Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 22

1 Samuel 13

Saul's LACK of prayer to God for guidance leads to a foolish decision which would cost him leadership over the Kingdom.

Verses 13-14 show a stern rebuke from Samuel toward Saul after he decided to purposely circumvent instructions and do a sacrifice himself; something only the Priests were authorized to do. Samuel was gone for a spell; no doubt much like the story of Moses when he was gone for a while and Aaron did a pagan sacrifice to satisfy the people. In this case it was an attempt at proper procedure but again obedience is better than sacrifice ( 1 Samuel 15:22).

1 Samuel 14

Verse 37 states Saul's prayer to God.

"And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day."

This perhaps is the second sign of things getting screwed up in Saul's decisions before he became totally unhinged. In short; he received no answer from God yet when seeking out who was responsible for transgressing the vow he made with God his own son Jonathan came up. God did reveal that; but the vow itself was foolish; that being no one could eat the whole day until the battlefield campaign was completed. His son WOULD have been under the rule of this vow except for the fact that he didn't KNOW about it as everyone else DID. Also the fact that Saul wanted him dead for that shows how ridiculous it was; there was no such ontingency in the vow in the first place as a punishment. God sustained everyone but nonetheless the Lord was no doubt holding him somewhat culpable here; first of all if they hadn't had provisions right at that point something disastrous may have happened while pillaging the camp. Also if he had been right with God and he was against the army the Lord would have told him that was the case.

1 Samuel 15. The verse quoted above in verse 22 shows how Saul's Kingdom was done with after disobeying commands to destroy Anak and not killing all animals.

Prayer: The story of Samson

This series is very sobering and has caused me to feel the burden of the individuals involved. We had the prayers of Japheth where there was the bittersweet reality of victory on the battlefield along with his painful vow to God that had to be fulfilled; then all that Hannah went through with the ridicule from her husband's second wife Phineas (if I have spelled that right); AND Eli the Priest. Now we have perhaps the most tragic situation yet; Samson's last prayer which basically; you could say was having God cause his death which was like a suicide but of course was for a greater cause; namely the greatest vindication of all the episodes when he had avenged himself on the Philistines.

In the first two cases we don't read of anything wrong except for the manner in which Japheth's vow was done without much forethought. Samson; on the other hand was attracted to foreign or "strange women" who were used to satiate his carnal desires of which no doubt he attributed some of the supernatural strength which the Lord gave him to accomplish his purposes.

At first he married Timnah as we see in Judges chapter 14. This probably didn't last very long as he was caught up in anger; and his wife nagged him to where he broke down and answered a riddle that he had. Later he wanted to sleep with his wife again and apparently the father thought he hated her and he gave her to his best man from the wedding. There was another revenge attack setting fire to animal tails; then the Philistines thiemselves killed his wife and her father. Eventually his own people cooperated with the Philistines probably sensing that being under their control that Samson had gone too far; Samson was once again victorious in battle with the famous jawbone of a donkey scene. Finally; of course Delilah caused a similar thing; that is nagging until Samson revealed the source of his strength; was overcome and in his misery gave his life for one final act of revenge.

Greetings, Sister Ellen

I enjoyed a lot your reply

Knowing that we are living in perilous times, materially and spiritually, and knowing the grows of the sophisticate artificial man-made technology, my concern is about the flood the serpent may spread out through his satanic systems, trying to cause the Church to be carried away from the Truth by his flood of apostasies and traps, through corrupt and devilish messages / posts, and so on.

Revelation 13:5-10

5 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against GOD, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven ( Ephesians 1:3-8 combined with Philippians 3:20-21).

7 And it was given unto him to make WAR with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, WHOSE NAMES are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. - This is a severe warning for us -

Ephesians 6:11-17

11 Put on the whole armour of GOD, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of GOD, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of GOD:

GOD BLESS

And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

12In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

( 1 Samuel 3:11-14).

This prophecy was the fulfillment of an earlier one by an unnamed prophet in chapter 2; thus Eli perhaps gave the rather emotionless response in verse 18 "And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good." Samuel was to have

a long and successful reign as ruler in Israel; and Hannah herself had a bunch more kids after this event.

I would say that for Hannah the fact that she could rejoice even with the sadness of knowing she basically wouldn't see her son again (except for the time of sacrifices) as well as raise him through most of his childhood and early manhood shows she truly was "sold out to the Lord". We are reminded of Psalm 51 in having a humble and contrite spirit in our prayers. We can't do anything from our own resources; but we CAN promise to utilize the good gifts He has given us to further the Kingdom and be certain that it is a GOOD investment. This shows what the Lord wants us to do in giving good gifts from above. May we strive to serve in this way as well as dedicating our family to proper training in the Lord. We of course don't always know the outcome; but I would venture to say that most people who are saved have Godly parents praying for them or in some cases unknown strangers. We can see careful planning in this section of scripture to honor the resources and provisions God gives so that He is glorified!

Hannah's prayer ( 1 Samuel 1 and 2).

I should say Hannah's PRAYERS (plural). It is hard not to be emotional seeing the true grief and sadness endured by this woman of God in her situation. It is uncertain how many times or how many years she prayed for a son; but apparently her husband's other wife taunted her about this. Chapter 2 is perhaps a prayer; or better defined as a prophetic statement as to God's victory.

To add to her misery; Eli the priest saw her mouth moving and silent prayer and accused her of being drunken of which she gave a strong retort to the contrary. He got to see her prayer answered at the end of the chapter. That was another child being dedicated as we saw from the last post where a different sort of thing occured (can't remember the correct spelling of the name Jephpath?) Anyway; God was to use Samuel who would be dedicated to basically minister before the Lord as a small child to accomplish His purposes. Eli was slack in his duties; and his sons were committing sex acts with women who were offering sacrifices at the Temple as well as being so greedy they ate meat uncooked to satiate their guts rather than cooking it properly. God chose to use Samuel (after Eli guided him after waking him up twice at night when he thought he rather than God was calling Him to respond to the Lor instead) to really "stick it to them" so to speak.

I can only imagine the scene; Samuel's first message-as a child to this really old chief priest stating the God was going to judge him and his sons for their wickedness. Here it is in verses 11-14 of chapter 3 (see next post)

The prayer of Jephthah

After asking for victory in battle this prayer was given. "Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

( Judges 11:31).

The background of this man was that he was born of a prostitute as a bastard son. This didn't change him from being a character who was a man of valor on the battlefield; however and the people in desperation after servitude and God's response to them that basically he had forsaken them earlier in this narrative allowed this man to rise in prominence. After this event which he won; he would rule for a relatively short time without much more being said about him. The issue; of course was that his daughter was the first one to exit his home after he won. It would certainly appear that the sacrifice with a human being would NOT be a burnt offering; but consecration to the Lord for the rest of her life which would mean perpetual virginity based on the 2 months of mourning she had afterwards.

A big point here is how people should keep their vows to God no matter what. Psalm 15:4 is a good cross reference in regard to keeping vows even when it hurts; with many other passages in Psalms and Ecclesiastes as well as other places reinforcing that concept. We see this with the Gibeonites as well; despite the foolishness of not seeking God these people were obligated to be protected after a covenant was made. I would also add that I see marriages in the same light as well; keeping vows "till death do us part" is scriptural and therefore the Lord expects us to keep them.

We should note that nothing is really wrong with this man's intentions here except perhaps for the fact that scripture doesn't mandate in this situation that such a vow occurs in this situation. God answered his prayer with victory. We can learn to be careful what we promise God in this

You're welcome,Andre4risca,I enjoyed a lot your post.I thank you very much for your kind and wise reply.I confess that I was very surprised and amazed by your response.

Yes,among theologians,and believers,followers of them,there is a conception the Planet Earth is around 6,000 years old,what is a false conception.

In the other hand,the scientific conception about the age of the Earth also is empiric,I would say the empiric conception of science on Earth's age is also false and a nonsense.

That said,what matters and prevails is the Truth.Once the two conceptions above described are wrong,both are good for nothing,I will not be brought under the power of any,I will not allow myself to be carried away by either,but where I will find the Truth?This reminds me of Pilate.What is Truth?For me what matters is the Truth, exclusively.

What I know is that JESUS' own testimony about Himself is wonderful,and reveals to us in depth the mystery of His existence in the greatness of the Universe created by GOD,the Word,GOD Father,full of heavenly bodies,and here on Earth,specifically,He populated the planet with living beings,and sat in the CIRCLE of the Earth,as is written in Isaiah 40:21-22:

21Have ye not known?have ye not heard?hath it not been told you from the beginning?have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22It is GOD that sits upon the CIRCLE of the Earth,and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers;

I remember what JESUS said from His own existence: John 17:4-5,as follow:

4I have glorified thee-Father-on the earth:I have finished the work which thou gave me to do.( John 1:3 & 5:17,and Hebrews 1:1-2 testify about this that JESUS said.Take a look)

5And now,O Father,glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the WORLD was. John the Baptist,the angel of the LORD,testified about this,saying: John 1:18- No man hath seen GOD at any time,the only begotten Son,which is in the bosom of the Father,He has declared Him.

That's right Oseas! AI bible is (more) corrupt doctrine that the world will be drunk on from drinking.

Good Oseas, you warn 'get ready". Christian living is to live, Be watchful one may overkill it. "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."(Matt.24:42)

I do not see the point in your last para. You are stretching your rational faculties there. Let God does his work and as our Savior exhorts us, live with circumspection, and with thanks that each day it coming nearer.

Ez.37:11-14 "Out of your graves" (2 of 2)

Of their covenant with death elicited from Jesus this orediction, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." (Matt.23:38). And their agreement with hell we shall see in the great harlot, filled with all the abominations of the earth is given an epithet, 'the mystery of Babylon'. In furthering the doctrine of devils did a holocaust in the 20th century sobered her? Oh No she has learned from Lucifer how to commit every abomination of the earth as she is currently doing in Gaza. Can a leopard change her spots? This is what Isarael has become, "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus"(Re.17:4-8)

"And ye shall know that I am theLord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,/And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live"

God did not bring the nation of Israel to their own land in 1948. Before that to happen they have to have genuine contrition they are dry bones indeed and know the Redeemer Lord, "And shall put my spirit in you and you shall live. Now they are not living but are riding the devil's doctrine and the beast has to make his appearance. "The beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns./The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." These are yet to happen.

Ez.37:11-34"Out of your graves" (1 of 2)

"House of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts./Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the LordGod; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel."

God blessed man, nations in his Son. The everlasting covenant between God and Man made provisions for blessing man created "in our image" which falls under day six Ge.1:28. Subsequently the deep sleep of Adam foreshadows the rise, history of a holy family beginning with Seth in place of Abel, establishing the quality of the first born, Jesus Christ as the firstborn from the dead. It is not flesh and blood which shall inherit the kingdom of heaven,- and it is a principle that the Holy Spirit shows governing the nations. So nations may try as they wilt but their ambition and pride has cast their parentage to Satan the father of lies. The holy family or the church begins from the rib taken from Adam. To all intent and purpose the nation of Israel is in their graves. How far they have fallen back is attested by their rejection of the Son of man.

Before the mountains came forth God had set Zion as his place of habitation. "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place./And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand;"(Is.28:16-17)

Of their covenant with death elicited from Jesus this orediction, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." (Matt.23:38). And their agreement with hell we shall see in the great harlot, filled with all the abominations of the earth is given an epithet, 'the mystery of Babylon'. In furthering the doctrine of devils did a holocaust in the 20th century sobered her?

Thank you - I look forward to it S. Spencer.

Ez.37:22 "Mountains of God" (2 of 2)

"Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." Now considering what goes on in Gaza formerly a part of the land of Palestina the fruit of false doctrine is at work. "Ffor there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times./What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That theLordhath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it."(Is.14:29-31).

Zion is the focus and from which the law shall go forth "in that day". The north is set as a coordinate taken from the throne of God. It refers to the judgment."Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet:"(Is.28:16-17)

Ez.37:22 " Mountains of God" (1 of 2)

"And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations,"

We are considering now with direct reference to Judah and Jerusalem. It is not the specific we are to focus upon but toards the day of the Lord and in the last days. Compare the above verse with the quote from the Book of Isaiah. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of theLord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

The mountain of the Lord's house is New Jerusalem and it is exalted above the hills meaning that it being built in the world of the Spirit and from the vision of St John it is clear that it is Zion and New Jerusalem is in focus. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."(Re.21:2)

The heaven and the earth are now seen through the redeemed of the earth. Who are they? They are all a new creation. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Co.5:17). By literal reading one is prejudiced to fall into the trap of what Lucifer has devised. Prophet Isaiah refers to his fall, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."(2 Co.5:17). Isaiah is referring specifically of the Philistines, Assyrians and the disaster looming over Judah and Jerusalem. Our concern is to see the doctrine of men actually coming from the devil himself. "Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." Now considering what goes on in Gaza formerly a part of the land of Palestina,,,

Good to hear from you, Jesse,

You have been missed here, along with Chris and Giannis. I have had all of you on my mind these past weeks.

Cody,

I will pray for you with my prayers at bedtime.

Dear Oseas,

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. It's clear that this is a topic you've given a lot of consideration to.

You're absolutely right that scientific evidence and religious texts often provide different perspectives on questions about our world and its origins. These two sources of knowledge have different methodologies and purposes, which can lead to different conclusions.

Scientific evidence is based on empirical observations and experiments. Scientists observe the natural world, form hypotheses, conduct experiments, and then interpret the results. This process is iterative and self-correcting, with each new piece of evidence potentially refining or even overturning previous understandings. The age of the Earth, for example, is estimated at 4.54 billion years based on a variety of scientific methods, including radiometric dating of rocks and minerals.

Religious texts, on the other hand, are often based on revelations, spiritual experiences, and the wisdom of religious leaders and communities. They provide guidance on moral and ethical issues, give meaning to life, and help individuals and communities navigate their spiritual journeys. Some interpretations of the Bible, for instance, suggest a much younger Earth, around 6,000 years old.

It's important to note that these two sources of knowledge are not necessarily in conflict. Many people find ways to reconcile their religious beliefs with scientific understanding. Others see them as addressing different kinds of questions - science answering "how" questions about the workings of the natural world, and religion addressing "why" questions about purpose and meaning.

Thank you again for sharing your perspective. It's through open and respectful dialogue that we can all learn and grow

Prayers in the Bible: Gideon (concluding thoughts).

Finishing the thought from the last post; until the time of Solomon there would be a gradual gain of Promised Land but never a full obtaining of all the territory; that won't come until the Millennium. There would be an increase when Godly kings ruled; and temporary losses when wicked ones were ruling. After Solomon; and the following exiles there would never again be such a nation with the lengthy diaspora until just before the New Testament times; and the further one after AD 70 until 1948. We; of course see the enemies of Israel and in fact all nations of the world going against Israel as we expect with the war of Armageddon soon to come. Nothing has changed much; we see New Age mysticism among many Jews who are in reality only Jews in name rather than believing the Old Testament exclusively; and many are into Kabballah and Talmudic practices and traditions. Tel Aviv is known for gay pride events; and sodomite activities. Christians are; as far as I am aware unable to be citizens there and street preaching can bring a death sentence; with any Messianic Jews likely at least to be shunned and cut off from their families; similar to what we see with Muslim converts to Christianity. Their ultimate sin clearly is rejection of the Messiah who they would have had peace under if they hadn't rejected Him the first time ( Matt. 23:37-39). But; alas this was not meant to be.

A couple other points:

TESTING GOD

We see Gideon putting God to the test with the fleece incidents. This reminds us somewhat of the bargaining Moses did with the Angel of the Lord. Clearly this was a manifestation of God likely the preincarnate Christ as we see in this incident as well.

Part of the receptiveness is because this is God's chosen vessel; but also of course there was a willing heart to obey God's commands even when no doubt actions taken would be ridiculed and worse by the surrounding peoples or their own families.

Prayers in the Bible: The story of Gideon

Judges 6 gets into the story of Gideon and shows how he was; like Moses living in the midst of enemies. In his case; he was hiding out in a threshingfloor with wheat when the Angel of the Lord met him. Like Moses he asks for a sign; and there was one of fire (in the case of Gideon consuming an offering which he brought). This story reminds us of what happened with Manoah and his wife before the birth of Samson later on in Judges where the husband was afraid he would die after the visitation-his unnamed wife straightened him out to the contrary as to what the Lord's intentions were (in that case she seemed to show more maturity).

In any case; later on in chapter 6; verses 36-40 Gideon puts God to the test twice more. First he asks about the fleece only having dew on it and the rest of the ground being dry; then he asks the opposite. After this and overhearing talk of a dream of the enemy of the victory of israel in Judges 7:13 he then had enough confidence to fight. This chapter also goes into the severe whittling down of fighting men to God's select choice of 300; then has a bizarre method to convince the enemy there are more fighters; much like the story of how Jericho was taken in the Book of Joshua. Let us summarize several points we see here and in other scriptures as well.

GOD'S LONG TERM GOALS. The Lord; it seems focused on some other nations when His people entered the Promised Land. The Midianites were later judged; as we can see from further study into these chapters of Judges because of Baal worship. We see further that Israel was under their servitude (interestingly 7 years the length of the Tribulation or Jacob's trouble to come) because of their direct disobedience in regard to worshipping God only. God therefore picked a chosen vessel who was poor and unknown (much like He picked David later on to be a mighty man of God). He would add to the conquest of land promised to Moses in time.

Bennymkje

Sorry for the delay. I searched to interpret the nuances of your answer to the question I made for you, i.e. why did JESUS send not a letter to the Church of Rome, that was developed by Paul Apostle ( Romans 1:7-13, written around 57AD), when He sent the seven letters to the Churches of Asia? My focus was: what would you say about this? It was just curiousity.

Of my part, trying to search an explanation for the omission or exclusion of the Church of Rome of the list of our Lord JESUS, only for to report or to clarify my point, I would say that when was revelead the Apocalypse to John, the Church of the Lord in Rome had already apostatised completely, and had turned itself the embryo and the birthplace, or the cradle, of the antiChrist, linking to the Roman Empire -the iron-, and remains still until today an apostate Church in the hands of Devil ( 1John 2:18-21).

When the false messiah of the JEWS- John 5:43-47 combined with Revelation(Apocalypse)13:11- manifest himself in Israel (probably this year or next?), both Beasts -(Catholicism-the Papacy, and the esoteric and kabbalistic Judasm) will make a deal to establish a religious and satanic kingdom(the feet and 10 toes of the Nebuchadnezzar's statue- Daniel 2:44-45 combined with Revelation 13:2), and there will be a WAR between GOD x SATAN- Revelation 13:3 and !3:14 combined with Revelation 12.

Get ready

yep, the "human condition"..

Hey there Brother Spencer,

All is okay with me. Thank you so much for checking. I know it's been a while since I've posted anything but hopefully things will slow down a bit for me and I can get back to posting again soon. I also noticed that Chris and Giannis have not been here for a while. I hope all is well with them. They bring so much valuable Bible knowledge to this forum.

Again, thank you for checking up on me. I know that if you didn't check, GiGi would have. I do appreciate you both, blessings!!!

What is the Compare/Contrast of the Exilic and the post-Exilic periods?

Hello,

What do you think of The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version (1962)? Not being a Bible, theological, or ancient world scholar, I find the footnotes very useful...especially the historical and language notes (ie, geographical and historical persons references). Thanks and God Bless, Matt N.

Ez.37:10 "A Great Army"

"So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."

We see them again in the vision of St John. God fashioned "their hearts alike; He considereth all their works."(Ps.33:15) They follow a dress code and they follow their leader representing each heart that makes up the company. Their formation has single measurement, that of angel, man and the Word of God on the lead. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."(Re.19:11;21:17)

Coming back to the vision of Ezekiel, bone to bones and flesh to flesh the army is close-knit across as well as up and down. This is the army according to the will of God. This also explains why David went wrong while he took census of the people. "And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah."(2 Sa.24:1). In fact it was Satan who tempted David. "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel."(1 Chr.21:1). A rational man determines the number so in the matter of numbers he holds advantage. Jesus referred to it. ( Luke 14:28). The battle is of God. "Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's."(2 Chr.20:15)

King David is a man after my heart so God willed to which we have this verse, ""After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do. "(Ac.13:22). But when David took pride in his glory forgetting the manifold benefits from God where it connected. The same pride that Satan showed off.

Richard,

Such a powerful quote.

Reminds me of when Paul says: I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ who liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith if the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal.2:20)

WE belong to Jesus. We are bought with the price of His shed blood. He is sovereign of all creation, and so we ought to subject ourselves wholly to Hiim knowing He is altogether good and merciful.

Greetings Ecalarese

Be careful with AI , it links only in one edge of the Sword, I mean in the letter of the Holy Scripture, this one edge of the Sword of GOD only kills the souls- Genesis 3:1 combined with Matthew 16:22-23. Satan only uses the letter of the Holy Scriptures- John 8:44. The life in the Holy Scripture is the Spirit of GOD- John 4:24 combined with John 6:63, it is in the other edge of the Sword, and AI will never be linked to the Spirit of GOD, but to the spirit of Devil.

Satan uses the letter, the writings, of the Bible, to deceive listeners or readers of the Scriptures. Take care.

What I tell you I tell to all

Hbrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to render an account.

GOD bless

Whole quote from C.S. Lewis in "Mere Christianity"



"Give me all of you!!! I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don't want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart."

Christ our Lord Savior and Master: Part 1

Jesus was truly a "friend of sinners" ( Luke 7:34) but was referred to as "Master" in both Colossians 3:24 as to who we serve and those addressing Him ( Luke 18:18). There are parables as well where the word is used as a thinly veiled analogy of Christ returning to reward or punish His subjects (last half of Matthew 25 for one). It is intersting that in the example of Christ being a friend of sinners (and tax collectors) that it was used in a derogatory way by the Pharisees as to those He kept company with. The passage in Luke 18:18 continues in the following verses to show someone whose heart truly wasn't entirely committed in this passage either to put his money where his mouth was; literally. The same can be said of the parable of the servants in the vineyard; there were unfaithful servants there who would suffer the consequences; and others who would reap the benefits of reward for being a TRUE servant of their master. John 14:15 comes to mind once again where love is shown by obedience on our part.

Naturally; when we live in a world where obedience to parents; commitment to others after making a marriage vow and a covenant agreement is established and overall lack of respect for authority has caused the spirit of the age to affect many who either deliberately want to excuse their conduct or don't know any better. To put it best perhaps here is a lengthy quote from C.S. Lewis in "Mere Christianity"

"Give me all of you!!! I don't want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don't want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me... (out of space).

Let us do the same.

Salvation: Predestination and thinking beyond time.

My last post began to delve into the concept of how the Lord and a saved individual communicate; or perhaps better expressed "commune" with one another. We all have to beware of what is expressed in Matthew 7:23 when after a whole laundry list of things that were done "for the Lord" or "in His Name" Jesus states "I never KNEW you" before they are cast into damnation.

Obviously in a marriage situation there is a close analogy; two people don't get to know each other intimately without there being a unity; in that case of "one flesh".

I have probably delved into the concept another time of the fact that our salvation was determined before the foundation of the earth (see Rev. 13:8). In the practical understanding we have of our mortal existence on earth we see a time and place when our salvation occurred; perhaps more precisely stated as its activation. I have no doubt that those who through God's foreknowledge WOULD come to faith are guaranteed to live until that moment of confession and contrition ( Romans 10:9).

This can be proven more or less by the usual scenario; people who witness to us and circumstances that occur that trigger our interest in "spiritual" matters. Or; we could say simply that as God determined where and when we would be born; which parents; etc. certainly He also determines those details when someone is "Born Again".

Because assurance of salvation is something we all need to consider in light of 2 Corinthians 13:5 and other passages such as Phillippians 2:12 where we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" we need to be cautious of our own profession of faith and that of others. We can't use the "grace card" to sidestep obedience to the Lord to His commandments. 1 John 5:3 states that His commands aren't "burdensome" much as would be the case if we tried to follow all the details of the Old Testament law. Christ shows that true worship is from the heart.