The Liturgist said:

Roman Emperors did not historically wear blue - they wore a purple Toga or the Toga Pretexta, but by the time of the Hagia Sophia that would have been out of fashion for some time.

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There are plenty of icons with either red, purple, or both, with clear imperial embroiderment. Just do a Google search.

In this particular case, it looks somewhere between blue and purple. It can be the picture quality, the shape and style of the mosaic itself. But in any case, you can see underneath he has finely embroidered Byzantine vesture, and overall it is not working class attire.

Chesterton said:

Symbolically there could be something Satanic to that.

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There probably is, considering that Muhammed was obviously, at least to begin with, under the influence of a fallen angel impersonating St. Gabriel the Archangel. And alas since his only contact with Christianity had been with an Arian heretic, he was not equipped to realize how he was being misled. I suspect this was also the basis for the later “Satanic Verses” controversy - clearly, as demons tend to do according to the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, and the Orthodox lives of the saints, he was abandoned, and not knowing what to say, uttered a Sura which confused his followers, only to retract it.

And regarding Muhammad’s personal life, well “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

David Hunter said:

What did you think?!!

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I thought it was great!

I watched the entire program!
There was so much talent on that stage ... I really wasn't expecting such a professional performance.
They did a real swell job of celebrating the holiday with song, while keeping it all very 'groovy'!

The fact that all the performers are volunteers ...
and doing it for such a worthwhile cause ...
made it all even more *special*.

I have a 25 yo niece with Down Syndrome. So this year's concert beneficiary (Invited In Disability Ministry) speaks to my heart! My sister has always worked hard to keep my niece active and involved with others, so I know how important this type of ministry is. I hope they were able to raise alot of money for this very good cause.

It made for a fun nite, watching the concert livestream. Thanks again, for sharing the info.
It was nice of Grace Church to host the event this year.
(They shared that Grace is their favorite venue!)


P.S.
For anyone interested in listening to a very upbeat Christmas performance:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

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.​

​

​

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. ​

​

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

​

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.​

​

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

Should be stickied for reference.

Michie said:

A majority of pastors are now using artificial intelligence to prepare their sermons, with ChatGPT and Grammarly reported as the top two AI tools, new survey data shows.

"ChatGPT is the most visible generative AI tool that can engage in human-like conversations and assist with a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating content," researchers wrote in "The 2025 State of AI in the Church Survey Report" prepared by AiForChurchLeaders.comand Exponential AI NEXT.

“As the most popular AI tool among church leaders (26%), ChatGPT is being used for applications such as sermon preparation, research, and crafting church communications. Its versatility and ease of use make it a powerful asset for streamlining ministry work and sparking creative ideas."

The data, based on responses from 594 pastors and church staff members, shows that church leaders are now more concerned about "the weighty ethical and practical considerations involved" in the use of AI as they continue their rapid embrace of the technology.

Continued below.

Majority of pastors now using AI to prepare sermons amid rapid embrace of technology: study

A majority of pastors are now using artificial intelligence to prepare their sermons, with ChatGPT and Grammarly reported as the top two AI tools, new survey data shows

www.christianpost.com

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This is bad. What I have seen of AI so far is often blathering idiocy and often enough downright error.

I just finished reading an AI explanation of the difference between Vitamin C and ascorbic acid. It's pretty simple, actually in that they have the same exact chemical formula but Vitamin C is the left handed chiral form of ascorbic acid. The synthetic stuff comes in a mixture of right and left chiral forms. AI was lost in the fog trying to explain that.

I worry that AI will further confuse already confused pastors and spread that confusion to their people. That happened before AI but this takes even less effort with AI dishing out garbage.

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

DaisyDay said:

24 hours after birth. The problem as explained to me is that people can be silent carriers of the virus which can be passed through breaks in the skin such as scrapes, scratches and minor cuts. Infants who get infected are at high risk for liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and chronic liver problems. Unless everyone who is going to handle the baby is tested, then it is unknown what the actual risk is. The risk of the vaccine versus infection is heavily weighted towards the infection.

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No, you aren't a 'silent carrier', you're infected or your not. And again, all major European countries wait until 2 months or more (some even wait until adolescence)

CoreyD said:

That scripture didn't elude me. I did say God fights righteous war, but that doesn't make him a God of war.
He is called a God of peace Philippians 4:9. He engages in war in order to bring peace. Armageddon is the war to bring peace on earth, and there is a final war after the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

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He judges and makes war

d taylor said:

-

​

I wonder if that area was something she did not know how to resolve pictorially.

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I don't think she knew much about science other than their capabilities already exceeding their wisdom.

fhansen said:

The real problem is people in general. Even the holiest of us will be imperfect relative to God. So some degree of corruption or compromise will always prevail here on this earth. But does that mean we should just give up and isolate ourselves?

Humans are both individual and social beings. Our relationship with God is individual but also corporate as the Body, with a unity, also yet imperfect in this life, that we were created to have.

So do we ignore injustice in this world, or, alternatively, simply depend on the goodwill of believers to somehow prevent or rectify injustices? Or, instead, does a just socieity unite together under some model of government and legislate against immoral behavior such as, say murder? Or against the excesses that capitalists might go to maximize profits, including the exploitation of labor, creation of monopolies, etc? Anyway, as long as people are involved there can be no perfect political or governmental system; they're all compromises that we must nonetheless use in order to promote the common good, hopefully guided by Christian principles to the best we can.

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Well again, since Christ did say to give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, then that’s how I expect Christians to solve politics. Of course there is some confusion as to who is actually Caesar, but that’s just coming from ignorance.

Just saw this...sure, I'll be glad to pray for you both. Just remember when it comes to adversity: God may not have brought you to it, but He is faithful to get you through it!

But man is obsessed with making everything in our own image, mini gods that we are.

Ah well God has raised many a fine mighty warriors in the Bible.

They were let in after the floods in 2010. Sixteen years is more than enough Temporary Protected Status. The question to be asked is why so long?

rambot said:

My biggest question mark is whether or not that money would be shieded from guardians.

I mean, if parents can't afford groceries for a month, suddenly that investment money seems like a necessity.

It seems odd to save for a retirement when you can BARELY afford to live for the next week.

Again, it seems like a positive idea....

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No worrries on this. "Generally, it’s not possible to withdraw Trump account funds before age 18. But there are limited exceptions, including certain rollovers, distribution upon death and for excess contributions, according to the IRS." https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/05/trump-accounts-free-money.html

For those following the Dell donations will provide an extra 250 dollars to qualified children. Also there is 250 dollars going to children born before jan 1, 2025 that are under the age of 10 if I read this correctly.

AV1611VET said:

Ray Palmer

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AV, that is the only post of yours that I will call legitimately funny.

timewerx said:

Thanks, are you saying they're just sensitive to the Holy Spirit in a different way and they're just reacting differently to the same spirit? I hope you're right.

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I think that's true for some of them. I also think some of them are pretending to fit in or acting it out hoping to fake it until they make it.

I think some people need or want a more emotional experience and they tie that in with movement and interaction to the Holy Spirit.

I need calm, steady, quiet interactions. I think to some extent the Lord interacts with us in ways that we can receive and understand.

But I also question the validity of what they do and expect from others when comparing what they say and do with examples given to us in the Bible and what that might mean.

I do firmly believe there is nothing wrong with me in that regard. I think there probably isn't anything wrong with you either.

Here is the footage of the destruction of the camera in a video clip. (The original camera has been taken off line.)

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Another news report:

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A few short clips, starting with the break-up of the south cone:

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All three Persons of the Trinity are the Ancient of Days. In Daniel's vision, it's God the Father.

Yttrium said:

I've been reading lately about suggestions to denaturalize legal immigrants. The Trump administration has already been working on revoking green cards and deporting legal immigrants in certain cases. I'd like to know what people around here thing about this, and specifically how far the government should be able to go.

Should the government be able to denaturalize legal immigrants if they've committed crimes in the US? Or for any reason at all? For that matter, should the government be able to revoke the citizenship of citizens born in the US and deport them? Although discussion of babies born in the US of illegal immigrants would deserve another thread, I wouldn't consider it to be off topic here.

Personally, I am currently against denaturalization unless fraud was committed during the application process (as per 8 U.S.C. Section 1451). As far as I'm concerned, once you're a citizen, you remain a citizen unless you voluntarily move out and revoke your citizenship.

Now, this isn't meant as a criticism of the Trump administration. They're exploring the legality of denaturalization, and that's fine. I would just hope that they run into a hard legal wall.

MSN

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I would say that it depends on the crime and how many offenses they’re committing. I’m not sure but if they’ve renounced their citizenship in their previous country then I don’t know where the US government could deport them to. I don’t think the US government can just drop them off in a country that they are not a citizen of, so I’m not sure how that would work.

WordSword said:

I believe the Law for the Jews passed away "when all was fulfilled" by the Lord Jesus (Mat 5:18); when He said, "It is finished" (Jhn 19:30), He fulfilled all the Law. Jesus and His disciples taught the Law until His ascension!

The Law was for the Jews and nobody else. Even after His ascension I believe the Jews continued in the law until Rome destroyed the second Temple (40 years after His ascension), after which there could be no more sacrifices nor any ceremonies. The Jews no longer have a Covenant with God but are to receive a "New Covenant" latter (Jer 31:31-33; Eze 36:24-27). This Covenant will still involve new "statutes, judgments, ordinances and Law.

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Jesus did fulfill the Law, He was prophesized to magnified it Isa 42:21 which means makes larger, not smaller and He gave examples of this right from the Ten Commandments Mat5:19-30 relating with thoughts of anger that lead up to breaking the commandment of thou shalt not murder. If our heart is changed, the actions would be changed and thou shalt not murder would be kept. I find it odd that Jesus would come so we can now worship other gods or murder our neighbor. This is a man-made teaching, nothing Jesus taught, why He said not to break the least of these commandments Mat5:19 and doing so I would consider His warning because it shows our heart is still in the flesh Rom8:7-8 instead of walking and abiding in Him John15:10 John14:15-18

The New Covenant is the location of His Laws changing- from tablets of stone (Ten Commandments Deut4:13) to tablets of the heart 2Cor3:3 Heb8:10 God keeping His promise of not altering His words Psa89:34 not a jot or tittle Mat5:18 God’s Laws are not the issue they are perfect Psa19:7 and holy Rom7:12 the issue is man and our harden heart, rebelling against the law of God. Rom 8:7-8 Heb3:7-19. Why the NC is established on better promises Heb 8:6 not all new laws, it has God’s law Heb8:10 just placed in the NC believers heart. We need to enter into His covenant promise through faith, having our Fathers Laws written in our heart obeying Him through faith and love Exo20:6 John14:15 which reconciles us Rev22:14

Michie said:

Pastor and bestselling author John Piper recently addressed how Christians should view their body image without falling into a state of dishonor when it comes to obsession with one's own outward appearance.

In an episode of the podcast "Ask Pastor John," posted to the Desiring God website last Thursday, an unnamed listener asked whether it was "sinful to enjoy how I look as I continue this healthy routine."

“I know it's good to be healthy, as it gives me more energy and makes me feel better day-by-day, but I don't want to fall back into obsession or dishonor God with my focus," the listener noted.

"I understand He should be first in all things, including my fitness. But if I notice my body changing, is that wrong? And if so, how can I turn away from that?"

Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church for over 30 years, encouraged listeners to reject statements like, "I enjoy how I look," or "Is it OK to notice how I look?" when talking about one's own appearance.

"Even though both of those sentences might be totally innocent in general, that way of talking is going to go hand in hand with a perception — maybe not a reality, but a perception — that this person is a little excessively concerned about personal appearance, even if that's not true," Piper said.

Continued below.

Should Christians obsess over body image? John Piper answers

Pastor and bestselling author John Piper recently addressed how Christians should view their body image without falling into a state of dishonor when it comes to obsession with one s own outward

www.christianpost.com

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The Patristic answer would be no, as anyone who has read The Sayings of the Desert Fathers can attest. This also corresponds with what St. Paul wrote.

Michie said:

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven

www.christianpost.com

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The answer is yes - both through Baptism as an infant (ideally followed immediately by Chrismation and the Eucharist as in the Eastern praxis; we do not refuse our children the Eucharist until the age of 7) and also of their own accord.

For example, St. Abanoub is venerated as a great martyr in the Coptic Orthodox church - he was orphaned when his parents died of natural causes, became a Christian, and was martyred at age 12 during the Diocletian persecution.