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Zions New Children

On the issue of who is the true Israelite peoples of God;
Paul makes it perfectly clear in Ephesians 2:11-18, that ethnicity from anyone has no bearing on our Salvation and belonging to the Tree of Life that is Jesus. They come from every tribe, race, nation and language, Rev 5:9-10, Isaiah 66:18b-21 and John sees them in the Holy Land; Revelation 7:9

Where the difficulty for some comes from, is the widespread teaching of the false 'rapture to heaven' theory. That wrong idea must have an Israel on earth, while they sit up in heaven. Never going to happen, proved by the many Prophesies of the virtual demise of Jewish Israel and how only a remnant will survive.
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Does Open Carry Cause Problems?

Biden was still president when this news piece came out. I think you are seeing the GOP version of “resist” which is such a pet word for liberals today.

BTW- background checks are still required at gun shows which I agree with.
Yeah that’s what I thought to but according to Char GPT you can actually buy guns at gun shows from individuals who aren’t an actual firearm dealer without a background check. I know in Texas if you have a concealed carry license you don’t have to have a background check.
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Finnish Orthodox Church Endorses LGBT And Gender Rights

After reading this again, it sounds like pressure from the state to conform to secular law. So for ex. ( as far as I can guess) prior to this, the Church respects the secular law on same sex marriage but itself believes marriage is between male and female ( Mark 19:1-12 etc.), Now what? If a same sex couple with a civil marriage demands to join the church, does the church have to “bless” such a union? Or if unfaithful, nominal members want a same sex “marriage” is the church obligated to honor that?
I hope not.
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Does Open Carry Cause Problems?

I would just never carry a gun with a round in the chamber if it doesn’t have a decocking feature. My position is that if you want to carry a gun with a round in the chamber you should buy a gun that has a decocking feature that is double action that way the hammer is blocked from striking the firing pin and can easily be fired quickly if need be.
I don't buy that argument, unless the laws are changed to permit me to draw and chamber the moment I smell something suspicious.

DA/SA guns have their own issues. I owned one back in the 80s and never liked that feature.
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Finnish Orthodox Church Endorses LGBT And Gender Rights

After reading this again, it sounds like pressure from the state to conform to secular law. So for ex. ( as far as I can guess) prior to this, the Church respects the secular law on same sex marriage but itself believes marriage is between male and female ( Mark 10:1-12 etc.), Now what? If a same sex couple with a civil marriage demands to join the church, does the church have to “bless” such a union? Or if unfaithful, nominal members want a same sex “marriage” is the church obligated to honor that?
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What is the true congregation?

Given the violent history of both church and state how does that mesh with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles ?

Well, that is a large topic. To give you a short answer, it has mostly been a war between principalities of the Empire where some simply failed to follow the ordinance of God as regards to the governing authorities i.e. rulers.

There are cases however, such as St. Lawrence, who, in my opinion, failed to honor the authorities in a sufficient manner. Knowing the prefect was on his way to collect Church goods, he decided to give it all to the poor, in defiance. This has fallen under the category of Christian persecution, however, he was not persecuted for his faith in Christ but rather his audacity before the authorities. Of course no one can deny his act of mercy and I am in no way saying he doesn’t deserve to be saintified, but maybe he didn’t have to give it all away, or maybe the prefect could’ve taken the goods he presented, but in any case, this was a personal quarrel and not a persecution because of a confessed faith in Christ.

Likewise there are many such cases where personal quarrels around what I would consider petty matters that caused tension between individual Christians and the authorities that didn’t immediately entail their faith in Christ. Another such example would be if the relatives of Christ deserve an elevated status and veneration as well.

So there was some quarreling.
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Trump says he is pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat facing bribery charges

Apparently not. Or at least not yet.

'No more Mr. Nice guy!' Trump erupts as Dem lawmaker he pardoned sticks with party

President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) on Sunday after learning that the lawmaker – whom he had pardoned this week following bribery and conspiracy charges – still plans to run for re-election as a Democrat, decrying it as “such a lack of loyalty.”
Just un pardon executive order the Commie bum
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Dear Pete Hegseth, I’m Grateful the Japanese Navy Spared My Grandfather’s Life

Those screengrabs come from a video from NBC titled "Watch: U.S. Coast Guard crew intercepts drug-smuggling vessel. Note how it says intercepts, not blows up and then double taps the survivors clinging for life to the wreckage.

More importantly, the article and video are from 2019. So these are not in fact "pictures of the supposed "fishing boats" that were blown up by the US Navy"


I'm sure you'll be apologetic about misleading people

Never let a good lie go to waste.
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Trump says he is pardoning Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat facing bribery charges

Inside every corrupt democrat is a republican trying to get out.
Apparently not. Or at least not yet.

'No more Mr. Nice guy!' Trump erupts as Dem lawmaker he pardoned sticks with party

President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) on Sunday after learning that the lawmaker – whom he had pardoned this week following bribery and conspiracy charges – still plans to run for re-election as a Democrat, decrying it as “such a lack of loyalty.”
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AI tells me not to forgive some, is this true?

I do take advice from AI, but I learned to not treat AI like it is perfect in its answers.

I asked AI about forgiveness, it said it's a good thing, but not good to forgive those who are not remorseful, and who are still malicious.

I would find it hard to forgive those people, and very hard to forgive someone who took pleasure in hurting me.

What does the Bible say, am I supposed to really forgive a murderer that killed my mom and dad if it happened? It did not happen just as an example, what if the murderer doesn't take any accountability has no remorse, and the murderer took pleasure in his crimes. Am I still supposed to forgive?
I don't recommend taking ANY "advice" from AI. It isn't real. That's why it is called "artificial". It sounds like you are talking to someone, but you are talking to no one.

AI, according to IBM, "hallucinates" and it's not a bug that can be taken out. It is presenting "convincing, but nonsensical and factually incorrect information".
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Zions New Children

Know that I shall move on...no offense taken from you either in your posts to me. In a debate one mostly determines the other is flawed in their reasoning however...just understand that. Also understand that I am a Scripture only believer. There is much spiritual knowledge to be gleaned from Scripture, but such cannot over-ride what is written and reasoned out for us in Scripture itself.
You may wish to post on our discussion for others to comment...I feel quite finished.
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Zions New Children

I appreciate the apology for the phrase "black and white." However, the reason I objected wasn't just about that phrase, but about the implication that my understanding is a "personal interpretation" while yours is the self-evident "Scripture." That framing was condescending. I'm not interested in a debate where the starting point is that one person is reading the text plainly and the other is applying a flawed, personal opinion. If you want to continue in this discussion, I'm asking that future comments like this are to be left out. If that is not something you can do, then we can both move on.
Know that I shall move on...no offense taken from you either in your posts to me. In a debate one mostly determines the other is flawed in their reasoning however...just understand that. Also understand that I am a Scripture only believer. There is much spiritual knowledge to be gleaned from Scripture, but such cannot over-ride what is written and reasoned out for us in Scripture itself.
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Well, off we go

Somali American Republican Rebukes Trump's Xenophobic Attack: ‘My Children Are Not Garbage’

A Somali American living in Minnesota who voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election condemned the president’s latest xenophobic attacks against his people as federal authorities plan to launch a targeted immigration enforcement operation in his state.

“I’ve been a Republican for over 25 years. I’m not going to stop being a Republican, and now we are being called ‘garbage.’” said Mohamed Ahmed to CNN’s Whitney Wild.

“I got five children. My children are not garbage,” responded Ahmed, the Somali American Republican and Minnesota resident, to Trump. “We campaigned for you... We have hope in you. We see hope in you. Please differentiate between good, bad and evil.”

Face, meet leopard.
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Charlie Kirk Didn’t Shy Away From Who He Was. We Shouldn’t, Either

There's one person saying that Biden was fine, and his whole schtick as a poster is just denying anything that conservatives say (still not sure if he genuinely believes it every time he says something "never happened," because some of them make even me go "Ehhhh...."). Everyone else is just saying that Trump is worse than Biden ever was - which is a wholly subjective statement, and is completely pointless to argue in the context of this discussion (i.e. as a reason why people might have chosen to vote for Biden over Trump in 2020).
As far as this discussion none of this has anything to do with Charlie Kirk
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What is the true congregation?

“Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, f“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?”

No one here has denied that that God is a jealous god and that all sin will be accounted for. The other verses seem to be saying the same thing in different manners.
Given the violent history of both church and state how does that mesh with the teachings of Christ and the Apostles ?
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The two witnesses' activity chart

-
I will add one, Jesus does not first return when He comes back to earth. To the Mt of Olives, Jesus first return to Bozrah
I have visited Bozrah. Actually the ruins of the ancient town in Jordan. Its name means; sheepfold.
Bozrah is used in Bible Prophecy as the place Gods peoples are kept safe now; like America and New Zealand, etc.

Ezekiel 35:1-5 Look toward all the lands of the Edomites and pronounce judgement upon them. The Lord says: I shall stretch out My hand to strike your land, I will reduce it to a desolate waste and your towns will be ruined. Then you will know that I am the Lord, for you have kept up an ancient feud and shed the blood of the Israelites by warfare, during the time of their punishment. [by exile]

Ezekiel 35:6-9 Therefore as I live, says the Lord: I shall make blood your destiny, since you do not hate killing and death, that will come upon you. Your land and cities will become desolate wastes forever and no one will travel there. I will cover the hills and valleys with the dead, your towns will not be inhabited. Isaiah 17:1

Ezekiel 35:10-14 You say: the two nations and two countries [The ten tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah] will be our possession, even though the Lord has been there. Therefore your anger and jealousy will be repaid, for I will do to the whole of Edom what you have done in your hatred for My people. I shall be known among you - for the way I judge you, you will know that the Lord has punished you. [by the means of a CME sunstrike, Isaiah 30:26-30] I have heard all your blasphemous talk about the Land of Israel, saying: the Land is ours to occupy. You have boasted and spoken against Me without restraint. So, now I will destroy you., while the whole world rejoices, As you rejoiced at the inheritance of the House of Israel, when it was desolated, so I will do to you, all your lands will be devastated. Hosea 4:1-3 Reference: REB, NIV, KJV. Some verse abridged

The Edomites can be identified as those nations and entities - that hate My [faithful Christian] peoples and have kept up their ancient feud with Israel, those peoples who currently occupy virtually all of the Holy Land area and who now threaten the Jewish State of Israel with annihilation. Psalms 83:13-15, describes how the Lord’s Day of wrath will deal to them, as they commence their attack. Isaiah 30:26, Psalms 7:12-16, Isaiah 8:9-10, Obadiah 1:15, Micah 4:11-12

Psalms 83:12 informs us that the goal of this alliance is total possession of all the holy Land. This is exactly as the Charters of Hamas and Fatah state; they are not interested in a two State solution, all the Jews must either leave or be killed. THEY love killing and death. Ezekiel 35:6
NOTE: that the State of Israel is mainly populated with peoples who are Edomite’s by descent or by action and many Prophesies tell of their virtual demise, as the entire Middle East is cleared and cleansed. Zephaniah 1:14-18, including Jewish Israel. ;- Ezekiel 21:1-7, Luke 19:27

Many people believe that the next prophesied event in our world will be the Gog/ Magog invasion. Others say it’s the tribulation – preceded by a rapture of the church. Some think the Return of Jesus will be next. That it will be none of these is told to us in the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, chapters 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 & 39 they all speak about the Israelites, who are now all of God’s faithful people; being gathered out of the nations and settled into all of the Holy Land.

Those chapters are written in a fairly obvious sequence of events. Ezekiel 34:12-13 ‘I will rescue My sheep [people] from where they were scattered in the Day of cloud and darkness, I will lead them out of the nations and bring them home to their own country’. Amos 5:18, Isaiah 13:9-10
Then comes Ezekiel 35, where it is explained how this gathering and resettlement can take place. ALSO; Isaiah 35:1-10

This attack by the peoples surrounding Israel will result in their destruction, but the Bible prophecies also say that Judah too, will be judged at this time and ‘only a holy remnant will survive’. The Land will not be polluted by radiation and as the sunstrike the Lord will use quickly passes, the vegetation soon regenerates. Psalms 68:9, Ezekiel 36:8 You, Land of Israel, grow your trees and bear fruit, for the homecoming of My people is near.

This opens the way for all the faithful Christian peoples to emigrate to their heritage. Amos 9:13-15, Romans 9:24-26

Later will come the invasion by Gog/Magog – a different list of peoples and nations. They attack the peoples ‘gathered from the nations and living in a land recently recovered from ruin’. Ezekiel 38:8 The total wipe out of Gog and his horde, is ‘to show Myself Holy and make Myself known to many peoples’. Joel 2:20, Ezekiel 38:23-26

The rest of the prophecies will then unfold – the rise of the Anti Christ, the Tribulation and then, the culmination of the age: the Return of Jesus for His 1000 year reign. Then – the final Judgment and Eternity. Ref: logostelos.info
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Israel-Hamas Thread II

The Turkish government calls Trump's Gaza plan indispensable while ignoring its own role as a protective power for Islamist actors. The discrepancy between aspiration and reality is growing.

The latest warning from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that a failure of the US-backed Gaza initiative would be a ‘huge mistake’ for Washington and the world exemplifies the contradictory role Ankara has been playing for years. Ironically, a state that offers Hamas officials refuge, logistical support and a political platform is now presenting itself as a guarantor of stability. For Israel, this construct is difficult to comprehend and for many Western observers, increasingly questionable.

In the interview, Fidan emphasises that a functioning "Palestinian" civil administration, flanked by a police force that is ‘not Hamas,’ is crucial for the plan's progress. At the same time, he claims that the organisation is prepared to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip. Israel has seen for years how unreliable similar assurances have been in the past. Hamas has never voluntarily relinquished its power; it has consolidated it through repression, intimidation and violence.

The fact that Turkey is one of the loudest critics of Israeli military action and yet sometimes plays a key role in brokering ceasefires is part of this political double movement: moral distance on the outside, strategic self-interest on the inside.

Ankara has declared its willingness to participate in an international stabilisation force. Jerusalem clearly rejects this option. Israel's concern is understandable: a force coming from a country that has harboured Hamas politically and organisationally for years would not be a neutral player. Such a mission could instead create new areas of tension especially if Ankara interprets its mandate in line with its own regional ambitions.

President Donald Trump is visibly pushing ahead with the Gaza peace process himself. Ankara says there is no alternative to this path. But what matters is not Fidan's rhetoric, but whether Turkey is prepared to change the political conditions that have kept Hamas in a comfortable position for years. Words alone cannot create a new security architecture.

The fact that Fidan is simultaneously promising an early lifting of US sanctions over the S-400 deal and commenting on the war in Ukraine shows how broadly Ankara interprets its interests. This is legitimate but it explains why Israel views Turkey's role with caution. Turkey is not a hostile state, but an actor that always writes its own script, even when it claims to support someone else's.

For the Gaza plan, this means that only a realistic view of the regional balance of power will determine whether the second phase is actually achieved. And realism begins with not ignoring Ankara's dual role as a self-appointed mediator and, at the same time, a long-standing protective power for Islamist networks.
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Charlie Kirk Didn’t Shy Away From Who He Was. We Shouldn’t, Either

I say they are in cognitive decline. Being senile would require a diagnosis I believe.
I believe Biden is worse but with Trump everything is beautiful, the best ever, the greatest ever, I can tell a difference with him compared to years before.
But it's another poster or two in this thread who are claiming that decline exists in Trump but not in Biden
There's one person saying that Biden was fine, and his whole schtick as a poster is just denying anything that conservatives say (still not sure if he genuinely believes it every time he says something "never happened," because some of them make even me go "Ehhhh...."). Everyone else is just saying that Trump is worse than Biden ever was - which is a wholly subjective statement, and is completely pointless to argue in the context of this discussion (i.e. as a reason why people might have chosen to vote for Biden over Trump in 2020).
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What is the true congregation?

Study what these verses say and compare them with the what the line of conversation has been.

“Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, f“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?”

No one here has denied that that God is a jealous god and that all sin will be accounted for. The other verses seem to be saying the same thing in different manners.
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Israel-Hamas Thread II

At the Doha Forum, a surprising common course of action emerged among Arab governments: the next phase of the American Gaza agreement should go ahead, but no one wants to send their own forces. Israel's security interests remain the blind spot in this debate.

While the Doha Forum attracted international attention, a remarkable consensus emerged among the Arab states regarding the future of Gaza. Almost all public statements expressed a desire to move forward with the next phase of the American-led ceasefire model. But behind this cheerful political picture lies a reality that cannot be overlooked: hardly any of the countries loudly calling for a ‘new order for Gaza’ are willing to take responsibility themselves.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for the rapid deployment of an international monitoring mission. Turkey demanded a "Palestinian" civil administration and a police force to remove Hamas from power. Qatar is also pushing for progress, even though an Israeli hostage remains in the hands of terrorists. Doha nevertheless believes the new phase is possible before all those kidnapped are released.

At first glance, this political harmony appears to be a regional consensus. But on closer inspection, a different picture emerges: the states that are most vocal in demanding stabilisation in Gaza are at the same time refusing to make any measurable contribution. Hardly any of the players involved are willing to send their own personnel to join an international stabilisation force. Even those governments that publicly criticise Israel for not moving fast enough avoid making any concrete commitments.

The situation is further complicated by Turkey's claim to play a role in Gaza's security architecture. The government in Jerusalem rejects this for one simple reason: Ankara's close support for Hamas makes a Turkish contribution to stabilisation unacceptable. A state that has provided refuge for leading Hamas cadres for years cannot be a guarantor of peace in Gaza.

Egypt also used the forum to draw a clear line. Under no circumstances will Cairo allow the border crossing at Rafah to serve merely as an exit point for Gazans to migrate to other countries. Egypt's position is unambiguous: any opening of the border must work both ways. The country does not want to become an instrument of regional population displacement. The fact that some Israeli government officials have publicly considered over the past two years that Gazans could leave for third countries thus remains politically ineffective.

Meanwhile, expectations are growing in Arab capitals that Israel must actively allow the next phase to proceed and not ‘extend’ the ceasefire. The fact that Jerusalem needs a credible security solution before taking any further steps remains largely unspoken in these debates. The region demands stability in Gaza, while at the same time shying away from its crucial responsibility – its own involvement.

This creates a vacuum that the American government increasingly has to fill. President Donald Trump will have to become more involved in the talks if the politically appealing consensus reached in Doha is to become a real structure. One thing is certain: without an international force that acts credibly, professionally and independently, any vision of a stable Gaza will remain mere rhetoric. And as long as key players avoid taking responsibility, Israel will have to protect the security interests of its population itself. The region may regret this situation, but it cannot ignore it.
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