choir loft

Nice idea, but completely off the rails. One must have something upon which to base one's faith. God doesn't expect anyone to believe in something without telling them what to believe in first. You've got your cart before the horse - a situation that is neither appropriate nor workable. I believe you are trying to say that after all the reading is done one is expected to act on faith. (book of James) I agree with that point of view, but am also trying to address the main topic of this thread - which Bible is best. Faith comes by hearing as well as reading. One must hear or read something first - then act. Many of us are blind and the rest choose their particular sort of blindness. It's a mixture of defense mechanism and intellectual bias with a bit of bigotry tossed in for flavor. Everybody does it. Only fools deny it happens. Oppressors use it to their advantage - in church and outside church. DO YOU HAVE AN ATTORNEY? Have you been to his or her office for a consultation? Everyone should have a Last Will and Testament. That's one reason to make an appointment with a family attorney. When you enter the lawyer's office you'll see shelves full of books. A good lawyer doesn't restrict himself to one book only. A good one will use an entire library of books. The same thing is true for the Bible. Many have a favorite Bible, but those who wish to plumb the depths of God's Word will have several from which to glean His wisdom. There is no such thing as one particular Bible in exclusion of all the rest. Unless one is willing to learn Hebrew, one has to work with translations and that's why several versions must be consulted. The important thing is to read and study. (2 Timothy 2:15) that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

I am a Messianic Jew. I am a believer that Yeshuah Ha-Mashiach (Jesus Messiah/Christ as He is called in Hebrew) is the Son of God and that He died upon the cross for my sins and that He rose again in power and majesty. I believe Yeshuah loves us Jew and gentile alike and that He offers His blessings and kindness and guidance to all who will follow Him. My son and his wife are also Messianic Jews. Find a Messianic Synagogue near you and attend a Saturday service. You will discover that Messianics, unlike Christians, welcome everyone into their fellowship. There is an unusual mix of folk that you will not find in most Protestant churches. It doesn't matter if they were Baptist or Episcopalian or Catholic or non-believer. All kinds of people wander into our services and find a home in the arms of Christ as well as meaning and comfort in the structure of God's Law. Finally it can be pointed out that there are 613 laws described in Torah. Not all are required and not all are being followed even by the Hasidim - ultra orthodox Jews. The reasons are rather elaborate and complex and I do not pretend to understand all of them. If I refrain from eating a cheese burger, (according to St. Paul), I do so out of respect for a brother or sister not because there is something wrong about it. (On the other hand there are certain restaurants in my city I would not recommend to a weak stomach.) Messianic Judaism is about respecting God's Word - all of it - as well as my neighbor who sits next to me in service and needs prayer (as do we all from time to time). Baruch Hashem Yeshuah (Praise the Name of Jesus) that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

The "centuries of arguments" you speak of rest firmly in anti-semitism- hatred of Jews. It has nothing at all to do with truthful study of God's Word. TO THIS DAY, if a law or cultural observation smells of Jew - the church throws it out! In times past it persecuted those that upheld it and burned at the stake those who preserved their integrity. It's all about hating Jews. It has nothing to do with Sunday (which is owned and licensed by the NFL, not God). Read the Bible, principally the book of Acts and the gospels. The early church was composed of Jewish believers in Christ. When gentiles became believers they attended synagogue. Read the Bible. It is estimated that nearly 30% of Jews in Jesus' time became believers. The church denies it. As time passed, and not a lot of time by the way, gentile paganism penetrated church doctrine and church observance.(*) Jews were restricted from attending worship and membership unless they denied their culture. What was there to deny? They were to deny being a Jew - which the church STILL requires. Let a Jew sit among the congregation on Sunday morning and he will either be deliberately ignored or subject to a kind of religious paternalism. (Wear a yamaka to church next time and see what happens.) One of the chief ways the church abused its authority against the Jew and God's Word was to change the day of rest and prayer from Saturday to Sunday. There is absolutely NOTHING in the Bible to justify it, nothing at all. The Bible states that shabbat, or sabbath as the gentiles call it, is from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. All prophecy and complicated observances depend upon this calculation of days and times. Gentiles who reject the Bible would say it matters not - and go forward with their hypocrisy and pretend to know all the answers to life's dilemmas even as they reject the questions. The issue of which day to observe worship is based upon hate of Jews and dismissal of God's Word as presented in the Law. It has nothing at all to do with altruistic motivations or the beauty of creation. It has everything to do with hating God's people and rejecting God's Law. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. - Jesus as quoted by John 3:19 Truth is quenched when lies and hypocrisy are justified by those who prefer doctrines of demons. Finally, it should be firmly understood that the guidance of the Holy Spirit will NEVER contradict God's Word. Never! If the reader seeks Holy Spirit guidance, then the reader will ultimately be drawn to the Bible and read therein - that shabbat is Saturday. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*) Compare a Roman Catholic high mass on NFL game day with a Jewish service on shabbat. BIG difference and a LOT of obvious paganism by the church. How many times do you have to crucify Christ to be saved? Every day if Catholic doctrine is to be observed. Catholics worship a helpless dead guy on a stick (has Christ risen in power or has He not?). Jews honor God's Law - the Torah. Which act is paganism and which act honors God?

You haven't read enough of God's Word. Not enough at all. "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." - JESUS as quoted by Luke 16:16-18 (*) and again in the book of Joshua we are all encouraged to; “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” - Joshua 1:8 What is God (JESUS) saying? Are you asserting HE doesn't know what HE is talking about? Certainly not. You speak according to church doctrine - one of the common doctrines of demons being promulgated today. You speak to the only truth you've been taught - which is a lie of the devil. Read the Bible and find truth there - not in church hypocrisy. Why are people leaving the church by the millions? According to PEW and Gallup statistics, regular church attendance (measured as one service a month) fell in 2010 to 40% of 1948 levels. It is projected to fall to 10% by 2050 if current trends continue. Why? Because the church has gone soft on spiritual responsibility. None preach repentance. All preach destruction of the Law. The church has embraced the doctrines of the prince of lawlessness. Consider that if the Law is of no effect then I am within my rights to kill you, rape your wife, steal your possessions, burn your house to the ground and blame you for it all. That's more like a middle eastern philosophy than the Law of God - than the kindness of Christ shown to man. Without the Law NO ONE can be saved. If there is no Law, then Jesus died in vain upon the cross. Without repentance, measured by the Law, inspired by the Law and enabled by the Law no one can rightly bow before the Son of God and obtain forgiveness. Without the Law there can be no forgiveness and no grace because if there is no Law then there is no salvation at all. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LICENSE TO SIN. Yet churches all across the land teach spiritual irresponsibility in the name of grace - all the while not understanding at all the mechanism of it. After a long sermon on grace I once heard a Baptist preacher say, "go out an sin this week that grace may abound." If I believed that lie I would have pulled out a gun and shot him on the spot. God NEVER honors lawlessness, but that is exactly what is being encouraged by churches that teach it, encourage it, and deny the Word of God that honors it. "The parsons will dig their own graves. They will betray their God to us. They will betray anything for the sake of their miserable jobs and incomes. Protestant clergy don't believe in anything except their well-being and office". - Adolph Hitler "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." - James 4:4 Now here is a great hypocrisy. The church today is very busy swallowing the poison of Replacement Theology, which suggests the church has replaced Israel somehow. Fine. If true, then all that once applied to Israel may now apply to the church. Again if true even the curses of denying the Law will fall upon the church. The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired person a maniac. - Hosea 9:7 The church cannot claim to be Israel's successor and deny the Law at the same time. If a successor in spirit and in truth, then the church is subject to all the blessings and curses of the Law. Yet lawlessness, not righteousness reigns supreme in the church today, for it claims the blessings and denys the responsibility. Which is it? Law or lawlessness? Truth or lies. Read the Bible. Not ONCE does it say the Law doesn't apply. It is most emphatic that the Law applies to all - Jew and gentile alike. No one can come to God without it. Only satan claims otherwise. Seek the Kingdom of God, dear reader, for you will find blessings and truth and LAW when you do. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*)שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד The above is a Hebrew prayer called the schema. (pronounced sh-MA) In English it says; Hear O Israel the Lord our God. The Lord is One. Notice the punctuation accompanying the letters. They are called (in English) jots and tittles. The correct translation of Luke 16:16-18 is "jots and tittles" instead of "least stroke of a pen". The latter is substituted because gentiles have no idea what jots and tittles are. Neither do they understand the Law and how it applies to them - so they deny it altogether. BUT WHEN Jesus said jots and tittles of the Law would NOT pass away He's speaking to the smallest punctuation mark. Gentiles would throw the whole thing out - IN VIOLATION OF GOD'S WILL.

READ THE BIBLE. Beginning with Genesis. You'll learn much that you do not now know. You'll learn a lot that Protestant Christians generally are ignorant of or who reject anything smelling of Jew. Believe me when I say the Bible, any Bible, is Jewish from beginning to end. You cannot begin to get a clue as to what its saying implying or guaranteeing unless you understand where the Jew is coming from..... Only 2 books in the Bible weren't written by a Jew; gospel of Luke and the book of Acts (also written by Luke). ALL THE REST of the Bible was written by Jews about Jews and for Jews (especially a certain Jew named Jesus). Believe it or not Jesus (Yeshuah is His true Hebrew name) was and continues to be a Jew. His full name can be presented as Yeshuah ha-mashiach (Jesus Messiah/Christ). Unless you try to understand Jewish thinking you absolutely can NOT understand God's Word. The unique position of the Jew is as the oracle of God. Jews have been chosen to reveal God's will and nature and Son to the whole world. Gentiles try it and get it messed up. Why? Because they aren't Jewish and because they reject Jewish culture. Trying to understand the Jew is like trying to grasp the wind in your hand or trying to understand a woman. It is difficult, but one must try if one is to live with God (a Jew). In Hebrew parlance the collection, the entire Old Covenant, is called the Tanakh. The books are arranged in a slightly different order, but they're all there. The Tanakh is unofficially grouped into three categories; the Law the Prophets and the Writings. The Law is the first five books of the Bible - anybody's Bible; Jewish, Catholic or Protestant. The Law is generally known as Torah among Jews. Its also called the Pentateuch in Christendom. The Prophets group consists of both major and minor prophets - everything from Daniel and Ezekiel to the single chapter book of Obadiah. The Writings groups consists of historic information poetry and pithy one liners such as 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, etc. In the gospels Jesus frequently referred to the Law and the Prophets. If you don't know those books and haven't read them you absolutely can NOT understand what Jesus is talking about. You can guess, but its a good chance you'll guess wrong. Christians pompously state they have all the answers - unfortunately they don't have a clue about what the question might be. Attention must be paid to the Tanakh and its organization.... SHABBAT Let's return to your question about the sabbath or shabbat as it is called in Hebrew. There are very specific reasons for its definition in terms of days and hours of observation. Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday and extends to sundown on Saturday. It DOES matter when shabbat is observed. The primary reason is because God said so in the Law. Do you respect God? Do you try to do what He says? If so then you need to know the Law and respect it because the Law is of God. Gentiles, who don't respect the Law anyway, arrogantly state that observation of shabbat can be any day. It cannot be any day! It certainly cannot be equated to Christian observation of one hour only on Sunday morning (perhaps another hour Sunday evening). Shabbat is a full day from Friday night to Saturday night. How many Christians do you know that observe an entire day from sundown to sundown for rest and prayer? Or do they go to church on Sunday (with the ever dwindling crowd) and then head to the beach or the mall or the sports stadium or the TV sports coverage that afternoon? Such activities do NOT respect either Law or sabbath. Gentiles always play fast and loose with God's Law and always excuse their ignorance with self-will and denial of what is required of them. Finally it should be observed that in America at least the NFL, not God, owns Sunday. Back to the Bible, the prophets based many of their predictions on timing. The timing of their predictions is usually connected to shabbat. If a pompous gentile assumes shabbat can be any other day or any other hour, then all attempts at interpreting prophetic utterances fall apart. Timing is everything from stand up comedy to poetry to interpretation of Biblical principles. God is all about timing. If you don't attempt to read the Bible - all of it - you will absolutely have no idea what's going on - or when. PENTACOST For instance, gentiles make a big deal about Pentacost. Acts 10:44 describes the time when the Holy Spirit fell upon a group of new believers. It happened during Pentacost. An entire Protestant movement has been based upon spiritual blessings of the sort described in the book of Acts. They base everything they know, which is precious little, on a spiritual experience. All the while they have NO IDEA where Pentacost came from or what it's about in the first place. Gentile believers across the land reject the Old Covenant - reject the Law. They falsely claim that the Law has been destroyed or deleted or somehow abolished by Jesus' death on the cross. It has not. "I did not come to abolish the Law. I came to fulfill it." - Jesus as quoted by Matthew 5:17 No one can be saved without the Law. If you do not know the Law or its purpose you cannot understand what happened on Pentacost in Acts 10. If the Law has been abolished, then Pentacost is a lie - because Pentacost is based on the Law. What is Pentacost? Does the reader know? Pentacost is the gentile name for an ancient Jewish holiday called Shavuot. What is shavuot? Shavuot is the Jewish festival that observes the time when God gave the Law to Moses upon Mt. Sinai. Get it? Shavuot recognizes giving the Law, while Pentacost recognizes giving the Holy Spirit WHICH ENABLES ONE TO LIVE BY THE LAW. Its not about a spiritual high. Its about living a life pleasing to God and man at the same time. Its about enabling Jew and gentile to live by faith - in hope and enduring confidence. IT'S ABOUT TIMING. READ THE BIBLE. Read all of it from beginning to end. You'll learn a lot about human nature as well as the revealed will of God when you do. Make no mistake about God's Word - read it. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

THE BIBLE does not make this distinction. Secular society and pagan myth does. The Bible teaches that the creator, not the creation, is to be worshipped. While it seems logically acceptable to say that all of creation points to God, atheists won't buy the argument. They won't buy it because it isn't logical and cannot be used as a proof for the existence of God. Creation is only an example of an act of God. It speaks only sparingly of His nature. Its like entering a vacant apartment. The lights are on, but nobody is home. You can only get a very thin idea of the nature of the person who lives there by examining its contents. In order to know and understand the person you have to meet them personally. You cannot truly appreciate God or His works without knowing Him. Any attempt to figure Him out without knowing is academic. As such any academic consideration is subject to divisive subjective opinion. The creator can only be KNOWN by being known. The Bible calls it the Second Birth. Knowing God is worth the submission. From a human point of view much is gained and little lost in such a transaction. Suggesting one can know God by looking at trees and flowers is the devil's argument and not worthy of Christians. Why? Because it denies the recognition of sin and the necessity of repenting of it. No one can know God unless they cross the river of repentance and embrace the Second Birth. Any other attempt to appreciate God is no more revealing than going to the Louvre, gazing at a painting by Rembrandt and claiming you know the man. You don't and you are only making a fool of yourself if you do. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

After listening to sermons and faux-apologists for decades and after being bored out of my skin, I went to a strange place to find out why. The Bible. Why strange you may ask? It is indeed strange when several major denominations deny the efficacy and divine origins of the Word of God. It is indeed strange when answers to questions of the heart and soul can be found in its pages rather than philosophical mumbo jumbo. According to PEW and Gallup polls the number of regular church attendees (regular attendance being measured as one visit per month) fell in 2010 to 40% of 1948 figures. Statistical projections are that by 2050 the number will fall further to a level of 10%. The reason for this poor head count is a considered lack of attention paid to the Word of God, specifically the Law. There are two types of sermon; topical and scriptural. All sermons fall into one category or the other. - A topical sermon is an outline on some subject, usually situation ethics, using secular anecdotes and snippets of scripture to illustrate the main points (usually 3). Traditionally there are 3 points to every Sunday morning homily, but if a sermonizer is long winded he or she can stretch it out into the lunch hour. The nauseous pointless droning will end only with a rise in the amount of coughing, wriggling in seats, and low level mumbling or cell phone use. Most sermons are topical. - A scriptural sermon uses Bible text as an outline and will proceed from verse to verse explaining one after the other. Scriptural sermons most often resemble a Bible College lecture in nature. They can be rather dry, but they will be packed with useful information and inspiring points. The church problem, as defined by leaders across Christendom, is relevancy. The oft repeated inspiration for each decade of preaching is how to make the gospel relevant. Have you ever heard this phrase used? The reason the gospel has to "be made relevant" is that God's message is being transliterated into philosophical jargon compatible with secular society - NOT the philosophy of the Kingdom of God. Modern apologists are only very clever philosophers in that they've made the leap into relevancy before its caught on with every other leader. Secular philosophy changes every ten to fifteen years. The secular world is engaged in a mad rush from one crisis to another or from one political point of view to another. For instance, in one decade it may be unpopular to support an unjust war, while in another decade it may very well be popular to support an unjust war. Nobody is really concerned about justice, only that's its popular or not. Secular philosophy is never stable and it changes every ten to fifteen years. It takes five to ten years for Christian leaders to "catch up or recognize" the trends and to formulate a philosophical reply to it. Consequently they almost always arrive late on the scene. By the time they figure out how to make the gospel relevant to society, society has changed its attention to another fad or political obsession. THE LAW as presented in the Bible does not change. It doesn't change because its based upon unchangeable divine principle, not secular philosophy and trends. Unfortunately, most of American Protestantism has openly and overtly declared the LAW is no longer in effect despite Jesus' words and acts and ministry to the contrary. (Matthew 5:17) Consequently they neither know the Law or its purpose nor do they understand how Jesus fulfilled it. Leaders do not know how to understand the Law or to apply it to faith. Instead of relying upon the stable unchanging nature of God's Law our churches rely upon the machinations of philosophical apologetics, which are as changeable as shifting sand at the beach at high tide. It's time to return to a study of the Law. In these changing times, it is wise to consult something that doesn't change - the Law of God. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.....

Fools demand evidence, but it is not evidence they seek. What they want is to be justified in their foolishness.(*) That cannot happen because it is their own conscience and their own mind that irritates their awareness unto hatred of all that is light and truth. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. - Jesus as quoted by John 3:19 Evidence is not the issue. Suppression of evidence is what is at hand. "What a fool believes he sees, no wise man can reason away." - WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES Doobie Brothers 1980 The cure for ignorance is knowledge. There is no cure for stupid. - John Wayne that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*) Secular definition of a fool is stupidity. It's all that to be sure, but the Biblical definition, Solomon's definition, of a fool can be gleaned from the pages of Proverbs. A fool is a clever intelligent person who has a complete and total disregard for the consequences of his actions. A fool cannot be persuaded to abandon his foolishness and will likely die from them - all the while blaming everyone else for his behavior - including God.

There is huge ignorance about the political process in America. "This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when a baby gets hold of a hammer." - Will Rogers Proof is in the choosing of sides in the game of politics. This isn't high school football, but the majority of Americans act as though it is. It makes no difference who you vote for. Read history. Think. All politicians promise the moon, but when elected they serve their contributors not the voters. As soon as they are sworn into office they begin reelection fund raising campaigns to secure the next election. Most of the funds they gather are donated by private organizations and corporations who expect favored treatment for their money. Wouldn't you? The Democrats and the Republicans are two heads of the same snake. "Our public men are speaking every day on something, but they ain't saying anything. If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven." - Will Rogers Talk about POTUS 45 is equally uninformed. "It doesn't matter who sits in the oval office." - Vladimir Putin (1) Why doesn't it matter? It doesn't matter because the office of President of the United States is a middle management position. POTUS can only make limited decisions on his own. Other decisions are made without consulting him and are required of him to perform. Both congress and the executive branch are subservient to unelected organizations and power structures within and outside of the representative government.(2) This is why nothing seems to change after each election. The ship of state continues to founder and nothing of substance is gained regardless of how one casts one's vote. So go ahead and argue over where and for whom your vote is caste. It makes no difference at all. that's me, hollering from the choir loft.... (1) The president of the Russian federation was quoted with these words prior to the 2016 election. He is seen speaking them on the documentary filmed by Oliver Stone prior to the election. If Putin echoes words that every foreign politician knows to be true (but few Americans), then why would he bother to insinuate Russian assets into the American game? It would be a waste of time and effort both of which might be easily discovered by media investigation (who make money on the filth they discover), not by a government prosecutor (who is pressured to hide anything he knows). Collusion: Republicans don't want facts about collusion released because, if true, it would stain their party. Democrats don't want facts about collusion released because, if not true, it would remove their main argument about the legal validity of the Trump administration. Therefore, American citizens who've paid for the investigation will ultimately get nothing for their money. Was there collusion? We may never know because everyone from the Kremlin to Capital Hill wants it kept secret. (2) The military-industrial complex, the intelligence community and Wall Street investment firms and banks. ref: THE POWER ELITE by C. Wright Mills and THE DEEP STATE by Mike Lofgren

Between the late 1960's and early 1970's the last great revival swept across America. Called the Jesus Movement it was quite well know and even featured a picture of Jesus on the cover of TIME magazine. Leadership didn't know how to deal with it. In main denominational churches the average reaction was to either ignore it or classify it as a sort of emotional aberration. Leaders literally did everything they could to suppress the movement in their churches. To be fair there were a few that embraced it, but those that did so risked their career in the denomination. I know. I was there. I was one of the ones that was told to hit the road because of my enthusiasm for Christ. I was told I could not be admitted to the ranks of leadership unless I recanted my salvation in Christ Jesus. Today people have had it with empty sermons that only address situation ethics, the gospel of prosperity or simple happy talk. Today's issues are real and religious fantasy isn't appropriate any more. The Bible addresses real issues of sin and betrayal of God. Stories about demonic possession are rooted in pet sins that have taken root in the hearts and minds of nearly everyone who flirts with them. As a result the power of sin grows in their lives. Those who seek deliverance ministers often find their demonic possession repeats. Without true repentance it always will. Which brings us to the issue of repentance. It's simply not preached any more - not often enough anyway. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've heard a sermon on repentance in the last ten years. Its a message we need to hear again and again until we as a nation "get it". Yes the prophecy is happening now - its worse in Europe than in America, but its happening. Which goes to another prediction - withdrawal of divine providence. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. - 2 Thessalonians 2:7 Some interpretations of the above verse suggest the Holy Spirit will leave this planet - evidenced by an associated human evacuation. Since there hasn't been any such evacuation and since all predictions of it have failed miserably we may rightly consider that it isn't going to happen. What IS happening is that the restraint of LAW has been held back. What IS going to happen is that the man of perdition will ascend to the heights of global power and influence. Many Christians are going to watch this happen and either embrace his demonic policies or wonder why they still walk the earth in the first place. Considering current trends my money is on the former. Many Christians WILL abandon traditional ideology and happily accept that proposed by the man of lawLESSness. It's already at work among us. Many people, even Christians, act as though morality was a four letter word. Now the Law is that part of the Old Covenant which, along with Holy Spirit revival, has been rejected by the church. The average Christian has no idea what the Law means or how it applies to salvation, atonement, sanctification, the hope of the resurrection or the fact and nature of Final Judgment. Rejection of the Law as well as Holy Spirit revival has worked together to bring us to our present unhappy state of affairs. LawLESSness of every sort has sprouted and is blooming in our churches, our homes and in our cities. It is so prevalent that churches have had to either hire professional gun men to guard the door or to train members of their own congregation to bring firearms to worship services. It's really bad out there. How much worse does it have to get before Christians wake up and realize we are literally as well as spiritually at war? There has never been a time like this in history. Instead we either abandon support for our churches or continue to snooze on Sunday morning in our local version of the First Church of the Couch Potato. What will the Master find us doing if He arrived this afternoon? I'll be leaving for my local gun range after I study my Bible and have a bit of prayer. I've been asked to carry heat to worship services, but can't find it in my heart to do that. Jesus' disciples carried weapons, but I can't. It may be that I'll end up as a victim one day. I can't think of a better place to die than in church on my knees. This is what we've come to - and Christians STILL don't care. I have no doubt that when satan's man of the hour comes to town Christians will be in the front row rolling out the red carpet for him. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

Trump is no blessing. God stopped blessing America a long time ago. Judgment is upon us now, even at this time. It has been upon us since the mid-1950's and first became visible on November 22, 1963. God sent many warnings and pleaded with us to repent, but we would not listen. He even sent the most powerful national revival in the history of our nation in the late 1960's and early 1970's, but our spiritual leaders vilified the Holy Spirit and rejected His work among us. I know. I was there. I saw it. On October 26, 2001 the curtain came down upon our republic and the empty shell of democracy that remained in America. Rule of the people by the people for the people died on that day. Those that see Pelosi as a conquering crusader for the liberal agenda are mistaken. Fools who believe she is are only drinking their own poison. Pelosi is part of the rich white political establishment, Democrat and Republican alike, whose only true motive is to retain power. Few, very few, of the members of the liberal power bloc are other than rich white folk. Many may be women, but it's still the same. It's all about seizing and holding power. But the joke is on all of them because the true power behind America does not lie in the White House Congress or the Oval Office. It lies in the shadowy world of the Deep State, which like a coiled snake, has been growing since America was founded as a nation. Read Mike Lofgren's book Deep State as well as C. Wright Mills book The Power Elite. The true power in America does not rest with our elected representatives and it isn't something that's sprung from the ground overnight. Trump is a symptom of our disease, not a panacea for it. Take a step back from the evening news and its constant criticism of him. Take a step back from the editorials and late night comedians. Take a step back from hypocritical Hollywood types who puff themselves up (as they are used to doing) in false dismay. What do we see? Trump unknowingly highlights the problems and issues with this country. His time in office has brought out all the ugliness America has trained itself to love and all the meanness we embrace amongst ourselves on a daily basis. To be fair it isn't his fault. He's only a catalyst for an explosive political situation. Democrats hate him with all the venom they can vomit. Republicans refuse to get their ducks in line and continue to argue amongst themselves. Oh yes, America is under judgment. Bear in mind the Bible chronicles a series of judgments against the ancient kingdom of Israel. Before ancient Israel was totally destroyed, God sent numerous warnings and judgments that increased gradually in severity. God hoped to get their attention without destroying the nation, but they adamantly refused - as do we now. God's judgments against Israel happened over the course of centuries. It didn't happen overnight. Neither is judgment against America to happen overnight. We simmer slowly in our own stew and like the mindless beasts we've become we neither know nor care for the consequences of our personal or national future. We only live to stab one another in the back. Trump is our president and should be allowed at least a modicum of respect, but our people will not have it. In the measure we disrespect our own leaders will we suffer judgment we bring upon ourselves. In the end we will deserve it because we want it. God will give us the curses we work so hard to receive. The phrase "wages of sin" suggests one has to work hard to deserve spiritual death. America today is dedicated to it - mind heart and body. Signs in the heavens above us testify to our own debauchery. Once upon a time the American space program was second to none. Today we can't even lift our own astronauts up to the space station we built. They have to hitch a ride with an enemy to get there. God's justice is ironic, isn't it? Can you think of a greater sign in the sky than this evidence of our own failure arrogance and stupidity? I can't. The days of repentance are upon us. Those who are wise will humbly seek God. The rest will wallow in their own sewage and die in their sin. These are days of judgment. Let the righteous be righteous still......and let the wicked be wicked still - till He who will judge us all returns to us. What will He find us doing when He arrives? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Interesting. What does he say about the BDS movement against Israel? (Boycott Divestment & Sanctions) If we assume the wrath of God is directed against those who oppose Israel (Genesis 12:3), then divine blessings may become a thing of the past. Numerous governments, corporations and private organizations support the BDS movement (see source #4 on source list below), which is basically a caliginous ploy to cover anti-Semitic subversion of the modern State of Israel and to steal the land God gave to the Jewish people as an inheritance. It is not my purpose here to name or list all of them numerous though they may be, but to provide a working list of churches that support the BDS movement. This list of churches, which have issued public support of the BDS movement, was gleaned from published documents and public statements as well as Palestinian sources. As of this writing, the list is incomplete due to political vacillations and deliberate obfuscation of the issue by church leadership. For instance, although the Vatican has not issued a formal statement either for or against the BDS movement it has issued contradictory remarks supporting Israel at the same time it supports Palestinian demands for land it has no legal moral or spiritual claim to. For what it's worth, here's the list; International Churches - source listed next to the church name (see the number key below) Council of South African Independent Churches (9) British Methodist Church (1, ? Church of England (1) NCCA – National Council of Churches in Australia (10) National Church of Sweden (10) Lutheran State Church of Norway (10) World Communion of Reformed Churches (2) World Council of Churches (3) United Church of Canada (7) US church denominations Episcopal Church (5) Presbyterian Church (1) Methodist Church (1) United Church of Christ (1) Mennonite Church (Quakers) (1) Unitarian Universalist Church (6) Christian Church – Disciples of Christ (2) Individual US churches (Source: Friends of Sabeel North America) First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Old Lyme, CT First United Methodist Church, Sacramento, CA Immanuel Baptist Church, Rochester, NY Sierra Pines United Methodist Church, Grass Valley, CA Peace United Church of Christ, Santa Cruz, CA Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, Sacramento, CA Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Washington, DC Horseheads United Methodist Church, Horseheads, NY Sonoma United Methodist Church, Sonoma, CA Centennial United Methodist Church, Sacramento, CA Orinda Saint Marks United Methodist Church, Orinda, CA Walnut Avenue United Methodist Church, Walnut Creek, CA Live Oak Friends Meeting, Houston, TX St. John’s Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, CA St. Jarlath's Catholic Church, Oakland, CA Chicago First Church of the Brethren, Chicago Buena Vista United Methodist Church, Alameda, CA Littlefield Presbyterian Church, Dearborn, MI Maynard United Methodist Church, Columbus, OH Sixth Presbyertian Church, Pittsburgh, PA First Congregational United Church of Christ, Portland, OR Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia, PA Eugene Mennonite Church, Eugene, OR Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, Portland, OR Portland Mennonite Church, Portland, OR Peace Mennonite Fellowship, Claremont, CA First Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo, CA Sanctuary Faith Community, Pittsburgh, PA SOURCE LIST (1) source: Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) (2) source: US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (3) source: International Middle East Media Center (4) source: www.bdslist.org (5) source: The Guardian (6) source: www.legalinsurrection.com (7) source: International Business Times (8) source: Jerusalem Post (9) source: Middle East Monitor (10) source: www.ynetnews.com

You are missing the point Willa......... The issue is INTERNAL bullying, INTERNAL persecution. Persecution and bullying by Christians perpetrated upon Christians. It doesn't matter if leaders are guilty of this or if members of a church bully one another (which unfortunately is more often the case). A member of any group can withstand persecution from outside the group - from a person or group outside one's support group. This is one reason why a healthy family life is the most important social group anywhere. It's another reason why a church is the next level important social group. We live together as a family - receiving nurture from each family member (in a healthy family). We assemble ourselves together to worship and pray and share our spiritual journey with those with whom we expect to be supportive. Members of a healthy family can get bullied out in town or at work and expect to come home for sympathy. Members of a church ought to be able to expect to be beaten up in the world and be able to run back to the church family for encouragement and prayer and spiritual renewal. NOBODY CAN SURVIVE BULLYING IN A FAMILY OR IN CHURCH. It is NOT of God. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. - James 1:8 Suggestions that God creates a diabolical situation of bullying within the family and/or church is the product of double-minded thinking. This is called TREASON anywhere else, by any other standard in human experience. It is a vile and disgusting thing - an aberration in the face of social interaction God has intended for good and for healing and for strength. Bullying is encouraged by the forces of the evil one - never by God within the family or church. Anyone who says different is gravely mistaken. Bullying within a church, if allowed to continue, can rip the group apart and destroy the fellowship. It is not what God intends. You quote Paul's letters. Are you asserting that Paul supports bullying in church by saying its God's will? May it never be. Go back and read it again. If you think God approves of bullying in a church, then please tell me where this is happening because I want to avoid it like the plague upon humanity it truly is. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

First, I'm unclear as to your references for April. There are a number of political events scheduled for that month including a meeting between Putin, Erdogan and Rouhani regarding the Syrian issue. Few in America know of the wheeling and dealing being done on the issue because we're all focused on the political circus in Washington. Our politicians are presently acting like sunburned scorpions obsessed with stinging themselves to death. There will be a meeting of the Arab League later in the month as well as a meeting of Latin American nations regarding corruption in democratic governments (an exercise in futility since US interests fuel most of the corruption as well as removal of those governments, democratic or not, that oppose its economic hegemony). There are many other important political events as well. Which of these are you referring to? All the talk of blood moons confuses the issue of Christian eschatology. I'm not an astronomer and cannot be 100% accurate in anything I assert, however I'd be willing to bet nearly 100% of those who participate in these forums aren't astronomers either. Is Mr. Koenig a professional astronomer or just another Christian snake oil salesman? Everyone has their favorites don't they? The best attitude, I think, is to keep a wary eye on the heavens as well as on the earth. Americans, of all the people on earth, are poorest in this regard being force fed a diet of political sewage, intellectual smokescreens, racist finger pointing, obsession with celebrities, spiritual bovine excrement and a general attitude of confusion surrounding everything else. We can't agree on anything including appropriate ways to disagree. We are a nation lost. We are lost because we've turned our back on God. To paraphrase Ray Bradbury, a noted writer of the last century as well as a Russian newspaper, something wicked has come our way and we have no idea what's happening to us. .....and so we watch the skies for blood moons shiny auroras at night and flying saucers at all times....... because our fantasies have become more real to us than the insanity we live in.... So you go ahead and put Mr. Koenig's book up there with your Bible and ignore everything else. Why not? That's what everybody else is doing. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

So....you are saying that bullying in any form is ok? You justify it by quoting scripture, but the root idea you are promoting suggests you approve of bullying. Just as a side thought.....do you have children? Would you approve of someone bullying your children? Certainly not. I don't imagine you would for a moment. Why then do you automatically assume God would approve of someone bullying His children - in church or anywhere else? Why do you approve of bullying? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

The policy isn't so much isolationist as nationalist. Big difference. Watching the international news will give us a better picture of the general intolerance our financial and political leaders have for the common working man. By us, I mean the citizens of the countries involved - the man and woman who have to work for a living. For instance, EVERY TIME a global coalition of bankers and/or politicans meet to decide their (and by default 'our') future there are raucous demonstrations against them. Every time and in every country! The issue isn't American nationalism. It's about gangs of international thieves masquerading as the financial cartel or trans-national mega corporations coming together to connive new ways to rob us of the fruits of our own labor. For instance, the newest fakery is a thing called the Carbon Tax. We've seen it coming for years in all the rhetoric about global warming caused by industrial emissions. Yes, the surface temperature of the earth has increased a degree or two in the past ten years. NASA surveys of the planet Mars reveal the same temperature rise there too. Shall a new Carbon Tax serve to inhibit global warming on Mars as well? There has also been a marked increase in volcanic activity. Only one eruption of sufficient size is capable of spewing an equivalent amount of toxic gas into the atmosphere as all the factories of man on earth - and there have been many volcanos going off in the past fifty years. The US Geological survey refuses to comment on the unusual increase in earthquakes and volcanos. In other words, scientific conclusions which are indeed factual may NOT be correct. They are true, but not accurate. American nationalism is meant to assure that Americans who work for a living get to enjoy the fruits of their own labor. It's not strange that citizens of other nations should feel the same way. Globalization makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. A sign of the End Times listed in the Bible, by the way. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

References to wonders in the heavens apply to End Times eschatology. They are given to man in the form of signposts - indicators of unfolding events from God. Followers of astrology tend to organize their lives according to astral positions. The difference between the two is that Biblical references are like signposts, while astrologers use these things as guidance. A Christian follows God and receives assurances in the heavens or in signs upon the earth, while an astrologer may not necessarily follow God's guidance at all - choosing instead to decide for themselves what is good or bad. The Bible calls this sort of thing sin, because it does not rely upon divine guidance. The aurora borealis is not listed as one of the signs of the Bible, but because it has been rather intense in recent years it too is an indicator of changing environmental factors in the sky and upon the earth. Not everything is a TV show. God's creation speaks to us in ways that glorify Him and encourage us. Ever heard of the Christian zodiac? Certain signs and alignments of planets and stars indicate the various periods of divine revelation upon the earth including the coming of the Son of Man. These signs and wonders coincide with Biblical prophetic events. It is well to be aware of such things even if the study of them doesn't interest you. Why? Because a terrible and foreign demonic ideology is sweeping across the globe even as we argue over these things. That ideology uses aberrant eschatology to persuade Christians to follow their doctrine and abandon traditional Christian faith. The ideology even suggests Jesus will return to earth to preach doctrines of demons and to approve of the murder of Christians and Jews. Do not dismiss everything that is strange to you. Very soon someone will come along preaching familiar buzz words and slight variations of familiar religious slogans to deceive many. It is already upon us and many have already abandoned the faith because of it. A certain popular 'Christian' music group sings heretical words and stages performances with occult significance. They use religious slogans familiar to Christians to deceive. I cannot name this group without being banned from this site. Apparently it is better to support such groups with indifference than to point to them and say this is who you are... It isn't about the color of the moon as much as its about the nature of the times in which we live. Despotism and spiritual darkness are knocking at the door right now - and the stars in the sky, which have not had such alignments in hundreds and thousands of years, combine to tell us to be wary. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

There once was a measure of respect due to the person in the Oval Office. It didn't matter what party one was affiliated with and it didn't matter that the election process is little more than a mud slinging tournament. It mattered once the words had been spoken and the people had cast their votes. It mattered that the person who won would be allowed time to get their ducks in a row, to get the lay of the land, to learn their job. Journalists called this the honeymoon period, but of late that hasn't happened. There is no measure of respect due to a white male in the White House. Seems to me that of all the things we pretend to have as a nation we've begun to lose the most important thing - respect for authority. POTUS doesn't have it. Congress doesn't have it. Police don't have it.(*) The ordinary citizen surely doesn't have it. What has happened to us as a nation? I submit we suffer many things as a nation and as a people because we've turned our backs upon God. Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said the reason the Russian people suffered so much was because they'd forgotten God. So they did and so have we begun to walk the same path. Is it redundant to cry out that its time to repent? I don't think so. that's me, hollering from the choir loft... (*) In my city, thieves are becoming so bold they actually have stolen guns out of police cars. A recent story chronicled a families' litigation of a local police department. Their black son had stolen a car and was shot by a black police officer when the boy tried to run him down with the stolen car. The families' retort was a public statement saying the lad was just having fun. Respect is a two way street. What is expected is also owed.

Blood was not sprinkled on the east or west end of the Mercy seat. Do you know what the Mercy seat is or was? The BOX containing the slabs of stone with the Ten Commandments written upon them, a jar of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, was called THE ARK of the Covenant. (ark=box) The box TOP was called the Mercy Seat. (read Exodus chapter 25) It had a couple of angels parked on it to symbolize sealing of judgment - to keep it from getting out. For anyone who doesn't want to bother reading God's word, try remembering the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In one of the final scenes, the bad guys remove the Mercy Seat from the Ark. Judgment and wrath sally forth and kill the whole crowd (except for our hero and his girl friend of course). It is written that those who do not live by the Law will die by the Law. Thus we see in the movie and in scripture that the Mercy Seat was meant to literally keep a lid on judgment. BTW: Stephen Spielberg, who made the movie, is a Jew and paid deliberate attention to detail with regard to the design and meaning of the BOX and the box TOP. He read the Bible. But God's Law, which was contained in the Ark - the box, isn't all about judgment. God provides for forgiveness too....as represented by the Mercy Seat. Both work together unto salvation. Atonement Blood was sprinkled at the altar, which was located on the east side of the tabernacle (and later the east side of the temple). It was the first piece of furniture one encountered upon entering the tabernacle/temple. One must offer sacrifice before one gets anywhere else with God. What is the appropriate sacrifice today? Read on... On Yom Kippur, the Jewish observance of the Day of Atonement, the priest sprinkled the blood. EVERY OTHER DAY, according to the Law written in Leviticus, individual Jews had to do it themselves. The Law said people had to make the effort to slay the animal and to offer it themselves. If we use the Law as a guide we see that God expects each of us to come individually to the altar of mercy bringing the appropriate sacrifice with us in order to obtain mercy from God. What is the appropriate sacrifice? It is the only sacrifice God will accept - the blood of Jesus Christ.....ACCORDING TO THE LAW. Nobody can do it for us. No priest can offer sacrifice for us and mindless reference to the goodness of the Law won't do it either. The LAW says we must DO IT. We MUST act and be personally deeply involved. The Law is instruction, not panacea. Christ is the only sacrifice and we must come to God with His blood upon us to be saved. Jesus, our High priest - dripping with the blood He shed upon the cross - sits on the MERCY seat (holding judgment in abeyance) extending His hands out to all who will embrace His generous offer of forgiveness. Those who refuse to accept His offer are literally taking the lid off the box. What lies within is too terrible to consider. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

You really need to read Joel Richardson's book THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST. It will confirm your suspicions.....and then some. A warning: The book is frightening to read. It's frightening because it's so very very close to reality. I have studied a bit of Islamic theology and a lot of the Christian nonsense that passes for eschatology. Richardson's book is not meant to frighten, but because its so close to explaining what is really happening it will give you hard things to think about. For instance, does the reader know Muslims believe Jesus will come again? Yes. The Qur'an calls Him Isa and Isa's arrival is said to precede the final battle with the antiChrist. Islamic eschatology is a mirror image of Judeo-Christian prophecy and so its imagery is a backwards copy. The Muslim savior will be called Mohammad al-Mahdi and his side kick will be Isa. Together they will battle the real Jesus and win (if you follow their line of thinking). The book of Revelation calls these two the Beast and the Prophet. It gets better and it gets real creepy. Check it out. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

EVERY blood moon in the past has been observed on a Jewish holiday. In terms of judgment, this combination of signs in the heavens and scripture is worthy of consideration. On January 20/21 a super blood wolf moon was observed. Is it an accident that this happened almost exactly on the date of the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat? The Jewish holiday in question is a celebration of the New Year of trees. Apart from an appreciation of God's leafy creations, it also signifies new life. Does judgment always have to imply destruction and death and horror? Does not Christ often say that He came to bring life and to bring it abundantly? If so, then the holiday of Tu B'Shvat is significant for our troubled times. The renewal of a promise, sealed by a sign in the heavens, may be given for hope's sake. We can certainly use a bit of that, don't you agree? that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

You are entirely and completely out of focus...... The point and focus of interpretation of Biblical prophecy is ALWAYS Israel. ALWAYS. It's about Israel and Israel's ha-mashiach (messiah). It is NOT about Obama or Trump or Bush or whoever sits in the White House thousands of miles away from Jerusalem. In terms of prophecy, Jerusalem is the center of the earth. In terms of interpretation, Israel is the focus of all prophecy and promises with regard to events and spiritual blessings upon the world. It begins and ends with Israel and Jerusalem. ALWAYS. Stop being blinded by the striped flag of red white and blue Yankee patriotism and look at the Bible as it was written from God's perspective. After all, God is not an American. that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

The context of the post would suggest something other than Biblical references. That being said, Babylonian influence upon Judaism, Messianic Judaism of Jesus' day & the institutionalized Christian religion was considerable. Prior to the civil war that tore the old kingdom of Israel apart, Hebrews lived in observance of Mosaic Law (more or less). Following the civil war instigated by King Solomon's idiot son Rehoboam, the two kingdoms gradually diluted their religious observance and debauched their moral character. God sent numerous prophets and teachers as well as invading armies to get their attention, but in the end the people resisted with all their will. The northern kingdom of Israel was eventually ripped to shreds by the Assyrians and the southern kingdom of Judah was taken captive to Babylon for seventy years. Prior to the Babylonian captivity the three basic texts of Judaism were considered to be complied in the Tanakh (the Law/Torah/ 1st 5 books of the Bible, the Prophets and the Writings). During the Babylonian captivity Jewish scholars went crazy in the other direction - back to statements of faith and religious ceremony and regulations. As bad as they were prior to Babylon in ignoring scripture, they were worse after Babylon in their multiplication of regulations and interpretations God did not intend. This body of work is generally known as the Talmud. There is more, but for purposes of convenient discussion the Talmud was the result. When Jesus taught in the streets and towns of Judah and Samaria He restricted His comments to the Law (Torah), the Prophets and the Writings (Proverbs, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, etc.). Jesus never quoted Talmudic texts. Unfortunately the Babylonian influence permeated everything Jewish despite the teachings of their greatest prophet and messiah - Jesus. The group Biblically referred to as the Pharisees were the most enthusiastic of any group in carrying these teachings forward in time. They continue today as a group within Judaism known as Hasidic or Orthodox Jews. The Hasidim are the pharisees of our day. In addition to Hasidic theology, restrictive interpretation of Jewish texts and rejection of Yeshuah ha-mashiach (Jesus messiah/christ), Babylonian mysticism continues to infect Judaism and has spilled over into the modern secular world as well as Christianity. Spiritism (the Occult), geneology, numerology and the myth of Hell are three categories that persist in Judaism and/or have been adopted by the institutionalized church. We owe our current belief system to a lot of trash from the past, specifically Babylon (as well as a few myths from ancient Egypt). Few there are who dare to challenge them. that's me, hollering from the choir loft....

The question is less spiritual than it is physical. Many people who live in tropical zones are ok with bare coverings or none at all. The reason is that its so terribly hot and humid. Clothing is not an effective barrier against the elements. On the other hand, take a look at European or Arabian peoples. The former live in cold climates. It stands to reason that one would not be very comfortable running around in a breach-cloth. In Arabia the wind and sand and heat are so oppressive that one needs protection against every aspect of the elements. Muslims continue to dress for the desert even when they live in European nations where the climate is decidedly different. They make fun of European dress in Arabia, but seem to think its ok to wear traditional Arab dress everywhere in the world. I live in Central Florida. The Seminole tribe has inhabited this region for a long time and they did so with little or no clothing. In other states of the country Boy Scouts like to dress up in the traditional garb of the Native Americans of their region. They can't do that in Florida because it would violate a lot of laws regarding child porn and public indecency. The question of nakedness in the Bible can be interpreted spiritually in that one is devoid of covering before God. He sees all our blemishes. It has nothing to do with the quality or type of clothing we wear to worship services. That's me, hollering from the choir loft...