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yamayuandadu · 7 months ago

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What is your opinion on the article "Mesopotamian or Iranian? A New Investigation on the Origin of the Goddess Anāhitā" by Alireza Qaderi?

He proposes that Anahita is possibly the syncretism of an Iranian Water goddess with Annunitum, and while it largely makes a lot of sense to me, especially with how it points out that we can't treat the Avesta as we know it as identical to the Avesta in Zarathustra's time, it also assumes the Central Asian goddess Ardokhsho comes from Aredvi Sura instead of Arti, and everything else I've seen just says Ardokhsho comes from Arti, although I haven't seen much literature on either deity tbh

Sorry it took me a few days to answer this ask even though it’s basically laser focused on my interests. I had some other stuff to read and unpleasant work duties to perform and couldn’t properly go through the recommended paper.

My feelings about the paper are mixed. I think anyone who remembers Annunitum was a distinct deity as early as in the late third millennium BCE deserves at least some credit. The notion of interchangeability of goddesses still haunts the field, fueled by Bible scholars, Helsinki hyperdiffusionists and the like. Overall the author shines in the sections dedicated only to the evaluation of the broadly Iranian material, but as soon as the focus switches to Mesopotamia things fall apart, sadly. More under the cut. Hope you don’t mind that I’ll also use this as an opportunity to talk about Annunitum in Sippar in general. I've been gathering sources to improve her wiki article further (don’t expect that any time soon though).

The Iranian material

Criticizing the vintage attempts at equating Anahita with Sarasvati is sound and sensible. Same with stressing that she is distinct from Nanaya and Oxus. The criticism of theories depending on lack of familiarity with the historical range of the beaver was a nice touch too, it demonstrates well that the author wanted to cover as much previous literature as possible. However, I also have no clue what’s up with “ΑΡΔΟΧΡΟ has an ambiguous relationship with Arədvī Sūrā”, I’ve also only ever seen this name explained as a derivative of Ashi/Arti save for a single paper trying to force a link to Oxus which was met with critical responses. It’s entirely possible this is an argument I simply haven’t seen though, I’m also not really familiar with this matter.

Overall the arguments against seeking Anahita’s origin in the east are perfectly sensible, and line up with the evidence well - no issues at all with this part of the paper. Following a more detailed list of Anahita’s easter attestations from Shenkar’s Intangible spirits and graven images. She appears on some Kushano-Sasanian coins, but this seems to reflect importing her from the west relatively late on since she appears in neither Kushan nor Bactrian sources. The coins are even exclusively inscribed in Middle Persian, with no trace of the local vernacular.

For unclear reasons Anahita caught on to a degree even further east in Sogdia, but attestations are limited to the period between fourth and sixth centuries. Since they’re largely just generic theophoric names, it is hard to call her anything but a minor deity of indeterminate character in this context, though. I’ve seen the argument that the popularity of Oxus in the east might have been the obstacle to introducing her. Oxus was a bigger deal in Bactria than in Sogdia so it could even explain why Sogdians were slightly more keen on her, arguably, even if they and Bactrians came into contact with her cult under similar circumstances.

Back to the article, the section dealing with the western attestations starts on a pretty strong note too. The need for reevaluation if it’s fair to talk about Achaemenid rulers as “Zoroastrian” is a mainstay of studies published over the past 10-15 years or so. I can’t weigh on the linguistic arguments because I know next to nothing about that.

I’m not sure if I follow the argument that it makes no sense Iranian population wouldn’t need a royal order to start worshipping a new deity as long as they were Iranian, tbh - linguistic or cultural affiliation doesn’t come prepackaged with automatically updated list of deities one is obliged to instantly adopt as soon as they pop up into existence. Following this logic, why didn’t Sargon’s Akkadian speaking subjects in Syria just adopt Ilaba before being obliged to do so? You will find literally hundreds of cases like this, it’s a very weird argument to me.

The Mesopotamian material

The biggest problems start once the coverage of Mesopotamia begins. The rigor evident in the strictly Iranian sections of the article just… vanishes and it’s incredibly weird. Herodotus as a source is… quite something. The phrase “ a goddess with a Semitic character” is… well, quite something too (Reallexikon generally advises against defining anything but languages as “Semitic” in Mesopotamian context - Mesopotamian is a perfectly fine label to use, and accounts for the fact that Sumerian, Hurrian and Kassite are not a part of the Semitic language family). It keeps repeating later and admittedly I’m not very fond of this. Especially when it pertains to the west of Iran, where deities originating in Mesopotamia were worshiped since the late third millennium BCE - they were more Elamite than Mesopotamian by the time Persians showed up, really. The matter is covered in detail in Wouter Henkelman’s Other Gods who Are with Adad in the Persepolis Fortification Archive as a case study.

Cybele was by no means Mesopotamian (with each new study she keeps becoming more strictly Phrygian, with earlier Anatolian, let alone Mesopotamian, influence becoming less and less likely) so I'm not sure what she's doing here, Nanaya’s associations with lions is almost definitely an Iranian innovation and not attested before the late first millennium BCE; despite earlier sound arguments against ascribing strictly Avestan Zoroastrian sensibilities to people in the late first millennium BCE, that’s basically what happens here. Lions were evidently viewed favorably by at least some Persians and especially Bactrians and Sogdians.

The less said about the part trying to link evidence from Palmyra to Inanna and Dumuzi (what does a marginal spouse deity like Dumuzi, entirely absent from Palmyra, have to do with Sabazius, a veritable pantheon head equated with Zeus?), the better. Frazerian bit, if I have to be honest.

I’m not sure about the enthusiasm for Boyce’s argument that it makes little sense for Anahita to simultaneously be a river goddess and to bestow victory in battle. The latter characteristic lines up well with her elevation to the position of a deity tied to investiture of kings, which in turn is something which boils down to personal preference of a given dynasty. The character of deities isn’t necessarily supposed to be one-dimensional and having distinct spheres of activity because of historical factors is hardly unusual.

Stressing that it’s not possible to treat Anahita and Ishtar as interchangeable is commendable. However, I don’t think it’s possible to claim continuity between the religious beliefs reflected in the relief of Anubanini and first millennium BCE Media. The argument is not pursued further, to be fair, but it’s still weird.

The next huge issue is the treatment of the late “Anu theology”. A good recent overview of this matter can be found in Krul’s 2018 monograph (shared by the author herself here).

For starters, it’s completely baffling to declare Anu had no spouse at first; Urash and Ki are both attested in the Early Dynastic period already - and the former appears reasonably commonly in this role in literary texts and god lists. Even Antu might already be present in the Abu Salabikh list.

Attributing Inanna prominence in Uruk and in the Eanna in particular to identification with Antu is utterly nightmarish and one of the worst Inanna takes I’ve ever seen; the fact it’s contradicted by information of the same page makes it pretty funny, admittedly. Inanna’s ties to the city go back literally to the beginning of recorded history (some of the oldest texts in the world are demands aimed at cities under the control of Uruk to provide offerings for Inanna ffs), and probably even further back. Meanwhile, Anu for most of his history was an abstract hardly worshiped deity; Krul stresses this in the beginning of her book linked above. I’m not a fan of ancient matriarchy takes which are often lurking in the background when the cases of earliest city goddesses like Inanna, Nisaba and Nanshe are discussed but I do think the need to downplay Inanna’s prominence and elevate Anu which pops up every few years in scholarship is suspect and probably motivated by sexism, consciously or not, tbh.

Trying to make the “Anu theology” which developed in the late first millennium BCE an influence on the entirety of Mesopotamia and beyond is puzzling. Sabazius appearing in Palmyra with a spouse is tied to Anu, somehow? The fact that deities had spouses is? Atargatis ties into this somehow? I’m sorry, but I’m not following. Also, Uruk was no longer a theological center of the Mesopotamian world in the first millennium BCE. Babylon was, and before that Nippur. There is no need to speculate, there are thousands of texts to back it up. The late sources from Uruk in particular show that Babylon was somewhat forcefully influencing the city, not the other way around.

The Anu theology was a display of local “nationalism” of Uruk and had a very limited impact. There is evidence for some degree of late theological cooperation between Uruk and Nippur, and possibly Der as well (Der itself despite being located with certainty has yet to be excavated, though, so caution is necessary), but nothing of this sort is to be found in the late sources from other locations.

Annunitum = Anahita?

Finally, let’s look at the core idea behind the article.

Right off the bat I feel it’s necessary to stress Annunitum generally wasn’t regarded as an astral deity. In the Old Babylonian period, the Venus role was evidently handled by Ninsianna in Sippar; later on they aren’t even attested there but the regular Ishtar is. Seems doubtful it would actually be Annunitum who got to be an astral deity there at any point in time.

This claim is also highly dubious. There is no evidence that Antu was ever worshiped in Sippar, let alone that she was equated there with Annunitum; she doesn’t show up at all in Jennie Myers’ 2002 thesis The Sippar pantheon: a diachronic study. Paul-Alain Beaulieu stresses her lack of importance all across Mesopotamia save for first millennium BCE Uruk here. There is also no evidence that the late Anu theology impacted Sippar in any capacity. Shamash retained his position in the city until the death of cuneiform. Even in Uruk, Annunitum in the late sources appears only in association with Ishtar and Nanaya, not Anu and Antu. I will repeat how I feel about the need to assert Anu’s importance where there is no trace of it. Overall it feels like unrelated Mesopotamian and adjacent sources from different areas and time periods are used indiscriminately; which is ironically the criticism employed in the article wrt the treatment of Iranian textual sources by other researchers. The Assyriological sources employed leave a bit to be desired, too. In particular Abusch’s Ishtar entry in the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible is a nightmare (he’s good when he covers incantations but his broader “theological” proposals are… quite something), here are some quotes from it to show how awful it is is a central point of reference:

Of the other authors cited, Jacobsen is Jacobsen and a lot changed since the 1960s. Roberts was criticized right after his study was published by researchers like Aage Westenholz. Langdon’s study from the early 1900s is an outdated nightmare, I guess we know what’s up with the Dumuzi hot takes now. Beaulieu is great but his papers and monographs aren’t really utilized to any meaningful extent, I feel.

Other criticisms aside, I’m unsure if Annunitum was important enough in the fifth century BCE to be noticed by Artaxerxes II as postulated here, especially since Shamash was right next door and definitely retained some degree of prominence. Most if not all cases of Mesopotamian deities influencing Persian or broader Iranian tradition reflect widespread cults of popular deities - Nanaya, Nabu (via influence on Tishtrya), Nergal (in the west, around Harran) - as opposed to a b-list strictly local deity. And it’s really hard to refer to Annunitum differently. Let’s take a quick look at her position in the twin cities of Sippar - as far as I am aware, the most recent treatment of this matter is still Myers’ thesis, and that’s what I will rely on here.

Annunitum is first attested in Sippar in the Old Babylonian period, during the reign of Sabium, though as a deity already locally major enough to appear in an oath formula alongside Shamash. In the Early Dynastic period Sippar-Amnanum was likely associated with an enigmatic figure designated by the logogram ÉREN+X who doesn’t seem to be related to her. When and how exactly the tutelary deity change occurred is not presently possible to determine and admittedly of no real relevance here.

Evidently Annunitum’s cult in Sippar was influenced to some degree by the Sargonic tradition she originated in, her temple was even called Eulmaš just like that in Akkad. It’s not impossible it was even originally founded by one of the members of the Sargonic dynasty, but in absence of pre-OB evidence caution is necessary. There is no shortage of later rulers who wanted to partake in the Sargonic legacy, after all. By the earliest documented times, it was the second most important temple in the Sippar agglomeration, and the only one beside the Ebabbar to have its own administrative structure. Annunitum was even referred to as the “queen of Sippar” (Šarrat Sippar; note that by the Neo-Babylonian period this title came to function as a distinct goddess, though). In Sippar-Amnanum there was a street, a gate and a canal named after her. A bit over 6% of the inhabitants of both cities bore theophoric names invoking her, also. Sippar-Amnanum was abandoned for some 200 years after the reign of Ammi-saduqa, but it seems the clergy simply moved to the other Sippar next door. Next few centuries are very sparsely documented at this site, but supposedly Shagarakti-Shuriash rebuilt Annunitum’s temple (the matter is discussed in detail here).

Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser I dealing with the conquest of northern Babylonia affirm that Annunitum continued to be viewed as the goddess of Sippar through the Neo-Assyrian period. According to an inscription of Nabonidus her temple, and Sippar-Amnanum as a whole, were razed by Sennacherib (he also blames “Gutians” for it though by then this is a label as generic as “barbarian”). This might be why her cult had to be relocated to the other part of Sippar again. In the Neo-Babylonian period it returned to Sippar-Amnanum under Neriglissar, though her temple was only rebuilt by Nabonidus. It survived at least until the reign of Darius, though it was only a small sanctuary (É.KUR.RA.MEŠ) like those of Adad and Gula.

There is very little evidence for popular worship of her so late on: only two theophoric names have been identified…. For comparison, Shamash appears in 208 (out of 823 theophoric names, out of a total of 1243 total). Nergal, Gula, Adad and even Amurru are all more common. Aya is also absent, but unlike Annunitum despite her prominence in earlier periods she was actually never common in theophoric names, save for the names of naditu; and naditu ceased to be a thing after the OB period.

Offering lists complicate the matter further. From the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Annunitum started to lose ground to a duo introduced from Dur-Kurigalzu: a manifestation of Nanaya associated with this city and Ishtar-tashme. Why they suddenly appeared in Sippar and why they overshadowed Annunitum is uncertain, perhaps Dur-Kurigalzu just failed to recover from decline after the end of the Kassite period and eventually the decision was made to start transferring local deities to other nearby major urban centers. The process reversed during the reign of Nabonidus, who ordered an increase in offerings made to her. This might’ve been motivated by his general concern for Sin and any deities considered members of his immediate family - essentially, a display of personal devotion. This elevation is still evident in offering lists from the reign of Cyrus, though.

Overall the paper is quite convincing - outstanding, even - when it comes to the Iranian material alone, and between mediocre and nightmarish once the author shifts to Mesopotamia.

#mesopotamian miscellanea #hinadoll39

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ohsalome · 2 years ago

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What are some amazing, most read Ukraine authors? The only one I know is Gogol and I would like more on my radar.

First important disclaimer is that without knowing ukrainian, your pool of choice is very limited. Unfortunately, our translators haven't done nearly enough to make ukrainian literature acessable for english speakers, so a lot of genuinely amazing stuff would require you to know the language.

The second important disclaimer is that I am going to recommend you a lot of poetry, and, with no disrespect to the translators, it doesn't hit nearly as hard in english as it is in ukrainian. I've recently heard the phrase "to read poetry in translation is like to take a shower wearing a raincoat", and it is so true. So, apologies for this barrier, but there is nothing one can do.

With that in mind, let's start from classics:

The first most important author is Taras Shevchenko. He mainly wrote poetry, but has some prose works as well, and during his life he was more known as a popular artist. The Bible of his works is Kobzar (a ukrainian word for travelling blind musicians), and the same word is also often used as a nickname for Shevchenko - akin to how Shakespeare can be called the Bard. Among the most important poems pay attention to A Dream (the poem for which he was imprisoned by the russians with an explicit ban on writing and painting), The Caucasus, My Testament, Kateryna, A cherry orchad by the house, О thoughts of mine

The second big name to know is Lesya Ukrainka. Lesya is also more known for her drama and poetry than her prose, but she also was a prolific translator and a feminist. Her most well-know play is The Forest Song (a cartoon adaptation is soon to be released after 7 years of production, but from the trailer it looks like it's not going to be close to the text). I find her Бояриня play to be much more interesting and relevant, however, it looks like it has not been translated yet. Among her poems, some of the most important are Contra Spem Spero and Cassandra (the latter has had some successful stage prouctions in Great Britain last year, mayhaps it will gain popularity)

Some links to her works: [x] [x]

Fun fact: there are speculations about Lesya Ukrainka's relationship with her close friend Olga Kobylyanska. The letters they exchanged are quite intimate and sometimes even erotic in nature, which lead some academics to believe that they were more than friends (most still fall in the "gal pals" camp tho). However, if that were true, that would mean that Lesya Ukrainka is the only bisexual woman to ever be printed on banknotes.

The third pillar of ukrainian classical literature is Ivan Franko. Once again, we are talking about partiotic poetry, but there are also many socialistic ideas in his works (although he became dissilusioned with it in his later years ), which I think many western readers will find appealing - (side comment - it looks like "collective west" is going through the same processses that we overcame a century ago, so ehm... good luck, y'all will need it). I haven't been able to find much of his works translated in English, so here is a good master page. Zakhar Berkut is considered to be one of his greatest works (a ukrainian-american co-production movie The Rising Hawk was released a couple of years ago, it was shit). If you manage to put your hands on it, I would greatly recommend The Painted Fox and Moses. Also, reading Eternal Revolutionary imprinted on me so much in childhood and determined who I grew up to be, I pretty much consider Franko to be my spiritual father.

A great event that happened this year is that Valeryan Pidmohylny's The City is finally getting an english translation. I have been gushing about this book on this blog before (you can also find the link to the publisher there), because for the archetypical ukrainian literature this book is a breath of fresh air. It's beautiful, it's modern, it's urbanistic, the protagonist is irredeemable asshole, it's amazing and I should re-read it as well.

Among the authors that are much more difficult to find, I greatly recommend Ivan Nechu-Levytsky. In my humble opinion, he like no other has managed to capture the "ukrainian spirit" and his plots are extremely captivating and dramatic as hell.

I will always, always add Ivan Bahryiany to my lists of ukrainian "must reads". He is an author of the first ever ukrainian adventure novel Tiger Trappers/The Hunters and the Hunted, which is the book that is loved even by those who don't like ukrainian literature. However, I personally find his Garden of Gethsemane to be a much more important (but take care, it is much more depressing as well). This author is extremely important, but I struggle finding PDFs of his work - perhaps, you'd have to search the libraries or ukr diaspora publishers for paperbacks. I have also been unsuccessfully hunting for an english translation of Why I am not going back to the Soviet Union? pamphlet for years - and I know for sure it exists because the USA first lady at that time has read it and it influenced her opinion on the USSR - but I've had no luck so far.

Another very important author of the same time period is Mykola Khyvylovy. One of his plays has actually been recently put to stage in English (shamefully, I haven't watched it yet, but I can vouch for the text it was based on - it's brutal).

I can't speak about ukrainian literature without mentioning crimean tatars, and although their works are much, much less known (in Ukraine as well, unfortunately), please do not overlook it. It is a gorgeous culture, and reading it, I grew to love and value Crimea so much even without ever visiting it. There are some english translations avaliable, including those of Noman Çelebicihan - an extermely important figure in Crimean Tatar history, the founder of the unfortunately short-lived Crimean Democratic Republic, the author of their national anthem, and overall very influential revolutionary.

Now let's jump to the popular modern authors. Many don't have english translation, but the problem is much less prominent in comparison to the ukrainian classics. With these authors, you shouldn't have trouble with finding paperbacks. Among the most influential authors I can recommend Serhiy Zhadan (Timothy Snyder has once said that he expects Zhadan to receive a Nobel Prize in literature and I agree), Oksana Zabuzhko (she either aught to release soon or has already released an english-exclusive book about the russian-ukrainian war), Yuri Izdryk (extremely modern and unconventional, but he's a good represention of the current state of art), Yuriy Andrukhovych (love his mastery of language, hate his characters). These authors are more light-hearted, but a grim necessity for today is Stanislav Aseyev's The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. It is a autobilgraphical book describing his experience being imprisoned by russians between 2017 and 2019. Western journalism often describes the war crimes russians commit on our land, but just listing the number of people lost doesn't show the face of the russian horror. Read this book to understand why we were screaming about the russian threat before the full-scale invasion, and why every time we regain the territory we brace with terror of what we'll discover there - because everywhere russian army goes, they build hunderds of such Isolyatsya camps that the book describes.

Also check out Serhiy Zhadan's band!

#response #ukraine #ukrainian literature #thank you for this question this is much more fun to talk about than the usual topics on this blog

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christianbelievers · 5 months ago

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PREPARE TO BECOME GOD’S NEW MINISTERS

PREPARE TO BECOME GOD’S NEW MINISTERS (NOW…AND IN THE 1000 YEARS REIGN)

If you are a born again believer, the Bible says that you will rule and reign with Christ. Are we prepared for that? I don’t think many of us can truly fathom what that means, but it still remains a fact written in God’s Word.

Perhaps I should have asked “Is God preparing you for that?” I believe that’s exactly what He’s doing. There are parables that God uses to help us understand how He’s doing it. You can find one of them in Matthew 25:14-30, and there is a similar parable in Luke 19:11-27, among others.

In the Parable of the Talents, from Matthew’s Gospel, a man going on a journey left three of his servants with some of his money, presumably to care for their master’s estate while he was gone. Each was given a certain amount “each according to his ability”. One man was given 5 bags of gold, the second 2 bags, and the third 1 bag.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” (Matthew 25:19) The first man used his 5 bags of gold to gain another 5. The second man used his 2 bags to gain 2 more. The master was thrilled. To both he said 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” In the parable from Luke, the 2 men were given charge of cities, 5 for the one, and 2 for the second man.

In both of the parables, the 3rd men that were called in said that they had buried, or hidden the money that they were entrusted with. They both called their master a “hard man”, and claimed to be “afraid” of him. They said “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” (Matthew 25:24) Both of these men’s share of the money was taken from them and given to the ones who had gained 5 bags more. But, not only were the bags of gold taken from the two men, they were also thrown out of their masters estates, and considered “worthless”.

So, what can we learn from these two parables? What did Jesus want the disciples, and us, to understand?

I believe the Lord wants us to understand first, that He wasn’t really talking about money, but knowledge, wisdom, and gifts that are to be used for His kingdom, such as evangelizing, and teaching. These gifts will help us to increase and build God’s kingdom. But there are many other gifts that God has endowed us with, but each according to our abilities. The list is long, but here are some of the gifts that some say are available within God’s Kingdom.

Prophecy, Pastor, Teaching, Wisdom, Knowledge, Exhortation, Discerning of Spirits, Giving, Helps, Mercy, Missionary, Evangelist, Hospitality, Faith, Leadership, Administration, Miracles, Healing, Tongues, Interpretation, Voluntary Poverty, Celibacy, Intercession, Exorcism, and Service. (This list is taken from the Wagner-Modified Houts Questionnaire)

Several of these gifts are disputed among some denominations, such as Miracles, Healing, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues. But I’m not going to debate any of the gifts. I only want to show the different ways that God uses us. One thing that I was surprised to see, is that Prayer was not in the list above. I personally think it’s one of the most important gifts of all. And is truly something that each of us can do, no matter what our abilities are.

In our preparation for ruling and reigning with Christ, I believe that these gifts will somehow help us now, and in the millennium, and perhaps even throughout eternity, but that is purely speculation on my part.

The first gifts that every believer receives from God are…the Holy Spirit, righteousness, grace, and eternal life. Glory to God and Amen for these wonderful gifts!

The Apostle Paul wrote on some of these gifts listed above. He said…

“In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."(Romans 12:5-8)

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” (1st Corinthians 12:27-31)

In that 12th chapter from 1st Corinthians, Paul also tells us how important it is for all of us to work together, as one body in Christ. We all need each other, and the gifts that each of us has. That’s why he said “Are all prophets? Are all teachers?” God’s Kingdom needs ALL the gifts, not just those of prophet and teacher, and so on. And there are no small gifts in God’s Kingdom. Now, no matter how inconsequential your gift might seem, it is priceless to God, and should be used to the best of your ability. To do this, we must remain open and connected to the Holy Spirit who works in us to accomplish these things. One thing that we should remember, is that it is God who is accomplishing our good works in the Spirit. So, as the Word says…

“It is because of him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." (1st Corinthians 1:30-31)

Notice the last verse of chapter 12… “And yet I will show you the most excellent way.” Now, turn the page… “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1st Corinthians 13:2)

Probably the most important trait that you and I can have as members of the Body of Christ is love, especially when it comes to using our gifts. We must try to have the same compassion for people that Jesus had.

God’s love often tears down barriers between people. And one important thing to remember, is that many in this world have not experienced a lot of love in their lives. I think that’s why Jesus was so successful when He talked with “tax collectors and sinners”. He didn’t look down on them, and neither should we. At one time we were all sinners, so we should have sympathy for others, no matter what.

Now, the man who went on the journey is a picture of Jesus when he ascended to Heaven. As Matthew Henry pointed out, these men knew that the “master” would be coming back, so they wanted to make sure that whether he came back in a couple of days, or a couple of months, they would be able to show him how diligent they were in putting his money to work.

I believe the Lord wants us to realize that being a Christian is not about just reading the Bible. It’s about becoming the Bible. It’s about learning to become more like Jesus. We should pray that our faith will be expressed in good deeds toward our fellow man, and especially towards our brothers and sisters in Christ, and for God’s glory, not our own. I remember being on a repair job several years ago, when a woman, in her 80’s, walked up and gave me a glass of water. She knew I was a Christian so she said…

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." (Matthew 10:42)

It may not seem like a lot, but in God’s eyes she was being obedient to His Word. This is all that He asks us to do…to be obedient to His Word. Remember…

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30)

Many think that being a Christian means “rules and regulations”. The men who were only given one talent must have thought their masters were the same, all about “rules and regulations”, hard men. So they hid their talents, so they wouldn’t lose them. (Matthew Henry) Why these men thought this way about their masters is hard to say. But in this parable Jesus is comparing these men to people in the world who think being a Christian is hard, and that God is a God who throws lighting bolts at us every time we goof up. If that were the case I would be scorched beyond recognition.

But our God is a God of love. So, as the chapter about love says…

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1st Corinthians 13:4-8)

As I said, God’s love breaks down barriers. Perhaps you and I can break down a few of them before it’s all over.

The Apostle Peter wrote…

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1st Peter 4:7-11)

Note Peters first words above… “The end of all things is near.” How much closer can we be now to the end of all things if Peter said the end was near almost 2000 years ago?

It’s time for us to be preparing for God’s Eternal Kingdom. We can start by spending quality time with God each day in prayer and Bible study. I say study, because we need to go beyond just reading what the Word says, now we need to understand how to apply its teachings to our lives. The more we do that, the more we will begin to look and act like Jesus.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Are you one of the few? Are you ready? Are we preparing ourselves for what God has planned for us? Will we rule over 10 cities, or maybe 5? With Christ in us we will rule and reign with love and compassion.

Right now, take a moment to pray. Ask the Lord how you can use your gifts. Is it by helping others, teaching them, encouraging them? The Lord knows the plans that He has for you.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Ask Him to show you where, to whom, and how you can use your gifts. It won’t be long now until we hear those words… “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master's happiness!”

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1st Corinthians 13:13)

God Bless!

#christian #christian bible #christian blog #christian faith #christianity #christian living #bible verse #faith in god #i love jesus #jesus

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kemregik · 7 months ago

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The Absurdity of Highschool DxD, Explained (by someone who's watched the show more times than can possibly be healthy)

The whole premise of the plot is that God Is Dead and so the world is sorta in No Rules Mode™. The reason the Three Factions come together is because with God being dead, they risk their domain over Earth being challenged by a third party that just attacks Heaven while they're weak.

To this end, as soon as the peace treaty is signed, the governments of Heaven and Hell suddenly become diplomatic entities with the other Pantheons, mainly because of the threat that the Khaos Brigade represents to EVERYONE with their trippple stacked dummy oatmeal thicc supercombo crossover nyan-powered GI Joe-lookin' ass Marine Marauders type spec-ops black-ops god-killing freak power team setup. Azazel and his Grigori are sorta subsumed under the authority of Sirzechs Lucifer (this use of Lucifer is a title, he's of the Gremory Clan), as the Governor-General is serving as personal mentor to the Heir-Apparent of the Throne of Hell. The non-Grigori Fallen Ones are just sort of treated as an errant and perennial nuisance that Azazel has mostly covered. Katerea, Shalba, and the rest of the Old Satan Faction are dead and the remaining Magicians are scattered. The Powers in the Domain of the God of The Bible (yes that's his canon name) are, at the current state of the canon, essentially a unified entity as far as any other Pantheons are concerned.

We know precisely how God died, too: the legendary dragons Ddraig and Albion. Those motherfuckers went so hard in the paint with each other that God himself became collateral damage.

Heaven's solution to this, of course, was to gang up on the dragons when they were too busy looking at each other and break them—and most of their relatives—up into pieces and seal them in the Sacred Gears. They can't kill them, since the dragons are pretty much on par with God as sort of "Primordial Powers," so this is the next best option. The Scared Gear system, itself a glitch in God's initial creation of mankind, was sort of a band-aid fix for Heaven, though. Humans are, themselves, inferior and limited in their ability to harness the full effect of the Sacred Gears, but the dragons inhabiting these Sacred Gears, the 13 Pieces of Longinus, in particular technically do have the power to Kill God:™. The trade for Heaven was:

PRO: Generally, wielders of Longinus pieces will not be able to make use of the full extent of the power, and the worst ones are essentially fated to kill each other because of this primordial Grudge that exists between many of the dragons. The vast majority of them will be relegated to important figures of human history (Jesus is said to have been a Sacred Gear user, note that what killed him was, within the canon of the story, True Longinus, the literal spear used to kill Jesus in the Bible (commentary on whether this confirms or denies Jesus as the Messiah is a conversation for another day)).

BUT

CON: You have to keep a fucking eye on the humans, though, because humans can Ascend (which occurs at the whims of and according to the rules of the Holy System, which is mostly frozen in the organizational state it was in when God died until the Brave Saints system is devised), be Reborn as Devils, or (very rarely) breed with them and the Fallen Ones and produce Overpowered Humans™ that can indeed pose a very real threat.

So for the most part, the Domain was stable for a millennium or three. However, suddenly, just as each of the Three Factions are barely recovered from the MASSIVE losses they all suffered during the War in Heaven, you have the following things happening in extreme concentration (one borough of the small city of Kuoh, Japan):

Vali Lucifer, last remaining member of the Lucifer Clan (and by corollary, the most valid claimant to the Throne of Hell), is discovered to be the wielder of Divine Dividing (Longinus 6) and therefore the current White Dragon Emperor. He teams up with,

Azazel, Governor-General of the Grigori, who is in the process of hoarding Sacred Gears for the purposes of creating an Artificial Longinus and also killing his most unstable lieutenant, Kokabiel, only to be doublecrossed when,

Bikou (descendant of Sun Wukong and current Moneky King), Kuroka (rogue cat-spirit uber-devil and Hell's Public Enemy #1), Arthur Pendragon (wielder of Holy Sword Caliburn, the Sword in the Stone), Fenrir, LeFay Pendragon (little sister of Arthur and high-powered Magician), and Gogmagog (legendary British Giant) are all working with Vali just as,

Rias Gremory, who is rumored to be just as if not more powerful than her big brother Sirzechs Lucifer, is nearly done completing her peerage, made up of:

Issei Hyoudou, an emotionally unstable and extremely difficult to predict teenager, who is found to be the wielder of Boosted Gear (Longinus 5) and the current Red Dragon Emperor

Asia Argento, recent Church heretic and wielder of Sacred Gear Twilight Healing

Kiba Yuuto, sole survivor of the Holy Sword Project and wielder of Sacred Gear Sword Birth

Koneko Toujou, little sister of Kuroka and equally powerful cat-spirit

Akeno Himejima, daughter of Baraqiel (Vice Governor-General of the Grigori)

Gasper Vladi, half-dhampir (daywalker vampire) and wielder of Sacred Gear Forbidden Balor View (unevolved form of Aeon Balor, New Longinus 3 (which makes it Longinus 16)) and,

Xenovia Quarta, wielder of Holy Sword Durandal just as,

Ophis, Dragon God of Infinity, is betrayed by,

The Hero Faction, made up of

Cao Cao, wielder of True Longinus (Longinus 1)

Georg, wielder of Dimension Lost (Longinus 4)

Jeanne, wielder of Sacred Gear Blade Blacksmith

The current Heracles, wielder of Sacred Gear Variant Detonation

The current Connla, wielder of Sacred Gear Night Reflection

The current Perseus, wielder of Sacred Gear Aegis Mineralization, and,

Marsillo, wielder of Sacred Gear Dreamlike Curse

This massive concentration of power during an unstable political period is the source of the primary background conflict of DxD. And it's all wasted on tits. For 4 seasons.

#highschool dxd #dxd #anime #fiction #i hate that i love this franchise so much

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quotesfrommyreading · 1 year ago

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Enoch, an apocryphal text thought to be written sometime between the third century B.C. and the second century A.D., is named for the biblical Noah’s great-grandfather. One reason Langlois didn’t know much about the book was that it didn’t make it into the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament. Another is that the only complete copy to survive from antiquity was written in an ancient Ethiopic language called Ge’ez.

But beginning in the 1950s, more than 100 fragments from 11 different parchment scrolls of the Book of Enoch, written largely in Aramaic, were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. A few fragments were relatively large—15 to 20 lines of text—but most were much smaller, ranging in size from a piece of toast to a postage stamp. Someone had to transcribe, translate and annotate all this “Enochic” material—and Langlois’ teacher volunteered him. That’s how he became one of just two students in Paris learning Ge’ez.

Langlois quickly grasped the numerous parallels between Enoch and other books of the New Testament; for instance, Enoch mentions a messiah called the “son of man” who will preside over the Final Judgement. Indeed, some scholars believe Enoch was a major influence on early Christianity, and Langlois had every intention to conduct that type of historical research.

He started by transcribing the text from two small Enoch fragments, but age had made parts of it hard to read; some sections were missing entirely. In the past, scholars had tried to reconstruct missing words and identify where in the larger text these pieces belonged. But after working out his own readings, Langlois noticed the fragments seemed to come from parts of the book that were different from those specified by earlier scholars. He also wondered if their proposed readings could even fit on the fragments they purportedly came from. But how could he tell for sure?

To faithfully reconstruct the text of Enoch, he needed digital images of the scrolls—images that were crisper and more detailed than the printed copies inside the books he was relying on. That was how, in 2004, he found himself traipsing around Paris, searching for a specialized microfiche scanner to upload images to his laptop. Having done that (and lacking cash to buy Photoshop), he downloaded an open-source knockoff.

First, he individually outlined, isolated and reproduced each letter on Fragment 1 and Fragment 2, so he could move them around his screen like alphabet refrigerator magnets, to test different configurations and to create an “alphabet library” for systematic analysis of the script. Next, he began to study the handwriting. Which stroke of a given letter was inscribed first? Did the scribe lift his pen, or did he write multiple parts of a letter in a continuous gesture? Was the stroke thick or thin?

Then Langlois started filling in the blanks. Using the letters he’d collected, he tested the reconstructions proposed by scholars over the preceding decades. Yet large holes remained in the text, or words were too big to fit in the available space. The “text” of the Book of Enoch as it was widely known, in other words, was in many cases mistaken.

Take the story of a group of fallen angels who descend to earth to seduce beautiful women. Using his new technique, Langlois discovered that earlier scholars had gotten the names of some of the angels wrong, and so had not realized the names were derived from Canaanite gods worshipped in the second millennium B.C.—a clear example of the way scriptural authors integrated elements of the cultures that surrounded them into their theologies. “I didn’t consider myself a scholar,” Langlois told me. “I was just a student wondering how we could benefit from these technologies.” Eventually, Langlois wrote a 600-page book that applied his technique to the oldest known scroll of Enoch, making more than 100 “improvements,” as he calls them, to prior readings.

His next book, even more ambitious, detailed his analysis of Dead Sea Scrolls fragments containing snippets of text from the biblical Book of Joshua. From these fragments he concluded that there must be a lost version of Joshua, previously unknown to scholars and extant only in a small number of surviving fragments. Since there are thousands of authentic Dead Sea Scrolls, it appears that much still remains to be learned about the origins of early biblical texts. “Even the void is full of information,” Langlois told me.

— How an Unorthodox Scholar Uses Technology to Expose Biblical Forgeries

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magpiejay1234 · 5 months ago

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Before we continue on Episode 5, it might be good time to discuss OP1.

So, as we discussed before, in Takahashi's, and animation's directors original sketches, the prototype for Crow was supposed to be the final boss of Dark Signers arc. This is not true for the finalized design of Crow, but again, as rumors suggest, that was still being considered, presumably not making Crow a final boss, but a minor temporary antagonist like how Sherry becomes near the end of the series.

This is partially why it takes too long for Crow to get his Dragon, and backstory. The other is Majestic Red Dragon taking up a main set space. The overall wonkiness of 5D's main era sets is probably why director Katsumi Ono gave up coordinating card showcases with physical releases in ARC-V. Not only is this a huge hassle, it also means the cards might not end up as useful as they were intended to be. See original Evil HEROes from GX, as their releases were coordinated with the Supreme King arc.

However, what is not ambigious that Lua was supposed to become a Signer near the end of Dark Signers arc, and get Life Stream Dragon very, very early on. Initial idea seems to have been to delay this to a pre-WRGP arc, but because of all the minor character arcs (Jack episodes written by Koji Ueda, Sherry's episodes, Crash Town etc.) this got to delayed to post-WRGP. I can't say this was a better writing choice, as Lua still lacks a dedicated arc, but it at least utilized the existing lore efficiently.

As for Aki, and Carly, though their respective VA situations did not help, there were simply no major plans for either of them. Carly's prototype was always meant to be just a memorable arc villain, so the fact that Carly remained around as long as she did, despite the VA change, is impressive by itself.

For Aki, it was more of a perfect storm. Since OCG didn't bother with generic Psychic monsters after certain point, and instead started adding Psychic-Types to various archetypes, the need for an Arcadia Movement arc disappeared. Since Aki didn't really have backstory besides that, the writers did the best with they had.

It is possible that if Takahashi, and animation directors left Ono a giant series bible, or if Tomioka left Pokémon to remain in 5D's longer to craft what sort of arcs main cast members were supposed to have, there could have been something, but they didn't, so the series went with a different direction. That said, the new direction could have been without Yoshida taking the helm, so sure.

In addition, I don't think most people care about Ruka, so she isn't even being mentioned here.

That said, despite Takahashi's intentions with 5D's, OCG side would have almost certainly wanted a Sixth Signer either way, since each Signer Dragon corresponds to one Attribute. There was no WATER Signer Dragon introduced in the show, but if Crow didn't become a Signer, that would have happened. So, some sort of complication would have arrived.

This wouldn't be all that novel in YGO, after all, there are 8 members of Seven Stars, there are actually 8 Millennium Items as we find out in DSoD, etc.

And even if that didn't occur, there was no initial plan to upgrade any of the Signer Dragons besides the core duo, which becomes really bad in retrospect once Crow becomes a full-on third member, and now that they actually are being upgraded post-humously.

That said, this is just one aspect of the show's production. We will discuss the sheer insanity that is the 5D's main set release schedule more in detail. And the inherent issues with Synchros, maybe.

#ygo random thoughts #shitposting

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standskeleton · 7 months ago

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CONTINUING

Little Book Open by Randall Frushour

Revelation chapter 10 Daniel chapter 9

STAND ALONE

Could it now then more be fitting to consider that the 70th Week remain undisclosed? Perhaps to be reserved for Gentile' roles in our contemporary society particularly so during the prophesied "1,260 Days of the Two Witnesses" event, prior to and segue just the last battle of Armageddon? An era still culminating quite near the end of one thousand years more? Do we really and perspectly review things? How all of creation awaits this final hour and not only be a handful of choice believers contouring the scripture to paint their futures!

Astronomer scientists might apply by Ai lintelligent measurement apportioning the 70 Weeks, period of days. Particularly so the 70th week yet undetermind by scholar review.

According to the Bible Christians will be as "part with the Resurrection" at the Rapture. However two things, this part in the rapture is a millennium (ahead) moment before it as well over all the millennium after it, as all while in that case the rest of humanity left in the world might have to seriously rely on technological systems and advance measurements, to survive, basically. The Gentile ruler who will wield power as comparable to that first beast of Revelation 13 will play a pivotal role in this by measuring the earth and covering the heavens. Habakkuk 3: 3-6.

The Gentile ruler is often interpreted as a future world leader who will come to power during the end times. Not to belabor here that he may be a powerful and charismatic figure who, some say, will deceive many people into following him. Paul states: the Lord will cause them to believe a lie. Many more see that scripture in Revelation 13 depicting the first beast before him, it reads "who deceives and that, causes" all to recieve the Mark of the Beast and he, or it, causes all who do not to be killed. Some distinction, though it's okay by me if the two distinctions are for ever and a day conflated in constant comment. That it's the second beast, the Gentile human leader and not the first beast, Earth's advance system of technologies all balled in one program.

The fulfillment of the Red Dragon prophecy, yet another sign of the end times, is now in our rear view mirror.

VERSE 3 and 4 REVELATION CHAPTER 12

And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

What is The Sign Of The Son of Man? Is it the Red Dragon? Is the rapture, that sign? Is the sun's ceasing to shine, the sign? Who knows which is?

The James Webb Space Telescope in our skies now is such the perfect match to the Red Dragon. Is the JWST the Red Dragon?

As it is, that much passes us by. We read it as it is, whether a stand-alone prophecy or a biblical commandment.

We continue, discussing interpretations of passages from the Book of Revelation, particularly next in Revelation 11 and events surrounding the end times. It suggests a unique perspective on how certain elements in the text relate to control of earth and the role of various entities. Interpretation of prophetic texts can vary widely among scholars and theologians and it's essential to approach them with a sense of humbleness and a respect for differing viewpoints. Our own understanding is what critically matters momentarily. Every moment.

The Book of Revelation is known for illustration and complexity making it a subject of ongoing debate and study among scholars and religious communities. If you have specific questions or seek further discussion on this topic, feel free to ask and I'll do my absolute best to provide with information and insight based on my knowledge and what then is available for us to look more at to date.

Regarding Revelation 11: 1, passage mentioning the "court given to the gentiles," it's primarily intent to so signify relinquishing control of the earth and skies from the Saints. Not to mention Satan who has power over the air but at that not for much longer in the scheme of God's prophetic plan. For Satan and rest is history at this point anyway, the church raptured and gone and secured in the sky above. Additionally there, is reference to the Holy Spirit "now taken out of the way," with no mention though for Satan who subsequent is taken and thrown into the bottomless pit. This pit, metaphorically described as cross microcosmic, electron, cosmological, molecular-level atmosphere enveloping earth, is where transitioning and transmitting, Satan fulfills his JWST role above us and out of the earth. Go figure. Or just to say the JWST fulfills its roll and his role anyway, and thus then, Satan thrown into the pit.

World Leaders Take Control here in the End Times

According to the Bible, world leaders will eventually take control of climate and ecological agendas indefinitely, as well as the economies and scientific development of the world. This will happen during the arrival of the ten kings or kingdoms associated with the seven-headed beast, and it will be a time of rapid technological advancement. The saying "a day is as a thousand years" hints at the transformative nature of these events.

The situation will persist until at least the appearance of the Two Witnesses, which marks another significant turning point in Earth's affairs. At that time, clarity will undoubtedly prevail for everyone.

This passage from the Bible suggests that the end times will be a time of great upheaval and change.

NOTE: At end of this ebook I may insert an at length commentary that BARD gave to me interestingly, in cohesive essay on my topic and above remarks. And below next are remarks we need to mum discuss further. Emails and review comments for this ebook I'll address thoroughly in the second book of the Last Bible Keys series.

Following are some possible implications of this passage, according to Bard, on just from what I'm writing ..

..World leaders may use their power to address climate change and ecological problems, but they may also use it to exploit and control people.

Technological advancement may lead to new discoveries and innovations, but it may also be used to create new weapons and surveillance systems.

The appearance of the two witnesses may signal a time of great spiritual awakening, or it may simply be a reference to two specific individuals who will play a key role in the end times.

Bard quips "ultimately, the meaning of this passage is up to each individual to interpret". However, it is clear that the Bible warns us that the end times will be a time of great change and upheaval. It is also clear that God promises that He will be with us through it all.

Here is one possible scenario for how this passage could play out:

World leaders become increasingly concerned about the threat of climate change and ecological collapse. They decide to take control of these issues in order to ensure the survival of humanity.

They use their power to invest in renewable energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect endangered species. However, they also use their power to crack down on dissent and silence critics.

Technological advancement accelerates during this time. New technologies are developed to help address climate change and other environmental problems. However, these technologies are also used to create new surveillance systems and weapons.

The two witnesses appear during this time. They are two individuals who are called by God to speak out against the injustices of the world and to prepare people for His return.

The appearance of the two witnesses marks a turning point in Earth's affairs. People begin to see the world in a new light, and they realize that the current system is not sustainable.

Clarity eventually prevails, and people begin to work together to create a better future.

This is just one possible scenario, and it is important to remember that the Bible does not provide all the details about what will happen in the end times. However, this passage does give us a glimpse of what to expect. It is a time of great change and upheaval, but it is also a time of hope. God is with us through it all, and He will lead us to a better future.

Gentiles Role in The Millennial Reign

Revelation 11:1-3 describes how Gentiles will play a significant role in the Millennial Reign, which is the 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity that will follow Christ's Return. This is a continuation of the prophetic timeline that began with Daniel, who was instructed to seal up the words and the book until the time of the end, which encompasses the second coming of Christ and "time of the resurrection" of the dead at the conclusion of this millennium.

During the Millennial Reign, Gentiles will rule along in time as Christs reign and help to bring about His plan for the earth. Not once is this mentioned from scripture how they give their power and strength unto the beast to fulfill the words of God. It will be a time of profound understanding of God's plan, and people will no longer be left in confusion. Instead, this knowledge will be deeply ingrained in them, in hearts and minds.

Prophecy suggests that all people on Earth will worship the Lord during the Millennial Reign at least so once a year. This will be a transformation that has never transpired before. People will have experienced the very near total desolation and consumption of the planet, but they will ultimately come to know the Lord as a merciful Savior. Even some, likely everyone who were not taken during the judgment days of Earth will turn to Him for sustenance and guidance, marking a new beginning.

Habakkuk 2: 3 implore us to wait for the vision of the end days with the final, last end, assuring us it, the days, will come without delay.

I believe that this "vision of all" as spoken of in Habakkuk and told by Isaiah in chapter 29, which has of effect been around since the turn of the century, is now coming into fruition. The siege mounts and footings of the Iraq, Afghanistan and Iranian wars were just the beginning and we'll see it commence at around the time of the 2024 elections picking up the text in Daniel 11: 18-20 considering everything written in prophecy about the Vision and Prophecy of "many days" of the latter times also told as latter days of the world.

Certainly, in Daniel chapter 7, the fourth terrible beast represents convergence technology, and there are four of them mentioned. In contrast, Revelation chapter 13 describes two beasts. One of them, the first, symbolizes a digitalized or decentralized, technological, empirical system, while the other represents a man, possibly a Gentile ruler who wields the power equally of the first beast. This ruler is said to subdue or overtake three of the ten kings and kingdoms of the 7 head beast. It's got to be referring to the seven continents.

We are exploring the possibility that the roles of the Two Witnesses and the last half of the 70th Week may have already been partially predetermined, with their full realization occurring at the end of the 1,000 years. These witnesses will have prophesied for 1,260 days, which coincide with the latter half of the 70th week in total years. From this perspective, it suggests that the "appointed end" could serve as a blueprint, a guide, program, or playbook for future events.

It's crucial to acknowledge that interpretations of biblical prophecies can vary significantly, and each statement reflects a particular viewpoint on the matter.

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lmc2024 · 11 months ago

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Visual sketchbook #1

James Hampton c 1950-1964 Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly. Gold and silver aluminum foil, colored Kraft paper, plastic sheets over wood, paperboard and glass. 180 pieces; 10’6” x 27’ x 14’6”.

I learned that James Hampton was drafted into World War two.

He worked as a janitor in a federal building at night.

In 1950 he rented a carriage house just for The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly.

There are discarded pieces of different furniture, vases, and lightbulbs in the artwork.

The artwork was made during the civil rights movement in Washington D.C.

When I first saw The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, I thought it was just weird artwork made of cardboard and tin foil. Now I see it is made of things no one else wanted and that James found beauty in. This artwork shows James Hampton interpretation of the Holy bible and his love for it. Seeing this artwork, I just want to sit on the throne to see how it feels like sitting on a throne.

2. This is a poster of the starry night by Vincent Van Gogh that I bought at a Van Gogh exabit. I know that the original painting was made with oil paint, but the poster was made with a printer most likely. This is my favorite painting of Van Gogh. I love all of the colors and how abstract it looks. I know Van Gogh painted this when he was in an institution. He painted what he saw outside of his window that had bars over it. He looked passed the bars to see the beauty on the outside.

3. I am a 22, almost 23, year old Hispanic female from Florida. I love to read, draw, paint, build and bake. For the past 4 years I have been working at a preschool. I used to work with the one-year-olds but now I work with the twos.

I feel like this picture represents the real me. This is me being silly ole me. Normally I do not smile in pictures, but I felt goofy this day.

(Side note when this college class is over, I'm deleting all this because I am pretty shy. Enjoy while its up.)

#collage #art #homework #school

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pooma-bible · 1 year ago

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Greetings in the matchless Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

VISION 03: The Final Triumph: The Millennium Ushered In (Event B) – The Great Battle of Armageddon!

Rhema Word: Revelation 19:20-21 (NKJV) “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

Let us pray. Our Gracious Loving Father, thank You for giving us an opportunity to meditate Your Word today along with Your children who have been called to live a holy life, Father. I commit everyone who are all meditating this message into Your mighty hand Father. Bless them and give them the oneness of Spirit and make their heart as a good land to receive each Word which is living and active Father. Thank You Holy Spirit for helping us to understand the in-depth treasure of Your Word and helping us to live a life as per Your Word Lord. We give all the Glory and Honour to You only Father. We pray in the mighty Name of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

The passage in Revelation Chapters 17 to 20:15 covers the THIRD VISION that Christ gives apostle John in the following subjects:

VISION 03: The Judgement of Both Religious Babylon And Political Babylon [Chapters 17:1 – 18:24]:

VISION 03: The Great Marriage Supper of the Lamb, of the Lord Jesus Christ [Chapters 19:1-10]:

VISION 03: The Final Triumph: The Millennium Ushered In [Chapters 19:11-20:15]:

Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth, and He is going to establish the righteousness of God forever and ever. But before He can come and establish righteousness in the earth, a few things must be done:

=> All the godless and evil armies of this world must be destroyed. This we have seen in the Chapter 16.

=> All the false religion in this world must be destroyed. This we have seen in the Chapter 17.

=> All the godless governments and politics and social systems of this world must be destroyed. This we have just seen in the Chapter 18.

DIVISION OVERVIEW: This is the final triumph of Jesus Christ upon earth. Six events will take place that will bring about a new heavens and earth and that will usher in eternity. These events will bring about the very thing for which God has launched human history: the perfect fellowship and communion between God and man throughout all eternity. These six events will bring about the glorious day when believers will worship and serve God – when they will labour and work for Him throughout the whole universe and do it in perfection forever and ever.

We have been meditating the following six events that will take place to bring about a new heaven and earth since last week:

(A) The Coming of Christ as Conqueror!

(B) The Great Battle of Armageddon!

(D) The First Resurrection and Millennial Reign of Christ!

(E) The Return of satan and his eternal fate!

(F) The Final Resurrection and Judgement of Unbelievers: The Great White Throne!

We will be meditating the Second Event VISION 03: The Final Triumph: The Millennium Ushered In (Event B) – The Great Battle of Armageddon! under the following with the help of our Holy Spirit:

This is the great battle of Armageddon, the final battle of human history. This is where human history ends, where the Lord Jesus Christ intervenes and stops the madness and evil of humanity. This is where Jesus Christ returns to earth and destroys the ungodly and evil of this world. This is what the Bible and believers call…

=> The great day of Jehovah.

=> The great day of God.

=> The great day of the Lord.

=> The final battle of human history.

=> The judgement of God upon the godless governments of this world.

=> The end of the devil’s rule upon earth.

=> The supper of the great God.

=> The great battle of Armageddon.

The battle of Armageddon is the intervention of Jesus Christ into world history. It is His returning to earth and destroying all the forces of evil upon earth – once for all.

(01) The Terrifying Call to the Supper of the Great God:

(02) The Mobilizing of the World’s Forces:

(03) Armageddon - The Simple and Quick Capture of the Hostile Forces:

(04) The Grim Judgement of the Hostile Forces: A Lake of Fire:

(05) The Weapon of Victory:

(01) The Terrifying Call to the Supper of the Great God:

The Bible says in Revelation 19:17-18 “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

There will be the terrifying call to the supper of the great God. This supper differs entirely from the Wedding Supper of the Lamb which will be for believers. This supper, the Supper of the Great God will be for unbelievers, and it will be the most terrifying moment in human history.

Note the terrifying preparation for this supper. A mighty angel cries with a loud voice to all the birds of the air. He cries for them to gather for the Supper of the Great God. Why are the birds of the air called together? Because God is going to destroy the godless nations and armies of this world. God is ending once for all the slaughter of human life upon the earth. Therefore, the angel is calling together all the birds of the air to feast upon the ungodly of this world when they have been slain. Note who it is to be slain and who is to become a feast for the vultures of the air:

=> the flesh of captains;

=> the flesh of mighty men, that is, the powerful;

=> the flesh of horses;

=> the flesh of the riders on the horses;

=> the flesh of all men, both the slaves and the free, both the small and the great.

The idea is that all the armies of the world will be destroyed. Every single army will be destroyed by Jesus Christ when He returns in glory.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 39:4; 17-20 “You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” … “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field: “Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you, a great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. You shall eat fat till you are full, and drink blood till you are drunk, at My sacrificial meal which I am sacrificing for you. You shall be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mighty men and with all the men of war,” says the Lord God.”

(02) The Mobilizing of the World’s Forces:

The Bible says in Revelation 19:19 “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

There will be the mobilizing of the world’s armies. Note exactly what is said:

=> The antichrist is there.

=> The kings or leaders of the earth are there (probably negotiating and trying to prevent the battle against each other).

=> The armies of the nations are there.

How is it humanly possible for so many great armies to gather in one place? And if a war is going to be fought in Palestine, why bother with foot soldier when the world has so many sophisticated weapons such as missiles and atomic warheads? The reason is simple: armies use foot soldiers when they want to preserve the land and its resources. In the end time this is exactly what will happen. The antichrist will lead his eastern alliance against Palestine to totally exterminate the Jews and to take the whole Middle East with its rich resources for himself. He will march against those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, the Jews will have been saved at this time. They will have accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah (Rev. 7:4-8; 11:3-13). This is what is meant by the statement that the antichrist and his armies gather together to fight against Christ. Jesus Christ and His people are one; therefore, to fight against the followers of Jesus Christ is to fight against Christ. The antichrist cannot use atomic weapons, for the weapons would not only destroy the land and its resources but probably cause a retaliatory strike from some of the other nations of the world.

Now, how did all the armies of the world get to Palestine? There are two ways:

(i) They got there the same way they would today. If some major army began to march and to claim all the oil of the Middle East for itself, we all know exactly what would happen. The nations of the world would go to protect their interest. The situation in the end time will be caused by some similar circumstance. Standing where we do today, we cannot see into the future to see what will happen in the Middle East to cause all the nations to gather together. All we know is this: they will all be gathered in Palestine in the end time.

This point is this: when the antichrist and the confederation of nations under his power begin to march against Israel, the other nations of the world apparently become edgy and nervous. The reason may be…

=> The fear of a military move to conquer the world beginning in Palestine.

=> The resources of the Middle East and the threat to those resources.

=> The insanity of exterminating a whole people and nation like the Jews.

The Bible says in Revelation 16:12 “Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.”

The Bible says in Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 2:4; 11:4 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” … “He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” … “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

Prophet Joel said in Joel 3:9-16 “Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your ploughshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. “Let the nations be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, the vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”

Prophet Zephaniah said in Zephaniah 3:8 “Therefore wait for Me,” says the Lord, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.”

The Bible says in Zechariah 9:10; 12:9 “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.’” … “It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

(ii) The armies of the world will gather in Palestine because there is an evil spirit behind the confederation of nations (Rev. 16:13-14). Note: this verse says that all the nations and alliances of the earth are going to be involved in the great battle of Armageddon:

=> The kings from the east: all the nations east of Palestine, apparently involving the Arabs, China, and all the other eastern nations. These will probably be headed up by the antichrist.

=> The kings from the north: all the nations north of Palestine including Russia.

=> The kings from the south: all nations south of Palestine including the nations of Africa.

=> The kings from the west: all the nations west of Palestine including a western alliance and involving some of the European nations and probably including America and other powerful nations of the America and Canada.

The point is this: in the last days all the nations of the world will converge upon the Middle East and be stationed within the borders of Palestine at Megiddo. Each of the nations will join forces with two or more sides. They will be there to protect their own national interests in the Middle East and Palestine.

Note what is behind the whole scene: evil spirits. Evil spirits are giving power to the mouth of the antichrist and his false prophet. This means the power to influence and deceive the leaders of other nations. The evil spirits will give the two leaders supernatural power to inspire their confederation to march and conquer Palestine. All the other nations will march to protect their interest in the region. The description of the evil spirits as frogs symbolizes the ability to leap and spread the deception from the dragon to the antichrist and to his false prophet or executive officer and then to each of the nations. The picture is that of the demons working miracles. What kind of miracles? Scripture does not say, but the idea is that of deceptive dreams of glory; glorious triumphs; visions of grandeur; setting passions aflame; and striking fear within the heart and arousing bitterness and hate among nations.

The result of the evil spirits is this: there will be a gathering together of all the armies of the world to the place in Palestine called Armageddon or the valley and mountain of Megiddo. This is the great valley that runs through the middle of Palestine from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. It is about 200 miles long and ten miles wide.

The Bible says in Revelation 12:9; 16:13-14 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” … “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

(03) Armageddon - The Simple and Quick Capture of the Hostile Forces:

The Bible says in Revelation 19:20 “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

There will be the simple and quick capture of the antichrist and the false prophet. Apostle Paul says very clearly what will happen to the antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

(i) The Lord Jesus Christ shall slay the antichrist with the breath of His mouth. What is the breath of Jesus’ mouth? It is the breath of truth, holiness, and unlimited power. When Jesus speaks, what He says is of God and unstoppable. When He rents the sky to slay the antichrist, there will be no battle, for all the forces of heaven and earth combined would be as non-existent against the Lord God of the universe. Christ will just speak the Word for the antichrist to be slain and the antichrist will be slain. It will be like the blowing of a little breath and the dust particle is removed never to return. Yes, the mere breath of His mouth is sufficient to consume the wicked - that is the power and irresistible might of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming.

The is why Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 11:4 “ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

(ii) The Lord of glory will destroy the antichrist with the splendour of His coming. The word “splendour” (epiphaneia) is a very special word. It is a word chosen by the New Testament to refer only to the coming (Parousia) of the Lord. It is used only five times in all the New Testament, and in every instance, it refers to the Lord’s coming into the world. It refers once to His first coming (2 Timothy 1:10) and four times to His second coming (1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13). The whole idea of splendour is radiance, glory, and light. Someone has pointed out when Jesus Christ returns to earth, there will be such a spectacular display of glory and splendour that the explosion of every star in the universe could not match the sight of the Lord. When Christ first appears, there will apparently be the energizing of a laser beam of glory zeroed in on the antichrist and he shall be immediately destroyed by the radiance of the Lord’s glory and light – quicker than we could blink an eye. Simply by showing Himself, the Lord will destroy the antichrist. Imagine the enormous power of the Lord’s glory, a glory so powerful that it will explode the whole universe and remake it into a new heavens and earth. Note: the word “destroy” does not mean to annihilate, but to make inoperative; to make powerless; to end; to put a stop to the evil work of the antichrist.

(04) The Grim Judgement of the Hostile Forces: A Lake of Fire:

There is the horrifying judgement of the antichrist and the false prophet. They will both be immediately thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The lake of fire is called either Gehenna or the Fiery Lake. This is the place where all those who have rebelled against God are to be cast at the end of the world – all unbelieving men, fallen angels, demons, and the devil. At the final judgement of unbelievers, the lake of fire is the final hell to which all the wicked shall be judged and condemned, and the judgement of Gehenna is said to be eternal.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 13:41-42; 18:8; 25:41,46 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” … “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.” … “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” …. “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Bible says in Revelation 20:10-15 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

The Bible further says in Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

(05) The Weapon of Victory:

The Bible says in Revelation 19:21 “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

There is the weapon of the Lord that He uses to slay the armies. What will the weapon be? A sword, the sword of His mouth. Jesus Christ has no physical, material, carnal, or fleshy weapons made of this earth. He does not need them. The only weapon He ever needs is the “sword of His Word”. All He ever has to do is speak the Word and whatever He says is done – immediately, instantaneously, completely, thoroughly, and finally. The blast of the power of His Word is so forceful that it consumes all that stands before Him. Therefore, in the horrifying battle of Armageddon there will not even be a battle fought. The Lord will simply speak the Word of death, and every soul of the godless nations and armies present will drop dead. A horrifying sight, but nevertheless it is the declaration of Scripture. And it will all be so tragic – tragic because everyone present could have given their heart and life to Jesus Christ and been saved. Instead, they chose to reject, deny, and curse Christ and God, and slaughter literally millions in the worst holocaust the world will have ever seen. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ will have no choice. He will have to stop the slaughter and insane evil of the godless of this world. And He will stop it at Armageddon.

The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; Isaiah 11:4 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” … “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” … “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

Let us introspect ourselves.

Shall we thank our God for infusing us a hope – a picture of victory of the Lamb of God, of His beloved Son Jesus Christ?

Shall we thank our God for showing visions that show the glorious triumph that lies ahead for those who follow His beloved Son Jesus Christ and endure to the end?

Shall we thank our God for giving us victory through His beloved Son Jesus Christ over evil and bringing righteousness and godliness and His Kingdom to reign upon earth?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ will slay the antichrist with the breath of His mouth of truth, holiness, and unlimited power?

Shall we thank our God for revealing the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ will slay the antichrist with the splendour of His coming?

Shall we submit ourselves to our God for helping us to TURN TO HIS BELOVED SON JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION BEFORE THE END COMES?

Let us Pray: Our Heavenly Gracious Father, we thank You for helping us to understand about VISION 03: The Final Triumph: The Millennium Ushered In (Event B) – The Great Battle of Armageddon, today, Father. We thank You Father for infusing us a hope – a picture of victory of the Lamb of God, of Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, showing visions that show the glorious triumph that lies ahead for those who follow Your beloved Son Jesus Christ and endure to the end, giving us victory through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ over evil and bringing righteousness and godliness and His Kingdom to reign upon earth Father. We thank You Father, for revealing the fact that Your beloved Son Jesus Christ will slay the antichrist with the breath of His mouth of truth, holiness, and unlimited power and with the splendour of glory of His coming, Father. Father, we commit ourselves wholeheartedly today and help us to TURN TO YOUR BELOVED SON JESUS CHRIST FOR SALVATION BEFORE THE END COMES. We thank You Father for filling us with Your joy, peace, and hope, for accepting us when we approach You through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ besides being merciful on us and loving us so much and predestined us to receive Your promise of glory through Your beloved Son Jesus Christ, Father. We give all praise, glory, and honour to Your Holy Name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

God bless you all.

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 2 months ago

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The Lord is my Rock

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High,

2 to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night,

3 upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery, upon the harp with a solemn sound.

4 For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.

5 O LORD, how great are Thy works! And Thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this:

7 when the wicked spring up as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever;

8 but Thou, LORD, art Most High for evermore.

9 For lo, Thine enemies, O LORD, for lo, Thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

10 But my horn shalt Thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn; I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

11 Mine eye also shall see what I desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear what I desire upon the wicked that rise up against me.

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 Those that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing to show

15 that the LORD is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. — Psalm 92 | Third Millennium Bible (TMB) Third Millennium Bible, New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Cross References: Genesis 11:8; Numbers 24:6; Deuteronomy 32:4; Judges 5:31; 1 Samuel 2:1; 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Chronicles 13:8; Nehemiah 12:43; Job 12:6; Job 39:9; Psalm 9:2; Psalm 8:6; Psalm 14:2; Psalm 33:1; Psalm 37:2; Psalm 49:10; Psalm 54:7; Psalm 55:17; Psalm 59:16; Psalm 80:15; Psalm 83:18; Psalm 91:8; Psalm 93:4; Psalm 100:4; Matthew 3:10; John 15:2; Romans 9:14; Romans 11:33; James 3:18; Revelation 15:3

Psalm 92: A Song for the Sabbath

#Lord #rock #upright #Sabbath rest #eternity #Psalm 92 #Book of Psalms #Old Testament #TMB #Third Millennium Bible #Deuel Enterprises Inc.

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seekfirst-community · 2 years ago

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“The Immaculate Conception shines like a beacon of light for humanity in all the ages. At the beginning of the third millennium, it guides us to believe and hope in God, in his salvation and in eternal life. In particular, it lights the way of the Church, which is committed to the new evangelization.” (Pope John Paul II on Dec 8).

"And coming to her, he [the Archangel] said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." (Luke 1: 26-

.... 38).

Thursday 8th December 2022 of the 2nd Week of Advent is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This is the patronal feast of the United States of America. It is a holy Day of Obligation. Honor our Divine Mother by attending Holy Mass on her very special Feast Day.

What is the Immaculate Conception and why does it matter? In the first Reading today from Genesis, God said to the Serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel." (Genesis 3: 15). This is the promise of our Redemption after the fall of Adam and Eve. God chose Mary before the foundation of the world and prepared her to be the sinless Mother of His Son. God preserved the Blessed Virgin Mary from original sin by virtue of the Death of her Son, Jesus the Christ which God foresaw.

Only a pure Vessel can hold a pure God. Why does this matter? Jesus is 100% God and 100% Man. Although Mary is 100% human, it is absolute necessity that the Mother of the Redeemer be not tainted with the least sin.

Mary's generosity in giving her Yes made the Incarnation possible.

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1: 38).

The total faith and surrender that Mary displayed here is rewarded by God's special revelation to Mary:

"For nothing will be impossible for God.” (Luke 1: 37).

Let this words nourish our faith today and always. When you are afraid, when you worry, when you are tempted to doubt God's power and promises, redouble your trust in God and remember that nothing will be impossible for God.

"Honour My Mother in the mystery of her Immaculate Conception. This is a mystery full of grace and of light for those who ponder it. It is the remedy for many of the ills that afflict My priests and poison their souls. Invoke My Mother conceived without sin and she will communicate to you something of the purity and brightness of her all-holy and immaculate Heart." (IN SINU JESU, November 29, 2008 After First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

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mornyavie · 11 months ago

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This is funny because Gothic (a Germanic (related to German) language that was spoken by various groups in Europe during the early first millennium) is attested almost solely through a text known colloquially as Wulifa's Bible. It's a very fancy manuscript version of a Gothic language translation of some parts of the Christian Bible, which is generally believed to have been done by a person called Wulifa (/people working with him) to help him preach and evangelize amongst the Goths, two centuries or so before the manuscript was written in the 6th century.

(I'm not kidding about it being gorgeous; the "real" name is the Codex Argenteus or Silver Bible, because it's written in silver ink on dark purple paper.)

Joseph Bosworth (of Bosworth-Toller fame (referring to THE definitive dictionary of Old English, available online for free go on go have fun)) edited a collected manuscript where he set a couple Germanic translations of parts of the Bible next to each other to compare, for fun and profit (an Old English, two Middle English, and this Gothic one).

Archive Dot Org Version!

But Bosworth was a British man in like 1820 and he was not just an academic but also a priest at various points in his life, and so he was CONCERNED about giving just anyone access to these unapproved translations, sans commentary. What if someone reads them and comes away with wrong ideas about Christianity??

And so a somewhat hilarious portion of his introduction to this text consists of nervous hand-wringing where he defends the reasonableness of these translations. This is particularly relevant to the Gothic text because Wulifa, you see, has been accused of being an Arianist.

Arianism is a version of Christian theology attributed to someone called Arius. It was declared heretical almost immediately. It has to do with the whole Trinity thing; as far as I can tell (this part is a joke not an educated opinion) the early Catholic Church dealt with all possible opposition by declaring that they understood the Trinity wrong, and hence eventually backed themselves into a corner where they were forced to take the position that the Trinity has no explanation and can't be understood.

Arianism says Jesus is the son of god; you'd be forgiven for nodding along since the main feature of Jesus lore is that he's the son of god, but according to the surviving doctrine he's also god and not separate. There's a third one called the holy spirit but I don't know what arianism says about that. The three of them together make the Trinity and the church cares a lot about how you understand the concept of tripartite monotheism. I probably committed a different heresy already.

ANYWAYS Bosworth spends a lot of time hemming and hawing about possibly introducing readers to a version of the Bible tainted with Arianism, but he eventually asserts that Wulifa was just such a cool and good guy that he wouldn't have put arianism into his translation. He would have known deep down in his heart of hearts not to do that. So it's fine. He was probably actually pressured into pretending to be Arianist because he just cared so much about the welfare of his fellow Goths.

This is particularly funny because a letter by Wulifa describing his commitment to arianism is a hugely important source on the topic.

So in the above post Bosworth is cast as attempting to prevent me from marketing Wulifa's Bible based on its possible heretical biases.

There aren't you glad you read all that? Isn't the joke funny now?

I've seen a big uptick in people posting about the inherent hilarity of early Christian heresies (read: like three posts). AND this is the Goth website. I could use this new trend to get tumbler into Wulifa's Bible. Hey folks have I got a heresy for YOU- [I am forcibly dragged off stage by Joseph Bosworth]

#Gothic #Christianity

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lawmenandoutlaws · 4 years ago

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Let Israel hope in the LORD, for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. — Psalm 130:7 | Third Millennium Bible (TMB) Third Millennium Bible, New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Cross References: Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Samuel 24:14; 1 Chronicles 21:13; Psalm 62:12; Psalm 71:14; Psalm 86:5; Psalm 103:4; Psalm 111:9; Psalm 131:3; Lamentations 3:21

#redemption #Lord #love #hope #Israel #joy #forgiveness #Psalm 130:7 #Book of Psalms #Old Testament #TMB #Third Millennium Bible #Deuel Enterprises Inc

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eelhound · 3 years ago

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"[Branko Marcetic:] You make the case that our modern relationship with and understanding of debt is unique when you look at the full scope of human history. What was ancient societies’ relationship to debt and how did they keep it in check?

[Michael Hudson:] Almost all debt, in really ancient society, was interpersonal, what the Europeans called weregild-type debt. If you injured somebody, if you break an arm, or if you kill them, there are two choices ancient society had: either you had a feud, and your family would fight his family, or he’d make restitution, and you would settle the conflict. Gradually, the payment of the weregild, whether it was in money — or if it was really serious, it would be in slave girls or cattle — came to be the word for debt, and for the offense, or the word for 'sin.' So the original meaning of the Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew and Greek was, 'Forgive us our debts.'

In Mesopotamia, an agrarian economy, most debts began to be owed to the palace or the temples. Obligations were paid throughout the year. In the third millennium Sumer, or second millennium Babylonia, if you go to a bar during the crop year, you’d run up a tab to the alehouse, and to the palace for advances of animals, water, or agricultural inputs, and everything was done by credit. The debts would all be paid on the threshing floor, in grain, and a unit of grain was equal to a unit of silver.

But sometimes, you would have a crop failure, or war, or drought, and you couldn’t pay. And at that time, like in the laws of Hammurabi, you’d say, 'If the storm god, Hadad, comes and ruins the crops, then the debts don’t have to be paid.' This is how society worked, basically, in the third, second, and even into the first millennium. When a new ruler took the throne, or when there were other reasons — a war was over, or there was any reason for a debt cancellation — you’d cancel the debts, you’d liberate the debt servants to go back to their families, you’d give them back the pledges that they’d made. Because what would happen if you hadn’t wiped out the debts? All of a sudden all these people that owed debts would become the servants of the person who they owed them to, a wealthy person.

BM: You also make the case that this matter is at the heart of the Biblical stories we think we’re familiar with.

MH: That was what the first sermon of Jesus was all about. When he went to the synagogue and unrolled the scroll of Isaiah the prophet and said, 'I’ve come to proclaim the year of the Lord,' which was the debt cancellation — the Jubilee year — that was brought in from Babylonia into Judaism, as it was done all through the Near East. People who translated the Bible didn’t really know what these words meant. What does it mean, 'year of the Lord?' What does it mean, 'deror?,' which was debt cancellation.

It was only after Assyriologists began to find out how all of Near Eastern society had debt cancellation, just like anthropologists were finding that all the way from the Native American Indians to European realms, you’d have this practice of restoring balance. The idea was, how do we prevent society from destabilizing and polarizing? You cancel the debts...

The whole fight of every early society was: How do you prevent the population from falling into bondage? The palaces had a reason for doing this. If you would have the taxpaying small cultivators owing their crop to the creditor and having to go to work on the creditor’s land instead of working as a corvee, building palace walls and digging ditches for irrigation — if you would have these people fall in debt to the creditors, they wouldn’t be able to pay this crop surplus and labor surplus to the palace anymore. The creditors would take over.

Rulers throughout the Near East, all the way into probably the early kings of Rome, said, 'The one thing we’ve got to do is prevent the creditor class from becoming an independent oligarchy. Because if it becomes independent of us, and it gets the economic surplus, they’re going to use this labor to hire an army, they’re going to overthrow us, and they’re going to become the state.'

So you always had a struggle between the state protecting society from the creditor class — the oligarchy — and the oligarchy wanting to be independent, wanting not to have a debt cancellation. And this was a fight that went on for four centuries before Jesus’s time. The early Christians were basically advocates of the Jubilee year, trying to cancel debt...

Every economy is going to be planned by someone. The question is, is it going to be planned by the creditors, as it has happened today? Or are you going to have a government, a ruler, that is going to say, 'My job is to keep society stable, and to prevent it from polarizing so that we can survive and be resilient and go forward?' The creditors don’t care about resilience. Their time frame is rather short."...

BM: What are the implications of this for the post-pandemic recovery, given we live in such highly indebted societies?

MH: The tendency of any economy that has an interest-bearing debt is the debt growing faster than the economy as a whole. You have exponential debt doubling every so many years and economies have never been able to keep up with it. The tendency of debt for any family, any corporation, any economy, is to grow faster than the ability to pay, until there’s a crash. And when you can’t pay, either you lose the property, or you become in one way or another, a servant to your creditor, in terms of having to pay labor, having to pay whatever you produce. You have a concentration of property ownership in the hands of the creditors, if you don’t write off the debts, which ancient society did, and which used to be the core of ancient religion.

Every economy that has interest-bearing debt has to restructure at some point, or else all of the economy will end up being owned by just a teeny group of people at the top, like you had in Rome. That’s how the Roman Republic ended up in the Roman Empire. It becomes centralized. The tendency of any financialized economy is to centralize. Not only wealth, but by centralizing wealth, you centralize political power, and decision-making, and ultimately, military force in the hands of the financial class."

- Branko Marcetic interviewing Michael Hudson, from "When Debts Become Unpayable, They Should Be Forgiven." Jacobin, 23 December 2021.

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