Preschool bible lessons on abraham from

The Teachings of Neville Goddard

2016.10.22 04:58 The Teachings of Neville Goddard

Devoted to the teachings of Neville Goddard.

2012.07.30 21:15 ilikederbieks For the cyclists of Manchester

A place for the cyclists of Manchester to convene in a nice little community. Ask questions, share routes, discuss cycling activities and rage about motorists. Anything 2 wheeled pedal power goes!

[link]

2024.06.10 03:00 dixcgirl10 Breaking Down Bates

Carlin and Evan pretended they were on vacation alone again this year but really they were with their new favorites. Sorry PopPop and Ninni, you’ve been replaced by the new Cult Church Pastor and his family. Proving that they are serious about this influencer grift, the Stew Crew met up with 4 other Trad wife Family Vloggers and Carlin showed that she can be like all the TikTok girlies and eat crab legs, too! She swung by a Chick-fil-a on the way home to wash the taste out of her mouth. It was a week of the standard beach pics, kids in bikinis and speedos while the adults wore modest swimsuits, ice cream, family fit checks and Evan invading all of Mexico Beach’s privacy with his drone. In a clear case of one up man ship, Carlin forced her entire family to wake up at 3:40am, dress up and go to the beach for a sunrise photo shoot. Pure torture and proof that this was not a vacation, but a work trip. These poor babies never get a break. Once they made it home it was business as usual with Layla in a crop top selling bracelets. Evan popped in with a 2 second proof of life of the dog. Izzy probably enjoyed a week without a camera and hearing “are you excited? Isn’t that exciting? Say it again… look over here”…sigh…
Katie was obviously miserable all week at the Jersey Shore with travis’ family bc she was relatively quiet and there was no new vlog from the Clark family this week. She pushed a few links, made a reel featuring her baby doing things all babies do and called her the sweetest one year old EVER. Of course we know how important being SWEET is in this crowd. She also bought some glass beads down the shore and used those to show us all what color eyes they have… because that’s riveting content also. By the way… Travis Clark? Not on tour.
The Bates Family beauty queen Josie Balka spent the majority of the week in her bathroom filming hair and makeup tutorials. She used creative wording to make people believe she isn’t wearing extensions, but she can’t hide the fact that the pool noodle isn’t holding her curl all day. Someone took to the comments to rat out the fact that come July, Mrs Balka will no longer be available for wedding makeup. Josie continues to push her workout content and this week did CrossFit with her pool noodle in and her 3 kids roaming around a garage. Josie ditched the Memorial Day cookout at the big house to hang out with the Balkas. Kelton is turning up the heat on his chef career and made Tuscan salmon and roasted chickens this week. His cooking videos feature overhead shots and close ups… Zach could never. Josie pushed links while showcasing the girls in their new crocs. She is also selling a hair supplement that works out to cost $2.30 per pill. They wrapped up the week at Kelton’s flag football game. Josie agreed to attend and feature it on her IG without the pool noodle in her hair.
Summer is happening full throttle at the Webster’s down in Florida…& that means… coffee, cleaning out the school room and working out in the gym. The excitement can hardly be contained. Alyssa finally scored a partnership this week… it’s for a Wallie phone case and hopefully she sold enough to afford the next trip to Costco. Maci was Alyssa’s target this week and she was forced several times to sing a song while her mom filmed her and said “LOUDER, LOUDER”… Maci looked terrified and managed to whimper out the ABC’s and that old cult classic “The Lord’s Army”. Alyssa is back to filtering her children’s faces off and poor baby Rhett looks like his is melting off while she runs behind him screaming “isn’t he the funniest? Isn’t he the cutest? I can’t stand it!!” Yea… neither can we. Proving that she isn’t estranged from her entire family, Jackson came over and Alyssa pretended that he was begging her to cut his hair. She told us how she grew up poor and was forced to give haircuts even though she hated it and wasn’t very good at it. Jackson played along to give his sister some content. In return he sharpened her knives bc that’s yet another thing her goofy husband cannot do. John doesn’t have time anyway bc he is running away to a softball game. Alone. Again. In a last ditch attempt to bring Alyssa back into the fold, Kelly instructed everyone to go comment on her reel featuring Rhett…Carlin, Lydia, Whit and Ellie followed orders. Later Alyssa decided to put all of the children’s books on the very highest shelf where the only way to reach them is with a step ladder. Lurch watched. She also had to have Allie tell her where Lexie was because apparently she had no clue. She showed the depressing, colorless school room filled with CD’s and by 8pm filmed herself with dead eyes saying she needed her kids to go to bed. The unhappiness is just oozing out.
Whitney and Zach spent the week at Folly and in Charleston. They ate at Loggerheads Bar and TBonz Grill &Chill and I really feel like Zach may have had a beer and Whitney sipped a White Claw. Whitney wore her bikini and crop tops and Zach went shirtless and wore shorts and they are dangerously close to seeming normal. They insisted on using some Instagram crap sunscreen and poor Kacie got a bad sunburn. They played around with the TikTok trend of jumping from one place to another and heavily featured all of their kids all week in bathing suits. Over in the Bates Kitchen this week Zach made the exotic dish known as Stuffed Mushrooms. He explained how he grew up eating a severely limited menu and on his honeymoon in Hawaii they ate Subway and KFC. He held his dish up for the camera this week and used a clear bowl but that’s as good as it’s gonna get bc apparently his camera just cannot move. The recipe featured 6 different chunks of cheese and some dried Great Value seasonings and Zach told us he is taking knife lessons because he doesn’t have a clue what he is doing. Yet he still believes he is good enough to have a cooking channel.
In his continuing trend of telling too much and showing too much Trace Bates filmed a Memorial Day cookout at the Big House and showed all the nooks and crannies and mercy that place is a hot mess. Crap is piled in every corner, on every shelf, that huge old sectional is spotted and stained and has grease spots from heads and all the kitchen cabinets are just left wide open. Kelly Joe is piled up on the couch and there seems to be an old sheet hanging in a window. Whew! Lydia’s family joined in for the cookout and they are just obsessed with pickle ball. They spent the week at the beach with the Romeike’s and Ryker was miserable on the flight and just about cut their tail. Lydia had PTSD thinking about the flight home. Lydia and Trace later dress Ryker like Larry from 3’s Company in a baby leisure suit. He would have fit right in down at the Regal Beagle. Their beach photo trip featured Trace in his jeans rolled up like capris. When they got back home they tried to sell us a camera that fits up your nose and in your ear… watching Trace Bates dig around in his ear is just a bridge too far for me. Big news… Lydia gets to go on a girls trip soon… and she gets to take the baby with her. That is the exact opposite of a girls trip, but what’s she supposed to do… leave the kid with Trace??
Michael and Brandon are back to arts and crafts this week. Brandon checked out JebJud from the big house so he would have an excuse to color and forced him to film trying to draw a badger. What they drew did not, in fact, look anything like a badger… it was a grey and black blob. Brandon said this is strictly because badgers don’t live in Tennessee. Well Brandon, neither do whales and you drew those several times.
Erin Bates is slowly slipping back onto social media but because Chad said she had to be purposeful she is steadily cramming weird old yard axe preachers down her viewers throats. We first heard a very pointed message from some old dude who believes mothers would grab trinkets and leave their children behind in a house fire. Later she shared a reel featuring her dad preaching, but she was just warming up. She decided to sit down ole Gil and have him give his testimony on her YouTube. Testimony is apparently fundie for “lie and rewrite history” bc Gil said when he was 15 he skipped school to go drink beer with his buddies but just before taking a sip of the devil’s elixir he stumbled upon a Bible and spent the rest of the day looking up Bible words in the dictionary while those other boys drank Budweiser and looked at girlie magazines. Testimony also is fundie for “fairy tale”. Shut up Gil. Later Erin attended Bible Baptist and showed us little Carson fervently taking notes. She is pushing her cardboard cards in a special Father’s Day box that includes an amazing free gift… a Bic Pen!!! Hurry and order now. She told us she and Tori are living their dream and wrapped up the week with a Rocky Top Recap that quietly left out Carlin. Such a Christian thing to do…
Tiffy Bates is 33 weeks pregnant and went as Lawson’s date to the Hermitage for an AHA fundraiser. This former actress is now just Mrs. Lawson Bates as he took top billing. Their vlogs were both old and recycled and one featured footage from last year’s Medicorp trip to Turkey where they let them package trail mix to stay out of the way of the real work being done there. If you ever wonder who the people are that buy BSB dresses… they are the same ones who have sent Lawson&Tiffy TONS OF BABY GIFTS. Sickening to see when there are SO many mothers who struggle and need help. Lawson said growing up his dad kept the cars with no gas in them and then whichever kid got in to drive would have to use their money to pay for gas. Man Gil is a real piece of work! Lawson made Tiffy do a fit check and called her Pookie. Why do they refer to each other as “boys” and “girls” and why are they constantly talking to the camera asking their viewers asinine questions about things that won’t matter by the time they get the answers?? Tiffy is also selling that weird ear camera and I don’t want to see her earwax either. Lawson and Evan decided to sing a little R. Kelly in the vlog for fun….& they ended the week with Lawson saying he was going to get fat because Tiffy cooked a roast beef dinner.
Bits and Bytes… Kelly shared Ellie’s reel from the farm… Kelly announced that Warden and his sidekick Dylan have a new business striping things. Like putting down stripes… for game courts I guess? Didn’t know that was an in demand thing… Josie’s girls are still in gymnastics…could the current string of Bates boys be the Lord’s way of saying “stop exploiting your daughters”??

Have a great week friends and remember… according to the Bible…Christian women should NOT make coffee… it’s right there in “HeBrews”

submitted by dixcgirl10 to BatesSnark [link] [comments]

2024.06.10 02:59 dixcgirl10 Breaking Down Bates

Carlin and Evan pretended they were on vacation alone again this year but really they were with their new favorites. Sorry PopPop and Ninni, you’ve been replaced by the new Cult Church Pastor and his family. Proving that they are serious about this influencer grift, the Stew Crew met up with 4 other Trad wife Family Vloggers and Carlin showed that she can be like all the TikTok girlies and eat crab legs, too! She swung by a Chick-fil-a on the way home to wash the taste out of her mouth. It was a week of the standard beach pics, kids in bikinis and speedos while the adults wore modest swimsuits, ice cream, family fit checks and Evan invading all of Mexico Beach’s privacy with his drone. In a clear case of one up man ship, Carlin forced her entire family to wake up at 3:40am, dress up and go to the beach for a sunrise photo shoot. Pure torture and proof that this was not a vacation, but a work trip. These poor babies never get a break. Once they made it home it was business as usual with Layla in a crop top selling bracelets. Evan popped in with a 2 second proof of life of the dog. Izzy probably enjoyed a week without a camera and hearing “are you excited? Isn’t that exciting? Say it again… look over here”…sigh…
Katie was obviously miserable all week at the Jersey Shore with travis’ family bc she was relatively quiet and there was no new vlog from the Clark family this week. She pushed a few links, made a reel featuring her baby doing things all babies do and called her the sweetest one year old EVER. Of course we know how important being SWEET is in this crowd. She also bought some glass beads down the shore and used those to show us all what color eyes they have… because that’s riveting content also. By the way… Travis Clark? Not on tour.
The Bates Family beauty queen Josie Balka spent the majority of the week in her bathroom filming hair and makeup tutorials. She used creative wording to make people believe she isn’t wearing extensions, but she can’t hide the fact that the pool noodle isn’t holding her curl all day. Someone took to the comments to rat out the fact that come July, Mrs Balka will no longer be available for wedding makeup. Josie continues to push her workout content and this week did CrossFit with her pool noodle in and her 3 kids roaming around a garage. Josie ditched the Memorial Day cookout at the big house to hang out with the Balkas. Kelton is turning up the heat on his chef career and made Tuscan salmon and roasted chickens this week. His cooking videos feature overhead shots and close ups… Zach could never. Josie pushed links while showcasing the girls in their new crocs. She is also selling a hair supplement that works out to cost $2.30 per pill. They wrapped up the week at Kelton’s flag football game. Josie agreed to attend and feature it on her IG without the pool noodle in her hair.
Summer is happening full throttle at the Webster’s down in Florida…& that means… coffee, cleaning out the school room and working out in the garage . The excitement can hardly be contained. Alyssa finally scored a partnership this week… it’s for a Wallie phone case and hopefully she sold enough to afford the next trip to Costco. Maci was Alyssa’s target this week and she was forced several times to sing a song while her mom filmed her and said “LOUDER, LOUDER”… Maci looked terrified and managed to whimper out the ABC’s and that old cult classic “The Lord’s Army”. Alyssa is back to filtering her children’s faces off and poor baby Rhett looks like his is melting off while she runs behind him screaming “isn’t he the funniest? Isn’t he the cutest? I can’t stand it!!” Yea… neither can we. Proving that she isn’t estranged from her entire family, Jackson came over and Alyssa pretended that he was begging her to cut his hair. She told us how she grew up poor and was forced to give haircuts even though she hated it and wasn’t very good at it. Jackson played along to give his sister some content. In return he sharpened her knives bc that’s yet another thing her goofy husband cannot do. John doesn’t have time anyway bc he is running away to a softball game. Alone. Again. In a last ditch attempt to bring Alyssa back into the fold, Kelly instructed everyone to go comment on her reel featuring Rhett…Carlin, Lydia, Whit and Ellie followed orders. Later Alyssa decided to put all of the children’s books on the very highest shelf where the only way to reach them is with a step ladder. Lurch watched. She also had to have Allie tell her where Lexie was because apparently she had no clue. She showed the depressing, colorless school room filled with CD’s and by 8pm filmed herself with dead eyes saying she needed her kids to go to bed. The unhappiness is just oozing out.
Whitney and Zach spent the week at Folly and in Charleston. They ate at Loggerheads Bar and TBonz Grill &Chill and I really feel like Zach may have had a beer and Whitney sipped a White Claw. Whitney wore her bikini and crop tops and Zach went shirtless and wore shorts and they are dangerously close to seeming normal. They insisted on using some Instagram crap sunscreen and poor Kacie got a bad sunburn. They played around with the TikTok trend of jumping from one place to another and heavily featured all of their kids all week in bathing suits. Over in the Bates Kitchen this week Zach made the exotic dish known as Stuffed Mushrooms. He explained how he grew up eating a severely limited menu and on his honeymoon in Hawaii they ate Subway and KFC. He held his dish up for the camera this week and used a clear bowl but that’s as good as it’s gonna get bc apparently his camera just cannot move. The recipe featured 6 different chunks of cheese and some dried Great Value seasonings and Zach told us he is taking knife lessons because he doesn’t have a clue what he is doing. Yet he still believes he is good enough to have a cooking channel.
In his continuing trend of telling too much and showing too much Trace Bates filmed a Memorial Day cookout at the Big House and showed all the nooks and crannies and mercy that place is a hot mess. Crap is piled in every corner, on every shelf, that huge old sectional is spotted and stained and has grease spots from heads and all the kitchen cabinets are just left wide open. Kelly Joe is piled up on the couch and there seems to be an old sheet hanging in a window. Whew! Lydia’s family joined in for the cookout and they are just obsessed with pickle ball. They spent the week at the beach with the Romeike’s and Ryker was miserable on the flight and just about cut their tail. Lydia had PTSD thinking about the flight home. Lydia and Trace later dress Ryker like Larry from 3’s Company in a baby leisure suit. He would have fit right in down at the Regal Beagle. Their beach photo shoot featured Trace in his jeans rolled up like capris. When they got back home they tried to sell us a camera that fits up your nose and in your ear… watching Trace Bates dig around in his ear is just a bridge too far for me. Big news… Lydia gets to go on a girls trip soon… and she gets to take the baby with her. That is the exact opposite of a girls trip, but what’s she supposed to do… leave the kid with Trace??
Michael and Brandon are back to arts and crafts this week. Brandon checked out JebJud from the big house so he would have an excuse to color and forced him to film trying to draw a badger. What they drew did not, in fact, look anything like a badger… it was a grey and black blob. Brandon said this is strictly because badgers don’t live in Tennessee. Well Brandon, neither do whales and you drew those several times.
Erin Bates is slowly slipping back onto social media but because Chad said she had to be purposeful she is steadily cramming weird old yard axe preachers down her viewers throats. We first heard a very pointed message from some old dude who believes mothers would grab trinkets and leave their children behind in a house fire. Later she shared a reel featuring her dad preaching, but she was just warming up. She decided to sit down ole Gil and have him give his testimony on her YouTube. Testimony is apparently fundie for “lie and rewrite history” bc Gil said when he was 15 he skipped school to go drink beer with his buddies but just before taking a sip of the devil’s elixir he stumbled upon a Bible and spent the rest of the day looking up Bible words in the dictionary while those other boys drank Budweiser and looked at girlie magazines. Testimony also is fundie for “fairy tale”. Shut up Gil. Later Erin attended Bible Baptist and showed us little Carson fervently taking notes. She is pushing her cardboard cards in a special Father’s Day box that includes an amazing free gift… a Bic Pen!!! Hurry and order now. She told us she and Tori are living their dream and wrapped up the week with a Rocky Top Recap that quietly left out Carlin. Such a Christian thing to do…
Tiffy Bates is 33 weeks pregnant and went as Lawson’s date to the Hermitage for an AHA fundraiser. This former actress is now just Mrs. Lawson Bates as he took top billing. Their vlogs were both old and recycled and one featured footage from last year’s Medicorp trip to Turkey where they let them package trail mix to stay out of the way of the real work being done there. If you ever wonder who the people are that buy BSB dresses… they are the same ones who have sent Lawson&Tiffy TONS OF BABY GIFTS. Sickening to see when there are SO many mothers who struggle and need help. Lawson said growing up his dad kept the cars with no gas in them and then whichever kid got in to drive would have to use their money to pay for gas. Man Gil is a real piece of work! Lawson made Tiffy do a fit check and called her Pookie. Why do they refer to each other as “boys” and “girls” and why are they constantly talking to the camera asking their viewers asinine questions about things that won’t matter by the time they get the answers?? Tiffy is also selling that weird ear camera and I don’t want to see her earwax either. Lawson and Evan decided to sing a little R. Kelly in the vlog for fun….& they ended the week with Lawson saying he was going to get fat because Tiffy cooked a roast beef dinner.
Bits and Bytes… Kelly shared Ellie’s reel from the farm… Kelly announced that Warden and his sidekick Dylan have a new business striping things. Like putting down stripes… for game courts I guess? Didn’t know that was an in demand thing… Josie’s girls are still in gymnastics…could the current string of Bates boys be the Lord’s way of saying “stop exploiting your daughters”??

Have a great week friends and remember… according to the Bible…Christian women should NOT make coffee… it’s right there in “HeBrews”

submitted by dixcgirl10 to BringingUpBates [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 22:50 BGodInspired Why Should We Embrace Discipline in Our Spiritual Journey? Insights from Proverbs 3:11-12

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717965620.png

Understanding God’s Loving Discipline: Insights from Proverbs 3:11-12

Imagine you’re back in your childhood, and you’re about to reach for that hot stove. Your parent immediately stops you, not out of anger but out of love. Now, think about how God might be guiding us in a similar way. Proverbs 3:11-12 unveils this beautifully by shedding light on God’s loving discipline. Let’s dive deeper into these verses and draw some profound, uplifting insights.

God’s Discipline: A Sign of His Love

“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.” – Proverbs 3:11-12
Here, Proverbs offers a comforting yet challenging truth. The discipline we receive from God is born out of His profound love for us, just as a parent corrects their beloved child. It’s easy to misinterpret discipline as punishment, but in the context of divine love, it aims to foster growth, righteousness, and a closer relationship with God.

The Purpose Behind God’s Correction

Character Development: God’s discipline helps us build stronger character and deepens our moral integrity. As you reflect on times of correction, think about how these moments reshaped you for the better.
Guidance and Protection: Much like preventing a child from touching a hot stove, God’s discipline serves as a protective measure, steering us away from harmful paths and guiding us towards His divine purpose.
Strengthening Faith: These challenging periods can strongly test and subsequently strengthen our faith. Just as muscles grow through resistance, so does our faith grow deeper and more resilient through disciplined guidance.

Encouragement in Times of Correction

Receiving God’s discipline can be challenging. Here are some steps to help us embrace it positively:

Acknowledge God’s Love: Recognize that God’s discipline is an expression of His unfailing love.
Reflect and Learn: Use these moments to reflect on what God might be teaching you. What lessons can you learn, and how can you apply them in your life?
Pray for Understanding: Seek clarity and peace through prayer. Ask God to reveal His wisdom and purpose behind the correction.

Interactive Reflection: Embracing God’s Guidance

Think about a time when you felt God’s discipline. How did it shape your character and faith? Can you see areas in your life where God might be guiding you now? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Your journey can inspire and encourage others facing similar challenges.

In Summary

Proverbs 3:11-12 invites us to view God’s discipline as a testament to His love. Understanding it as a means of protection, guidance, and growth can transform our perception and response to divine correction. Next time you encounter a challenging situation, remember that it’s a step towards spiritual maturity, designed by a loving Father who delights in you.

Call to Action: How has God’s discipline impacted your life? Share your stories and insights in the comments. Let’s create a supportive community where we uplift and encourage each other in our journeys of faith!

By incorporating God’s loving discipline into our daily reflections, we open ourselves to spiritual growth and deeper understanding. Embrace God’s guidance with an open heart, for it is in these moments that His love shines the brightest.
If you want to want to research more Bible Answers on your own, please try our Bible Answers GPT. It’s easy to get lost in the interesting responses you’ll find… every search is like a new treasure hunt 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 22:47 Philothea0821 Reflection on Readings - 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

First Reading - Gn 3:9-15
But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head,^\)^a^\) and you shall bruise his heel.”
Responsorial Psalm - Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
Second Reading - 2 Cor 4:13—5:1
Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we too believe, and so we speak, ¹⁴ knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵ For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Gospel - Mk 3:20-35
and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹ And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for people were saying, “He is beside himself.” ²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Be-el′zebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” ²³ And he called them to him, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. ²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house.
²⁸ “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰ for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. ³² And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers^\)^a^\) are outside, asking for you.” ³³ And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
I have been listening to Fr. Mike's "Bible in a Year" podcast for a while now, and I remember back when I listened to the episode for day 1, he talked about how critical it is that we read Genesis right, because how we read Genesis will shed light on how we read the entire rest of Scripture! I think that is especially true here in our first reading.
We have the scene set. Adam and Eve have just eaten the forbidden fruit, God enters stage left and says "Where are you?" There are 2 ways that we could read this "WHERE ARE YOU?!" or "Where are you?" It is far to easy to make God the bad guy, to make Him the angry father who is hunting down Adam and Eve to be like "When I find you, I am gonna whoop your a**!" level of vindication. Or we can read it as a loving Father seeking out his children.
When Adam tells God, "We were naked. We were hiding from you." God says "What? Have you eaten from the tree of which I have commanded you not to eat?" Instead of owning up to the mistake, Adam goes "She made me do it." and then Eve goes "Well the serpent made me do it." We pass the blame off.
But look at what comes next: God curses the serpent. He says "You are going to loose." The woman (or the seed of the woman depending on how it is translated) is going to crush you. This is the very first Messianic prophecy. He then turns to Adam and Eve, and he says "You failed to love me. Because of that, I am now going to allow you to feel pain for those that you love." The woman is going to bear a child, she will love the child more than anything, but in giving birth, she is going to feel pain. The man, who works hard to provide for his family, will toil and sweat. God is not cursing humanity, He is teaching them. He is teaching them a very important lesson: love hurts. Our love costs us something, whether that is time, money, emotional pain, physical pain, or even our life.
Lastly, coming full circle here, we read in the Gospel: All sins and blasphemies will be forgiven us!
That's awesome! But then Jesus tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven...
Wait. What? What about all blasphemies being forgiven?
Well, St. Augustine seems to offer a sufficient solution here. He suggests that what Jesus is getting at is that "impenitence" is the blasphemy which cannot be forgiven. For it is the Holy Spirit which grants us God's grace and forgiveness. As such, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is a refusal to repent.
I have mentioned this before, but will say it again, to quote the Holy Father, Pope Francis, "God never grows tired of forgiving us. We are the ones who grow tired of asking."
Jesus told his apostles "Those whose sins you forgive are forgiven them." GO TO CONFESSION! My understanding is you can still confess to a Catholic priest even if you cannot receive sacramental absolution, but anything you confess is still forgiven and still protected by the Seal of Confession. Seek out God's mercy!
Everyone, you are fighting a battle that you cannot lose so long as you are willing to keep fighting!
We will close with the Fatima Prayer:
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy!
St. Faustina, patron saint of mercy, pray to Jesus for us.
Saints Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, pray to Jesus for us.
Mary, Virgin and Mother of God, pray to Jesus for us.
All of God's saints and angels who are in Heaven, pray to Jesus for us.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

submitted by Philothea0821 to Christianity [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 21:24 AdGloomy9798 exroommate hasn’t paid rent in months, left furniture as collateral, & is now a day away from deadline. what do I do??

cross posted w legal advice as well.
I kicked my roommate out because she hadn’t paid rent in months, & then i found out she lied to me about her entire identity. it’s important to note i’m 24f & autistic. a lot of this story is built upon the back of her lying to me? so for brevity sake im stating what I think is the most pertinent information for this. i wont get too deep into all the intricacies of the lies because they are big ones that im still unpacking in therapy, just looking for legal advice because im tapped on funds & would’ve sought an attorneys advice otherwise.
long story short, she avoided signing a lease or anything until after we moved in back in november because “life” kept getting in the way of her coming to the appointment for it. I learned my lesson here. I know I shouldn’t have let her move in without signing a sublease or getting a background check. she kept canceling our appt to get it signed, & eventually I became too overwhelmed with school that I forgot about it until I needed it. but I have all our financial agreement stuff in written form (text) im just not sure if that’s enough.
anyway, the apartment was in my name only. she paid sorta consistently. a day late here, a week late there. I was okay with it for the beginning because I am a student & had enough in savings from my loans to cover it in the beginning SO LONG as she paid me back. & she did. I also was working 35 hours a week on top of an 18 credit hour load, so i’m barely home save to sleep or eat. february is when she lost her job due to allegedly calling off & lying about it to her boss. (I only found that out after a coworker of hers reached out to me. my roommate was allegedly lying about me to people.) it’s important to note I didn’t know she lost her job. she didn’t tell me she got fired, instead said she was wanting to leave & was lowering her hours there while finding other work. I told her I just would like to be paid back on time & she said she would. spoiler, she didn’t.
in march we had a huge argument because she hadn’t paid me back for february rent or utilities & I had learned at that point a lot of her personal history that she had shared with me had been a lie. I looked into publicly available records about her & found out the following:

she claimed she was an orphan, she was not, both parents are alive. she told me a graphic story of finding her parents dead & later changed the story. this is want prompted me to look up obituaries for them. found none. instead just found active social media profiles.
she said her sister slept with her ex fiancé, that never happened & the girl wasn’t even her sister & the fiancé was only a boyfriend. also turned out the girl was the “fiancés” cousin.
she had a criminal background, including a couple felonies for stealing a lot of money from both her previous places of employment & former roommate of hers.
she claimed she worked for a preschool & they hadn’t paid ANYONE in a whole month. but bc of her felony, she actually didn’t work there at all.
she claimed she was pregnant when she wasn’t, this story also included a story of an abortion that went wrong?? she told me graphic & gruesome details but i’ll spare you.
she claimed to take financial care of her 17 year old brother. she didn’t? her mom is still alive.
she claimed to have brain cancer to several of our mutual friends (not me though bc my moms in the medical field & I would’ve asked her questions regarding it) she never had brain cancer lol.

she comes clean about all of that during the confrontation in march. she cries, I cry, I thought all was getting resolved financially because she promised. (I roll my eyes now thinking about it) & she was enrolling herself in therapy. she pays me for the rent & utilities of february but not rent for march. she said she would get it to me with her next paycheck. I had some faith in her still because she was my friend or so I thought.
I also ended up enrolling in therapy shortly after this conversation bc it was traumatizing how much she lied to me.
regardless, i covered her half of rent during march & April, albeit very begrudgingly. i gave her extension after extension but started to look for another roommate during the end of april just in case she didn’t pay in may. the reason I did this is because I only had enough in savings to cover my portion of rent for june. obviously may came around & she didn’t pay, but she was able to go spend about $400 at the grocery store ?? & she also bought a new stanley cup (she had a collection & each one rubes around 48 usd) & a whole bunch of new make up, press on nails, toiletries such as shampoo & conditioner & three new candles!!
seeing her come home with all that that was my breaking point. I had been rationing off my food, my own toiletries, & my own “luxury” items just so I could afford to keep a roof over our heads.
so I found a new roommate very quickly, & got them ACTUALLY VETTED WITH BACKGROUND CHECK & CREDIT CHECK BY THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ITSELF. yes I learned from my mistake. no I will never repeat it again.
I told my ex roommate on May 6th, one week after she came home with all those new expensive items, that she needed to pay me all 3.453.35 that she owed me for rent/utilities or she would be kicked out. she asked me for an extension, she claimed she needed to May 10th to get her funds. I said no, she had already had two months & four full paycheck cycles to figure it out. she said she took out a personal loan & was waiting on it to be approved & deposited. I again reaffirmed that no, she could not stay here. I told her she had twenty minutes to pack up a bag but she needed to leave her furniture as collateral that she would pay me back. she agreed to this. all of this is in text form & I have her agreeing to it there. after she left, i told her she had thirty full days to pay me back or her items would be considered abandoned. thus, giving her an additional & final deadline. that deadline is Monday, June 10th, at 5 pm.
on June 3rd, after hearing nothing from her for weeks, she said she would pay me by the evening of the 7th. I told her that was fine, but if she didn’t pay then the original deadline of june 10th at 5 pm would still stand.
june 7th came & went. no payment. & june 10th is tomorrow. & idk what to do with her stuff or if I should give her more time?? i’m not sure how to proceed forward & wanna make sure i’m protected.
anyway, that’s the shortened version of it. any advice is welcome. I don’t need people telling me i’m stupid for the sublease thing bc I know & am well aware. I learned my lesson on that & my new roommate is on the lease & our financials are split evenly now so i’m good on that.
I just don’t know what to do with her items or even really,,,her.

submitted by AdGloomy9798 to TwoHotTakes [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 19:14 FreedomNinja1776 A Gentile led church separate from Israel was never intended

Israel was separated out from the nations (gentiles).

The nation of Israel began with Abraham, who himself was a gentile. His father was even an idol maker. Abraham was given a promise from God that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Circumcision was a physical sign that Abraham had gone from gentile to something else, a Hebrew. Hebrew was the first term used to describe this separation. The promise was inherited by Abraham's son Issac (not Ishmael), then Isaac's son Jacob (not Esau). With Jacob the term identifying the promise changed to Israel, and from them on all the descendants we're automatically included in the promise.

The Exodus

Abraham was also told that his descendants would be enslaved for 400 years but that God would also rescue them for a purpose.

Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:13-16 ESV

God was going to use Israel to drive out the wicked people of the land.
Fast forward to the book of Exodus and you have the enslavement of Israel and many other nations of people by the Egyptians. YHWH, the God of Israel, sends the plagues on Egypt as a judgement against their many gods and to show the world his power and authority. When Israel left Egypt there was a mixed multitude of people that went up out of Egypt with Israel.

And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. Exodus 12:37-38 ESV

These people didn't just run off. They stayed and worshiped YHWH alongside the physical descendants of Jacob! They had been there and witnessed the power of God. Word traveled and many nations (goyim) were terrified of the Israelites because of their God who does these amazing things.
Now Israel was led by Moses to Mount Sinai. There were Goyim that stood at the mountain and shouted their allegiance the same as the Israelites did!

So Moses came and called the elders of the PEOPLE and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. All the PEOPLE answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD. Exodus 19:7-8 ESV

The elders of the PEOPLE, not just Israel. ALL the people who choose to follow the God of Israel were there and dedicated themselves WITH Israel. They stayed with Israel the 40 years in the wilderness. They were no longer goyim, they no longer identified with their national God's, they no longer identified with their country, the had become Israelites. "Your God will be my God, and your people will be my people"

The Covenant Renewal Entering The Land

After the 40 years in the wilderness Israel is about to enter into the promised land, so they have a covenant renewal ceremony with the new generation. The covenant renewal in Deuteronomy 29 specifically includes gentiles again and goes as far as calling them "his people". "His people" has always been those who follow YHWH in obedience. That's what determines who is an Israelite.

Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do. "You are standing today, all of you, before the LORD your God: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and the sojourner who is in your camp, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water, so that you may enter into the sworn covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is making with you today, that he may establish you today as HIS PEOPLE, and that he may be YOUR GOD, as he promised you, and as he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. It is not with you alone that I am making this sworn covenant, but with whoever is standing here with us today before the LORD our God, and with whoever is not here with us today. Deuteronomy 29:9-15 ESV

Does God have a separate law, something different for gentiles versus his people Israel? No.

Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do. For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” Numbers 15:13-16 ESV

So you can see here that the plan from the beginning is INTEGRATION. One people united by a common law to worship the God of their nation. That nation is Israel.

In The New Testament

Jesus

Does the new testament say anything different? Lets look at what Jesus said and how he responded in Matt 15 concerning a gentile woman.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:21-28 ESV

Here Jesus was NOT going to help this woman UNTIL she proved and qualified her faith, that her faith was in Jesus as her MASTER. In that instance she showed her allegiance and it was to Jesus whom she recognized as the Son of David, the King of Israel.

What about Acts 15?

In acts 15 most people point here to say that the gentiles were only given 4 laws to follow, which would completely be inconsistent with our pattern here. Lets look at what James had to say there.

After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, "'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.' Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." Acts 15:13-21 ESV

James expected the Gentile people to CONTINUE in their faith journey by learning Moses in the synagogues. Now saying "Moses" is a colloquial way to say the Torah. James' message is one of INTEGRATION, not separation. James expected these people to join with the Israelite people to worship with them at synagogue!

But what about Paul?

Paul is no different. Paul also has Romans 11 saying the gentiles are grafted into the tree of Israel, but more powerful and plain is his words in Ephesians 2.

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are FELLOW CITIZENS with the saints and members of the household of God, Ephesians 2:11-19 ESV

Paul says here that if you put our faith in Jesus as your messiah then you become FELLOW CITIZENS in Israel! It can't get any more plain than this!
So, in conclusion, both old and new testaments agree that if any gentile person wishes to worship the Creator God presented in the bible, who's personal proper name is YHWH, then Gentiles are to DENY any of their former pagan worship practices and JOIN with Israel to worship God in the way that He has instructed in His Law. That's the purpose of Israel, to be a nation of HIS people. Read Jeremiah 31 where the "New Covenant" is outlined and quoted from in Hebrews 8. Who is the covenant made with? Are gentiles included? Not at all. Why? Because to join in this covenant you have to leave behind your gentileness in favor of becoming an Israelite!

submitted by FreedomNinja1776 to FollowJesusObeyTorah [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 18:57 BGodInspired Epic Bible Challenge: Youth Edition

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717951636.png

Dive into Faith: An Engaging Bible Quiz for Youth

Do you ever find yourself curious about the timeless stories, characters, and lessons within the Bible? Are you looking for a fun way to deepen your understanding or test your biblical knowledge? Look no further! This engaging Bible quiz is designed to spark curiosity and provide valuable insights while making learning about the Bible fun and interesting.

Test Your Biblical Knowledge: Questions

Jump right in and see how well you know the Bible! Here are 10 exciting questions to challenge your knowledge:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. On which day did He create man?
Who was the youngest son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his brothers?
What was the name of the giant slain by David in the valley of Elah?
Which book of the Bible contains the Ten Commandments?
Who led the Israelites out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea?
What was the occupation of Zacchaeus before he met Jesus?
Which prophet was swallowed by a great fish after attempting to flee God’s command?
How many books are there in the New Testament?
Who is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles?
In the Gospel of John, Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding in Cana. What did He do?

Take a moment to write down your answers before moving on. Are you ready to see how you did? Keep scrolling!

Dive Deeper: Answers

Now, let’s reveal the answers and see if you aced this quiz!

On the sixth day – God created man and woman on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26-31).
Joseph – Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but he rose to become a powerful leader in Egypt (Genesis 37:26-28).
Goliath – David defeated the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17:49-50).
Exodus – The Ten Commandments are found in the book of Exodus (Exodus 20:1-17).
Moses – Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22).
Tax collector – Zacchaeus was a tax collector before his life-changing encounter with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).
Jonah – Jonah was swallowed by a great fish after trying to flee from God’s command to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1:17).
Twenty-seven – There are 27 books in the New Testament.
Paul – Paul, formerly known as Saul, is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).
Turned water into wine – Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, performing His first public miracle (John 2:1-11).

Summary and Call to Action

How did you score? Whether you got all of them right or learned something new, remember that exploring the Bible is a joyous and enriching journey. There’s always more to discover, more stories to learn, and more wisdom to gain.
If you enjoyed this quiz and want even more interactive fun, visit the Bible Quiz GPT by BGodInspired. Dive deeper into your faith, explore a wide range of questions, and challenge friends and family to join you. Happy quizzing!
Start your journey today and let your knowledge and love for the Bible grow with every question!
If you like this content, please connect with us at: https://BGodInspired.com
Or create your own bible quiz with our BGodInspired Bible Tools! Be careful – each interaction is like a new treasure hunt… you can get lost for hours 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 18:55 AdGloomy9798 ex roommate hasn’t paid, left furniture as collateral, & now is a day away from deadline. what do I do?

i kicked my exroommate out because she hadn’t paid rent in months, & then i found out she lied to me about her entire identity. it’s important to note i’m 24f & autistic. a lot of this story is built upon the back of her lying to me? so for brevity sake im stating what I think is the most pertinent information for this. i wont get too deep into all the intricacies of the lies because they are big ones that im still unpacking in therapy, just looking for legal advice because im tapped on funds & would’ve sought an attorneys advice otherwise.
long story short, she avoided signing a lease or anything until after we moved in back in november because “life” kept getting in the way of her coming to the appointment for it. I learned my lesson here. I know I shouldn’t have let her move in without signing a sublease or getting a background check. she kept canceling our appt to get it signed, & eventually I became too overwhelmed with school & work that I forgot about it until I needed it. but I have all our financial agreement stuff in written form (text) im just not sure if that’s enough.
anyway, the apartment was in my name only. she paid sorta consistently. a day late here, a week late there. I was okay with it for the beginning because I am a student & had enough in savings from my loans to cover it in the beginning SO LONG as she paid me back. & she did. I also was working 35 hours a week on top of an 18 credit hour load, so i’m barely home save to sleep or eat. february is when she lost her job due to allegedly calling off & lying about it to her boss. (I only found that out after a coworker of hers reached out to me. my roommate was allegedly lying about me to people.) it’s important to note I didn’t know she lost her job. she didn’t tell me she got fired, instead said she was wanting to leave & was lowering her hours there while finding other work. I told her I just would like to be paid back on time & she said she would. spoiler, she didn’t.
in march we had a huge argument because she hadn’t paid me back for february rent or utilities & I had learned at that point a lot of her personal history that she had shared with me had been a lie. I looked into publicly available records about her & found out the following:

she claimed she was an orphan, she was not, both parents are alive. she told me a graphic story of finding her parents dead & later changed the story. this is want prompted me to look up obituaries for them. found none. instead just found active social media profiles.
she said her sister slept with her ex fiancé, that never happened & the girl wasn’t even her sister & the fiancé was only a boyfriend. also turned out the girl was the “fiancés” cousin.
she had a criminal background, including a couple felonies for stealing a lot of money from both her previous places of employment & former roommate of hers.
she claimed she worked for a preschool & they hadn’t paid ANYONE in a whole month. but bc of her felony, she actually didn’t work there at all.
she claimed she was pregnant when she wasn’t, this story also included a story of an abortion that went wrong?? she told me graphic & gruesome details but i’ll spare you.
she claimed to take financial care of her 17 year old brother. she didn’t? her mom is still alive.
she claimed to have brain cancer to several of our mutual friends (not me though bc my moms in the medical field & I would’ve asked her questions regarding it) she never had brain cancer lol.

submitted by AdGloomy9798 to legaladvice [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 16:55 BGodInspired Embracing the Silver Lining: Finding Opportunity in Life's Challenges

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717944321.png

Discovering Opportunity in Adversity: A Divine Insight

In the hustle and bustle of life, we often stumble upon difficulties that seem insurmountable. But what if these challenges are not roadblocks, but divine opportunities in disguise? As Albert Einstein wisely said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Today, let’s explore how we can find these opportunities through the lens of faith and God’s word.

Embracing Challenges Through Faith

Remember the story of Joseph in the Bible (Genesis 37-50)? Sold into slavery by his own brothers and later imprisoned, Joseph’s life was riddled with hardship. Yet, every setback was a setup for a comeback. Through God’s grace, Joseph rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt, saving many lives from famine.
Reflect on this: How many times have you faced challenges and, in hindsight, seen them transform into blessings? Think about the lessons learned and the growth experienced. When faced with obstacles, it’s essential to maintain faith, knowing that God will guide you through.

Practical Steps to Find Opportunity in Difficulty

Facing difficulties can indeed be overwhelming, but with a strategic approach grounded in faith, we can uncover the hidden opportunities within them:

Pray for Guidance: Start with prayer. Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities within your challenges.
Lean on Scripture: Turn to the Bible for wisdom and comfort. Verses like Romans 8:28 remind us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Adopt a Positive Mindset: Cultivate a mindset of gratitude and positivity. Instead of focusing on the problem, look for potential solutions and growth opportunities.
Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to lean on your community. Fellow believers, friends, and family can provide support, encouragement, and fresh perspectives.
Reflect and Adapt: Take time to reflect on past experiences. What worked? What didn’t? Use these insights to adapt and evolve.

Reflection Questions

Consider these questions to deepen your connection with the message and apply it to your life:

What is a current challenge you are facing?
Can you identify a hidden opportunity within this difficulty?
How can your faith guide you through this challenge?

God’s Promise in Jeremiah 29:11

The Bible offers numerous assurances of God’s plans and purposes for us. Jeremiah 29:11 is a powerful reminder: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse reassures us that even in the midst of our struggles, God’s plans are for our good.

Call to Action

As we navigate through life’s storms, let’s commit to seeking out the opportunities hidden within our challenges. Share your experiences in the comments below—how have you found opportunities in difficult times? Your story could be the beacon of hope someone else needs.
Remember, every obstacle is a divine invitation to grow, learn, and become the best version of yourself. Keep pressing forward with faith, hope, and the assurance that God is with you every step of the way.
If you like this content, please connect with us at: https://BGodInspired.com
Or dig for more answers yourself with our BGodInspired Bible Tools! Be careful – each interaction is like a new treasure hunt… you can get lost for hours 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 16:49 BGodInspired How Can Jael's Unlikely Heroism Inspire Courage in Our Daily Lives?

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717943982.png

Unveiling the Courage of Jael: A Biblical Heroine’s Bold Act

When you think of heroines in the Bible, women like Ruth and Esther may come to mind immediately. But today, let’s turn our spotlight onto Jael, whose story unfolds in the Book of Judges. Jael’s bold act not only showcases bravery but also offers timeless lessons on courage and faith.

The Setting: Israel’s Oppression

The story of Jael takes place during a period in which the Israelites were suffering under the oppression of King Jabin of Canaan. Deborah, a prophetess and judge of Israel, called upon Barak to lead an army and go against Jabin’s general, Sisera. Deborah’s faith-driven leadership paints the backdrop for Jael’s moment of courage. Judges 4:3 describes the dire situation: “Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.”

Jael’s Daring Decision

In Judges 4:17-22, we encounter Jael. Sisera, whose army had been defeated, fled and sought refuge in Jael’s tent. Jael welcomed him warmly, offering a blanket and milk to drink. Sisera, trusting in her hospitality, fell into a deep sleep. Then came Jael’s decisive moment. With courage and a tent peg in hand, she struck Sisera, delivering Israel from a fierce adversary.
This account might sound shocking, but it brings to light Jael’s resourcefulness and quick thinking. Judges 5:24-26 sums up her courage: “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles, she brought him curdled milk. Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.”

Lessons in Courage and Faith

What can we learn from Jael’s story? Here are some compelling takeaways:

Courage Comes in All Forms: Jael wasn’t a warrior, nor was she initially in the heat of battle. Yet, she took action when it mattered most. This reminds us that courage often manifests in unexpected ways and moments.
Immediacy of Action: Jael didn’t hesitate. This swift decisiveness is a powerful reminder that sometimes, faith-driven action can’t wait. When we feel prompted by our beliefs, immediate action can lead to influential outcomes.
God Uses Unexpected People: Jael wasn’t an Israelite. Yet, God used her in a mighty way to bring about deliverance for His people. This illustrates that God often works through unexpected individuals, breaking societal norms to fulfill His purposes.

Reflect and Engage

As we reflect on Jael’s story, consider these questions:

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where courage was required unexpectedly?
How can you cultivate a heart of boldness, ready to respond in faith-driven actions?
What unexpected ways might God be calling you to serve and make a difference?

We encourage you to ponder these questions, share your reflections in the comments, and engage with our community. Let’s uplift and inspire one another as we navigate our own journeys of faith and courage.

Summarizing Jael’s Boldness

Jael’s daring act is more than a historical account; it’s a testament to the power of faith and the extraordinary ways God can use ordinary people. Her story urges us to embrace our own courageous moments, no matter how small or large they might seem.
If Jael’s story has inspired you, share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below. Let’s create a conversation around courage, faith, and the unforeseen ways we can impact the world around us.

Call to Action

Inspired by Jael’s courage? Don’t keep it to yourself! Share this article with friends and family who might also find encouragement in this remarkable story. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more uplifting biblical insights and stories. Together, let’s continue exploring and celebrating the timeless lessons from the Bible.
If you want to want to research more Bible Answers on your own, please try our Bible Answers GPT. It’s easy to get lost in the interesting responses you’ll find… every search is like a new treasure hunt 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 14:53 History_Geek123 Et tu Brute? Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections

11:18 PM, December 24^th, 1952, Mayflower Hotel
Did Phil not do enough? Was locking up the fat old man and that crazy Cuban not enough to please the Blackshirts? Did the stress finally reach him? How could I have known that this would be the future that I would create? I can’t hide anymore, I must confront the monster I unleashed. I need to find a radio station…

12:00 AM, December 25^th, 1952, WTOP Studios
“Mr. Lindbergh, I’ll count you down from 10 seconds until we are live, then the light will turn red and you will be able to speak. Remember, you only have five minutes. Good luck sir.”

10,9,8… How did it come to this? 7,6,5… Where did it all go wrong? 4,3,2… Why has God made my cross so heavy? 1…

“Good evening America, I wish I could wish you all a Merry Christmas, however certain events that have transpired in the last two hours have cast a shadow over our holiday season. One of the events I am referring to is the tragic shooting of President La Follette, who I pray is able to recover. The other event is the Vice President’s ongoing attempt to seize power and freeze the system. I know that this must come as a shock to many, but I abhor the rising tide of violence we have seen in this nation. For too long have I hid away, afraid to confront the demons I unleashed. Now, I must attempt to put things right, both with God and my fellow man.
When I assumed the office of President fifteen years ago, I could not have imagined what the fascist movement would turn into. Once a vessel for the strengthening of American government and society, a noble patriotic endeavor, it has become corrupted by ego and evil. I have seen the science I worshiped, and the aircraft I loved, destroying the civilization I expected them to serve. In the same way, fascism is now being used to destroy the America it is meant to serve. Musmanno, Tolbert, and the rest of the Blackshirts do not represent the best of us, no, they represent the worst of us, the basest and lowest of human emotions. They have shown that we Americans are a primitive people, that we seem to have little respect for the law or the rights of others.
Never was fascism supposed to lead to the destruction of those elements of American society that make us what we are. Never was there supposed to be thuggery and intimidation. For fascism to truly come about, it must come as the will of the people. Did I obstruct the counting of the votes when I lost to ABH? Did I refuse to concede the election? Did I attempt to call on misguided cultists to march on the Capitol? No, I accepted that the people, albeit narrowly, rejected my mandate, and so I left with my honor intact. This was the same course I urged my dear friend Phil to take, a course which I know the Vice President was not in favor of.
God made life simple. It is man who complicates it. The Lord has shown us the way to live our lives in peace and brotherhood, yet we choose to disobey, and by our disobedience, death and destruction continues to come into the world. When I saw the horrors of nuclear war, the newfound capacity that modern man has found to destroy their brothers and the Earth, I finally broke down and dedicated my life to the Lord. I am proud to name the Reverend Billy Graham as one of my closest friends. However, other friends, older friends, have been killed or nearly killed due to the monsters I have unleashed. Will lies dead because of an assassination carried out in the name of the ideology I brought to the fore of America’s consciousness, and Phil, our President, remains in critical condition because, in the end, despite all else he may have done during the last eight years, he was going to do the right thing and concede the election. The ghosts of the past haunt my mind, regret makes my soul shake and shiver, just as America’s soul cries out in despair as the daggers of partisanship are plunged deep inside it. Yet I remember, ‘for Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.’
I have thought it strange that we talk least about the things we think about most. Such has been the case for me over the last eight years, however I cannot allow my most pervasive thoughts to go unspoken anymore. When the Blackshirts called for violence and let their inner beasts out at the ’48 Farmer-Labor convention, I hid away in my home, a coward. I could have said something then but chose not to. When the Blackshirts intimidated the opposition in the lead up to this now contested election, I once again chose to not confront the ugliness I helped create. This time I will stand up, and if I, in doing so, must rejoin the friends that I have lost amongst the ruins of my dreams, then let it be done. The Bible says, ‘Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.’ My sins are many, my virtues fewer, but when I meet the Maker, he will say to me ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’ because in the end I finally stood up to evil. To all who hear me now, do not let our nation fall into the hands of thugs and madmen, do not let our nation’s spirit be torn asunder. ‘The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.’ Have we forgotten the lessons that the Communist Revolution taught us? That violence is not the answer to political dissatisfaction. I implore the American people to not let this nation get ripped apart yet again because of the destructive words and actions of a wild few. I close with this quote from the late William Jennings Bryan: ‘These revolutionaries live and die by the creed of “might makes right,” but I present to you another creed, a creed that I hope you all will remember and retell to everyone you meet as we stand against these revolutionaries; Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.’”

12:05 AM, White House
“Turn the damn radio off!”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
Sigh, “Et tu, Brute?”

submitted by History_Geek123 to Presidentialpoll [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 14:30 ASK_ABOUT_MY_CULT_ The Mandate of Stewardship

INTRODUCTION
I stood among the redwoods once, dwarfed in a way that humans rarely are. History towered above me, majestic and captivating, but I was distracted anyway. In my mind’s eye I saw a black-and-white photo, taken in 1900, of three adults standing before the fallen corpse of a redwood. Tree is as wide as three men stacked head to foot. Thousands of years built that monument and we took our greedy metal claws and brought those giants to their knees.
Thus, I would like to speak about the issue of stewardship. Stewardship is defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” When you gently soothe a child’s tears, you are acting as their steward. Recycling, when it works, is a sort of stewardship. Even hunting can be a sort of stewardship, restoring the prey-predator balance of places we have disturbed.
I. THE BIBLICAL MANDATE FOR STEWARDSHIP
Jesus shared with us a set of parables, each concerning stewardship, and each ending in a recounting of how the steward managed their property. In our own parable, we were given all the gifts of life and wealth and power. When we return to our master, what account are we going to be able to give Him about our management of what we were tasked to protect?
Genesis 1:26 tells us that not only were we made in God’s image, we were given dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, over all the creeping things upon the Earth. Wilhelm Gesenius, a Lutheran theologian who lived in the late 1700s, translated the Hebrew word as “to rule”. What’s the difference?
Dominion shares a root with words like dominate. The King James Version translation is aggressive, war-like, and this makes sense given that this version of the Bible was published in 1611. The 1600s were a fraught century during which Elizabeth Báthory was being tried for torturing hundreds of young women. Shakespeare was performing classics like Hamlet for the first time, highlighting the vapid, violent lives of the aristocracy. The Eighty Years’ War would drag on until 1648. This Bible was translated and written by men obsessed with violence, who could only see ruling a people as performing cruel subjugation. To them, God was merely another means of conquering.
I prefer the translation “to rule”. Yes, we were given dispensation by God to rule over all that He created, but what is ruling? Does ruling a tribe, or a company, or a country have to be an exercise of fear and exploitation? Do we wish to interact with the flora and fauna we were given as tyrants or benevolent dictators? Good stewardship was literally one of the first instructions we were given, and look at us!
II. UNDERSTANDING STEWARDSHIP: A DEEPER LOOK
Again, the definition of stewardship is “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”. If we were given stewardship over all, then what would stewardship look like?
1 Peter 4:10 tells us that “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Whatever gift! Each of us has a gift. My gift is writing, and here I am. Could you imagine if Warren Buffet used his gifts in accumulating wealth so solve hunger or homelessness or climate change, instead of sitting on his hoard like a dragon?
Herman Fillmore is the culture and language director for the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada. In his garden he grows the traditional “Three Sisters” - squash, corn, and beans. These plants are sisters because they are mutually beneficial. Cornstalks allow the beans to climb, the beans then fix the nitrogen content of the soil, and the squash keeps pests and predators away. In Montana, Latrice Tatsey uses the traditional farming practices of the Blackfeet people to keep bison and cattle properly rotating across different grasses, stopping the over-grazing that causes dust storms.
These are all things that we’ve learned time and again. We destroyed the Native ways and suffered the Dust Bowl for it. We’ve forgotten the lessons we’ve learned from the Dust Bowl, feigning amnesia for profits, and once more top soil is blowing away in the plains states. Stewardship is not only the active preservation and care of what we have been tasked to steward, but the active remembering of lessons past.
III. THE THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CARE
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7 - 10
Has anyone ever read a bit of history involving early adventurers, where the fine gentleman from Europe sees a creature upon which he has never laid eyes? That fellow, usually, makes some incorrect observations about that creature, assuming much about how it may function. These assumptions are typically based on that European man assuming that he already knows everything about how the world works. Not long after there is produced a wood block print or a photograph of said white fellow standing alongside a pile of skulls or people in chains.
Humans are bad at listening. We have only grown worse at this skill after time. We no longer listen to the breath of God as it leaves the bodies of his creatures in the form of birdsong or the whine of an insect. Hell (heh), we’re not even very good at listening to each other! We bulldoze and burn and pave and we do this to the wilds and other humans we’ve decided we don’t particularly like. Psalm 19:1 recounts, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” If we take God seriously, if we care about the honesty of our faith, should we be destroying the work of His hands?
IV. PRACTICAL STEPS FOR FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP
Indigenous agricultural practices are a fantastic resource for what stewardship can look like, but we don’t necessarily have to go that far back. Our actions, each and every one, small to large, not only impact our environment, but also the generations that come after us. If you own a lawn, endeavor to replace it with something better for your local environment (as of writing I am going through a war with my HOA to do this). If you own your home and are able, replace bits of your home with materials that are energy efficient. While much of the world’s pollution is caused by a handful of the multinational conglomerates and is out of our hands, we can consume less, and attempt to avoid these companies as best we can. And, like Jesus flipping the tables of the money lenders in the Temple, I too quietly advocate for some light discord when all else fails.
Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” To me, this means that the most practical step for faithful stewardship is to find those around you who are trusted with the little things, gather them, and find larger things to trust them with. Build a coalition of trust and reliance and use that gathered strength to go against the evils in this world.
V. CONCLUSION
There is precedence in scripture that tells us that we should be caring for our planet better than we are. Any billionaire that says they believe in God and does not ply their fortune towards saving this little blue orb we live on is either lying about their love, or they’re loving a false prophet. Despite this, we do have tools in our kit that allow us to fight back, but they require coordination and organization.
Now, I would like for you, the reader, the congregation, to read the following prayer and then take a few moments of reflective silence:
My Lord God,
I came here a conqueror,
But wish to leave as a steward.
I wish to atone for the crimes of my human lineage,
And pledge myself as a Gardener and an Archivist.
I swear to keep the True Word,
I swear to keep The Garden,
And I swear to aid those who cannot aid themselves.

submitted by ASK_ABOUT_MY_CULT_ to GreenGardenChurch [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 10:59 HealthyYard6559 Revelation 6-Introduction

John's Revelation can be divided into several parts in which the periods of the past, present and future are described:
The past is described in the first chapter and there we have a description of the glorified Christ, the present is described from the second to the fifth and that is the period of the Church, and in this part there is one part that is also the future for us because it has not yet happened and it refers to the Church that is in heaven and the events described from the sixth chapter onwards are future.
For a better understanding of God's plan and program until the end of time, we will study Daniel's prophecy, which will facilitate our understanding of the events that were revealed to John.
"Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and your holy city to finish transgression and to disappear sin and to cleanse iniquity and to bring eternal justice, and to seal apparitions and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. Therefore, know and understand: From the time the word goes out that Jerusalem will be rebuilt until the anointed duke will be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks for the streets and walls to be built again, and that in a difficult time. And after those sixty-two weeks, the anointed will be executed and nothing will remain to him; the voivode's people will come and destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end will be with a flood, and certain desolation will be until the end of the war. And he will establish a covenant with many for a week, and in the middle of the week he will abolish the sacrifice and the offering; and with hateful wings, which make desolation, until the appointed end, it will be poured out on the desolation"
Daniel 9:24-27
Danilo was a prophet, a Jew, and he was a slave in Babylon with the rest of the people, but in addition to the torments he had in slavery, he was also interested in the fate of his people Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem. That's how Danilo read Jeremiah's prophecy about his people.
"And all that land will be desolation and wonder, and those nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
And when seventy years are completed, then I will visit the king of Babylon and that nation, says the Lord, for their iniquities, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will turn it into an eternal desolation."
Jeremiah 25:11-12
and he saw that God had appointed Judah to be in captivity for seventy years and then he counted the time spent in Babylonian captivity and concluded that the end of this time is near. It is written:
,,. In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus of the tribe of Midian, who reigned over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,
In the first year of his reign, I, Danilo, understood from the books the number of years, which the Lord had told Jeremiah the prophet that would end with the ruins of Jerusalem, seventy years.
Daniel 9:1-3
And God sends an angel to the prophet Daniel with an announcement
"And while I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and I fell down praying before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God. they flew quickly and touched me about the evening sacrifice. And he taught me and spoke with me and said: Danilo, now I came out to reason with you. At the beginning of your prayer, the word came out, and I came to tell you, because you are kind; therefore listen to the word, and understand the apparition. Seventy weeks are appointed for your people and for your holy city..."
Daniel 9:20-24
At the end of this quote, we see that it says "ordained to your people", which means that what God says (in this case, determined) no one can change. So this refers to Daniel's people and the holy city, which are the people of Israel and the city Jerusalem and this is not designated either for the Gentiles or for the Church of Christ.
,,Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city" and in the new translation it says,,,Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city"
Since this is about the Jews, let's see how they divided time. The Jews divided time into seven intervals, so they had a week of days (week of days).
"Work for six days, and finish all your work. And the seventh day is a rest for the Lord your God; then do no work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the stranger who is within your gates."
Exod.20:9-10
The next thing they used was a week of years and they also called it Saturday years or a week (week).
"Six years sow your field, and six years cut your vineyard and gather the harvest. And let the seventh year be a sabbath for rest for the earth, the sabbath of the Lord; do not sow in your field or prune your vineyard."
Levit. 25:3-4
and in the end they had a week for seven years
"And count seven sevenths of years, seven times seven years, so that seven sevenths of your years will be forty-nine years"
Levit. 25:8
We saw how the Jews used time intervals, and now let's see what happened to Daniel
"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city..." God announces to Daniel that there are still seventy determined weeks to fulfill God's plan with Israel and Jerusalem and the promises that God made since Abraham.
This is certainly not about a week of days, because that would be four hundred and ninety days, but about seventy weeks of years, that is, about four hundred and ninety years.
The next thing Daniel needed to understand was the details that would be fulfilled in these seventy specific weeks and also what would be at the end when these seventy weeks were over.
We read in Daniel:
"Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and your holy city to finish transgression and to disappear sin and to cleanse iniquity and to bring eternal justice, and to seal apparitions and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies"
"Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and your holy city to end the transgression"
We have seen that the prophecy refers to Israel, and the greatest transgression that Israel has ever committed is the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. This transgression was committed by the Israelites when the "sixty-nine weeks" were over, and in the prophecy we read about it: "he will be executed" anointed "
The anointed one is Messiah in Jewish and Christ in Greek. From this transgression, the Jews who believe in Christ will be saved in the last week, which lasts seven years, and that is seven years of great tribulation. According to the prophecy, during the great tribulation, there will be a great awakening and then a hundred forty-four thousand Jewish missionaries to preach the word of God (revelation of the seventh chapter). In Romans we read about it:
"And thus will all Israel be saved, as it is written: A Deliverer will come from Zion and turn away wickedness from Jacob"
Rom. 11:26
and only at the end of the great tribulation will the rest be converted and only when Christ comes will the transgression of Israel be completed and
other details that Danilo should have understood, he writes, "and for the sin to disappear"
Only when Israel receives Christ through faith in Christ will their sins be cleansed, and we can read about that:
"And this is my promise to them when I take away their sins."
Rom. 11:27
and the third detail is "and to cleanse iniquity" and that will happen when Christ comes and we read about it in the Gospel according to Matthew:
"The Son of Man will send his angels, and will gather out of his kingdom all those who stumble and do lawlessness"
Matt. 13:41
And when these negative things are removed in the text, we also read positive changes and relationships that will be established.
"and to bring eternal justice," this is what the whole world longs for, but that will not happen until Christ comes. And when Christ comes, the problem of transgression, sin, infidelity, iniquity and scandal will be solved, and only then will it be established eternal justice in Christ's kingdom. In Luke's Gospel, it is written that God announced the following to Mary;
,,. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; And he will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom."
Luke 1:32-33
"and to seal the apparition and the prophecy," we know from the Bible that many visions and prophecies are related to Israel and many of these prophecies have been fulfilled, but not all of them and will finally be fulfilled when Christ comes because it says,, and to be sealed " means it will be fully fulfilled and there will be no more need for prophets and prophecies.
And the last detail that Daniel should have understood in a positive context is: "to help the Holy of Holies". to the saints" (it is written about this in the book of the prophet Ezekiel from chapters 40 to 48) and when the seventy weeks are over and Christ comes to earth, there will be a consecration of this temple (anointing means consecration)
"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and your holy city" we could write this differently, "four hundred and ninety years are determined for your people and your holy city" and from when these four hundred and ninety years are counted, it says:
"Therefore know and understand: From the time the word goes out that Jerusalem will be rebuilt until the anointed duke will be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks for the streets and walls to be built again, and that in a difficult time." but a better and clearer translation is in the edition Realities, Zagreb:
"Know and understand: From the time when the word "Let them return and let them rebuild Jerusalem" goes out until the Prince of the Anointed: seven weeks, and then sixty-two weeks, and the square and the moat will be built again, and that in a difficult time ." and the English translation reads
"from the issuing of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed Duke, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks: the streets will be built again, and the walls, and that in a difficult time."
according to this, this simplicity is divided into three parts: seven weeks, sixty-two weeks and one week, so a total of seventy.
The counting begins,, Since the word came out that Jerusalem is being built again "There are disagreements and various interpretations regarding the beginning of the counting, but what the Bible indicates is that the "decree on the building of Jerusalem" is counted from when Artaxerxes issued the command and permission to Nehemiah to builds the walls of Jerusalem. We read about it in the book of Nehemiah.
"And in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, there was wine before him, and I took the wine and gave it to the king. And before I was not cheerful in front of him. And the king said to me: Why are you looking cheerful when you are not sick? It is nothing but sadness in the heart. And I was very scared. And I said to the king: May the king live forever! How could I not have a cheerful face, when the city where the graves of my fathers are laid waste and its gates burned with fire? And the king said to me: What do you want? Then I prayed to God in heaven, and I said to the king: If it pleases the king and if your servant is dear to you, send me to Judea to the city where the graves of my fathers are, so that I can build it. And the king said to me, and his wife was sitting next to him: How long will you need for the journey, and when will you return? And it pleased the king, and he let me go when I told him the time. Then I said to the king: If it pleases the king, let me be given a book on the princes across the river to accompany me until I come to Judea,
And a book on Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, to give me wood for the logs for the door of the court next to the house of God and for the city wall and for the house I will enter. And the king gave me, because the good hand of my God was upon me.
And so I came with the princes across the river, and gave them the books of the emperor. And the king sent princes and horsemen with me. And when Sanavalat the Oronian and Tobias the servant of Ammonite heard this, they hated it very much that a man had come to take care of the children of Israel. Then I came to Jerusalem, and I stayed there for three days. So I got up at night. with a few people, and I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do in Jerusalem; and I have no horse with me except the one on which I am riding. And I went out at night to the gate of the valley, to the dragon's spring, and to the festering gate, and I looked at the walls of Jerusalem, how they were broken down and how the gates were burned with fire. From there I passed to the spring gate and to the imperial lake, and there was no place for yarn to slip under me. So I rode along the stream at night and looked around the wall, then I returned to the gate of the valley, and so I came back."
Nehemiah 2:1-15
and in the sixth chapter we read:
"And so the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul in fifty-two days."
Nehemiah 6:15
and in the sixth chapter we read:
"And so the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul in fifty-two days."
Nehemiah 6:15
Artaxerxes gave this permission, which means that "Danilo's weeks" are counted from then.
The first part of this prophecy is "seven weeks" or forty-nine gidins, and during this time the Jews completed the construction of the Jerusalem wall, and the second part is "sixty-two weeks" and that is four hundred and thirty-four years, a total of four hundred and eighty-three year and after this, something should happen. This period in Jewish history is also called the "difficult time" because God did not appear from Malachi until John the Baptist, and in the time of John the Baptist, the Jews were under the occupation of the Romans,
"And after those sixty-two weeks, the Anointed One will be executed," so God foretold to Daniel the crucifixion of Christ on the cross in this way.
John the Baptist, the apostles and Christ spoke
"And they said: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near"
Matt. 3:2
"From that time Jesus began to teach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matt. 4:17
"And Peter said to them: Repent, and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit;"
Acts 2:38
"Repent, therefore, and turn to be cleansed of your sins, so that the times of rest from the face of the Lord may come."
Acts 3:19
If the Jews had listened to what they were saying, another week would have passed and seven years would have passed and eternal justice would have come as it was prophesied.
"Whom, then, is heaven worthy to receive until the time when everything is restored, which God has spoken through the mouth of all his holy prophets since the creation of the world."
Acts 3:21

submitted by HealthyYard6559 to u/HealthyYard6559 [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 10:53 BGodInspired Embracing the Mystery: Finding Strength in What We Don't Fully Understand

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717922625.png

Understanding Deeply: Insights from Albert Einstein

Have you ever found yourself reading a Bible passage or hearing a sermon, only to realize that you don’t fully grasp its meaning? You’re not alone. As Albert Einstein wisely stated, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Let’s explore this concept through the lenses of faith and understanding.

The Quest for Spiritual Clarity

Like many of us, I once struggled with understanding certain biblical teachings. I vividly remember attending a Bible study where the leader talked about the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9). Despite the numerous explanations, I couldn’t fully understand the deeper meaning behind it.
But one day, I asked myself: “What if my lack of understanding means I need to dig deeper?” This thought led me on a journey to seek clarity, engaging more actively with the scripture.

The Power of Asking Questions

Understanding something deeply often begins with the willingness to ask questions.
– What does this verse mean in the context of the chapter? – How do historical and cultural contexts influence its interpretation? – What lessons or principles can I derive, and how do they apply to my life today?
Jesus Himself encouraged us to seek understanding. In Matthew 7:7, He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This is an invitation to engage actively and persistently with God’s Word.

Reflect and Pray

Reflection is a crucial step in understanding. After reading a passage, take a moment to reflect on it.
– What stands out to you? – How does it make you feel? – What is God speaking to you through this text?
Additionally, prayer invites divine wisdom. James 1:5 reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Applying What You Learn

Application solidifies understanding. James 1:22 encourages us: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Ask yourself:
1. How can I apply this teaching in my daily life? 2. Are there specific actions I need to take or changes I need to make? 3. How can I share this understanding with others to benefit them?

Interactive Reflection

Take a moment to ponder:
– What is a Bible passage or concept you’ve struggled to understand? – How can you use questioning, reflection, and prayer to gain deeper insight? – What practical steps can you take to apply this newfound understanding?
Sharing your thoughts can also be enlightening. Feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below. Let’s grow together in understanding.

Call to Action

As you embark on this journey of deeper understanding, remember, it’s not about how much you know but how well you know it. Commit to asking questions, reflecting, praying, and applying God’s Word.
Be sure to share your thoughts, challenges, and victories in the comments. Your journey can inspire and help others along the way!
Remember, understanding is a lifelong journey, and each step you take brings you closer to God’s heart and His divine wisdom. Keep pressing on, and may your faith deepen as you gain more clarity.
If you like this content, please connect with us at: https://BGodInspired.com
Or dig for more answers yourself with our BGodInspired Bible Tools! Be careful – each interaction is like a new treasure hunt… you can get lost for hours 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 10:51 CuriousGirl1231 Born into and grew up Catholic, however I want to learn more about Buddhism to see if it is right for me. What are good resources to learn more?

I am writing this anonymously because both my parents are catholic, and they baptized me at age 4. And they put me in catholic schools and I went to a catholic church every week for my whole childhood. However, throughout my whole life I felt like it was so wrong. (If any of them knew my real thoughts my life will be over lol)
For example, in the bible they said God ordered Abraham to kill his toddler son as a “test of faith” which I found kind of evil, however every1 told me it’s a good thing. Another thing is that if you die and are not catholic however u heard of catholicism before, u go to hell forever in eternal pain. And if u believe that Jesus died for our sins then even if u commit terrible sins u go to heaven. I remembered I asked my church pastor what happens if a 4 year old grew up atheist but heard about catholicism before then dies at age 5, and the church pastor told me they will go to hell. I found that just so wrong. Also a lot of it was unrealistic like Noah’s arc, adam and eve, (if u know it) however we were taught that 20000 years ago magic is real somehow and that was the only way to believe it.
And, I guess the community I grew up with were really judgmental and kind of mean. I remember when i was a child one guy stopped going to church for a year the church pastor prayed for him and said he is following the devil and told all of us he is bad and not to be friends with him anymore. And I stopped going to church 3 yrs ago and my friend came up to me and told me that the church pastor said im following the devil too, and then everyone in that church community unfollowed me on social media and everytime i pass by them they give me dirty looks just because i stopped going to church. And we were taught we were superior to all non-catholics and that is I guess how they end up really judgemental. And throughout my whole life I only believed in Catholism out of pressure from my family and friends and fear of going to hell forever, and fear of my whole community hating me.
Other religions didn’t sit right with me either (like Islam seems too sexist against women), however, one of my friends is Buddhist and he told me briefly about how buddhism believes that life is about suffering, and how you can achieve enlightment by always doing good things. And, I really felt like this resonated with me as that is how I experienced the world, and when I act kind to people I do feel really good about myself. Even when others are mean to me, I feel better when I act good myself despite how they treat me. I also agreed with how there is no just one almighty deity. And I guess another reason is every Buddhist person I have met have been really kind and great people, and they don’t believe they are superior to me just because they are buddhist. I feel a lot of what they learn makes sense to me like how you can be reincarnated when u die.
However, I don’t know that much, and was wondering if you guys know anyways where I can learn more about buddhism, or join communities with other buddhists, and then what to do if I strongly believe with it.
(Thank you so much for listening to my long story.)

submitted by CuriousGirl1231 to Buddhism [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 10:20 valakilelek-1371520 Could some of the early Israelites have come from some eastern region, such as Syria or northern Mesopotamia? What do historians/archeologists think about this?

The Tanakh refers in several places to the Eastern connections of some of the early Israelites. For example, the narratives of Abraham and the patriarchs also confirm this. The Torah uses the divine name El Shaddai several times, and often associates El Shaddai with the desert, mountains, eastern regions, nomads, etc. As far as I know, there is evidence for this association not only within the Bible. In the Syrian and Amorite Kingdom of Amurru, there is evidence of the cult of a desert god named Bel Sadu. If El Shaddai was not originally a separate deity, but an epithet of El, then the Shaddai epithet was still widespread in the eastern, Syriac/Amorite regions. There is no evidence that the deity El/Il was referred to by this epithet in Canaan or Phoenicia. It is not mentioned in Ugarit either. El Elyon existed both in Canaan and outside (e.g. Aramaic territories), but El Shaddai did not. It is also special that when describing the conquest of Canaan, the Hebrew Bible does not depict the Hebrews (only) as a group coming from the south, but presents them as those arriving in Canaan from the east. However, it would be logical that if they came from Egypt, they would come from the south, through the territories of the later Kingdom of Judah. In addition, it can be seen that the ancient Israelite religion or Yahwism resembles the Syrian/Mesopotamian religions in many ways, not just the Canaanite religions. El Shaddai and Elohim often resemble Enil, Hadad or Amurru. For example, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the flood resemble a desert deity similar to Amurru/Enil, or the cult of El from a more eastern region, than the benevolent and creative deity common in Canaan. As I read on the Internet and in specialized literature, several researchers noticed the figure of El Shaddai and several people spotted these motifs. Many researchers believe that this god's name originally comes from the East. There are also several people of the opinion that the Syrian/Mesopotamian cults also contributed to the development of the early Israelite religion at some level. For example, Theodore J. Lewis also discusses this in The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity. The fact that Abraham accepts the blessing of Melchizedek in the name of El Elyon, while at the same time Abraham worshiped El Shaddai, suggests that the two deities were considered the same or at least identified. At the same time, Ábrahám's pastoral nomadic lifestyle and Melchizedek's urban, royal personality may indicate that these individuals personify groups and social strata. It is interesting that Melchizedek consistently uses the word El Elyon, while Abraham is always associated with El Shaddai.
I know that many scholars believe that the Israelites came from a mixture of impoverished, mountainous Canaanites and nomadic groups from outside Canaan who joined them. Many Israelites are actually descendants of the Canaanites, who became semi-nomadic and settled in the highlands, but this does not exclude the possibility that other, smaller, nomadic groups outside of Canaan may have played a role in their formation. William G. Dever, Amihai Mazar, Lester L. Grabbe, Donald B. Redford, Richard Elliott Friedman, Carol Meyers and many other researchers write about this.
Can we make it probable that nomadic groups coming from the east also played a role in the formation of the early Israelites to a lesser extent? According to the majority of researchers, contact with certain Amorites/Syriac-like groups is likely? Were there immigrants from the east to Canaan? Could non-Canaanite nomads have joined the groups from within Canaan to a lesser extent to form the entity that called themselves Israelites?
It is important that I do not want to join the party of the maximalists, I do not think that the history of the patriarchs is historical. I simply think, in agreement with many researchers, that myths are not born out of nothing, but have a seed. He is obviously not a gentleman who is approx. the ancestor of all Semitic peoples. But some eastern groups who contributed to the formation of the Israelites and passed on their own theological ideas.

submitted by valakilelek-1371520 to AcademicBiblical [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 09:34 GoAheadMMDay The Jewish religion originated in Egypt.. and was restructured in Babylon

Before we begin, let me say I love the Jewish people and Christians, and I consider all of them my brothers and sisters, as I do all people from all religions and walks of life. We are all God's beloved children.
I thoroughly cherish the ancient wisdom contained in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and in the sacred books of other faiths as well.
Yet over the course of several decades, I discovered numerous inaccurate teachings which I would like to review. It may not be what most people consider a "conspiracy". Nevertheless, these misconceptions must be revealed for the truth to be known.
Egyptian origins
Judaism - the Jewish religion - originated in ancient Egypt. A mixed group of people from multiple nationalities, including Egyptian, were expelled from Egypt, taking Egyptian beliefs and practices with them, including Egyptian temple designs.
This theory has been around for nearly a hundred years. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis who lived from 1856 to 1939, wrote about Judaism's link to ancient Egypt in 1939, the final year of his life.
From Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"One of the first to mention this [theory] was Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, in his book Moses and Monotheism.[235] Basing his arguments on his belief that the Exodus story was historical, Freud argued that Moses had been an Atenist priest who was forced to leave Egypt with his followers after Akhenaten's death. Freud argued that Akhenaten was striving to promote monotheism, something that the biblical Moses was able to achieve.[235] Following the publication of his book, the concept entered popular consciousness and serious research.[240][241]"
In this post, I will provide my own arguments supporting Freud's proposition.
I started thinking about the link between ancient Israel and ancient Egypt many years ago during my Bible studies. I was also fascinated with the histories of ancient Egypt, Sumer, Babylon, and others.
Over the years, I began noticing some very significant overlapping beliefs that cannot be dismissed. Some of these points are already known and hotly debated; others are my own observations.
I will be brief, however. This topic is absolutely huge in scope - covering history, archeology and religion. If I were to cover the topic to its fullest extent, it would be a book. I will spare you that torture and simply give you the abridged version.
My purpose? I put this out there for debate and further research.
The exodus out of Egypt
In the late 1300's BC, a large group migrated out of Egypt in what is known as "the exodus".
The exodus out of Egypt
Who were the people who left Egypt in the exodus?
The Bible claims they were almost all Israelites who were living in misery in Egypt. But there is good reason to believe the majority were actually Egyptians, as I explain later.
Black box - where the exodus settled
The group who left Egypt eventually settled between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, forming the nation of Israel.
Three major similarities
Several similarities exist between ancient Israel's religion and ancient Egypt's religion. These similarities are so striking, I propose the Jewish religion actually originated in Egypt, and was brought out of Egypt in the exodus.
• 1) Let's start with the most glaring similarity... the temples.
Ancient Egyptian temple
Key features of the ancient Egyptian temple:
a) outer courtyard, b) two large pillars at front entrance, c) a grand hall, d) an inner shrine with statue.
Left - Moses' tabernacle / Right - Solomon's temple
Key features of Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple:
a) outer courtyard, b) two large pillars at front entrance, c) first hall called "the Holy Place", d) an inner sanctuary called "the Most Holy Place" where the Ark of the Covenant was housed.
The similarities between ancient Egypt's temples and Judaism's designs are too similar to dismiss. I conclude those who left Egypt in the exodus brought with them Egypt's temple designs.
• 2) Animal sacrifice is another similarity I propose was brought out of Egypt in the exodus.
"...some of the earliest archeological evidence suggesting animal sacrifice comes from Egypt." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice
• 3) Lastly, in agreement with Sigmund Freud noted above, I propose Jewish monotheism (worship of one god) was also brought out of Egypt by the migrants who left in the exodus.
Monotheism from Egypt? Wasn't Egypt polytheistic, worshipping multiple deities?
Not always. Egypt had briefly experimented with the worship of one God who was without form. And this period of monotheism in Egypt lines-up perfectly with the time of the exodus.
Egypt's brief experiment with monotheism
There was a brief period in Egypt's history when monotheism flourished. This was during the reign of Akhenaten, around the middle 1300's BC.
Prior to this, Egypt had always practiced polytheism. But Akhenaten reformed Egyptian religion, focusing on one god instead - "Aten" - who was elevated to supreme god, and "the sole god of the Egyptian state religion". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aten
There is much debate over exactly how monotheism was practiced during that time. As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"The views of Egyptologists differ as to whether the religious policy was absolutely monotheistic, or whether it was monolatristic, syncretistic, or henotheistic.[14][15] This culture shift away from traditional religion was reversed after his death."
For this post, it does not matter how narrow or how broad Akhenaten's monotheism really was. What matters in this discussion is that Akhenaten's reign was an interruption in Egypt's religious system. Akhenaten reformed Egyptian religion, which did not sit well with the traditional priestly class.
After Akhenaten died, Egypt returned to its previous religious system. Akhenaten was vilified, his images chiselled and defaced. Wikipedia adds:
"They discredited Akhenaten and his immediate successors and referred to Akhenaten as "the enemy" or "that criminal" in archival records."
This is why today he is described as "the heretic king", referencing how he was considered after his death.
The exodus was an expulsion
I propose Moses was a high ranking member of Akhenaten's court, perhaps even a prince as the Old Testament describes him. Moses likely took over the leadership of the population of monotheists after Akhenaten died.
As Wikipedia notes (already quoted above) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"Freud argued that Moses had been an Atenist priest [a priest of the god "Aten"] who was forced to leave Egypt with his followers after Akhenaten's death."
I conclude these were the migrants who left Egypt in the exodus. They were Egyptians who practiced monotheism, lead by their high priest, Moses - who was also an Egyptian, and priest of the god "Aten".
The monotheists had become unwelcome in the land of Egypt which had returned to polytheism. Akhenaten's son - the famous King Tut - even changed his name to disassociate himself from his father and the monotheism he had introduced. King Tut's original name was Tutankhaten, which he changed to Tutankhamun after Akhenaten's death.
As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun :
"The cult of the god Amun at Thebes was restored to prominence and the royal couple changed their names to "Tutankhamun" and "Ankhesenamun", removing the -aten suffix."
The suffix at the end of their names indicated whom they worshiped, or the god they were associated with. Akhenaten's suffix was "aten", taken from the god "Aten" whom he associated himself with. Tutankhamun's suffix was "amun", taken from the god "Amun" whom he associated himself with.
King Tut thus changed his name to show he was not connected to Akhenaten or the monotheists who worshipped Aten. Egypt's brief experiment with monotheism was over.
Clearly there was a lot of hatred for that brief experimentation with monotheism. What would the atmosphere have been like for the followers of that monotheistic system after Akhenaten died? I imagine there would have been widespread persecution, or at the very least, discrimination.
I propose this lead to the expulsion of a large mass of people out of Egypt in the exodus. They were the monotheists of Egypt - composed mostly of Egyptians, but likely included foreigners living in Egypt who also practiced the monotheism introduced by Akhenaten.
Moses led this group of fellow monotheists out of an angry Egypt that clearly resented the upheaval Akhenaten had brought to Egyptian life. It must have been a forced expulsion, for they were driven into the desert where they were left to roam and fend for themselves. They would not have chosen to go there on their own.
The dates match
And the dates match. Akhenaten reigned from about 1352 to 1335 BC. Moses lived from about 1391 to 1271 BC. (The Bible writers claim he was 120 years old when he died. Could be true, I suppose.)
According to the Bible's account, Moses was 80 years of age at the time of the exodus, dating it to about 1311 BC. That somewhat fits, putting the exodus some 24 years after Akhenaten's death.
Personally, though, I do not see that it would have taken 24 years to expel a group of monotheists who were no longer welcome, whose founder (Akhenaten) was vilified, defamed, and so vehemently hated. I propose the monotheists were expelled right away, perhaps a year or two after Akhenaten's death.
King Tut - Akhenaten's son noted above - was only 6 years of age when Akhenaten died in 1335 BC, much too young to rule as Pharaoh on his own. It wasn't until 3 years later in 1332 BC when Tut finally ascended to the throne at the age of 9. During this brief interval of 3 years, Egypt's rulership was in contention. There was likely a power struggle. I propose it was during this 3-year period of upheaval when the monotheists were expelled.
Another link placing the exodus at the end of Akhenaten's life is a regional plague which struck Egypt and a large part of the Middle East during the last 5 years of Akhenaten's reign.
As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"Following year twelve [of Akhenaten's 16-year reign], Donald B. Redford and other Egyptologists proposed that Egypt was struck by an epidemic, most likely a plague.[127] Contemporary evidence suggests that a plague ravaged through the Middle East around this time,[128] and ambassadors and delegations arriving to Akhenaten's year twelve reception might have brought the disease to Egypt.[129] Alternatively, letters from the Hattians might suggest that the epidemic originated in Egypt and was carried throughout the Middle East by Egyptian prisoners of war.[130] Regardless of its origin, the epidemic might account for several deaths in the royal family that occurred in the last five years of Akhenaten's reign, including those of his daughters Meketaten, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.[131][132]"
Sound familiar? The Bible's story of the exodus includes a plague which affected all of Egypt, killing even one of Pharaoh's children.
When Moses led the monotheists out of Egypt, he took with him many elements of the monotheistic system that Akhenaten had introduced. I propose this is why Moses' tabernacle looked so similar to Egyptian temples, with even more similarities showing up in Solomon's temple.
Joseph was Imhotep
Yet the Old Testament borrows more from Egypt than just its religious concepts. I propose it also borrows a very famous person... Imhotep.
Multiple similarities exist between Imhotep (a high ranking administrator in ancient Egypt) and the Biblical Joseph (who lived in Egypt before Moses). I propose, as many others do, that the Joseph of the Old Testament was based on Imhotep of ancient Egypt for 3 reasons:
• 1) Let's start with their names...
In "Imhotep", the 1st vowel is "i", the 2nd vowel is "o", the 3rd vowel is "e", followed by a "p".
The name Joseph in Tiberian Hebrew is "Yoseph", and in Aramaic is "Yosep". In both cases, the 1st vowel is "y" (pronounced as short-"i"), the 2nd vowel is "o", the 3rd vowel is "e", followed by a "p" - just as in "Imhotep".
Even the "t" in Imhotep and the "s" in Yosep use similar movements of the tongue.
• 2) Next, their status...
Imhotep occupied a very lofty position in Egyptian court. He was "chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep
Joseph, for his part, is described in the Bible as having been elevated to the 3rd highest position in Egypt.
• 3) Finally, their great works...
"Imhotep was one of the chief officials of the Pharaoh Djoser. Concurring with much later legends, Egyptologists credit him with the design and construction of the Pyramid of Djoser, a step pyramid at Saqqara built during the 3rd Dynasty. [17] He may also have been responsible for the first known use of stone columns to support a building.[18]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep
Similarly, the Bible describes Joseph as having supervised the construction of numerous large stone granaries in which to store "all the grain of Egypt".
Though granaries and pyramids differ in design, we have to acknowledge the similarity... both men were in charge of building massive stone structures.
Also, to the Israelites living after the exodus, when the Old Testament was written, the pyramids of Egypt likely looked to them like the remains of giant granaries of long ago. Thus, where the ancient Egyptians credited Imhotep with constructing pyramids, the Israelites credited Joseph with constructing the same structures - which they thought were old ruined granaries.
Yet there is one gaping hole in this theory that Joseph was Imhotep... they lived in different time periods. Imhotep lived in the 2600's BC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep), while Joseph lived in the 1800's BC.
Indeed, they lived centuries apart. But let's keep in mind that the writers of the Old Testament did not have such detailed information as archeologists have today. The writers may have placed Joseph in the wrong century, but they were right to place him a few hundred years before the exodus... just as Imhotep also lived centuries before the exodus.
The Old Testament writers were also correct in the phonetics of the name, the occupation, the works, and the elevated position of importance. I propose the Old Testament writers took Imhotep and claimed him as their own as Joseph.
Claiming Egyptians and others as their own
We can see why the writers of the Old Testament wanted to claim Imhotep as their own, as an Israelite.
Between 1550 and 1077 BC (which overlapped the time of the exodus), Imhotep was worshipped as a "demigod" - one of only a handful of non-royals ever to be deified. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep) He was the equivalent of today's superstar. To claim Imhotep as a fellow Israelite gave them a tremendous boost of pride.
They also claimed Moses as their own. As the Old Testament account goes, Moses was born an Israelite, was sent adrift on a river to escape slaughter, was rescued by an Egyptian princess, and was raised as a prince in Egypt's court.
They also claimed Abraham as one of their forefathers, a Mesopotamian who lived in the city of Ur by the lower Euphrates river near the Persian Gulf.
Noah, too, was claimed as an even more distant forefather, when in fact the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood were copied from the ancient Sumerian text "The Epic of Gilgamesh". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king Uta-napishtim survived a flood by building a large vessel which he filled with animals. As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utnapishtim :
"The story of Uta-napishtim has drawn scholarly comparisons due to the similarities between it and the storylines about Noah in the Bible."
But why did the Israelites claim all of these people as their own?
• The ancient-Sumerian Uta-napishtim (whom they renamed Noah),
• the late-Sumerian Abram of Ur (whom they renamed Abraham),
• the ancient-Egyptian Imhotep (whom they renamed Joseph),
• and the later-Egyptian Moses?
I propose it was to give the Israelites a sense of national identity. They were about to form a new nation.
Forming a new nation after Babylon
In 597 BC, Babylon besieged Jerusalem, taking several thousand Israelites captive to Babylonia. More Israelite captives were taken during the following 10 years. In 587 BC, Jerusalem and its temple were ultimately destroyed. Israel was no longer a nation; its people were captives in Babylon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity
Nearly 50 years later, in 539 BC, Persian king Cyrus the Great and his armies conquered Babylon. As per his tradition, he benevolently released captives.
"Cyrus was particularly renowned among contemporary scholars because of his habitual policy of respecting peoples' customs and religions in the lands that he conquered." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
The Israelites were about to be freed. We can picture Cyrus' officials gathering the Israelite priests and leaders together, telling them to prepare themselves for their return back to their homeland west of the Jordan River.
After nearly 60 years in captivity, the Israelites needed to organize themselves into a new nation. They needed laws, a history, and a national identity. I propose this is when the first section of the Old Testament - the Torah - was written... in 539 BC in Babylon, just before returning to their ancestral land west of the Jordan River.
The Torah comprises the first 5 books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
What makes this significant for the Israelites living in Babylon is that these 5 books cover everything they need in forming a new nation - a national history, a code of laws, a structured religion, and a pact with God for his protection - as explained in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah :
• Of the book of Genesis:
"At God's command ... Abraham journeys from his home [in Mesopotamia] into the ... land of Canaan. ... The narrative is punctuated by a series of covenants with God..."
This book was important, as it paralleled the journey the Israelites were about to make, leaving Babylon (which was Mesopotamia) on their way to the land of Canaan - just like Abraham had done himself some 1,200 years before. Yet they ought not be fearful, for they were the beneficiaries of multiple covenants with God.
• Of the book of Exodus:
"...modern scholarship sees the book as initially a product of the Babylonian exile, 6th century BC..."
In other words, it was initially compiled in Babylon during Israelite captivity.
"Carol Meyers, in her commentary on Exodus, suggests that it is arguably the most important book in the Bible, as it presents the defining features of Israel's identity: memories of a past marked by hardship and escape, a binding covenant with God, ... and the establishment of the life of the community and the guidelines for sustaining it.[31]"
In other words, the book of Exodus gave the Israelites valuable guidelines to forming a new nation.
• Of the book of Leviticus:
"...rules of clean and unclean ... the laws of slaughter and animals permissible to eat ... various moral and ritual laws ... a detailed list of rewards for following God's commandments and a detailed list of punishments for not following them."
In other words, Leviticus instructs the Israelites on matters of worship, cleanliness, and diet. Again, important information for a people about to form a new nation.
• Of the book of Numbers:
"Numbers is the culmination of the story of Israel's exodus from oppression in Egypt and their journey to take possession of the land God promised their fathers."
This parallels their situation at that time, in 539 BC, as they too were about to leave oppression in Babylon on their journey back to take possession of the same land.
• Of the book of Deuteronomy:
"One of its most significant verses is Deuteronomy 6:4 ... which has become the definitive statement of Jewish identity: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one."
In other words, the Israelites leaving Babylon were reminded of their most identifying characteristic... their monotheism.
Borrowing from Babylon
Yet in preparing the first 5 books of the Old Testament - the Torah - the Israelite priests in Babylon borrowed much from Babylon itself.
They borrowed details from Babylonian creation stories, and copied the flood story from the Epic of Gilgamesh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh_flood_myth
They also added a code of laws copied from Babylonian laws, as noted in Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi :
"The Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses in the Torah contain numerous similarities."
Hammurabi was a king of ancient Babylon in the 1700's BC, some 400 years before Moses' time, and 1,200 years before the Israelites resided in Babylon. It wasn't really the Law of Moses, but the Code of Hammurabi - tailored, customized, and re-branded as the Law of Moses when the Torah was written in Babylon.
Preparing for the journey home
The purpose for compiling the first 5 books of the Old Testament was quite simply to prepare the Israelites living in Babylon for their journey back home.
This is why they referred to the land they were returning to as "the Promised Land", "a land flowing with milk and honey", and their "inheritance".
This is why the Torah contained examples of others who had left one land to go to another. Through the stories of Abraham and Moses, the idea of leaving behind a land they knew to go to a land they did not know was packaged and presented to the Israelites living in Babylon - who were now being asked to do the same thing themselves.
Abraham was born and raised in Ur, near the southern Euphrates river in Mesopotamia. That's the land of Babylon, the same land the Israelites were now living in. Yet he moved out of that land and went to the land west of the Jordan River, and the account tells how God blessed him for it.
In the time of Moses, a great many Israelites were born and raised in Egypt. Yet they moved out of that land and went to the land west of the Jordan River, and the account tells how God blessed them for it.
Do we see the recurring theme? After more than 50 years in captivity, most of the original captives were no longer alive. By the time of their release in 539-538 BC, most Israelites had been born and raised in Babylon. Babylon was the only land they knew. Most did not know the land to which they were going, west of the Jordan River.
But if Abraham and his family living in Mesopotamia did it, if Moses and the Israelites living in Egypt did it - that is, left a land they knew to go to a land they did not know - and it went well for them... then it would also go well for the Israelites being asked to leave Babylon, the only land most of them knew, to go to a land almost none of them knew.
And thus, I propose... The Old Testament was written to organize the Israelites exiled in Babylon into a new nation, encouraging them to pack their belongings and go to the land west of the Jordan River with zeal and courage.
This is why they took several persons from other cultures and made them their own... including Uta-napishtim (whom they renamed Noah), Abram (whom they renamed Abraham), Imhotep (whom they renamed Joseph), and Moses - giving them a sense of national identity and pride.
Many of the Old Testament's accounts, laws, and people were adopted from external sources, modified, tweaked, and repackaged to give the Israelites courage on their return to "the land of their forefathers" and the "Promised Land" - a testament and promise that God would be with them just as He was with Abraham and Moses and all the families who made similar moves so very long before.
I contend...
Yet I contend the most important piece of information was withheld from the Israelites living in Babylon... that their religion was started by an ancient Pharaoh of Egypt whom they did not even know... Akhenaten.
I contend their leader Moses was not of Israelite descent, but was Egyptian, a high priest of the Egyptian god Aten.
I contend the early Israelites were not descended from Abram of Ur of Mesopotamia, but were descended from Egyptians, monotheists who were expelled from Egypt when the founder of their religion - Akhenaten - died.
I contend the Israelites were first told they descended from Abram in 539 BC when the Torah was written, as they prepared to resettle west of the Jordan River. I further contend the only reason they were told they descended from Abram of Ur was to draw a parallel between Abram's leaving the land of Sumer (same land as Babylon) to go west of the Jordan - just as the Israelites were being asked to leave Babylon to go west of the Jordan in 539 BC.
I contend Jewish religion was shaped by Babylonian mythology, and their nation was built on Babylonian laws. I further contend had the Israelites not been taken captive into Babylon, they would not have had the law code they had, nor the same story of creation, nor the story of Noah's flood - for these were all Babylonian.
Even their temple and their monotheism were not entirely theirs, but were Egyptian.
As much as I cherish the ancient wisdom found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, I must draw attention to the religion's origins... it originated in Egypt, with significant restructuring in Babylon.
Joseph Cafariello

submitted by GoAheadMMDay to conspiracy_posts [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 09:00 Dangerous_Bluebird82 Bible Question that troubles me

taking care of our body the temple and what you consume one wouldn’t smoke cigarettes or weed because they increase the risk of lung cancer which is a sin or a person wouldn’t drink alcohol excessively or get drunk because those things raise risk of stomach cancer. But for wine in particular it reduces cancer if consumed in small amounts. but when Jesus turned water into wine he knew people were already drunk as they asked him why have you saved the best wine for last when everyone was already drunk because in tradition they usually have the best wine first. There is no question Jesus turned it into alcoholic wine as pasturazation for juice wasn’t even invented yet. Was he ok with them being drunk or not taking care of the their bodies because over consumption of wine can increase risk of cancer? So if drunkenesss is a sin in the Bible why does Jesus aide in it being furthered? And if it would hurt the body the temple of God why is that ok? How would a person justify getting drunk or under influence of harmful substances of the body? Is it ok just if it is not a daily thing or how can one determine this? Because if this is the case I would smoke and drink. So if drunkenness is a sin what is the definition of drunkenness or what does the Bible mean by this term? Surely drunkards won’t inherit the kingdom of God the Bible says that. So is being a drunkard mean idolization of alcohol to the point where it becomes a lifestyle or everyday thing? Yes the Bible also says if something makes you feel like a stumbling block it’s better to remove that thing then let it turn you from God and the Bible also says one believer may feel eating meat is wrong and the other believer may feel eating meat is right but the purpose of that lesson was to show dont let trivial matters of diet cause division amongst brothers and sisters in Christ. What one brother can stomach maybe the next can’t but both are still equal in Christ this is what the Bible teaches. And this troubles me because if getting drunk even only sometimes is ok according to the Bible then over consumption of alcohol equals an increase of cancer and even if it was for one day of deibritely knowing you were going to do this that means you knew you were going to harm the temple of God so how can both be ok at the same time without contradicting is it ok to get drunk and eat junk food and harm the temple of God the body on occasion? Why is it sometimes ok? Is a little bit of sin ever justifiable by God? He has told us to try our best to take care of our bodies and sin is a lot worse if done with intention and fore knowledge of it being wrong but doing it anyways. So if you know your gonna trash the temple of god and destroy yourself even if it’s just a little bit is that ok? It troubles me because I feel like things don’t match up even if it’s a small detail off it troubles me.

submitted by Dangerous_Bluebird82 to Christianity [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 08:25 Beneficial-Post195 How do I (M30) accept a mid apology (F25) gracefully and yet keep a strong boundary?

I (M30) teach at Kids Church in my local church. A class of varying numbers, absolutely lovely children and a great church.
This is not a dating relationship but a professional one.
Per the Churchs practises, we teach in pairs. My teaching partner (F25), I find, is a bit controlling - which I noted in our first ever training session together after she bulldozed through what I was saying in response to a question with a monologue of her own. We have been teaching together for about 7 weeks.
I was taken aback but didnt think much of it until today.
We generally rotate who does the talk and the bible study and today, it was my turn. We're following the Ephesians if that helps.
I wrote my notes, step by step for the lesson - some brief comprehension and discussion questions (total 4) followed by a group activity of sorting out traits of the old life and the new life on the e-whiteboard - by Friday, shared them with her, and continued on with my own life.
Today, We run the games, the memory verse and finally we get around to the teaching - I start them off reading the bible passage, two verses at a time, and get to the first comprehension question.
I will admit, it slightly went off topic, as we were explaining the meaning of particular words (Deceitful, sensualities, etc) after the first question, but eventually we were got to the second question, a lead up to the activity of finding phrases from the passage about the ways of the old life and the new life.
She gets up, talks directly over me, and then takes over the class for the rest of the time - and I didnt want to make a scene by calling her out in front of the kids. It also came as a shock of some sort - in my professional life, I dont think anyone has ever interrupted me in this manner - and it wasnt until I left that it kind of wore off.
A few hours later, she sent me this message:
"Hi Beneficial, just wanted to say sorry I didn’t mean to jihack [sic] your teaching today - I was noticing the kids not understanding and just jumped in but definitely could’ve communicated better with you as it was happening sorry if you felt undercut at all - keen to keep growing as we teach the kids together and very thankful for so many signs of the inward work God’s doing in the kid’s hearts "
I would like to accept the apology gracefully with the following short message:
Hi ,
I was not expecting an apology, and I accept it.
**Questions:
is it too short? Does it not set a strong boundary? ***It does not ring authentic as an apology to me
What would you write?

submitted by Beneficial-Post195 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 08:01 Beneficial-Post195 How to accept a kind of 'apology' as a Christian and gracefully, yet set a boundary?

I (M30) teach at Kids Church in my local church. A class of varying numbers, absolutely lovely children and a great church.
Per the Churchs practises, we teach in pairs. My teaching partner (F25), I find, is a bit controlling - which I noted in our first ever training session together after she bulldozed through what I was saying in response to a question with a monologue of her own.
I was taken aback but didnt think much of it until today.
We generally rotate who does the talk and the bible study and today, it was my turn. We're following the Ephesians if that helps.
I wrote my notes, step by step for the lesson - some brief comprehension and discussion questions (total 4) followed by a group activity of sorting out traits of the old life and the new life on the e-whiteboard - by Friday, shared them with her, and continued on with my own life.
Today, We run the games, the memory verse and finally we get around to the teaching - I start them off reading the bible passage, two verses at a time, and get to the first comprehension question.
I will admit, it slightly went off topic, as we were explaining the meaning of particular words (Deceitful, sensualities, etc) after the first question, but eventually we were got to the second question, a lead up to the activity of finding phrases from the passage about the ways of the old life and the new life.
She gets up, talks directly over me, and then takes over the class for the rest of the time - and I didnt want to make a scene by calling her out in front of the kids. It also came as a shock of some sort - in my professional life, I dont think anyone has ever interrupted me in this manner - and it wasnt until I left that it kind of wore off.
A few hours later, she sent me this message:
"Hi Beneficial, just wanted to say sorry I didn’t mean to jihack [sic] your teaching today - I was noticing the kids not understanding and just jumped in but definitely could’ve communicated better with you as it was happening sorry if you felt undercut at all - keen to keep growing as we teach the kids together and very thankful for so many signs of the inward work God’s doing in the kid’s hearts "
I would like to accept the apology gracefully with the following short message:
Hi ,
I was not expecting an apology, and I accept it.
**Questions:
is it too short? Does it not set a strong boundary? ***It does not ring authentic as an apology to me
What would you write?

submitted by Beneficial-Post195 to Christianity [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 06:02 SlurmandoMenandasy Why Young Earth Creationism Matters to the Education of the Youth

This has been troubling me for nearly two decades. What we see is increasingly a rejection of Genesis as poetry or allegory when without Genesis, the entire Bible cannot stand on its own.
If we as a church reject Genesis in favor of a good and simple gospel that God is love and sent Jesus to redeem us, we forget where Jesus came from and what he came to redeem us from. The Bible teaches that sin did not exist int the world until the forbidden fruit was consumed. It teaches Jesus' genealogies all the way back to Adam. If we reject Jesus' genealogies, we negate His claim to the Kingdom of Heaven. If we treat Adam as allegorical, well how many of his ancestors are? Was Noah? Was Abraham? That's a dangerous game. If His genealogies don't actually go back to Adam, how can we trust Him as a descendant of David and of the Kingdom of Israel? The entirety of theology falls apart.
Likewise, the literal fall of man was the introduction of sin, of death, and of destruction into the world. There is no other basis for the introduction of evil. If we accept that evil just developed naturally and that corruption entered the world of its own accord, we accept that God created evil, thereby negating His goodness and compassion. God didn't introduce evil. Humans did by eating of the forbidden fruit. And make no mistake. It was a literal fruit.
Why is Genesis so hard to imagine as true? We accept a man walked on water. We accept a man conquered death. We accept a man ascended into heaven. We accept He raised the dead. We accept so many signs and miracles, but the idea that maybe fallible man might be incorrect about the age of the Earth and the development of mankind and animals bothers us? Friends, we accepted an end to naturalistic explanations to reality when Lazarus was resurrected. Nothing is impossible for almighty God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End. He decides that which is possible, not man. He created man from dust and woman from the rib of man. These are the things that are self evident about the universe.
Simply put, either the whole thing is truth from Genesis to Revelation or we have no reason to believe any of it is. The core of faith is believing in things which remain unseen or which defy explanation. If we had an explanation, we wouldn't need faith. What is the purpose of believing in some miracles but not all? Is God confined to only those miracles we can see? Who gets to decide that which is poetic or allegorical? Is it fallible man or is it the almighty God to whom we all profess faith? The reality is the rejection of elements of the Bible because they are improbable to our feeble, fallible minds is itself a fallacy. It's all improbable from creation to crucifixion. If it were all provable and behaved according to natural laws, faith would not exist.
God created the Earth in 6 literal days because that's what He said. He created mankind in His image because that's what He said. Mankind fell when they ate of the forbidden fruit of knowledge because that's what He said. Mankind is redeemed through Christ our Lord because that's what He said. This is fundamental and any faith which rejects any one of these precepts to accommodate the will of man is itself anti-biblical and heretical. There are no alternatives. God sets the standard. His word is absolute and infallible.

submitted by SlurmandoMenandasy to TrueChristian [link] [comments]

2024.06.09 04:47 BGodInspired How Can Paul's Message at the Areopagus Transform Our Views on Faith and Culture Today?

https://bgodinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1717900635.png

Uncovering the Truth: Paul’s Speech at the Areopagus

Have you ever visited a new place, feeling a mix of excitement and uncertainty, only to discover that it holds a profound message waiting for you? Imagine how the apostle Paul felt when he stood on the revered and historical grounds of the Areopagus in Athens, a place filled with curious minds and diverse beliefs. Let’s delve into the significance of Paul’s speech and uncover the powerful truths embedded within this biblical narrative.

The Setting: Athens and the Areopagus

Athens, the heart of ancient Greek philosophy and culture, was bustling with thinkers and seekers. The Areopagus, a prominent hill, served as both a council meeting place and a court. Picture a scene of eager Athenians, gathered to hear and debate new ideas. Into this intellectual hub steps Paul, with a message that will forever alter the course of Christian evangelism.
In Acts 17:16, we read: “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” This concern set the stage for his profound address.

Paul’s Connection Strategy

Paul masterfully begins by connecting with his audience. He acknowledges their religiosity, which opens a channel of communication built on respect rather than condemnation.
He states in Acts 17:22-23, “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”
Reflect: How can you find common ground with others when discussing faith or life principles?

The Proclamation of the One True God

Paul transitions from connecting to proclaiming the truth. He describes the nature and sovereignty of the Christian God, contrasting Him against the many idols that cluttered Athens. Paul emphasizes God’s creation, omnipresence, and His desire for a relationship with humanity.
In Acts 17:24-25, Paul declares, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
Paul’s message highlights the divine and accessible nature of God—a departure from the distant deities of Greek mythology.

A Personal Invitation

Paul concludes with a call to repentance, inviting the Athenians to recognize this true God and turn from their ways. He points to the resurrection of Jesus as the cornerstone of his message and evidence of God’s judgment and grace.
Acts 17:30-31 summarizes this plea: “In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Reflect: How does your understanding of God shape your life choices and directions?

Engage and Share Your Thoughts

Paul’s speech at the Areopagus is more than a historical event; it is a living testament of our mission to share God’s truth with wisdom and compassion. His approach—respecting beliefs, proclaiming truth, and inviting change—offers a timeless method for us all.
Has there been a time you’ve had to share your faith or beliefs in a new or challenging environment? How did you connect with your audience, and what impact did it have?

Conclusion and Call to Action

Paul’s Areopagus speech invites us to reflect on our own journeys and the ways we connect with others about our faith. As we consider his wisdom and courage, let’s strive to be thoughtful and respectful messengers of truth in our own lives.
We’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences. Share in the comments how this story speaks to you or any insights you’ve gained. Also, don’t forget to share this article with friends who might find inspiration in Paul’s story just as you have.

Embracing Biblical Wisdom

Paul’s balance of intellect and empathy in sharing the Gospel provides a rich blueprint for our own lives. By embracing these biblical insights, we can foster meaningful connections and inspire curiosity about the profound truths we hold dear.
Continue exploring these remarkable narratives and applying their lessons, making the journey of faith both enlightening and deeply personal.
If you want to want to research more Bible Answers on your own, please try our Bible Answers GPT. It’s easy to get lost in the interesting responses you’ll find… every search is like a new treasure hunt 🙂
Source =

submitted by BGodInspired to BGodInspired [link] [comments]

http://activeproperty.pl/