d taylor said:

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So with you saying believers will be raptured to heaven. You were actually saying believers are raptured to the clouds.

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And that Greek word ( HARPAZO ) means , caught away for a meeting in. the clouds of the Lord into the air , and so we will

at all times be with the Lord .

We also have know the there is NO. , Greek word in the bible called Rapture .as Paul uses greeks words , Coming. /. PAROUSIA

Departure /. Apostasia. , in 2 Thess. 2:3 .

dan p

JimR-OCDS said:

No, Isreal is the state of Jewish people, a nation of Israel.

Politics are part of every situation, even social clubs,.

Not so Israel.

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Israel existed as a nation even before they occupied the territory.

Israel existed as a nation even while they were in Babylonian captivity.

But Israel did not exist as a state during those times.

See the difference?

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

Alright then, let's extend this principle to an ostensibly Christian nation. Is a level of aggression towards non-Christians justified in order to preserve the Christian nature of the Christian nation?

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The Christian nation is the Body of Christ.

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

And therefore this means that Christians should not be in positions of political power? Why, if no man has ruled perfectly, should only the non-Christian be allowed in the political arena of power?

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Jesus was repeatedly confronted with political enticements or traps throughout the Gospels. In each instance, He either avoided the political snare or reframed the issue to focus on His Kingdom rather than earthly power.

1. Taking up an earthly kingdom Himself

Scripture: Matthew 4:8–10; Luke 4:5–8
Political Enticement:
Satan offers Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" in exchange for worship.
Movement/Position: World domination through political or military power.
Jesus’ Response: “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Interpretation: Jesus rejected the offer of political control over earthly kingdoms, refusing to establish His mission through worldly power.

2. Enticement by the Zealots

Scripture: John 6:14–15
Political Enticement: The crowd wants to “take him by force to make him king.”
Movement/Position: Messianic nationalism – a popular uprising to install Jesus as a political Messiah against Roman rule.
Jesus’ Response: “He withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
Interpretation: Jesus refused to become a political figurehead or revolutionary leader, even when offered popular support.

3. Enticement to either oppose or align with Roman rule

Scripture: Matthew 22:15–22; Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:20–26
Political Enticement:
Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Him by asking whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.
Movement/Position: They aim to force Him to either endorse Roman occupation (alienating nationalists) or oppose it (inviting arrest).
Jesus’ Response: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Interpretation: Jesus avoids endorsing or rejecting Roman rule; He separates civic duty from divine loyalty.

4. Criticism of Sadducees

Scripture: Matthew 22:23–33
Political Enticement: The Sadducees--who collaborated with Roman authorities--sought to trap Jesus in a politically safe, rationalistic denial of resurrection.
Movement/Position: Sadducean status quo, aligned with Roman peace and temple authority.
Jesus’ Response: He affirms resurrection and undermines their premise.
Interpretation: Jesus refuses alignment with this one of the two most politically powerful religious establishments.

5. Criticism of Pharisees

Scripture: Matthew 23:23
Political Enticement: By pandering to the Pharisees, Jesus would have had their support.
Movement/Position: The Pharisees had the admiration and loyalties of the common people and the best populist network.
Jesus' Response: He hotly castigates the Pharisees, even to casting doubt on their eternal salvation.
Interpretation: Jesus refuses alignment with the second of the two most politically powerful religious establishments.

6. Before Pilate: “Are You a King?”

Scripture: John 18:33–37
Political Enticement: Pilate questions Jesus about His kingship, a potential political threat.
Movement/Position: Roman concern about rebellion and Jesus' possible role as a revolutionary leader.
Jesus’ Response: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight... But now my kingdom is from another place.”
Interpretation: Jesus explicitly disclaims political ambitions or earthly kingship.

Pommer said:

I think the whole “politicians’ districts’ denizens are ‘doing things’!” criterion is silly, I thought the post you quoted would have brought that to the fore for you, but I guess it was too subtle.

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Why would it brother. The facts are true.

Why do you defend her so? Is she your hero?

NxNW said:

They were spotted recently at a Coldplay concert.

View attachment 367552

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Now, now.

Hentenza said:

Oh lookie an aha moment lol. Find me ANY district that has had a 70% increase in crime. Eagerly waiting your answer.

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I think the whole “politicians’ districts’ denizens are ‘doing things’!” criterion is silly, I thought the post you quoted would have brought that to the fore for you, but I guess it was too subtle.

Unqualified said:

I’m sorry if you are disabled but you can be a genuine kind, loving human being.. But if you want to deny that you will stay unable to do that. God says you can and where God commands God empowers. Even if you are grumpy about it. Is Gods hand too short to not reach some? No. Everybody is included.

sorry I hope I dont sound mad, I’m not mad just feel strongly that God can help anybody to have a better life. The Holy Spirit demands it and will help you or anybody get over negative behaviors if they want it. Just being saved makes us capable of loving. Because things have changed then. So don’t say you can’t. Pray, try, and the HS will help you. You can learn from your family too. Oh don’t be bitter friend, have joy, if you hate your life it’s ok. But don’t hate your eternal soul and hold it back from the victories you and God want you to have. Growth you have to go somewhere go Godly.

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I can be kind, but that's not really the same as love, is it?

I can be kind, I can appreciate the company of others, I can want the best things for them. But is that love? I don't know, because I don't even love myself. I try to be kind to myself in order to avoid pain and suffering, but I don't love myself.
Out of any group of people I would choose myself last. From an outside perspective, say we have the train switchtrack dilemma, with me on one track and some other person on the other track. Without even knowing the other person I would throw the switch to have myself run over rather than them. Why? because they might have value. I don't.

I know it might seem like that's the right outcome, self sacrifice, or say, choosing to die a martyr's death, I would do that too.

However I recognize in me that I would make those choices for the wrong reason.
Not because I loved the other person so much
Not because I value Christ so much
But because I value myself little, and because I know the other outcome, choosing myself over another, results in more suffering that I would experience instead.

I know this is the wrong way to make the right choice, and is not truly love.

They were spotted recently at a Coldplay concert.

I have tried AppBlock described at the website appblock.app. I'm using it on Android, but I found a technical way to bypass it. AppBlock is for setting time limits on apps. Since I can bypass it, I wasn't able to limit my texting well, and sometimes I have been turning my phone's power off and putting it in my desk drawer to limit my time on it better. Someone told me that Google Family Link may be more difficult to bypass, so I am wanting to research it, but it may require buying a second Android device to manage the restrictions on my own smartphone.

Fantine said:

I'm pretty sure the after 4 years of the 99% being left behind, the Left Behind policies of the far right, and their callous proponents, will be gone.

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As an independent I would still vote against the far left policies and a weak DNC candidate.

BTW- you can reply to me I don’t bite.

Fantine said:

I just hope consumers who are bilked will blame the right person who robbed them of protection--and vote accordingly.
When their children ask where Sesame St. Is-- vote accordingly.
Or why they're hungry. Or why the police took away their friend's daddy. I could write a book. You get the picture.

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Only if your party brings something other than far left policies and someone better than “word salad“ Harris.

Who is the remnant of Israel and when will they be saved?

“Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

RDKirk said:

They were in His Father's house, which is why the aggression was justified.

Is that really something you've missed all these years?

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Alright then, let's extend this principle to an ostensibly Christian nation. Is a level of aggression towards non-Christians justified in order to preserve the Christian nature of the Christian nation?

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

Were the money changers Christ was aggressive to in his body? What made his aggression towards outsiders justified?

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They were in His Father's house, which is why the aggression was justified.

Is that really something you've missed all these years?

Since Israel became a nation again in 1948 they have allied themselves to the US. For many years they were the only ally that we had in the area. I’m going to support them from that perspective.

RDKirk said:

A state is certainly a "political group."

A nation may be only an ethnic group.

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No, Isreal is the state of Jewish people, a nation of Israel.

Politics are part of every situation, even social clubs,.

Not so Israel.

timothyu said:

Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. Neither should be ours. You can't change the world by playing by its rules. You can only change yourself and act as in influence.

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Except you're not following this to it's fullest extent. There are plenty of earthly activities and positions we may have here on earth, like marriage. Yet you don't advocate Christians all give up sex. Why is political power here what Jesus is talking about? Why do you make exceptions for the worldly aspects of life that you like and live by? Why is power the only real forbidden thing to the Christian?

And let's be honest with our opinions. Do you believe Jesus intended Christians to be a political serf class always subordinate to non-Christians?

d taylor said:

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Belief in Jesus is the way to enter through the door. I do not believe The Bible or Jesus states anything about the cross being a key to heaven.

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God told me that about 15 years ago. I believe him.

The persecution of Athanasius, and of so many respectable bishops, who suffered for the truth of their opinions, or at least for the integrity of their conscience, was a just subject of indignation and discontent to all Christians, except those who were blindly devoted to the Arian faction. The people regretted the loss of their faithful pastors, whose banishment was usually followed by the intrusion of a stranger into the episcopal chair; and loudly complained, that the right of election was violated, and that they were condemned to obey a mercenary usurper, whose person was unknown, and whose principles were suspected. The Catholics might prove to the world, that they were not involved in the guilt and heresy of their ecclesiastical governor, by publicly testifying their dissent, or by totally separating themselves from his communion. The first of these methods was invented at Antioch, and practised with such success, that it was soon diffused over the Christian world. The doxology or sacred hymn, which celebrates the glory of the Trinity, is susceptible of very nice, but material, inflections; and the substance of an orthodox, or an heretical, creed, may be expressed by the difference of a disjunctive, or a copulative, particle. Alternate responses, and a more regular psalmody, were introduced into the public service by Flavianus and Diodorus, two devout and active laymen, who were attached to the Nicene faith. Under their conduct a swarm of monks issued from the adjacent desert, bands of well-disciplined singers were stationed in the cathedral of Antioch, the Glory to the Father, And the Son, And the Holy Ghost, was triumphantly chanted by a full chorus of voices; and the Catholics insulted, by the purity of their doctrine, the Arian prelate, who had usurped the throne of the venerable Eustathius. The same zeal which inspired their songs prompted the more scrupulous members of the orthodox party to form separate assemblies, which were governed by the presbyters, till the death of their exiled bishop allowed the election and consecration of a new episcopal pastor. The revolutions of the court multiplied the number of pretenders; and the same city was often disputed, under the reign of Constantius, by two, or three, or even four, bishops, who exercised their spiritual jurisdiction over their respective followers, and alternately lost and regained the temporal possessions of the church. The abuse of Christianity introduced into the Roman government new causes of tyranny and sedition; the bands of civil society were torn asunder by the fury of religious factions; and the obscure citizen, who might calmly have surveyed the elevation and fall of successive emperors, imagined and experienced, that his own life and fortune were connected with the interests of a popular ecclesiastic. The example of the two capitals, Rome and Constantinople, may serve to represent the state of the empire, and the temper of mankind, under the reign of the sons of Constantine.

1. The Roman pontiff, as long as he maintained his station and his principles, was guarded by the warm attachment of a great people; and could reject with scorn the prayers, the menaces, and the oblations of an heretical prince. When the eunuchs had secretly pronounced the exile of Liberius, the well-grounded apprehension of a tumult engaged them to use the utmost precautions in the execution of the sentence. The capital was invested on every side, and the præfect was commanded to seize the person of the bishop, either by stratagem or by open force. The order was obeyed, and Liberius, with the greatest difficulty, at the hour of midnight, was swiftly conveyed beyond the reach of the Roman people, before their consternation was turned into rage. As soon as they were informed of his banishment into Thrace, a general assembly was convened, and the clergy of Rome bound themselves, by a public and solemn oath, never to desert their bishop, never to acknowledge the usurper Faelix; who, by the influence of the eunuchs, had been irregularly chosen and consecrated within the walls of a profane palace. At the end of two years, their pious obstinacy subsisted entire and unshaken; and when Constantius visited Rome, he was assailed by the importunate solicitations of a people, who had preserved, as the last remnant of their ancient freedom, the right of treating their sovereign with familiar insolence. The wives of many of the senators and most honorable citizens, after pressing their husbands to intercede in favor of Liberius, were advised to undertake a commission, which in their hands would be less dangerous, and might prove more successful. The emperor received with politeness these female deputies, whose wealth and dignity were displayed in the magnificence of their dress and ornaments: he admired their inflexible resolution of following their beloved pastor to the most distant regions of the earth; and consented that the two bishops, Liberius and Faelix, should govern in peace their respective congregations. But the ideas of toleration were so repugnant to the practice, and even to the sentiments, of those times, that when the answer of Constantius was publicly read in the Circus of Rome, so reasonable a project of accommodation was rejected with contempt and ridicule. The eager vehemence which animated the spectators in the decisive moment of a horse-race, was now directed towards a different object; and the Circus resounded with the shout of thousands, who repeatedly exclaimed, “One God, One Christ, One Bishop!” The zeal of the Roman people in the cause of Liberius was not confined to words alone; and the dangerous and bloody sedition which they excited soon after the departure of Constantius determined that prince to accept the submission of the exiled prelate, and to restore him to the undivided dominion of the capital. After some ineffectual resistance, his rival was expelled from the city by the permission of the emperor and the power of the opposite faction; the adherents of Faelix were inhumanly murdered in the streets, in the public places, in the baths, and even in the churches; and the face of Rome, upon the return of a Christian bishop, renewed the horrid image of the massacres of Marius, and the proscriptions of Sylla.(The History of the decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2, Chap. 21, pgs. 351-354 of the Everyman's Library edition)

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As we examine such violent, bloody, and murderous histories all the way up to and beyond the Protestant Reformation, let us remember and acknowledge the wisdom of the founding fathers of the United States. That they themselves were not ignorant of these histories, but rather well educated enough to address and effectively combat such continual atrocities, by the First Amendment of our Constitution. As follows -

1st Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

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Clare73 said:

Abraham's been gone for some time.

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But not forgotten.

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

should only the non-Christian be allowed in the political arena of power?

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Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. Neither should be ours. You can't change the world by playing by its rules. You can only change yourself and act as in influence.

timothyu said:

No man has. Some leaders do put the best interest of the people or God at heart, but they are so few as to be called mythical.

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And therefore this means that Christians should not be in positions of political power? Why, if no man has ruled perfectly, should only the non-Christian be allowed in the political arena of power?

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

But in your worldview no ruler has ever followed the will of God. Right? They have all failed and everything they have done is evil.

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No man has. Some leaders do put the best interest of the people or God at heart, but they are so few as to be called mythical.

The disgrace and exile of the orthodox bishops of the West were designed as so many preparatory steps to the ruin of Athanasius himself. Six-and-twenty months had elapsed, during which the Imperial court secretly labored, by the most insidious arts, to remove him from Alexandria, and to withdraw the allowance which supplied his popular liberality. But when the primate of Egypt, deserted and proscribed by the Latin church, was left destitute of any foreign support, Constantius despatched two of his secretaries with a verbal commission to announce and execute the order of his banishment. As the justice of the sentence was publicly avowed by the whole party, the only motive which could restrain Constantius from giving his messengers the sanction of a written mandate, must be imputed to his doubt of the event; and to a sense of the danger to which he might expose the second city, and the most fertile province, of the empire, if the people should persist in the resolution of defending, by force of arms, the innocence of their spiritual father. Such extreme caution afforded Athanasius a specious pretence respectfully to dispute the truth of an order, which he could not reconcile, either with the equity, or with the former declarations, of his gracious master. The civil powers of Egypt found themselves inadequate to the task of persuading or compelling the primate to abdicate his episcopal throne; and they were obliged to conclude a treaty with the popular leaders of Alexandria, by which it was stipulated, that all proceedings and all hostilities should be suspended till the emperor’s pleasure had been more distinctly ascertained. By this seeming moderation, the Catholics were deceived into a false and fatal security; while the legions of the Upper Egypt, and of Libya, advanced, by secret orders and hasty marches, to besiege, or rather to surprise, a capital habituated to sedition, and inflamed by religious zeal. The position of Alexandria, between the sea and the Lake Mareotis, facilitated the approach and landing of the troops; who were introduced into the heart of the city, before any effectual measures could be taken either to shut the gates or to occupy the important posts of defence. At the hour of midnight, twenty-three days after the signature of the treaty, Syrianus, duke of Egypt, at the head of five thousand soldiers, armed and prepared for an assault, unexpectedly invested the church of St. Theonas, where the archbishop, with a part of his clergy and people, performed their nocturnal devotions. The doors of the sacred edifice yielded to the impetuosity of the attack, which was accompanied with every horrid circumstance of tumult and bloodshed; but, as the bodies of the slain, and the fragments of military weapons, remained the next day an unexceptionable evidence in the possession of the Catholics, the enterprise of Syrianus may be considered as a successful irruption rather than as an absolute conquest. The other churches of the city were profaned by similar outrages; and, during at least four months, Alexandria was exposed to the insults of a licentious army, stimulated by the ecclesiastics of a hostile faction. Many of the faithful were killed; who may deserve the name of martyrs, if their deaths were neither provoked nor revenged; bishops and presbyters were treated with cruel ignominy; consecrated virgins were stripped naked, scourged and violated; the houses of wealthy citizens were plundered; and, under the mask of religious zeal, lust, avarice, and private resentment were gratified with impunity, and even with applause. The Pagans of Alexandria, who still formed a numerous and discontented party, were easily persuaded to desert a bishop whom they feared and esteemed. The hopes of some peculiar favors, and the apprehension of being involved in the general penalties of rebellion, engaged them to promise their support to the destined successor of Athanasius, the famous George of Cappadocia. The usurper, after receiving the consecration of an Arian synod, was placed on the episcopal throne by the arms of Sebastian, who had been appointed Count of Egypt for the execution of that important design. In the use, as well as in the acquisition, of power, the tyrant, George disregarded the laws of religion, of justice, and of humanity; and the same scenes of violence and scandal which had been exhibited in the capital, were repeated in more than ninety episcopal cities of Egypt. Encouraged by success, Constantius ventured to approve the conduct of his minister. By a public and passionate epistle, the emperor congratulates the deliverance of Alexandria from a popular tyrant, who deluded his blind votaries by the magic of his eloquence; expatiates on the virtues and piety of the most reverend George, the elected bishop; and aspires, as the patron and benefactor of the city to surpass the fame of Alexander himself. But he solemnly declares his unalterable resolution to pursue with fire and sword the seditious adherents of the wicked Athanasius, who, by flying from justice, has confessed his guilt, and escaped the ignominious death which he had so often deserved. (The History of the decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2, Chap. 21, pgs. 344 - 347 of the Everyman's Library edition)

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The continued bloody, violent, murderous battles between various factions of professed "Christians" who sought, gained, and abused the powers that be of this world by way of force. Over and above the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God unto authentic conversion. So it is and has been, that authentic Christianity has had to exist in this world with the double burden and or persecutions of the heathen and the false antichrist, professed "Christians" who seek the favor of, and employ the methods of this world. Whom the evil one himself claims dominion over.

The protest against such apostate "Christian" unity with the world in both desire and action by authentic Christianity, has been around far longer than that attributed to the "Protestant Reformers" who began to call all out of Babylon for these very reasons. Their testimonies have simply been either destroyed by Babylon and the first beast which she rode, or obscured by the remoteness of their situation, as required for their survival while Babylon prospered and practiced through her craft.

A good and quick read concerning the history of the authentic Christianity mentioned above is the book, THE HISTORY OF THE WESTERN APOSTOLIC CHURCHES, by William Craig Brownlee. Read the book at the following link -

Saint Patrick and the Western Apostolic Churches: Or, The Religion of the Ancient Britains and ... : William Craig Brownlee, Alexander King : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive