#Herods in the Holy Land

[inklingm8]

@elenajones23 first of all, who are you, a non Jew to lecture me about what my religion does or doesn’t allow? Who are you to tell me, as someone who doesn't practice the same religion, that I can or cannot do things?

The Torah isn’t a simple set of guidelines and commands, it’s far more complex than that. It has different interpritations, so saying the torah doesn't allow it is blatantly false. The name "Zion" (Promised land) is mentioned 154 times.

“It isn’t your land and it never was your land” bullshit.

We absolutely do have a land, if we don't, then why do we have holy sights in Jerusalem? Why are names like "Jaffa" and "Haifa" Hebrew?

The land of Israel is where my ancestors came from, it is where they lived, it is where they had a connection to, and it is where they suffered under the romans and were exiled.

We were never welcomed in Europe, we were never welcomed in the rest of the middle east.

These are ancient scrolls called the "Dead sea scrolls" which are a set of ancient Jewish writings dating from the 3rd century BCE.

This is all of what remains of our ancient temple, this is what it once was:

The first temple is Solomon's temple, the second one is Herod's temple, which was destroyed in 70CE by the romans. centuries later, the Muslim caliphates built the Al Aqsa mosque which was built on top of our temple mount. Today, the west wall is all we have left of this historic holy place.

The name "Palestine" was given to the land of Israel by roman colonisers who exiled most of us from the land of Israel, took many of us slaves, and scattered everyone else through western Europe (Some moved further east).

Now about the Nazis = Zionist argument. The Nazis originally made a deal with German Zionist Jews (The Haavara agreement) to bring about a mass migration from Germany to Israel, it should be mentioned that this was because Hitler and the Nazis wanted a Jew-Free Europe, not because the Nazis supported Zionism.

This deal was criticized by both Nazis and Zionists. Zionist criticised it because it made a deal with the devil, and the Nazis criticised it because it went against their philosophy.

The Nazis were extremely antizionist, the belief that they were Zionists is soviet cold war propaganda to demonise the state of Israel and the broader Jewish community. They believed that Jews were biologically incapable of running their own state and were too inferior. Hitler had a "Palestinian" friend (Amin al-Husseini) who campaigned in Berlin, fought for a Palestinian state, and even CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOLOCAUST. They also lead a boycott of Jewish businesses in "Palestine".

So, you're wrong. So very very wrong. You can try to lecture me about the history of my own people and religion all you want, but you're wrong.

Please, kindly fuck off and read a history book. Please attend a Synagogue service and learn more about our religion before you come spewing false bullshit about it.

#goyim shut up challenge #jumblr #israel #i stand with israel #goyim #palestinian hypocrisy #antisemitism

[queerprayers]

Remembering the children killed by King Herod is traditional on December 28, and it's a story that has often been co-opted by anti-abortion activists who erase the context of the story—children killed out of fear by a ruling class. The holy innocents of Bethlehem take on new meaning for me today. I lift up this prayer in honor of all the recent holy innocents in that land and around the world, martyrs for the cause of existing, killed in fear that their witness will change the status quo.

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (from The Book of Common Prayer)

#empires will always feel threatened by life. and god being born as a child came down firmly on the side of life

[eretzyisrael]

by Chaim Lax

Along with Jesus’ newly found Palestinian identity, some media outlets also drew comparisons between Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and the treatment of the Holy Family by Herod and the Romans.

On NPR, one guest drew a parallel between the Roman occupation of Judea and Israel’s current control over the West Bank. He blatantly disregarded the fact that Bethlehem falls under the authority of the Palestinian Authority and that the Romans were foreign occupiers while Israel is an indigenous state.

Similarly, both NPR and the Religion News Service ran absurd comparisons between the descent of Jesus’ family to Egypt in order to escape Herod’s bloodlust and Israel’s ordering Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south for their own safety as the IDF works to rout Hamas from the north.

If mainstream media organizations are willing to serve as platforms for the re-invention of Jesus, it is no surprise that anti-Israel news organizations also did so.

In a report on the muted Christmas festivities in the Holy Land this year, Al Jazeerareferred to Jesus as being born in Palestine with no mention of his Jewish ancestry.

For its part, Iran-sponsored Press TV did reference Jesus’ Jewish background, even calling him a “Jewish rabbi,” but then dove headfirst into a discussion of whether, as a Palestinian, present-day Jesus would only be a member of Hamas’ civil administration or whether he would have joined the military (i.e. terrorist) wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

On social media, the “Jesus was Palestinian” narrative also spread like wildfire, with many being much more blatant in their erasure of Jesus’ Jewish identity.

On Instagram, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a story which claimed that Jesus “was born in modern-day Palestine,” compared Israel to the Romans, and absurdly asserted that “this high Christian holiday is about honoring the precious sanctity of a family that, if the story were to unfold today, would be Jewish Palestinians.”

That would certainly be something to note as there are currently no “Jewish Palestinians.”

On X (formerly Twitter), independent journalist Richard Medhurst posted a rant with the headline “Remember this Christmas that Jesus is Palestinian,” while UN-accredited activist Mohamad Safa tweeted that Christmas is the celebration of “the birthday of a Palestinian man.”

Similarly, political commentator and co-creator of The Young Turks, Cenk Uygur tweetedthat being from Bethlehem, Jesus is “technically” a Palestinian and questioned whether he would survive the night there or “would he be just another Palestinian casualty?”

Former Dutch parliamentarian Arnoud van Doorn even went to the extreme of posting an antisemitic illustration of Jesus on the cross, wrapped in Palestinian symbols and surrounded by soldiers, with the caption “They killed him again. Merry Christmas.”

#jesus #jesus christ #christmas #jesus was a palestinian

[beardedmrbean]

Weird question what is the importance of Jerusalem for Christians and Jews? Was Jerusalem the capital of ancient Israel and why Christians like the Templars wanted to retake it?

I got long, I'm gonna TL:DR; at the end ____________________

Jerusalem was the capital of the united kingdom of Israel, well after Saul at least David moved it there and Solomon built the temple there on the piece of land that is called "the temple mount" in English at least which is the single holiest site in Judaism, which if you speak to the remaining Samaritans you will hear different since they claim to be the ones following the true way and their capital was Samaria and their temple was on Mount Gerizim that was after the split of united Israel after the death of Solomon got Judea and Samaria.

Babylonians came in and destroyed and looted the first temple Solomon's Temple in in 587 BC, Assyrians had gotten Samaria and scattered it's people to the wing the best they could getting us The Ten Lost Tribes.

Eventually the Persian empire, (guys from the battle of Thermopylae aka 300 Spartan thing) KO'd the Babylonian empire and they were a lot nicer and also understood the politics of not getting in the way of local faiths because that's one of those things people will die for.

So Cyrus the Great gave his cup-bearer Nehemiah permission to go home and rebuild his city and its temple, so construction on the Second Temple started in 516 BC. (there's lots of extrabiblical stuff to back this up btw, in case you wondered it's not all just stuff from the Torah, names may be different that's fine tho) Ezekiel came in and rededicated it and began teaching "The Law ™" and over time it was expanded and eventually Herod the Great (same one from the Christmas story that killed all the babies looking for Jesus) got it all done and if we look at the timeline and that little bit of info about Herod we can see why Christians are so attached to the place too.

The Temple held the Holy of Holies, which is where the Ark of the Covenant (from Indiana Jones, lol) was kept had the original 10 commandment tablets a jar of mana and Aaron's staff in it and the actual location was considered the conduit between this world and the other, inelegant way to put it but still. It's where the high priest could go once a year and offer a sacrifice for the people, on Yom Kippur the holiest day in both Judaism and Samaratinsim (they agree mazel tov) I remember something about a rope being tied to their leg and they had to wear bells just in case they were "smited" and needed to be "removed" not sure how real that is.

With all of that it should be fairly simple to figure out why Jewish people are so attached to it, and the Jesus connection what with the whole bit about the money changers and flipping tables taking place in the courtyard of that temple, the whole last bit of each of the gospels starting well before the triumphal entrance on what Christians call Palm Sunday all the way through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension that was all in and around Jerusalem.

Jews were ending their Passover Seder with L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim (Next year in Jerusalem) starting somewhere in the 1400's from what I can see as a wish to be able to go home and worship and fellowship in their own homeland among other reasons.

So here we have the previously mentioned Temple Mount

That bit where it says "Western Wall" is a remnant from the 2nd temple, Jesus touched that and may have taught while using it to shade himself it's all happened there.

The city is in the DNA of every Jewish person and by extension Christians though not as deeply ingrained.

Then we get to Islam, as you see in the image up there they built a mosque on top of the location for the Jewish Temple, it's how history works may have been some middle finger flipping when it happened but as history goes that's how a invading conquering force does thing, always have.

Dome of the rock there on the inside looks like this

The exposed bit there is goes by several names, "Foundation Stone" is one, it's believed by (some) Jews that this is the location where the Holy of Holies was/is and for Muslims it's where Muhammad ascended went on his "night journey" spoke directly to both Moses and Allah to get the law for Muslims some of it at least.

Spot under that rock is the "well of souls" bet you can guess what significance that has.

So bringing it all together and hitting the TL:DR at the same time. _____________________________-

TL:DR; all 3 Abrahamic faiths are very attached to the city of Jerusalem and its surrounding area because it plays a central part in the stories of them.

Jews were there first so they get the strongest claim imho but as it sits it is a holy and revered site for all 3 faiths because it's deeply connected to them all both physically and spiritually.

Slightly less holy to Muslims since their temple mount buildings are just the third most sacred place in Islam, but still dreadfully sacred. ______________

Sorry this was really long, hope it was slightly interesting at least if you read it, it's as accurate as I could make it without spending a lot more time fact checking myself too.

#anonymous

[argumntativantitheticldreamgirl]

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This Easter, let’s not try to pretend Jesus was a ‘Palestinian Jew’

By Paula Fredriksen

March 28, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Paula Fredriksen, Aurelio professor of scripture emerita at Boston University, is a historian of ancient Christianity and the author of “When Christians Were Jews” and “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

Easter marks the resurrection of Jesus, but this year the holiday comes with a twist: Jesus resurrected as Palestinian. Never mind that Jesus was born and died a Jew in Judaea. From the pronouncement of a member of Congress to the pages of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Jesus is now heralded as a “Palestinian” or, more delicately, as a “Palestinian Jew.”

Jesus made an appearance on social media as a “Palestinian” around Christmas, and the meme has flourished since then. The gambit casts 1st-century Jews in the role of an occupying power and “Palestinians” as their victims. Just as Herod, the king of Judaea in Jesus’ time, persecuted the “Palestinian” holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, so, too, goes the claim, is modern Israel an occupying power persecuting Palestinians today.

So caught up were these advocates in their own spin that they mischaracterized reality. In a Christmastime post on Instagram, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned modern Israelis as “right-wing forces violently occupying Bethlehem.” But Bethlehem has been administered by the Palestinian Authority since 1995. Once a significant majority there, the Christian population plunged from 86 percent in 1950 to less than 12 percent in 2016.

As for the Gaza Strip, it is even less hospitable to Christians. As the New Yorker reported in January, a count by the Catholic Church in Gaza, “once home to a thriving Christian community,” found just 1,017 Christians, amid a population of more than 2 million. After seizing control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas ended the designation of Christmas as a public holiday and discouraged its celebration. The dwindling population of Gazan Christians has been harassed, intimidated, even murdered. Were Jesus to show up in modern-day Gaza, he would find an extremely hostile environment.

So how did Jesus end up “Palestinian”?

Roughly 3,000 years ago, on the eastern rim of the Mediterranean, a coastal confederation of five cities stretched from Gaza into Lebanon. The Bible refers to this zone as Philistia, the land of the Philistines. In 430 B.C., the Greek historian Herodotus, translating this term, gestured toward the broader area as “Palaistinē.”

To the east, the region of the biblical highlands was called Yehudah. The name predates Herodotus by centuries. By Jesus’ lifetime, the Romans labeled this whole area, coast and highlands together, as “Judaea,” a Latinization of “Yehudah.” The people living in Judaea were called “Iudaei”: “Judeans” or “Jews.” Their temple in Jerusalem, the focus of their ancestral worship since the first millennium B.C., was sacred to Jesus, which is why the gospels depict him as journeying there for pilgrimage holidays. An ethnic Judean, Jesus was, accordingly, a Jew.

Where, then, did the name “Palestine” come from? From a foreign imperial colonizing power: Rome. Judeans revolted twice against the Romans. The first revolt, from A.D. 66 to 73, reached an awful climax with the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Still, Rome kept “Judaea” as the region’s designation. But in A.D. 132-135, the Jews again revolted. By that point, Rome had had enough. The empire changed the administrative name of the region to “Syria-Palestina” — a full century after Jesus’ death. It was a deliberate way to “de-Judaize” the territory by using the throwback term for the coastal Philistines.

What does this mean? It means that Jesus was not “Palestinian.” Nor was he a “Palestinian Jew.” This is so for a simple reason: There was no political entity called “Palestine” in his lifetime. If Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he was born in Judaea as a Jew. He certainly died as one, under Rome’s heavy hand — the political condition that led to the two Jewish revolts.

It was Roman colonizers who changed the name of Judaea to Palestine.

Why rehearse this well-known history? Because now, in the current crisis, even Jesus is being enlisted for attacks on Israel. Calling Jesus a “Palestinian” or even a “Palestinian Jew” is all about modern politics. Besides being historically false, the claim is inflammatory. For two millennia, Jews have been blamed for Jesus’ execution by the Romans; casting him as a Palestinian just stokes the fires of hate, using Jesus against Jews once again.

It is, further, an act of cultural and political appropriation — and a clever rhetorical move. It rips Jesus out of his Jewish context. And it rips 1st-century Jews — and 21st-century Israeli Jews — out of their ancestral homeland, turning them into interlopers. This is polemic masquerading as history.

There have already been too many casualties since Oct. 7. Let’s not allow history to be one of them.

#leftist antisemitism #leftist hypocrisy #antisemitism

[drwilfredwaterson]

Deranged, Destitute, and Dishonest Dementia Dummy donnie j. dump Doesn't Get To Be The Republican Presidential Nominee Anymore…Mwahahahahahahahahaa!!! A March 18, 2024 Update For All Political Debate Lovers! Part 16/17

Earthquake: 2024-03-14 22:00:39 GMT+3 Jerusalem, Israel, 15:00:39 EDT Local Time Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ Matthew 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

John 19:38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. John 19:39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Acts 19:39 And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly.

Matthew 2:1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, Matthew 2:2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. Luke 5:2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. Luke 5:3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Luke 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Luke 5:5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Luke 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. Luke 5:7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, Luke 5:10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 116 and 117: Exodus 3:1 Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Exodus 3:2 And angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. Exodus 3:3 Moses said, "I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn't the bush burn up?" Exodus 3:4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am." Exodus 3:5 And He said, "Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. Exodus 3:6 I am," He said, "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:7 And the Lord continued, "I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings. Exodus 3:8 I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Exodus 3:9 Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me; moreover, I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Exodus 3:10 Come, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt."

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 1796, 1797, and 1798: Esther 8:1 That very day King Ahasuerus gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Mordecai presented himself to the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her. Esther 8:2 The king slipped off his ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property. Esther 8:3 Esther spoke to the king again, falling at his feet and weeping, and beseeching him ot avert the evil plotted by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. Esther 8:4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, and Esther arose and stood before the king. Esther 8:5 "If it please Your Majesty," she said, "and if I have won your favor and the proposal seems right to Your Majesty, and if I am pleasing to you--let dispatches be written countermanding those which were written by Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, embodying his plot to annihilate the Jews throughout the king's provinces. Esther 8:6 For how can I bear to see the disaster wich will befall my people! And how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred!" Esther 8:7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "I have given Haman's property to Esther, and he has been impaled on the stake for scheming against the Jews. Esther 8:8 And you may further write with regard to the Jews as you see fit. [Write it] in the king's name and seal it with the king's signet, for an edict that has been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet may not be revoked." Esther 8:9 So the king's scribes were summoned at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, that is, the month of Sivan; and letters were written, at Mordecai's dictation, to the Jews and to the satraps, the governors and the officials of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia: to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. Esther 8:10 He had them written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet. Letters were dispatched by mounted couriers, riding steeds used in the king's service, bred of the royal stud, Esther 8:11 to this effect: The king has permitted the Jews of every city to assemble and fight for their lives; if any people or province attacks them, they may destroy, massacre, and exterminate its armed force together with women and hcildren, and plunder their possessions-- Esther 8:12 on a single day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. Esther 8:13 The text of the document was to be issued as a law in every single province: it was to be publicly displayed to all the peoples, so that the Jews should be ready for that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

Earthquake: M 2.2 - 5.4 km (3.4 mi) NNE of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

2024-03-14 19:00:39 (UTC) 40.663°N 74.753°W 8.7 km depth

By The Meadows at Oldwick and Fisher Road near Rockaway Creek, Bartles Farm Lane, Oldwick Road, Oldwick Fire Company, and an Oldwick, NJ U.S. Post Office.

40.663°N

Strong's Concordance #40 Abimelek: From 'ab and melek; Father of (the) king; "My Father is king," a Philistine name, also an Israelite name Original Word: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ

Strong's Concordance #663 Apheq: from 'aphaq (in the sense of strength); fortress; the name of several places in Palestine Original Word: אֲפֵק

74.753°W

Strong's Concordance #74 Abner: from 'ab and niyr; Father of light (i.e. Enlightening); "My Father is a lamp," an Israelite name Original Word: אַבְנֵר

Strong's Concordance #753 orek: From 'arak; forever, eternity, length, long. Original Word: אֹרֶךְ

My Father is your G-d, I will light an eternal candle (Hebrew): אֲבִי מֶ לֶ ךְ אֲפֵק אַ בְ נֵר אֹרֶ ךְ My Father is the King of Israel (Yiddish): אֲבִי מֶלֶ ךְ אֲפֵ קאַ בְ נֵר אֹ רֶ ךְ

“Who has been unhooking the stars without my permission, and putting them on the table in the guise of candles?” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that receives it.” ― Edith Wharton

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” ― Anne Frank

“Like it or not, we either add to the darkness of indifference and out-and-out evil which surrounds us, or we light a candle to see by.” ― Madeleine L'Engle

“The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle.” ― Albert Einstein

Mark 16:1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Mark 16:2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. Mark 16:3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. Mark 16:5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Mark 16:7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Matthew 4:19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Wilfred: "He who wants peace"

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 974 and 975: Isaiah 55:1 Ho, all who are thirsty, Come for water, even if you have no money; Come, buy food and eat: Buy food without money, Wine and milk without cost. Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain or snow drops from heaven And returns not there, But soaks the earth And makes it bring forth vegetation, Yielding seed for sowing and bread for eating, Isaiah 55:11 So is the word that issues from My mouth: It does not come back to Me unfulfilled, But performs what I purpose, Achieves what I sent it to do.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English): Pages 863 and 864: Isaiah 9:1 The people that walked in darkness Have seen a brilliant light; On those who dwelt in a land of gloom Light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 You have magnified that nation, Have given it great joy; They have rejoiced before You As they rejoice at reaping time, As they exult When dividing spoil. Isaiah 9:3 For the yoke that they bore And the stick on their back--the rod of their taskmaster--You have broken as on the day of Midian. Isaiah 9:4 Truly, all the boots put on to stomp with And all the garments donned in infamy Have been fed to the flames, Devoured by fire. Isaiah 9:5 For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us, And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named "The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler"-- Isaiah 9:6 In token of abundant authority And of peace without limit Upon David's throne and kingdom, That it may be firmly established In justice and in equity Now and evermore. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts Shall bring this to pass.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English): Page 1006: Jeremiah 2:11 Has any nation changed its gods Even though they are no-gods? But My people has exchanged its glory For what can do no good. Jeremiah 2:12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; Be horrified, utterly dazed!--says the Lord. Jeremiah 2:13 For My people have done a twofold wrong: They have forsaken Me, the Fount of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, Which cannot even hold water.

The Building Blocks of the Temples/Vessels/Cisterns of Human Hearts, Minds, Bodies, Souls, and Spirits… The basic elements that compose DNA are five atoms: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and hydrogen. (CDC.gov) Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Alef א Carbon is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. Vav ו Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Zayin ז Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. Chet/Het ח Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Samekh ס

DNA: Alef א, Vav ו, Zayin ז, Chet/Het ח, Samekh ס

Oasis: אוזחס A fertile spot in a desert, where water is found. By weight, the average adult human is approximately 70% water, and the average child is approximately 60% water. (Wikipedia)

It really is true that "Trash Always Takes Itself Out If You Just Wait For It" and "Everything Works Out Okay in The End. If It's Not Okay, It's Not The End."

3-8-2024 - Fish Hook https://suntoday.lmsal.com/sdomedia/SunInTime/2024/03/08/l_HMImag.jpg

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1430: Psalm 18:34 who made my legs like a deer's, and let me stand firm on the heights;

Strong's Concordance #56 abal: to bewail -- lament, mourn. Original Word: אָבַל

“Did anybody ever hear of the great Alphonse Capone, Al Capone, great, great head of the mafia, right? Mean, Scarface. He had a scar that went from here to here, and he didn't mind at all. But he was a rough guy.”“Now, I heard he was indicted once — a couple of people told me a few times more — but I was indicted four times. If he had dinner with you and if he didn’t like the way you smiled at him at dinner, he would kill you. You’d be dead. By the time you walked out of the nice restaurant, you would be dead. He got indicted once. I got indicted four times. Over bullshit, I got indicted.” - Deranged and Destitute Dishonest Dementia Dummy donnie j. dump (Reno, Nevada December 17, 2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Everyone's Laughing At "NEW CAPTAIN" taserface…

May 5, 2017 (125th day) Duration: 2:12 (132 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xbGv9vfhOY 4xbGv9vfhOY (4, 9) xbGvvfhOY bfghovvxy 2+6+7+8+50+700+700+300+400=2173. 2173+4+9=2186. 2186+132=2318. 2318+125=2443.

Strong's Concordance #2443 chakkah: a hook, fishhook Original Word: חַכָּה

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1364: Habakkuk 1:14 You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler. Habakkuk 1:15 He has fished them all up with a line, Pulled them up in his trawl, And gathered them in his net. That is why he rejoices and is glad. Habakkuk 1:16 That is why he sacrifices to his trawl And makes offerings to his net; For through them his portion is rich Anjd his nourishment fat. Habakkuk 1:17 Shall he then keep emptying his trawl, And slaying nations without pity?

February 12, 1933: “Bloody Sunday” riots in Berlin lead to the death of one Communist and injuries to hundreds of other citizens, including Jews. Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/holocaust-chronology-of-1933

February 12, 1933: The first offense to fall under the new U.S. Federal Kidnapping Act took place in Denver, when wealthy stockbroker Charles Boettcher II was abducted from his home and held hostage by Verne Sankey and Gordon Alcorn. Boettcher was released after payment of a $60,000 ransom. His captors became the subject of a nationwide manhunt and were captured in 1934. Sankey committed suicide while waiting to be arraigned, and Alcorn was sentenced to life in prison. (Wikipedia)

February 12, 1938: Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg traveled to meet with Hitler. Schuschnigg expected to discuss the tensions between Austria and Germany. But Hitler was ready to take full control of Austria. He made a series of demands that included the following: Austria’s foreign and military policies were to be coordinated with Germany’s; Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart was to be placed in charge of policing and security matters; Austrian Nazis who had been imprisoned by the Austrian government were to be amnestied. Hitler used the presence of several German generals to intimidate Schuschnigg. Schuschnigg gave in and signed the agreement. Named after the town where it was signed, this agreement is known as the Berchtesgaden Agreement. It undermined Austrian sovereignty and independence. Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-territorial-aggression-the-anschluss

February 12, 1945: The Treaty of Varkiza was signed in which the Greek resistance agreed to disarm and relinquish control of all the territory it occupied in exchange for legal recognition, free elections, and the removal of Nazi collaborators from the armed forces and police. (Wikipedia)

April 9, 1938: Hitler spoke in Vienna to a national audience on the eve of the referendum on the Anschluss, making a final appeal to vote in its favor. "Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich that was enacted on 13 March 1938 and do you vote for the party of our leader Adolf Hitler?" According to some Gestapo reports, only a quarter to a third of Austrian voters in Vienna were in favour of the Anschluss, while in most rural areas, especially in Tyrol, the support for the Anschluss was even lower. (Wikipedia)

April 9, 1945: On April 9, the Nazis put to death Georg Elser, the cabinetmaker whose bomb placed in Munich’s Bürgerbräukeller just missed killing Hitler on November 8, 1939 (the dictator abruptly departed the commemoration of the Beer Hall Putsch minutes before the device detonated). Elser, who had only recently been transferred to Dachau after spending much of the war in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, was executed with a shot in the back of the neck on the orders of Heinrich Himmler. Source: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/last-days-dachau-concentration-camp

#donald trump #trump 2024 #gop #republican #republicans #conservatives #evangelicals #elections 2024 #2024 elections #2024 presidential election #us politics #american politics #politics #us government #american government #government #holy bible #bible study #bible scripture #bible verse #Youtube

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Monday, April 8, 2024

march 26_April 8

Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

Troparion

Gabriel, commander of the heavenly hosts, / we who are unworthy beseech you, / by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory, / and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you: / “Deliver us from all harm, for you are the commander of the powers on high!”

The Lord chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce to the Virgin Mary the Incarnation of the Son of God from Her to the great rejoicing of all mankind. Therefore, on the day after the Feast of the Annunciation, the day the All-Pure Virgin is glorified, we give thanks to the Lord and venerate His messenger Gabriel, who contributed to the mystery of our salvation.

Gabriel, the holy Archistrategos (Leader of the Heavenly Hosts), is a faithful servant of the Almighty God. He announced the future Incarnation of the Son of God to those of the Old Testament; he inspired the Prophet Moses to write the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), he announced the coming tribulations of the Chosen People to the Prophet Daniel (Dan. 8:16, 9:21-24); he appeared to Saint Anna (July 25) with the news that she would give birth to the Virgin Mary.

The holy Archangel Gabriel remained with the Holy Virgin Mary when She was a child in the Temple of Jerusalem, and watched over Her throughout Her earthly life. He appeared to the Priest Zachariah, foretelling the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist.

The Lord sent him to Saint Joseph the Betrothed in a dream, to reveal to him the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God from the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and warned him of the wicked intentions of Herod, ordering him to flee into Egypt with the divine Infant and His Mother.

When the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His Passion, the Archangel Gabriel, whose very name signifies “Man of God” (Luke. 22:43), was sent from Heaven to strengthen Him.

The Myrrh-Bearing Women heard from the Archangel the joyous news of Christ’s Resurrection (Mt.28:1-7, Mark 16:1-8).

Mindful of the holy Archangel Gabriel's manifold appearances and his zealous fulfillment of God’s will and confessing his intercession for Christians before the Lord, the Orthodox Church calls upon its children to pray to the great Archangel with faith and love.

The Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel is also celebrated on July 13. All the angels are commemorated on November 8.

VENERABLE MALCUS OF CHALCIS , MONK IN SYRIA  (4th c.)

The Life of Saint Malchus, the Captive Monk, was written by St. Jerome in his monastery in Bethlehem. The composition is original in that St. Jerome reports the solitary man telling his own life story to him.

I was an only child and tenant of a small farm at Nisibis. When my parents were coercing me to marry because I was the last descendant of the family and their sole heir, I told them that I preferred to be a monk. With what threats my father assailed me, with what coaxing my mother pursued me to betray my chastity, you can judge by the fact that I left both home and my parents.

In Bethlehem, St. Jerome writes the story Malchus told him since I could not go to the East because of the proximity of Persia and the Roman guard, I turned to the West, taking very few provisions, merely enough to keep me alive. To be brief, I finally reached the desert of Chalcis. There, having found a community of monks, I placed myself under their guidance, earning my living by the toil of my hands and curbing the lust of the flesh with fasting.

After many years, the thought occurred to me that I should return to my native land while my mother was still alive (I had heard of my father’s death) to comfort her in her widowhood. After her death, I could sell our possessions, give part of the proceeds to the poor, erect a monastery with another part, and (why should I blush to confess my infidelity) reserve the rest to take care of my own needs.

My Abbot protested that my desire to return home was a temptation from the Devil and that under a virtuous pretext lay concealed the snares of our ancient enemy; in other words, the dog was returning to its vomit.

Many monks, he said, had been deceived in this way, for the Devil never comes without disguises. When persuasion failed, he begged me on his knees not to desert him, not to ruin myself, not to look back having put my hand to the plough.

Alas, miserable creature that I am, I did not relent. He escorted me from the monastery as if he were attending a corpse in a funeral procession. Bidding me a last farewell, he said: “I see, my son, that you are marked by the brand of Satan. I do not seek the causes nor do I accept excuses. The sheep that leaves the sheepfold straightway exposes itself to the teeth of the wolf.”

I decided to travel in company to decrease the danger of surprise attack by nomad Saracens, always wandering back and forth on the road. There were about 70 in my company, men women and children. Suddenly, Ishmaelites, riding upon horses and camels, descended upon us in a startling attack. We were seized, scattered and carried off in different directions. A woman of the company and I fell by lot into the hands of the same master.

The slave Malchus is content tending sheep in solitude and prayerWe were lifted up onto camels and traveled through the vast desert until we arrived at its heart, where the master’s household was. There I was assigned the task of pasturing the sheep and, in contrast to the evils I might have been subjected to, I enjoyed the comfort of rarely seeing my master and fellow slaves.

Alone in the desert, I lived on cheese and milk; I prayed continually; I sang the psalms I had learned in the monastery. In fact, I was delighted with my captivity and I thanked God for his judgment, for the monk whom I had nearly lost in my own country I had found again in the desert.

But nothing is ever safe from the Devil. How multiple and unspeakable are his deceits. My master, seeing his herd increase and finding in me nothing of fraud – for I obeyed the Apostle’s injunction that masters were to be served as faithfully as God himself – desired to reward me to better insure my fidelity. So he offered me in marriage the woman slave who had been taken captive with me.

When I refused and said that I was a Christian and it was not lawful for me to have for wife one whose husband was living (her husband had been captured with us and carried off by another master), my implacable master was seized with fury. Drawing his sword he started to attack me. If I had not made haste to throw my arm about the woman, he would have shed my blood then and there.

All too soon for me, night came on, darker than usual. I led my new bride into a ruined cave nearby. Realizing the full force of my captivity and, throwing myself down on the ground, I began to lament and sob for the monk I was on the point of losing. “Of what avail to have renounced parents, country, property for the Lord, if I now do the very thing that I would not do when I renounced them. What shall I do, my soul, perish or conquer?”

Prepared to turn the blade of my sword against myself rather than suffer the death of the soul, I told the woman, “Farewell, unhappy woman. I am yours to have as a martyr rather than a husband.”

Then to my surprise, the woman threw herself at my feet and beseeched me not shed my blood, for she said, even if her husband would return to her, she would preserve the chastity that captivity had taught her and would rather die than lose it.

“Take me, therefore, as a spouse in chastity,” she said, “and love the bond of the soul rather than that of the body. Let our master believe you a husband; Christ will know the brother.”

I confess that I was amazed and, admiring the virtue of that woman, I loved her more than if she were my spouse. Never, however, did I look upon her nude body; never did I touch her flesh, fearing to lose in peace what I had preserved in conflict.

Many days passed in wedlock of this kind. Our marriage rendered us more pleasing to our master; there was no suspicion of flight. Sometimes I was absent for a whole month, all alone, the trusted shepherd of the flock...to be continued

ISAIAH 14:24-32

24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?” 28 This is the burden that came in the year that King Ahaz died. 29 “Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent. 30 The firstborn of the poor will feed, And the needy will lie down in safety; I will kill your roots with famine, And it will slay your remnant. 31 Wail, O gate! Cry, O city! All you of Philistia are dissolved; For smoke will come from the north, And no one will be alone in his appointed times.” 32 What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, And the poor of His people shall take refuge in it.

GENESIS 8:21-9:7

21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 “But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require man's life. 6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.”

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternorthodoxchurch #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #wisdom #saints

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

6th January >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

The Epiphany of the Lord

Or

6th January (before Epiphany).

The Epiphany of the Lord

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

First Reading Isaiah 60:1-6 Above you the glory of the Lord appears.

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.

Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried.

At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;

camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13

R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

O God, give your judgement to the king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgement.

R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts shall pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.

R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor.

R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

Second Reading Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6 It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance.

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation Matthew 2:2

Alleluia, alleluia! We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 2:1-12 The visit of the Magi.

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

-------------------------------------------------

6th January (before Epiphany) 

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

First Reading 1 John 5:5-13 There are three witnesses: the Spirit and the water and the blood.

Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness – since the Spirit is the truth – so that there are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and all three of them agree. We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater, and this is God’s testimony, given as evidence for his Son. Everybody who believes in the Son of God has this testimony inside him; and anyone who will not believe God is making God out to be a liar, because he has not trusted the testimony God has given about his Son. This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son; anyone who has the Son has life, anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.

I have written all this to you so that you who believe in the name of the Son of God may be sure that you have eternal life.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:12-15,19-20

R/ O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! or R/ Alleluia!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates he has blessed the children within you.

R/ O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! or R/ Alleluia!

He established peace on your borders, he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command.

R/ O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! or R/ Alleluia!

He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees.

R/ O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! or R/ Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation cf. Mark 9:6

Alleluia, alleluia! The heavens opened and the Father’s voice resounded ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Alleluia

Either:

Gospel Mark 1:6-11 'You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you'.

In the course of his preaching John said: ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Luke 3:23-38 Genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of Adam, son of God.

When he started to teach, Jesus was about thirty years old, being the son, as it was thought, of Joseph son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Symeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel Luke 3:23,31-34,36,38 Genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of Adam, son of God.

When he started to teach, Jesus was about thirty years old, being the son, as it was thought, of Joseph son of Heli,… son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor,… son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech,… son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY Feast Day: Sunday After Christmas

"Just as the Holy Family survived all its crises through love for each other and faith in God, we pray during this Mass that our families will conquer all difficulties through love for each other and faith in God." -Fr. Tommy Lane

The family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were holy, because the Holy Spirit dwelt among them.

Joseph, a carpenter by profession, was a chaste husband and a responsible father. He perfectly fulfilled the will of God according to Paul's letter to the Colossians: 'Husbands, love your wives. Fathers, do not nag your children, lest they lose heart.'

Mary, the virgin mother of Christ, was a loving wife and a tender mother. Being an illustrious woman, she took good care of the needs of her family. Through Paul's letter to the Colossians: 'she was obedient to her husband, as is proper in the Lord.'

Under their care, Jesus 'grew in wisdom, age and favor before God and man.'

The family of Jesus experienced poverty, persecution and exile. After the departure of the Three Wise Men (the Magi), the angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: 'Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.'

Joseph took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt, where they stayed until the death of Herod. Afterwards, Gabriel appeared in a dream to Joseph and said: 'Rise, and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.' He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to dwell at Nazareth in Galilee.

O Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We love you and save our souls!

#random stuff #catholic #feast day #holy family #sagrada familia

[likeabxrdinflight]

Because it's holy week and easter is upon us, I kind of want to talk more about that story and what I think is the historical context that people really ought to understand about it. Because I think it's too easy to forget who the historical Jesus likely was and where he came from.

(this got so long and I'm not sorry)

I'm going to start off by saying this is coming from an ex-catholic who no longer believes in the divinity of Jesus. I'm only interested in the historical figure, who I believe was a man and only a man. I am, however, operating under the assumption that he and the key characters surrounding him did actually exist (this is the predominant historical view and so unless convincingly refuted, this is what I'm going with.)

So the historical and sociocultural context of the figure that is Jesus is that of Second Temple Judaism in the Roman-occupied land once known as Judea. This context matters because without these circumstances, there is no Jesus or anyone like him.

Now Second Temple Judaism was slightly different from the Rabbinical Judaism that exists today, because Second Temple Judaism was focused on just that- the Temple. This Temple was grand and beautiful, and was the center of Jewish worship in Jerusalem. But the Temple existed in a city controlled by Rome.

Now Rome took a somewhat...quid pro quo approach to its conquest. The Roman powers allowed the Jews to live and practice their faith and culture, but it was with the understanding that they not challenge Roman rule. Rome would assign a prefect to govern the area (enter Pontius Pilate), but Jewish authorities were allowed to maintain their roles as well- think figures like Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee, and the High Priests of Jerusalem. They were allowed to govern Jewish law and life, but it was with the understanding that at the end of the day, they were still answerable to Roman authority. As such, these figures tended to be more sympathetic to Rome, or at the very least, deferential to it. I'm certain they were not a hivemind and there were likely vastly differing opinions among them, but as a general rule, the Roman authorities were more likely to tolerate Jewish authority figures who at the bare minimum tolerated the occupation in return.

That, however, did not mean that the Jewish people did. And this is where figures like Jesus come in. Now, what we know about Jesus is limited, and most of it is coming from the most obviously biased sources in existence- the gospels. But if we take the gospels as at least possessing some elements of the true history, we can do some extrapolating. So during the Second Temple period, there were multiple schools of Jewish thought. There were the Sadducees, who favored Hellenization, the Pharisees, who resisted it (and later became the foundation for Rabbinic Judaism), the Zealots, which was largely a political movement aimed at freeing Judea from Roman occupation, and the Essenes, who were a mystic and fairly apocalyptic sect. Jesus probably started off as an Essene, or at the very least, he was heavily influenced by them. John the Baptist likely was as well.

I mean, let me describe some aspects of Essene practices and theology for a moment: they valued service to others and refused to own slaves, their priests were often celibate, they led communal lives, were quite peaceful and non-violent (only carrying weapons for self-defense), did not approve of expressions of anger, and believed in a coming apocalypse. So while there's no hard evidence that Jesus was ever an Essene...you can see the connection.

Notably, the Essenes believed that at the time of the apocalypse, God would establish a new Kingdom on Earth, in which evil (which was likely thought to be Rome and those who support it) would be vanquished and good restored. This was likely the foundation for Jesus' ideas about "the Kingdom of Heaven" as recorded in the gospels. Apocalyptic thinking in this time was a response to Roman occupation, those in power who enabled it, and the long history of conquest and oppression of the Jewish people in that region. You cannot separate Jesus' specific brand of apocalyptic thought from this very specific, very Jewish context.

Now, I don't think Jesus stayed purely an Essene, if he ever really was one (they had a long initiation process so it's entirely possible he never went through that formally). But I suspect that when he began his own ministry in Galilee, the faction that ended up following him was something of an offshoot of the Essenes that incorporated other Jews from other schools of thought (i.e., Simon the Zealot).

What exactly Jesus' followers believed and thought about him in the moment (never mind what Jesus thought about himself,) is likely lost to history. The only sources we have on the man and his followers come from several decades after his death. Some might have considered him a wise man and teacher. Some might have seen him as a mystic, or a healer. Others might have considered him a prophet. But I think it's undeniable that at least some believed him to be the Messiah.

And then Pilate crucifies him.

I can't imagine the trauma of watching a man you believed to be wise, and good, and holy, and possibly the Messiah of your entire people, be murdered in such a cruel and inhuman way. I can't imagine what that does to a person, and I can't imagine how specifically traumatizing witnessing or even hearing about a crucifixion must have been. This was one of the most brutal punishments ever created. It was psychologically torturous to the people the Romans occupied, and it was designed to be this way on purpose. The cruelty was very much the point, as it kept dissenters in line and scared the people into submission. It was so effective that Roman citizens themselves were not allowed to be crucified. Romans didn't talk about crucifixion, it was something so unspeakably horrific that the only way to tolerate its existence was to turn a blind eye and dehumanize the victims.

My point being, and I'll be bold enough to say this- I don't think Jesus ever rose from the dead. But I do suspect that stories about resurrection began to spread as a way of coping with this horrific trauma. Who knows how such stories began- perhaps those closest to Jesus developed hallucinations, or perhaps believed they saw an apparition of him, or someone they mistook as him- there's no way to know. It's possible it was all a lie meant to keep the message alive even when the man was dead. But who could blame them, after something like that? So the stories spread, and they must have given people who'd followed Jesus hope, and something to believe in. If Jesus didn't die after all, and he was still with them, then there was still hope that the Kingdom of Heaven would indeed come to pass- and the horror of Roman occupation would end. The Temple would be free and Jerusalem would once again belong solely to the Jews.

So the Jesus Movement continued to exist, and the message of Jesus continued to spread within the Jewish world- and it got a pretty wide reach throughout the Mediterranean. It is during this period that Paul's letters are written (y'all know Paul). Notably, Paul, who was himself Jewish and likely a former Zealot, documents some of the disagreements among the Jesus followers of the day. Most importantly, I think, is a significant disagreement he has with Peter, in which Paul advocated that Gentiles should be allowed to receive the message of Jesus without needing to convert to Judaism and be circumcised. Peter disagreed, and because Peter was...well, Peter, and had more authority within the movement, it's thought that in this period, most (but certainly not all) followers of Jesus were still Jews.

(like Peter I also have beef with Paul but that's another post).

...and then Peter and Paul are killed. And not 40 years after the crucifixion, the Temple is burned down by Rome after a Jewish revolt in 70 AD. And everything changes. The Essenes, Zealots, and Sadducees all disappear from the historical record following the destruction of the Temple. The Pharisees adopt a different approach to Judaism that is less centered around the Temple and more focused on the study of the Torah, which becomes Rabbinical Judaism. They had never believed Jesus (or anyone else from the Second Temple Period) to have been the Messiah, and why would they? Why would they ever listen to the followers of this one guy who got himself killed 40 years ago? Especially after the Temple burned. The idea that this guy was still the Messiah, no really we promise, would have sounded like total nonsense.

Meanwhile, the followers of Jesus begin to turn away from Judaism entirely. If Jesus really is the Messiah, then his message can't have been so specific to Judaism. It can't have been about the fall of Rome and a re-establishment of God's Kingdom on Earth. Look what just happened to the Temple. So they start evolving into what we know today as Christians, with Jesus positioned as a different kind of savior. So the two groups- no longer Pharisees and Jesus followers, but now Jews and Christians- splinter.

Paul's thoughts begin to dominate, Gentiles are incorporated more into the faith, and Christian practices begin to deviate more and more sharply from their Jewish origins. Different branches of Christianity develop, with significantly different ideas about who Jesus was and what he meant. This, notably, is the period in which the gospels are written, including the non-canonical ones. There are still some Jewish Jesus followers, but as time goes on, they too disappear from the historical record (and no, messianic "judaism" does not count, that's a modern invention). Eventually, it is only the Pauline version of Christianity that survives, which is the Christianity we know today (yes that includes all denominations thereof).

So a figure who started off as a Jew, teaching to Jews and speaking in a Jewish context about Jewish occupation and intra-Jewish theological conflicts, becomes the God of a group of Gentiles.

Primary source: From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians

#seriously though I think former christians should check out the documentary I'm citing as a good starting point to learning this history #because I do think learning the history helps with deconstructing the beliefs and frontline is top tier #when you learn where and how these beliefs originated though you can put them in their proper context #and disentangle them from your own life as a person living over 2000 years later #ex catholic tag

[childofchrist1983]

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. - Matthew 2:16-21 KJV

Many innocent children today die from preventable causes. No clean water or air, lack of adequate medical care, insufficient food and warfare are all reasons why children die. There is no reason for any of this to happen. The causes, however, are usually based on greed. Oftentimes, warfare will cause some of the other causes of death to occur because of the amount of money the government spends on the military rather than on making sure that the people have the basic necessities of life. Other times, the government leaders just don't spend the money needed but build up their own bank accounts. There are many charitable organizations which work to dig wells, provide education as to how to purify the water, and train communities in basic medical care and nutrition, but some of these organizations have trouble getting permission from the government to do the work. Parents are often forced to leave their countries because of the wars waged between government forces and those who are fighting for change. The innocent still suffer and die. This is a good day to pray for all children that they may have the basic necessities of food, water, shelter, medical care and education as well as to ask God to help us know what we can do to be part of the solution. God wants all of His creation and children to have an opportunity to live healthy prosperous lives in service to Him. May we do what we can do to serve Him and help the elderly, sick and less fortunate.

As Christians, we choose to keep Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ first in our hearts and lives and all other worldly desires behind us. He extends salvation to everyone, and we want to show the world the freedom, hope and peace they can have in accepting and following Him. May we follow and serve God daily with love, trust, awe and wonder. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ strengthen our faith, lift our spirits, protect our hearts, and show us opportunities to help bring others to Him and His Gospel Truth daily.

We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with sincere hearts to ask forgiveness and follow Him and His Holy Word and Spirit always. We praise Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the mercy He bestows upon us and we are grateful for His grace and mercy and infinite blessings. By surrendering our hearts and our lives to His will, we see all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. God our refuge and our salvation and our constant provider. We lift our voices to Him in praise for His steadfast love, mercy and understanding. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ open our minds and hearts more and more to perceive and embrace Him and His truths. May He help us to find time to pray and read and study the Holy Bible daily and to find power in prayer, praying according to His Holy Word and will. May He help us to come to Him in true repentance and with faith in Him and His grace and merciful nature. May He give us the grace, courage and strength we need to walk with Him and do His will daily. May He teach us to watch our words when we pray to Him and to speak reverently and rightly. May we continually ask God to transform our hearts and make us faithful and humble as we walk with Him daily. We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with honest, humble and repentant hearts. We must seek Him and His will and choose to follow Him all the days of our lives. May He help transform our hearts, help us to seek and live for Him above all else and to grow spiritually and build our faith and relationship with Him with each passing day. May He forgive our sinful nature and help us always make Him and our relationship with Him top priority.

As true and born-again Christians, we choose to walk in His righteous path and lead a life that is pleasing to Him. We desire Him and His will above anything else. We desire to walk in accordance with the love and light He has shown to us through His Holy Word and Spirit. We long for a deeper relationship with Him and a deeper fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. When we fall into temptation and sin, we must turn to Him for forgiveness, strength and guidance. When believers learn to walk in accordance with God's Holy Word and Spirit, they have deeper fellowship with both God and one another. And the sin that could threaten to destroy that fellowship, if confessed (1 John 1:9), is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ and no longer a barrier between us and God. May we ask Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ to forgive us for any sins we have sinned this day or in days past. May we be faithful to Him and His Holy Word always. May He help us to walk more consistently in the light and to not neglect long to confess and forsake any sins that hinder our walk with Him. May He lead us in the direction He wants us to go so that we may seek and serve Him faithfully. God is holy and almighty and deserving of all praise honor and glory. We rejoice in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, knowing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8). May our hearts always be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing. May He help us to praise Him freely and honestly like all believers who came before us. May we live a life that showcases our love and trust in Him and His Holy Word and Spirit as He uses us draw others to Him and His soul-saving Gospel Truth daily. May He continue guide, correct and protect us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, the KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[psalmonesermons]

When I make up my jewels Part 1

Malachi 3:16-18

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52

Message given at House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- (Prophetic Word)– 7th June 2000.

He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown.

Understanding intercession and revival

Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both involving Celtic peoples.

Has God forgotten the Irish?

God loves the Irish!

Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland.

The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ.

Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth?

Malachi 3

16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened,

and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the

LORD, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my

jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him

that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires.

God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown.

We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found.

His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ.

God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and

wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival.

Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air.

The Hebridean Revival 1948-52

The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland.

The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church.

Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things.

Seven men begin to change their world through prayer

As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for

the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they

met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God

reminded them of a verse of scripture in

2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive

their sin and heal their land."

They began to pray according to this verse.

God is the Covenant Keeper

And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God.

They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray

and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own

covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and

forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND."

They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His

word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the

covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of

the Hebrides.

Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer

At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also

praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island.

Simultaneous glory

One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the

barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters

were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them.

God is coming in two weeks

God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a

godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to

preach during this visitation.

Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!"

They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go

instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach.

Amen

Prayer for revival

In Part 2 we find out what happened next when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Hebrides.

#christianity #bible study #bibletruth #blog post #blessings #psalmonesermons #faith #victory #devotional #Malachi 3:17 #when he comes to make up his jewels

[mightyflamethrower]

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: The Unhinged Among Us

VICTOR DAVIS HANSONCONTRIBUTOR

November 30, 202310:42 PM ET

October 7 should have been an open-and-shut case of moral condemnation

During peace and holiday, invading Hamas gunmen murdered, tortured, mass raped, decapitated and mutilated some 1,200 Israelis. The vast majority were unarmed women, children, infants and the elderly.

The cowardly murderers proudly filmed their atrocities and then fled back to Gaza — to cheers from the Gaza street.

Before Israel even retaliated, the mass murdering of Jews earned praise from the Middle East, the international hard left and especially the faculty and students of elite Western campuses.

When the Israeli Defense Forces struck back, the killers dispersed to the safety of their multibillion-dollar subterranean cities. The cowardly elite architects of the mass murder fled to Arab sanctuaries in Lebanon and Qatar.

From its headquarters burrowed below hospitals, mosques and schools, Hamas bartered hostages for a reprieve from the IDF and the release of its own convicted terrorists in Israeli jails.

Hamas shot any of its own supporters who refused to shield Hamas gunmen.

It continued launching rockets at Israeli civilian centers. It serially lied about its casualties, expropriating intended relief food and fuel for its underground tunnel city of killers.

Abroad, Hamas supporters also emulated the methods of the pro-Nazi demonstrators in Western cities of the 1930s. Unlike their pro-Israel critics, the pro-Hamas demonstrators in the U.S. and Europe turned violent.

They took over and defaced private and public property. They chanted genocidal antisemitic slogans calling for erasure of the nation of Israel.

They interrupted shoppers, blocked highways, attacked businesses and swarmed bridges. They assaulted police.

The majority wore masks to hide their identities in the fashion of antisemitic Klansmen.

Why did the doctrinaire left, the youth of the Democratic Party and the campuses outdo each other in their antisemitic venom toward Israel?

For the first time in their lives, many of the ignorant protestors suddenly professed concern about refugees, colonialism, disproportionality, innocent civilians and the rules of war.

But none could explain why the Palestinians who fled Israel in 1947-48 still self-identify as victimized “refugees” when 900,000 Jews ethnically cleansed from Middle-East Arab cities about the same time do not.

The 200,000 Greek Cypriots driven out from norther Cyprus by Turkey apparently do not warrant “refugee’’ status either.

Few protestors knew that Jews have lived in present-day Israel for over three millennia. The longest colonialist presence there were Muslim Turks who brutally ran the Holy Land for 300 years until they lost in World War I and were expelled.

How exactly did it happen that the eighth-century A.D. Al-Aqsa Mosque was built within King Herod’s earlier Second Temple enclosure?

The pro-Hamas crowd has little appreciation that colonizing Arab Muslims have one of history’s longest records of “settling” other countries far from their historic birthland.

They “settled” and “colonized” the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Middle East, Berber North Africa and southern Spain. Millions of Middle Easterners migrated to — “settled?” — supposedly infidel European cities, where they often self-segregate, and do not assimilate fully with their magnanimous hosts.

As far as “disproportionality,” it is the goal of every power at war, Hamas included.

What protestors are furious about is that Israel is more effective at being disproportionate in retaliation than Hamas and its Iranian supporters were in their preemptive mass murdering.

Targeting innocent civilians? Hamas is among the current greatest offenders in the world.

It rockets Israeli cities without warning. It mass murders Jews in their beds during peace. It exposes Gazans to mortal danger by impressing them as human shields. Hamas shoots those who refuse.

The “rules of war” are violated by Hamas daily. Such protocols require combatants to wear uniforms not to blend in with civilians, not to use them as shields, not to murder noncombatants, not to rape them, not to mutilate them and not to execute civilians without trial.

Why then would millions ally themselves with this odious reincarnation of the SS?

Are they ignorant of the history of the Middle East?

Are they arrogant since few challenge their hate and threats?

Are they opportunists who feel mouthing anti-Western shibboleths gains them career traction in leftist-run media, academia and popular culture?

Are they bullies who count on the Western silent majority remaining quiet as they disrupt lives, trash Western tolerant culture and commit violence?

Like Hamas that they support, do they despise Jews? Why else do they express an existential hatred toward Israelis that they never display to any other group?

Those now on the street utter not a peep about the Sudanese Arab mass killers in Darfur, Chinese oppressors of the Muslim Uighurs, Russians targeting civilians in Ukraine or ISIS, Syrian and Yemeni murderers of fellow Muslims.

Yet all of these terrorist killers are guilty of the very charges the protestors falsely attribute to Israel. But they are all not Jewish — and that explains the pass given them by our antisemitic, pro-Hamas street.

[srndpt2024]

St. James the Greater, Apostle

The Holy Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, was the brother of Saint John the Theologian, and one of the Twelve Apostles. He and his brother, Saint John, were called to be Apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who called them the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). It was this James, with John and Peter, who witnessed the Raising of the Daughter of Jairus, the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Saint James, after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, preached in Spain and in other lands, and then he returned to Jerusalem. He openly and boldly preached Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, and he denounced the Pharisees and the Scribes with the words of Holy Scripture, reproaching them for their malice of heart and unbelief. He was put to death by the sword by Herod Agrippa in Jerusalem. Eusebius provides some of the details of the James’ execution (CHURCH HISTORY II, 9).

Saint James was the first of the Apostles to die as a martyr. His followers carried his body back to Spain where he preached, and his tomb at Compostela became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Western Europe.

#travel on #st james #the wanderer #all this time #rage #peavy wagner #walk #tower #monitor #breathe #eight #grow #God is a lit cave in a dark mountain

[jackiestarsister]

OUAT religion headcanons

The existence and practice of organized religion is pretty ambiguous in Once Upon a Time, and the writers play pretty fast and loose with spiritual themes.

Apparently Christianity is practiced in both the Enchanted Forest, which has bishops and churches, and Storybrooke, which has a convent and a Catholic school. The fact that there is a community of nuns in Storybrooke would necessitate the existence of at least one priest within Storybrooke to minister to them, so there is probably at least one church in the town as well.

I imagine that the Mills, Charming, and Swan-Jones families are not particularly keen on organized religion. They probably have a lot of questions and ambivalence after everything they’ve experienced across the realms. On the one hand, they know the Underworld and the Greek gods are real; on the other hand, so are aspects of Christianity like the Holy Grail.

However, I think Mary Margaret (who wears a cross pendant in the first season) and the nuns have genuine faith, and that the others would learn a little from them, as well as from their own experiences. Plus, Christianity resonates with their strong values of hope, love, grace, forgiveness, and redemption.

So, these are my headcanons:

~ Charming likes the story of David, who not only shares his name, but also was a shepherd who became a prince, faced down a giant, and had to fight a war against the jealous king who first gave him power.

~ Emma recognizes that she is much like baby Moses escaping Pharaoh by being hidden in a basket and baby Jesus escaping Herod's Massacre of the Innocents. She also identifies with Joseph’s abandonment and eventual reunion and reconciliation with his family.

~ Mary Margaret's favorite Bible verse is Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

~ Mary Margaret's favorite saint is Margaret of Scotland, who, like her, lost her father, was forced to flee her homeland, had a happy marriage in a land she did not expect to live in, and found her "happy ending" was not what she expected it to be.

~ When Hope is born, Mother Superior makes her family aware of the verse in Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." As a result, anchors become Hope's favorite nautical symbol.

~ Mary Margaret and the nuns introduce Hope to the more mythical/folkloric stories of the Bible.

~ When Emma, Hook, and Hope visit Boston, they discover the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage in the seaport. They end up visiting long enough to attend a Mass. This is Hook's first real exposure to the core beliefs of Christianity. Given his own past, he can't help being moved by what he hears about repentance, forgiveness, and redemption.

~ Hook relates to the parables about a man finding treasure and deciding to sell everything he has in order to obtain them (Matthew 13:44-46). But his favorite verse is Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

~ Hope discovers VeggieTales while looking for movies about pirates. She loves Jonah and The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. Hook finds the concept of singing vegetables utterly bizarre, but he likes the story of Jonah and the idea of a "God of Second Chances." Hope sings the songs so much that he sometimes finds himself humming them. Emma teases them by pointing out that they have, in fact, been to Boston in the fall.

#religion headcanons #Once Upon a Time headcanons #Hope Swan Jones #Christianity in fiction #religion in fiction

[troybeecham]

Today the church commemorates the beheading of John the Forerunner, Martyr.

Ora pro nobis.

St. John (Yochanan - “YHWH is gracious”) was born roughly six months before his cousin Jesus (Yeshua - “YHWH saves”). The exact year of their births is complicated by several factors: there were multiple calendar systems of that era, uncertainty as to the date of death of Herod the Great (4-1 BC), and placing the dates of the census mentioned in the infancy narratives of Jesus. Today, scholars have a range of 6-1 BC. Most scholars place the year of their birth between 6-4 BC, accepting the date of Herod the Great’s death in 4 BC. Given that Herod ordered the death of all male children in Bethlehem ages two and under suggests that John and Jesus were possibly as old as two years, making the date of their birth closer to 6 BC. We will only know for sure when the Lord returns.

The Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord Jesus his cousin, John the Baptiser, is recounted by the Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29), who provide accounts about the martyrdom of John the Baptist in the year 31/32 after the Birth of Christ (accepting that Jesus was crucified 32/33 AD).

Following the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptiser was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. (After the death of king Herod the Great, the Romans divided the territory of Israel into four parts, and put a governor in charge of each part. Herod Antipas received Galilee from the emperor Augustus).

The prophet of God John openly denounced Herod Antipas for having left his lawful wife Phasaelis of Nabatea, the daughter of Aretas IV Philopatris, king of the Nabateans, and then cohabiting with Herodias, his full sister and the wife of and full sister of his brother Herod Philip (Luke 3:19-20). On his birthday, Herod Antipas made a feast for dignitaries, the elders, and a thousand chief citizens. Salome, his neice, the daughter of Herod Philip and Herodias, danced before the guests, and Herod Antipas, so filled with lust for her, he swore to give her whatever she would ask, up to half his kingdom.

The vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked that she be given the head of John the Baptiser on a platter. Herod became apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a prophet, whom earlier he had heeded. He also feared the people, who loved the holy Forerunner. But because of the guests and his careless oath, he gave orders to cut off the head of Saint John and to give it to her.

Salome took the platter with the head of Saint John and gave it to her mother. The frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a needle and buried his holy head in a unclean place. But the pious Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptiser in an earthen vessel on the Mount of Olives, where Herod had a parcel of land. The holy body of John the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried at Sebastia.

After the murder of Saint John the Baptist (31/31 AD), Herod Antipas continued to govern for a certain time. Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent Jesus Christ to him, Whom he mocked (Luke 23:7-12).

Phasaelis fled to her father when she discovered her husband intended to divorce her in order to take a new wife, Herodias, mother of Salome. Aretas, enraged at the treatment of his daughter, invaded Herod Antipas' domain and defeated his army, partly because soldiers from the region of Herod Philip the Tetrarch (a third brother) gave assistance to King Aretas. Josephus does not identify these auxiliary troops (he calls them 'fugitives'), but Moses of Chorene identifies them as being the army of King Abgarus of Edessa. Antipas was able to escape only with the help of Roman forces.

Herod Antipas then appealed to Emperor Tiberius, who dispatched the governor of Syria, Lucius Vitellius the Elder, to attack Aretas. Vitellius gathered his legions and moved southward, stopping in Jerusalem for the passover of AD 37, when news of the emperor's death arrived. The invasion of Nabataea was never completed.

Ultimately, the judgment of God came upon Herod, Herodias, and Salome, even during their earthly life. Salome, crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell through the ice. The ice gave way in such a way that her body was in the water, but her head was trapped above the ice. It was similar to how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but now she flailed helplessly in the icy water. Thus she was trapped until that time when the sharp ice cut through her neck. Her corpse was not found, but they brought the head to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of Saint John the Baptiser.

After his defeat by Aretas, in 39 AD Herod Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa I of conspiracy against the Roman emperor Caligula (37-41 AD), who sent him into exile with Herodias in Gaul, and the to Spain, where, according to Josephus, he died at an unknown date.

In the martyrologies of almost all Churches, only Jesus Christ, Mary, and John have commemorations for both their birth and death.

Almighty God, who gave to your servant John boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

#father troy beecham #jesus #saints #god #salvation #peace #martyrs #faith #new testament #prophet #second temple judaism #early church #christianity