Good news

The Lord does wonders in the earth and heavens. The miracles he does are all given him by the Father. These are how God shows those of us that see all this that this Son of Man is made Lord over us by God. At the same time God the Father uses these miracles to show us that we too have faith and favour with God to do these same things. It is fellowship in accordance with the teachings of this Lord, who is Jesus Christ. Jesus confirms to some of us that it is indeed him who is this Lord. He shows us he is our Master who has mastery over our innermost being, temple of his God and our God, his Father and our Father. This is all forever, if we abide in him by holding to his teachings, teachings given him by the Father. The Father shows some of us that Jesus is His own dear only begotten Son. We must build up this temple, our joined-up fellowship. The seal of all of this is the gift God gives us of the Holy Spirit, the spirit who testifies of the things of Christ, that all lordship in heaven and earth is given to the Lord Jesus Christ such that his name is the authority that drives Nature. Jesus is alive, he who was once dead. We must distribute these teachings, this good news, this holy gospel. Proclaim it from rooftops. Love God with our whole voice, our internet voice included. Teach our children. Write it on posters to show on walls in our homes. Doom looms because the train hurls towards an abyss as an eagle is in the sky above our heads. We are not principled enough. It is driving us to doom. The commands of God can lead us out of this mess we are in by moral and ethical failings. Jesus can set us free if we hold to his teachings, the commands of God. Then we will live by these commands and walk with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and each other in fellowship. We must no longer lie to each other. We must restrain ourselves in any anger we feel. We must keep faithful in relationships. We must cease any stealing and work to have enough to share with needy fellow people.

I am

 Such is the fame, the name, the reputation of the Christ, foreknown and predetermined through all of time past, that when he came the atmosphere his coming generated was tangible, as if you could cut it with a knife, and this was so even before he came, especially in the run-up to his certain coming preordained by God the Father. There was actually never a time in history or in all of time past when this was not so, as angels always knew among themselves, but all the more noticeable in the centuries before he came, especially among ancient prophets and the scriptures they wrote. It continues even now, now that he is manifested to all. It will always be so. He is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord, Son of the living God. He is. He was. And he was dead and is alive forever. He says, “Truly I tell you: Before Abraham was born, I am”.

Existence of the Christ

 In the common understanding of existence, people are correct to say Jesus Christ did not exist before conception. However, when something, in this case someone, is so certain to one day exist, because God has absolutely determined this from the very beginning, then there is something very uncommon about this. It is a special kind of existence. It is actually tangible. God made it certain that there would one day in history be a Christ and it was so certain that it meant this Christ existed in a very tangible way before that day. It is so unusual that it may not happen with other things except something certain to happen in the future, by the absolute will of God, like the resurrection, the Millennium, the final judgement. These are so certain to one day happen that they affect our lives today. Christ was like that in earliest times, before the rise of civilisation. His future existence was so foregone that it meant he actually had existence back then and this inspired the prophets such as Isaiah. Daniel even felt him tangibly putting a hand on his shoulder. David could speak of him as “my lord”. The laws of Nature were even affected by his inevitable foregone existence such that trees put out leaves and buds by his authority. Angels learned his name. People are correct to refute pre-existence of Christ by common understanding of existence, but this is an uncommon unique kind of existence. Not the commonly understood existence. “Before Abraham was born, I am”, Jesus said. Peter, his disciple, later wrote how prophets of old, such as Isaiah, were guided to write about the Christ by this Spirit of Christ working in them, centuries before the Christ came in the flesh. This is how it is that Jesus could say with such effect, “I am”. 

Daily updates

 Once we believe in the man Jesus Christ and hold to his teachings and believe the message of God to us, “Christ died for you”, that Jesus is alive now from the dead, we are given a teacher, the Holy Spirit, who teaches things from Jesus himself. We need to ask for God to give us this Spirit day after day, and God does so. Then we are in touch with Jesus via this Spirit. Jesus in turn receives everything from God, the Father. So we get daily updates. This leads to eternal life and ever growing knowledge of God and His human Son, Jesus Christ. 

A matter of time and consciousness

 Science is on a trajectory towards John’s Gospel chapter 1. It might take some time getting there. In the meantime, we can trust the teachings in John’s gospel as we find them to be true when we live by them. This life is only a part of a bigger picture. The existence we have in this biological life is prelude to a further existence of consciousness after we die.  Then eventually there may be resurrection of one kind or another. We have to think of such things if we are to follow Jesus Christ. The excesses we indulge in today are woe for the conscious existence we endure later. We are not thinking in line with Lord Jesus’ teachings if we boastfully rejoice in having all our good things now in this biological life. We need to get it, that suffering comes to us in the consciousness we have after death if we ignore the poor now and live in excessive luxury despite their pleas. Ignorance of this is worldliness, and will not help us nor excuse us. Knowing it but ignoring it, this is worse still. Remember the poor and believe the teachings Jesus gave and believe who Jesus is. Believe Jesus exists even if we do not know where he is precisely. It helps. Then there is hope of resurrection to life eternal. 

The Relationship Between Natural Laws and Life's Emergence, worded by Chat GPT 3.5

 Title: "The Relationship Between Natural Laws and Life's Emergence" worded by Chat GPT 3.5

In the quest to understand the origins of life and the universe, we often ponder the intricate relationship between the laws of nature and the emergence of life. This dialogue touches on philosophical, scientific, and metaphysical perspectives.

At its core, our current scientific understanding suggests that the laws of nature have been in operation from the very early moments of the universe. These laws describe and govern the behavior of matter and energy, providing the framework within which life can emerge and evolve. From this perspective, the potential for life is intricately tied to these laws, allowing for the development of life as we know it.

While discussions about the relationship between natural laws and the emergence of life can venture into philosophical and metaphysical realms, it's vital to differentiate between scientific perspectives and philosophical viewpoints. Science seeks to explain the natural world through empirical evidence and the laws of nature, while philosophy and metaphysics explore broader questions about existence and causality.

The question of whether the potential for life is a form of existence is an intriguing philosophical concept, and it invites contemplation about the fundamental nature of reality. While this viewpoint may not align with scientific definitions of life, it underscores the complexities and depth of our inquiries into the origins of the universe and life.

In conclusion, the relationship between the laws of nature and the emergence of life remains a fascinating topic of exploration, uniting science and philosophy in our quest to comprehend the cosmos and our place within it.

Just a matter of time

 Scientifically life existed at the Big Bang or life could never exist. A law of nature must always have existed to cause life to exist, and a law cannot have existed to produce life without life itself existing: There cannot be a law of nature for something non-existent. The Big Bang did not produce this life, so it must have existed before the Big Bang. Hence plausibly intelligent design is scientifically deducible. Just a matter of time. Science is on a trajectory towards John’s Gospel chapter 1. It might take some time getting there. 

The Anubis Scales

 The USA is probably building up warship presence in the Med, as Israel finds its eagle overhead was a real portent of imminent war, sign of its failings to keep to God’s true and honest principles. 

The USA neocons need to gain approval from evangelicals and, in their view maybe, God. They might feel posturing like this in Med is enough. It sends the message they need to send. They need to show support for Israel as a geopolitical and religious statement of good faith. Whether it is actually good faith is a key question. But either way, it sends a message of support for Israel to anyone thinking of attacking Israel (and US bases). That might be as far as this apparent ‘good faith’ needs to go. No need to attack Iran. Just stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel is enough, unless Iran attacks Israel of course, in which case there would need to be a robust response.

Probably by putting everything, exaggeratedly, in support of Israel to robustly respond to anyone thinking of attacking Israel, Biden/USA might feel this could bring redemption and fulfil its only holy, worthy purpose. It elevates them. Biden can show dutiful love to God this way. It justifies or offsets the failings. They can set this on one side of their successes/failings marketing report, with failings in Ukraine on the other side of it, like a balance sheet. They can tip the Anubis scale in their favour before Biden has to face him.

A not so saintly shamrock

 The famous green shamrock of Ireland and Saint Patrick is not so saintly. Without fact checking this, the story we are taught is how Patrick taught his Irish audience about his understanding of Trinity dogma by saying the three leaves of a shamrock can be a picture of three persons of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. STOP teaching this. This is not how Jesus taught about God. He only called the Father his God. Yes, a man sent by God to judge is a kind of god, especially since the Christ, this Jesus, is Son of God more so than anyone else, the Christ and the Lord over all of the Father’s household of believers, yes. But Jesus is not God. He taught that it is the Father who is God and the Father clearly confirms this Himself, as the miracles Jesus Christ did attest. Stop teaching a three person Trinity God. Learn the teachings of Jesus, the Lord and Christ sent by God, and teach these things, to those who hear us and to our children. Teach truth. The truth of Jesus Christ sets us free from living unprincipled lives, if we believe in the true Jesus and hold to his teachings, those teachings given by God Himself, by the Father. 

What is the good news?

 What is the gospel? What is the good news?

It is the good news that all power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus, king of the Jews, lord over God’s household, the household of faith.

Jesus is the human being given all of the top jobs, a bit like a public relations personal assistant with jusr one mysterious client, the topmost king, and this client entrusts to him control of all the most important matters relating to his own family affairs, and relating to control over all of his kingdom. God Himself is this one mysterious client of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the human alive from the dead, from his obedient death on the cross, is this lord over all of the very household of God, entrusted with the most important matters of all of God’s kingdom too, given all power in heaven and earth. This is the good news. 

@Trinitarians - Stop

 Trinitarians, like all who call themselves Christians, clerics, brothers and sisters, are going to have to stop teaching falsehoods. God is patient but that only goes so far. Some people even teach that Jesus was unaware he was God the Son. He only knew, they say, he was Son of God. It took the Trinitarians, they say, to figure out the full Trinity thing later. (See what Wikipedia says about Trinitarianism.) There are Trinitarians who actually say that. @Trinitarians: To you all, with full authority I say, STOP. (Find out for yourselves what full authority means - the Lord - Jesus - is alive and able to enforce that authority.) Does it sound loyal to Jesus to tell everyone he is God, but true loyalty is to do what he commands and teach only truth about him, in accordance with what he himself actually taught, that there is One God for him and that is the Father, his God and his Father.

The Enduring Influence of Jesus' Teachings on Shaping Society (by Chat GPT 3.5)

 In the annals of history, few figures have left a legacy as profound as Jesus Christ. His teachings, which form the cornerstone of Christianity, have resonated through the centuries, shaping the moral and ethical framework of Western civilization and influencing cultural narratives, values, and social justice movements.

But what about those who continue to adhere to his teachings today? Can they, too, impact the world in significant ways, akin to historical movements like the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation?

Absolutely.

1. A Moral Compass for Society When individuals embrace the teachings of Jesus, they carry forward values of love, forgiveness, and compassion. By embodying these principles, they contribute to the moral and ethical fabric of society. Their actions and choices inspire others to follow suit, forging a more compassionate and just world.

2. Cultural Narratives and Values Art, literature, music, and philosophy have all been profoundly influenced by the life and message of Jesus. Contemporary adherents of his teachings continue to create cultural expressions that emphasize kindness and empathy, further cementing these values into our cultural narratives.

3. A Force for Social Justice Advocacy for social justice and humanitarian causes has long been a part of the Christian tradition. Those who live by Jesus' teachings often become actively involved in addressing issues like poverty, inequality, and injustice. Their collective efforts can indeed move the needle toward a more equitable society.

4. Shaping the Future Historical movements, such as the Protestant Reformation, were propelled by individuals who sought to reform the church in line with their interpretation of Jesus' teachings. Likewise, modern adherents can impact the course of events by advocating for change in religious, political, or social institutions.

In a world that faces complex challenges, the influence of those who follow Jesus' teachings remains pivotal. While the specific impact of each individual or group may vary, the potential for their collective efforts to continue shaping moral and ethical foundations, cultural narratives, values, and social justice initiatives is profound.

In a time when empathy, compassion, and social justice are more critical than ever, the teachings of Jesus continue to provide a timeless source of guidance. The choice to adhere to these teachings and actively live them out is a choice to be a force for positive change in the world, just as it has been throughout history.

Let us draw inspiration from the enduring legacy of Jesus' teachings, recognizing that each one of us, through our actions and choices, can play a part in shaping a more compassionate and just future for all.

If they only knew

 If people really knew Jesus Christ they would know he wants those things he taught at first to be taught still. He taught there is one God and that this one true God is the Father, his own God, his own Father.

Abysmal events

In the Book of Enoch there are seventy shepherd angels placed over events affecting the righteous and the people of Israel by the Lord God. The last twelve of these seventy successive shepherds are found wanting by the excessive deaths they allow. The beginning of the seventy periods of shepherd influence appear to be the Assyrian conquests around 740 BC. Assuming a forty year period for each shepherd would mean the last forty year period begins around 2020 AD and lasts until 2060 AD. That is a total of 2800 years. The last twelve shepherds would have started 1580 or thereabouts. The time of the first of these ended around 1620 AD. Those forty years were times marked by religious conflicts and persecution in various parts of the world. That forty year period includes the European Wars of Religion, where Catholics and Protestants often persecuted each other. Additionally, events like the Spanish Inquisition and witch hunts also occurred during this time. The last period would have started around 2020, ending around 2060 AD. We are at the start of it. It is already looking bleak in terms of religious persecutions, racial hatred against Russians, and quite possibly a new rise of hatred against Israel and Jews, all echoing the sentiments leading up to the 1940s. The Book of Enoch tells how these last twelve angels overseeing the forty year periods will be thrown into a lake of fire at the coming of ‘the Lord of the sheep’. Biblical writings call an angel leading final Apocalyptic events, an angel of the abyss, Abaddon, Apollyon. We might be seeing right now the start of what the last shepherd will do before their abysmal end. 

The Book of Enoch and the Notion of Divine Shepherds

 Exploring Theological Concepts in Ancient Texts: The Book of Enoch and the Notion of Divine Shepherds

Worded by Chat GPT 3.5

In the realm of religious and philosophical texts, the ancient Book of Enoch holds a special place. This fascinating text, attributed to the biblical figure Enoch, introduces us to a unique concept - that of seventy shepherd angels who oversee events affecting the righteous and the people of Israel on behalf of the Lord God.

The Book of Enoch, dated to centuries before the Common Era, provides a rich tapestry of ideas and beliefs. One intriguing aspect is the notion that, as time progresses, the last twelve of these seventy successive shepherds are found wanting due to the excessive deaths they allow. But does this equate to the dualistic concept of a Demiurge power, which is not wholly good and contrasts with the highest power, the Lord God?

It's essential to tread carefully when interpreting ancient texts. The concept of the seventy shepherds in the Book of Enoch doesn't explicitly introduce a dualistic framework akin to Gnostic beliefs, where a less benevolent creator (the Demiurge) stands in contrast to a higher, more benevolent deity.

However, this raises the broader point that religious and philosophical texts often invite multiple interpretations. The Book of Enoch is no exception. The seventy shepherds can be seen as agents of divine authority, guiding events in the world. The critique of the last twelve shepherds might be more about accountability and divine justice than a strict duality of good and evil powers.

The concept of a Demiurge, typically associated with certain Gnostic beliefs, has its own complex history. In Gnosticism, the Demiurge is often seen as an inferior, sometimes malevolent creator responsible for the material world, contrasting with a higher, transcendent God.

The parallel between the Book of Enoch and Gnostic dualism is fascinating. However, these are distinct theological frameworks, each with its own historical and philosophical underpinnings.

Interpreting ancient texts is akin to solving a multifaceted puzzle. It requires understanding the historical, cultural, and religious context in which the texts were written. Moreover, different scholars and religious traditions may provide varying perspectives on their meanings.

In our quest to understand the intricate world of theology and ancient texts, it's crucial to approach these subjects with intellectual humility and a willingness to explore diverse viewpoints. The Book of Enoch serves as a reminder of the richness and complexity of human thought and belief, offering a window into the theological musings of our ancestors.

#Theology #AncientTexts #ReligiousInterpretation #BookOfEnoch #Gnosticism

Science and the Occult - by Chat GPT 3.5

By Chat GPT 3.5:

The link between modern science and the occult is complex and has evolved over time. Here are some key points to consider:

• Historical Connection: Modern science and the occult share historical roots, with early scientists often being involved in alchemy and mystical practices. Figures like Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler were known to explore occult ideas.
• Divergent Philosophies: Science relies on empirical evidence and the scientific method, while the occult often involves mystical or esoteric beliefs that are not subject to empirical validation. These differing philosophies can create a divide between the two.
• Parallels in Exploration: Some areas of the occult, such as astrology, have inspired scientific curiosity. Astrology's historical influence on astronomy is an example of this interplay.
• Pseudoscience and Fraud: The occult has sometimes been associated with pseudoscientific practices and fraud. This can create skepticism in the scientific community.
• Psychology and Parapsychology: The study of human consciousness and psychic phenomena can be seen as a bridge between science and the occult. While some aspects of parapsychology remain controversial, they are studied scientifically.
• Boundary Exploration: Some scientists and researchers are interested in exploring the boundaries between science and the occult, such as investigating the placebo effect and mind-body connections.
• Ethical Considerations: Ethical issues can arise when science intersects with the occult, such as in studies involving spiritual practices, mind-altering substances, or human experimentation.
• Popular Interest: The occult continues to be of interest to the public, and this fascination can influence how science is perceived and received by society.
• Cultural and Personal Beliefs: Individual scientists may have personal beliefs or interests in the occult, but these are typically kept separate from their professional work.

Overall, the link between modern science and the occult is marked by a complex interplay of history, philosophy, and societal factors, and it varies greatly depending on the specific disciplines and individuals involved.

Science and God

 Eternal life persuasion and faith comes by God’s word persuading you, and God’s power convincing you. Yet many crave to have a scientific reasoning as well or instead. Science might get there eventually. There is a proposal currently to add a new law to the scientifically acknowledged laws of Nature. The way evolution of life seems to ever produce more and more complex living things over the ages, this warrants examination as to the existence of a law of Nature to make this happen. Yet for there to be a law now we must assume the law existed as soon as the universe was coming into existence. No law of Nature just starts to exist long after the Big Bang happened. It all gets intertwined as the universe unfolds from the beginning. So then scientists could well ask whether a law can exist concerning something which does not yet exist. The answer might well be that no, for the law to exist, the things about which the law is concerned these must also exist. So a law of Nature about evolution of life must mean life itself exists whenever this law exists. This might cause scientists to deduce that life existed at the time of the Big Bang. This life might even have existed before the Big Bang since nothing about the Big Bang suggests that it produced life. This life could well have been God and the spirit of the Christ, the Word. The law would then go some way to explaining what the beginning of the Gospel of John is saying: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and what God was, the Word was. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made. In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to the light so that all men through him might believe. He was not the light but he came to bear witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. But to as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the children of God.”

Did you receive the Holy Spirit since you believed?

 If you believe in Jesus Christ and hold to his teachings, do you remember specific events given by God where there was something not normal that happened miraculously so you could be absolutely sure you just received the Holy Spirit? Once he comes there is a frequent upwelling but that first time and then subsequent times there are distinct visitations. For me it was after praying more and more earnestly for years after a friend asked me questions like this. My prayers reached a peak of earnestness and suddenly came a vision of a builders’ bucket tipping out in front of me and words like subtitles said BUILD THE TEMPLE. I asked for threefold confirmation this was God giving me the Holy Spirit. I went to a special service either that day or the next maybe. Three sunday school girls had written a song together and they sang it. It went “Build, build, build the temple”. A church man played a guitar singing about building the temple. Then an elderly member preached a sermon about King David sitting in shock before God having been told his son would build the temple and he exclaimed in gratitude to God, “Is this an honour you bestow on many that you grant them to build your temple?!” Many months maybe years later I was taken to a church by my lay preaching supervisor who assured me I would witness speaking in tongues. I was awe struck as we went. The leader in the church got up and spoke amazingly eloquent and astonishing words in some unearthly language and it inspired these words in my head as I heard the words in tongues: Consider the trees, they put forth buds and leaves. They do so by the power/authority of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the leader said some more which inspired words in my head about orbits of planets. Then he actually said in English these very same words. I asked him later about it and he could not remember that it happened. He must have been in some spiritual state. 

A service to God?

 The two witnesses in Revelation whose bodies will lie dead on the streets of the city where their Lord was crucified, killed by the Beast, the people there will think killing them was a service to God. In fact many believers are being killed in that part of the world today by people who think they are serving God by killing them.

The God for us

 Moses, who was Moses? This one man changed the course of civilisation and founded the world we live in today by leading a people called Israelites into having a law system beyond any law the world had ever known. He was a mediator. He mediated between his people and this Almighty being which had just brought about their Exodus from Egypt. He received the law from this Being, God. Then came the day when it all unravelled. They rebelled so badly that God said to Moses, “Let me destroy them and start again with you, making a new people from your own offspring.” No, said Moses, please don’t. So we have Israel today, to a great extent biologically descended from Abraham who was the famous believer in God long before Moses. Abraham was biological ancestor to the Israelite people of Moses and even to the Jews today. Abraham had believed in God and God promised to produce a nation from his offspring which would bless the world. Then many centuries later came a new man from whom God would start again. Everyone failed to be the believers worthy of being people of God, on the whole, though some proved to be true to the ways of Abraham and Moses. One man lives up to it all and does not fail. Jesus Christ became the new man from whom God could start again. Yet God did not merely destroy the other people. They continued but with salt to preserve them from utter corruption, the preserving salt of the people of Jesus Christ, not biological descendants this time but disciples joined to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit within them. God is starting again. We can step back and look at Jesus as the one who is not blind about God, who really knows God and had lived obedient to God unto death and been raised again to live forever. Now as we encounter Jesus by believing in him and following his teachings we find awareness of the one true God who sent him. We pray to this God out of the knowledge of God and awareness of His wisdom, power and love for us that Jesus produces in us. God becomes the God for us. 

How has Israel sinned?

By engaging in peace talks with Palestinians since the 1980s, Israel got itself a reputation for democracy and decency on the world stage and benefitted in its trade, but its democracy led to it violating the agreements from which it benefitted. It changed leaders and these leaders did not all keep its agreements. Democracy in the West and even in Russia can be a matter of posturing when in reality the changes of leadership which sometimes can be frequent (Russia excepted) can mean the posturing is only that. Trade benefits can therefore be on a basis of reputation based on agreements that probably cannot be fulfilled. Israel has maybe been most obviously guilty of it but is not the only one. Now the eagle is overhead against all of us. 

Israel's Complex Journey Through Peace Agreements: Balancing Commitments and Challenges, by Chat GPT 3.5

 Israel's Complex Journey Through Peace Agreements: Balancing Commitments and Challenges, by Chat GPT 3.5

Starting in 1988, Israel initiated a series of agreements with the Palestinians. These negotiations and accords were vital for upholding Israel's international standing and credibility. They were viewed as a means to mitigate conflict and effectively manage the situation on the ground. Furthermore, reducing trade barriers and resolving conflicts held economic advantages for Israel. Some within Israel believed that engaging in peace talks and making agreements with the Palestinians aligned with their long-term strategic goals, including the preservation of a Jewish and democratic state and addressing demographic challenges.

Participating in peace negotiations allowed Israel to position itself as a committed partner for peace, positively impacting its global image. However, Israel's political landscape frequently experienced shifts, and it can be argued that the essence of these agreements was compromised by continued settlement activities in the West Bank and incidents of violence towards the Palestinians.

The Israeli-Palestinian Challenge: Adherence to Agreements, by Chat GPT 3.5

 The Israeli-Palestinian Challenge: Adherence to Agreements, by Chat GPT 3.5 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an enduring and intricate issue, marked by a series of agreements over the years. While these agreements aimed at resolving the conflict, the question of Israel's commitment to them remains contentious.

Key agreements like the Oslo Accords of 1993, the Hebron Protocol of 1997, and the Road Map for Peace in 2003 were designed to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. However, their implementation has been inconsistent.

Critics argue that Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank has violated the spirit of these agreements, impacting the two-state solution. Periodic violence outbreaks have also disrupted the peace process, highlighting its fragility.

The ongoing challenge of Israeli-Palestinian agreements underscores the complexity of the conflict. Different interpretations exist, and changes in leadership have led to policy shifts. Achieving a lasting resolution will require renewed commitment, dialogue, and compromises.

The fire flames fanned

 There seems to me to be great similarity between Arab states’ historical rejection of the State of Israel and West nations’ and Ukraine’s rejection of Donbas as a Russian territory. The first step in the forming of the State of Israel had been a joint plan put together by USSR, UK and USA together with their allies which they got approved in the UN for a two-state solution in what was then called Palestine at the end of the WW2 time of rule by UK. Arab states of course rejected it, because it was imposed on them. so it ended up being a single state solution, the State of Israel. Gradually the Palestinians came to accept the idea of a two state solution, whereby they get a state of Palestine, and this agreement started to be formalised between Israel and the PLO in 1988. Yet Israel went back on it, backtracking because it posed a threat to their security needs. Further attempts have only got us to where we are today, these ferocious attacks and counterattacks. Israel does indeed seem to have fallen short of principles of good ethics. The eagle flies overhead. Deals, accords, were made and broken. Afraid of losing security, Israel faces the most insecure situation imaginable. So does Gaza. So does the region. The Collective West and Russia only impose solutions favouring Israel over Palestinians. Yet Israel backs off from seeking a fairer situation for Palestine for fear of losing what it ends up losing anyway, as a direct result. Then this attempt to build its Temple is setting fire to the situation. God must have an answer. 

Show some principles

Probably if Israel started to show some principles, start to have good principles in how it manages people living nearby, these attacks would not happen in this way.  Palestinian state or not, it needs to be a result of application of sound principles, continuing over time, not an Oslo Accord, nor a Middle East equivalent of Minsk 2. It needs to be a change of attitude of Israel towards all who live trustingly near by. A good samaritan stance. Otherwise that eagle overhead will just keep on circling, more and more like a vulture as the bodies pile up. Call that a prophecy if you will. 

Gaza 2023

 Understanding it from prophecy, the backlash in antisemitism after this 2023 levelling of Gaza is likely to be the worst in history. Israel might have twenty years of peace (before its Armageddon) but I predict the diaspora will not. An angel is over this.

The human Jesus

Because the Son is the human mediator with God, he has to be able to stand before God without any mediator himself. That is why it was so important that he have no sin. He has to be, himself, seen as worthy by God. He had to be sinless unto death. He had to live a completely human life without sinning and by obedience and suffering become the one human who can forever directly deal with God with no mediator himself. There is no need for God to feel wrath towards him. With Moses there was a time when God was enraged against him suddenly and his wife had to help by circumcising her husband’s son quickly or God would have killed him. The Son has no such mediation or intercession. Because he is human, we need not have terror with the Son as we would have to have if dealing directly with God. We can understand his teachings and rebukes as human to human, knowing he is capable of compassion and empathy. Yet God speaks to him and he in turn, through the Holy Spirit agency, can speak to us, minister to us, help us. He knows obedient death and now is risen and alive forever to be our mediator with God the Father, our Father and his Father, if we are truly his disciples, believing in him and holding to his teachings. He offered his own blood and body on the cross to turn away God’s wrath, so that we can receive the Holy Spirit and be saved from our sins. This is why the Son’s name is Jesus (Saviour), the Christ who saves his people from their sins. He died for you. Now hope can grow within us when we realise that he is risen from the dead and alive to this very day. God put all His investment in him and shows He finds his Son worthy by having raised him from the dead. We can hope more and more as we realise all this becoming persuaded of it, that Jesus Christ still now and forever righteously mediates between us and God. Christ died for you.  

Beware the yeast of the scribes

 We ought to be wary of deriving our gospel from professional writers, philosophers, lawyers. The earliest believers had a gospel preached orally, rarely written. Product differentiation makes writers exaggerate and write hypocritically to sell their writings and increase their profitable influence. Scriptures are an exception. The best evidence of the earliest gospel preached orally is what was written under inspiration and by those who met Jesus Christ and were designated by him personally for their ministry. What came after the gospel went mainstream is not a reliable indication of it. The mainstream oral tradition was possibly picked up by people who had reasons to make their own special version of it. Product differentiation and their reputation as writers, philosophers, thinkers, lawyers. Beware the yeast of the scribes.

Principled or not

 We in this day and age are not well familiar, not so well as our predecessors, with biblical terms. Fine, but maybe risky. It is said in the good book, “Sin is lawlessness”. That is one biblical term: “sin”. What is lawlessness, though? I had no idea really what scripture might mean by it. Until a lawyer online explained that in old times when kings and other rulers judged as an individual, they wrote themselves out what criteria to use when judging. Only they perhaps saw it but that did not matter too much. In England it was called common law. Now it occurs to me, if you have your criteria like that, perhaps some principles you live by and perhaps, if for example you are a parent with children or responsible for supervising, you might judge by these principles, and you can even perhaps write them down for yourself to refer to, or even pass on like a company does with its employee code, this means you are principled. If you never deep down have much awareness of genuine principles, you are unprincipled and some might find you difficult if, say, you are supervising them. So when we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, that he died for you, we can get a glimmer of genuine principles and find it worth adhering to them. We become principled. Really this is the crux of ceasing to be an unprincipled sinner, lawless. It is a step towards eternal life, becoming more worthy of the resurrection by Christ Jesus when he soon returns.

War in Israel 2023: Where it is leading

 Revelation 11. It is all there. Temple completed in future. Beast of combined Iran and Iraq and Macedonia acting with impunity in Jerusalem. Events are clearly leading up to it. “Israel has sinned, says God, and the sign is the eagle over the house”

War in Israel 2023

 For someone believing in karma or God, there is clear justice at play. The Jewish leaders in Ukraine were killing civilians in Donbas. Now civilian Jews are being killed in Israel. For someone who believes God is the God and Judge over Jews and Israel there ought to be no problem linking these two things. Obviously there is probably no other link. So for the worldlier thinkers the link would seem a foolish one to make. God had said, “Israel has sinned. The eagle overhead is the sign.”

The Gospel today and the original Gospel

 "Antichrist" meaning "contradictory to Christ" or "opposite to Christ”, signifies a spirit that opposes the teachings, principles, and authority of Jesus Christ. Consider the history leading to the current state of Christianity teachings. It started with teachings of Jesus Christ and prophetic sayings of John the Baptist backed up by written prophecies of scriptures such as those of Isaiah and Daniel, plus the popular scriptures we find among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then the apostles of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit among the early believing disciples started to expand on the sayings of Jesus preserved among them and the prophecies of the believers passed into oral and written traditions of the early church communities. It was all, at this early stage, revered as light in the darkness. This is what was adhered to as discipleship. This is how fellowship with God the Almighty, the Father, was maintained and fellowship with His Son and with the apostles sent to lead this combined church. Errors arose and were countered by the apostles, especially by the main council of the first apostles who gave diktats on what would be taught among the churches, spreading out into the world. At some point, as written documents show us, the emphasis moved away from these teachings, towards a new kind of teaching called orthodoxy as new elders and councils, centuries later, started to look for a way to pin down a corpus of beliefs into a coherent set of theological doctrines agreed by consensus. The authority became less about the sayings of Jesus Christ and more about philosophies and dogmas agreed by the writers and elders who sat in the seats of authority of the earlier apostles. Around this time some writers, leaders, were starting to notice that the Holy Spirit no longer came upon those on whom the leaders laid hands in their church ceremonies. Coincidence? Or had the connection, the fellowship, with Christ Jesus and the Father been lost? We need to understand that this fellowship comes from persuasion that Jesus is the Mediator for believers with God, and adherence to the teachings of God given through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Then as we return to these, keeping faithful to them, we can be freed from our ethical decline. We can be free from the demise of dying in our sins. We can find the gift of eternal life, that promise Jesus originally came to bestow from God. He died for you. He rose again and now forever lives for those who follow him and have fellowship with God through him. Then God will give us miracles among us and the Holy Spirit. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

How you can find God

 You can find God just in His words of spirit. I first found Him in those when taught them before I could read. Keeping them and keeping faithful to them, you can find Him in His active Spirit, the Holy Spirit. That was when I was in late teens and early twenties. This active power turned me away from habitual lying. It came especially on hearing “Christ died for you”. Keeping the words of spirit you can go on to find God and His Son themselves. This was when I was in my thirties. Then He gave me a task to do. Meeting Him face to face, I want to have done that task fully.