#baal my beloved <33< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[seekfirst-community]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2023. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: Are you prepared to see the glory of the Lord and to share in his glory as well? God made a promise to Abraham that he would make him a channel of great blessing not only to his own family and future descendants but to all the families of the earth as well (Genesis 12:3)! The condition for the fulfillment of this promise was simple and straightforward - "Go from your family and country to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1). Abraham not only believed in God's promise, he promptly obeyed and did as the Lord commanded him. God chose Abraham as his instrument of blessing - that through him and his descendants would come the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who would reveal the glory and blessing of God's kingdom and bring salvation for all who would call upon his name.

The Lord Jesus came to fulfill all that Moses and the prophets spoke

The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises made to Abraham and to his spiritual descendants. In all that Jesus did and said he sought to please his Father in heaven and to bring him glory. Like Abraham, he was ready to part with anything that might stand in the way of doing the will of God. He knew that the success of his mission would depend on his willingness to embrace his Father's will no matter what it might cost him personally.

Jesus on three occasions told his disciples that he would undergo suffering and death on a cross to fulfill the mission the Father gave him. As the time draws near for Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the cross, he takes three of his beloved disciples to the top of a high mountain. Just as Moses and Elijah were led to the mountain of God to discern their ultimate call and mission, so Jesus now appears with Moses and Elijah on the highest mountain overlooking the summit of the promised land. Matthew's Gospel tells us that Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light (Matthew 17:2).

Jesus reveals his glory to the apostles and to us

Why did Jesus appear in dazzling light with Moses and Elijah? The book of Exodus tells us that when Moses had met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (Exodus 34:29). Paul the Apostle wrote that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Corinthians 3:7). After Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, had destroyed all the priests and idols of Baal in the land, he took refuge on the mountain of God at Sinai. There God showed Elijah his glory in great thunder, whirlwind, and fire, and then spoke with him in a still quiet voice. God questioned Elijah, "What are you doing here?" And then directed him to go and fulfill the mission given him by God. Jesus, likewise, appears in glory with Moses and Elijah, as if to confirm with them that he, too, is ready to fulfill the mission which the Father has sent him to accomplish.

Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem - betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The Father glorified his son because he was faithful and willing to obey him in everything. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8).

Christ's way to glory

The Lord Jesus not only wants us to see his glory - he wants to share this glory with us. And Jesus shows us the way to the Father's glory - follow me - obey my words. Take the path I have chosen for you and you will receive the blessing of my Father's kingdom - your name, too, will be written in heaven. Jesus fulfilled his mission on Calvary where he died for our sins so that Paradise and everlasting life would be restored to us. He embraced the cross to win a crown of glory - a crown that awaits each one of us, if we, too, will follow in his footsteps.

Origen (185-254 AD), a noted early church bible scholar and teacher, explains the significance of Jesus' transfiguration for our own lives:

"Do you wish to see the transfiguration of Jesus? Behold with me the Jesus of the Gospels. Let him be simply apprehended. There he is beheld both "according to the flesh" and at the same time in his true divinity. He is beheld in the form of God according to our capacity for knowledge. This is how he was beheld by those who went up upon the lofty mountain to be apart with him. Meanwhile those who do not go up the mountain can still behold his works and hear his words, which are uplifting. It is before those who go up that Jesus is transfigured, and not to those below. When he is transfigured, his face shines as the sun, that he may be manifested to the children of light, who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. They are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the children of day. They walk honestly as in the day. Being manifested, he will shine to them not simply as the sun but as he is demonstrated to be, the sun of righteousness." (Commentary on Matthew)

Luke's Gospel tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah. How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually? There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ. Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us. Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.

We are partakers of his glory

Are you spiritually awake? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with faith and reverence?

"Lord Jesus, keep me always alert to you, to your word, your action, and your constant presence in my life. Let me see your glory."

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2023.

a hard strength

“With the strength which comes from God bear your share of the hardship which the gospel entails.” —2 Timothy 1:8

We Christians do not run from hardship; we bear it and embrace it. We walk toward the Cross, not away from it. We do not shrink from trials in fear. Thus, the Lord commands in today’s Gospel reading: “Get up! Do not be afraid” (Mt 17:7).

We bear hardship for the sake of the gospel (2 Tm 1:8) in order to spread the Good News. Our Lenten hardships, indeed all our hardships, are for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God and we bear them purposefully for the sake of the gospel (Acts 14:22).

We bear hardship with the strength that comes from God (2 Tm 1:8). The joy of the Lord must be our strength (Nm 8:10). In Him Who is the Source of our strength, we have strength for everything (Phil 4:13). We don’t bear hardship in our own stoic strength, or with human strength, for even the strongest of us humans are weak. But His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9).

We walk through the cross, through the hardship, to transfigured glory (Mt 17:2) even while here on earth. “Christ suffered in the flesh; therefore, arm yourselves with His same mentality” (1 Pt 4:1). So bear the hardship (see Col 1:24).

Prayer:  Father, You are “my Stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all” (Ps 62:3).

Promise:  “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope for His kindness.” —Ps 33:18

Praise:  “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’ ” (1 Cor 15:32) Risen Jesus, purify my heart to live for You and not worldly desires.

Reference:  (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

(For a related teaching on Power in the Spirit, listen to, download or order our CD 64-1 or DVD 64 on our website.)

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 15, 2022"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

[yumpty-dumpty-inactive]

planting flowers with them ♡ ft. the gods <3

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characters included: baal, venti, zhongli

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(venti's was really bad-)

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pronouns: GN <33

B A A L ♡ ~ :

everyone knew her as the raiden shogun, a fierce and violent dictator, thriving on the fear and anger of her subjects. yet here she was, gazing adoringly at her beloved (S/O), planting dendrobiums and naku weeds on the flowerbeds littered around her estate. you were hard at work, currently digging a hole for a small bunch of naku weeds. turning toward your lover, your curious eyes locked with hers as you held out your gloved hand, "baal? may I have some naku seeds please?" yet she still stared. "...baal? hello? teyvat to baal-?" knocked out of her daze, the shogun blinked, shaking her head and turning her body toward to sack of seeds she had purchased. "o-of course love, my apologies for spacing out." giggling, you took the seeds from her outstretched palm. going back to staring at you, the electro archon gazed at your busy figure once again. your skin glimmered in the sun, with a small breeze fluffing your hair. you looked so happy, and she wanted to always see that expression on your face. the way your eyes shone, your smile reached both of your ears, and your slightly flushed face added a cute pink tint to your cheeks. beginning to dig another hole, you peered over to her. "hm? would you like to do this batch?" your smile only grew, and who was she to say no? nodding her head, she shuffled nearer to you, assisting you in digging into the damp flowerbeds. looking from directly above into the flower hole, her proud head bumped into someones, and gazing up from your work, the both of you gazed at each other, not minding the temporary pain inflicted upon you by the recent clash of skulls. lost in the glimmering pools that were your eyes. fluttering your eyes closed, she followed suit, as the distance between your lips closed, pulling you both into a loving and tender kiss, one that would last a lifetime.

V E N T I ♡ ~ :

tossing seeds from palm to palm, the anemo couldn't help but chuckle as you desperately tried to grab the small bag, laughing along with him. a chorus of angelic laughter was all the bard heard, as your hands flailed around trying to catch the falling and rising packet of cecelia seeds. chuckling lightly, the tone-deaf bard named venti carefully placed the seed packet into your palm, grabbing your waist and placing his chin atop your head. "you're really cute, you know that? hehe~" pushing him off, you scoffed, folding your arms and turning your back to him in pure anger. "what the fuck-" "how dare you. 'tis not 'hehe 'tis 'ehe.' damn, you really are a tone-deaf bard." "what-" "shut it tone-deaf bard." suddenly running toward you with his arms outstretched, the so-called "tone-deaf bard" began aggressively "ehe-ing" as his whines chased you around the flowerbeds you two had made near windrise. finally clasping onto your waist, his hands settled in their rightful places. leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead, he bent over onto one knee, leaning over one of the flower holes you two had dug, opening the seed packet carefully. gently dropping tiny cecelia seeds into the hole, he flashed a smile back up at you, only to see you weren't there, his face grew confused. suddenly feeling his face being pulled towards someone by a pair of adorable hands, he caught a glimpse of your figure, before you bridged the gap between your lips, joining the two of you in a soft kiss.

Z H O N G L I ♡ ~ :

cute. that's what this sight was. you were plumped in his lap, cutely planting flowers. his hands were guiding yours, because who said you had more experience planting flowers than the geo archon himself? his deep chuckles and adoring smiles were the cutest things in teyvat, and they were all yours. these moments were precious and special, that is until hu tao decided to rear her head. "hehe, what are you two up too?" deadpanning the both of you simply said, "screw off please. we are trying to have cute and memorable moment here, and you are hot making it any easier-" responding sarcastically, the funeral parlor director said, "...i am hurt." silence. "..." more silence. "..." "...good" falsely offended, hu tao declared, "I'm leaving." "...alright then, bye-" returning to your flowers, the both of you sat in peace, giving life to the glaze lilies you were planting. swallows and butterflies passed you two, flying to the pace of their own wind. the sky was clear, for not a cloud was visible. you could spot the children playing cutely with each other from your spot on the balcony, and it was perfect-

oh. well then.

apparently, that also comes with a side of getting water dumped on you by hu tao.

oh well.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL The Queen of the Carmelite Order Feast Day: July 16

'Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum.' (With zeal, have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.) -motto of the Carmelite order based on 3 Kings 19:14

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, popularly known in short as the Carmelites, takes her title from that beautiful mountain in Israel facing the Mediterranean Sea.

Since the time of the prophet Elijah (850 BC), the secondary patron of the Order, Mount Carmel was considered a holy place and a symbol of fidelity to the Lord. There, Elijah assembled the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, who sat at the table of Jezebel, the wife of the wicked Israelite king Ahab, in order to demonstrate the supremacy of God over Baal (1 Kings 18:19-29, 33-39). In 1150, St. Berthold of Calabria (Bartoldus of Calabria), a Norman French crusader, founded there the Order of the Carmelites, placing it under the patronage of the Mother of God.

On July 16th, 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon Stock, a prior general of the Carmelites at Aylesford, a village and a civil parish on the River Medway in the county of Kent, and located four miles northwest of the county of Maidstone in England. She gave him the brown scapular and said:

"My beloved son, receive this scapular for your Order. It is the special sign of a privilege which I have obtained for you and for all God’s children who honor me as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Those who die devotedly clothed with this scapular shall be preserved from eternal fire. The brown scapular is a badge of salvation. The brown scapular is a shield in time of danger. The brown scapular is a pledge of peace and special protection, until the end of time."

Soon after, Simon Stock instituted the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular, whose purpose was to spread the veneration to Mary and the wearing of the scapular. Originally, the brown scapular consisted in two pieces of brown woolen cloth, usually embroidered with an outline of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and tied together by string and worn over the shoulders. In time, the scapular has shrunk in size, but the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has spread throughout the world.

Taken from Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light - Cainta, Rizal Province, Philippines

©2022 photo by yours truly via POCO X3

[catcze]

– Spoilers ‼️

i just fully 100% exploration the entire released inazuma map yesterday 😭 i just did the archon quest now and it was very well written! I really hated the anti raiden quest tho, nearly ripped my hair out ://

also gonna have scara and thoma brainrot for a while </3 i just really missed thoma (did u see his lEAKS? MYGAWD LEGS OPEN) and i absolutely love the scara lore revealed !! also bc in his scene he reminded me of a very angry hamster 😌

ALSO I WAS FIGHTING SIGNORA RIGHT— i realized i had a double pyro double geo team and that put me on a BIG disadvantage until i realized i accidentally put physical artifacts on yoimiya (bc i had to switch it out with another one of my pyro user’s artifacts) THEN i had to physical 1v1 signora with my yoimiya who was doing like 6k per normal attack 😭😭

ANYWAY HBU CATTE HOW IS UR 2.1(?) SO FAR ⁉️

— beloved 90s (nines?) anon! 😎

GENSHIN SPOILERS

AAA omg congrats on the full exploration !!

FOR REALL THOOO the anti-Raiden training had me fucking screaming 😭 esp. that part at the end where we shouldn't get hit by the last attack ?? Literally had me frothing at the mouth the 5+ times i couldn't complete it HAHA Literally had so search up how the hell to finish it + add Yanfei to my team HAHA But yeah !! I also had such a field day with all the new lore that came out! ALSO pls not the hamster 😭

YESSS <33 I saw the leaks and I can't wait to bring Thoma home <33 His animations + his idles are literally divine omg 😭💦

Side note but for some reason reading the phrase 'physical 1v1 signora' literally amused me so much HAHAH thank you for the laugh my love aksndkajs

It's been going great so far tbh !! I haven't explored Watatsumi very much yet, since I spent the first few days on Seirai trying to get Baal and Sara's mats !! Deffo enjoyed all the new lore drops in this update tho–– I really really hope we get more soon !!!! <333

[yourlocalsewerdragon]

also congrats on getting baal <3

ty bestie <333 my wife is so beloved <33 and OH I NEED TO FUCKIM PLAY GENSHIN TODAY

[kissesandcream]

Im not good with making headcannons 😭 and I dont know if this is a headcannon either but I just think this is cute and funny soo I wanted to share I have a feeling If Kaeya have children or have to babysit kids in the Modern time He would be very good with it ESPECIALLY Kids that love Frozen like I can imagine him blasting the "let it go" song while acting like Elsa and make little snowflakes and also I have a feeling he is good at singing the song too also I can see the kid even will somehow succesfully make him use a Dress that that looks like Elsa's dress or actually an Elsa Cosplay dress (Or maybe even dress up in general LIKE THAT MAN PRETTY-) Like Imagine going home to Kaeya in a Dress while singing let it go "Hey guys Im back!~" You say signaling your presence as you put your shoes back where it belongs. You walked deeper into the house that you are now sharing.. or well more to living with your now beloved Husband, Kaeya. Your household can be labelled as quite a Lively one if it were to be compared with Diluc's. "Guys?" you called out again as you the put groceries that you were once holding to where it belongs. Weirdly Quiet is what one can describe if they were to be the one there. The quietness of the house was not something to celebrate rather is something to be concern, and that is exactly what you are feeling right now. The house was to quiet for your liking, because by now your Lover would probably be running downstairs to greet you while carrying your child so they can greet you too- and that is also what you expect everytime you come home and you know you will get it everytime. But right now there was no sign of it, no signs of your lover radiating his fun self that will always make you smile everytime, also no signs of your Loving and Lively child that will always give you comfort. You tried calling out a couple of times again, but the outcome was all the same... No responds. And you were not kidding when you say you start to panic a little as you explore your House and still havent found both of them yet until... You heard faint music in the distant. More specifically at the backyard. You immediately ran towards the backyard that was not that far at where you are at. The Closer you get the more louder and clearer the music and song so as you ran you make up the words to what the song is saying and you know well that the song is very familiar to your ears. Once you reach the backyard door you pause yourself before reaching the door handle to think on what is the worst scenario you will see and experience once you open the door. But you shake it off and took the door handle, pushing it open. And the moment you laid eyes on whats going on at the backyard your eyes Widen to the sight to see the whole backyard tho not much is covered in snow but what make shocked you even more is not that you have to later clean up the whole backyard BUT you are more shocked on the one Who's MAKING the snow.. Your Husband the Love of your life.. Is standing at the middle of your backyard in a DRESS singing Let it Go and your Child is not even concern about whats going on They were having laughing and singing along with their FATHER (which is Kaeya). "Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know-" "Well, now they know!" You cut him of in his singing and You can see him snap his head towards your direction in Shocked and his face was in Horror it was pale- he looked like he just saw a ghost. You cant help but laugh at his expression "LET IT GOO! LET IT GOO!" Your Child sang not minding the fact that they just got exposed and that their dad is in shades of red out of embarrassment. You took out your phone and Kaeya knew what was going to happen. "Wait- Love NO-" Kaeya shouted but was to late because the camera had done is Job. Your look at the picture smiling widely at it. "This will be one to remember.." you said happily as you pat Kaeya's back. But even with all you're teasing and the embarrassment Kaeya feels he smiles because he knew and agrees that it will be a memory to remember and a happy one to. He let

out a defeated sigh and pat your head "Indeed it will be.." "Also... who's dress is that-"

(I dont know what I just wrote but I hope its somehow can cheer you up- or just accompany you when you need company! Its weird but This is what I can do- Hope you enjoy it tho!)

HELP NOYA U WROTE ME A WHOLE FIC WTF

THANK U ITS GORGEOUS AND I LOVE IT 😭

kaeya def owns a bunch of dresses i take no criticism. him in an elsa dress,,,, i wanna draw that now oh my gods

sorry baal wip you'll have to wait ive gotta make way for loml princess kaeya <3 i would make the pic my wallpaper forever and ever pls

its so funny to think of him interacting with kids considering he canonically traumatized all of mondstadt's into believing lanterns were firefly souls 😭 but he can be wholesome if he wants <33

this made me smile tysm noya!! ur the absolute sweetest ilysm!! 💖

[l0r3g0r3]

BAAL MY BELOVED <33

[mrlnsfrt]

God or Nothing

We continue our series in 1 Samuel with this post focusing on 1 Samuel 12. Now that Saul has been established as king (for more details see Making a King and You Shall Have Help) Samuel takes this opportunity to retire. He has faithfully served from childhood to his old age (1 Samuel 12:2) and he has helped them transition to a new system of leadership. Interestingly Samuel’s final act as a judge was to place himself on trial. Samuel asked everyone if anyone had suffered any injustice at his hand that he would make it right. (1 Samuel 12:3) A powerful testimony to Samuel’s character, the people replied that his ministry as Israel’s judge has been faultless. Samuel had never abused his power, he had never been dishonest, no one had been cheated or oppressed by Samuel.

The careful student of the Bile should take careful note of this. The example of Israel’s last judge should be contrasted with the examples of the kings who will in the future cheat and oppress the people as well as take their sons, daughters, produce, and animals (1 Samuel 8:11-16; 14:52).

Now that Samuel has established himself as a fair judge, he puts on his prophet hat and delivers his longest speech recorded in the Bible. Samuel begins with a review of their history highlighting how God had raised up leaders and delivered them from their enemies. Samuel also highlights how each time they forgot their God they were overpowered by their enemies. The key lesson Samuel wishes to teach the people is simple. God alone is their Savior. Israel has never been saved by kings, or armies, or weapons or alliances. A closely connected lesson is also that Israel is always delivered by God as a response to their prayers and repentance.

One way to look at this is that the importance of knowing what God has done in the past is to know how to behave in the future. That is why we study the Bible, correct? We look at how God acted in the past in order to know how to best relate to Him in the present.

Good thing God never changes.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. - Malachi 3:6 NKJV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. - James 1:17 NKJV

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” - Isaiah 40:8 NKJV

Whenever we find ourselves facing trials and tribulations we can benefit from looking back on how God has delivered us in the past. Bible study keeps God and what He is like fresh on our minds. Life is really not that complicated. Whenever we are with God we have the assurance of victory even if that victory looks like defeat for a moment. The challenge is to continue to trust in God, that is, to have faith when things are not going according to plan.

Samuel makes it clear that Israel was delivered whenever they repented. God has always graciously responded to the pleas of His children. So when we find ourselves outside of God’s will, if we are willing to repent, He will always deliver us.

 Then they cried out to the Lord, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. - 1 Samuel 12:10-11 NKJV

Israel will only prosper when they are faithful to God. Samuel makes it very clear that the children of Israel suffered oppression not because God is weak, but rather because God is a jealous and just God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 32:4). This means that if you are dishonest, oppressive, abusive, racist, etc. God is not on your side. Also if God is not the only God in your life, He is not with you. This may sound harsh but it’s what the Bible teaches. How else can you interpret passages like,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. - Exodus 20:1-6 NKJV

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. […] 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:26-27, 33 NKJV

Does it surprise you to find Jesus being “more extreme” than the Old Testament? you have to check out the sermon on the mount sometime (Matthew 5-7). The two passages above describe the same principle. Nothing in our lives can be above God. We must be willing to give up anything and everything for God. This may sound crazy or extreme. But when you take into consideration what Samuel says, essentially, how God has behaved in the past, then this behavior makes perfect sense. When we look at God’s history, His interactions with His children in the Bible, and even in our own lives, it makes perfect sense to trust God, because He is everything!

This is how Samuel puts it,

20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people.  - 1Samuel 12:20-22 NKJV (bold mine)

Samuel tells the people not to go after other gods because essentially they are nothing. I must admit that when it comes to family it is extremely difficult. But even my family members need to take the back seat when it comes to principles concerning God’s will. It should also go without saying that you need to be very careful that you are sure you know God’s will because there is always a great danger that we label our will as God’s will.

I don’t want you to think I am presenting a works-oriented approach to God or theology. We read above (1 Samuel 12:22) that God will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake. This means that Israel never earned their place or status of beloved of God. God has always delivered His children for the sake of His name (Psalm 25:11; 79:9; 106:8; 143:11; Isaiah 48:9; Jer 14:7, 21; Ezek 20:9, 22; Dan 9:19) that is, because of who He is, and not because of what they did to deserve His help or love. Since Israel’s previous efforts were not the basis for God’s love towards them, likewise their failures do not destroy His love for them (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5-7). However, God’s love for us does not do away with our mission and responsibility.

Let me try to make it clearer like this.

Israel’s threat was never external, it was always internal and spiritual.

The problem with Israel asking for a king is the idea that a king would deliver them and they would no longer need to be faithful to God. Samuel is making it clear that even with a king, their salvation depends on God. God loves them, but there are consequences to disobedience and special blessings that come with a faithful relationship with God.

The thunderstorm they experienced in 1 Samuel 12:18 was a reminder that it did not matter how mighty their king was, no one could stop God’s judgment. Samuel would continue to pray for them, he would continue to teach them. But it was up to them to continue to trust in God and to be faithful to Him.

Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” - 1 Samuel 12:24-25 NKJV

[timhatchlive]

Changing is Hard

Saul and Jonathan are dead. David's line to the throne should be clean right? Nope. It's going to take years. There's a LOT of political allegiances in the way and many people with special interests are going to do almost anything to keep the status quo and fight back David's ascension to power. Sounds like the American government... David is a threat to everyone who followed Saul to death. He's unpredictable. What will he do with those who supported a man out to kill him all those years? Surely, it can't be good. In haste, Ish-Bosheth is MADE king by Abner, the commander of Saul's troops. Abner had been with Saul at least since the Goliath event. He brought David to Saul after Goliath was dead. He was rebuked for not protecting Saul by David when he had the opportunity to kill him. You have to know that Abner had a vested interest in Saul's lineage keeping the kingdom. So he takes the fourth son of Saul and makes him king as soon as Saul and Jonathan die. What's interesting that Ish-Bosheth's name is different in Chronicles. It's actually, "Eshbaal". Which translated, means, “man of Baal,” or “Baal exists"! 1 Chronicles 8:33 (ESV) Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal; This betrays the distance Saul had fallen from grace. To name his fourth son in honor of the false god of the Canaanite's worship is shameful. But Saul's sin became entrenched in his life. Ish-Bosheth is a given name the Jews perhaps assigned to Esh-Baal out of shame of this history. In fact, THAT name means, “man of shame.” Sin always brings shame. There's no getting around it. What we are learning is that old habits die hard. Saul's men are not about to let David just come in and rule. Likewise, David is not going to simply destroy all his enemies in vengeance. And while the men standing in his way to the throne perish, David never approves. The whole moment points to our spiritual development. We have entrenched desires, opinions, and habits that will not die easily. We need change but change is hard. Everyone is born into a status-quo like existence where it just seems easier to keep things the same. Change does not come easy. We hate our shame, but then we fight against the Lord to protect ourselves! Does your spiritual growth seem like a battle? This is what David's men experienced against Ish-Bosheth. The good news is this: it's not your fight. It's handled by the true David of your soul. He comes to destroy those remnants of your old life. But it will not be easy. 2 Samuel 2:17 (ESV) And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. The other good news is, our true David will grow stronger in us as God works His will into our hearts. Consider how 2 Samuel 3 opens: 2 Samuel 3:1 (ESV) There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. Now we are not without responsibility here. We have to fight the good fight. We have to take captive our thoughts (2 Corinthians 10). We have to offer ourselves and our bodies to God regularly (Romans 6:12-14). We have to pray and seek the Kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). We have to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). But God is at work in us and through these things. Philippians 2:12–13 (ESV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Change is a challenge. But Christ is up to it. via Blogger http://bit.ly/2LelVo1

[rxbyknowby]

➥ Rub their back

@princecfhell

Ruby hid her face in the soft sheets beneath her. A quiet hiss escaped her lips as he moved. She gritted her teeth, knuckles white from fisting her hands. She could no longer keep quiet as he pressed in harder. 

A single, subdued, and tearful sound left her lips, “Ow...”

Baal’s cold gaze snapped up to Ruby’s face. His hands stilled from their rhythmic kneading of Ruby’s lower back, withdrawing from her silken skin as if he’d been burned. He then placed his hands on either side of his wife’s bare shoulders, hovering above her on his hands and knees. If asked, Ruby would have denied sniffing quietly as he nuzzled her. His nose ran along her cheek before moving to her hair, breathing in her sweet scent. His lips pressed repeated tender kisses to her face. 

“I’m sorry, dearest,” he whispered, his tender words expressed in his native tongue. Ruby smiled weakly at him as the Sumerian reached her ears.

Ruby turned her head, a twinge of pain protesting the subtle movement of her spine. Ruby was lying on her stomach, and she very much wanted to turn around to kiss him. It appeared as if she wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon. While stationary, the pain was a low dull throbbing. But when she attempted to move, it was so sharp it knocked the wind from her. 

Ruby had taken one of her horses out for a ride early that morning. Her property was on a relatively quiet patch of country land, and it was very rare to see anything more than a rabbit while out. But as her horse smoothly cantered towards a dense tree line, some errant wildlife she’d never even noticed had spooked her horse. The equine went one way. Ruby, tossed from the saddle by the sudden bolt, went another. She always wore her riding helmet, the expensive one covered in black velvet. Thankfully her head didn’t hurt. No broken bones, though there may be some bruises within the next few days. More than anything, the right side of Ruby’s lower back was in agony due to how she’d landed on the ground. The pain was spreading to her hip and even her thigh. She’d managed to pull herself back into the saddle and make the ride home. She had fairly limped into the house, asking Kelly to tend the horse. 

Baal had been beside her in an instant, ready to rush her up to the bedroom. She’d tried to reassure them both that she was fine, nothing a good back rub and a heating pad couldn’t fix. Kelly had looked as if she would have tears well in her eyes soon, and Baal’s brows knit with concern as he nuzzled her. But they’d been willing to relent for now upon seeing Ruby’s reassuring smile. Baal then took Ruby upstairs so he could tend to her. Kelly had quickly cared for the horse, lecturing the now calm animal for being naughty and hurting her mom. Baal was ready to make steaks out of the animal, much to his injured wife’s protests. 

Gingerly and with much help she’d settled onto the bed. Ruby relished Baal’s gentle attentions, every touch contained nothing but concern and love. She had enjoyed him smoothing lotion over her back, kneading her muscles to loosen them. He’d even gently worked her neck, before he’d stumbled across a large knot in the muscles of her lower back. With nothing but an intent to alleviate it, he’d focused the pressing of his fingers into that harder area of muscle. 

But Ruby couldn’t stand the pressure on that incredibly sore spot. The insistent touch only aggravated her discomfort. She felt awful for not being able to receive his kindness without complaint. Ruby reached her fingertips to find Baal’s cheek, giggling when he pressed his lips to the pads of her fingers. She whispered, “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

Ruby wasn’t fine. Baal knew his wife was in a great deal of pain, and he only seemed to be making it worse. Ruby felt more pecks placed on her shoulder as she thanked Baal for what he was doing. He’d touched a tender spot, but she still wanted him to continue. She received a chuckle at her request, one that was inevitably granted.

Baal’s fingertips traveled up Ruby’s arms, the incredibly light touch sending pleasant tingles over her skin. He rubbed at her shoulders, the warmth of him melting the tension found there. As he moved to sweep his hands over her scapulas, he was even more grateful for all the back rubs Ruby had given him. If he didn’t already know what felt nice, he might not have done that good of a job. He moved his hands to her sides, slowly trailing down. The heat of his hands combated the cold of the room, something Ruby appreciated since she was topless. He pressed little circles on either side of her spine, traversing the length of it. Baal smiled when Ruby took in a deep breath. Her eyes were closed, and she lazily noted she might be fully asleep soon. He took the opportunity to briefly work the knot in her lower back before sweeping his hands elsewhere. He took up a soft pattern of working the area that hurt most before exchanging it for somewhere more pleasant. Eventually the knot seemed to loosen, though it refused to dissipate completely. Baal gently rubbed around Ruby’s hip, enjoying the curve of her form beneath his hands. He glanced up to see her asleep and slipped his hand beneath the waistline of the soft pajama bottoms he’d helped her into. Ruby was hardly in any position to bend down. And she was hardly in a position to do more than be roused from her slumber at the feel of him grabbing her pert bottom. She looked at him as best she could and laughed sleepily. 

“Cheeky boy,” she accused him with a smile. 

Baal winked at her, a playful grin across his lips. “Can’t help myself Toots.” However, he did decide to be behave and leave his wife be. He withdrew his hands and leaned down to place another few kisses on her shoulder. “Where’s the heating pad?”

“Bathroom,” Ruby mumbled groggily. 

Baal left the bed and wandered into the adjacent bathroom. He took a moment to wash the lotion off his hands. With his rings on, the slick sensation irked him. Drying his hands, he dug around the cupboards until he found the heating pad. Ruby’d had the thing for years, but it still worked well enough. He quietly paced back into the bedroom, plugging it in and perching himself back on the bed. Ruby began to wake once more, but she didn’t fight the droopiness of her eyelids as Baal shushed her. He placed the heating pad over her back before throwing a warm blanket over Ruby. He was perturbed for a while as the heating pad did nothing. Then he remembered it had a remote of sorts, so he began pressing buttons until a gentle warmth spread over Ruby. He played with her hair, gooseflesh creeping over her skin at the pleasant sensations. He pressed his lips to her hair, whispering, “I’ll be right back.”

“ ‘Kay,” Ruby breathed out. “Love you.”

He nuzzled her, purring loudly as he replied, “I love you too.”

He then carefully slid off the bed and slipped out the bedroom. He entered the hallway to see Kelly sitting on a bench, the Spawn crouching around her. She hopped to her feet as soon as the saw Baal, anxiety roiling around her tummy. Playing with the ends of her sleeves, she asked, “How’s Mom?”

He sighed softly, striding over to her and taking her in his arms. He pat her hair gently as Kelly leant into her father’s embrace. “Your Mommy is fine,” he promised her. He smiled at how Kelly’s shoulders instantly slumped in relief. He kissed her forehead and said, “And she’s asleep right now, but I know she’s going to want some company. You can go in,” he said, then casting a more stern look upon her and the Spawn, “But you have to be quiet.”

“Where are you going?” Kelly asked, confused.

“I am going to make your Mother a doctor’s appointment,” he said, knowing full well Ruby would not be pleased. She hated seeing the doctor, but he thought it best this time around.

Kelly bit back a smirk and whispered, “Mom’s gonna be pissed.”

Baal sighed, nodding his head at Kelly’s barely suppressed mirth. Removing his arms from around Kelly, he chuckled then himself. Baal’s words were honest and simple, “I know, I know... But she’s taken such good care of me before. I want to do the same for her.”

Kelly beamed up at him as he rubbed her cheek with the backs of his fingers before heading downstairs. It made her...so inexplicably happy that her Mom was so adored by her Dad. But she could also never hide a smile at how much of a softie her old man really was.

[dailybiblelessons]

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Revised Common Lectionary Proper 14 Roman Catholic Proper 19

Complementary Hebrew Scripture Lesson from the Former Prophets: 1 Kings 19:4-8

[Elijah has defeated the prophets of Baal, and they are dead. Ahab's wife Jezebel intends to kill Elijah.]

But Elijah himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Former Prophets: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Complementary Psalm 34:1-8

I will bless the Lord at all times;  his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord;  let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me,  and let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me,  and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant;  so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,  and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the Lord  encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the Lord is good;  happy are those who take refuge in him.

Semi-continuous Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive  to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,  Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you,  so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,  and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord  more than those who watch for the morning,  more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!  For with the Lord there is steadfast love,  and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel  from all its iniquities.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

New Testament Gospel Lesson: John 6:35, 41-51

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’¹ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

¹Isaiah 54:3

Year B Ordinary 19, RCL Proper 14, Catholic Proper 19 Sunday

 Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from The New Revised Standard Version, (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Footnotes in the Christian Scriptures (New Testament) that show where a passage from the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) is used are from The Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®), copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. When text is taken from the NIV, the passage ends with (NIV) and the foregoing copyright notice applies. Image credit: Bread of Life, image from page 109 of "With the children on Sundays, through eye-gate, and ear-gate into the city of child-soul", modified by Michael Gilbertson to delete two rolls and add the text. The original image came from flickr.com. The modified image may be freely used. Please credit The Lectionary Company.

[alonelysimp]

DPS BARB ANON AGAIN🙋‍♀️ I dont have c6 sucrose, I only have her at c1 HJBSD pls she came home in Baal's banner, I was sucrose-less until ar55😭 BUT I DO HAVE HER BUILT with uhh mappa mare, 2pc wanderers and 2pc viri - with the stats of all those, she has 400+ elm I dont remember the exact number BUT YEAH my friend is saying : Barbara, xiangling, Bennett, sucrose for the team comp idk man, team comps makes my head hurt JKHSDV ill test the HoD/glad and see how it goes >:D man, I want to build so much characters but I have very limited resin LMAOKHSD I literally spent all of my fragile on the crimson domain for hu tao😭 — dps barb anon/cal

omg u were sucrose-less- my condolences <//3 (shes one of my favs i'm biased <33) her "mollis favonius" passive mostly, i have a 2pc wanderer's (and full elm) with a sac fragments on her so her elm is 915 (blame my constant crit chasing with (REDACTED)). mappa mare has higher atk but lower elm, but honestly i've gotten so many sac fragments that i can't blame u if its a lot easier to get ur hands on an r5 mappa

for team comps, yeah xiangling bennett sucrose is rlly good !! the pyro resonance is v nice too !! on my alt i have dps yanfei too so i have barb, yanfei, bennett/xiao, and diona hehe <3 melt/vaporize my beloved !!

no fr i'm building (REDACTED) rn, along with fixing (REDACTED)'s build bc her crit is horrible even tho shes already one of my best dpses. and i've been building (REDACTED) since i got him in 1.1, i've done the hydro cryo domain so many times ;;

[yumpty-dumpty-inactive]

mutual appreciation post <3!! (again this was from memory so sorry if i missed anyone!!)

---

@mikachuchu - because like YES? you are literally so sweet, the good vibes just spill out all over your page. even though we just became mutuals 5 minutes ago, you are so fucking precious I cannot take it. you literally are the best oml please hug me-

@scorpius-major - *squeals* artemis you are such a good writer,, I literally cannot take it. I hope we can become better friends and write with each other in the future <3! also can i please order some artemis hugs ;___;?

@fiona782 - BWAHAHAHA,, toge, rui, and megumi are all mine, and you can go suck it (u__u) don't worry this is all a joke,, we're like sisters/siblings lmfao

@alberivh - VEILLE AKSKSASKA,, angst is my love and so are you. literally, you are so sweet,, but aren't afraid to speak your mind and I love that!! I look up to you a lot <33!

@anon8d - you literally ask the cutest questions like, tf, I demand platonic cuddles siR (but seriously you deserve more love oml >__<)

@mayple - BWAHAHAHAHA,, WE'RE FUCKING TROLLS HAHA. LITERALLY. (also thanks for the codes you saved my life and got me C1 xinyan o__o) but seriously I love you sm and I hope you get ganyu,, also eat some of your food,, you have way to much damn it-

@yoimiyas-wife - HAHA FUCK YOU. (she has too much luck,, it isn't fair. seriously, she got yoimiya at 21 pity AFTER GETTING AYAKA. LIKE,, WHAT? THEN SHE GOT THUNDERING PULSE. LIKE,, SORRY BUT WHAT??)

@chichikoi - but like,, I literally love you?? chibi albedo,,, mmm. also i have some diluc fluff in the works,, would you like a pinch of angst added into that? :0? but in all seriousness, I fucking love you sm and you need more love. you are so positive, and every time i see you post i just go: >__<

@eternism - JADE MY CUDDLE BUG LOVE,,, jade is literally sitting next to me with our 10 cats named yoimiya, sayu, kokomi, baal, albedo, thoma, kazuha, tomo, sara, and yae. we have smoothies and are cuddling,, not clickbait at all. ANYWAYS, jade i love how sweet and positive you are,, you never fail to answer a message, ask, and your writing is amazing. you are gentle, kind, and just overall an amazing person <33

@xiaosmoon - ERI!! eri my dear your writing is OUT OF THIS WORLD!! I am blown away every time. you never fail to shock me, and I love it. I love seeing how kindly you interact with your followers, and I hope we can become better friends in the future <3

@witch-hazels-musings - HAZEL. I am so excited to start our little project <3!! I absolutely ADORE you and your blog, and just talking with you makes my day better! you're just so positive and sweet,, I feel safe talking with you,, like i can be myself! that is rare, and i hope you know how special and amazing you are <3!!

@catcze - CATTE!! AA,, I LOVE READING YOUR WORKS! YOU'RE SUCH AN AMAZING WRITER, and our talks are weird as not gonna lie,, anyways, you are literally the definition of a summer day, so fun and full of exciting adventures! you're so kind to your followers, and i think you use the "<3" more than you say thoma. just know i adore you and your writing, and will continue to be your mutual and follower for years to come <3!!

@y2nderez - AHAHAHAHA,, TROLL. but literally, you're pretty asf however, even though our talks are cursed and terrible in general, i still love you bestie *awkwardly gives thumbs up* xx

@homesnorky - AA! MY BELOVED SNAIL ANON... hehe,, love you <33

@aquamarine-eyed-girl - i fucking love you so much give me platonic hugs and cuddles rn,, you are literally so supportive and kind, everything you submit into my inbox makes my day, and you sure do know how to make someone smile. i love you sm, and i hope you stick around in the future <3!!

@lavender-cloudz - LAVVIE MY LOVE,, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH HELP I CANNOT EVEN- *faints*

@dilucbar - AERI!! we haven't talked in so long,, we should fix that :\. anyways, you are literally kinder and more fun than yoimiya. i literally ADORE chatting with you,, even if it's about the most random shit ever, i love it, and i hope we'll continue to be best friends in the future <3!!

@jooninya - AAA! MY GOTH BESTIE,, I LOVE YA. OUR MATCHING DISCORD PFP'S ARE LITERALLY WEIRD BUT COOL,, even if they don't EXACTLY match :0! literally, you are so positive, and i love arguing with you about scaramouche (JKJK ASKASKSA-) 8|! we need to chat more, we're slipping through the cracks my dear ;___;

@heaven-dissolution - you. are. the. fucking. best. i. literally. love. you. so. DAMN. MUCH. *screeches* LITERALLY. you're just so to pleasant to talk to,, and i can tell you really have a passion for writing! you know what i say? follow that passion! anytime you ever need backup i'm always ready to whoop some ass. I know you genuinely care for me and will have my back, which is why I will forever have yours.

@kazuhasbunny - ELI!! aaa i love chatting with you so much!! you're literally the easiest person to talk to,, and i feel like i can talk about literally anything with you and we'll have a fun conversation!! love you,, have a good day <33

[cfijerusalem]

Haifa (חֵיפָה) A City of Distinction

One of the many jewels of Israel is the beautiful, cosmopolitan city of Haifa. During a visit there with my Jewish friends, Ilan and Lori, I discovered some of its unique distinctions. It is a clean, green city built on the side of a hill that extends from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea up the slope of Mount Carmel and is crowned by the high-rise University of Haifa. This city is Israel’s largest major seaport located on the Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa. From lofty Mount Carmel, Ilan proudly displayed the breathtaking panorama of the sea as seen from his beloved hometown, Haifa.

Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel – after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – with a population of 285,316 in 2019. As of 2016, covering 63.7 square kilometers (24.6 square miles), it lies about 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of Tel Aviv and is the major regional center of northern Israel.

Although Haifa does not appear in the Bible, it is mentioned in other ancient Jewish literature as a well-established seaport city. Over thousands of years, this area has changed hands several times: being conquered and ruled by the Canaanites, Israelites, Phoenicians, Persians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and the British. By the sovereign hand of God, Haifa again became a part of Israel in 1948 when the nation was officially established. The influences of all these various cultures are still seen in this city today.

The Haifa municipality plays an important role in Israel’s economy. It is home to Matam, one of the oldest and largest high-tech parks in the country, and to the prestigious Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. Haifa Bay is a center of heavy industry, petroleum refining and chemical processing, and it produces cement, electronic equipment, glass, steel and textiles. Haifa also has the distinction of owning the only underground rapid transit system located in Israel, known as the Carmelit.

Haifa is a diverse, tolerant, and largely secular metropolis that differs from many other cities in the Holy Land. It has always had a large Arab population and today, is one of the few places in Israel where Jews and Arabs are in regular contact and make genuine efforts to promote coexistence. Others have also found this to be a comfortable place to live including a few Orthodox Jews and some believers. Haifa is the world headquarters for the Baha’i faith, whose golden-domed shrine of the Bab and gardens are part of the outstanding landmarks in the city. It is a destination for many Baha’i pilgrimages. This municipality is a cultural mecca with its own symphony orchestra, theaters, museums and a zoo. It was surprising to learn that this is the only city in Israel where the buses run on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and where many businesses stay open. Haifa is a port city where people from various parts of the world enter bringing their goods and their ideologies into the Holy Land.  (Jewish Virtual Library; Wikipedia)

Another of the famous attractions in Haifa is the entrance to Elijah’s cave.  According to Byzantine tradition, this is where Elijah the Prophet hid to escape the wrath of King Ahab. The site is celebrated by Christians, Muslims and Jews. (Jewish Virtual Library) Scripture tells us the Israelites began worshiping the idol Baal, at the insistence of Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife.  Elijah stressed exclusive worship of the God of Israel as the only true God. As God’s punishment for the worship of Baal, Elijah prophesied a great drought, which lasted three and a half years. (I Kings16:29-33)

According to the Biblical account (I Kings 18-19), Elijah staged a contest of power to demonstrate who was the true God. A sacrificial bull was placed on the altar and four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal called on their god to deliver fire, but with no result. Then, Elijah’s prayers were answered as his bull was consumed by fire from heaven. The people recognized the power of the God of Israel and began to cry out, “The Lord, He [alone] is God” (Adonai, hu ha-Elohim)” [I Kings 18:39]. Rain begins to fall, ending the drought. In this manner, the preeminence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was manifested on Mount Carmel; His authority has never diminished!

Oh, that the secular residents in Haifa and those embracing false beliefs today would come to the same conclusion as the Israelites did on Mount Carmel in Elijah’s day!  The Word of God has promised that they will at the appointed time.

Praying for Haifa

Magnify the Lord for His supremacy above everything! Although other gods are being worshipped in the Holy Land, there is only one true God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “Are there any gods like you, Lord? There are no gods like you. You are wonderfully holy, amazingly powerful, a worker of miracles” (Exodus 15:11 NCV).

Praise God for His unfailing promise to awaken Israel to His true identity. “Then I will pour out on the house of David …a spirit of grace and supplication, when they will look toward Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10 NIV).

Intercede for the people of Haifa and the surrounding area. We are thankful for their ability to live peaceably with those around them. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NIV). Please pray that they will be spiritually alert and not be lulled into apathy by the influences of mindsets around them. Please lift up the believers in Haifa so that they will continue to be salt and light to those with whom they have contact.  May their light draw others to the Light of the World. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 TLV).

Dear Prayer Partners:

It is such a joy to hear from many of you as you contact us and/or pray with us on the various prayer calls.  With each month, we are becoming a closer family. “It is good and pleasant when God’s people live together in peace!” Psalms 133:1.

Thank you for your continual prayers for Israel. I love seeing your faces on the Israel Watch prayer map above my desk. When we look at your faces, we also pray for you as you stand for Israel in your nations.  Jewish visitors that come into the Jerusalem office are always impressed that people from across the world love them and are praying for them.  If you would like to add your photo to the map, you are welcome to send them to prayer@cfijerusalem.org. May the Lord grant you power, perseverance, and peace.

In His Love,

Linda D. McMurray

Wall of Prayer Supervisor

[frederickwiddowson]

The writings of Luke the physician starting with his version of the gospel - Luke 13:31-35 comments: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Luke 13:31 ¶  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. 34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

 On one level, Christ reveals the three days of His time in the tomb and preaching in Hell. It is important to note the use of perfect and perfected have to do with being complete and finished, possessing what you need to fulfill your purpose.

 2Chronicles 8:16  Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.

 Colossians 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

 James 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 And so, when the work was done and the man who was also God had paid the price for our sins…

 John 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

 On another, more literal level, He is referring to His ongoing work and that He will arrive in Jerusalem, to accomplish His mission, in three days. Jerusalem is a place, He says ironically and with no small bit of sarcasm, that seems to have a monopoly on killing prophets sent from God.

 God’s sarcasm and His sense of irony is found in several places in the Old Testament.

 Isaiah 44:9 ¶  They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. 10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? 11  Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. 12  The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. 14  He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. 15  Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. 16  He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: 17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. 18  They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. 19  And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

 Isaiah 22:18  He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.

 2Kings 21:13  And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. [Sorry, fundamentalists, but it okay for a man to wipe a dish.]

 It cannot be honestly denied that God’s hand was in the revolt of the Jews against Rome that ended in the disastrous siege of Jerusalem by the future emperor, Titus, and the Bar Kokhba Revolt that led to the Emperor Hadrian’s rooting out of Jewish nationalism in Judea, the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews and the elimination of thousands of villages, that ended in the loss of the Jewish homeland and the greatest Diaspora of Jews throughout the empire and elsewhere.

 It is not antisemitic to explain that the Jews suffered greatly for their rejection of God through Christ, a fact of history.

 1Thessalonians 2:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

 But, God is not done with the Jews, the first people He created for Himself out of the Gentiles. Many believe that Revelation, chapter 12, reveals a supernatural deliverance of the remaining Jews who believe in Christ their Messiah, the Saviour of the world, from Satan’s final holocaust.

Christ will appear to them. In the following cross-reference comparison it is clear that the Jews are being visited at the end of human-centered history.

 Zechariah 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

 Revelation 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 For remember that it is God’s own standard that determines this. Remember that Israel is God’s firstborn as the church is His offspring through Christ (Psalm 22:30).

 Exodus 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

 And that Israel was also God’s spouse as the church is the bride of Christ (2Corinthians 11:2).

 Jeremiah 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

 God, then, in this figure of speech, has divorced the nation of Israel.

 Jeremiah 3:8  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

 But God has a standard of treatment of a wife who is hated, which means despised, held in contempt, not loved, as per the Bible definition found in Proverbs 5:12, Amos 5:21, Matthew 6:24, & Luke 16:13. Here, in the following it is the opposite of beloved.

 Deuteronomy 21:15 ¶  If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16  Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

 At the end of the day Israel shall be saved.  

 Romans 11:1 ¶  I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should

not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9  And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12  Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14  If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16  For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24  For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

 For now, though, Jesus is giving them warning after warning as the prophets did before Him.

[johnchiarello]

Kings 18 [Text]

KINGS 18

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 [TODAY’S POST BEGINS HERE]

Kings 18 videos-

https://youtu.be/wi-6FEUCuoI

https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMgQi1vG3ym2Rod1vk

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o69uyea4a0yndfd/1-27-18%20Kings%2018.mp4?dl=0

https://mega.nz/#!TSY0zaCQ!aSKGNRxUliCmQ9fcWjIufdHlJnePyKQtl0KYSJzJ1x0

ON VIDEO .Wal Mart story .Elijah shows up after 3 years .God said he would send rain .Yet Elijah prays hard for rain- why? .If God gave you a promise- you still need to pray .Luther’s example .Economic judgments .Ahab looks for water- to feed the animals .But the people are starving too .We live in a day where the western world ‘wastes’ extreme amounts of money on many things [One news person moves to another network- and gets millions of dollars- for a morning talk show- one football player makes millions- a famous local attorney spends 6 million on his sons birthday party- just to give a few examples] .Yet kids are actually starving to death around the world- not good .Did Elijah have a reputation of being carried away by the Spirit? .The chariots of fire in 2nd Kings 2 .A type of the ascension of Jesus .Acts 8- Philip .Troubler of Israel? .Elijah- the messenger of the one true God .A type of the sacrifice of Christ in Kings 18 .The altar of the Lord restored .The 3 fold witness .Then the sky went dark .All the elements we see from the day Jesus was baptized by John- up until the day he hung on the Cross for the sins of mankind

 TEACHING- [Past posts below] This is a famous chapter for bible readers- Elijah has a showdown with the false prophets- and wins. Instead of commenting on the whole chapter- I want to hit on a few points.

We see Elijah as a messenger of God- and in this victory- we also see a foreshadowing of the future sacrifice of Christ to come.

Elijah has a bull- and he places his sacrifice on an altar dedicated to God [a type of the Cross]

Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

The false prophets have a bull too- but they have no water- like Elijah- 1Kings 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

They also have no fire- like Elijah- 1Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. The false prophets have a dead animal- and they call on Baal all day- and there is no fire coming down from heaven-

Then Elijah calls upon the true God- and fire [a type of the Holy Spirit] comes down [Spirit descending]- the sacrifice was acceptable to God [a type of the Lamb to come] and the water that Elijah had poured all around the altar- was also a sign of the baptism of Jesus.

We see 3 elements in the sacrifice of Elijah that God accepted- 1- a sacrifice [body] 2- fire [Spirit] 3- and water

In the new testament baptism of Jesus we see God the father confirming his own Son-

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matt. 3

We see the Spirit descend upon Jesus- and of course we see the water that Jesus was baptized in-

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Matt. 3

The new Testament speaks of these as witnesses themselves- Jesus being the one acceptable sacrifice for the sins of man- a 3 fold witness of the Son- [Elijah poured the water- 3 times]

6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. As the chapter closes we see another well known event. Elijah prays for rain- and he sends his servant to see if any rain is on the way- The servant looks 7 times- and on the 7th time- he sees a cloud- 1Kings 18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 1Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. Then the bible tells us the sky was dark-

1Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. Which also happened on the day when the Son of God was crucified for us all- Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Yes- Elijah won the famous battle at Mount Carmel this day- we recount the story to our kids in Sunday school- But most of all- as the true prophet of God- he pointed to the messiah that was to come-

Yes- he fulfilled his mission on this day- in more ways than one.

2Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 2Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

PAST POSTS [Parts of my past teachings that relate to today’s post- Kings 18- Verses below] https://ccoutreach87.com/acts-links/ https://ccoutreach87.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ https://ccoutreach87.com/hurricane-harvey/

KINGS- https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-kings/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/03/29/kings-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/12/kings-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/27/kings-4/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/04/kings-5/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/05/25/kings-6/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/06/17/kings-7/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/05/kings-8/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/07/18/kings-9/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/01/kings-10/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/08/22/kings-11/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/09/15/kings-12-3/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/10/19/kings-13-2/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/11/09/kings-14/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/12/06/kings-15/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/12/28/kings-16/ https://ccoutreach87.com/2018/01/17/kings-17/

(1069) 1ST KINGS 18- After three years in hiding the Lord tells Elijah to show himself to Ahab, rain is on the way! He appears once again on the scene and Ahab says ‘here he is, the one causing all the trouble’. Elijah says ‘you got it wrong buddy, it’s your wickedness and turning away from proper paths that has caused this trouble’. Elijah sets up a contest ‘go, get all the false prophets of Baal and let them come and set up an altar. Let them place a bull on it and pray and see if Baal will come and show himself alive’. So Elijah has them crying and cutting themselves [pagan ritual] and pleading all day for Baal to come and consume [by fire] the sacrifice. He even mocks them ‘where is Baal? Maybe he went on a trip? Maybe he’s sleeping’? One translation says ‘maybe he’s on the pot’ [toilet] Elijah was not above scathing sarcasm! So after Baal doesn’t ‘act’ Elijah sets up his own altar, puts a bull on it, soaks the whole thing with water and prays for God to reveal himself. Sure enough fire falls from heaven, burns the bull, stones and everything else! Elijah takes the false prophets and puts them out of their misery. These brothers had a bad day, the same day they find out that their religion is false, they meet Jehovah face to face! And then Elijah tells Ahab ‘get ready, the rain is coming’. God ‘showed’ himself thru a great act; he let it be known that the true God made a real difference. I recently read a story about an atheist. He is an intellectual and lives in Africa. Over the years he observed these ‘silly Christians’ coming to his nation and spreading their ‘ignorant beliefs’. He also noticed something else, they were the only real ongoing group of people who regularly gave their time and lives for the betterment of his fellow Africans. Sure, his intellectually arrogant friends would look at the whole thing as a charade, watching these missions groups spending time trying to teach silly stuff like the Trinity, declaring that this Jesus was ‘Gods son, God in the flesh’ but the atheists never organized a community that would actually help his fellow Africans, there was almost a built in bigotry that said ‘why even help these poor blobs of flesh, after all, we all came from nothing. When we die we simply cease to have feelings and pleasure, our lives basically consist of enjoying pleasures and being happy, what eternal significance is there in caring for the poor ignorant masses’. The observant atheist realized that thru out his life, his closet friends, the people who shared his own beliefs. They were the ones who didn’t ‘give a damn’ about his fellow black countrymen, but the Christians whom he and his friends spent their who lives mocking and resisting and verbally abusing, these Christians were the ones who gave of their lives for the betterment of his fellow man. God revealed himself thru Elijah’s ministry on this day, he showed the people that the God [system] you believe in really does matter. In all of our talking and debating between various religions and belief/unbelief systems, at the end of the day look at the results, Christianity has had her faults to be sure, but she has done a lot better than the prophets of Baal!    2nd KINGS 2- Elijah is going to be taken up into heaven and Elisha follows him, Elijah tells him to leave but Elisha requests a double portion of the Spirit that anointed Elijah. He tells Elisha that if he witnesses his translation into heaven he will get it. As Elisha follows Elijah to the various towns [Bethel, Jericho, etc.] he runs into the ‘sons of the prophets’ who independently tell Elisha that Elijah will be taken this day. These sons of the prophets are the same group from the ‘school of the prophets’ under Samuel. They lived a communal lifestyle, were provided for by offerings from the community and were recognized as a legitimate group sent from God. Over the years I have had both ‘prophetic’ type experiences as well as learning and growing in Christian truth. Often time’s believers will live their whole lives only experiencing and learning Christianity from their particular group. While many of these various denominations are fine groups, they are only a limited picture of the church. The problem comes in when one group sees itself as ‘the group’ to the exclusion of the other groups. There are ‘prophetic groups’ who operate in these gifts, these gifts do exist and function in the church today. Many of these groups have cut themselves off from the ‘intellectual’ branch of the church. Some seem to regulate their entire Christian experience around the gift. Often times it is next to impossible to correct them doctrinally, because they believe that the fact that they do experience real prophetic gifts justifies all their beliefs. Often times they are wrong. Many times the young believers who follow these gifted men/movements become infatuated with the gift and never truly grow in the things of God. Having said all this, we also need to be open to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit that the bible speaks about. The majority view of Christianity [Catholic, Orthodox and most Protestants] do believe in the charismatic gifts of the Spirit. There are those who try and make a case for their cessation [cessationists!] but for the most part these gifts do and have functioned since the early days of Christianity. I can personally give you many examples from my own story; let me share a recent one. A few weeks ago I had some of my homeless friends over for a fellowship time. We had communion and shared the word in my yard. This spot is the same spot where I pray over the communities of people that we relate to. I have a habit of ‘anointing’ myself with oil while praying for the brothers. I will actually put anointing oil on my head and pray ‘just like this oil is on me, Lord anoint all those we are reaching out to’. One of the homeless guys is very gifted and he does function in the gift of Prophecy, he will often make off the cuff comments and he does not realize that he is actually prophesying. So any way as we were all sitting in my yard he keeps telling me ‘you know brother, I keep thinking of the verse in the bible where the oil was on Aarons head and it ran down to the rest of his body’. This is a verse in Psalms that coincides with the exact type of prayer thing that I regularly do over the guys in this exact spot. So it’s stuff like this that shows me that prophetic people and gifts are not all fakes. Now Elijah does a few prophetic things before the chariots from heaven come and take him; he strikes the Jordan with his mantle [coat] and it dries up for him to cross. After Elisha witnesses Elijah’s ascension he does receive the ‘double portion’ and on his way back into town he does the same thing. The sons of the prophets recognize that the mantle [gift] passed from Elijah to Elisha. A few things; in this chapter we see that those who witness the ascension of ‘the prophet’ receive a greater anointing. Of course this reminds us of the early church, they were the group that saw Jesus ascend and did receive the Spirit. Some say that Elisha does twice the miracles as Elijah [the double portion]. I underlined all the miracles once and think they might be off one or two miracles, but they do come close [Elijah 7, Elisha 13 or 14]. Jesus said we would do greater miracles than he did [in number we would do greater works as the family of God]. And of course the miracles surrounding the Jordan and Elisha pouring salt in the fountain of water to ‘heal the waters’, all these images speak of the ministry of Jesus and John and the significance of baptism and how Jesus would ‘heal the waters’ i.e.; he would unite with us in the waters of the Jordan and we would meet with him thru the ordinance of baptism, in essence Jesus ‘healed the waters’ by his pure life, his ‘saltiness’ [preservation power]. Jesus said we were the salt of the earth. So there are some good prophetic pictures from a prophetic chapter. All in all we as believers are to be grounded in the word, have a grasp on all the various groups/movements that constitute Christianity, and be open to the miraculous. God has given us his Spirit and we do have the ability as Gods people to function in these gifts. But at the end of the day our assurance is in the Lord, not in our gifts.

·ACTS 8- After the death of Stephen the church scatters thru out the region. We see Phillip being used and directed by God. An angel will speak to him, he will be supernaturally translated from one place to another. We see the simple reality of all believers having Gods legitimacy to function. This is important to see! Later on we see the first gentile church at Antioch being told ‘separate me Paul and Barnabus unto the work which I have called them to’[Acts 13]. Some will develop unbiblical restrictions from this verse. The strong ‘local church’ view [the view that sees local church thru the 501c3 Sunday building mindset!] will later teach ‘see, you can’t function on your own. If you are not under a ‘local church covering’ you are an independent rebel out of Gods authority’. Here we see the simple reality of God sending and communicating to Phillip on the basis of him being a child of God. In Acts 13 the Spirit communicated his purpose to an entire group, in this chapter he communicates to an individual. The legitimacy comes from the reality of God being the one who is giving the directions! Now, we see Phillip at Samaria preaching the Kingdom and doing miracles. The sorcerer Simon gets converted. The church at Jerusalem sends Peter and John to see what’s happening and they lay hands on the Samaritan believers and they ‘receive the Holy Ghost’. This is also described as the Holy Spirit falling on them. This chapter is used as a proof text for pro Pentecostal theology and anti! The Pentecostals say ‘see, believers don’t have the Holy Spirit until a separate Baptism takes place’. The anti Charismatics say ‘this is an anomaly. God did this because he didn’t want to have a competing church in Samaria that did not have the approval of the Jerusalem church’. I will agree and disagree with both of these propositions [yes, at the same time!] Paul will teach in his epistles that it is impossible to believe without having the Spirit. He will also teach a doctrine of being filled with the Spirit. The arguments over the terms used can be confusing. The fact is we see both the experiences of believers [who have the Spirit] still experiencing greater empowerments down the road. And we see believers ‘getting it all at once’ [Acts 10]. Theologically, you can’t be born again without having the Spirit. But you can call ‘the Spirit falling on you in a fresh way’ ‘getting the Spirit’. The different expressions people use do confuse the matter. The hard and fast Charismatics will not agree with me. And the old time Calvinists might disagree with me. I believe both sides have things to add to the debate. I want all of us to be open and daily expecting God to renew us with the Spirit on a daily basis. I know one thing for sure, Paul taught we can water and plant all day. But if the Spirit doesn’t do his work we will never see any real increase! Simon the sorcerer sees that thru the laying on of hands the Spirit is given. He asks ‘Hey, I will pay you money for the gift of being able to lay hands on people and have them receive the Spirit’. Peter responds ‘you wicked sinner! How dare you think you can purchase Gods gift with money! You and your filthy money will perish together! You better pray that God forgives you for this’. Simon says ‘can you pray for me’? He didn’t want to get struck down that instant! Peter will later teach in his letters ‘take oversight of Gods flock, not for filthy lucre. But of a ready mind’. James will write in his letter ‘woe to the rich, their day is coming’. John writes in 1st John ‘love not the world neither the things in the world’. Paul will pen ‘The love of money is the root of all evil. Some went coveting after it and have left the faith’. Where in the world did all these first century Apostles get this idea from? Was it the devil tricking them out of the truth of wealth? Were they under the spell of church tradition? Lets see, Jesus said ‘the rich man dies and goes to hell. The poor man to Abrahams bosom’ ‘it’s harder for a rich man to go to heaven than for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle’ ‘the rich man went away very sad because he had much riches’ [after Jesus said go sell all you have and give to the poor] ‘you can not serve God and mammon’ ‘the deceitfulness of riches choke Gods word’ ‘thou fool! This night thy soul shall be required of thee’ [to the rich man who was planning on building more storage for his stuff!] The simple fact is the early church had imbedded in their minds a non materialistic gospel. The modern church seems to read scripture thru the lens of the prosperity promises that you do find thru out scripture. The prosperity promises are true and should be understood, but we need to also see the reality of what I just showed you. The church will eventfully coin the phrase ‘Simony’. It will refer to those who use money to gain influence and official positions in the church. Simons name does becomes famous, but not in the way he wanted! ·I talked about the Renaissance on some of the videos for today’s post- KINGS 18- below are my past teachings on it- Let’s pick up where we left off 2 posts back. We were talking about Martin Luther and the events that led up to the Protestant Reformation.

In order to understand the key act that caused the protest- we will have to teach some Catholic history/doctrine.

In the 16th century Pope Julius began the effort to build St. Peters basilica in Rome. He got as far as laying the foundation and died. Pope Leo the 10th would pick up after him.

The church needed to raise money for the project- and the German prince- Albert- would play a major role.

It should be noted that both Catholic and Protestant scholars agree that the Popes of the day were pretty corrupt. They came from what we call the Medici line of Popes.

If you remember last month I wrote a post on the Renaissance- I talked about the Medici family and how they played a major role in supporting the Renaissance that took place in the 13th century in Florence Italy that would spread to the region.

Well this very influential family also played a big role in who would get top positions in the church.

At the time of Luther and prince Albert- if you had the right connections and the money- you could literally buy a position in the church.

Albert already held 2 Bishop seats- and there was an opening for an Archbishops seat in Mainz [Germany] and he wanted that one too.

It should be noted that official Canon law [church law] said you could only hold one seat at a time- Albert was bidding on his 3rd one! And he was too young for all of them.

So even the Pope and the officials held little respect for what the church actually taught at the time.

So Albert opens up negotiations with Leo- and the bidding starts AT 12,000 Duckets [money] Albert counters with 7,000- and they agree on 10,000. How did they justify the numbers? 12- The number of Apostles. 7- The 7 deadly sins. 10- The 10 commandments.

Yes- the church was pretty corrupt at the time.

So Albert works out a plan with Leo- he will borrow the money from the German banks- and pay the banks off by the Pope giving Albert the right to sell Indulgences.

What’s an Indulgence?

Okay- this is where it gets tricky.

The ancient church taught a system called The Treasury of Merit. This was a sort of spiritual bank account that ‘stored up’ the good deeds of others over the years.

You had the good deeds of Jesus at the top- but you also had Mary and Joseph- the 12 Apostles- and other various saints thru out time.

The way the ‘bank’ worked was you could tap into the account by getting a Papal indulgence- a sort of I.O.U. that had the Popes guarantee that it would get so much time out of Purgatory for a loved one.

The actual sacrament that accesses the account is called Penance [confession].

When a penitent does penance- he confesses his sin to the priest- and he is absolved by the authority of the church that the priest has. The priest usually tells the person ‘say so many Hail Mary’s- Our Father’s’ and that’s a form of penance.

One of the other things the church practiced was called Alms Deeds. This term is found in the bible and it means giving your money to the poor- it is a noble act that Jesus himself taught.

In theory- part of the sacrament of penance was tied into Alms Deeds- you can access the account thru the practice of giving to the poor- which also meant giving to the church that helps the poor- and in the hands of the Medici line of Popes- meant outright giving money to the Pope.

So now you see how the abuse worked its way into the pockets of the faithful.

Albert now had the permission from Leo to sell these indulgences in Germany- and he would pick a certain corrupt priest to sell them in a place called Saxony- the region where Luther operated out of.

It should be noted that the Catholic Church never taught the crass act of ‘buying your way out of Purgatory’. The practice of including giving money as a part of the sacrament of penance was tied into the biblical principle of giving to the poor- a good thing.

But Tetzel and others abused the official meaning of the indulgence- and did make it sound like you could by your way out of Purgatory [in theory- a loved one might be in Purgatory for so many years- and through the indulgence you are actually getting time off for them- because the good deeds of others are now applied to the account].

The money Albert would raise- half would go to Rome for the building of St. peters- and half would go to pay off the banks in Germany- it was a sad system- and a sad time for the church as a whole.

It would be wrong to judge the entire church at the time as being corrupt- you did have many sincere Priests and Catholic men and women who saw the abuses and did not take part in them.

But there was corruption at the top- and this would eventually lead to the breakup of the church- and the launching of what we now call the Protestant Movement.

As a side note- it should be said that many Catholics and Protestants are not aware of the whole treasury of merit system- and the church never officially changed her position on the doctrine.

There were 3 Church councils since the time [Trent- 1500’s, Vatican 1- 1800’s and Vatican 2- 1962-65]. The Treasury of Merit never came up for change.

Obviously Protestants don’t believe in Purgatory- and it’s not my purpose in these posts to change Catholics into Protestants or vice versa- but to give all sides a clear view of the issues that divided us- and to try and be honest- and respectful during the process.

Does the bible teach anything like a Treasury of Merit? Well actually it does. The bible teaches that the righteousness of Christ is the treasury that people can access- by faith- and become righteous in the sight if God.

The idea- applied to Christ- is good.

But in the hands of the Medici Popes- and the ambitious prince of Germany- it would lead to disaster.

http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-7R Kant, Hume, Sartre http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-6E Apologetics- Kant, Hume http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-62 Apologetics http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-6F DaVinci code http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-7Q Something from nothing- Quantum Leap http://wp.me/a4V5qQ-7O Multiverse MY VIDEOS https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-18-15-nietzsches-twilight-of-the-idols.zip https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/10-28-15-jean-paul-sartre.zip

[parts] In the last Philosophy post I hit on the 10th-14th century development of modern thought- today I want to jump into the 16th-18th centuries. Like I said in a previous post- after the Renaissance and the Reformation and the great scientific revolution- you had the world in somewhat of a tailspin.

What I mean is for hundreds of years people trusted in the old institutions [like the Catholic Church] to tell them what was true or false- then with the development of all these modern movements people began questioning stuff.

Was it good to question things? Sure. But some challenged the very foundations of thought and knowing [called Epistemology] and went a bit too far.

Some thinkers went back to the thought of Plato [400 years BC] and said that the mind is the main source of all knowledge- these were the 17th century Rationalists.

Rationalism- as a philosophy- was an outgrowth of all the great strides that man was making in all these other areas of life. The Scientific Revolution totally challenged the age old beliefs of many in the church.

Math became a sort of new ‘god’. How so? As science invented the Microscope and Telescope- man was able for the first time to peer deeply into the heavens- and to see deeply into the microscopic world.

As the great minds [Copernicus] showed us that the Universe was different than what we thought [Heliocentric versus Geocentric] man was able to do mathematical calculations and to say that a specific planet or star [or Comet] would show up at an exact date- or spot- and Walla- it would happen [you could look thru the Telescope and sure enough the math was right- the object that was calculated to be there- was.]

These calculations were mathematical formulas- so math began to be seen as the new religion in many ways.

There are even some thinkers in the modern day that still say the only ‘real truth’ that exists is mathematical formulas. Yeah- one guy wrote an entire book on the subject- the problem? Well- his book was not written in math- but words.

Yes- even the extreme deniers of Objective truth do make mistakes.

Now- what’s wrong with rationalism? Of course being rational is okay- but the philosophy itself denied real Objective truth. Truth that corresponds to some other ‘outside’ reality.

This form of thinking [rejecting outside reality] is called Relativism/Subjectivism. While there is some truth to all the various fields of thought- yet extreme Relativism denies ‘reality’ as most of us understand the term. There was a strong resistance to the 17th century rationalists- we call this Philosophy Empiricism.

The main thinker in this field was John Locke. Locke lived most of his life in the 17th century- but his thought laid the foundation for the 18th century Empiricist.

This philosophy says that the mind does indeed play a major role in the knowledge of things- but this knowledge does not originate in the mind [Plato] but in the ‘thing’ itself [Aristotle- remember when we covered these men? Plato was an idealist- Ideas were more real than matter. Aristotle was a Realist- closer to the thought of Locke].

Locke developed a theory called the Correspondence theory- that truth that the Mind discovers corresponds to real things that actually exist apart from the mind.

Locke was a practicing doctor- and most of the other thinkers of the day had room to speculate about reality in a way that Locke could not.

He lived in a real world with real patients who had real symptoms- in a nutshell Locke had to diagnose his patients based on his findings- he could not deny that there was a real problem- he had to have his ‘feet on the ground’ [based in reality] while engaging with his head up high.

Okay- I think we’ll end with this. Maybe you can go back and read some of my previous posts on this subject- just to become a little more familiar with it.

As Christians- we are not ‘required’ to know Philosophy- or current events- or science- but it helps us engage the culture when we do educate ourselves in these areas.

Go slow in learning [not too slow!] and try and see how the Christian Worldview agrees with- or rejects certain aspects of these different felids of thought.

Most Christians would reject Rationalism as a Philosophy- because it denies real objective truth- it says truth is relative- whatever the mind can conceive- or think- can be defined as truth [Unicorns?]

Biblical truth is based on real historic events- 1st Corinthians chapter 15 says that if we deny the physical resurrection of Christ- a real event- then our faith is in vain.

Christians base their faith on a real historic event- not simply on a belief system.

[parts] Alexander sought to implement the ideals of his teacher- he wanted to unify the known world under one people/culture- a belief that Aristotle held- a sort of ‘unified theory’ [Einstein] that would seek to bring all learning/knowledge together under one supreme [Divine] principle.

Alexander’s experiment was called Hellenization- which was the Greek worlds attempt to impose Greek culture/language on all their conquered enemies- and at the same time allow them to hold on to the their own culture too. Alexander did amazingly well at this experiment- at the young age of around 24 he had accomplished most of his mission. The cities were a sort of composite of Greek culture mixed in with their own culture- this is where we get the modern term Cosmopolitan.

Alexander died young and his kingdom was divided between 4 generals- one of them- Ptolemy- would himself make it into the history books because of his keen intellect.

The system of cosmology developed under him would last [and work!] until some 17-18 hundred years later when it was overthrown by the Copernican revolution during the time of Copernicus and Galileo.

Alexander’s generals would do their best to carry on the system of Hellenization- and other nation’s generals would keep the system going even after Greece fell. One of them- Octavian [Roman general] makes it into the history books by another famous name- Julius Caesar.

Alexander established a great library in the Egyptian city of Alexandria [named after him] and many of the great writings were preserved during this time.

The writings of Aristotle would be discovered again during the time of Thomas Aquinas [13th century Catholic genius/scholar] and this would lead to Scholasticism [a peculiar school of thought developed/revived under Aquinas] and give rise to the Renaissance.

Okay- before the birth of Christ- the Jewish people resisted the imposing of Greek culture upon them- you had the very famous resistance under the Jewish Maccabean revolt- where the Jews rose up and fought the wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanies- and till this day the Jewish people celebrate this victory at Hanukah.

Eventually Rome would conquer the Greek kingdom and the Jewish people were allowed to keep their culture and temple- yet they were still a people oppressed. Hassidism [getting back to the beginning] developed during this attempt to not lose their Jewish roots- the Pharisees of Jesus day came from this movement.

Alexander was pretty successful in his attempt to unify language- even though the bible [New Testament] was written by Jewish writers- living under Roman rule- yet the original bible is written in the Greek language.

Bible scholars till this day study the Greek language to find the truest meaning of the actual words in the bible [I have a Greek Lexicon sitting right in front of me].

It would take a few centuries before a Latin version appeared on the scene [the great church father- Jerome- would produce the Latin Vulgate].

Yet it would be the re- discovery and learning of the Greek texts [under men like Erasmus- and the Protestant Reformers] that would lead to the Reformation [16th century] and other movements in church history.

The Jews had various responses to the empires that ruled over them during various times. Alexander the Great instituted Hellenization- a sort of cultural compromise over the people he conquered. They could keep their religious/cultural roots- but would be subservient to Alexander and Greek rule. Some Jewish people rejected any compromise- we call them the Essenes- they moved out of town- so to speak, and lived in what we refer to as the Qumran community. This was a few centuries before the time of Christ- and this was where the Dead Seas Scrolls were found in the 20th century. A Bedouin boy was looking for his goats- threw a rock in a cave right off the Dead Sea- and that’s how we found the scrolls. The scrolls might have been hidden there by the Essenes- Now- when my friends asked me about them- I told them that it’s been a while since I read up on any of this- but to the best of my memory the thing that made them significant was the fact that they were very old manuscripts- from the bible- and they backed up what we had had all along.

Here are my past posts where I spoke on Thomas Jefferson- mentioned as well on the videos for today’s post- Kings 18 Some of our founding fathers were fans of John Locke [Jefferson] and our country drew up the founding documents during a time when these ideas were ripe and were seen as a new type of govt. for the people.

Thus- we have our Democracy today- for which I am grateful- do indeed think it’s the best in the world today- but it is not inherently ‘more just’ than all other styles.

The govt. we see in the bible is Monarchy [mostly- Rome was Imperial- did have a senate and all- but in no way was it a democracy like we think of].

The point?

When we try to help these countries- when people rise up and protest- we must not simply jump to the conclusion that all of these rebellions are seeking- or will end up like the U.S.

We must not condemn all ‘monarchies’ as evil- the bible says there are just ones.

Kings can rule justly- be fair- and do good.

We should not assume that all ‘non western style democracies’ are evil- they are not.

Most of these present uprisings are in countries where you have what’s called Autocratic rule- not full ‘kingdoms’ with kings in the way we think.

Yes- I do think our experiment- based on the Enlightenment idea of govt. by and for the people is the best- but we must not assume all other types are inherently evil- nor should we be so quick to side- militarily will all rebels- like some already calling to arm the rebels in Syria.

The end result of these protests are not secure at all- it is highly doubtful that any of them will become ‘little U.S. of A’s’.

So we should call for non violence on all sides- we should stand on the side of innocent victims- be against all regimes that use military force on their people- but be realistic about the situation- violence [on all sides] is very rarely the answer- Sarkozy learned this lesson the hard way.

[parts] I have taught in the past how some of our Founding Fathers were influenced- heavily- by Enlightenment thinking. Thomas Jefferson is the best example. Why is this important? On my previous post [Plymouth Rock] I tried to show the role that religion played in the founding of our country. Yet- at the time of the Continental congress [The first meeting was in 1774- the 2nd was in 75. The Declaration was approved in 1776] some of our founding fathers were leaning towards Deism [Ben Franklin- etc.] and the wording of the Declaration of Independence [below] was written more along the lines of Enlightenment thinking [also strong influence from the writing of John Locke]. The phrase ‘we hold these truths to be SELF EVIDENT’ was indeed a contrast from the traditional view of the church. Believers do indeed believe in ‘self-evident’ truths [Romans1-2] but in context- this term challenged the historic thinkers of the church. I add this to simply show that Thomas Jefferson [who wrote the Declaration- at the young age of 33] added language that was in a sense- a ‘compromise’. John Adams- Jefferson’s colleague in the congress- would later be challenged in a presidential run by Jefferson. The accusations flew- and Adams supporters said the beliefs of Jefferson would be the downfall of Christianity in America! Why did they make this accusation? Because the Enlightenment thinkers were indeed challenging some of the core beliefs of Christianity in the 18th century. Jefferson spent 5 years in France- right at the time of French Revolution [remember the post I did recently on it?]. The French Revolution was indeed a ‘revolution’ against the church in a way. Many Americans in the colonies were shocked by the bloodshed of the French Revolution. Yet Jefferson sided with it- and even wrote in support of some American merchants who were rebelling against paying their debts here in America. This outraged John Adams. Eventually Jefferson would serve on the cabinet under President Washington- and he would conflict with Alexander Hamilton over the direction of our New Republic. Jefferson felt that Hamilton wanted to give too much power to the Federal govt. [Federalism] Eventually Adams and Jefferson would be on opposing sides- of just about everything! Adams was a good friend of Jefferson during the continental congress in Philadelphia. Jefferson was the representative from Virginia- he was not an eloquent speaker- but he gained the respect of the other representatives. He was seen to be a hard worker- When the drafting of the Declaration came up- Benjamin Franklin turned down the job- and it was given to Adams and Jefferson. Jefferson wanted Adams to do it- yet Adams [Jefferson’s senior] recognized the great skills of his younger colleague- And Jefferson went to work. Yet their friendship was strained over the years- and at the end of their lives they became friends again. Jefferson would become the 3rd president of the U.S. And his legacy remains with us today. It has been said that our country is founded upon a Creed- We- as Americans- give our assent to a creed. And that creed- was penned By Thomas Jefferson. A preacher stopped at a tavern [Inn] In Virginia for the night. The story goes that he spoke with a stranger while there- they talked about mechanics- and the minister thought the man was an engineer. They then spoke on various subjects- and the preacher saw the stranger was knowledgeable in many fields. They finally spoke about religion- and the minister thought ‘he must be a preacher too’. The next day he asked who the man was- it was Thomas Jefferson. How did Jefferson gain all this knowledge? At the age of 6- he was reading the books from his father’s library. He learned Latin and Greek- on his own. His dad died when Jefferson was 14. He eventually went to the college of William and Mary- and became a dedicated student. It was said that 15 hours out of every 24- he was reading/studying. Jefferson kept this up throughout his life. He had a large library at Monticello- his home on a mountain in Virginia. One of his slaves [yes- slaves] said whenever someone had some question- Jefferson was well able to answer the question- and refer to one of his many books. Jefferson was the 2nd largest slave holder in his county- owning more than 200 hundred slaves at one time. Yet- he tried to enact legislation to outlaw slavery. He even added some language at the continental congress about it. The other representatives from the 13 colonies rejected it. He also tried to pass laws in Virginia against slavery. Yet he himself had them- how could this be? It even violated his own words in the Declaration ‘All men are created equal’. Many historians differ on why/how this could be. In the end- Jefferson was like all of us- he was able to articulate noble ideas- yet he himself struggled to fully live up to them. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence. [PARTS] [parts]

 VERSES- [These are the verses I talked about on the video related to this post- Kings 18- Links to all my sites below]

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. Ps.16:6

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Jn. 8:40

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. Jn. 15:22

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Genesis 5:24 [Full Chapter] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, Luke 9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. Luke 9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:54 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? Luke 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

1Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. 1Kings 18:2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. 1Kings 18:3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: 1Kings 18:4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) 1Kings 18:5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 1Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 1Kings 18:7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 1Kings 18:8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 1Kings 18:9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 1Kings 18:10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 1Kings 18:11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 1Kings 18:12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 1Kings 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 1Kings 18:14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. 1Kings 18:15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. 1Kings 18:16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 1Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 1Kings 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. 1Kings 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. 1Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 1Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 1Kings 18:22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 1Kings 18:23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 1Kings 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 1Kings 18:25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 1Kings 18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 1Kings 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 1Kings 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 1Kings 18:29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. 1Kings 18:30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 1Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 1Kings 18:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 1Kings 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 1Kings 18:34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 1Kings 18:35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 1Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 1Kings 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 1Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 1Kings 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. 1Kings 18:40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. 1Kings 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 1Kings 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 1Kings 18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 1Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. 1Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 1Kings 18:46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

2Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2Kings 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 2Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 2Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 2Kings 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 2Kings 2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 2Kings 2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 2Kings 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 2Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 2Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2Kings 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 2Kings 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 2Kings 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 2Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 2Kings 2:16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 2Kings 2:17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 2Kings 2:18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? 2Kings 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 2Kings 2:20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. 2Kings 2:21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 2Kings 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. 2Kings 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 2Kings 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2Kings 2:25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

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 These are some of the first posts ever made, I hope to share some of them over time in between my regular studies. Of course they are ‘dated’- and it would be too difficult to edit each post. Some have old news comments in them, but if I also taught on the posts, I’ll post them ‘as is’. Hopefully they will be a benefit in some way- John.

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