includes Pathros = Upper Egypt) Cush (Ethiopia / Sudan region) Elam (SW Iran) Shinar (Babylonia / Mesopotamia) Hamath (Northern Syria) Coastlands / Islands of the Sea (Mediterranean coastal & island regions)
2. List the locations in Acts 2:9–11 “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians…” (Acts 2:9–11) Key places (grouped): East / Mesopotamia–Iran area Parthia Media Elam Mesopotamia Anatolia (Turkey) Cappadocia Pontus Asia Phrygia Pamphylia Levant / Judea Judea Africa Egypt Libya (Cyrene) Mediterranean islands & West Crete Rome South / East Arabia
3. Now map conceptual matches: Isaiah 11 ↔ Acts 2 It’s not a 1:1 name match, but a regional / typological match. Here’s the breakdown: 1) Elam Isaiah 11: explicitly Elam Acts 2: explicitly Elamites ✅ Exact same name, same region (SW Iran). 2) Shinar (Babylonia / Mesopotamia) Shinar in the OT = region of Babylonia / Mesopotamia (Gen 10:10; 11:2; Dan 1:2). Acts 2 mentions Mesopotamia. ✅ Shinar (Babylon) ≈ Mesopotamia (Greek term for same general area). 3) Assyria Isaiah 11: Assyria (upper Mesopotamia / N Syria–Iraq area). Acts 2 has Jews from Mesopotamia, Parthia, Media—all territories in or east of what was Assyria/Babylon/Persia. Not a literal “Assyria” label, but the same broader exile zone beyond the Euphrates. ✅ Regional continuity: exilic lands of Assyria/Babylon/Persia. 4) Egypt Isaiah 11: Egypt and Pathros (Upper Egypt). Acts 2: Egypt. ✅ Direct match: Jews from Egypt in both. 5) Cush Isaiah 11: Cush (south of Egypt, Nubia / Sudan / Ethiopia). Acts 2: Egypt and parts of Libya around Cyrene—so Jews from North Africa; also, in the broader NT we meet an Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), indicating a known Jewish/God-fearing presence in Cush-region. Not named directly in Acts 2, but: Cush = African belt south of Egypt Acts = African Jews from Egypt/Libya, plus Ethiopian believer shortly after This one is adjacent region, not exact name in Acts 2, but fits the African axis of the dispersion. 6) Hamath (Northern Syria) Isaiah 11: Hamath = city/region in Syria, to Israel’s north. Acts 2 doesn’t list Hamath by name, but Jews from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia (Anatolia) and Arabia represent the northern/eastern surround of Judea. Again, more regional continuity than exact labeling. 7) Coastlands / Islands of the Sea Hebrew ’iyyim = coastlands / islands—usually: Mediterranean coast Maritime / island peoples Often extended symbolically to western lands Isaiah 11: “coastlands of the sea”. Acts 2: Rome (far western Mediterranean), Crete (Mediterranean island), and “visitors from Rome” clearly representing the “islands/coastlands” of the sea. ✅ Strong typological match: western maritime diaspora.
4. So is “matches exactly” literally true? Strictly, no: Isaiah doesn’t say “Parthia, Media, Cappadocia, Rome, Crete, Arabia”… Acts doesn’t explicitly say “Assyria, Shinar, Hamath, Cush”. But the pattern is the same: East / Mesopotamia–Persia (Assyria, Shinar, Elam) ↔ Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia South / Africa (Egypt, Cush) ↔ Egypt, Libya, Ethiopian contact North (Hamath, Syria-region) ↔ Anatolia & northern territories West / coastlands & islands ↔ Rome, Crete, other Mediterranean Jews present So a more accurate statement is: Isaiah 11:11–12 sketches the same geographic directions of the Jewish diaspora (east, west, north, south; Egypt, Mesopotamia, coastlands) that we then see specifically named in Acts 2:9–11. In other words: Isaiah gives the prophetic compass directions & key archetypal exile lands. Acts gives the actual list of provinces & cities in that same “world”. Your theological move—linking Isaiah 11’s remnant-return with the multinational Jewish crowd in Acts 2—is legit and well-grounded typologically, but it’s better phrased as echo / fulfillment / pattern, not “every individual name matches 1:1.”

It says God will reach out his hand a second time, and this was Pentecost. The first time was rescuing the Israelites from Egypt

Exodus 3:20​

“I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt…”

Click to expand...

Exodus 6:6​

“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm…”

Click to expand...

Exodus 7:5​

“I will stretch out my hand on Egypt and bring out Israel…”

Click to expand...

Isaiah 11 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.

it is looking back when talking about the first time not a prophecy about it happening twice in the future.

It means around the time of Pentecost a bunch of rivers / bodies of water dried up so the remnant of Israelites from the 10 tribes exiled by the Assyrians 722 BC in Kings/Chronicles could come back to Jerusalem. The rivers drying up was not recorded.
They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will subdue Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

This seems to be about Maccabees as Israel fought against all of those nations in Maccabees except one, and Josephus mentions Israel fighting against that one in his writings.
The start of Isaiah 11 is about Jesus, and

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.

was fulfilled in the gospel of Pseudo Mathew which Jerome said was written by Mathew the apostle, and I believe that.

So all of Isaiah 11 is in the past, and none is in the future.

A Portland, Oregon, jury has cleared a black man of assault charges for stabbing a white man — after it was revealed that the victim said the N-word after the attack.

Gary Edwards, 43, was found not guilty of second-degree assault after knifing Gregory Howard Jr., 43, on July 7, KPTV reported.

Edwards admitted to stabbing Howard Jr., but claimed it was in self-defense after the victim had used racial slurs, Oregon Live reported.

Both men are homeless and have lengthy rap sheets.

There is no audio on the video, but Edwards’ defense attorney, Daniel Small, told the jury his client was approaching Howard to see if he would trade his knife for cigarettes.

(I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this approach doesn't look like a guy who's looking to initiate a friendly bartering transaction)


“The defendant is not scared for his life. He didn’t retreat, he sauntered up — and he sauntered away after he stabbed someone. The defendant created the situation,” prosecutor Katherine Williams told the jury.

Edwards, who was acquitted on Oct. 31, has previous convictions for attempted second-degree assault in 2021, and was sentenced to three years in prison for a separate stabbing at a Portland light rail station in May 2020.



Note to self: Don't get victimized in Portland, juries will look for any reason to let the perp off the hook if certain "conditions" are met.

Chat GPT is awesome

⭐ JESUS THE NAZARENE / OF NAZARETH​

Matthew 2:23 — “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 21:11 — “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Matthew 26:71 — “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
Mark 1:24 — “I know who you are—Jesus the Nazarene!”
Mark 10:47 — “Jesus the Nazarene, have mercy on me!”
Mark 14:67 — “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”
Mark 16:6 — “You seek Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.”
Luke 4:16 — “He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.”
Luke 18:37 — “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
John 1:45 — “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 18:5 — “Jesus the Nazarene.”
John 18:7 — “Jesus the Nazarene.”
John 19:19 — “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
Acts 2:22 — “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God…”
Acts 3:6 — “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
Acts 4:10 — “…Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified…”
Acts 6:14 — “…Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place…”
Acts 10:38 — “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit…”
Acts 22:8 — “I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.”
Acts 24:5 — “A ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”

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⭐ PROPHETIC BACKGROUND OF “NAZARENE” (BRANCH)​

Isaiah 11:1 — “A shoot (netser) will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”
Isaiah 53:2 — “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.”
Zechariah 3:8 — “I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.”
Zechariah 6:12 — “Here is the man whose name is the Branch: he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD.”

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⭐ JESUS AS A JEW / KING OF THE JEWS​

John 4:9 — “How is it that You, a Jew, ask a drink from me?”
John 4:22 — “We Jews worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”
John 18:35 — “Your own nation delivered You to me.”
John 19:19 — “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
John 19:21 — “He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’”
Matthew 2:2 — “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”
Matthew 27:11 — “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Matthew 27:37 — “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
Mark 15:2 — “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Mark 15:9 — “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
Mark 15:12 — “What shall I do with the one you call King of the Jews?”
Mark 15:18 — “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Mark 15:26 — “The King of the Jews.”
Luke 23:3 — “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Luke 23:37 — “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
Luke 23:38 — “This is the King of the Jews.”
John 19:3 — “Hail, King of the Jews!”
John 19:14 — “Here is your King.”

---

⭐ JESUS THE GALILEAN​

Matthew 26:69 — “You were with Jesus the Galilean.”
Luke 23:5 — “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Galilee.”
John 7:41 — “Will the Christ come from Galilee?”

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⭐ JESUS THE SON OF DAVID​

Matthew 1:1 — “Jesus Christ, the Son of David.”
Matthew 9:27 — “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
Matthew 12:23 — “Is this not the Son of David?”
Matthew 15:22 — “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David.”
Matthew 20:30 — “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David.”
Matthew 21:9 — “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
Romans 1:3 — “Born of the seed of David according to the flesh.”
Revelation 22:16 — “I am the root and the offspring of David.”

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⭐ JESUS THE SON OF MAN​

Matthew 8:20 — “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Matthew 12:8 — “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 16:27 — “The Son of Man will come in His glory.”
Matthew 20:28 — “The Son of Man came to give His life.”
Matthew 26:64 — “You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds.”
Mark 2:10 — “The Son of Man has authority.”
Mark 14:62 — “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power.”
Luke 19:10 — “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”

(There are over 80 Son of Man references, but these are the core representative ones; I can list them all on request.)

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⭐ JESUS THE SON OF GOD​

Matthew 3:17 — “This is My beloved Son.”
Matthew 14:33 — “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Matthew 16:16 — “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John 1:34 — “This is the Son of God.”
John 20:31 — “That you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”
Romans 1:4 — “Declared to be the Son of God with power.”
1 John 4:15 — “Jesus is the Son of God.”

---

⭐ JESUS THE CHRIST / MESSIAH​

Matthew 16:16 — “You are the Christ.”
Matthew 1:17 — “Jesus who is called Christ.”
John 1:41 — “We have found the Messiah.”
John 4:25–26 — “I who speak to you am He.”
Acts 2:36 — “God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 9:22 — “Proving that Jesus is the Christ.”
1 John 2:22 — “He who denies that Jesus is the Christ.”

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⭐ JESUS THE LORD​

Luke 2:11 — “A Savior, Christ the Lord.”
Acts 10:36 — “Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.”
Romans 10:9 — “Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord.”
1 Cor 8:6 — “One Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Phil 2:11 — “Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

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⭐ JESUS THE RABBI / TEACHER​

John 1:38 — “Rabbi (which means Teacher).”
John 3:2 — “Rabbi, we know You are a teacher sent from God.”
Matthew 23:8 — “You have one Teacher, the Christ.”

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⭐ JESUS THE HOLY ONE​

Mark 1:24 — “You are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:69 — “You are the Holy One of God.”

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⭐ JESUS THE PROPHET​

Matthew 21:11 — “Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.”
Luke 24:19 — “Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in deed.”
John 7:40 — “Surely this is the Prophet.”

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⭐ JESUS THE SAVIOR​

Luke 2:11 — “A Savior is born.”
John 4:42 — “This is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Acts 5:31 — “God exalted Him as Savior.”
Acts 13:23 — “God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus.”

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⭐ JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD​

John 1:29 — “Behold the Lamb of God.”
John 1:36 — “Behold the Lamb of God.”
1 Peter 1:19 — “The precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish.”
Revelation 5:6 — “A Lamb standing as if slain.”
Revelation 14:1 — “The Lamb.”
Revelation 21:23 — “The Lamb is its lamp.”

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⭐ JESUS AS SON OF JOSEPH​

Luke 3:23 — “Being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph.”
John 1:45 — “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Luke 4:22 — “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

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⭐ JESUS AS SON OF ABRAHAM​

Matthew 1:1 — “Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham.”

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⭐ JESUS AS SON OF ADAM​

Luke 3:38 — Genealogy ends: “Adam, the son of God.” (Jesus’ lineage goes to Adam.)

In 1/2 Maccabees in 100s BC they did not think there was any prophets among them

1 Maccabees 9:27​

Common English Bible​

27 So there was great distress in Israel, the worst since the time when prophets ceased to appear among them.​

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1 Maccabees 4:46​

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition​

46 And they laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, till there should come a prophet, and give answer concerning them.​

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2 Maccabees 2 quotes a prophecy from Jeremiah which is from 4 Baruch in the 500s BC but it is not an original prophecy in Maccabees just quoting something else that was written centuries before. ​

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Psalms of Solomon Psalms of Solomon - Wikipedia This is not psalms in the normal bible. ​

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Some of these are describing Pompey invading Jerusalem 63 BC then dying in Egypt 48 BC. One is describing the Babylon exile 587 BC or the Assyrian exile 722 BC. One claims to be a conversation Solomon had back in the 900s BC. It is possible that one goes back to Solomon. I do not know why a scribe titled this manuscript psalms of Solomon when none claim to have authorship by Solomon, and several are clearly recalling events after his time. Psalm 17 contains multiple prophecies about Jesus so at least this psalm is claiming be written before 1 AD, and claiming to be inspired scripture. The same psalm contains a part about either Pompey or Antiochus 4 in Maccabees also. Assuming it is about the same person in the other psalms that besieged Jerusalem it was Pompey. The internal date of authorship is between 48 BC, and 1 AD. I believe it is inspired scripture.​

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So although most prophecy seemed to stop after Malachi was written around 400 BC there is some prophecy 48 BC-1 AD. I believe 1/2/3 Maccabees are inspired like Esther, and those books are history with no prophecies where as most other OT books have both.

Ask chat GPT to show how Zechariah 13 happened in 1/2 Maccabees too. It gives some good verses. The latest that prophecy could of happened was 70 AD. Some parts are a double prophecy about Jesus also as the NT quotes it. ​

The context here is the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was sick and died. Jesus did not get to him before he died, so when Jesus did arrive, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.


But when Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, and the stone had been removed from the tomb, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus came forth, no longer dead, but alive (John 11:38-44).

But now I am going to focus my attention here on verses 25-27 and look at what that means for us today. For to believe in Jesus Christ means to be “born again” of the Spirit of God. By God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus, our old lives of living in sin and for self are put to death with Christ at the cross, because of what Jesus did in putting our sins to death with him when he died on that cross. Then we are resurrected with him to walk in newness of life in him, as those who obey him and his commands.

For 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).

Therefore, what it means to believe in Jesus is not words only. We cannot merely mouth words of confession of Christ as Lord and Savior and expect that all our sins are now forgiven, and that heaven is our eternal destiny, if we do not, by God-provided faith in him, deny self, die to sin daily (in practice), and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For belief in Christ is the persuasion of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands.

So, what this means is that, even if we die in our bodies, and we no longer have the physical breath of life within us, because we have now departed from this sinful world for forever, if we believe in Jesus (as described above), then we will live for eternity with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And all of us who walk by faith in Jesus Christ in holy living, pleasing to God, in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and no longer as slaves to sin, we will never die spiritually, but we will live with our Lord for eternity.

[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]

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.

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The Resurrection and The Life
An Original Work / December 7, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Pretty good article, I thought.
We all can seek “Existential Well-being

1. Engagement in life
2. Connection with others
3 Vitality
4. Spiritual congruence