Strong in Him said:

That doesn't alter the fact that when Jesus spoke of his return in Matthew 24 he used the analogy of a thief in the night.

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Please write out where Jesus mentions His Return in Matthew 24:36-44
We know His 'coming' in fiery wrath, He will not be seen. Hab 3:4, Psalms 18:11 and He remains in His Holy Temple in heaven, Psalms 11:4-6

It is obvious that the event that comes unexpectedly, is not the Glorious Return. Those Christians taken to the place of safety on earth, Rev 12:14, only need to mark off 1260 days to know when Jesus will Return.

Servus said:

That's going too far and overdoing it.

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Glad you've found your line.

Changing Biden's photo to an autopen didn't quite do it.

Strong in Him said:

Yes.
But if you told the average non Christian that Jesus wasn't returning for 15-20 years, they would think they could put off making a decision. Especially if they were young and had no thought of dying; that's what I'm saying.

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Not very smart. Death can come to anyone at any time.

Strong in Him said:

How could someone make a covenant with another person/party if that person/party was nowhere near ready to make a covenant?
Sounds to me like you think it's conditional; that we have to do something to earn it.

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The condition is; that we gather and live in the Holy Land. THEN Jesus will appear to His faithful Christian peoples and make the new Covenant.
2 Thess 1:10, Revelation 14:1
That the NC is not yet made, is proved by Hebrews 8:10-12 being unfulfilled. The Blessings to follow it, which you fail to address.
Also stated in Jeremiah 31:31-34, in the context of the Lords faithful people being gathered into the Holy Land. Jeremiah 31:8

Strong in Him said:

He said "this is my blood OF the new covenant," not "in anticipation of the new covenant".

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A Covenant was not made with the 12 Disciples. We have Communion in our Church services as a remembrance of Jesus Sacrifice.
The Disciples are all gone; the NC must be made between Jesus and living people. Ezekiel 34:25 says it, in the context of His people in the Holy Land, a Covenant for their peace and prosperity.

Strong in Him said:

Millions who were/have been affected by 2 world wars, Tsunamis, the pandemic etc, would disagree.

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Those things are just the birth pangs of the new age to come. That they are getting closer together, is a sign of the immanence of the end.
They are not worldwide, as the Flood was [maybe just the area of human habitation at that time] but the Day of the Lords wrath will cover all the earth. Zephaniah 3:8, Revelation 6:12-17

Strong in Him said:

THE event will be the return of Jesus.

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How can anyone say that? It means you dismiss all the Prophecy from now until the Return and force into a one day event.
Simply crazy and a total abrogation of most of the Bible.

Strong in Him said:

"that's ok, no one believed the prophets either."

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Another truth, proved correct by Daniel 12:10b and Matthew 11:25-26

Brightfame52 said:

Water Baptism has nothing to do with Jesus giving repentance.

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peace in Jesus name

fhansen said:

Well, I'm not sure what good specificity would do first of all if one is opposed to the idea of social justice at the outset. But, ok, though some of these we're already offered: we specifically oppose slavery first of all as an evil that must be stopped, without regard to any reparations or who may've caused it, etc. Likewise for human trafficking, starvation, genocide, domestic and child abuse, discrimination based on race or gender, and maintain that it's the duty of mankind to fight these issues using whaterever availalble resources might apply to the particular need: churches, religious orders, relief agenceis, sometimes police, military, etc.

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I don't know of any Christian church or organization that is afraid to talk about these things. I want to share my sincere concerns with "social justice" as a modern concept. I would hope that you read this carefully and respond to the concerns. Please do not write it off as a fear of talking about social justice.

My thoughts on social justice
I want to offer a concern—not about justice itself, which Scripture clearly affirms—but about the way “social justice” is often used as a broad, undefined category in Christian discussion.

One of the pitfalls of this language is that it can blur biblical categories. In Scripture, justice is grounded in the character of God and tied closely to righteousness, mercy, repentance, and covenant faithfulness. In modern usage, however, social justice can mean many different things, often shaped more by contemporary political or ideological frameworks than by Scripture. When Christians adopt the term uncritically, biblical concepts like sin, grace, reconciliation, and redemption can quietly be replaced by categories such as power, oppression, and identity.

Another danger is moral reductionism. The Bible recognizes unjust systems, but it never treats injustice as merely structural. Jesus consistently locates the root of evil in the human heart (Mark 7:20–23). When injustice is framed only in systemic terms, personal repentance and the need for grace are minimized, and the gospel can be reduced to activism rather than transformation.

There is also a risk of substituting discipleship with causes. Doing good works is essential to Christian faith, but it is possible to confuse moral action with reconciliation to God. Jesus rebuked those who emphasized certain forms of justice while neglecting faithfulness to God Himself (Matt. 23:23). Justice matters—but it must flow from devotion to Christ, not replace it.

This raises an important question: Is social justice the main thrust of Christ’s mission?
The answer, I believe, is no—though justice is certainly not irrelevant.

Jesus is clear about why He came: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), to reconcile sinners to God (1 Pet. 3:18), and to inaugurate the kingdom of God through repentance and faith. While His teaching has profound ethical and social implications, He consistently refuses to reduce His mission to political or social reform. His kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36), and lasting justice flows outward from transformed hearts, not imposed structures.

The early church followed this pattern. They proclaimed Christ crucified, practiced generosity and mercy, cared for the poor, and lived as a holy people within a broken society—without attempting to engineer a worldly utopia through power.

A healthier Christian framing may be this: justice is not the gospel, but the fruit of it. We are called to love God and neighbor, to do justice and love mercy, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). When justice is biblically defined, rooted in the gospel, practiced personally, and held together with mercy and truth, it reflects Christ rather than replacing Him.

Keeping Christ at the center guards both our theology and our witness.

essentialsaltes said:

Trump signs executive order easing marijuana restrictions by reclassifying drug​

The order will move the drug from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Trump signs executive order easing marijuana restrictions by reclassifying drug

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

abcnews.go.com

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Credit where credit is due. Good job Trump. I agree with this decision.

Where Did Christmas Come From?

World Scope Encyclopedia (1960 vol.3) states, "Christmas, the festival observed by the Christian Church on the 25th day of December in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. No certain knowledge of the birthday of Jesus Christ exists and its observance was not established until some time after the organization of the first churches. The 25th day of December was advocated by Julius 1, Bishop of Rome from 337 to 352, as the most suitable time to commemorate the birth of Christ. The day was finally placed on December 25th, which made it possible for all nations to observe a festival of rejoicing that the shortest day of the year has passed. The end of December was an especially significant time in the northern hemisphere. Days were short; nights long. The sun was at its lowest point. This called for the celebration of special festivals of thanksgiving and encouragement to the waning sun. When at the winter solstice in late December, the days began to lengthen once again, there was great festivity lasting into the first part of January. The reason was that the declining sun---the light of the world--had been reborn and began to gain in strength. Moreover, the newly converted peoples found it convenient to get a kind of substitute for their original celebrations of the solstice ". The birth of Jesus the Christ was assigned the date of December 25th, because on this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra (the Persian's Sun God) celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun).

The history book a Pictorial History of the Italian People states, "Saint Gregory was repelled by Graeco-Roman civilization and, paradoxically, did more than anyone else to facilitate the absorption of pagan residues into Italian Christianity. Through that process of absorption, any paganism hostile to Christianity remaining in Italian rural communities faded away".

The simple fact is that, as more and more people from throughout the Western Roman Empire became converted to an increasingly popular Christianity, they brought many of their favorite customs with them. "The pagan [winter festivals of the] Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence... The pagan festival with its riot and merrymaking was so popular that Christians were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit or in manner... Christians of Mesopotamia accused their western brethren of idolatry and sun-worship for adopting as Christian this pagan festival. Yet the festival rapidly gained acceptance and became at last so firmly entrenched that even the Protestant revolution of the sixteenth century was not able to dislodge it..." (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume III, article "Christmas.") You see this going on in churches today. Churches are constantly recruiting new members from other denominations and they often bring some aspect of their previous church to the new one. If you notice, many Christians today celebrate the Roman Catholic tradition of Lent. Historically, Lent, was not celebrated by Protestant churches.

peter2 said:

Yet, she also was surprised at 12 years old Jesus' reply, when they find him in the Temple

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Surprised how? Surely you're not saying that being clairvoyant is a preternatural gift.

Kathleen30 said:

It’s not a light thing to make such false accusations.. that’s all I say

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Yet you continue to double down on your false accusation that I claimed the Orthodox Church never accepted geocentrism. Perhaps you should remove the beam from your own eye.

Lukaris said:

In the overall chapter of John 10:1-42, the Lord speaks of being the good shepherd in John 10:14. This was during Chanukah ( the dedication) of when the Temple was cleansed by the Maccabeans ( John 10:22-23). It seems possible that at least a few shepherds may have tended their sheep at this time. I believe Chanukah ( as is Passover or “Easter”) is on a lunar calendar which is why it shifts on our solar calendar. The date is fixed on the lunar calendar at 25th of the month “Chislev”. This day is recorded in 2nd Maccabees 10:5 ( the month of Chislev was known as “Casleu” in the KJV): See 2 Maccabees 10:1-10.

2 Maccabees chapter 10 KJV (King James Version)

2 Maccabees chapter 10 KJV (King James Version)

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Why is a pagan association made with the tradition of the date of the Lord’s Nativity when He fulfilled the exact opposite? The opposite being the Temple being rededicated from a pagan abomination.

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Nice try, but the feast of dedication is totally different from Christmas Pagan festival. I'm going to post a history of where Christmas came from.

Kind of

ARBITER01 said:

Lol, chatgpt is arguing with chatgpt.

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I had a laugh at that, too. But it's really a matter of misusing the tool. If he got answers that support his view, then he's asking it leading questions. I warned him that the AIs are programmed to cater and encourage. It doesn't matter what you're researching or trying to write about. It will help you accomplish your goal to the best of its ability.

If, however, you want accurate responses, you have to provide clean evidence and neutrality. It will tell you straight if you're not encouraging it to pat you on the back.

rjs330 said:

I am a Bible scholar with a degree in Biblical literature. So, you won't dissuade me from the divine truth contained within its pages. The Bible is the most supported ancient manuscript in the world. And whatever liberal philosophy you may have and use to try and cast doubt on its veracity and authority are useless spitting into tye wind.

I am well aware of all the issues that people love to discuss. And quite often the motive for many is to cast doubt upon its divine truth. Yes understanding some of the culture of the time can be important. And if you really study scripture you can see where even the writers acknowledge cultural issues as such. That does not negate the divine universal truth and teachings within.

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And I'm a rocket scientist. First, since most of the volume of scripture passed off as "support" is late as the church had scribes sit there and make copies of copies of scripture day in and day out for years, doesn't mean much. Second. The scripture you provide proves my point. It's a contextual apologetic from day one because the things promised to come to fruition never occurred. Still hasn't. So given the context of being mocked, a day becomes a thousand years to justify events to never come. It's no different than today with the invention of “double prophecy” because the prophecy as read and understood in context never happened either.

zelosravioli said:

But either way - even those who looked upon the corpses of Daniel 11 did not see corpses that were conscious or withering in torture - the corpses were DEAD

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I mean, if they weren't literally dead, then I just don't see why they would have been referred to as corpses in the first place.

Servus said:

There were such high hopes that Jack Smith would bring about Trump's downfall. What a disappointment.

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With any luck, Trump can stand trial after his term is over.

Kathleen30 said:

Where did you ever mention Aristarchus in your post 48 or anywhere else in this post on that matter. You didn't’.

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I included a link to Wikipedia in the text of my post regarding how long heliocentrism has been a consideration.

Always in His Presence said:

Pssst… he is still guilty
He is still a felon

It was not a pardon.

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Then why provide an apologetic of some unknown white house official arguing his wrongful conviction?
Trump pardoned yet another con man, seeing he can relate to con men.
And now that Trump has he has yet again gave difference the victimizing over the victims.

Trump signs executive order easing marijuana restrictions by reclassifying drug​

The order will move the drug from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Once again you fail to recognize that my proposal would allow individual jurisdictions (especially in North and South America) to adopt the Gregorian paschalion voluntarily. Jerusalem and Mount Athos could still use the Julian Paschalion if they wanted to.

BPPLEE said:

Anti-liberal Democrat?
That's not something I see often.
More power to you

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power = being anti-(liberal Democrat) in life.

They ruined the chaplain corp and made them less about God and more secular. They added lesser known new age and Muslim pastors and others. Less about Jesus and evangelization.

Postvieww said:

Both were lawfare by liberal activists with a get Trump in any way possible attitude and motivation.

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They both resorted to facts and the law.

Trump is the lawfare expert - he's practiced it all his life and continues to this day.

‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women