#I LEFT AT 7:56 INSTEAD OF BEFORE 7!!!! JESUS CHRIST!!!

[spaghett-onaplate]

Oh I IMMENSELY fucked up this morning now I'm gonna be almost an hour late to work 😭

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

13th August >> Mass Readings (USA)

Thursday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

    or 

Saints Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs.

Thursday, Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading

Ezekiel 12:1-12

You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on.

The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.

I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my baggage as though it were that of an exile, and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden.

Then, in the morning, the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, ask you what you were doing? Tell them: Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel within it. I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole he has dug out in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,

and kept not his decrees.

They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;

they recoiled like a treacherous bow.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

They angered him with their high places

and with their idols roused his jealousy.

God heard and was enraged

and utterly rejected Israel.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

And he surrendered his strength into captivity,

his glory in the hands of the foe.

He abandoned his people to the sword

and was enraged against his inheritance.

R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Gospel Acclamation

Psalm 119:135

Alleluia, alleluia.

Let your countenance shine upon your servant

and teach me your statutes.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 18:21–19:1

I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

——————————-

Saints Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs 

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Thursday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First reading

1 Peter 4:12-19

Rejoice to the extent you share in the sufferings of Christ.

Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name. For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the Gospel of God?

And if the righteous one is barely saved,

where will the godless and the sinner appear?

As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R/ Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Had not the Lord been with us –

when men rose up against us,

Then would they have swallowed us alive

when their fury was inflamed against us.

R/ Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;

The torrent would have swept over us;

over us then would have swept

the raging waters.

R/ Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Broken was the snare,

and we were freed.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

R/ Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Te Deum

Alleluia, alleluia.

We praise you, O God,

we acclaim you as Lord;

the white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 15:18-21

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Mon.,May, 4, 2020

Virgin Pelagia of Tarsus

Saint Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord.

Emperor Diocletian’s heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia, was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage.

Pelagia’s reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy bishop told her to be baptized. Saint Pelagia traveled in a chariot to visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole retinue of servants, as her mother wished...keep reading OCA

Martyr Vassili Martysz

The holy New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz was born on February 20, 1874 in Tertyn, in the Hrubieszow region of southeastern Poland. His father Alexander was a judge in Molczyce near Pinsk. After his retirement, he was ordained a priest and became rector of a local parish.

EDUCATION

In 1884, at the age of ten, Vasily made a brief trip to New York with his father. His beautiful singing during a church service attracted the attention of Bishop Vladimir. The hierarch prophesied that young Vasily would become a priest, and promised that he would invite him to his diocese in America once he was ordained. After returning to his country, he remembered the bishop’s words, and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a priest. He began his theological education at the seminary in Chelm, where the rector was Bishop Tikhon (Belavin), the future Patriarch of Moscow.

Immediately after graduating in July 1899, Vasily married Olga Nowik, and was ordained a deacon. On December 10, 1900 he was ordained a priest. That same month he left Breman for America. The young couple expected to be assigned to a parish in New York, but instead he was appointed to a parish in Alaska. Together with the newly-appointed Bishop Tikhon, he began his missionary service in the land of Saint Herman.

AMERICA

Orthodoxy had arrived in Alaska with the coming of the monastic mission from Valaam in 1794. At the start of the twentieth century, climatic and social conditions in this vast territory remained difficult. In his pastoral work, Father Vasily met Russian settlers and indigenous inhabitants of the region, Eskimos and Aleuts. He also encountered gold rush pioneers quite often..

Father Vasily’s first parish was extensive. He was headquartered on Afognak, but he was also responsible for the people on Spruce and Woody Islands near Kodiak. There were several small wooden chapels scattered on these islands. In 1901, as a result of his efforts, the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin was built at Afognak. Although the village was completely destroyed in the earthquake and tidal wave of 1964, the church building survives to this day.

Because of the long distances and severe climate, Father Vasily’s priestly work was extremely difficult and required many sacrifices. Often he would leave home for several weeks, in order to celebrate the services, to confess, baptize, marry the living, and to bury the dead, while traveling in a specially constructed kayak...keep reading OCA

Acts :6:8 - 7:5,47-60 NKJV

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

8 And Stephen, full of [a]faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.

Footnotes:

Acts 6:8 NU grace

7:5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.

7 But Solomon built Him a house.

48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:

49 ‘Heavenis My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? 50 Has My hand not made all these things?’

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

51 “You stiff-necked[a] and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

54 When they heard these things they were [b]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Footnotes:

Acts 7:51 stubborn

Acts 7:54 furious

John 4:46-54 NKJV

A Nobleman’s Son Healed

46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain [a]nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.

54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Footnotes:

John 4:46 royal official

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. 

Source Biblegateway

[the-christian-walk]

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater, son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Acts 20:1-12

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The matter of resurrection is central to the New Testament and the Gospel it represents.

We first see it in Jesus as He ministered to others in the three years before His death was cut short by an injustice manifested by the Jewish religious authorities in Jerusalem. In Luke’s Gospel, we read about the first two of the three resurrections performed by Jesus. He first brought the only son of a widow named Nain back to life (Luke 7:11-17) and later resurrected the daughter of a synagogue leader named Jairus back to life (Luke 8:40-56). Then in John’s Gospel, we find Jesus bring his good friend Lazarus back to life in Bethany.

All this was followed by the greatest resurrection act of all in the Bible when Jesus, who had been crucified and buried in a tomb, was brought from death to life by the almighty power of His Almighty Father God before ascending into the heavens where He was placed in full authority over everything.

And then in the study of the Book of Acts, you will find a couple more resurrection moments.

First, we find Peter resurrect a woman named Dorcas while visiting the coastal city of Joppa (Acts 9:46-53). And then there is the miraculous work of the Apostle Paul found in the opening verses of chapter 20. Look again at those words here:

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater, son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. Acts 20:1-12

As the chapter opens, we find Paul departing Ephesus after a near riot broke. You’ll recall from yesterday’s message that Gaius and Aristarchus, two of Paul’s companions, were hauled into the city’s main theater by craftsmen who had invested in and profited from the goddess Artemis. The men were upset because Paul was winning over many converts for Christianity and therefore, the number of people interested in Artemis inclined as did income generated by her name.

After saying goodbye to the disciples in Ephesus, the scriptures tell us that Paul went on quite a road trip. He first went to Macedonia and spent time “speaking many words of encouragement to the people” as he traveled through the area on his way to Greece “where he stayed three months”. Then as he was about to leave Greece to sail for Syria, Paul received a tip that “some Jews had plotted against him” and so he returned to Macedonia and joined up with “Sopater, son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia”. These men “went on ahead” and waited for Paul at Troas.

What was Paul doing during that time?

We read where he “sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread” and then joined the others in Troas five days later. The entourage would remain in Troas for a week.

While there “on the first day of the week”, the group had joined together “to break bread” in an upstairs room. While there, the scriptures tell us that Paul “spoke to the people” and “kept on talking until midnight” because “he intended to leave the next day”.  

We read of one person who was in the upstairs room, “a young man named Eutychus” who was sitting in a window, a precarious place to be as he sank “into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on”. As he drifted off, he fell out the window from the third story of the building and died. It was a scene steeped in terrible tragedy and no doubt caused everyone’s spirits to drop into deep shock and immediate grief.

But the young man’s story hadn’t ended just yet. For the scriptures tell us that Paul quickly descended from the third floor and raced to where the young man was. Throwing himself upon Eutychus’s body, Paul wrapped his arms around him and calmed the crowd proclaiming:

“Don’t be alarmed! He’s alive!”

And with that, Eutychus moved from death to life, heading back upstairs where he “broke bread and ate” while Paul continued “talking until daylight”. He then departed while the “people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”

Comfort and resurrection. They went together on that day in Troas and they continue to go together today.

For God so loved the world and everyone in it, that He made the way so that no one would have to perish. Rather, they could rise again from death to life through believing in His Son Jesus as Savior.

This changed everything. For instead of a death leading to finality and the deep sorrow of loss, it is overridden by the great joy that comes in celebrating life, the life that was and the new resurrected life that has just begun.

Thanks be to God for this gift of eternal life through Jesus and the peace it brings, not just to the Christian believer but those who love and care for them.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com

[ftpthemovement]

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love - 1 John 4:18

This is one of the biggest statements in the Bible when it comes to a person walking their faith out through action and in truth. I’ve personally never heard a more clear cut answer to how we have been called to operate as followers of Christ. Could you imagine what living a life without fear would actually look like? Have you ever took the time to break down what fear actually is and why it should not exist in your daily life?

Fear by definition is: “An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

Almost daily I hear a comment come up about fear. During my time with FTP it has become a reoccurring theme of in the lives of people that I encounter. I would go so far as saying it is the number one problem I have seen people have over and over again. It keeps them from stepping out of their comfort zone, it keeps them from taking risks, it keeps them from serving God in accordance to his will for their life. But to put it in the words of Franklin Roosevelt, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

If we as servants of Christ have been called to love, we can not operate in a spirit of faith and fear at the same time. The lack of faith produces the fear, and fear cannot produce the proper responses of love. Fear makes you unproductive, ineffective, and inefficient when it comes to the word of God. Why? Because fear teaches selfishness, and the word of God reaches selflessness. The only fear that we should have is fear of the Lord! That means to hate what he hates, and love what he loves. That’s being in accordance with his will, so that you will be productive in finishing the works to which you have been called.

The Bible says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7 Thats the opposite of what we see in the world when we turn on our tv. That’s often times the opposite of what I hear people saying they feel like in a regular basis. So, what’s stopping us from walking in Gods spirit at all times? The scripture says, that fear comes from punishment. The bi-product of fear is punishment, and the one who operates in a spirit of fear is someone that has not been perfected in love. If you have not been perfected in love and that’s what God has choose for you to represent to others, why do you choose to live in fear of man over fear of God? The odd answer is still punishment.

Instead of being ineffective in spirit, why not take ownership of your mission and calling of God through the finished works of Jesus Christ? If you truly belive that Christ died for your sins past, present, and future, then why do you still walk around in fear of punishment? Christ himself took on all of our sins and God through the memory of them as far as east is from west. Our transgressions are remembered no more! If God himself doesn’t remember, what excuse do you have for still walk in them? Excuses are void when you are employed by God to represent him through Christ Jesus. You do not have the time to allow what is old to be apart of what’s new. Your sin debt was due, and Jesus payed the price that you couldn’t pay, so he made a way for you to have life and life more abundantly. He did so by laying his life down for you as example for you to lay your life down for others. But you can’t operate in a spirit of fear and and faith at the same time.

This is why God gave you the Holy Spirit. It’s says in scripture that the spirit and the flesh are always at war keeping you from doing what it is you want to do. If our natural temptation is fear, God always provides a way out of temptation so that you may endure it. (These two verses can be found in Galatians 5:17 and 1 Cor 10:13) So, ultimately we are void of excuse when we stand before God on the day of judgment. Though we have moved from death to life through Christ, we are still called to follow Christ. Those that love him will walk as he walked, and Christ did not walk in a spirit of fear.

In my studies I’ve read that the only two natural fears you were ever born with were the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. Anything else has been taught by man! As scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man that leads to death,” well fear is that way, and the world is full of it. When we fear we have a lack faith. When we lack fait , you lack belief in God and in yourself. That means you have no reason to continue in route. When you choose not to continue, you become unproductive and lack the ability to take risk. When the risk is gone so is the reward, and most of us are left living a hollow self serving life oof bitterness, resentment, depression, gossip, and deceit.

So how do we change it? Taking the word of God and putting it into action:

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Psalms 118:6

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Proverbs 29:25

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalms 56:3-4

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. Proverbs 19:23

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them Psalms 34:7

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:14

I’d suggest copy and pasting these into reminders on your phone, on the hour of every hour. Seem a bit much? What do you think the cost is of living in another unproductive second of fear? Do as you want, but I personally have had reminders set for years. It’s like getting a personal text from the word of God going, “Hey, I know you’re at war right now, but remover I’m here, even if you forgot about me.” I can’t tell you how many times I forgot that I set those reminders, and they popped up at just the right time.

So many people will choose to ignore sound advice and walk into their own perils. Many of you might read half of this, and never make it to the bottom. For the ones that do, you’re left with a decision to make. Are you going to operate in a spirit of fear or a spirit of faith?

I pray today a prayer of blessing and courage rest on you and your household. That the spirit of God send boldness into your heart and in doing so, you step out of your comfort zone to serve God in all that you do. I believe everyone reading this message will receive divine courage, and confidence. I believe good report will be sent out into the world, and that the word of God will be made manifest in ways never seen before in the times. You will be blessed in all that you do, putting Hod first in all of your ways, for all of your days. In Jesus precious and Holy a name. So it is so.

If you read this message please shoot me a text or a message on social media an just leave #IChooseLife

Means more than you know! Grace and peace be with you in abundance. -ES

[sirtravisjacksonoftexas]

Is Jesus a Mythical figure based on the Norse god Thor? Um, NO, and here is why:

Thor, Son of the god Odin and the goddess Fjorgyn (aka Jord, aka Hilodyn), was the Norse god of Thunder. He flew on a bronze chariot pulled by two goats (Tanngnost and Tanngrisnir), and battled frost giants, creating thunder whenever he struck one with his hammer Mjollnir (though some sources state that it was caused by his chariot rumbles). 

Though eventually becoming the sworn enemy of Loki, god of fire, Thor’s greatest nemesis was with Loki’s child Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent (due to the fact that it was so big that it encircled the earth). Eventually, Thor and Jormungand would one day clash at Ragnarok, the Norse battle of Armageddon. There, Thor will finally get his wish and slay the Midgard Serpent, only to perish in the venom that flows from its body. Though not the King of the gods (a title reserved for Odin only), Thor was nevertheless the strongest of the gods and more beloved by Norse farmers and Icelandic colonists (while the Viking raiders put more emphasis on Odin).  

But was he more than just the Norse God of Thunder?

Was he the basis for Jesus Christ?  

Let’s look at their “parallels” and see why this is a thick-headed idea:

1. Incarnate god?

No. He was never incarnated as a human.

 2. Trinity?

No. In the Temple of Uppsala, there was supposedly a statue of him along two others (one of Freyr and another of Odin), but this doesn’t mean that they were a trinity. They were simply three gods put together. Indeed, the idea that there were three such statues in the temple has been called into question. Thor was never considered part of a Trinity. 

3. Son of God?

Yes, but not in the same way. While Thor was the son of Odin, Jesus is God the Son, a part of the trinity of God that existed long before he was born into the world as a human being. God did bring about his conception by divine power and thus makes Jesus a “Son of God” (Luke 1:135), but he existed in the infinite past (John 1:1-3).  

4. Born of a Virgin?No, Odin and Fjorgyn had sex. 

5. Born of a union of Heaven and Earth?

Thor’s father was the sky god Odin (also the personification of the sky). His mother, Fjorgyn, is an earth goddess. Thus, he is the product of a union of Heaven and Earth.

Though Jesus existed in spirit long before he was born (John 1:1-3), his conception came about because God used his powers to conceive him in Mary’s womb. Heavenly god, earthly woman, together conceiving God the Son incarnate, a product of a union of Heaven and earth. Of course, this union was not sexual in nature (Luke 1:26-37), but then again, not all such unions in ancient religions and myth were said to be sexual in nature. For example, the first man Adam was made out of the dust of the earth, and later brought to life when God breathed the “breath of life” into him (Genesis 2:7). Animals were likewise made in this fashion (Genesis 2:19, compare with Genesis 1:30, 7:14-16, 21-22). 

It is true that both Jesus and Thor are both, in a sense, a product of a union of heaven and earth, but…is this a good parallel?

Well, it’s a bit of a broad parallel. 

 As I mentioned, there are other figures in religious texts and world myth that are products of a union of heaven and earth.  Indeed, there are many. Adam and the first animals in the Bible are several Old Testament examples. The Titans, Hechantonchires (50 headed, hundred handed giants) and the primordial cyclopes were all likewise children of a union of heaven and earth. Specifically, their parents were a sky god (Ouranos (Roman Uranus) and an earth goddess (Gaia). Later, when their son Cronus castrated Ouranos, his blood fell on the earth, creating the Erinyes (Roman Furies), the Meliae (ash tree nymphs) and the Gigantes or giants, massive creatures who had enormous snakes for legs. 

Given this, can we really say that Jesus’s physical body, being a product of a union of Heaven and Earth, was based on Thor being a product of Heaven and Earth?

No.    

6. Star proclaimed his birth?

No.

7. Wisemen?

No. Odin would have no doubt visited him after he was born, and Odin was wise, but…to make a comparison between that and the Wisemen is one of the greatest stretches imaginable, especially considering the fact that none of the Wise Men were Jesus’ father. Indeed, they visited Jesus about 2 years after his birth, not on the night he was born (Matthew 2:1-16).  

8. Someone sought his life shortly after he was born?

No.

 9. Taught in a temple as a boy?

No.

 10. Baptized?

No.

 11. Tempted by the Devil?

Loki, the Norse Equivalent of the Devil, at times got Thor into predicaments and brought him misery, but he never tempted him.

 12. Miracle worker?

All gods were, big deal.

 13. Turned water into wine?

No.

 14. Multiplied bread and fish?

No.

 15. Walked on water?

No.

 16. Healed the sick?

No.

17. Raised the dead?

Thor’s hammer could raise animals from the dead. He would often kill and eat Tanngnost and Tanngrisnir, using his hammer to resurrect them afterwards (though their bones had to be intact for it to work). However, though his hammer had power over death to a certain extent, it could only resurrect animals, not human beings.

Jesus didn’t need a hammer.

18. Had power over storms? 

 Jesus did calm a storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25. Likewise, Thor, being the god of Thunder, had control over storms. However, there is an important difference; Thor had control over the storms because he is the god of Thunder, while Jesus had control over the storms because he, being God, is omnipotent (Matthew 19:26, compare with John 1:1-3, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:17, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1). Jesus is more than a Thunder God. 

He is the God of all. 

19. Cast out demons?

No, Thor never performed exorcisms.  

20. Betrayed? 

 Loki betrayed him on several occasions. Once, he cut off the hair of Thor’s wife Sif. Thor chased him down and nearly killed him. Indeed, he would have done so if Loki hadn’t vowed to get Sif some new hair. On another occasion, Loki convinced  Thor to leave both his hammer and belt of strength behind before they visited Geirrod the Frost Giant. Previously, Geirrod had once taken Loki prisoner. The fire god obviously didn’t want to die, so they made a deal; Loki would be spared if he agreed to bring Thor to Geirrod…without his hammer in tow. Thus, he would seemingly be defenseless when the Frost Giant made to kill him. However, along the way, Thor and Loki met Grid, a frost giantess who warned Thor about Geirrod’s intentions. 

Worried about him, she gave Thor several weapons, including an unbreakable staff and a strength belt of her own. These proved handy when he battled Geirrod, his daughters and his servants, slaying them all. Likewise, Jesus was betrayed by Judas for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16, 47-56). 

A parallel, right?

Not so much. 

 I mean, how many people, and how many people in religious texts where shown to be betrayed? How many characters of world myth were likewise betrayed? It’s a bit of a broad category, don’t you think? Look at the Bible alone: Jacob betrayed Esau (Genesis 27), only for Laban his father-in-law and Leah to betray him in turn in Genesis 29. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers (Genesis 37:12-36). God was betrayed by the Israelites whenever they turned to worship other gods, such as during the Golden Calf incident (Exodus 32). Delilah betrayed Samson, cutting off his hair so that the Philistines could capture him (Judges 16). Absalom, David’s son, betrayed his father by launching a rebellion against him (2 Samuel 15). 

I mean…really, folks? Really?

This would be a stronger parallel if Loki had betrayed Thor for money, but that’s not the case; he did it for kicks (Sif) and to save his life (Geirrod).

 21. Crucified?

No, Thor is destined to die by the venom of Jormungand.

 22. Death linked to a serpent?

As stated above, Thor is prophesied to die due to Jormungand’s venom. Right before this happens, Thor slays Jormungand with his hammer.

How does this supposedly parallel Christ?

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, God lays the hammer down on both them and the Serpent, who tempted Eve to eat it. He turns his attention first to the serpent, telling him that he is cursed above all animals, that he is to move on his belly and eat dust.

Then he says something startling in verse 15:

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

This is perplexing, since “Seed” was a euphemism for sperm in the ancient world. Since men have sperm and women don’t, one is left to wonder why the woman’s “seed” is mentioned here instead of man’s. True, some translations have “Offspring” instead of seed, but the Hebrew word translated here, Zera, primarily means seed and semen. It can also refer to offspring, but only by extension. This, among other reasons, is why this passage is considered a Messianic prophecy. After all, Jesus didn’t have an earthly father, but a Heavenly Father. Jesus was conceived by divine power working within Mary.

Thus “seed of a woman”.

This prophecy fits even more when we realize that Satan entered Judas, leading him to betray Christ (Luke 22:3-6, 47-53). As a result, Jesus was arrested and later died on the cross. However…he arose from the grave three days later, enabling mankind to accept him as Lord and Savior and thus have eternal life. Satan’s spiritual stranglehold on all mankind was over (see Colossians 1:13, Hebrews 2:14).

Can you say “backfire”?

Satan caused Christ’s death…which in turn destroyed Satan’s spiritual domination over the souls of men. Now people can escape his yoke if they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. By Jesus’ sacrifice, Satan was defeated.

Keep in mind; Satan is called “Serpent” on several occasions in the Bible (Revelation 12:9, 20:2). Contrary to popular opinion, the identification of the serpent with Satan is actually an ancient one (as indicated in the passages from Revelation cited above). Indeed, one ancient scroll, the “Visions of Amram”, depicts a “Prince of Darkness” in a serpentine fashion. Archeological evidence from ancient Israel shows that they depicted Seraphim angels as winged serpents (sometimes as just serpents). There is much evidence to show that the serpent in the Garden was in reality a powerful supernatural being whose appearance was serpent-like, indeed Satan himself.

Satan, who took on a serpentine fashion, bringing about Christ’s death, only to be defeated as a result, while Thor kills the world serpent, then succumbing to its venom. 

 This is a parallel for sure, but not a perfect one. Indeed, unlike Jormungand, Satan does die; he’s only defeated. He isn’t even shown to take a serpentine form when he enters Judas and gets him to betray Christ. There is a similarity here, but this reeks more of coincidence than of one borrowing from the other. 

Unless, of course, Its not Christians who are doing the borrowing…

Read on. 

23. Resurrected?

No, he is not to resurrect. You’re thinking of the Thor movie.

24. Rules over a future age?

No, his sons Magni and Modi  rule in a future age, along with several other gods.

 Not many similarities, are there?

Indeed, its highly likely that there were originally even less similarities than these. As I said in my previous article on the Norse god Balder, the oldest texts on Norse myths were written by Christian Norsemen in the dark ages, men who added biblical elements to them. I also noted that the Vikings added Christian elements to their faith centuries before this, even placing Jesus Christ into their pagan pantheon. Thus, if there was any borrowing…it was the other way around, the myth of Thor borrowing from the story of Christ in the Gospels. This doesn’t mean that Thor wasn’t worshipped as a God before the arrival of Christianity, or that the Norse were inspired by Christ to come up with Thor (he was worshipped long before Scandinavia was converted), but It does mean that the Norse myths were Christianized by Norse Christians. 

Thus, Thor wasn’t the inspiration for Christ.

Jesus wasn’t based on a hammer-wielding god of thunder. Jesus is God almighty. 

Sources:

“The Prose Edda” by Snorri Sturluson (Translated with introduction and notes by Jesse L. Byock), ix-xiv, 15, 73, 90-92

“The Poetic Edda” Translated by Lee M. Hollander (Second edition, Revised), ix-x

“The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology” by Arthur Coterrell and Rachel Storm, 46, 204, 216-17, 232, 234-37  

“Myths of the Norsemen From the Eddas and Sagas’ by H. A. Guerber, 38, 59-84, 329-39

https://www.ancient.eu/article/1305/nine-realms-of-norse-cosmology/

“Norse myths” By R.I. Page, 46

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Norse_Myths/ODbBmS8Ks-AC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Odin+Thor+Freyr+three&pg=PA46&printsec=frontcover

“The Vikings and Their Age” By Angus A. Somerville, R. Andrew McDonald,102-103

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Vikings_and_Their_Age/AA7YBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Odin+Thor+Freyr+three&pg=PA102&printsec=frontcover 

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1275.cfm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jord

“Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology”, 141-42, 157-58, 448-49

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_85.cfm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO13BSSjsYU&t=170s

“Clash of the Gods” Documentary Series, “Thor” episode.

“The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World” Documentary series by Professor Robert Garland, episode 38 (”Being a Viking Raider).

“The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World: Course Guidebook” by Professor Robert Garland, 261-62

“The Portable Seminary” by David Horton (General Editor), 93-95, 120, 124-146, 281

“Systematic Theology Volume Two: God, Creation” By Dr. Norman Geisler,597-99

https://sirtravisjacksonoftexas.tumblr.com/post/628627120722198529/was-jesus-a-mythical-figure-based-on-the-norse-god

https://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Ouranos.html

“Titans and Olympians: Greek and Roman Myth” by Tony Allan, Sarah Maitland and Dr Michael Trapp (consultant), 25-27

https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Erinyes.html 

“Does the Bible Predict the Future?” By Ralph O Muncaster, 14

“Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance: Second Edition” by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III, 820, 1401

[bldgrelationshipwgod]

Elijah, the Prayer Warrior

The book of Kings has shown us a long list of terrible kings in the Northern kingdom of Israel. On to the scene as Israel endures its 7th & most idolatrous king bursts Elijah the prophet. I am sure that if you aren’t an avid Bible reader, his name is the only one familiar to you thus far in the book which speaks to a powerful truth underlying this narrative’s message: It is not the powerful kings that move Israel along, it is those prophets who speak for God without fear, who challenge power & let God take care of the rest. But before he was ever a prophet, Elijah was a prayer warrior.

1 Kings 17:1 | Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, I stand before Him, & in these years there will be neither dew nor rain except at my word!”   

What we are asked to see immediately is where Elijah is from rather than WHO Elijah is from. All the kings of Israel were identified by their father, even the wicked Ahab. Elijah is from Tishbe in Gilead. These facts are important.

Because Elijah is from nowhere. Gilead was farm country on the East of the Jordan & Tishbe is little heard of throughout Scripture & ancient world.

Elijah does not come from an important family or an important place.

So what gave Elijah the guts to confront a severely pagan king like this? James gives us a clue [James 5:17]:

James 5:17 | Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, & it did not rain on the land for 3.5 years.

Elijah was a man of prayer. But notice how the references in Kings & James work together. Elijah told Ahab there would be no rain for years but James tells us he prayed for 3.5 years. That means Elijah spent months praying privately before addressing Ahab publicly.

Let us also note that shutting up the rain was judgment upon the sin of the nation. This truth comes straight from the scriptures [Deuteronomy 11:16-17]:

Deuteronomy 11:16-17 | But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship & bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, & you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.  

God said He would shut up the rain to judge His people in order to get their attention & turn them back to Himself.

But it only happened when Elijah prayed.

So here’s what we can deduce from these scriptures working together.

Elijah knew the nation was lost. And instead of praying that God would keep them from harm or disaster he prays right in line with the difficult passages of woe spoken over the people through the Word.

AND, the answer doesn’t come right away just because it was God’s Word. No, Elijah has to press through for months to see God come through on His Word.

Now, this brings up important spiritual truths for us. We need to follow Elijah’s lead here.

First, we should pray in accordance with God’s Word & not our ideas.

Second, when sin abounds, we should ask God to do what He said He would do in its regard.

In the Old Testament that meant physical forms of national judgment.

In our day, sin in the lives of God’s people will be punished for the sake of discipline or confessed for the sake of cleansing & healing.

Why do we pray for those stuck in sin to be “protected” from harm?

Perhaps they need some Fatherly measured harm to wake them up!

Finally, just because we pray in accordance with God’s Word does not mean it will be instantly granted us. But we must continue praying!

What do you think happened to Elijah during that month prayer time?

He learned to know the presence of God so that the presence of Ahab would be of no account to his spirit.

He had spent time in the presence of the Heavenly King, therefore an Earthly king carried no fear.

Prayer is not just about getting our needs met.

It’s about getting our hearts rooted in the presence of God so that we can stand in the presence of anyone else!

             ________________________________________________________

Charles John Ellicott, English Christian Theologian (1819–1905) | James 5:17

In our Epistle we read that Elias “prayed earnestly”–literally, prayed in his prayer, a Hebraistic form of emphasis. He asked for drought, & it lasted 3.5 years, so that “there was a sore famine in Samaria.”

Yet Elijah was no demi-god; we even learn how he shrank from his prophet's yoke, & longed to die. No one therefore may despair in their petitions but rather let your "requests be made known unto God;" for "we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

Luke 18:1-5 | Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times & not lose heart: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect men, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out with her perpetual requests.’”

             ________________________________________________________

Pulpit Commentary by Donald Spence Jones (1836-1917) | James 5:17

He prayed earnestly. Προσευχῇ προσηύξατο: a Hebraism, not infrequent in the New Testament [Luke 22:45; Matthew 17:21; Matthew 21:13], in imitation of the Hebrew dissolute infinitive.

He prayed earnestly, προσευχῇ (proseuchē) Strong's Greek 4335: From proseuchomai; prayer; by implication, an oratory.

Luke 22:45 | When Jesus rose from prayer & returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.       Prolonged sorrow has, at last, a numbing & narcotising effect.    [See Note on "believing not for joy," Luke 24:41.]

Matthew 17:21 | ..this kind does not go out, except by prayer & fasting. The words are noticeable as testifying to the real ground & motive for "fasting," & gain obtained when accompanied by true prayer, by this act of conquest over the lower nature. Paul himself admitted to "fasting often" [2 Corinthians 11:27-28 | in labor & toil & often without sleep, in hunger & thirst & often without food, in cold & exposure. Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.]

Some demons might yield before human will, & power of the divine Name, & the prayers even of a weak faith.

Some, like that which comes before us here, required a greater intensity of the spiritual life, gained by "prayer & fasting."

It’s probable that our Lord Himself had to fulfill both conditions. The disciples, we know, did not as yet fast (Matthew 9:14-15), & the facts imply they had been weak & remiss in prayer.

Matthew 21:13 | And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” The words which our Lord quotes are a free combination of two prophetic utterances: one from Isaiah's vision of the future glory of the Temple, as visited both by Jew & Gentile (Isaiah 56:7); one from Jeremiah's condemnation of evils which our Lord protested (Jeremiah 7:11).

The wranglings of outlaws over the booty they had carried off were reproduced in the Temple, & mingled with the Hallelujahs of the Levites & the Hosannas of the crowds [Ellicott].

These base traffickers had turned the hallowed courts into a cavern where robbers stored their ill-gotten plunder. It may also be said that to make the place of prayer for all the nations a market for boasts was a robbery of the rights of the Gentiles [Lange].

And Christ here vindicated the sanctity of the house of God: the Lord, according to the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1-3), had suddenly come to his temple to refine and purify, to show that none can profane what is dedicated to the service of God without most certain loss and punishment [Jones]. Malachi 3:1-3 | “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. And He will sit as a refiner & purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi & refine them like gold & silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

the very same time is mentioned by our Lord in His allusion to the same incident [Luke 4:25], "the heaven was shut up 3 years & 6 months."

Luke 4:25 | But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three & a half years & great famine swept over all the land.

And as the same period is said to be given in the Yalkut Shimeoni on 1 Kings 16, it was probably the time handed down by tradition, being taken by the Jews as a symbol of times of tribulation [Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7; Revelation 11:2].

Daniel 7:25 | He will speak out against the Most High & oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times & laws; & the saints will be given into his hand for a time, & times, & half a time.

Daniel 12:7 | And the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand & his left hand toward heaven, & I heard him swear by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, & times, & half a time. When the power of the holy ppl has finally been shattered, all these things will be completed.”

Revelation 11:2 | But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, & they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

[go-redgirl]

It’s Long Past Time for National Discussion About Mental Illness epoch times ^ | 8/8/2019 | BRIAN CATES

After two horrific mass shooting incidents last weekend, the United States is once again locked into the same frustrating routine that follows such tragedies.

In El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, deeply disturbed individuals shot and killed more than 30 people in two separate events.

Many Democratic politicians running for president immediately began using the incidents in their fundraising, calling for gun bans and more gun control laws, such as bringing back the lapsed “assault weapons ban.”

President Donald Trump took a far different approach when he stated that it’s time to begin grappling with mental health reform, and I think he’s right.

Trump outlined five steps he intends to take in response to these latest mass slayings.

Set up partnerships between the Department of Justice, local state and federal agencies, and social media companies to identify and act on early warning signs of someone threatening a mass shooting. 

Stop the glorification of violence in our society, which includes video games and other forms of mass entertainment where the act of killing is celebrated in a “culture of violence.” Reform the mental health laws to more accurately identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence to ensure they get treatment when necessary, they must be involuntarily confined. Ensure that people judged to be a risk to public safety have their access to firearms taken away by due process. Quickly and decisively administer capital punishment for those who commit mass slayings, without yearslong delays. 

Trump acknowledged some of these proposed steps will be very hard to achieve, such as the second one, which calls for a cultural change. Trump himself said:

“Cultural change is hard. But each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life. That’s what we

(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...

TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News KEYWORDS: mental illness; q tards

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INDIVIDUALS/COMMENTS/POSTS:

To: bitt Yes, mental illness...

Everyone does know who is going to be declared mentally ill, right?

3 posted on 8/8/2019, 1:58:22 PM by DoughtyOne (This space for rent.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt Here is the problem.

I was listening to Dr. Laura’s satellite radio show and she claims that radical feminists have basically hijacked the curriculum at any institution where one might train to become a therapist.

They might conclude that being a straight male is a form of mental illness, and then they come for your guns.

Like everything else in this country mental health has been thoroughly, utterly politicized.

4 posted on 8/8/2019, 1:59:13 PM by Buckeye McFrog (Patrick Henry would have been an anti-vaxxer.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt They used to lock up crazies. Now they register them to vote as democrats.

5 posted on 8/8/2019, 1:59:33 PM by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt Like when we used to institutionalize crazy folks?

The left dumped them all in the street.

6 posted on 8/8/2019, 1:59:39 PM by 2banana (My common ground with islamic terrorists - they want to die for allah and we want to kill them.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt As long as there is patient confidentiality and police can’t do sh** before someone kills someone, and people get meds (which are ALWAYS experimental) instead of being confined, nothing will change.

7 posted on 8/8/2019, 1:59:48 PM by Sacajaweau ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt This is the ruling that destroyed our mental health system and shut down the states’ psychiatric hospitals. It must be overturned if we’re to stop these horrible mass killings.

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/527/581/

8 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:00:58 PM by ryderann ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: DoughtyOne Exactly. And don’t forget how this will be abused by personal vendettas in situations like divorce.

9 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:01:05 PM by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt Agreed that there needs to be a larger recognition that this is a problem however this term of National Discussion (conversation) is worn-out by now and the left only wants to converse on their point of view. 10 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:01:22 PM by capydick (“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt The left wants to funny-farm the right. The right wants to funny-farm the left.

Of course the right is right.

But it would depend on who is in power at the time.

11 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:02:10 PM by Migraine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt There are no more discussions, only conflicts.

12 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:02:15 PM by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt Get back to Church regularly, put the Ten Commandmants on display in all public schools, acknowledge God in all our ways.

Stop murdering our children in the womb; stop encouraging and celebrating sexual perversion and all things lgbtq, which are an abomination to God.

Then and only then will this nation be healed.

13 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:02:22 PM by MichaelCorleone (Jesus Christ is not a religion. He's the Truth.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Tell It Right Oh absolutely.

Gun owners should NEVER go to an shrink either. During the registration they’ll ask if you own weapons.

So if you actually need help, they’ll treat you as a hostile before the sessions even begin.

I opted out the last time I wanted some counseling during a rough patch. Never again...

14 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:05:42 PM by DoughtyOne (This space for rent.)

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To: bitt Let’s start with the Democrats mental health!

21 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:16:11 PM by tallyhoe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt Implementing #3 removes the need for #4.

22 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:16:24 PM by TheDon (MAGA!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt We do have high rates of mental illness, and the billions of pills swallowed over the last 30 years haven’t reduced those rates.

The culture is sick, but we can’t talk about social issues. That’s been off the table since the 1992 Republican Convention.

23 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:17:25 PM by cdcdawg (Fact: Dogs can extract more info from smelling a pile of $h!t than humans can from viewing  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt Both Mario, and Andrew Cuomo closed psychiatric centers in NY State, and tossed the residents into the community. Prison population exploded in the State, and a large number of inmates came into the system with mental health issues. I know, because I worked as an officer in NYDOCS for 25 years, and had to deal with them.

24 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:19:00 PM by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt There IS no “national discussion” when only one side owns all the platforms by which such a discussion can be carried out.

25 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:24:18 PM by papertyger (Trump, A president so great, that Democrats who said they would leave America if he won, stayed!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: bitt There are a lot of people who demand that some challenged children are included in classrooms, sports, competitions, etc.

To some extent that’s OK. But as adults who are still challenged and possibly alienated... there is a time to call a thing by its right name.

We’re cultivating an element that cannot cope. We are enabling adults who are NOT responsible for themselves... not in their relationships, their work, their property (including guns) and you have to make some decisions from the start, to address this likelihood.

Liberals have always fought this. Now, it’s coming home to roost. Never mind that media violence and the criminally dummied-down education in the US has contributed greatly to the problem.

THIS is the perfect storm

26 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:26:29 PM by SMARTY ("Nobility is defined by the demands it makes on us - by obligations, not by rights".) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: bitt

Mental illness is certainly part of the problem but we also have a problem with young men of all races who need proper raising to know how to be a man and not a problem to society.

The government, education, workforce, military, and media have become female centered. It’s not a bad thing to give women opportunity for a future, a young woman without good opportunities is a sad thing, but a young man without good opportunities is a dangerous thing. They tend to drag women down with them as well.

I think we need to concentrate on our young men for awhile.

27 posted on 8/8/2019, 2:26:56 PM by Tejas Rob

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[brickyard2bridge]

July 20, 2019 (Saturday)

DAY 1

By August of 1723, Jonathan Edwards, the American revivalist preacher, philosopher and theologian, had completed his famed Life Mission Resolutions.

Here are just three so as to give you a taste:

7.     Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

14.   Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.

56.   Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

With Edwards’ RESOLVED mission statements in mind following our annual, pre-Brickyard to Bridge spaghetti dinner last night, I resolved two things.

One.  Resolved, to not let this 7th journey from the IMS to the Mackinac Bridge become something I merely check off my list. Instead, I wanted to spend time pondering and praying for the benefactors of this summer-time, 500-mile journey northward.

Two.  Resolved, to remember that things happen every day on these trips we simply cannot anticipate–and that it’s okay! In light of this, relationships are more important than perfectly anticipating and planning everything to a tee. Love God. Love people.

So when my alarm went off at 4:30am in anticipation of a 5:15am load of the Safety And Gear (SAG) vehicle, I was ready to “go with the flow.” Then … Caleb and Isaac’s guest room in the apartment was still quiet and dark at 4:55am…then at 5am. Test #1 had arrived. 😉

But, seriously, here’s the thing during events like this–and in all of life; it’s people over task. 

At least for this trip, it’s only the pressure we put on ourselves to be a well-oiled machine that usually derails us from enjoying the journey. NOT. THIS. TIME. 

I’m continuing to learn this lesson. And today was, I’m pleased to say, a step in the right direction.

On this Day 1, the Lord chose to identify himself bright and early. When Caleb emerged from the bedroom shortly after 5am, he told us that one of his daily devotionals had arrived on his phone for the day–and that David Platt (Radical.net) had prayed specifically for a group in the very nation in South Asia for which we’re cycling! 

“…that the Gospel would take root in and transform their lives!” 

Is our God GREAT or what?! 

These are not coincidences, people. This is how the God we know works. Yep, the King of the universe, with whom we are staggered to have a personal relationship, was encouraging us even before we left home. 

Do you know this King of ours?  

After arriving at the Motor Speedway in a timely fashion (with detours along the way - see Resolved #2), our IMS friend, Mark, escorted us to the Yard of Bricks for the photo in this entry. By 7am, we were rolling out of the track, onto 16th Street, and on our way.

Though HOT, we were:

blessed with a nice tailwind, 

very conscious of our nutritional intake, 

sucking in plenty of fluids, and 

were grateful that we were being served by the finest SAG driver of all time. 

Things were going so well that we were well past our traditional meal stop location in Marion before we stopped for lunch – Jimmy John’s … at mile 82! From there, we were just about 16 short miles to our hotel in Huntington, IN.

Moving time today was 5 hrs, 4 minutes. While cycling 97 miles, we averaged 19.1 mph (this will be the last day we are anywhere near 19).

We somewhat overachieved today ... so much so that our rooms weren’t even ready upon arrival – at 1:30pm! This gave us time to cool down in the pool/hot tub, relax in conversation, shower up, take a nap and then realize how hungry we were from burning the calories during our first of five consecutive, 100-mile days on the road.

So, we’re off to a good start!

If you’d like something specific to lift to the Lord in prayer, here ya go:

Please be praying for Isaac’s knee. It seems most of us have physical issues that crop up here and there. We hope Isaac’s weary body will also continue to recuperate from his 17-hour, straight-through, solo car trip to Indy from Denver just 48 hours ago.

Give God thanks for the 88 individuals you helped get to camp this past week in __________ ! As many as 18 new decisions were made to follow Jesus Christ THIS WEEK. Yay! I really believe many of you will meet these precious students in heaven because you helped to get them there – and they heard the earthshaking news of the Gospel – they’re going to be in heaven. Will you?

In closing, I cannot miss the opportunity to remind any reading this entry that having a personal, interactive relationship with God is not something we can earn, but is something God has already arranged for us – through his son’s sacrifice. HERE is a great place to start if you’re unsure of where you’ll spend eternity.

Tomorrow we anticipate cooler temps with a 40-50% chance of thunderstorms throughout the entire day. We’ll be getting wet for the first time in years on this trip...it’s been quite a run. And we also anticipate four straight days of 7-12 mph headwinds. :) First world problems.

But we’re happy to endure whatever comes – for the bigger picture of our endeavor. You can be reminded of that bigger picture at our event website here: https://www.brickyardtobridge.org/

Thanks again for your teamwork. We wouldn’t be out here without your support.

Until tomorrow and in Christ,

Greg (and for Caleb, Isaac and Randy)

[resilientreader]

1-98 for asks like we did a million years ago, I dare you

i knew the MOMENT i saw the notif in my inbox that it was gonna be YOU pulling this shit and i crossed my fingers when actually clicking, HOPING i wouldnt have to answer all 98, maybe you’ll be tame this time, but no! this is what you’re doing to me. and ykno what, Fine. u dare me and i Will do it. i hope u rb the asks post so i can do it to u too, tho

1. coffee mugs

2. chocolate bars

3. bubblegum

4. that smart student who always read instead of actually paying attention

5. soda from glass cups is the best

6. its hard to just Decide between all these styles so ill say which one applies to mine most, which i Gotta say has to b preppy even if i want like goth or grunge to b mixed in

7. headphones

8. good omens, fmab, castlevania, uhhhh. those are just the ones ive watched so far this summer

9. my grandparents’ home. which is kinda weird but i have a lot of summer memories there

10. i sucked at like Everything in p.e., there Was no best

11. leftovers

12. i cant choose a favorite playlist?? /some/ of them, tho, are soar my ethereal heart, neither here nor there, mountainside storms, and sync of my heartbeat. so like any of my more recent ones

13. lanyard

14. i had to google a list for this bc honestly i always eat just chocolates but i like starburst

15. fahrenheit 451 was a rly fun read. ray bradbury’s writing gave me inspo for metaphors and writing and such and it was rly nice

16. sprawled across one of those comfy armchairs where i can swing my legs over one arm n lay my head on the other one

17. my black converse

18. cool temperature and rain without storms, or a cloudy day that lets me take a nice walk

19. on my side if i can but on my back otherwise

20. on my laptop, in google docs, to be more specific

21. winnie the pooh

22. idk?? i try not to look to just one person for a source of “this is how i should be”, so i guess,,,, a mix of family members and then a couple like more famous ppl??? which would basically consist of one of my aunts, my dad, and jenna marbles, to keep my Brain Process for role model stuff simplified

23. i dunno if any of the habits i have are strange?? i bounce my right leg and my right hand kinda. like. shakes when im nervous. i cant rly think of anything else i do tho i Know i probably have other habits

24. amethyst or pyrite

25. ur really just assuming my memory is good enough for this but if i had to say, it’d be any popular song from 2009 specifically

26. hide in my room with a fan and ac

27. read with a blanket wrapped around me or smth

28. atlas: six by sleeping at last, flaws by bastille, atlas: five by sleeping at last, she by dodie, and neptune by sleeping at last. there are probably more/better ones but those are the first ones i found

29. listen. be open with me. talk with me. not to sound like that person, but sharing ur life secrets is a rly big ice breaker for me because it helps let me know i can trust u. but also idk im a really awkward person and can accidentally distance myself from ppl so when ppl notice theres smth up w me or even do the bare minimum of doing Their part to maintain a friendship, that’s always rad as shit when idk how to communicate what i need

30. my room, my high school’s auditorium, the local barnes and noble

31. black boots, black jeans, any button-up shirt that’ll match that combination OR a really cool sweatshirt

32. im a bad bitch, you cant kill me. road work ahead? uh, i sure hope it does. it is wednesday, my dudes! welcome to chili’s. i love you, bitch, and i ain’t ever gonna stop loving you, bitch.

33. probably “omg” or “oh my god”

34. sc johnson. a family company.

35. i dont even have one but on a good night like 10-11

36. the troll face memes

37. suitcases feel much more organized

38. lemonade

39. lemon cake

40. ummmmm....one time a tech/theatre kid left a paint can sitting out in the open accidentally and a person took a shit in it or smth then knocked over the can, spilled a bunch of paint, and tried to clean it up w a broom and proceeded to like snap the broom in half. then they ran away to leave the kids to clean it up the next day. i wasnt actually there for that but ive heard the story firsthand enough times to Know

41. my dad

42. jacket pockets

43. hoodie is what i wear, tho everything else is Very Good

44. lavender

45. fantasy, my dudes

46. this set of pjs i got for xmas w a soft tshirt and matching baggy flannel pants

47. colby jack

48. uhhh a banana?? i could probably give a better answer if i was more

49. i dont rly live by a quote or saying, i just Go for it

50. my sister has probably done smth before to like Break me

51. everything ever but mostly myself

52. arial

53. uhhh...kinda worn? my nails aren’t doin so good and i have a couple scratches and stuff that Still havent healed after a few weeks

54. get a move on

55. the ugly duckling

56. tradition is kinda vague but i like that it became tradition for me and my siblings to go to my grandparents’ home every summer

57. i think im still overcoming like everything ive been faced with ever

58. writing? listening, helping, giving advice. idk tbh like talents who?

59. "jesus christ, my dude”

60. a fantasy/comedy, or at least if its gonna be fantasy with death and stuff, it should be dope as fuck

61. "isn’t vulnerability the opposite of being in control?” from a webcomic called aerial magic. super simple but the entire scene leading up to it,,,,,so good

62. umm fuck! i dont kno whether favs r usually ones that i relate to or ones that i wanna b like but??? keith from voltron, jirou from bnha, chromedome and/or rewind from transformers/mtmte, sypha from castlevania, and jayfeather from warriors

63. planetary (go!) by mcr, the seed by aurora, hayloft by mother mother, the cup/halloween blues from relient k, choke by i dont know how but they found me

64. coolmath was THE shit

65. yes! two on my leg from a surgery i had to get to realign my femur, bc i snapped the bone in half

66. lavender, snowdrops, hibiscus

67. i dont really have any, mostly bc i have a hard time attaching like. That sorta meaning to just random objects, but i do still have a small teddy bear stashed safely away in my room from when i was a little babee

68. pickle-flavored pringles. disgusting. would not recommend

69. lions’ roars can be heard up to 5 miles away from the original source

70. right handed

71. horizontal stripes, i guess? there’s not much wrong with them but i just Never wear them

72. math

73. i dont usually eat /weird/ flavor combos, even tho ill eat basically anything, but i like ketchup in mac and cheese sometimes. or fries in shakes. chicken and waffles. stuff like that

74. 11

75. idek honestly, my memory is too bad

76. hashbrowns

77. i dont kno a Lot of plants off the top of my head other than the Basic ones but literally any flower in a windowsill is like bone apple teeth in my mind

78. sushi from a grocery store. publix taught me that grocery stores can, in fact, be trusted when needed

79. my school id photo

80. earth tones

81. fireflies

82. pc

83. writing

84. talk radio is nostalgic but podcasts are always more entertaining to actually listen to

84. polly pocket

85. mythology with a dash of fairytales

86. cupcakes, because of my dog’s name

87. abandonment

88. to grow unbreakable attachments with everyone i care very deeply about and grow into an old age with them, or something

89. i feel like answering this question totally honestly would hurt ppl’s feelings, but also i literally could think of like 4 people to put down for this and i’m bad at deciding, esp w smth like this, so. not to b vague but These People kno who they are

90. becoming a part of a certain website with a bad crowd and managing to pick out the good apples in such a rotten batch

91. boxes

92. lamps /and/ fairy lights

93. i dont rly have any but my parents call me hannah banana. that’s ab it, tho

94. fall/winter? it kinda is inconsistent because fall has bad weather in florida but winter is when like everything has Gone Wrong in life these past few years, but then fall has such a GOOD aesthetic and my birthday is in winter, so they’re pretty even rn

95. uhhh??? thats such a weird thing, to try and assign a “favorite” app, but the only thing i could think to say would be spotify just bc i use it so much on my phone, even if the app itself isnt the greatest

96. i havent set one, actually, bc im lazy and havent found anything that’d fit

97. 2 and a half

98. the part where fish were learning that they could walk on land

[hungribunni]

09042017 Sermon Notes- Ps Joseph Prince

Because u are saved, u can come to The table to eat. But the Father expects table manners. No fighting btw brothers. 1 Kg 19:12-14 Even if someone has done something bad, u know of it, it is NOT your place to recite their sins to Him. V16-18 V16- Elisha replaced Elijah. Elijah said he is the only one left. God said He has 7000. We aren't the only grace church. Many around the world. When it comes to ministry when u don't see it as a privilege anymore and think of how important your ministry is, he will show he doesn't want u anymore. There are others. A father's chastisement. Num 20:10-12 We should not condemn people and name them names. God shows mercy and grace. He doesn't appreciate it when u don't show them grace. When we show people grace, they learn grace. The father's chastisement doesn't bring destruction. Even though they are murmuring, if u speak to the rock, and water comes out, we are hallowing God. When we speak judgment to them, we don't hallow God. This is the second time rock was hit and water came out. The first time, Moses was told to hit a rock. The second time, it was a high cliff. Not like the first rock. Told to speak to the rock. Jesus is like the second rock. We can speak to Him. Moses made God appear angry when he hit the rock a second time. 2 Kings 1:7-17 Elisha has now been anointed to succeed Elijah. Elijah learned that we are all not indispensable in the cave. A man of God. He was in the wrong. Humbled himself and went and annointed Elisha. The lesson is humility. Job 42:5-6 Make sure u have a personal revelation of Him even as u hear pastor preach. In the presence of God, man is nothing. When we are praised by men, go home and kneel and remember we are all still dust and flesh. Without God we cannot. Job felt God should bless him for what he did. God showed him that God doesn't have to bless him actually. There is NO ONE that is self righteous and merits rewards from God. This diverts from justification by faith. We are justified by His blood. No blood, no save. Elijah is a cool man. Anointed Elisha to take his place and stayed cool and calm. Ahab came. Jezebel and Ahab has a kid who is now a King of Samaria. He fell and was injured. Asked his men to go enquire of Baal's men about his recovery. Elijah intercepted them. Asked them why did they do that? Is there no God in Israel? He said because of his decision, he will not recover. 2 Kings 1:7-17 They had the power and authority and numbers of the world- but God was with Elijah. They were 'fired' from their job. V11- this is what happened when uour heart is hardened like Pharoah's. U make stupid decisions. The next lot got fired on the spot also. Don't forget these are the days of the LORD. Elijah represents judicial part of God. Fights for God's righteousness. Eli-Sha. Elohim with Sha. God saves. His ministry is more grace. Elisha represents John the Baptist. All of Elisha's ministry were miracles of grace. His first miracle of grace- Elijah's first public act was to call fire from heaven Elisha sent to Jericho. Jericho was under a curse. Note the water was bitter and poisoned. Elisha healed the stream of the water. There shall be no more death in these waters. That stream is still healed today. Fruitful Jericho. God reversed the curse under Elisha's ministry. Grace ministry. The third captain already saw what happened to the last two. Pleaded with Elijah for his life to be spared. Elisha went to talk to Ahab's son with the captain and fifty men right into the stronghold of the enemy, into his very throne room. The very city he fled from because of the threat of a woman, now he marches in fearless. Stood fearless before the woman he fled from. Know u are privileged to serve. If u don't serve, he will raise someone else up to do so. When u are humble, u won't be hurt. Pastor realised he kept getting Kayu Driver's in front of him. Annoyed. Realised his being irritated is because of pride lol. Entitlement to the road. Lol. God doesn't teach with diseases and destruction. God teaching him humility by sending him kayu drivers before him to understand that he shouldn't feel this sense of entitlement. Grace before eating, "God if not for u, I won't have all these to eat." The more accomplished we are, the more we should be careful to not let ourselves become prideful and to have a spirit of entitlement. Two occasions of fire falling down in Elisha's ministry. Fire came down from Carmel on the victim (sacrifice) instead of the people. They were shielded from judgment. Not one person was touched by the fire. Foreshadowing of Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. The fire meant for u and me fell on Him. The judgment fell on to Him. He took it all. But what happened on Carmel was soon forgotten. The king of Israel went back to Baal. Most likely at Jezebel's recommendation. For centuries the Good News was preached all over the world. The gospel of the Good News. How has man responded? Christ hating and Christ rejecting world has made fun of it, spurned, rejected and mocked it. Our decision affects our future. Isn't that if we reject Jesus, we become sinners. We are already sinners. We are all doomed. God could have sent us all to hell and He is righteous and justified if he does. U can complain it is not politically correct but it is useless. If the world will not learn judgment and how holy I am by the fire that fell on my son, so that grace and mercy can be preached to them instead, they will learn personally by the all consuming fire falling on them. 2 Kings 2:1 Many years after this event, the greater than Elijah walked this earth. Luke 9:51-56 "Time came to be received up"- like Elijah Samaria- same place as where Ahab, Jezebel happened. V53- Samaria rejected Jesus again. Disciples wanted to call down fire but were rebuked. This is not the age of fire falling. The time waiting for his return- the gospel of grace is being preached- is the most wonderful time. Disciples couldn't understand grace is being dispensed from heaven. The fire fell at the Cross. We are in the wonderful age of grace now. Where we don't get what we deserve. We get ALL the good things He deserved. 2 Thess 1:6-10 V8- the flaming fire will come to those busy making themselves righteous instead of giving praise to God. The disciples aren't wrong. Fire will one day fall BUT we are NOW in the age of grace. There are consequences yes but God is joy judging. Don't transpose the age of grace into the time of future fire fall. Pastor isn't saying there won't be judgment fire but that this isn't the age of it. God is raising ministries with a still small voice. The gentle tongues that break the bones. Not the sort that preach fire and brimstone. Is He coming back? Yes. Very close. But the rapture will happen first. The youths made fun of Elisha after Elijah went up. Is like people making fun of the rapture. Elisha turned around and pronounced judgment and two wolves came out from the forest and lacerated them. Anything that rejects grace, and the rapture is a provision of grace, will be judged. All of u are saved. Not on the other side. He is now your Father and lavished His love on you. But how terrible for those out there who are mocking the gospel of grace now. The breath with which we live by is of Him - how we should live our lives with gratitude.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

16th August >> Mass Readings (USA)   for Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time   or Saint Stephen of Hungary.

Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green) First Reading Ezekiel 12:1-12 You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on. The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.    I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my baggage as though it were that of an exile, and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden.    Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, ask you what you were doing? Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel within it. I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole he has dug out in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62 R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord! They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,    and kept not his decrees. They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;    they recoiled like a treacherous bow. R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord! They angered him with their high places    and with their idols roused his jealousy. God heard and was enraged    and utterly rejected Israel. R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord! And he surrendered his strength into captivity,    his glory in the hands of the foe. He abandoned his people to the sword    and was enraged against his inheritance. R/ Do not forget the works of the Lord! Gospel Acclamation Psalm 119:135 Alleluia, alleluia. Let your countenance shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 18:21–19:1 I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”    When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan. The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. ——————————

Saint Stephen of Hungary

(Liturgical Colour: White) First Reading Deuteronomy 6:3-9 Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart. Moses said to the people: “Hear, Israel, and be careful to observe these commandments, that you may grow and prosper the more, in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers, to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.    “Hear, O Israel!  The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 112:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9 R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. Blessed the man who fears the LORD,    who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;    the upright generation shall be blessed. R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. Wealth and riches shall be in his house;    his generosity shall endure forever. Light shines through the darkness for the upright;    he is gracious and merciful and just. R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. Well for the man who is gracious and lends,    who conducts his affairs with justice; He shall never be moved;    the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance. R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. An evil report he shall not fear;    his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear    till he looks down upon his foes. R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. Lavishly he gives to the poor,    his generosity shall endure forever;    his horn shall be exalted in glory. R/ Blessed the man who fears the Lord. Gospel Acclamation John 14:23 Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. Alleluia, alleluia. Either Gospel Matthew 25:14-30 Since you were faithful in small matters, come, share your master’s joy. Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one – to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the one who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth!’” The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.   or Alternative Gospel Matthew 25:14-23 Since you were faithful in small matters, come, share your master’s joy. Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one – to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!’” The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

[delwray-blog]

CANAAN IS AMERICA TODAY

The Sin of Canaan, America's Sin

“And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:” Numbers 33:50-52 “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover, it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you as I thought to do unto them.” Numbers 33:55-56 By Pastor Del Wray The Sin of Canaan has become the sin of America, the New Canaan taking up its “sinful lifestyle and habits.” Canaan is America today. And America is reaping the “Curse of Canaan” which curse is now the “Curse of America,” the curse of mongrelization, the curse of homosexuality, the curse of demonology. “Come out of her my people” for America has been cursed. Mongrelization is the worst form of genocide. If you kill ninety-nine percent of a race but leave the other one percent pure-blooded they will in time restore the race. But, when you mongrelize them, you have destroyed that race forever. Once mixed with the black or yellow races, the white race will be totally and forever destroyed, hence God has forbidden it. Hence, God forbids the mixing of races! Sodom and Gomorrah weren't destroyed just for their homosexual lifestyle but primarily for their mixing of races, their marriage with “strange” women or strangers in the land. America has become the “melting pot” of the world and the axis of mongrelizing all the races on earth. The Canaanitish immigrants have infiltrated this country, changed its culture and polluted its land. America is fast becoming a curse to other nations. Mongrel America is committing genocide, and she has been cursed by God, bringing down God's anger. While all the while instead of repenting she has become mad with God and warring with Shem. Whoever said that “history runs in circles” couldn't have said it better for the truth speaks for itself the Canaanites have come to America. America and “The Will of Canaan” is being exploited. “But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.” Deut. 20:16-18

Let me begin by saying contrary to what some Bible believers claim, the Canaanites were not the absolute worst specimens of humanity that ever existed or the worst that existed in the ancient Near East. Although the land of Canaan was the center and hub from which all their evil deeds

and practices spread across the known world. God being the righteous God that He is, has always meted out punishment for the transgressors. Canaan happened to be the reservoir that collected all the filth that had migrated north from the South which was Africa the land of Ham and his descendants. Canaan could be considered the land where all the vice and evil known to man was practiced and spread. Canaan was a unique, unrepeatable historical land, and I could not justify Israel‟s attacking the Canaanites unless God had commanded this by special revelation. Even so, God had patiently waited over 400 years until the Canaanites would be ripe for judgment, Genesis 15:16 though this would mean Israel‟s enslavement in Egypt in the meantime. By the Israelite attack on Canaan, God accomplished two things. First, He brought righteous judgment on the deserving Canaanites, a kind of corporate capital punishment. God directed this destruction, however, less against Canaanite persons as it was against Canaanite religion Deuteronomy 7:3–5; 12:2-3; Exodus 34:12-13. The Canaanite gods/goddesses engaged in all kinds of sexual acts including incest and bestiality. Not surprisingly, worshippers of these deities engaged in ritual prostitution, not to mention infant sacrifice and other deviant acts. In our sex-saturated culture, many people do not seem concerned about sexual immorality and the destruction it wreaks on individuals, families, and society. Our anger may flare up about racism or gender discrimination, but today‟s society has jaded our moral instincts when it comes to other soul-destroying activities. God‟s anger at a society‟s moral and spiritual suicide mission, His saying “Enough,” turns out to be a sign of moral concern. Second, God was able to prepare a land for His people to create the proper religious setting to make sense of a coming Messiah who brings redemption to Israelites and Gentiles alike, Genesis 12:3. Who are the intended recipients of this salvation? Jews! Yes, but also Israel‟s most hostile enemies, Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, and Philistia Psalm 87:4–6; Isaiah 19:23–25. Killing the Canaanites was not racially motivated; rather, it was theologically and morally motivated via divine mandate. If I may, let me divert from here and give a brief history of the “Sin of Canaan” and afterward, conclude with a more concise summation.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CANAAN AND THE SIN OF CANAAN: 

America and the World are at War with God and with God‟s people Shem, the Semites. The War with Shem: “They sacrificed unto demons, which were no gods.” Read in Deuteronomy 32! “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your father‟s feared not. Deut. 32:17

In the churches of America, Christians worship a somewhat paternal God; the bearded patriarch whom Michelangelo depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, an authoritarian figure who is also the Father of our Teacher, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. God is revered as the original Creator of our universe, and as the ultimate moral guide. In this setting, humanity is a somewhat harmless group, placed in a rural setting, generally obedient to the laws of God, and subject to punishment when disobedience occurs. Religious observance based on this concept is adequate until this Arcadian scene is disturbed by misadventures or calamities. It also begs the question of innate or inescapable evil. Satan, the fallen angel, and rebel against God, Satan, a Hebrew word meaning "adversary" appears in the Bible. There are frequent references to God's admonishment, and often, chastisement, of wrongdoers, both individually and in large groups. Here again, the persistent appearance of evil throughout the history of mankind is dealt with as it occurs, but it is difficult to fix either its sources or its causes. Therefore, humanity has existed under a considerable disadvantage, unable to recognize or understand evil before being injured by it. Indeed, the great movement of modern history has been to disguise the presence of evil on the earth, to make light of it, to convince humanity that evil is to be “tolerated,” “treated with greater understanding,” or negotiated with, but under no circumstances should it ever be forcibly opposed. This is the principal point of what has come to be known as today's liberalism, more popularly known as secular humanism. The popular, and apparently sensible, appeal of humanism is that humanity should always place human interests first. The problem is that this very humanism can be traced in an unbroken line all the way back to the Biblical "Curse of Canaan." Humanism is the logical result of the demonology of history. Modern-day events can be understood only if we can trace their implications in a direct line from the earliest records of antiquity. These records concern pre-Adamic man, whose origins are described in ancient books. Satan, the leader of a band of approximately two hundred angels, descended on Mt. Carmel. They had lusted after the daughters of men from afar, and now they took them for wives. These fallen angels, known as the Order of the Watchers, taught their wives magic. The issue of these unions was a race of giants, known as Nephilim. The Bible does not mention the Nephilim specifically by name. However, here are several verses; “There were giants in the earth in those days…” Genesis 6:4, These giants later became known as “the sons of Anak.” In, Numbers 13 we read, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:33, These giants constituted a powerful menace to other peoples. In Deuteronomy 9 is the complaint, “…Who can stand before the children of Anak?” Deuteronomy 9:2, Nevertheless, they were all finally killed or driven out of the land of Israel. “There were none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.” Joshua 11:22

These early giants would be considered as mutations by modern scientists. Because of their peculiar parentage, they had habits and lusts which horrified their neighbors. Their leader, Satan the “adversary of God,” was the serpent who entered into the garden and seduces Eve, producing the first murderer, Cain. Not only were the Nephilim a menace to others, their uncontrollable hatred and violence sometimes led them to attack and kill each other. They then ate their victims, introducing cannibalism to the world. According to some accounts, God slaughtered them, while the Archangel Michael imprisoned the fallen angels, the Order of the Watchers, in deep chasms in the earth. Unfortunately for humanity, this was not the end of the matter. Satan, through his children, the Nephilim, and also through Cain, had now established a demonic presence on the earth. His rebellion against God‟s world resulted into continuous suffering and travail on earth for centuries to come. The history of mankind since his rebellion is the history of the struggle between the people of God and the Sect of Satan. With this understanding, it is now possible to trace the historical events which reveal the actual archives of the two adversaries. There is a Talmudic legend that demons originated in sexual assembly between humans and demonic powers. This offers a reasonable explanation as to why all occult ceremonies stress three things: drugs, incantations, which express hatred of God, and bizarre sexual practices. The study of demonology in history discloses answers to otherwise inexplicable aspects of man's, history. The torture and murder of children, obscene rites and mass killings of innocents in worldwide wars, as well as other catastrophes, are phenomena which bear little or no relation to mankind's day by day routine of tilling the soil, raising families, and maintaining the standards of civilization. On the contrary, these types of calamities are direct assaults on the normal existence of humanity. Furthermore, they are expressions of the rebellion against God, as attacks on His People. Because of their extraordinary powers, demons have always attracted a certain number of followers on earth. "Secret" organizations, which insist on concealing their rites and their programs from all “outsiders" must do so in order to prevent exposure and the inevitable punishment. While they were wandering in the desert, the Jewish tribes worshiped demons and monsters. They revered their mythical monsters, Leviathan, Behemoth, aid Raheb, who well may have been survivors of the tribe of giants, the Nephilim. They also made sacrifices to the demon of the desert, Azazel. Their mythology developed a certain hierarchy of demons. A demon arch, who presumably was Satan, ruled over all demons on earth. He was also known as the Prince of Evil, Belial, the Hebrew Be'aliah, meaning Yahweh is Baal. Next in the hierarchy of demons was Asmodeus, King of the Demons, and his wife, Lilith, chief demoness of the Jews. Lilith is well known today as the patron goddess of the lesbians. Her name survives in many current organizations, such as the Daughters of Lilith. This choice of a patroness suggests that there may always have been a certain amount of demonic impulses in homosexual practices. This motivation would fit in with the basic rites of occultism, such as defiance of God, and the development of “unusual lifestyles.” The inevitable retribution for these practices has now appeared among us in the form of the widespread plague of AIDS.

Lilith is typical of the demons that were created by sexual intercourse between the daughters of man and the Watchers. They first appeared during the six days of creation as disembodied spirits and later took physical form. Ancient writings say, “All pollution of semen gives birth to demons.” Also, they say, “The impurity of the serpent that had sexual relations with Eve.” The Kabbalah claims that Lilith had intercourse with Adam and produced demons as part of the cosmic design, in which the right and the left are the opposing currents of pure and impure powers, filling the world, and dividing it between the Holy One and the serpent Samael. Webster's Dictionary says of Lilith: “Heb. meaning of the „night.‟ 1. Jewish folklore, a female demon vampire. 2. Jewish folklore, she was the first wife of Adam before the creation of Eve.” Many legends identify Lilith as the first wife of Adam. These myths claim that God formed Lilith out of mud and filth. She soon quarreled with Adam. Because of her conceited pride, she refused to let him lie on top of her. It is for this reason that she was adopted as the patroness of the lesbians. She left Adam and fled to the shores of the Red Sea, where she was said to indulge in her sexual fantasies with demons, living among the wild beasts and hyenas. Her presence gave rise to many terrifying legends; she became the chief of Jewish demonesses and was said to prey on newly-born children, sucking the life out of them. She also was known to suck the blood from men who were sleeping alone and is referred to as “the night hag,” Isaiah 34:14. And wild beasts shall meet with hyenas, the satyr shall cry to his fellow; yea, there shall the night hag alight, and find for herself a resting place. Except for this one verse, her name was excised from all Scripture because of her unsavory reputation. Other legends claimed that Lilith and her accompanying demo-nesses ruled over the four Seasons: as did Lilith-Naamah, Mentral, Agrath, and Nahaloth. They were said to gather on a Mountaintop near the mountains of darkness, and there celebrate the Witches Sabbath when they would have intercourse with Samael, the Prince of Demons. It was because God had had such an unfortunate result with Lilith, after creating her out of mud and filth that he decided to go to Adam's rib for his next creation, Eve. She was subsequently known as "haw wah," "Mother of All the Living," and also as "the Serpent Mother" because of her later association with Satan. The Prince of Darkness had a number of disguises, but when he incarnated sexual desire, as he did for Eve, he always appeared as a serpent. Because evil was now established on earth, through the presence of the demons and their followers, it was necessary for God to punish mankind. In inflicting this punishment, He resolved to be just. For this, it was necessary for Him to select those who were without stain, and who would be allowed to survive the punishment. His method of selection was a simple one. He chose those who had not been contaminated. His choice was Noah and his family. Noah is described in Genesis 6:9, "Noah was perfect in his generations." The word generations here is an imperfect translation of the Hebrew word "to-Ied-aw," which means ancestry. An earlier and more appropriate translation is "Noah was a just man, and perfect, without blemish in his generations." He was God's choice because he and his family were the last remaining pure-blooded Adamites in the world. "Noah was blameless in his generations,"

The site of the Flood, which was God's prescribed punishment for mankind, was not in the Near Eastern area, as is commonly supposed. Archeologists have been puzzled for years that they could find no evidence of such a flood in this area. In fact, because Cain had been banished "east of Eden," Noah and his family lived in the Tarim Basin, located in the Upper Sinkiang Province. This basin was fed by the River Tarim, and here the Deluge took place. Having been warned by God of the impending catastrophe, Noah succeeded in building the Ark, one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. Weighing 36,750 tons, it was built entirely of wood. It was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet in depth. On this Ark, God commanded Noah to “take of every living thing of all flesh.” Because of the limited space on the Ark, there could be no possibility of further reproduction of these species during their time aboard, and God commanded that “no intercourse” should take place. This commandment was violated by an inhabitant of the Ark, Ham, and the second son of Noah. Ham had intercourse with a pre-Adamite woman on the Ark, a dark-skinned person. Their offspring was a black son named Cush, who became the symbol of Ethiopia. Noah was dismayed when he learned that his son had violated God's commandment because he knew that retribution would come. After the Flood had subsided, and life on earth went back to its usual routine, Noah continued to be haunted by his fears. The subsequent occurrences have since had dire consequences for all of mankind. In the Bible, it appears as somewhat of a riddle, since the characters are identified and misidentified in sequential verses. Neither the exact sequence of events nor their explanation or the identification of the principals can be followed as it appears in Genesis, possibly due to mistranslations or editing over the centuries. Although life on earth had resumed its pre-Deluge felicity, Noah continued to be distressed by Ham's transgression. So vexed was he that he drank too much wine, and he lay exposed in his drunkenness. As it is recounted in Genesis 9:24-27! Ham's son Canaan saw his grandfather exposed, although at one point he is referred to as “Noah's youngest son,” instead of the correct designation as his grandson. Noah's other sons, Shem, and Japheth seeing their father exposed hastened to cover him with a cloak. However, when he awakened, Noah was greatly infuriated by what had taken place, and he pronounced a curse on Canaan, “Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers, Shem, and Japheth.” Here again is something of a riddle, as Shem and Japheth were the uncles of Canaan, not his brothers. The “riddle” is probably an intentional one because it is intended to evoke a special study of these verses to come to an understanding of these very important messages, warnings to all future generations.

Various explanations have been offered for Noah's tremendous anger at Canaan, and his Curse of Canaan. One, which has now largely been discounted, is that Ham may have slept with Noah's wife, or that he had made an attempt to do so. No basis for this conjecture has ever been established. Another explanation is that Noah cursed Canaan because he was still vexed at Ham's violation of God's commandment to the inhabitants of the Ark that they should refrain from intercourse while on board. Because Ham had slept with the pre-Adamite woman on the ark, Noah finally vented his wrath in the Curse of Canaan. This also fails to ring true; the men of the Old Testament were very direct in their dealings; if Noah was vexed with Ham, he would have cursed Ham, not Canaan. None of these explanations offer a valid reason for the vehemence of Noah's curse, a curse which has blighted humanity for three thousand years. The only rational explanation for the curse is Noah's anger that Canaan had done something which thoroughly outraged his grandfather. Looking on him while he was exposed would hardly have caused such a reaction. Scholars finally concluded that Canaan had done something so degrading that Noah had to pronounce a curse upon him. What would this have been? The Bible as presently translated does not really give us a clue. These scholars decided that Canaan, being of mixed race, and therefore not bound by the rigid moral code of the Adamites, had probably committed a homosexual act on his grandfather. Being of pure stock, Noah would have been exceedingly wroth at such an act and would have reacted as he did. The Curse of Canaan was extended to the land which was named after him, the Land of Canaan. The Canaanites themselves, the people of this land, became the greatest curse upon humanity, and so they remain today. Not only did they originate the practices of demon-worship, occult rites, child sacrifice, and cannibalism, but as they went abroad, they brought these obscene practices into every land which they entered. Not only did they bring their demonic cult to Egypt, but, known by their later name, the Phoenicians, as they were called after 1200 B.C., they became the demonizers of civilization through successive epochs, being known in medieval history as the Venetians, who destroyed the great Byzantine Christian civilization, and later as “the black nobility,” which infiltrated the nations of Europe and gradually assumed power through trickery, revolution, and financial nimbleness. The reputation of Canaan is to be found in many ancient records, although its foul history has been carefully expunged from even more of the historic archives and libraries. In 1225 B.C., the Pharaoh Merneptah, who, because of his victories in the Canaanite region, was known as “Binder of Gezer,” set up a monument to commemorate his successes. Among the inscriptions placed thereon was this: "Plundered is Canaan, with every evil; all lands are united and pacified.” This inscription did not mean that Merneptah had used every evil to plunder Canaan; it meant that he had in his sojourn there encountered every evil practiced by this notorious tribe. Ham had four sons; Cush, who founded the land of Ethiopia; Mizraim, who founded Egypt; Put, who founded Libya; and Canaan, who founded the land of the Canaanites, the area now in contention as the State of Israel, in Agatha. Cush is said to be black-skinned as punishment for Ham's, having had intercourse on the Ark. “Three copulated in the Ark, and they were all punished, the dog, the raven, and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven exerts his seed into the mouth of his mate, and Ham was smitten in his skin. From him descended Cush, the negro, who is black-skinned." In Talmudic literature, Cushi always means a black person or the Negro race. Cushite is synonymous with black. The Bible as presently translated makes no reference to "Cush's color. Reference to his descendants, the Cushites, appears only in Numbers and in 2 Samuel. Numbers 12:1 reveals that "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman." Here again, no explanation is given as to why Miriam and Aaron turned against Moses, yet the matter is obviously of some importance because the same verse emphasized by repetition that he had married a Cushite woman. We find the explanation by turning to the Talmud, which tells us that "Cushite" always means black. The verse in Numbers should read, and originally may have read, "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the black or Cushite woman he had married." Second Samuel contains seven references to Cushites, but again no descriptions are given.

Dr. Sayee, the noted Egyptian scholar, and authority on the ancient Near and the Middle East, explains that Canaan means “low,” and Elam means “high.” The Canaanites were those who inhabited the low places; the Elamites occupied the high ground. Dr. Garnier, in his great work, "The Worship of the Dead," quotes Strabo's observation that "the Cushites inhabit the coastal regions of all Asia and Africa." They were never aggressive enough to fight for or remain on the higher ground and were forced to remain in the low, swampy areas, exposed to the elements, areas which other peoples would not contest them for. Garnier continues in “The Worship of the Dead”: “We have also seen that Osiris was black, or of the Cushite race and this was characteristic of the Egyptians. Herodotus speaks of the Egyptians generally as black and wooly haired. There were two races in Egypt, the Mizraimites, who first colonized the country, and the black Egyptians, the latter receiving their name from Aegyptus, the son of Belus, that is to say, Cush. There can be little doubt, therefore, that Aegyptus, the father of the black Egyptians, and son of Belus, is the same as the black Osiris.” Garnier informs us: “The Aryan immigration and Brahmanism were subsequent to that of a Cushite race more or less hostile to them and their religion. We find Aryan traditions speaking of them as white and the Dasyns as black, to be exact Cushite.” Garnier quotes a description of the Cushites as follows: “They call them demons and devil-worshippers, and lascivious wretches who make a god of the Sisna, the Lingam, and the Phallus.” Garnier goes on to observe that “Buddha must be identified with those gods whose human origin was Cushite, from Cush, the great prophet, and teacher of the ancient Paganism, the father of the black or Ethiopian race. Buddha, although the chief god of the yellow race is constantly represented, like black with wooly hair and Negro features, the flat noses and thick lips of many of the ancient statues which occur in Hindustan, for these are clearly the well-known features of the genuine African Negro; the human origin of Buddha was Cush.” Ham's subsequent acts did nothing to clear his reputation. He stole the garments which God had made for Adam and Eve before He expelled them from the Garden of Eden. Cush inherited these garments from Ham and passed them on to his son, Nimrod. Because of these garments, Nimrod became known as "the mighty hunter." He was considered to be invincible as long as he wore these garments, which are recorded in Genesis 3:21. Animals and men cowered before the onslaught of Nimrod because of these garments, which conferred great powers upon him Nimrod, who was born on December 25th, the High Sabbath of Babylon, was the founder of Babylon and the city of Nineveh. In the history of mankind, Nimrod stands unequaled for his symbolism of evil and satanic practices. He is credited for having founded Freemasonry and for building the legendary Tower of Babel, in defiance of God's will. In Talmudic literature, he is noted as “he who made the entire people rebel against God.” The legend of the Midrash recounts that when Nimrod was informed of Abraham's birth, he ordered all the male children killed, to be certain of eliminating him. Abraham was hidden in a cave, but in later life, he was discovered by Nimrod, who then ordered him to worship fire. Abraham refused and was thrown into the fire.

The legendary symbol for Nimrod is "X" the use of this symbol always denotes witchcraft. When "X" is used as a shortened form meaning Christmas, it actually means “to celebrate the feast of Nimrod.” A double X, which has always meant to double-cross or betray, in its fundamental meaning, indicates one's betrayal into the hands of Satan. When American Corporations use the “X” in their logo, such as “Exxon,” the historic Rockefeller firm of Standard Oil of New Jersey, there can be little doubt of this hidden meaning. The importance of Nimrod in any study of the occult cannot be over-emphasized. Because of the powers given him by the clothing of Adam and Eve, Nimrod became the first man to rule the whole world. He indulged that power by launching excesses and horrors which have never been equaled. Ever since the time of Nimrod, Babylon has been the symbol of depravity and lust. Nimrod also introduced the practice of genocide to the world. His grandfather, Ham, having consorted with other races, and brought children of mixed race into the world, was persuaded by his consort, the evil Naamah, to practice ritual murder and cannibalism. She informed Ham that by killing and eating fair-skinned people, his descendants could regain their superior qualities. Throughout the ensuing centuries, the fair-skinned descendants of Shem, Noah's oldest son, have ritually been slaughtered by the darker descendants of Ham and Nimrod, in the world's most persistent campaign of racial and religious persecution. This is the beginning of the war against the people of Shem. Not only did Nimrod kill and eat the fair-skinned descendants of Shem, in his fury and hatred he often burned them alive. The type of human sacrifice involving the eating of the slaughtered human victims derived its name from the combined names of his uncle, Canaan, and the demon god Baal, the two names being combined to form the word “cannibal.” Nimrod was also known in ancient history by the names of Marduk, Bel, and Merodach. Because of his importance in its history, Babylon was known as the Land of Nimrod. Nimrod has also cited in the most ancient writings the founding of the Masonic Freemasonry. Nimrod's downfall reputedly came about when he began to build the Tower of Babel, a ziggurat or temple tower, which was planned to rise up into the heavens. Because of this offense against God, Shem, the eldest son of Noah, pronounced judgment against Nimrod and executed him. Josephus says that “Ham's black grandson, Nimrod, was beheaded by Shem.” Other accounts add that Shem then cut Nimrod's body into pieces and sent the pieces to the pagan temples of Babylon, as a warning to the priests that their sex orgies and child sacrifices would result in a similar judgment of execution; Instead of abandoning their hideous ceremonies because of this warning, the priests literally went underground. No longer did “their altars smoke with human blood,” as Kitto, the great Palestinian authority, described them. The priests took the pieces of Nimrod as relics to their secret meeting places, which were hidden in "groves" and "shrines." This was the origin of the secret Mystery cults, whose orgies could no longer be performed in public temples. Because of the power of Shem, the priests from that time on conducted their forbidden orgies out of the light of day, in their secret hiding places. Their meetings were bounded with secret rites, which no one outside of their order was permitted to know, on pain of death. This was the origin of the Gnostics, the Knowing Ones, who knew the secrets. It may be for this reason that Nimrod became known as the founder of Freemasonry, because its fundamental rites were established and invoked after he was killed, in order to carry on his work of evil.

“The history of mankind for the past three thousand years has been the history of the struggle between the fair-skinned descendants of Shem and the darker-skinned descendants of his brother, Ham, yet you will not find this struggle defined in any historical work.” The records of the genocide against the people of Shem are apparent throughout the archives of history, but there is not a school or university whose faculty will apprise its students of this simple fact. This in itself explains much which is usually dismissed as being “beyond explanation.” The reason for this development is that the descendants of Ham traditionally have usurped the educational process, through their earlier usurpation of the priesthood to carry on their satanic work. They have controlled the educational system ever since, converting it to their own evil purposes. It is of even greater interest that not a single school of theology anywhere in the world takes note of this central fact of history, a red thread which runs continuously through the record of events. In the Greek language, Shem appears as Ehu; in Egyptian mythology, he is Shu, the son of Ra the Sun God. It was through claimed descent from Shem that Louis, King of France, called himself the "Sun King." However, a much more important point and one that has again been obscured or hidden by the priests who controlled the educational system throughout the last three thousand years is the fact that it was Shem who founded and built the great civilization of Egypt. The rulers of Egypt were called Pharaohs, from the Hebrew word pira, meaning “long hair.” The native Egyptians were short-haired. Not only was Shem long-haired, but he was also fair-haired. In their records, the priests call Shem “Shufu,” or "Khufu," which means long hair. Being a great warrior, Shem easily led his people in the conquest of the native Egyptians. He immediately set about to commemorate his reign by building the “Great Pyramid” at Gizeh. Babylon was then overcome by the son of Shem, Elam; a later descendant, Cyrus of Persia, an Elamite, completed the final conquest of Babylon and built the great Persian Empire. It was to signify his great military successes that Shem adopted as his symbol the lion, which is still the symbol of rulers today. The Great Pyramid was later called Khiut, the Horizon, in which Khufu had been swallowed up, as the western horizon swallowed up the sun each evening. After extensive archeological investigations, the Royal Astronomer of Scotland concluded that the evidence was irrefutable that the Great Pyramid at Gizeh had been built by Shem. He found the name Shufu inside the pyramid, painted in red, which signified Shem's fair hair. Also, inside the pyramid is an inscription placed there after the death of his descendant, Amenhotep IV, “He stopped the barbaric practices of the priests which had been introduced by Naamah and her followers from Babylon, including Nimrod.” The priests murdered Amenhotep IV so that they could resume their orgies of lust and child sacrifices. They had admitted to Herodotus that the Great Pyramid had been built by “a wandering shepherd,” an odd observation, as shepherds do not usually create such grandiose monuments to themselves. However, this was one of the terms of derision by which they always referred to Shem after his death. Other inscriptions by the priests throughout centuries of Egyptian history revile Shem as “pig,” “dwarf,” and other terms signifying their hatred of him, possibly because he slew their mentor, Nimrod. In the same areas, other inscriptions extol the degenerate Ham, who had been corrupted by his consort, the evil Naamah, and introduced to the practices of human sacrifice and cannibalism.

Egyptian civilization reached its peak during the reign of Shem. The Sphinx is now admitted to be a portrait of him. After his death, the priests not only resumed their evil practices, but they embarked on a successful campaign to blackout his name from recorded history, a campaign which has largely succeeded during the ensuing three thousand years. They also launched terrible punitive actions against Shem's fair-haired descendants, often murdering them, or burning them alive. Not only did the priests falsify the records of Shem, but they also succeeded in eliminating most of the subsequent history of his fair-skinned descendants, the Shemites, or, as they are sometimes called the Semites. The Arab scholar Murtadi noted that Num and Khufu, Shufu, the builders „of the Pyramids, lived with Noah. Shem was also referred to by the name of Menes, from the Hebrew Meni, or man, which appears in the Egyptian “Book of the Dead,” referring to Uranus and his three sons, an obvious reference to Noah. Ham later became known as the Egyptian God Amon. Herodotus writes that the first king of Egypt, who reigned until 2320 B.C. Eusebius, says that three hundred successive sovereigns descended from him, the Thinite Kings, who had succeeded the demigods. The historian Murtado referred to Shem as Menes. As the ablest son of Noah, Shem exemplifies the qualities upon which all subsequent civilizations have been built; courage, the desire to build, and the willingness to subdue those who have adopted a lower form of life. He is the Adamite who created civilizations as we have known it. On the other hand, the descendants of Ham, the Canaanites, exemplify the satanic urge to destroy civilization and the rebellion against God. J. Hewlitt points out that Adamite meant a "thinker," and Mena or man produced Menes, the thinking man. This survives today in the intellectual society, Mensa. The distinction was made to distinguish the lineage of Adam from the pre-Adamites, or non-thinking Men, the Jewish Encyclopedia says that Shem became king of Jerusalem as the representative of God so that he could carry on the battle against the slave people, the Canaanites. In Genesis, we find this verse: "Bless be the Lord, the God of Shem!" Genesis 9:26. Shem had five sons: Elam, from whom came the Persian Empire; Asshur, from whom came the Assyrian Empire; Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. So great was the reverence for the name of Shem in the ancient world that his name in many records became synonymous with God. Yahweh, or, in a later version, Jehovah, derives directly from the Hebrew verb Hava, meaning, “I am.” Historically, this was read as the older Khufu, or HWFW, instead of YHWH, and thus, it refers to Khufu or Shem, Shem was the builder of the Great Pyramid. It was because of the persecutions of the fair-skinned peoples by the priests that Khufu, which phonetically is almost identical with the Hebrew Hava, (h) became YHWH, the God of the Exodus from Egypt. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes of “Jehovah,” "The pronunciation „1‟ is an error resulting among Christians Combining the consonants YHWH with the vowels of „adhonay‟ Lord, Adonis which was substituted by the Jews for the sacred name YHWH, commonly called the tetra-grammaton or four consonants. The name „Jehovah‟ first appears in the manuscript of Martin's Pogio in the Fourteenth Century.” Thus the name of Jehovah, which is commonly used in our churches, is only 500 years old.

In order to understand why the name of Shem was systematically reviled and concealed throughout the records of history, we must return to the record of his thoroughly degenerate and evil nephew, Canaan. Canaan was so wicked that his last will and testament to his children was a formula for vice. It read, “Love one another, that is, of this tribe only, love robbery, love lewdness, hate your masters and do not speak the truth.” This remarkable document, the Will of Canaan is to be found in only one place in all the world's theological literature, the Babylonian Talmud, where it is presented thusly, “Five things did Canaan charge his sons: love one another, love robbery, love lewdness, hate your masters, and do not speak the truth.” Sound like the Muslims of our day. The Will of Canaan has been the Canaanites prescription for all of their operations during the ensuing three thousand years. Meanwhile, the people of Shem, knowing nothing of this document, vainly tried to "convert" the Canaanites, and turn them from their evil ways. If the descendants of Shem had been warned of the precepts imparted by this document, the history of the last three thousand years could have been very different. The Will of Canaan today remains the operating instructions of the Canaanite heirs, who presently control the World Order. At the same time, it remains unknown to the peoples, whom the Canaanites continue to rob, enslave, and massacre. The “Will of Canaan” contains the instructions necessary to resist the results of the Curse of Canaan, which condemn them to slavery. The instructions to "hate your masters," that is, Shem and Japheth and their descendants, is a command to commit genocide against the people of Shem. For this reason, all subsequent Canaanite rites are based upon these exhortations to struggle and commit acts of violence against the people of Shem. It is not only the basis for all of the revolutions and “liberation movements” since that time it is also a basic incitement to commit genocide and to carry on racial wars. Because of the three-thousand-year historical blackout, the people of Shem have never understood their peril, and they have frequently been subject to massacre because their essential goodness made it impossible for them to believe the vileness of the Canaanites. The Will of Canaan has always been concealed from them because it is the basic program of conspiracy and secret rites which enable the Canaanites to wreak their hatred upon the descendants of Shem. There it is in summary, the reason for our Muslim terrorist‟s problems today, the Canaanite saga continues. Much of the continuous hostility between these two forces is mentioned in the Bible, but never in the basic form which has been stated here for the first time. In a book which I read, “The Mystery of the Ages,” the author whose name evades me right now comments, “Canaanites, who were racially dark, had settled the land; God commanded the Israelites to drive them out.” as the Bible cites in Numbers 33 the basis for his reference, Num. 33:55-56. During the centuries of oppression and mass murder, God has not stood aside from His people. On the contrary, He has frequently exhorted them to attack and to rid themselves of the peril of the Canaanites. In the early years of this struggle, it was still possible for His children to hear and to obey. The vision of Obadiah is recounted in Obadiah 20, “And the capacity of this, host of the children of Israel, shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and this capacity of Israel which is in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the south.” Significantly, the New Bible Versions omits the mention of the Canaanites entirely. Only the King James Version uses the name Canaanites correctly.

The battle continued over a period of Centuries. In Joshua 17, we read: “Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute but did not utterly drive them out,” Joshua 17:13. Hence, our problems today are because of the disobedience of God‟s people back then, “Canaanitish” and it is the Canaanites that we contend with even now. God expressed His will in the strongest terms to His children in Number 33:52-56: “Ye shall drive out all inhabitants of the land, Canaan, before you ... And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it ... But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you; then it shall come to pass, that those who ye let remain, of them, shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell... It shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you as I thought to do unto them.” The children of Israel, that is, the descendants of Shem, obeyed God and did war against the Canaanites, but in later generations, they lost sign of this goal, permitting the Canaanites to live with them. During this period of history, there were great victories against their historic enemy, as recounted in Judges 1: “And Judah went with Simeon, his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed 1,” Judges 1:17. This victory came about because the children of Israel were distraught, and they sought guidance from the Lord. Judges 1:1-5: “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, „Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first to fight against them?‟ And the Lord said, „Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hands.‟ And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, „Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites‟ ... And Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand... and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.” Later, the victors again fell into the evil practices of those whom they had conquered, and again they were punished by the Lord. Judges 4: 1-2: “The children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, king of the Canaanites.” A later verse in Judges notes that the Israelites prevailed against Jabin and destroyed him and the Canaanites. Exodus 15:15 says, “Then shall the dukes of Edom be amazed; the mighty sons of Moab, trembling shall take hold of them: all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.” Several Concordances lists more than eighty-five (85) Biblical verses referring to the Canaanites. Most of the references are unfavorable, and invariably they reveal God's determination to punish his people for their misdeeds. Ezekiel 16: 1-3:

“Again the words of the Lord came to me: „Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations... Your origin and your birth are of the land of Canaan.‟ Considering the frequency of references to Canaanites in the Bible, it is surprising that religious leaders rarely make any mention of them. In fact, many of the wealthier religious leaders today are actively in league with the Canaanites, enabling them to garner millions of dollars in contributions from gullible Christians. Your current president “Abominable” is the biggest. Certainly, the barbaric practices of the Canaanites were never secret, nor were they unknown in ancient times, as evidenced by the number of references available. Psalms 106:37-38: “They sacrificed their sons and daughters to the demon; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.” Because of this well-documented record of their fiendish practices, God issued numerous orders those other tribes should not intermarry with this person. Isaac passed on one of these orders to Jacob. Genesis 28:1: "Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, „you shall not marry one of the Canaanite women‟ “We have previously noted that Miriam and Jacob turned against Moses for marrying a Cushite, or black. The men of old were aware of the necessity to protect their genetic heritage, and they were equally aware that it could vanish in a single generation if the wrong marriages took place. The prohibition against mingling with the demon-worshipping Canaanites remained one of God's strongest commands. God said, “So shall we be separated, I and all of Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth” Exodus 3:16. God characterized the Canaanites thusly: “And I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, referring to the Diaspora, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse on all places where I shall scatter them” Jeremiah 24:9. Thus, we see the Canaanites, newly named the Phoenicians, dispersing along all of the trade routes and avenues of commerce throughout the earth. As God prophesied, they spread corruption, terror, and devastation wherever He scattered them. Later known as the Venetians, they dominated the avenues of commerce; when they settled inland, they specialized as merchants, and later, as bankers, at last comprising a group now loosely known as “the black nobility,” which holds seemingly irresistible power today. God further warned His people against the dispersed Cainites. Deuteronomy 7:2-5: “thou shalt smite them, left! Utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, like the League of Nations or the United Nations! Nor shew mercy unto them! Neither shalt thou make marriage with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus, shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.”

This was a direct command to destroy the groves and shrines of the demon-worshipping Mystery cults, now known as Freemasonry. The prohibition against “graven images” has been misunderstood by many well-meaning Christians. God did not prohibit graven images, He prohibited the obscene images of the Baal and Ashtoreth cults, which were made to create sexual excitement as part of their obscene rites. The battle against obscenity goes on today, although it often seems that American Christians are losing it. In making these demands, they were not requests, God was not offering a program for a school picnic; He was laying out the only program which would allow His people to survive on this earth. Otherwise, He warned, “And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod” Zechariah 9:6. Should His people fail to carry out His instructions, God specifically described what would happen, and in so doing, He accurately described the world of today. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee:... The stranger that is within thy gates, the Canaanites or their descendants shall get up above the very high, and thou shalt come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him; he shall be the head and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:15, 43-44. The reversed roles we see in society today between black and white. Certainly, this is the situation which exists in the United States today. The Venetians control the Federal Reserve System; they lend to us, but we do not lend to them; they are the head, and we are the tail. Having become Satan's curse on humanity, the Canaanites now spread across the earth like some evil plague. Genesis 10:18: “The families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.” This Diaspora brought troubles to every nation in which this person landed. Ezekiel 16:3, 45, and 46 list the racial tribes of the Canaanites, denouncing them individually, “thy father an Amorite, their mother a Hittite, their older sister Samaria, their younger sister Sodom.‟ Jesus, the minister of compassion, when he was asked to cure a Canaanite, denounced them as dogs. Matthew 15:22: “And, behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, „Have mercy on me, o Lord, son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.‟ But He did not answer her a word.” At last, He did answer her, verse 26, “And He answered, „It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” By children, He meant the children of Israel, and that the Canaanites were dogs. She persisted and he finally did heal her daughter. The Canaanite political parties were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Essains, Assissins, Herodians, and Scribes. A later group, the Edomites, descended from Esau and later intermarried with the Turks, producing a Turco-Edomite mixture which later became known as the Chazars, the present occupants of Israel, according to the great Jewish scholar, Arthur Koestler. The Canaanites were divided into the Amorites, Hittites, Moabites, Midianites, Philistines, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, Sepharvaims, Perizzites, and affiliated tribes, all of which are routinely denounced in the Bible! Genesis 3:17: “The Perizzites are the enemies of God; the Ammonites worshiped Moloch Chemos and were demon-possessed.” The Ashodites worshiped the fish and god, Dagon-they were robbers and hated God. The Egyptians were known as worshippers of black magic, which resulted in God's rebuff to Hagar. The Amorites were cursed by God, Ezra 9:1. Hittite was defined as meaning to destroy or to terrify; Perizzites came to stand for strife and disorder; the Sepharvaims, later Sephardim, were revolutionaries; Jebusites stands for trampling underfoot. In his monumental work, “The History of the Jews,” Joseph Kastein writes, “The Canaanitish cults were closely connected with the soil and expressive of the forces of nature, particularly the force of fertilization... This force or divinity was called Baal... Whenever any question arose involving their existence as a nation, they knew only one God, and recognized but one idea-the theocracy.” Thus, Kastein admits that the Canaanites were fertility cults, but he does not explain that the worship of Baal as a god of fertility, with the obscene rites of his queen, Ashtoreth, was so abominated in the ancient world that whenever Baal was used in this context, in referring to proper names, the suffix for Baal was “bosheth,” or shameful; thus, we get the names Ishbosheth, Mephibosheth! The destructive nature of the Canaanites upon other nations in which they settled is nowhere more strongly demonstrated than in Egypt, the first land to be corrupted by their barbaric practices. Originally, “Baal” simply meant Lord in the Canaanite language. The obscenity of the rites soon developed a popular image of Baal which had three heads, the head of a cat, the head of a man, and the head of a toad. His wife, Ashtoreth, also known as Astarte and Ishtar, was the principal goddess of the Canaanites. She also represented the reproductive principle in nature, and in case anyone might overlook it, all of her rites were sexual observances. In Babylon, the temples of Baal and Ashtoreth were usually together. Mainly, they served as houses of prostitution, in which the priestesses were prostitutes, and the male priests were Sodomites who were available for the worshippers who were of that persuasion. The worship of the Canaanite gods consisted of orgies, and all their temples were known as centers of vice. They also originated voodoo ceremonies, which became the rites of observance in Ethiopia through the Ethiopian Jethro, the tutor of Moses. These same rites now enthrall tourists in the Caribbean. There it is, it was not long before the simple ceremonies of vice began to pall on the worshippers of Baal. They sought greater excitement in rites of human sacrifice and cannibalism, in which the torture and murder of small children were featured. To consolidate their power over the people, the priests of the Canaanites claimed that all firstborn children were owed to their demon gods, and they were given over for sacrifice. This lewd and barbaric practice was noted in Isaiah 57:3-5: “But you draw near hither, sons of the sorceress, the offspring of the adulterer and the harlot. Of whom „are you making sport? Against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood? Inflaming yourself with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the cleft of the rocks?” Thus, Isaiah inveighed not only against the obscene expressions of the blood-maddened orgies‟, their salacious grimaces but also they're now the well-established custom of practicing their horrible rites in “groves” and “shrines,” where they could murder children without being seen and punished by the descendants of Shem.

King Solomon came under the influence of the child-murderers, and he rebuilt an altar to Milcom, Molech, from the Hebrew melekh, meaning king. I Kings 11:5-8. Molech, or Moloch, was honored by his worshippers by the building of a great fire on his altar. The parents were then forced by the priests to throw their children into the fire. In excavations at Gezer, the Pharaoh Merneptah had called himself the Binder of Gezer after he put a stop to the obscene rites of the Canaanites at Gezer, Macalister, under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund, from 1904 to 1909, found in the Canaanite stratum of about 1500 B.C., the ruins of a “High Place,? A temple to Ashtoreth, containing ten crude stone pillars, five to eleven feet high, before which human sacrifices were offered. Under the debris in this “High Place,” Macalister found great numbers of jars containing the remains of children who had been sacrificed to Baal. “Another horrible practice was what they called the „foundation sacrifice.‟ When a house was to be built, a child would be sacrificed and its body built into the wall, to bring good luck to the rest of the family. Many of these were found in Gezer. They have been found also at Megiddo, Jericho, and other places.” read in, Halley's Bible Handbook. Halley's also notes that in this “High Place,” Macalister found large piles of images and plaques of Ashtoreth with rudely exaggerated sex organs, designed to stimulate sexual acts. Ashtoreth images found in many areas of the Canaanite influence emphasize over-sized breasts, sensuous smiles, heavily accented eyes, and nudity. The demonic nature of this sex worship is traced directly to Ham's intercourse with the witch Naamah on the Ark. Dr. Garnier, in his “Worship of the Dead,” writes, “Naamah was celebrated for her beauty, talent, energy, lustfulness, and cruelty, and she was of Nephilim, fallen angel parentage.” The Canaanite demonology is described as featuring Lilith, the vampire; Reseph, the god of the plague; Dever, god of pestilence; and the god of the underworld, Mot, from mavet, the Hebrew word for death. Despite their prominence as destructive influences in the ancient world, the Canaanites, and their demon-god Baal seldom appears in the authoritative works on the ancient Near East. Gaston Maspero's great history of Egypt, “The Dawn of Civilization,” published in 1894, and republished in 1968, does not mention either Baal or Canaan. H. R. Hall's “Ancient History of the Near East” does not mention Shem or Canaan in the index. Baal has a single mention. How much of this is due to the deliberate falsification and destruction of historical records by the Egyptian priesthood cannot be ascertained, but the results are obvious. Another contributing factor is the sudden disappearance of the names “Canaan” and “Canaanites” from all historical records after 1200 B.C. How did this come about? It was very simple. They merely changed their name.

“After 1200 B.C. the name of Canaanites vanished from history. They changed their name to Phoenician.” Thus, the most notorious and most hated people on earth received a new lease on life. The barbaric Canaanites had disappeared. The more civilized Phoenicians, seemingly harmless merchant folk, took their place. Having obtained a monopoly on the purple dye, which was highly prized throughout the ancient world, the Canaanites advertised their control over this product by calling themselves Phoenicians, from Phoenicia, phoenikiea, the Greek word for purple. From the outset of their history, the Phoenician Canaanites always managed to get a monopoly on some essential product. They later had a monopoly on the tin for some centuries, until the Greeks discovered tin in Cornwall in 233 B.C. Joseph of Arimathea, the uncle of Jesus, was said to have owned large tin mines in Cornwall. The change of name did not mean that the Canaanites had abandoned their worship of Baal and Ashtoreth. They became more prudent in their worship of Baal, and in the colonies which they established along the length of the Mediterranean, they built their temples to the female of the species, Ashtoreth. In the Egyptian city of Memphis, the Phoenician Temple of Ashtoreth was the largest religious edifice. She was known there as the wife of the supreme god, El, and his seventy deities. In their rituals, Ashtoreth was sometimes worshiped as the male demon, Astaroth, who survived in European rites as Astara or Ostara in this form, he became the patron god of the Nazi movement in Germany. The westernmost outpost of the Phoenicians was Cadiz, a Phoenician colony which derived its name from the Semitic Agadir, or fortress. Their most important colony, which soon became a rival to Rome itself, was Carthage, which they established about 900 B.C. The name derived from Hebrew, Kart-hadshat, or a new city. The Phoenicians often named their cities with the prefix of “new.” During the fifth century, the Carthaginians had fought the Greeks and survived, but in 264 B.C. Rome attacked in full force. A series of wars ensued, called the Punic Wars because the Carthaginians called themselves the Punics. St. Augustine noted that the Punic among them referred to their people as the “Chanani,” or Canaanites, but this name was like a secret code; they never used it in dealing with other people. Whether for purely commercial reasons or because they feared a military power astride their avenues of commerce in the Mediterranean, the Romans determined to utterly destroy Carthage. They succeeded in this resolve so absolutely that present-day archeologists are not sure just where Carthage was located. From 264 to 201 B.C., Rome waged three Punic Wars against Carthage, culminating in the defeat of their leader, Hannibal, by the Roman armies who were under the command of Scipio Africanus! The Romans killed or took into slavery every Carthaginian and razed the city. They completed their task by sowing the land with salt so that nothing would ever flourish there again. Nothing ever did. This defeat, although a major setback, did not destroy the world operations of the Canaanites, but it did inculcate in them a fierce hatred of all things Roman, which ever since has been characterized by the Canaanite school of propaganda as “fascism,” from the Roman rods, or fasces, which were carried by the magistrate to symbolize his determination to maintain order. The later Masonic assault upon the Catholic Church was largely dictated by the fact that it was headquartered in the city of their most ancient enemy, Rome, and therefore, the papacy became to the Phoenicians the modern embodiment of the force which had destroyed their most important headquarters. Few Americans realize that when the New School of Research in New York denounces “fascism,” joined by the columnists of the New York Times and the New York Post, they are merely echoing their ancient anger over the destruction of Carthage. Here again, our historians have only one goal, to obscure the past and to prevent us from realizing the nature of the forces at work.

It was not only the Canaanites who spread across the earth. The descendants of Shem also multiplied and journeyed to find greater opportunities for their families. They moved from country to country, founding great kingdoms and dynasties, which have survived to the present day. There are many people who can agree that the kings and leaders of the Western nations are descended from the tribe of Judah, but they fail to recognize an important fact, which is entirely omitted in the King James Version of the Bible, that there were three branches of the tribe of Judah. Those who lump all the descendants of the tribe of Judah together do not realize that there was a tainted branch. There were the families of Pharez and Zarah, Judah's purebred sons out of Tamar, and there was a third branch, Judah's descendants from a Canaanite mother, Shuah, who were known ever afterward as “the cursed Shelanites.” Tamar was the daughter of Aram, the youngest son of Shem. Shuah called Tamar's sons bastards because they had been born out of wedlock while the twins claimed to be the rightful heirs of Judah because they were of pure-blooded stock, the Adamite strain. From the Shelanites descended thirty-one cursed tribes of Canaanites of Judea and Samaria, including the Sepharvaims, a name which the Canaanites had adopted for deceptive purposes. At the birth of Pharez and Zarah, the midwife, seeing that there were twins in the womb, realized that it would be necessary to mark the firstborn, who would have primogeniture. She quickly wrapped a red thread around the wrist of Zarah, but it was Pharez who came out first from “the breach.” The Messiah was descended from Pharez, and he was said to have been sent by God to heal “the breach” which had existed since the birth of Pharez and Zarah. Tamar, the mother of Pharez and Zarah, had a descendant named Tamar Tephi, known in Irish legend as “the daughter of Pharaoh.” She married Eochaidh, king of Ireland, who was known as the Prince of the Scarlet Thread. Thus, the two lines of Pharez and Zarah were again reunited. The Scarlet Thread subsequently became an integral part of British history. A red thread is symbolically woven into every rope which is used by the Royal Navy, and every British monarch has delivered to him official documents which are wrapped with a red cord. The term also survives in “red tape,” that is, the official red cord which must be unwound before any state business is transacted. There is also the red carpet which tradition required to be unrolled before royalty walks in. Before he would give Tamar in marriage, Heremon, the father of Tamar, demanded that serpent worship and the rites of Bel, which were then practiced in Ireland, be renounced. The serpents then disappeared from Ireland, and there are no poisonous serpents there today. A later legend is that St. Patrick expelled the serpents from Ireland. Both legends call attention to the demonic practices of the Canaanites, as well as their descent from the serpent; its banishment established Ireland as a land of the true religion of God or the descendants of Shem. The disappearance of the serpents also signified that the evil powers of the Canaanites had vanished from Ireland. Both Spain and Ireland show their direct connection to the descendants of Shem in their names. Spain occupies the Iberian Peninsula, from Iberia, or Hebrew; Ireland is known as Hibernia, the land of the Hebrews, as are the Hebrides Islands. In his History of Ireland, Roger Chauvire says that Ireland is the last remaining part of Atlantis which is still above the surface of the sea. In his History of Ireland, A. M. Sullivan writes of the legendary origin of the present Irish race.

“The Milesian colony reached Ireland from Spain, but they were not Spanish. They were an Eastern people who had tarried in that country on their way westward, seeking aid, an island promised to the posterity of their ancestor Gadelius. Gadelius was the son of Niul, who was the youngest son of the King of Scythia. As a child, Gadelius had been bitten by a poisonous serpent. He was near death when his father persuaded Moses to use his rod to cure him. From that day, the Milesians carried westward their banner, which was emblazoned with a dead serpent and the rod of Moses, until they found an island which had no poisonous snakes.” The sons of Milesius, Gadelius' descendants, who sailed from Spain to Ireland, were Heber the fair, Amergin, Colpa, Heber the Brown, Ir, and Heremon. Their descendants ruled Ireland for one thousand years, the dynasty being established by Niall, Niul, who ruled at Tara from 310 to 405. He is described by Sullivan as “a splendid hero of the Gaelic blood, tall, fair-haired and blue-eyed, a great and noble-minded warrior, „kind in the hall and fierce in fray‟; from him descended the kings of Ireland, the Neills.” These conquerors of Ireland, the Milesians, derived their name from Milesius, the soldier, from the Latin miles, from which we get the word militia. Gadelius, the founder of the line, derived his name from the Hebrew “gadil,” meaning to become great, or in plural the exalted, the fortune-seekers, or the fortunate ones. Because of their great pride and their natural abilities, the Irish were later referred to as being from “the Land of Kings.” Of almost any Irishman, it could be boastfully said, “Sure, and he's the descendant of kings.” From the earliest records, the Irish and the Britons are shown to be historic enemies. Apuleius wrote in 296 A.D. of the “two races, the Britons, and Iberia.” Eumenius always wrote of Hibernia as the enemy of Britain. Caesar's Notes on the Gallic Wars, 58-50 B.C., wrote of “Hibernia, west of Britain.” The world was now swept by two diametrically opposed sides of history. On the one hand were the highly creative and productive descendants of Shem, who have since become known as Semites, and on the opposing side were the “cursed Canaanites,” who historically were anti- Semites, the foes of the tall, fair-haired, and blue-eyed descendants of Shem! Because the Semites were always known as great warriors; they handily defeated the Canaanites in every military encounter, and in many cases obeyed God's command to drive them out and to destroy them utterly. But the anti-Semites seemed to have great staying power; when driven out of one country, they appeared in another to continue their same type of corruption and betrayal. While the Semites were busily establishing one great empire after another, Asshur's was building the Assyrian Empire, Cyrus the Great was building the Persian Empire, and Shem himself creating the great Egyptian civilization, the anti-Semites were developing their own talents. These included a talent for trade and commerce, for travel, for making themselves at home in any country, and among any race of people. Generally, they established their trading colonies along the seacoasts, for they lacked the courage to venture into the great wildernesses of Europe, where the Semites always made themselves at home. The Canaanites always remained true to the precepts of the “Will of Canaan;” they were true to each other, regardless of the circumstances; they were constant in their love of robbery, their love of lewdness, and their hatred of the masters, that is, anyone who tried to interfere with their corrupt way of life. And they always refused to tell the truth. By remaining loyal to these unchanged precepts, the anti-Semites had at their disposal vital weapons for their war against the people of Shem. The Shemites, on the other hand, being fiercely individualistic, never hesitated to pit their empires against each other or even family against family, their conceited pride always taking precedence before any racial or historical imperative. During the Middle-Ages, the people of Shem found their typical characteristics best expressed in such organizations as the Teutonic Knights, a group of warriors which was invincible for hundreds of years. At the same time, the anti-Semites were busily expanding trade routes, and amassing their profits from trade (to this day, the British aristocracy professes disdain for anyone who sullies his hands with trade, an ancient prejudice against the Canaanites); with these profits, they eventually became bankers to the world. In pursuing this objective, they found a great opportunity during the Crusades. Not only did the Crusades open up trade routes throughout the known world, but they also opened up new avenues of graft and corruption, which allowed the Canaanites to amass even greater profits. When the Christian knights departed for the Crusades, dedicating themselves to the service of Christ, the Canaanites, who prudently remained at home, now perfected various schemes to rob the knights of their money and property while they were away. In “Ancient Knighthood and the Crusades,” we find that some of the crusaders “found shelter and protection at the hands of the Teutonic Knights, who were engaged in looking up the frauds perpetrated by the rapacious monks and clergy, who had forged title deeds and mortgages upon lands and property of absent Crusaders or those who had fallen in defense of the Cross in the Holy Land .... Time for reflection and study of the causes of the Crusades at home and abroad, when, other than the scum of Europe which settled upon its dregs, the best people had been almost entirely obliterated from the face of the continent. The capacity of the popes and clergy down to the lowest monks was appalling to those self-sacrificing, stalwart warriors of the Cross, who had returned and found utter strangers in the places and homes of their kindred, had upon investigation it was discovered that frauds, forgeries of title deeds, and confiscations under pretexts of heresy had despoiled their kindred, and the meager few who had survived were beggars upon the highway and lanes, perishing as tramps by the wayside.” The Knights of the Teutonic Order built the city of Riga In Latvia in 1201; they conquered Estonia in 1220; they conquered Prussia in 1293, establishing a military tradition there which ended only after World War II. Although they were disbanded in 1809, the Teutonic Knights remained the inspiration of the German military establishment, which guided Germany through two World Wars. It was Hitler himself who wrote “finis” to their proud traditions when he concluded the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939. Not only did this pact cede the nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the ancient strongholds of the Teutonic Order, to the Communists or Canaanites, but subsequently, all of the great estates of the last heirs of the Prussian tradition, the last survivors of the Teutonic Order, fell into the hands of the onrushing Soviet hordes. By this time, the reader must be thoroughly confused. The "Semites" are really the "anti-Semites" or Canaanites, the heirs of the “Curse of Canaan,” whose corrupt acts are dictated by the “Will of Canaan;” the true Semites are the fair-haired warriors who built one great civilization after another, then how do we recognize these various forces in today's world? “By their deeds, ye shall know them.” Those who are engaged in murderous conspiracies, those whose only loyalty is to secret international organizations, those who promote the use of drugs, bizarre sexual practices, and criminal undertakings, in short, those who continue the rebellion against God, these are the Canaanites, the anti-Semites. Those who remain true to Christ are the Semites. Despite great calamities and the sweep of powerful historical forces, the genetic pools of the original people of Shem, as well as those of the Canaanites, remain fairly consistent. How do we recognize the one group from the other? You should have no problem in looking about you and deciding who are the true descendants of Shem, often fair-haired, fair-skinned, predominantly blue-eyed, healthy, creative, productive, and proud disdaining to engage in any dishonest activity, and always fiercely individualistic, these are the people who remain true to the tradition of the people of Shem. The Canaanites, on the other hand, are generally shorter, darker, more furtive, and almost always engaged in some type of criminal activity, usually with special government approval or license. Roget equates license with “anarchy, interregnum, mob rule, mob law, lynch law, nihilism, reign of violence,” in other word, the acts of the Canaanites; yet in the United States today, we have imposed on the citizens requirements for license to do any of the things free men would not be licensed to do; to drive or own a car, to engage in a profession, and many other intrusions into the individuality of the people of Shem. “License,” which does not appear in the Constitution written by and for the people of Shem, means setting up requirements that only the Canaanites can meet, or license which only the secret clubs of the Canaanites will grant to their own; no others need to apply. This is the cohesiveness required by the Will of Canaan in everything they do, socialistic and communistic, the individual submerged in the mass, and committed to conspiratorial social and business practices. They are also frequently involved in some sort of extracurricular sexual activity which can be traced directly back to the orgies of Baal, human sacrifice, and obscene sexual rites. At the same time, these “anti-Semites” will go to great lengths to conceal their true identity and their real loyalties. In their communities, they are often found to be leaders in activities advertised as “compassionate” and “caring”; they are often to be found in government offices, in the media, and in the educational institutions. In these areas, they ruthlessly promote the interests of their own kind, while presenting a solid phalanx of opposition to anyone of the individualistic descendants of Shem who enter these professions. The great asset of the Canaanites is that the people of Shem have no idea what is going on; they rarely find success in a profession despite their great natural talents and appetite for hard work. Throughout their careers, they are oppressed by the realization that “luck” never seems to favor them while others find promotion almost automatic if they are members of their rivals, the Canaanites. Now time grows short. History will not allow the people of Shem additional centuries, or even decades, to come to their senses and realize what is going on. Just as they have been victims of massacre and genocide for centuries, the people of Shem now face the determination of the Canaanites to exterminate them utterly and finally, a goal which they hope to achieve by the end of this millennium. For here we see the continuing struggle between good and evil, the war on Shem, the fair-skinned people against the darker skin people known as Canaanites, the Cainites against the Shemites. Disclaimer: Sections and excerpts of this article have been taken from Eustice Mullin‟s book, “The Curse of Canaan.” A Demonology of History; The book itself was once a part of the Library of Congress later removed and outlawed while the author himself was for over thirty-two years, he and his family, under the watchful eye and investigation of the FBI. So as you can see even our own government still practices the Canaanite art of lying and hiding the truth from the people.

DRIVING OUT THE CANAANITES:

Now to God‟s command to drive out the Canaanites. Any conquest of Canaan was far less widespread and harsh than many people assume. Consider Joshua 10:40: “So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded” KJV. At first glance, it appears that Joshua captured all the land, defeated all the kings, and destroyed all the Canaanites. Not quite. Joshua used typical ancient Near East language that exaggerates what actually took place. Joshua was not trying to deceive people; the ancient audience would have readily understood what was going on. In fact, if we read the text closely, we see this is exactly right. Joshua later refers to nations that “remain among you,” and he warns Israel not to mention, swear by, serve, or bow down to their gods Joshua 23:7, 12-13; 15:63; 16:10; 17:13; Judges 2:10–13. The same is true in Judges, which is literarily connected to Joshua: “they did not drive out the Jebusites”; “they did not take possession”; “they did not drive them out completely” 1:21–36, KJV; “I will not drive them out before you” 2:3, KJV. In fact, these nations remained “to this day” 1:21, KJV. Yes, Joshua used ancient conventional warfare expressions. Many other ancient Near East military accounts are full of exaggeration, depicting total devastation. Ancient near East readers knew this was a massive overstatement and not literally true. Interestingly, Deuteronomy 7:2–5 uses words like “utterly destroy” right next to “you shall not intermarry with them” KJV. As we have seen, the chief concern is destroying the Canaanite religion not necessarily all the Canaanite people. You ask, what about 1 Samuel Chapter 15 where God commands Israel to “utterly destroy, “and “not spare” the Amalekites? Who were these people? They were Israel‟s enemies from the start, Exodus 17:8–16 and across the generations Judges 3:13; 6:3–5, 33; 7:12; 10:12; for nearly 1,000 years, the Amalekites dogged and threatened Israel. So did Saul really wipe them out, except for Agag, whom the prophet Samuel finished off? Well, there is more going on here. Despite all appearances, the Amalekites show up again in 1 Samuel 27:8 and then in 30:1–18. During Persian King Xerxes‟ time (486–465 B.C.), we encounter Haman the Agagite, Esther 3:1. Agag had been king of the Amalekites. Haman mounted a campaign to destroy the Jews as a people Esther 3:13. Repeatedly, we see that the Amalekites were resolutely hostile toward Israel. When reading the text of 1 Samuel 15:3, we are led to believe that Israel targeted and obliterated Amalekite noncombatants. However, Old Testament scholar Richard Hess argues that we do not actually have indications that this was so, whether toward the Amalekites or the Canaanites. Deuteronomy 2:34 states that “And we took all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain” KJV. Again, in the next chapter, we read that Israel “And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city” 3:6, KJV.

The sweeping words like “all,” “young and old,” and “man and woman,” however, are stock expressions for totality, even if women and children were not present. The expression “men and women” or similar phrases appear to be trite for describing all the inhabitants of a town or region, “without predisposing the reader to assume anything further about their ages or even their genders.” Our understanding of the archeology history of Canaan offers some illuminating perspectives that help shed light on this discussion and reinforce this point. So let‟s explore this. This orthodox ancient Near East language of “all” people describes attacks on what turn out to be military forts or garrisons containing combatants, not a general population that includes women and children. We have no archeological evidence of civilian populations at Jericho or Ai Joshua 6:21; 8:25. The word “city” during this time in Canaan was where the military, the king, the army, and the priesthood resided. So for Joshua, mentioning, “women” and “young and old” turns out to be stock ancient Near East language that he could have used even if “women” and “young and old” were not living there. The language of “all” “men and women” at Jericho and Ai is an “orthodox expression for the destruction of all human life in the fort, presumably composed entirely of combatants.” The text does not require that “women” and “young and old” must have been in these cities, and this same situation could apply to Saul‟s battling against the Amalekites. Furthermore, people in Canaan commonly used the associated term melek “king” during this time for a military leader who was responsible for a higher ruler off-site. The civilian population typically lived in the hill country. According to the best calculations based on Canaanite inscriptions and other archeological evidence, no artifacts or “prestige” ceramics, Jericho was a small settlement of probably 100 or fewer soldiers. This is why all of Israel could circle it seven times and then do battle against it on the same day! Also, we should keep in mind that the large numbers used in warfare accounts in the Old Testament are a little tricky; they simply may not be as high as our translations indicate. The Hebrew commonly rendered, “thousand” can also mean “unit” or “squad” without specifying the exact number. As an aside, some people have wondered if the two spies coming to Jericho sought out Rahab for sexual favors. That is not the case here. Biblical writers elsewhere do not shrink from mentioning such liaisons, think of Judah and Samson. Apart from the fact of Rehab‟s genuine faith in Israel‟s God, the language in the text forbids this perspective. The spies “came into the house of Rahab” Joshua 2:1, KJV, not, “they went into Rahab” Judges 16:1, KJV. Furthermore, Rahab was in charge of what was likely the fortress tavern or hostel, not a brothel even if prostitutes sometimes ran these taverns. Traveling caravans and royal messengers would commonly overnight at such places during this period. These reconnaissance missions were common in the ancient Near East. An innkeeper‟s home would have been an ideal meeting place for spies and conspirators, a public place where they could learn about the practical and military dispositions of the area and could solicit a possible “fifth column” of support.

Rahab and her family were living demonstrations that a mission of killing Canaanites was not absolute and irreversible. The Canaanites were aware of God‟s power. Joshua 2:10-11; 9:9, and they could have repented. Indeed, Israel‟s sevenfold march around Jericho reveals an opportunity for its king, soldiers, and priests to relent. The Hebrew word circle, “March around” Joshua 6:3, involves various ceremonial aspects, including rams‟ horns, sacred procession, and shouting 2 Samuel 6:15-6; Psalm 48:12-3. The word contains the idea of an inspection; in Jericho‟s case, it was to see if the city would open its gates to evade its downfall. The text suggests that Joshua gave a genuine opportunity for Jericho to repent and trust in the one true God. Furthermore, Israel is not engaged in “genocide” or “ethnic cleansing.” Israel took in Rahab and her family just as it would accept Ruth. God regularly reminded Israel to look out for the alien in their midst. Why? Because Israelites had once been aliens in the land of Egypt themselves. Leviticus 19:34. Furthermore, God regularly threatened to judge Israel, and He did just that, as He had the Canaanites. In fact, we have seen that Israel‟s enemies are eventual objects of God‟s salvation. No ethnic hatred here. What adds further interest is the language of “driving out” and “thrusting out” the Canaanites Exodus 23:28; Leviticus 18:24; Numbers 33:52: Deuteronomy 6:19; 7:1; 9:4; 18:12; Joshua 10:28,30,32,35,37,39; 11:11,14. The Old Testament also uses the language of “dispossessing” the Canaanites of their land Numbers 21:32; Deuteronomy 9:1; 11:23; 18:14; 19:1. “Driving out” or “dispossessing” is different from “wiping out” or “destroying.” This provides yet a further indication that utter annihilation was not intended. “I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land,” Exodus 23:27–30, KJV. Expulsion is in view, not annihilation. And after examination, the “driving out” references are much more numerous than the “destroying” ones. How does this dispossessing or driving out work? It is not hard to imagine. The threat of a foreign army in the ancient Near East prompted women and children to remove themselves from harm's way, not to mention the population at large. They would be the first to flee. Josephus writes an attacked population would not wait around for the enemy to kill them. Only the defenders, who do not get out, are the ones who would get killed, Jeremiah 4: “The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein,” Jeremiah 4:29 KJV. Again, we have no indication from the biblical text that the “justified wars” of Joshua “were against noncombatants.” We read in Joshua and Judges that, despite the “obliteration” language, there were plenty of Canaanite inhabitants whom Israel did not “drive out”; rather, they lived in the areas where Israel had settled. In the following texts, Joshua‟s “utter destruction” of the Canaanites is exactly what “Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded”:

“And all the cities of those kings and all the kings of them did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.” Joshua 11:12, KJV. “And all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe. As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.” Joshua 11:14-15, KJV. “For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses,” Joshua 11:20, KJV. Remember Moses‟ sweeping commands to “consume” and “utterly destroy” the Canaanites, not to “leave alive anything that breathes”? Joshua‟s comprehensive language echoes that of Moses. Scripture clearly indicates that Joshua fulfilled Moses‟ charge to him. So if Joshua did just as Moses commanded, and if Joshua‟s described destruction was really massive, exaggeration and common in ancient Near East warfare language and familiar to Moses, then clearly Moses himself did not intend a literal, comprehensive Canaanite destruction. He, like Joshua, was merely following the literary conversation of the day. Now let‟s look at it as we pre-suppose that Joshua was to destroy the entire populace of the Canaanites. First, just because Canaanite women did not fight did not mean they were morally innocent, note the seductive Midianites women in Numbers 25. Second, if Israel targeted children, we must remember that this act was unique and unrepeatable in Israel‟s history and that God‟s ultimate intentions were to bring salvation. Consider the parallel between Abraham and Isaac. God promised Abraham that Isaac would be the child of promise to bring blessing to the nations. So Abraham was convinced that God would keep His promise, even if this meant raising Isaac from the dead: “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” Genesis 22:5. Likewise, the Canaanite question has as its backdrop the promise of blessing and salvation to all peoples, including Canaanites. Despite your remaining questions, we need to look at God‟s clear revelation in Jesus Christ, especially His incarnation and atoning death. A concerned, relational God, who made himself known to ancient Israel, showed up on the scene in flesh and blood. He entered into first-century life in Palestine, stooping to share our lot to enduring life‟s temptations, injustices, sufferings, cruelties, and humiliations. However we view the Canaanite question, God‟s heart is concerned with redemption. Christ‟s dying naked on a barbaric cross reveals how very low God is willing to go for our salvation. As the song goes about those who scorned and spurned God‟s salvation in Jesus of Nazareth: They mocked His true calling And laughed at His fate, So glad to see the Gentle One Consumed by their hate, Unaware of the wind and the darkening sky, So blind to the fact that it was God limping by! Since God was willing to go through all of this for our salvation, the Christian can reply to the critic, “While I cannot tidily solve the problem of the Canaanites, I can trust a God who has proven His willingness to go to such excruciating lengths, and depths, to offer rebellious humans reconciliation and friendship.” However we interpret and respond to some of the baffling questions raised by the Old Testament, we should not stop with the Old Testament if we want a clearer revelation of the heart and character of God. In fact, the New Testament clearly reveals a God who redeems His enemies through Christ‟s substitutionary, self-sacrificial, shame-bearing act of love Romans 5:10. Though a Canaanite-punishing God strikes us as incompatible with graciousness and compassion, God is also light 1 John 1:5, a God who is both good and severe Romans 11:22. Yet this righteous God loves His enemies, not simply His friends Matthew 5:43–48. Indeed, He allows himself to be crucified by His enemies in hopes of redeeming them: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. Canaan is America today about to reap the consequences of her sin. America under the false pretense of technological advancement has regressed to become the ancient land of Canaan of years gone by. They sacrificed unto demons, which were no gods. They are practicing demon-worship, occult rites, child sacrifice, and even cannibalism. Our Country is now promoting these obscene practices; its leaders tolerate and legalize Demonology, the Worship of Pagan gods and Spirit-World Mystics. A Canaanite Court has replaced the Supreme Court passing laws in favor of the “Will of the Canaanite.” America‟s Cushite President, a Hamite Muslim out of the jungles of Africa plying, “lying to gain control,” the “Will of the Canaanite” documents. America is under siege! The government took control of public school education a long time ago. In 1962 the Canaanite Court (Supreme Court) through prayer out of the public schools (Engele vs. Vitale), and in 1963, it threw the Bible out (Abington School District vs. Schempp). In 1980, the Canaanites in (Stone vs. Graham), said the Ten Commandments could not be posted in school classrooms. And now we‟ve seen the satanic Court legalize Homosexuality, Same-sex marriage and enforcement of removal of any mention of God anywhere on public, State or government property. The military has done the same declaring that Jesus‟ name cannot be used in prayer or even spoken or talked about in the military. America is no longer the land of the free and home of the brave but has become the Canaanitish State of Socialistic Enslavery for Sheminites and God‟s Japhetic people. A haunt for Hamite and Cushite whoredom practices to bring in their One World Order.

How much time is left is hard to say, America is living on borrowed time. The sweet things have made her sick, the diabetic Laodicean church has sugar-coated the gospel so much that she‟s become anemic on love. Sweet things have brought on a coma and Laodiceans fill the hospitals and nursing homes with hospice care, too much love and sugar have sent her over the edge. As a

nation, we are near death and dying and what we should be asking is: What‟s On the Other Side of Death? All Scripture notations are from the King James Bible.

CANAAN IS AMERICA TODAY

[tpanan]

My Saturday Daily Blessings

April 13, 2019

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lectionary: 256

First Reading: Ezekiel 37: 21-28

Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.

I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for them all.

Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.

No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions.

I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.

My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.

They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where their fathers lived; they shall live on it forever, they, and their children, and their children's children, with my servant David their prince forever.

I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.

My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD, who make Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.

Responsorial Psalm:  Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

"The LORD will guard us, as a shepherd guard his flock."

Verse before the Gospel: Ezekiel 18: 31

"Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit."

Gospel: John 11: 45-56

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.

But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we going to do?

This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation."

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish."

He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.

So from that day on they planned to kill him.

So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves.

They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?"

**Meditation:

Do you allow fear or opposition to hold you back from doing God's will? Jesus set his face like flint toward Jerusalem, knowing full well what awaited him there (Luke 9:51; Isaiah 50:7). It was Jewish belief that when the high priest asked for God's counsel for the nation, God spoke through him. What dramatic irony that Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus must die for the nation. The prophet Ezekiel announced that God would establish one people, one land, one prince, and one sanctuary forever.

Jesus suffered for us sinners the punishment we deserved for our sins Luke adds to Caiphas's prophecy that Jesus would gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. Jesus came to lay down his life for the many, but not in a foolish reckless manner so as to throw it away before his work was done. He retired until the time had come when nothing would stop his coming to Jerusalem to fulfill his Father's mission.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) wrote:

"The passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience... He loved us so much that, sinless himself, he suffered for us sinners the punishment we deserved for our sins. How then can he fail to give us the reward we deserve for our righteousness, for he is the source of righteousness? How can he, whose promises are true, fail to reward the saints when he bore the punishment of sinners, though without sin himself? Brethren, let us then fearlessly acknowledge, and even openly proclaim, that Christ was crucified for us; let us confess it, not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory."

The way to glory and victory for us is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Christ in his way of victory?

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

**Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use. Cite copyright & source: www.dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager© 2015 Servants of the Word  

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings February 04, 2020 at 11:00PM

Psalm 72

Psalm 72

Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King

Of Solomon.

1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

5 May he live[a] while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. 7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 May his foes[b] bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust. 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.

12 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. 13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live! May gold of Sheba be given to him. May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all day long. 16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; may it wave on the tops of the mountains; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field. 17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in him;[c] may they pronounce him happy.

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

Footnotes:

Psalm 72:5 Gk: Heb may they fear you

Psalm 72:9 Cn: Heb those who live in the wilderness

Psalm 72:17 Or bless themselves by him

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 119:73-96

73 Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. 74 Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. 75 I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness you have humbled me. 76 Let your steadfast love become my comfort according to your promise to your servant. 77 Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. 78 Let the arrogant be put to shame, because they have subverted me with guile; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 79 Let those who fear you turn to me, so that they may know your decrees. 80 May my heart be blameless in your statutes, so that I may not be put to shame.

81 My soul languishes for your salvation; I hope in your word. 82 My eyes fail with watching for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” 83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes. 84 How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? 85 The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me; they flout your law. 86 All your commandments are enduring; I am persecuted without cause; help me! 87 They have almost made an end of me on earth; but I have not forsaken your precepts. 88 In your steadfast love spare my life, so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

89 The Lord exists forever; your word is firmly fixed in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. 91 By your appointment they stand today, for all things are your servants. 92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my misery. 93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. 94 I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. 95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your decrees. 96 I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Genesis 22:1-18

The Command to Sacrifice Isaac

22 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill[a] his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”;[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”[c]

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Footnotes:

Genesis 22:10 Or to slaughter

Genesis 22:14 Or will see; Heb traditionally transliterated Jehovah Jireh

Genesis 22:14 Or he shall be seen

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hebrews 11:23-31

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.[a] 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered abuse suffered for the Christ[b] to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though[c] he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.[d]

The Faith of Other Israelite Heroes

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient,[e] because she had received the spies in peace.

Footnotes:

Hebrews 11:23 Other ancient authorities add By faith Moses, when he was grown up, killed the Egyptian, because he observed the humiliation of his people (Gk brothers)

Hebrews 11:26 Or the Messiah

Hebrews 11:27 Or because

Hebrews 11:28 Gk would not touch them

Hebrews 11:31 Or unbelieving

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

John 6:52-59

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[focr]

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

This passage is special to my wife, Karen, and I because these verses were read and preached at our wedding.  It begins with the theme of love.  It speaks about hospitality and caring for people in need.  Then it speaks about marriage and faithfulness.  And finally, it hits on our theme of contentment.  You will notice that there is a command, a promise, and a response.

The Command

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have. (Heb. 13:5)

This is a direct command from the mouth of God.  He does not say, “You might like to think about contentment.”  Discontent is a hellish sin and God calls us to be done with it.  Love of money, as we saw from 1 Timothy 6, is a root of all kinds of evil and God calls you to keep your life free from it.

Over this last month we have set our minds and our hearts to the business of obeying this clear calling and commandment of God.  Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have.  I want to offer two practical strategies for pursuing this contentment today.

You grow in contentment, not by adding to what you have, but by subtracting from what you desire. The world says that you will find contentment when your possessions rise to the level of your desires.  But the Christian finds contentment, not by bringing her possessions up to her desires, but by bringing her desires down to her possessions.

Find joy in what God has given you.  Someone said to me in the foyer the other week that she had just experienced what a wonderful gift contentment is.  She had been visiting with a friend whose house was much larger and grander than hers and she said, “I came home and I said to myself, ‘I love the home that I have.’”  That’s contentment. You grow in contentment by making the right comparisons.

Making the wrong comparisons is a major source of discontentment in life.  We look at people who have more, people who enjoy blessings that were not given to us, and we ask: “Why was that given to them and not to me?”

5 Comparisons That Help Us to Be Content

Making the right comparisons can be helpful in cultivating contentment.  Thomas Watson suggests five comparisons that help us to be content.

1. Compare your condition with what you deserve. When it comes to kindness and mercy, God has given us more than we deserve. When it comes to trouble and affliction, God has given is less than we deserve (see Ezra 9:13).

Thomas Watson, like many other puritans, was writing at a time when many pastors were being thrown into prison.  How could these men, who were enduring this suffering, be content like the apostle Paul when he was in prison?

Watson uses this argument of comparing your condition with what you deserve, “Has he thrown us into prison?  He might have thrown us into hell.”

2. Compare your condition with others who have less.

His point here is simple.  We easily look at those who have more than we do and feel discontented.  Instead we should look to those who have less and be thankful.

Am I in prison?  Was not Daniel in a worse place, the lion’s den?   Someone has said, “I moaned because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.”

3. Compare your condition with Christ’s on earth. Are you unhappy with your home?  “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20).

Are you unhappy with your appearance?  “His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance” (Isa. 52:14).

Have your friends let you down?  “All the disciples left him and fled” (Matt. 26:56).

Whenever you are facing difficulty, it will help you to see that Jesus knew more about this than you ever will.

4. Compare your condition with what it once was. Think about your condition when you were born: Spiritually, we were “heirs apparent to hell.” Materially, we had nothing when we stepped out of the womb, “We brought nothing into the world” (1 Tim. 6:7). If we do not have what we want in this world, we certainly have a lot more than we brought into it.

5. Compare your condition with what it will be soon.

There is a time coming very soon when everything you have ever wanted in this world would be of no use to you whatsoever.  When we die we must leave this world and all that is in it behind: “We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1 Tim. 6:7).

That is why the Scripture says, “Set your minds on things above where Christ is seated” (Col. 1:1-2, author para.).  “Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (1:3).  Keep your life free from love of money, at all costs, and be content with what you have.

The Promise

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5)

Here we have a marvelous example of gospel motivation, and I want you to see how this works.  God does not say:  “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have… or else!”  God ties the command to a promise.

Listen to what he says: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have… [because] he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  The motive and the power for obeying the command lies in the promise.  We obey the command by believing the promise.  That’s how you live the Christian life.

What a marvelous promise this is: God says, “I will never leave you.  I will never forsake you.”

To be forsaken by God would be to the worst thing imaginable.  A person forsaken by God would be completely alone, completely helpless, and completely hopeless forever.  To be forsaken by God would be the hell of hell itself.

God says to his people, “That will never happen to you!  You will never be alone.  You will never be without my help.  Whatever you face, you will never be without the light of hope.

Whatever happens, I will be with you.  I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

Commentators point out that in the original language there are five negatives.  You can’t translate that directly because in English a double negative is a positive.  But in Greek a double negative adds emphasis, and here we have five of them all piled up on top of each other!

One commentator says, “This is perhaps the strongest negation in the Bible.” [1] I will never, never leave you.  I will never, never, never forsake you.  When Spurgeon preached on this verse, he chose a five world title: Never, Never, Never, Never, Never!  [2]

You can trust this promise.

God has made this promise and think about who he is to you: He is the Father who loves you.  He is the Son, the Savior who redeems you at the cost of laying down his life at the cross.  He is the Spirit who indwells you.

When God says to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” he is saying, “There will never be a time when you do not have a Father who loves you.  There will never be a time when you do not have a Savior to guard you and keep you.  There will never be a time when you do not have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to sustain you.”

Christian contentment is birthed here.  The Christian who takes this in will say, “Whatever happens, this remains true.  God will never leave me nor forsake me, and I can live on that.”

God has made this promise.  He has made it in the strongest language.  He has given it to his own children.  And his honor is tied to keeping it.  You can be very confident in this promise.

The promise is ours because of Jesus Christ.

All of God’s promises are ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20), which simply means that without Jesus Christ there would not be any promises from God for us.  All of God’s promises are ours in him and because of him.

People who’ve been through a terrible experience sometimes say, “I’ve been through hell,” but that is never possible for a Christian.  There is only one person who has ever truly endured hell on earth and that is Jesus: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).  Christ was forsaken on the cross so that you would never know what it is like.

There may be times when you feel forsaken.  There may be times when you cannot feel the light of God’s presence or the warmth of his love, but rest assured of this: In Jesus Christ you are never alone, you are never helpless, and you are never without hope: “I will never, never leave you; I will never, no never, no never forsake you.”

You can draw strength from this promise.

This is not the first time that God gave this promise in the Bible, and the times when it was given before alert us to times when we especially need to hear this promise.

1. When you are facing an overwhelming challenge.

God gave this promise to Joshua, who faced the overwhelming challenge of stepping up as the successor to Moses.  Imagine the pressure of stepping into Moses’ shoes!  So, God gave Joshua this promise: “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:5-6).

The promise of God’s presence is given again and again in the Scriptures when his people are facing times of trouble: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isa. 43:2).

The presence of Christ is the Christian answer to fear.  When you know that God has said, “I will never leave you,” then you will be able to say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

2. When you need to take a step of faith. God gave this promise to Solomon, who was in the opposite position from Joshua. Solomon’s father, David, had established a kingdom. He had subdued his enemies and

passed on a legacy of blessing to his son.

The great temptation for Solomon was to live within his comfort zone—to play it safe, to hold back.  After all, he could easily say, “Even my father, David, did not build a temple.  So why should I attempt something so hard, so costly, and with so much risk?”

The Bible records David’s last words to Solomon.  It includes a long list of all that David has done to gather the materials for building the temple.  The detail is astonishing: “I am giving you the plans for the temple.  I am giving you the gold for the lampstands, and for the table and for the forks and the cups…”

Then David said to his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished” (1 Chr. 28:20).

There are many times when the greatest temptation is simply to play it safe when God may be calling you to take a step of faith.  And in that moment you will need to draw deeply on this promise: “I will never leave you and never forsake you.”

In his last words to his son, David says, “Solomon, you have been entrusted by me with marvelous resources.  Make sure that you use them to build God’s house!  Don’t settle back into a life of ease and squander it all on yourself.  Venture out into all that the Lord is calling you to do.  Do it!  Because God is with you.”

Here’s how you can take that step of faith with confidence: God has said, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.”

3. When following Christ has been costly.

You had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession.

(Heb. 10:34)

God gave this promise to the Hebrew believers in the New Testament.   Following Christ had been costly for them.  The authorities had come in and confiscated their property simply because they were believers, and some were beginning to wonder if the cost was worth it.  That is why there is so much in this letter about persevering and not turning back.

Since some had their property confiscated, you can see why the love of money would be an issue, and the writer says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Heb. 13:5).

As I have been preparing this, my mind goes out to many who, in different ways, have found that following Christ has been truly costly for you.  There is a real and measurable loss simply because of your commitment to integrity.

Because you took a stand and were baptized as a Christian believer, you were disowned and you will not inherit what you might have.  Your life could have been much easier if you have chosen a different path, but you chose to walk the path of Jesus, to take up your cross and follow him.  And he says to you: “I will never, never leave you.  I will never, never, never forsake you!”

The Response

He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”  (Heb. 13:5-6)

You obey God’s command by believing his promise.  And when you obey the command by believing the promise, it puts you in a position when you can say and know with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”   When you can say that, you will have learned the secret of contentment.

© Colin S. Smith

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[1] John Brown, Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 683, Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2008.

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, from sermon #477, October 26th 1862,

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons08.viii_1.html.