Orion

Good afternoon. I agree that the children of God will love. But It's good to keep in mind who the children of God are, and to whom it is that John is writing: those that are born again in Christ. Now, antichrists can be atheists, but antichrists can also be religious zealots, and atheists and religious zealots can have, and can show that they have, tremendous love for others. Furthermore, antichrists can be anyone that says they know God, but they themselves are not known by God because they are not children of God; they reject the only begotten Son of God Messiah Yeshua. These can be zealously religious Muslims, and Jews, and Hindus, et al. And even though the religiously zealous love others with tremendous love, that love alone does not qualify them as children of God. They must be born again. And if they are not born again children of God, they are condemned. They must be born again in Christ. It is a fundamental truth that only those that are born again of the Spirit are in Christ and children of God. (Romans 8:11, 14). And the standard by which God see us as His children is not just in loving our neighbor as ourselves; it is in loving God, and loving others, and loving even our enemies, blessing them that curse us, doing good to them that hate us, and praying for them that despitefully use and persecute us. (Matthew 5:44). This sort of love (agapé) is God's perfect standard. (Matthew 5:48). I ask rhetorically: can any of us claim that we always live and love with agapé, and that God's perfect standard of love is always reflected in us? However, because we are born again in Christ, we thank God for His sacrifice on our behalf, for His atonement, for Him reconciling me to Himself and for imputing my imperfections and sins to Himself, and imputing His perfect righteousness to me. No doubt, even though we are born again in Christ, we will fall short of His perfect standard of agapé, but because we have received Him and been born again from Above, we have been received by the Father as a son to the Him. (Romans 8:14;. 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:5; Hebrews 12:6,7; 1 John 3:1, 2). Yeshua said, "he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me." (Matthew 10:40; Luke 9:48). This is an exclusive statement of the Lord. And speaking to the Pharisees that rejected Him, after stating that those that walk in darkness do not follow Him, Yeshua said "Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have know my Father also." (John 8:19; see, also, John 14:7, and 14:9 "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father"). So, John is echoing the teachings of Jesus as it relates to loving others, but he is writing to believers born again in Christ. Anyone who is not born again, is an antichrist because they have not received the Lord. 1 John 2: 22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.

When I read Paul's writings generally, and 1 Corinthians specifically, and think of the story of #3 brick layer/cathedral builder, I see that they both have in common, and they both understand, that they know they are blessed to be called out and to be doing what they are doing (Paul in proclaiming the gospel and the #3 bricklayer building a cathedral to God almighty). The two also know that what they are doing they do not for themselves but for the glory of God. Peter writes that we who are in Christ must always be ready to give a defense (apologia) for the hope we have in Christ. The word "apologia" does not simply mean to give a reactive defense to our faith when under attack, though it encompasses that, but it also means to be proactive in sharing the good news of our Blessed Hope and Savior to those who are still in darkness, as well as to our brothers and sisters in Christ, edifying always in truth and in love, and always for the glory of God, because we know what Paul knew, what Job knew, what the #3 bricklayer knew: our Redeemer lives. Peace

Quite right. Perhaps not the best analogy, but I'm reminded of a story told of 17th century British architect Christopher Wren visiting workers at the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral. Wren, in cognito, asked three of these workers what their jobs were. The first replied, "I am cutting rocks and laying bricks to feed my family." The second replied, "I am a stone mason and bricklayer, and I'm building a wall in furtherance of my occupation." The third replied, "I am a cathedral builder, hired by architect Christopher Wren, and I am helping Mr. Wren rebuild this great cathedral to honor and glorify God Almighty." May we all be as passionate as Paul and the cathedral builder in sharing the gospel. Amen Peace

Paul is speaking hyperbolically to demonstrate to the believers at Corinth the seriousness of the gospel, and that, regardless of the liberty believers have in Christ, the gospel message is to be taught with uncompromising zeal and humility, regardless of the false beliefs of those with whom the gospel is shared. (1 Cor. 1:22-23, 10:32). Peace

I'm going to be blunt. Sitting on the fence is just fine with Satan: he owns the fence. You are either in Christ or you're not. Having said that, understand that if you are in Christ, the moment you were born again in Christ you were justified, you were adopted into the family of God, and you were and are being sanctified. Sanctification is another way of saying that you are set apart from the world, that God has begun a work in you, and He has promised to complete the work He began in you. Sanctification is a process, a lifelong process that begins when you first believed and were born again in Christ, and sanctification is fully realized when we are glorified with Christ. If you are in Christ, God's Sanctification of you is His plan for you; trust God's plan, because God's plan is greater than all the plans that you and all the planners in the world could ever come up with; God's plan is greater. Peace

Hello Hadedami2. Do you know the rote method? If you know the Happy Birthday song by memory, then you likely learned it like the rest of us via the rote method. I admit, I've read so much scripture that I can't recite from memory all of what I've read; some, but not all. But I can tell this much: the only way to know God's word is to read and study God's word over and over and over again, and fellowship with other like-minded believers. What I mean by study is, know who is writing what, know to whom is he writing, know when is he writing, know what are the meanings of the original Greek or Hebrew words that were translated into English, and know whether the writing is to be taken literally, metaphorically, historically, poetically, and whether he is writing of past, present, or future events. Peace

We must neither dismiss Paul's writings, nor must we teach that those writings teach a different gospel message than that which Jesus and the other apostles taught.

There was likely a rope and pulley system to both put the cross into place and to pull the cross from the hole it which it was placed. The foregoing, as well as removing the spikes from the hands and feet, were likely done by Roman soldiers.

Worthy Brief is one of the daily devotions I read each morning. Such a blessing. Thank you, George. ♥ 🙏

All that God creates, and all that God destroys, God does for His glory. "Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory..." (Isaiah 43:7). "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing..." (Proverbs 25:2). "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable." (Psalm 145:3). "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33). "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:36). Peace

Yes, Sower. It is a common saying that if you put a frog in cool water, it will fall asleep as the water slowly heats until it boils, killing the frog. While this saying might not be scientifically accurate, it is used to illustrate the gullible nature of man, who is all too ready to believe something simply because it sounds utilitarian, all the while it is part of the devil's grand scheme of deceiving and charming man. It will not be long before society has become so comfortable with e-tatoos for other things, that we read about, or are ordered to sign-up and receive your very own e-tatoo in order to buy and sell. Peace

Fox News 5/31/25 Researchers develop face 'e-tattoo' to track mental workload in high-stress jobs New wireless forehead e-tattoo measures EEG and EOG signals to monitor cognitive fatigue and performance By Nick Butler Fox News Published May 31, 2025 5:15pm EDT Scientists say that they have formulated a way to help people in stressful and demanding work environments track their brainwaves and brain usage — an electronic tattoo device, or "e-tattoo," on the person's face. In a study posted in the science journal Device, the team of researchers wrote that they found e-tattoos to be a more cost-effective and simpler way to track one’s mental workload. Dr. Nanshu Lu, the senior author of the research from the University of Texas at Austin, wrote that mental workload is a critical factor in human-in-the-loop systems, directly influencing cognitive performance and decision-making. Lu told Fox News Digital in an email that this device was motivated by high-demand, high-stake jobs such as pilots, air traffic controllers, doctors and emergency dispatchers. Scientists say that they have formulated a way to help people track their brainwaves and brain usage. In a study posted in the journal Device, the team of researchers wrote that they found a more cost-effective and simpler way to track one’s mental workload. (Dr. Nanshu Lu) Lu also said ER doctors and robot/drone operators can also leverage this technology for training and performance enhancements. One of the goals of this study was to find a way to measure cognitive fatigue in high leverage and mentally straining careers. The e-tattoo is temporarily attached to the subject's forehead, and is smaller than current devices in use today. According to the study, the device works by using electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrooculogram (EOG) to measure both brain waves and eye movements. While most EEG and EOG machines are bulky and expensive, this e-tattoo brings a compact and cost-effective solution to that problem. (iStock) While most EEG and EOG machines are bulky and expensive, the e-tattoo offers a compact and cost-effective solution. Lu wrote that in this study, "we propose a wireless forehead EEG and EOG sensor designed to be as thin and conformable to the skin as a temporary tattoo sticker, which is referred to as a forehead e-tattoo." Lu also added that "human mental workload is a crucial factor in the fields of human-machine interaction and ergonomics due to its direct impact on human cognitive performance." The way the study was conducted was with six participants being shown a screen on which 20 letters flashed up, one at a time, at various locations. The team found that as the tasks became harder, the different types of brainwaves detected showed shifts in activity that corresponded to a higher mental workload response. (iStock) Participants were asked to click a mouse if either the letter itself, or its location, matched one shown a given number of letters. Each participant carried out the task multiple times, corresponding to four levels of difficulty. The team found that as the tasks became harder, the different types of brainwaves detected showed shifts in activity that corresponded to a higher mental workload response. The device consists of a battery pack and reusable chips with a disposable sensor. Lu said that the device is currently a lab prototype. "Before it can be ready for commercialization, it will need more development, such as real-time, on-tattoo mental workload decoding and validation on more people and in more realistic environments," she said. "The prototype currently costs $200." Nick Butler is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Do you have any tips? Reach out to Nick.Butler@Fox.com https://www.foxnews.com/science/researchers-develop-face-e-tattoo-track-mental-workload-high-stress-jobs

In 1 Corinthians, Paul is emphasizing that the distinction between lost Jews and lost Gentiles is that lost Jews require a sign and lost Gentiles seek after wisdom. Notwithstanding those distinctions, Paul makes clear that they be given the same identical message, namely: "preach Christ crucified." (1:23). And as far as 1 Cor. 10:32 is concerned, when read in context to the preceding verses, all Paul is saying is that regardless of whom it is Christians are dealing with, whether lost Jews, lost Gentiles, or brothers in Christ, we are not to offend either of them in food or drink, but to do so to the glory of God that some of the lost might be saved. (10:23-33).

Actually two: the lost and the saved.

Kindly point out the scripture that makes explicit that the discourse between Yeshua and the thief "was about when Jesus would be crowned King of Israel"? I know, you can't because you're making an assumption. You're even assuming that the thief could read the script on the sign above Yeshua's head. But you failed to addess the issue I raised about your position of the word "all" in Romans 11:26 as it relates to "remnant" in Romans 11:6. If "all means all", then you must also believe all in Judea, including the thief, the high priest, the saduccees and pharisees, Pilate and all the other Romans, came to John to be baptized, because Mark 1:5 says "all." Do you now see your error? Actually the Bible says that Israel is "blinded in part", which means that there is a remnant that is not blinded. So, when the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, so too will all the faithful Jewish remnant be saved. Those of Israel that are blinded won't turn to the Lord. But, every one of the faithful apostles are the faithful remnant of Israel. The 120 in the upper room were part of the faithful remnant of Israel. (Acts 1:15). The 3,000 saved at Pentecost were all part of the faithful remnant of Israel. (Acts 2:5, 41). The multitude that believed that had all things in common were part of the faithful remnant of Israel. (Acts 4:32). The church in Jerusalem that was greatly persecuted, who as a result were scattered abroad, were all part of the faithful remnant of Israel. (Acts 8:1). Saul, who persecuted Christ, and had some of the faithful remnant of Israel killed, was himself part of the faithful remnant of Israel. Today, you can watch social media videos of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, all part of the faithful remnant of Israel, evangelizing lost Jews in streets of modern state of Israel. And so, when the last Gentile is saved, so too will the complete faithful remnant of Israel will be saved, and in this way all of the faithful Israel of God will be saved.

This is the dispensational flaw: dividing God's people into ethnic Israel on one side and Gentiles on the other. We know this is error because we are told do by God Himself when he told His parables, that there is only one people of God and one destination for God's people, which is everyone that had and has faith in the Genesis 3:15 Seed of the woman. We also know from Paul's writings that there is one people, or "one new man", which is all who are in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, which is the Body of Christ, which, again, is everyone that had and has faith in the Genesis 3:15 Seed of the woman. Peace

Well that settles the issue of whether thief on the cross was baptized, and for that matter the high priest Caiaphas, and Barabbas, and all the pharisees and saduccees, and Pilate, all the Romans soldiers in Judea, since Mark 1:5 says "there went out unto him (John the baptist) all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins." Context, my friend. Paul first writes that only a remnant of Israel will be saved, then a few verses later writes that when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, in that way all of Israel will be saved. In other words: Paul is saying that the remnant of faithful Jews in Christ and the fullness of faithful Gentiles in Christ are going to be saved. That's what "all" means. Sorry I don't have time to answer your other comments. Perhaps tomorrow. Peace

Not so - on both accounts Read Joshua 21:43-45 and Galatians 3:16. Those scriptures confirm that God fulfilled His covenant land promise to Abraham and his seed, and that Yeshua Mashiach is the Seed of Abraham that fulfills the everlasting nature of that covenant. The Mosaic covenant is annulled by the New covenant in Yeshua Mashiach, (Hebrews 8), and all the OT prophecies and laws are fulfilled in Yeshua Mashiach. (Matthew 5:17; John 19:30). "All Israel" in v.26 refers to the Israel of God, (Galatians 6:16), which is the Body of Christ, faithful Jews and faithful Gentiles from every generation from the beginning of time. In re: vv.25-27, these passages point to the time of the end when God will save all the faithful remnant of Israel "according to the election of grace", (Rom. 11:5), that were not blinded, and the last of the Gentiles to be saved, and they (Jews and Gentiles in Christ) will all meet Yeshua in the air when He returns in the end. No. Only the faithful remnant of Israel that are in Christ are saved. This wreaks of universalism. Tell me, will the rabbinic writer of that section of the Talmud, that teaches Yeshua is eternally suffering in boiling human excrement in hell, be saved? I reject dispensationalism. The Israel of God is the Seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15; the Seed of the woman Genesis 3:15 is Christ; and, anyone born again in Christ is in the Israel of God. Peace

When my wife recently began complaining that her phone's battery was not charging like it used to when it was new, I said, "Remember all those glass boxes with the folding doors all around town when we were kids that had that black box attached on the inside that you had to put a dime in to ask your parents for a ride home. She replied,"You mean phone booth?"

I never brought up the lake of fire. No problem. Peace

God's land promise to Abraham and the nation Israel was fulfilled. But that promise was a shadow to the future promise fulfilled in Yeshua.

God's land promise to Israel has already been fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45; 1 Kings 8:56). This inheritance of the land is a type of what God has in store for the future. This type is a prophetic picture of the good things God promised to bring, which is fulfilled in Christ. The old Mosaic covenant is done away with by the new covenant made effective by the death burial and resurrection of Yeshua. No one has ever been, nor will anyone ever be, saved by the works of the law. Daniel's 12:2 people are all peoples of every ethnicity that have/had faith in the Genesis 3:15 Seed, which is fulfilled by the New Covenant in Christ. The remnant of Israel mentioned in 1 Kings 19:18 and Romans 9:24-27 are all those that have/had faith in the Genesis 3:15 Seed, which is Yeshua. Because Yeshua is the promises Seed of Genesis 3:15, He is not just the Messiah to the Jews, He is the Messiah and Light to the entire World. Peace

Amen. Understanding who Yeshua is is key to understanding His "I am" statements: I am the resurrection. I am the bread of life. I am the true Vine. I am the light of the world. I am the door of the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Yeshua is the great Ey Yeh (I Am). Hallelujah. Amen.

Kindly forgive what might seem a knee-jerk reaction ony part to your o.p. Though I admit, I am less informed now to the intent of your o.p. based upon your above reply to my response. Peace