It Might be Cool to be Number One!! I Feel Like Number Two!! I'd Settle for Number Six!! Don't Get Your Panties in a Bunch!! Read Between the Lines!! Remember Contextual Superimposition!! I'm slowly beginning to figure this out but I might not do anything with it. I'm probably not supposed to be here, and I am probably not supposed to find out who I am and what's been done to me. Perhaps I'm simply saying "good-bye" one last time. I periodically watch the following videos. They're sort of depressing but I tend to gravitate toward sad and perplexing stories. I'd love to be healthy and happy but that never seems to be the case. Perhaps it goes with the territory (lifetime after lifetime). I'll probably watch the 2008 movie, The Changeling, with Angelina Jolie. BTW, something has been bugging me. I believe I encountered Charlize Theron and Sean Penn, but I'm not sure. It might've been Gaius Baltar and Number Six (but probably not). There is a parallel, isn't there?! I don't get excited regarding such encounters (but perhaps I should). I could say more about such things, but what's the point?? As a teen, I talked with David and Betty Rose in their kitchen, and listened to David and my Father talking about live steam trains in the backyard train station. There were one or two young women I should've gotten better acquainted with in that context. They were probably future famous actresses. I'd love to know who they really were!! I missed SO Many Opportunities, and now no-one will give me the time of day. I seem to be a shunned persona non grata. I'll continue watching The Word. A remake would be optimal. I occasionally talked with Harry Carey (from Medina) about UFOs and Aliens. I often drove him to and from PA in my car, but he also drove a beat-up mini-pickup with a bad transmission. What Would Jon Say?? I Think Harry Rode in His Ferrari!!
I'm going to attempt to self-publish some dumb thing, just to see what happens, but I'll probably just end-up with a pile of (signed but unsold) books to further clutter my messy house. I think I need to be completely neutral, without attempting to peddle anything. I have a manuscript which should probably be published. The contents are quite startling but I can't prove most of my claims or speculation. I had a stroke in 2020 so I'm damaged goods, but still, I need to get this process rolling. I'm getting too old to wait. I don't expect much. I simply need to get the manuscript published regardless of results. It's still in a somewhat rough form, but perhaps that might be OK under the circumstances. The next book will probably be much more refined (possibly with a ghostwriter creating a proper story). I just want to see what will happen with this one. Sorry for my hesitancy, but it goes with the territory. I've got a lot of material, so there will probably be several books in the next couple of years (as I retire). This might be really big or it might be nothing. Time will tell. The Information War is undergoing a chain reaction into oblivion. Several years ago, an Individual of Interest told me "Humanity is Past the Point of No Return." What if 2025 to 2045 is a Slow-Burn End of the World?? What Would Douglas Vogt Say?? I might repeat the last two pages with minimal modification. Frankly, no-one seems to give a damn. The PTB are in Bed with the Devil (and I suspect it's been that way for at least 5,000 years). Prove Me Wrong. My quest might become quite unpleasant as I go incognito. I have books to read and notes to edit. It seems ludicrous but I watch a lot of atheist videos and plane-crash videos. My motives are mostly pure and there is a method to my madness but my research methodology is probably unfathomable to the casual observer. Perhaps I should attempt to write, produce, and act in a low-budget video series starring HAL 9000 and David Bowman in a 600 square-foot office-apartment in a round 2-kilometer-diameter bad@$$teroid in geosynchronous orbit in AD 2133!!
orthodoxymoron wrote:
Carol wrote:Good morning Oxy. Hope you're doing well. One of the things so enjoyable about your threads are all the videos you post. There is so much variety. And as usual, with all the different people you've interacted with, it's impressive and provides rich insight to some of these other people. I appreciate your research and sharing. You're a true treasure.
Good Morning, Carol. I'm Miserable and Hamstrung, as Usual, but Perhaps That's Just the Way It Is. Another Day in Purgatory?? Venom, Sorcery, and Artificial-Intelligence?? People Hope for Heaven and Fear Hell but What If We Are Stuck in Purgatory Incorporated for All Eternity?? The First Shall be Last and the Last Shall be First?? Modified Nash Equilibrium?? The Information War is All About an Assimilation and Escalation, Isn't It?? Perhaps This Involves an Extermination in the Latter-Half of This Century. Then Shall the Sanctuary be Cleansed, Vindicated, and Restored to Its Rightful State?? I Know I Don't Know. The Images, Videos, and Member Posts are Exhibits A, B, and C in My Threads of Discovery but All This Ultimately Seems to be an Exercise in Futility. My Pompous and Supercilious Modeling has Become All Too Real, and I Wish I Had Never Attempted to Figure Things Out. I'm Still Strongly Leaning Toward Newspapers and Exercise as a Pragmatic Middle-Way in Modernity. Thank-You for the Recognition and Appreciation. Hope Springs Eternal. I Am NOT an Atheist. I Believe but I Do NOT Know What I Believe. A Hypothetical Ancient to Modern Artificial Intelligence Purgatory Incorporated Scares the Hell Out of Me. I'm Reading Dante's Purgatory Just for the Hell of It. I Am Reading the 21 New Testament Epistles (Pauline and Otherwise) Straight-Through, Over and Over, in a Variety of Translations While Avoiding Irrationally Exuberant Faith and Doubt. Does This Destroy Religion as We Know It?? If So, Would That Be a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?? What Would the Nasty Little-Horn Say and Do?? Did Ford Have a Better Idea?? Sorry for the repetition but consider reading Job to Daniel (straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations, with internal interpretation, and without commentaries and theologians). This might be tougher than you might (or can) imagine. Then, try adding Genesis to Job through Daniel. Some or All of the Above might help you and/or hurt you. Researchers Beware.
Carol wrote:Well rats... I had a very nice long post and lost it Oxy.. commenting on your posts. sigh.. later fren
Carol wrote:Good morning Oxy. I've been attempting to post in this thread since my last internet disaster. The forum kept logging me out for some odd reason. Or wouldn't let me post in this thread. I think our internet was maxed out with all of the out of towners here for the October Alpine Fest. I was reading what you wrote and thought some of what you posted earlier on target but since channeling my thoughts and feelings I forgot what I wrote. Sigh. Must be a sign of aging. Yikes! For myself what keeps me sane is living in the woods as a recluse. It's also fun to watch various cooking youtube videos, various folks building cabin or tiny house youtube videos, sometimes how to paint youtube videos, recently NDE videos. They're amazing. We also listen to a number of interviews by truthers. Simon Parkes, Michael Jaco, Michelle Fielding, Nicolas Veiniman, Patriot Streetfighter, Nino Rodriguez, Gene DeCode, SGAnon and others. There is so much intel coming in (hundreds of posts daily) that I can't keep up with it. So tend to focus on those who are the most reliable. I particularly like something Corey mentioned about this one group of galactics that had a type of vacuum that was sucking up/collecting the energy signature/forms? of the soulless demons that have been plaguing the planet, our solar system for eons. Trapping them where they can't escape. If true.. and more likely might me, it sure made my day as a nightly prayer was for god to deliver humanity from the evil ones and take them to a place where they cannot escape. Awesome. Seashore posted a Corey Goode video that I thought you would particularly like as he goes into some of what you were referencing in some of your posted videos. His story is also amazing. I hope you're doing okay. Hugs..
Hello, Carol. I've been out of town and mostly without internet for a couple of days. Your 'internet disaster' might've been by design rather than accident. I mentioned on my USSS Books 11 and 12 threads, that on May 19, 2022, my USSS Book 11 thread went 'crazy' for an hour or so, and as I scrolled up and down the page, the content 'intelligently designed' several posts in 'real time'. The changes were substantial and changed by the second. Material from previous posts and threads modified the May 2022 posts in question. Then, these posts reset to the original content. I felt as if I were somehow interacting with the 'MAINFRAME'. It made me wonder how crazy things might get in the coming months and years?! All Hell Might Break Lose (in ways we can't imagine)!! I am extremely apprehensive, but I am committed to my crazy religious and political science-fiction as a 'research-baseline' and 'background noise'. I'm honestly feeling much worse and thinking much less. 'Explaining' more than 'Complaining'. What if Humanity are the Demons who got trapped in this hypothetical 'Prison Planet in Rebellion'?? My own threads scare the hell out of me. The 'Local Warden' and 'Emissary Warden' concepts might begin to explain why 'There Can Only Be One RA' while simultaneously necessitating the ongoing existence of 'Two RA's'. What Would Marduk and Amen Say?? Think about that Constantine 'Library Scene' with Gabriel as 'Warden' and David as 'Emissary Warden'. Both Jobs Might SUCK!! I once told a medical doctor, "God has a Lousy Job but Somebody has to Do It." I think he almost called 'Security' and almost committed me to 'M2'. I've mentioned it several times, but I think it might be interesting if You, Paola, Michael, Alex, Loree, and Andrew critiqued the hell out of my madness. I might've recently spoken with Alex but I'm not sure it was him. I'm pretty discrete and others are pretty cagey. I appreciate all the people you've mentioned but I remain distant and wary of everyone and everything (especially myself). I'm exhausted and I'm trying to sleep while listening to the video you posted. I might've met Keanu dressed as a priest, but I didn't recognize him at the time. Sorry, if I got it wrong. I tend to do that... a lot. I relate to the 'recluse in nature' approach but I think I might've alienated everyone (including myself). I guess I'm a 'Rebel Without a Clue'.
Perhaps I should back-off of my alternative-research 'discovery' and 'hypothesis' (especially as I feel worse and think less). I'm attempting to focus on The Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal as 'Pluralism for the Rest of Us'. Perhaps I'll provide samples in 'This Present USSS Thread'. I subscribe to these four newspapers online and I receive an actual physical Sunday Paper. I've begun listening to some of the articles. That's a cool feature. If I need more information, I can always look for YouTube videos!! This thread might become more boring than ever, but perhaps 'boring' isn't so bad after all. What if this ends as a whimper of defeat?? What if the honest next step is to STOP and Drop It?? What if I've figured this out to the point of knowing I should just sit-down and shut up?? What if my threads are a house of cards and mirrors?? What if I should be 'The Man Who Never Was'?? What if solving the problem is the problem?? I don't know what the hell I'm doing or talking about. I just know I'm way over my head in the deep-state end of the swamp. I'm cruising for a bruising. I need to check myself before I wreck myself. Actually, I think it's too late for that. My inclination is to study my own stuff, but I somehow need to pay the bills in semi-retirement. I think I'm facing a swarming hornet's nest with some very pissed-off hornets. What if this is a 'no-win situation' for all of us, regardless of our successes and/or failures. Anyway, suggestions are welcome but what if we are on opposing sides of the war-zone?? Am I a fluke of this website?? What if I have no right to be here?? What if the universe is laughing behind my back?? What if I set myself up to set myself up with a little help from my friends and/or enemies?? What if my final 'figuring things out' should be done in private, with no notes or communication whatsoever?? What if I'm Doctor Who and/or Doctor Dolittle?? I need to STOP. Thank-you for your patience and hospitality. I have a new hobby, a Little Engines 1" Atlantic (similar to those shown below). Problem is that the fine local live-steam club does not have the track width compatible with my model, so I'll have to purchase some track, to install in my backyard. The engine is built for coal/propane and steam, but I might use compressed air for now. It's a lot safer and cleaner. My father built this beauty, but I'm just now utilizing it as a hobby. I grew-up riding on the live-steam locomotives at Griffith Park and the home of David Rose. Those were the good-old days...
Last edited by orthodoxymoron on Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:11 am; edited 9 times in total
Carol wrote:What if Humanity are the Demons who got trapped in this hypothetical 'Prison Planet in Rebellion'??
What if it is the Demons who trapped humanity in this very real 'Prison Planet in Rebellion'?
Because that is what happened. The Draco, Grays and other soulless, non-human aliens did that. They are smarter than humans. Bigger and faster than humans. Can shape-shift. Can communicate telepathically. Can control humanity by creating a fear base reality and feed off of the lush (emotions).. along with adrenochrom and human flesh. This invasive predatory species has been around for thousands of years. Remember how the serpent (Reptilian) showed up in the Garden of Eden. In fact, it was recently discussed how the Elites consider themselves the descendants of Eve's son Cain, after having sex with Reptilian snake in the garden. They/elites hate humanity because they think that humanity took their place along god's side. After all, humanity was made in god's image.. think DNA along with the breath of life.
The good news is that this spiritual battle between good and evil is in the end stages. We are indeed in the End Times. It took galactics from other dimensions, timelines, galaxies - who have all joined together to wipe out the evil ones with their advance AI technology. So... were in the last stretch. Things will likely get more messy for a bit. Even the Ukraine war is an alien incursion where the Reptilians, octopus types, greys and other nasties came out from the underground tunnels and are fighting on the surface. These creatures god is a very advance AI out to destroy all sentient life. Gene Decode mentioned that some even came through a portal over Geneva. The Russians are fighting battalions (1,000 in each battalion) of these creatures in a very bloody gruesome horrible war.
Oxy, I'm just awe struck that you've been able to hold all that information in your memory. My brain pretty much deletes almost everything at the end of the day. However, it does tend to remember trivia. For example it was so cold yesterday I looked up the temperature in Anchorage, Alaska. It was listed at 10 degrees. Here in NE Oregon our outdoor temp was 12 degrees. We were 2 degrees warmer.
By now we have climatized. The puppy likes going out without his coat and we often follow him without our coats. As long as it isn't windy.. the cold isn't that bad. And anything over 32 degrees feels warm.
Be blessed Oxy and use your power hour to focus on something positive/sacred.
This man has the most amazing story to share and discusses the power hour. Impressive. Enjoy. He Died For 45 Minutes & Went To Heaven - Near Death Experience
Thank-you, Carol. I view most of your posts and threads but I mostly don't comment on them. We mostly don't communicate directly online. Perhaps it's easier that way. I'm obviously damaged goods. I do the best I can but it's really not working for me or others. I feel as if I live in several worlds. My lifelong memories seem mostly missing, as if something sinister has been done to me. I have several theories about this but no proof or support. I don't know where to start or stop. My PA and MOA threads are science-fictional (to me anyway). I feel as if I'm living in a really bad science-fiction movie or series. Perhaps it's easier to just be a lone-ranger and/or lone-nut without making a big deal about it. My KJV and EGW bias is probably annoying, heretical, and hysterical. This seems to do absolutely no good for me or anyone else. I listened to the video and found it quite interesting but I never know what the real story is for this sort of thing. Perception and Deception are major concerns regarding Truth-Seeking. I'd love to be analyzed by You, Paola, Michael, Alex, Andrew, and Loree in some way, shape, or form (and I think you know who and what I'm talking about). Still, perhaps I should just thrash around as I feel worse and think less. Perhaps I really need to go alone in just about every way. A lot of what I conceptualize involves random research and visualization. Carrying on normal conversation is often quite difficult (especially since my May, 2020 stroke - or whatever it really was). I'm still not clear about War in Heaven, Garden of Eden, Alien Races, Salvation History, Future Shock, etc. I fear that we might not have long to participate in this website (for a variety of reasons). I keep thinking that some day I'll end up in a boardroom in a day-long meeting of experts briefing me on my madness. Consider the end of The Pelican Brief as similar to my Reptilian Brief. Or, think in terms of the CIA interrogation in SALT with Angelina interrogating the Russian Spy (complete with the analysts in the background). I keep wondering if we are all ancient aliens in human form?! My conceptualizing is quite complex and troubling. Reading my own notes is quite revealing but no-one else would probably understand. Interacting with RA (or whoever it was) in real life was surreal. I won't bore you. You obviously know 100's of times more than I do regarding the real-truth. I might need to wait for my next incarnation to properly converse. My re-posting is a bit similar to a freight-train. I just keep on keeping on without properly interacting with the spectators. I'm sure this is pathological but someone might understand. Again, my threads are probably a study-guide for some glutton for punishment in a cubicle who gets paid to figure-out problem-people.
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Pretty carol. Sucks to go through the trauma of things to know the stuff said I. Your post. I've had 1/3rd of that info just capsulized in my mind because rather try debunking, I give the duality view 🪟. Which side is the real view. From fragmental studies I delve. The mission if not surpassed. I may be outdated. I also may be outside the loop of timing. Forgot where I found this bit, the ones in our world that cause the depopulation things . The ones that remain are part of the Creation, destruction beings have been punished. Idr if the find they were gone for good or to come again. Also um. Age of aquarius. Are we still in spirit law. Or that changed with aquarius. Earlier was word law. :thinking: So. Word>spirit> reset or evolve/transmutate?? Lead to gold was once a rumor or legend. It is very real. I'm almost done with my welcome here. Maybe other posters have alchemical footnotes. But yes. Transfusion or mutation. Very real. I grow weak being a parent and trying to sort oddities in my existence... I was study the actions and use/purpose PPA and hydrogen whatever extras they got. Cern was cute but why would we go as far to birth a black hole. Sad how everything is weaponized force multipliers. Almost like powerangers. Where that summoning scrolls.. Like. If big bang was a theory. Now we can slightly fathom a dent or full abstract. Seems the cross species are using if not the humans. Soulless or patsy's. To 1 up. Was gonna get into field of victim advocate. But meh. We in end times. The 10 in the courts confuses my low brain power but I think I c where it's heading in theory... I need enjoy my family time. Bye y'all and keep grinding. 🧿
orthodoxymoron wrote:The last couple of posts in this thread went crazy on Thursday, May 19. I slowly scrolled up and down the last two posts of USSS 11 and each time, significant changes had occurred. Material from previous posts (and more) began replacing material from these last two posts. I've seen strange stuff occur on this website for years but Thursday took the cake. I wasn't frightened but I was annoyed and puzzled. I've encountered crazy stuff for decades but I've always taken it in stride. Consider the last chapters of The Great Controversy by Ellen White. Did we somehow miss the second-coming of Christ and go straight to the end of the millennium as an eschatological deception of Satan (or something to that effect)?? What if ALL of US have been deceived?? I suspect we might be dealing with an ancient to modern supercomputer-matrix which no one can control or comprehend. There might be an unimaginably rogue supernatural component which might be the beginning of the end of life as we know it. This might be worse than we think or can think. I'll wrestle with this stuff but don't expect too-much from me. Things could really go to hell in the near future. It might be later than we think. I'm committed to doing what I've been doing for years but I'm getting too old, deluded, and beat-up for this shl+!! I never signed on the dotted-line. I've tried to be a free moral agent in this stupid life but nothing seems to have worked-out for me. Perhaps I was a real SOB in my last incarnation!! Consider These Controversial Videos. Researchers Beware. Can't We All Just Get Along?? What If the Goal is to NOT Get Along?? What If Things Are Supposed to be Screwed-Up in Perpetuity?? This Might Get Rough!! Good-Luck!!
"Pavlov was a Dog!!" "What Are We Going to Do About Orthodoxymoron??"
orthodoxymoron wrote:Carol, thank-you for your research, insights, and website. My modus operandi is standoffish fan-fictional (for starters). I do it for answers. Unfortunately, my hamstrung-misery makes Sleepy Joe look good compared to me (and I wish I were kidding). The major world-factions, solar-system factions, galactic-factions, universe-factions, ancient and modern artificial-intelligence deeply frighten me. As I face more surgery, I'm resigned to mostly reviewing my notes and threads while neutrally observing this website as a homebase research-baseline. I reverence scripture but there are problems and limitations relative to ancient religious-literature which is often difficult to verify and interpret. I'm considering a pragmatic middle-way in modernity, namely, Bloomberg Financial News LIVE, The Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal combined with Exercise in Nature. "The Sacred Must Become Secular and the Secular Must Become Sacred." I got that from Dr. Robert H. Schuller. We are facing uncharted-territory as the world gets smaller, faster, and crazier. We might exterminate ourselves without 'help' from God, Satan, Angels, and Demons. This might be it for my posting for a while or even for the rest of this incarnation. I'll study my stuff as much as I can as a road less traveled and perhaps the answer does not reside in religion as we have known it for thousands of years. Perhaps there is simply a universe system which preserves soul-memories for all-eternity, regardless of goodness, badness, advantage, adversity, genius, stupidity, etc. Life might simply be a bl+ch and then we get recycled, regardless of whether we're saints, sinners, happy, sad, successful, failures, skinny, fat, good-looking, or downright ugly. What if this website gets exhaustively studied for the remainder of the 21st century, finally resulting in multiple breakthroughs regarding life, the universe, and everything?? Perhaps we simply need to thrash around as we seek understanding. Perhaps the most miserable of us will achieve the highest levels of understanding. Perhaps pain is the cost of doing business in the universe. I have nothing to offer the opposite sex and seeking companionship would be futile at this point. I need to walk alone, possibly for all-eternity. Good-Luck, God-Bless, and Good-Bye.
orthodoxymoron wrote:Are you having a good day?? I'm taking a posting vacation and/or time-out. I sensed tension yesterday regarding the posts on this page but don't be frightened. I mean no harm. Not much anyway (for now). Yesterday, I found a dead dried-up racoon in my front-yard. Can't we all just get along?? Today, I'm modifying the following concept, namely, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan in the Conflict of the Ages. Some of you might recognize this. Here's the modification. The Great Controversy Between Pro and Con in the Conflict of the Ages. Notice all the words in the dictionary containing 'Pro' and 'Con'. A couple of words to the wise but I'm not going to spell this out for you. Do your own homework. Never guess. Look it up. I get the sinking-feeling the military has been the answer for thousands, millions, and billions of years. Perhaps one should perform their patriotic-duty and become a military-industrial-complex billionaire with six-jets, six-yachts, six-mansions, six-supermodels, six-supercars and "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!!" Notice that I'm being a bit sarcastic but consider the following alternative. What if the universe-military has been in the hands of the good guys and gals for thousands, millions, and billions of years?? What if one were the CEO of a toxin-control company (living and working in six subsurface 600 square-foot office-apartments) on a 600-acre campus with six moderate mansions as six divisions with six smart and attractive female division-chiefs with six small base-model jets, six small base-model yachts, and six base-model luxury-sports cars --- all for business purposes?? What if the snake-venom hypothesis is snake-oil?? But what if undetectable synthetic-toxins are being nefariously-utilized to control and destroy humanity?? Who You 'Gonna' Call?? What Would Dr. Peter Venkman Pray, Say, and Do?? "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow??" Hopefully, this mind-game brings you joy. Bye, Bye.
It seems as if the Old Governments and Religions have been screwy for thousands of years. Now, it seems as if the Newfangled New Age Alien Agenda is attempting to replace the Old Governments and Religions in an even More Screwy Manner. Is there a Happy Medium in This Present Mess?? It's as if The Raiders of the Lost Ark are The Gang That Can't Shoot Straight. Did They Steal Fire from the Gods and Goddesses?? 'RA' told me about "Stolen Technology." Have We Been Playing God for at least 5,000 Years?? Will We Blow Ourselves Up Like Atlantis Did in Antiquity?? Up in Smoke?? What Would Cheech & Chong Say and Do??
orthodoxymoron wrote:The following is a portion of Sherry Shriner's interview with Lilith (as a subset of her interview with the Devil). Sherry could've been just about anyone and/or anything, but I thought she might've revealed some useful forbidden-information. Anyway, what interested me was the brief mention of 'Azazel'. Several years ago, I found an image of 'Azazel' which looked sort of similar to me when I was a teenager (but I might be mistaken, and I hope I am). Lilith claims that Azazel was the second-child of Lucifer and Lilith!! But what if Azazel = O.H. KRLLL = Original Hostage = Omnipotent Highness??!! There's something screwy about the Chain of Command presented throughout the Bible. There's something screwy about Eschatology and especially the Millennium. I Believe, But I Don't Know What I Believe. What if the Whole-Bible Story involves a Very-Ancient Figurative and/or Literal King David, King Solomon, and Queen of Sheba in a sort of 'East of Giza' story which is somewhat similar to the 50's movie 'East of Eden'?? Here's that section of interest:
Sherry - what is the goat? Why does Lucifer have so many different identities?
Lillith - goat, dragon, snake, reptile...he has a lot of personifications, but he lost his angel looks when he was with Eve, I always used to kid her and tell her she turned him into an ugly monster, but that's when I started learning the craft and taught him how to change forms...the other (fallen) angels that were part of Lucifer's group taught me it, they started showing me stuff, how to manipulate energies and frequencies...
Sherry - I heard a story that you and Lucifer had a child named Liam and Lucifer tried to basically soul scalp it and take over the babies body...and it blew up...(thus the story of Tammuz) is it true?
Lillith - the Liam story was true...his name wasn't Liam but it's close enough...
Sherry - who was Azazael?
Lillith - Azazael was our second son...
Lillith - the tall greys were Solomon's, you hit that one on the head...I used to go down and *uck him all the time...he was so easy...and he was handsome...I wanted to have kids with him so he was easy...
When I made a benign comment about 'Tall Long-Nosed Greys' 'RA' called me a "Commoner"!! I'll let you figure this one out!! That's all I'm going to say (for now). I think I've already said way too-much. The Horror.
Consider The Missing Link which includes interesting C-19 stuff in 2017!! I don't know what to think about Sherry but she seemed to reveal a lot of things in a manner which indicated deep sources. Perhaps she was the key deep source. I've had a bad week and I suspect I don't know much (even with my internet assembled philosophy). I can't take much more of this. I might've been soul-scalped and/or mind-wired for 5G (or 6G) to be controlled by the Beast-Supercomputer and/or Nefarious-Archons, but I'm stubborn and focused regarding my research-project, so I might be bucking the system, but it's hard to kick against the pricks!! Perhaps I should 'Let Go and Let God'!! I've considered retiring (whether I can afford it, or not) and moving to the mountains, completely ending my internet-research, and just read the mountain of books I have, interspersed with amateur-astronomy!! Analyzing NASA photography (and my own astrophotography) might be my new modus operandi. Perhaps then the universe can communicate with me. I wonder if my last-life might've been really nasty?! The following images scare the hell out of me!! What if I was mixed-up in this sort of thing?? I briefly discussed the first image with 'RA' (who gave a sinister laugh). What Would Agent Evans Say?? What Would Chad Decker Say?? Consider the implications and ramifications of an Openly-Nazi Vatican (with Nazi-Guards instead of Swiss-Guards)!! Take this with a Sea of Salt. Sherry Shriner spoke of a large number of VIP's visiting India around 2008, allegedly attending a humiliation ceremony in a cave, supposedly involving Obama naked on a cross. Her words, not mine. I doubt the story, and I had mostly forgotten about it, but later, she recounted a short version of that story, seemingly saying 'Indio' instead of 'India' starting at 10:45 of The Missing Link This was Sherry's last show before she supposedly died. There's another 'Indio' angle (with a familiar sounding voice, calling from Indio into an Art Bell interview with Blanche Barton at 02:07:20) which might be relevant. The Missing Link Perhaps unrelatedly, a well-known SDA pastor (with insider parents) tells of living naked in a cave (pre-conversion) near Palm Springs. Consider 'Merlin's Cave' relative to 'The Dark Side of Camelot'. Consider Satanism and the Inland Empire. There's also a story of Obama being sort of 'out of it' prior to entering a room where Latin chanting was heard and emerging a completely different person with renewed vitality but I can't recall the source. I had a stroke. My threads are speculative, entertaining, reformative, and contextual rather than conclusive, normative, dogmatic, and grandstanding. What Would Eugenio Pacelli Do?? Sedevacantists Unite!! Don't Take My Religious and Political Contextual-Superimposition Too Seriously!! This is a Test!! This is Only a Test!! Did You Pass??
I'm concerned about DECEPTION at all levels from antiquity to modernity. Consider Cover-Stories relative to Real-Stories. Consider Compartmentalized Ethics and Eschatology in the Bible (for starters). What if ALL Governments and Religions have been (and are) HIGHLY DECEPTIVE?? Despite my many years of internet posting, there seems to be highly troubling silence regarding my participation in PA and MOA (online and real-life). It's getting much too-late in my life to do anything which really matters. I'm mostly living a life of quiet desperation. I left the door open regarding understanding the nature of our predicament but the response has been curiously underwhelming. Now, I seem to be shutting down (by choice and/or force). It's too-late, baby, now, it's too-late (or so it seems). I'll probably privately go through the motions of my pseudo research and modeling but increasingly it's probably time to move on because my threads seem to be a monumental exercise in futility. I keep thinking about HAL-9000, David Bowman, and the Borg Queen (or some variation on that general theme) perhaps as Matrix-Mainframe, Matrix-Architect, and Matrix-Mediatrix. I'm feeling worse and thinking less, so perhaps I should go incognito to avoid screwing things up worse than I already have. BTW, I've been watching Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. It's actually quite fine (though somewhat troubling). Perhaps I need to be toughened-up a bit.
Carol wrote:Ahh Oxy.. I only have one cup of espresso with half and half in the morning. That's it fren. Please let me know what you think of Cory's recent video.
I drink too much coffee but I've never had an alcoholic drink in my life (except for communion wine). I listened to Cory's video twice, and it was interesting, especially relative to material I've posted, but I treat everyone and everything in a science-fictional manner (including myself). People are becoming increasingly nasty toward me in real-life and I might need to just shut-up and watch things play-out. I'll probably mostly analyze my thoughts for the remainder of this present incarnation, even though that's SO Vain. Has anyone seriously analyzed everything Sherry Shriner posted throughout the years?? I wouldn't know where to start. Same goes for Brook of Egypt. For a very long time now, I know I don't know. I'm not an insider and I'm probably not supposed to be one. Prime Directive, Insider Trading, Trading with the Enemy, etc. When the locals openly laugh about how stupid I am and that I might walk on water, this BS is way over my paygrade. What part of SCIENCE-FICTION don't people f@#$&&^ understand??!! I had a really messed-up day, so I'm going to listen to Dark Journalist and Jeffrey Daugherty, regardless of how legitimate or illegitimate they might be. I try to walk on the wild-side as I walk down the Primrose Path to Purgatory. I HATE My Life!! I'm going to Make the Coffee before I go to sleep. I'm a bit different. When I spoke jokingly to RA about Tall Long Nosed Greys, he called me a "Commoner." He invited me to join the Masons, but I declined. The Top Mason is supposedly a Tall Long Nosed Grey named "Lucifer." RA called me "Michael" at Wal*Mart and then we had a Sirius Conversation at Starbucks. I always drove. What if RA = Marduk = Lucifer = Gabriel?? I just wish to forget about this crap. What a Zoo!! I believe but I don't know what I believe. I know I don't know. Perhaps the real theological story is a mystery (for now anyway). Compare these videos with simply reading the 21 Epistles (Romans to Jude) straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations. I am NOT The Bible Answer Man but I regularly attended Dr. Walter Martin's class in Costa Mesa, California. Try to avoid irrational exuberance in faith or doubt. Objective Neutrality might be the Genesis of Orthodoxy. Oxymoron or Wave of the Future?? Cover Stories for Cover Stories for Cover Stories?? Damned if I Know. Hope Springs Eternal.
State Of Control The crises opened the door to a new era of surveillance and control. International experts views on the Digital ID and the Central Bank Digital Currency. https://debunkproductions.com/ ==
UK May Legalize Heritable Gene Editing By 2023
The possible change has been suggested to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to be considered during a scheduled update to its mandate in 2023.
HGE is defined as edits to human genetics performed by scientists that can be passed on, via procreation, to future generations, effectively entering and altering the human gene pool.
"…it has become evident that rapidly developing genomic technology, particularly human genome editing technology, increasingly has the capability to change not just the health and futures of individual children, adults and families but the human condition as well. "
The same club that has generationally wrecked people’s health for years and years offer-up solutions to rewrite people’s genetic code to “fix” the very problems they created. Many will flock to be gene-edited. Afterall, so many across the earth submitted to the gene altering COVID-1984 jabs.
Fox News is actually covering the GOP’s investigation into the Biden’s involvement in human trafficking.
“The SARS show that Hunter Biden was actually conducting business with suspected human traffickers,” Rep. Comer said. ==
PROJECT CAMELOT - Kerry Cassidy
"I received a large amount of "flack" mail around 2 1/2 weeks back, for what many believed to be inaccurate reporting on the Brazilian election situation.
I stand by what I informed each of you: The Brazilian military caught it all, and moved into action silently immediately after the Brazilian election.
It is now coming out that members of Jair Bolsonaro's family traveled to #MarALago immediately after the election, and met with POTUS45.
What did they discuss? ==
George Webb - Investigative Journalist (Twitter)
From Operation Underworld to George Bush and Muhammed Atta’s dad meeting in Longboat Key in Sarasota, FL three days before 9/11, Whitney Webb’s new book is going to be fun if you have followed myself, McDuff, or Hamamoto. ==
THIS CASE BROUGHT BY THE BRUNSON BROTHERS COULD OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION, REINSTATE TRUMP AND FIRE AND POSSIBLY CHARGE WITH CRIMIINAL CONSPIRACY MEMBERS OF SENATE AND THE HOUSE WHO VOTED NOT TO INVESTIGATE THE FRAUD BROUGHT FORWARD FROM JAN 6TH VOTE TO PROCEED ALLOWING THE ELECTION INCONSISTENCES TO STAND. ==
The same day that Q drops an entire message about protecting your DNA, and reminds you what the *real* war is —> the transhumanist and sick, luciferian plan to eradicate your own immune system and mind control you.
Retrievals of the Third Kind (Part 3), More shocking evidence revealed!
In this PowerPoint presentation, military aerospace historian Michael Schratt further examines the Leonard Stringfield UFO Crash/Retrieval cases and highlights multiple sources who claim to have seen both extraterrestrial bodies and recovered craft. ==
Interference in an election is a capital offense in the United States, it is considered treason. How many people on Twitter interfere in an election, or better put, how many accounts are designed to interfere in an election? Those who defame us Patriots and are located overseas, and try to fabricate stories, create crimes against us and try to destroy our following in reference to this 'interference', since it comes down to votes and information; isn't that treason as well? Does treason have to be direct or is it treason too when they try to destroy Patriots' voices in order to win the election? -Utsava ==
The future of psychotherapy and cures will include psychedelic's. Interesting interview! Gabor Mate: The Childhood Lie That’s Ruining All Of Our Lives. | E193
Gabor Mate is a multi-bestselling author and a world leading expert on trauma and how it effects us throughout our whole lives. A holocaust survivor and a first generation immigrant, Gabor’s knowledge and wisdom on the scars trauma leaves behind is deep and drawn from personal experience. ==
orthodoxymoron wrote:Here is an example of difficulties and inconsistencies regarding royalty in England. The Missing Link BTW, what if the United States were led by a highly educated and groomed non-bloodline King and Queen as Co-Presidents in place of a President and Vice-President?? There would always be a Male and Female who would behave and govern appropriately in every conceivable situation. This is a diamond in the rough but some of you might get what I'm getting at and improve upon this conceptualization. Are we really happy with our Presidents and Vice-Presidents historically and presently?? But what if we don't deserve highly refined leadership?? What if we can't always get what we want but get what we need?? Notice that my conceptualized Royal Model United States of the Solar System Under God commences in A.D. 2133. Plenty of time to consider such an abomination!! This is probably to make you mad and then make you think!!
orthodoxymoron wrote:
orthodoxymoron wrote:
What if the United States were led by a highly educated and groomed non-bloodline King and Queen as Co-Presidents in place of a President and Vice-President??
Seashore wrote:
The very concept of "King and Queen" is STUPID.
"Best and Brightest?"
Carol wrote:Q) The Storm Rider
USSF ( UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE) -continued story 2
>After the Robbery of the PENTAGON (actually 4 trillion over) by White HATS that knew 911 was going to take place, counter measures were placed with letting the 3 letter agencies.
The white HATS had evidence on human trafficking/ weapons trade/911 agenda ECT. ECT, (this would secure the lives of white hat operators and secure investigation by Deep State Bush/Obama administration into a collective IMILI. ALLIANCE Inside the 3 letter agencies would not take place......
In short SPACE FORCE/& Alliance secured themselves from arrest... as they held World Evidence of CORRUPTION/ killings, CIA OPERATIONS over throwing world leaders and their governments connected to world money laundering//
_This Stand off and silent WAR inside the U.S. government ELITES. Generals and commands continued as OBAMA/ ROCKEFELLERS/ world CABAL planned the PANDEMIC and virus release.... That would lead to full control of the internet and full communication grids (they had hoped the data mining of all humans on earth would EXPOSE all the White Hats and Infiltrators through the governments.......
This data control and Digital technology control would lead to other agendas that could bring in the age of FULL WORLD CONTROL BY THE DS ROCKEFELLERS ROTHSCHILDS OBAMA CLINTONS.. ECT ECT ECT ECT ECT ECT ECT ECT SECT DEEP STATE<CABAL
_/UNFORTUNATELY SPACE FORCE HAD OTHER PLANS And super advanced technology in Cheyenne mountains and USSF began their operations in 2014 With help of OTHER white Hats and WORLD ALLIANCE The operation to save the world went forward and TRUMP WAS PLACED
> Today with the destruction of the Georgia Guidestones./ [EXPOSURE of the PLANDEMIC world wide/ VACCINE EXPOSURE/ EXPOSURE OF WORLD PEDOPHILIA CONNECTED TO ELITES... The EXPOSURE and waking of civilization had began and continues.....
>} WIRES; USFF meet with world GENERALS and Chinese/RUSSIAN ALLIANCE> CHEYENNE MOUNTAINS.
_It has become clear the PLANDEMIC is falling apart.... And it had become clear to RUSSIA, CHINA/ INDIA SOUTH AMERICA that SPACE FORCE THE GUARDIANS MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WILL COME INTO COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE WORLD POWERS>>> AFTER THE SOON COLLAPSE OF THE DEEP STATE MONEY, ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENDAS.
(This current meeting that happened is too insure the USSF WILL turn over Power to the PEOPLE after the world EVENTS END
> GAME THEORY.)/// The main discussion behind the talks of is funding USSF with Trillions to conquer Space exploration and lead the world into Space civilization expedition and living creations ventures (What ELON MUSK HAS IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT HIS HANDLERS USSF HAVE [DECLAS]
It's known the COLLAPSE is currently happening around the world and the Imminent Dark days are coming at the world will be left speechless in anger. Pain confusion...... World rebellion.. Riots.....> DEEP STATES FINAL PUSH TO CREATE CHAOS > ////
But things are almost at an END my friends
....... Like many have said... The world experience what RUSSIA experienced in 1991 .. COLLAPSE......> But after everything will Super grow quickly to a better society that most will never have thought possible..
The best is yet to come.
The world is connected Q ==
Q) The Storm Rider
Those attending the Queens funeral.
_Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been confirmed as guests, _King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, _King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway _Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco _ Denmark Royal families _Sweden Royal families _Belgium Royal families _Greece. Royal families _Crown Prince of Bahrain _King of the Belgians _King of Bhutan _Sultan of Brunei _Queen of Denmark _Emperor of Japan _King of Jordan _Crown Prince of Kuwait _King of the Kingdom of Lesotho _Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein _Grand Duke of Luxembourg _Malaysian Sultan _Prince of Monaco _Crown Prince of Morocco _King of the Netherlands _King of Norway _Sultan of Oman _Amir of the State of Qatar _Salman of Saudi Arabia _King of Spain _King of Sweden _King of Tonga _President of the UAE
Both the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and the Irish premier, Michael Martin, have also confirmed they will be attending
A representative from every G7 country will also attend including: President Biden, President Macron, President Steinmeier, President Mattarella, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Emperor Naruhito
President Joe Biden has said he will be present, with his wife, First Lady Jill Biden
European leaders who will be in attendance include the French president Emmanuel Macron, the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian president Sergio Mattarella and Finland's Sauli Niinisto - the latter as per his presidential statement.
Olena Zelensky, wife of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr, will be among those attending, while her husband stays at home amid the continued war with Russia.
The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President, Charles Michel, will also attend.
Other world leaders who will also be present are New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who can bring 10 guests including the Maori King, Tūheitia Paki. Her Australian and Canadian counterparts Anthony Albanese and Justin Trudeau will also be there. Australia's Governor-General David Hurley will also be joining, as will Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro.
Yoon Suk-Yeol's office confirmed the South Korean president's attendance.
Several current and ex- Military generals and commanders from around the world will pay respects and attend
>TRUMP WILL NOT BE ATTENDING ________ Behind the scenes >THE GUARDIANS _UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AGENCY & ALLIANCE have seized military power (all SATELLITS, Communication grids, Banking SERVERS/DATA & full financial transactions) in UK from the deep state and given the OPERATIONS BACK TO THE REAL UK MILITARY peoples Army and GENERALS.
>THE WHITES MILITARY IN UK know have KING CHARLES THE III under military control<
IT'S EXPECTED KING CHARLES WILL BE A FAILURE (PLANNED) AND >WILL< COLLAPSE The Committee of 300 who run the Western world governments and The Fortune 500 companies. The PLAN to use king Charles to massively FAIL>WILL LEAD TO NUREMBERG TRIALS AND WORLD TRIBUNALS
Behind the scenes the ELITES ATTENDING WILL BE BRIEFED ON COMING EVENTS.. COLLAPSE OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS AND BANKING SYSTEMS > WHICH WILL LEAD TO Debt relief.. >>>Deep STATE who controls world banks and reserves also want DEBT RELIEF FROM CHINESE FAMILIES, DRAGON FAMILIES AND ELDERS/ The.U.S. too and all citizens want to debt relief !!!
When the World military operations and the END GAME finishes... people will have the DEBT RELIEF they have dreamed of... And the BANKING CARTELS WILL BE GONE.... And money restored to the people of The World. _____ INSIDE THE STORM OF THE CENTURY TRUST THE PLAN
"I’m very interested in what Juan O Savin says here to James Grundvig and Josh Reid on AMP’s Unrestricted Truths about the degree of military control held by the Senior Executive Service (SES) through their SES Operations and Code.
I’d never heard of the SES before 2018, when AIM4Truth began posting a series of articles and audios about them. The SES is like a paramilitary mafia/union of DC bureaucrats and globalist corporate operatives. It is the abyssal nadir of the Swamp.
According to Douglas Gabriel from AIM4Truth, SES members are basically Crown agents and instruments of the Pilgrims Society, a group who are at the tippy-top of the Globalists – we’re talking about the people who tell Klaus Schwab what to do. These are the people behind Agenda 2030 and the Death Shot, who are commanding the Communist infiltrators in our governments and industries, who are actively destroying our world.
The Seal of the Senior Executive Service resembles a keystone and the SES describes itself as “The keystone of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.” Q made many references to “the Keystone”, which may be references to the SES.
There are currently over 8,000 members of the SES who cannot be fired and who are working day and night, paid for by our tax dollars to take down the United States of America.
The only way to get rid of SES members is to dissolve the agency, which is something that needs to happen ASAP.
Gabriel says the Obama Administration put the Senior Executive Service on steroids with Executive Order 13714, creating a “standing army” of 8,156, of whom 7,000 were personally appointed by Obama. The SES pays the best salaries in federal work, with base pay equivalent to that of the Vice President of the United States.
Obama made self-disclosure, even for National Security posts optional. While Trump appointees and employees waited around interminably for their clearances, SES employees didn’t have to complete the disclosure forms normally required for government service – all the better not to scare away any skilled saboteurs from civil service – and note that these appointees cannot be fired.
At about 42 minutes into this video, Juan O Savin starts talking about how the SES has captured the US Government; that they are the Shadow Government, they’re in control of the false flags, they’re in control of Mark Zuckerberg, who Juan says is a fictional “Creation of DARPA… He’s the guy who helped cook your elections with the drop boxes and he’s not even a real person, he’s several people wearing a mask. Think about that!”
Juan says the SES did 9/11 and that, “Those maniacs are going to be known to everybody before it’s all over – and the people they were colluding with.”
Juan predicts an imminent “Cuban-Missile Crisis”-type event that will trigger America’s automated missile defense systems and knock the control of these systems out of the hands of the SES (i.e., the Globalists and the Biden Regime), because they never got the nuclear codes. The control will automatically switch over to the US Space Command at Cheyenne Mountain and that this will be a good thing, because it will be the beginning of getting our country back.
He says, “At that point, the contest starts to be over, because we can then shut down all of these systems that these monsters have got control of. It goes back to the guys running the Cheyenne Mountain systems.”
He conjectures this potentially crisis event could occur on October 29th, because the day is ruled by Eris, the Goddess of Chaos."
***
TRANSCRIPT
When a detection by satellite occurs and says we are under missile attack, all of the computer systems inside the Senior Executive Service system will scram. And nobody can stop it. Nobody can control it, nobody can unplug it; they haven’t been able to get the codes that control that.
Those systems will default/scram, go into the defense system control of the guys in Cheyenne Mountain, under the 54 Code. And the 1979 Senior Executive Service Operations and Code aren’t gonna be in control.
When President Trump said, ‘Before I’m done, you will know exactly who attacked us and brought these buildings down.’ Those maniacs are going to be known to everybody before it’s all over – and the people they were colluding with.
So, when that happens – and by the way, those guys in SES, those are the ones that have been controlling that, they’re the ones that get to control the false flags, they’re the ones that get to control Zuckerberg, they’re the ones that get to create people, supposedly to manage America, because we’re under terrorist attack, going all the way back into the ’80s and the ’90s and 2001, etc.
That system is the one that’s been attacking America. It’s a captured operation. We’re going to expose that. Those systems are going to scram back into the protective military system.
President Trump created Space Force and Space Force was given security and control over Cheyenne Mountain. Space Force isn’t about Outer Space. It’s about digital space. And we control the digital space through Space Force.
If those systems scram because of an alert – a nuclear alert – they get complete control of everything. At that point, the contest starts to be over, because we can then shut down all of these systems that these monsters have got control of. It goes back to the guys running the Cheyenne Mountain systems.
Though we’ve been under attack, it doesn’t matter if it’s space aliens, Chinese, Russians or people inside the gate. And then, we start to fight back to get control of America.
I believe – in fact, I’ve set a date. It’s completely a guess on my part. Total speculation but I have said it. I’ll own it. I think that date’s October 29th. The goddess of chaos rules once a month, which is the 29th day of the month. She’s one of the Greek pantheon goddesses, the goddess of chaos, who reigns and rules on the 29th day of the month of every single month, 11 months out of the year. Once every four years, she reigns for 23 months, the world number, because we have a leap year.
With that in mind, I don’t know what it’s gonna look like. Just like 9/11 had a date certain, you couldn’t have had 9/11 in the coding on 9/10 or 9/12. It was 9/11, because everything had been built-in for that date.
A good guess – and it’s a total guess – is October 29th. Everything – the vote system. They captured America and by the time we get several weeks into the early voting, with everybody’s eyes on the way that the vote’s being handled and manipulated – especially the Primary votes and all the bullshit there – the reality is that it will be obvious that Americans are looking very, very closely.
I don’t believe that the Biden administration, these belligerents that are running America are gonna be able to pull it off as smoothly as they thought they would and I believe that with the executive order that Biden put in place last year and with all of the Leftist groups that are part of that executive order administering the countdown to the Election, I think they’re gonna have to freeze the Election. They’ll freeze it 10 days out, there’ll be a contest and all of this and that’s all the point where there’s gonna have to be some overwhelming challenge to take control of America.
Could I be off by a week? A month? Yeah. Do I think I’m off by a year? No. I think if we don’t get in there within a certain period of time, like a bullfight… you have 15 minutes in the Third Round. The alarm goes off 10 minutes in, warning. Because you have to administer the kill shot before 15 minutes is up. Otherwise, the bull wins, walks away. They let it live again.
We have to administer the kill shot within this window and it’s a very short one now, to stop this raging bull that’s ripping apart America from the inside out.
Carol wrote:Q) The Storm Rider
2 years of Military control on the streets Marshal Law<3.11 Laws of WAR
We are finally coming into this_EVENT of the STORM as Military commanders in DC began discussions on > U.S. National Emergency broadcast and executions plan to Activate Laws Of War protocol 3.11 and END>FOREIGN OCCUPATION of the The Branches of Government.
_As the Arrest of Trump looms. Nuclear threat increase (pushed by U S. DS military ,> Nord Stream/ selling of Arms weapons through UKRAINE war to other countries). BIDEN laptop EXPOSED. ELECTION Fraud EXPOSURE. BIDEN crime family deep inside CCP espionage ring Connected to hunter illegal investments in foreign trades /selling of U.S. oil to China. ..... The list of endless of Biden crimr family. Obama crime org. Clinton corruption ring.. That all lead to DAVOS GROUP. VATICAN/ KAZARIAN/ ECT ECT ECT ECT CABAL CONTROL..........
As the Q Alliance and COMMANDERS in CHEYENNE MTN. PPrepare for the [DS]s final plans to throw U.S. ELECTIONS/bring U.S. Into WORLD WAR with RUSSIA and CHINA.. The STAGE IS NOW SET as we head into the NEXT COMING EVENTS OF 3.11 and 2 years of Military Marshal Law in the streets of the U.S.
GERMANY military marshal law is also expected as their military is expecting mass riots and major civil unrest.
EU WILL COLLAPSE IN SUCCESSIONS like Domino's and NATO WILL DIVIDE. UN WILL CEASE.///// ______ This is a very important month leading into November on fire >Red OCTObeR
It's very important what DURHAM is doing for public awakening .... But as I have said numerous times .... the corrupt U.S. SYSTEM WILL NOT PROSECUTE ITSELF..... .> It has to all go military.
MILITARY IS THE ONLY WAY ~ Q
-EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR HAD TO HAPPEN......
to bring in military intervention......
Stay strong. Have Faith . Trust the PLAN ==
I have WARNED you so many times as did some very important Truth Speakers .. We would come to the brink of losing everything.....[NEAR DEATH CIVILIZATION EVENT]
Many thought I was fear mongering.. But I was truly Warning you so you could be prepared for the collapse and WORLD PANIC. U.S. MASS PANIC that WILL set in......
Now as you have seen we are really in a NUCLEAR standoff .. Just because the mil. Or MSM isn't reporting it openly doesn't mean it's not happening
We are in super COLLAPSE as countries are in Economic collapse. Government collapse Vaccines deaths. Bio-weapons deaths to third exposure to COVID-19 SARS
Now we head into IMMINENT Military intervention after the DARK DARK DARK DARK PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN DAYS COMING.
The military WILL step in to stop the CIVIL WAR about to erupt.
Watch the marker's. ______ Stock up on food supplies... We are at the critical STAGES _ EVENTS
https://www.bitchute.com/video/N9MSrktogtn4/ Patriot Underground Episode 255 Red October: The Enemy’s Last Stand Ukraine: Quantifying The Alliance Offensive Awakening: Preparation For The Storm Annexation And The Coming Nuclear Standoff Nordstream Pipeline Sabotage; Who Benefits? “Drills” At The Epicenter; CIA Warned German…
DavidNinoRodriguez 10/1/22
Nothing matters unless the 2020 election is overturned for election fraud
No other election in our future will ever be fair again unless this occurs
You even heard Donald Trump say this tonight
Don't fall for the 2022 midterm, or flirting with 2024 crap
It's all crap and Trump knows it ==
NEW - Scottish government has ordered a review into spikes in newborn baby deaths.
The figures showed the death rate for babies under one year old is at its highest level in 10 years.
Investigation into spikes in newborn baby deaths in Scotland It follows higher than expected neonatal deaths in September 2021 and March this year. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63097142 ==
Jimmy Savile investigator Mark Williams-Thomas says more 'untouchable' child sex abusers are out there The man who exposed Jimmy Savile (unofficial chief advisor to the royal family) says that there is another very significant child sex offender evading justice.
“To date the CPS won’t prosecute. The police and I have tried really hard to get there. He will die in due course and then the floodgates will open in the same way they did with Savile. That’s not right. But justice takes many different forms.”
Who is he talking about here, I wonder?
Looks like anons are going to have more red pill information soon. Eyes on. ==
Russia Names Sole Beneficiary of Nord Stream Sabotage
The sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines benefits the US, not Russia or the EU, Moscow’s permanent representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said.
“The main question is whether what happened to Nord Stream is beneficial to the US? Absolutely. US suppliers of liquefied natural gas should now celebrate a several-fold increase in LNG supplies to the European continent. And from the political point of view – the last thread ensuring EU independence in the terms of energy has been severed,” he said.
“It makes no sense for us to ruin with our own hands a project in which we have invested an enormous amount of money and from which we could get a substantial economic return. You yourself in the West have said that we make a profit on energy exports and benefit from rising energy prices,” Nebenzia pointed out. (Text RT) ==
Nord Stream pipelines can be restored – Moscow
03.10.22 - Russia may be able to fix the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which were damaged earlier this week, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said on Sunday.
“There are technical possibilities to restore the infrastructure, it requires time and appropriate funds. I am sure that appropriate opportunities will be found,” Novak told Russia 1 TV.
According to the official, however, the first step should be to determine who is behind the incident. (RT) ==
NEW - Russia is facing "the 4th NATO Reich," says Gennady Zyuganov, the General Secretary of the Communist Party. ==
Flu Season Is Coming. mRNA Flu Shots Aren't Far Behind Moderna and Pfizer are testing mRNA flu shots that target the strains most likely to circulate during the 2022 flu season ==
Credit Suisse Shares Plunge 10% Ahead of Restructuring Plan
Early trading Monday saw as much as 10% wiped off Credit Suisse share value reflecting market concern despite a major effort to reassure investors and clients over the weekend.
The Swiss lender’s euro-denominated bonds dropped to record lows while longer-dated bonds suffered their sharpest declines ahead of Q3 results due at the end of October.
Last month Reuters reported the bank - which holds assets totalling around $735.68 billion, but has made losses of just over $4 billion over the last three quarters - was also considering approaching investors for fresh cash injections. (RT)
Be Smart in Assessing the Robot Intelligence Hype by MICHAEL HILTZIK
The star of the show at Tesla’s annual “AI Day” (for “artificial intelligence”) on Sept. 30 was a humanoid robot introduced by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk as “Optimus.”
The robot could walk, if gingerly, and perform a few repetitive mechanical tasks such as waving its arms and wielding a watering can over plant boxes. The demo was greeted enthusiastically by the several hundred engineers in the audience, many of whom hoped to land a job with Tesla.
“This means a future of abundance,” Musk proclaimed from the stage. “A future where there is no poverty. ... It really is a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.”
Robotics experts watching remotely were less impressed. “Not mind-blowing” was the sober judgment of Christian Hubicki of Florida State University.
Some AI experts were even less charitable. “The event was quite the dud,” Ben Shneiderman of the University of Maryland told me. Among other shortcomings, Musk failed to articulate a coherent use case for the robot — that is, what would it do?
To Shneiderman and others in the AI field, the Tesla demo embodied some of the worst qualities of AI hype; its reduction to humanoid characters, its exorbitant promises, its promotion by self-interested entrepreneurs and its suggestion that AI systems or devices can function autonomously, without human guidance, to achieve results that outmatch human capacities.
“When news articles uncritically repeat PR statements, overuse images of robots, attribute agency to AI tools, or downplay their limitations, they mislead and misinform readers about the potential and limitations of AI,” Sayash Kapoor and Arvind Narayanan wrote in a checklist of AI reporting pitfalls posted online the very day of the Tesla demo.
“When we talk about AI,” Kapoor says, “we tend to say things like ‘AI is doing X — artificial intelligence is grading your homework,’ for instance. We don’t talk about any other technology this way — we don’t say, ‘The truck is driving on the road’ or ‘A telescope is looking at a star.’ It’s illuminating to think about why we consider AI to be different from other tools. In reality, it’s just another tool for doing a task.”
That is not how AI is commonly portrayed in the media or, indeed, in announcements by researchers and firms engaged in the field. There, the systems are described as having learned to read, to grade papers or to diagnose diseases at least as well as, or even better than, humans.
Kapoor believes that the reason some researchers may try to hide the human ingenuity behind their AI systems is that it’s easier to attract investors and publicity with claims of AI breakthroughs — in the same way that “dot-com” was a marketing draw around the year 2000 or “crypto” is today.
What is typically left out of much AI reporting is that the machines’ successes apply in only limited cases, or that the evidence of their accomplishments is dubious. Some years ago, the education world was rocked by a study purporting to show that machine- and human-generated grades of a selection of student essays were similar.
The claim was challenged by researchers who questioned its methodology and results, but not before headlines appeared in national newspapers such as: “Essay-Grading Software Offers Professors a Break.” One of the study’s leading critics, Les Perelman of MIT, subsequently built a system he dubbed the Basic Automatic B.S. Essay Language Generator, or Babel, with which he demonstrated that machine grading couldn’t tell the difference between gibberish and cogent writing.
“The emperor has no clothes,” Perelman told the Chronicle of Higher Education at the time. “OK, maybe in 200 years the emperor will get clothes. ... But right now, the emperor doesn’t.”
A more recent claim was that AI systems “may be as effective as medical specialists at diagnosing disease,” as a CNN article asserted in 2019. The diagnostic system in question, according to the article, employed “algorithms, big data, and computing power to emulate human intelligence.”
Those are buzzwords that promoted the false impression that the system actually did “emulate human intelligence,” Kapoor observed. Nor did the article make clear that the AI system’s purported success was seen in only a very narrow range of diseases.
AI hype is not only a hazard to laypersons’ understanding of the field but poses the danger of undermining the field itself. One key to human-machine interaction is trust, but if people begin to see a field having overpromised and underdelivered, the route to public acceptance will only grow longer.
Oversimplification of achievements in artificial intelligence evokes scenarios familiar from science fiction: futurescapes in which machines take over the world, reducing humans to enslaved drones or leaving them with nothing to do but laze around.
A persistent fear is that AI-powered automation, supposedly cheaper and more efficient than humans, will put millions of people out of work. This concern was triggered in part by a 2013 Oxford University paper estimating that “future computerization” placed 47% of U.S. employment at risk.
Shneiderman rejected this forecast in his book “Human Centered AI,” published in January. “Automation eliminates certain jobs, as it has ... from at least the time when Gutenberg’s printing presses put scribes out of work,” he wrote. “However, automation usually lowers costs and increases quality. ... The expanded production, broader distribution channels, and novel products lead to increased employment.”
A common feature of AI hype is the drawing of a straight line from an existing accomplishment to a limitless future in which all the problems in the way of further advancement are magically solved, and therefore success in reaching “human-level AI” is “just around the corner.”
Yet “we still don’t have a learning paradigm that allows machines to learn how the world works, like human and many non-human babies do,” Yann LeCun, chief AI scientist at Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) and a professor of computer science at NYU, observed recently on Facebook. “The solution is not just around the corner.”
So how can readers and consumers avoid getting duped by AI hype?
Beware of the “sleight of hand that asks readers to believe that something that takes the form of a human artifact is equivalent to that artifact,” counsels Emily Bender, a computational linguistics expert at the University of Washington. That includes claims that AI systems have written nonfiction, composed software or produced sophisticated legal documents.
The system may have replicated those forms, but it doesn’t have access to the multitude of facts needed for nonfiction or the specifications that make a software program work or a document legally valid.
Among the 18 pitfalls in AI reporting cited by Kapoor and Narayanan are the anthropomorphizing of AI tools through images of humanoid robots and descriptions that utilize human-like intellectual qualities such as “learning” or “seeing” — these tend to be simulations of human behavior, far from the real thing.
Readers should beware of phrases such as “the magic of AI” or references to “superhuman” qualities, which “implies that an AI tool is doing something remarkable,” they write. “It hides how mundane the tasks are.”
Shneiderman advises reporters and editors to take care to “clarify human initiative and control. ... Instead of suggesting that computers take actions on their own initiative, clarify that humans program the computers to take these actions.”
It’s also important to be aware of the source of any exaggerated claims for AI. “When an article only or primarily has quotes from company spokespeople or researchers who built an AI tool,” Kapoor and Narayanan advise, “it is likely to be over-optimistic about the potential benefits of the tool.”
The best defense is healthy skepticism. Artificial intelligence has progressed over recent decades, but it is still in its infancy, and claims for its applications in the modern world, much less into the future, are inescapably incomplete.
It’s theoretically possible that, as Musk claimed, humanoid robots may eventually bring about “a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.” But no one really knows when or if that utopia will arrive. Until then, the road will be pockmarked by hype.
As Bender advised readers of an especially breathless article about a supposed AI advance: “Resist the urge to be impressed.”
Hiltzik writes a blog on www.latimes.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter @hiltzikm or email michael.hiltzik @latimes.com.
SYSTEM TEST COMPLETED COMMENCING OPERATIONS https://www.usdebtclock.org/ quod erat demonstrandum reductio ad absurdum in vino veritas mea culpa paenitet sine die
"I've been alleging for years that something sinister, nefarious, and devastating has been done to me..."
I've been alleging for years that something sinister, nefarious, and devastating has been done to me. Perhaps none of you will care or understand until it happens to YOU. I don't trust anyone, especially myself. I've hinted at some of this in the last couple of pages, but I don't know what's really going on. The nether realms seem to know who I am on a soul basis and know I know too much so I am perceived as a threat even though I'm a completely ignorant fool. I haven't lied about my plight. My crazy threads were my attempt to model a phenomenon. My situation seems to have fallen on deaf ears. It was an exercise in futility. The toxin, entity, and artificial intelligence phenomenon might ultimately destroy all of us in one way or another. I simply attempted to alert the alert of the grave impending danger to humanity. I keep wondering if we somehow deserve divine retribution on a long-term basis, possibly going back thousands, millions, or even billions of years. My hamstrung misery is worsening rapidly. This might be systemic rather than personal. Someone suggested, years ago, that my coding was wrong. I suspect those in the know, know exactly what's going on, but they don't talk about it, especially to idiots like me. I've hinted at a lot of stuff, but I don't blurt it out. It's also too painful to keep repeating, especially when no one listens and/or cares. Sorry for the rant. There's more where that came from, but I'm mostly ceasing and desisting as I perceive the end is near. Perhaps this never ends. Perhaps this is Purgatory Incorporated in Perpetuity. This Might be Worse Than We Can Imagine. I simply expose myself to material which is way out of my comfort zone. I thought I was helping but I suspect I'm hurting and being hurt. Probably the less said the better but this is probably easier said than done. I'm probably too open and honest. I've probably paid dearly for that tendency (lifetime after lifetime). What if I've been used and/or abused at the highest levels?? Perhaps none of us are as innocent as we think we are. If you've attempted to read the Epistles, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, it's really the Cream of the Bible, yet it's still pretty complex and puzzling (as if it were meant to confuse and befuddle). I have no problem with scholars dealing with this stuff, but what about the average Jack and Jill?? They might be dealing with Mysterious Mountains and Spiritual Quicksand. I've been considering my threads as a Mental and Spiritual Gymnasium for Completely Ignorant Fools but what do I know?? Not Much. I Know I Don't Know (and it shows). Perhaps the concept of reading The Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal combined with Exercise in Nature is a Pragmatic Middle-Way for the Rest of Us (as Secular Spirituality). But perhaps some of us should exclusively focus upon a particular Book of the Bible (such as the Psalms) with grammatical historical hermeneutics. Some of you might wish to read Daniel, 1 Corinthians, and Hebrews straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations. Why do I bother?? You might be surprised. This thing is probably being played with bad@$$ ancient warriors using ancient archives, matrix supercomputers, internal planetary propulsion, and directed energy weapons (for starters). Most of us are probably clueless and defenseless. I seem to be some sort of a galactic lame-duck in a directed-energy shooting-gallery. That Emissary Warden concept is intriguing, and I've modeled it a bit, but it scares the hell out of me. Something is VERY Wrong in this solar system, but I know I don't know what is going on. My instinct is to just keep doing what I'm doing, even if it seems useless and ridiculous. Perhaps it is 'background noise' for more serious and profound conceptualizations. Perhaps I'm not supposed to know or do anything significant. Perhaps more than that wreaks of treason and deception. Some of you need to deeply research my latest threads because I can't seem to do it myself, but I see a lot of smoke without seeing the fire. This thing might be bigger than anyone can imagine. I've seen several people over several years who looked and acted like people who had allegedly died, and I'm not talking about ghosts or hallucinations. I could be specific, but I'm probably in enough trouble already. Here are some troublesome videos. I gravitate toward that sort of thing (for better or worse, I know not). Perhaps I'll be a Galactic Jack Ryan in My Next Life. I Doubt Any of You Would Understand. I Believe but I Don't Know What I Believe. My Head Hurts. I Hate My Life. I'm Making the Coffee as I Go Incognito. I don't know the meaning of this but I'm working on it.
Perhaps the context of my Project Avalon and Mists of Avalon threads should be the Black Knight Satellite (Dactyl) moving between Earth Orbit and Asteroid 243 Ida. The Idea would be David Bowman, the Borg Queen of Heaven, and HAL 9000 working to save and enslave the solar system with Edgars Industries as a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Solar Systems Incorporated. "You Have Been Assimilated into the Orthodoxymoron Collective!!" This is a diamond in the rough but some of you probably get what I mean!! "Resistance is Futile!!" What if Most Everyone and Everything are Bullshitters and Bullshit?? But What if the Truth Exists in Unlikely People and Places?? So far, I've Kept My Tempest in a Teapot (figuratively speaking) and I Haven't Made Money with Any of It. But What if I Take the Bait and Sign on the Dotted Line?? Compare Matthew 4 with Matthew 28 and Revelation 22 (for starters). I'm taking another look at the book, Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord by Edward Schillebeeckx. I love the title and author's name!! This book covers John to Revelation in a scholarly and unconventional manner. The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are mostly absent. The Bible and Theology are HUGE Cans of Worms. The Cover Stories of the Churches are Band-Aids on Compound-Fractures, but I understand their predicament, especially as the Information War gets hotter and hotter and the World gets smaller and faster. I don't know which way to jump so I probably won't jump. "Jump!! Oxy!! Jump!!" Only six forum members (including me) regularly post. The most prolific members are Carol, Mudra, and Yours Truly (and I'm desperately attempting to cease and desist). Who and What are contained in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28?? This is a bigger can of worms than Daniel 8:14 and Hebrews 9:12. I'm taking another look at the PBS Masterpiece Theater series, Victoria. I'm not necessarily partial to Jolly Old England but I find the nineteenth-century royal-model irresistible, especially when thinking in terms of EGW and KJV. Some of you know who and what I'm talking about. Should I simply read my four newspapers every day and exercise in nature every day (without saying or doing anything)?? Would that give me Stars in my Crown in Heaven?? Another Day in Purgatory?? Whatever the case may be, I still think it might be interesting if Carol, Loree, Paola, Alex, Andrew, and Michael evaluated my insanity in a harsh critique. Then, it might be interesting if I critiqued their critique. That sort of thing might go round and round for a long time. Should I just go away without getting mad or going mad (or is it already too late)?? What if I faked my madness (which might be a unique madness of its own)?? What if the shrinks might commit suicide when they attempt to figure this thing out?? What if there really is an Ancient Supercomputer Matrix running the whole damn universe?? What if the God Makers Created God in Antiquity?? What if I should attempt to discredit my threads in an open and honest manner?? What if I'm part of some secret mind-control experiment?? What if I don't know who I really am or who I really work for?? This thread might be the biggest can of worms we are presently dealing with, but I don't know what to think about it, so I'll probably just lurk as I go incognito. Regardless of the obvious evils, properly studying Rome, London, and Washington D.C. should probably be exhaustively studied without getting stuck in the spiritual quicksand. I've probably done more than enough posting on PA and MoA so perhaps I need to remain silent and contrite as I evaluate the data. One incarnation is not enough. Perhaps 100 years of solitude awaits me. Who Knows?? I'm still interested in the concept of a Royal Model United States of the Solar System Under God commencing in A.D. 2133 (possibly following a Technocratic War Against the Lord and Freedom). This is uncharted territory (for me anyway). What if the Bible is BS?? What if the Bible is a Puzzle to be Solved by the Best and Brightest to Save Humanity?? What if the Bible is a Puzzle to be Solved by the Best and Brightest to Destroy Humanity?? What if the Bible and Religion are the Problem Rather Than the Solution?? What if This Thing is Darker and Deeper Than We Can Imagine?? What if I Need to Start Over at This Late Date?? What if I Should Read My Newspapers in a Mercedes Sprinter as I Go Incognito?? Years ago, I stood in a public meeting (with quite a few wealthy individuals) and asked Kenneth Woodward (Religion Editor of Newsweek Magazine) a question regarding Money and Religion. No one wanted to talk about it. Consider that loud lady in the first video below (starting at 16:00). She reminded me of a loud lady in Bill Cooper's 1989 MUFON lecture in the second video below (starting at 01:13:00). Is she the same individual?? Who is she?? Is she (or someone like her) significant?? What if Resistance is Rebellion?? What if Resistance is Sin?? What if Resistance is Futile?? What if Resistance is Protestant?? What if the Supercomputer Matrix is the Universal Church?? What if the Pope is Protestant?? What Would Bob Larson Say?? I Should STOP!! Have a NICE Eternity!! Hope Springs ETERNAL!! God Save the King!!
orthodoxymoron wrote:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC91A7V2rgLnX38nyHTYk01w Here is an interesting YouTube channel with political-intrigue from what appears to be the 80's and 90's. What if EVERYTHING is Centrally-Orchestrated?? What if Resistance is Futile?? I wish to be positive, yet this seems impossible when one carefully examines the world we live in. I've almost given-up my Solar System Governance quest (due to physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health reasons) but one cannot mess with local political-malfeasance without considering the larger-view of spiritual-wickedness in high-places (namely throughout the solar-system and possibly-beyond). One Individual of Interest told me "You Have Friends in High-Places." Another Individual of Interest told me "They Like You On Phobos." Honest. All possibilities should be exhaustively-considered. Try reading the Old-Testament Wisdom Books (Job to Song of Solomon) and the New-Testament Epistles (Romans to Jude) Straight-Through, Over and Over. Consider the Great-Controversy Between Christ and Satan (figuratively and/or literally) in Star-Wars and Earth's Final-Conflict (or something to that effect). What if Research Without Reaction must be the modus operandi of some of us (if we can remain-sane doing-so)?? Will the Bad-Guys crack-down on the Good-Guys?? Will the Good-Guys crack-down on the Bad-Guys?? Time Will Tell (as it always does).
Carol wrote:Thanks for the links Oxy. I just like to stay connected to that wonderful feeling that is generated whenever I focus on God and Christ. It's my inner happy place and where I go both intellectually and emotionally to reconnect to that spiritual sweet spot.
Do you recall some of those experiments with Buddhist monks and the research on what happens to their brain when in meditation? There is an area within the brain that lights up. I also recall when watching the Dali Lama at a gathering on Maui how utterly happy he was. There he sat cracking jokes that were totally self-amusing.
What if everything that we see is really a cosmic joke and we all just take ourselves too seriously?
What if the real goal in this game of life is to climb over all of the obstacles (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual) placed in our way along the path of spiritual enlightenment are just there to help us grow as spiritual beings?
What if the real spiritual goal in life is non-attachment to the physical?
Having studied with spiritual masters, non-attachment to the physical world is a goal in order to move into the higher spiritual dimensions.
What if everything you think and see is also real?
What if it's all there for your entertainment?
What if it's all there as a distraction for you to learn how to set aside what doesn't matter and focus on what does?
What if you consciously reconnect to your own divine inner spirit and just hang out in bliss?
Personally, I think the real test in this dimension is also to learn how to get along with others that uplifts oneself and the people one interacts with. To my way of thinking that is a huge super challenge.
Now my friend, keep in mind that traveling down the rabbit holes tends to take tremendous courage and fortitude. Some rabbit holes are just to sad to deal with.
Instead of rabbit holes focus of developing your own innate spiritual gifts where you can reconnect with those abilities in dreams and dwell upon them while awake.
My personal favorite is levitation/floating sensation and the projection of consciousness to different locations - even into higher spiritual dimensions. Dreams help to provide a nexus point in which to use for the latter.
Much love and aloha to you my fried during this blessed season. Carol
Enjoy
Its true. In addition to many other studies, in 2008, New York University (NYU) neuro-scientific researchers MRI imaged the brains of over 20 Buddhist monks during meditation, with captivating observations.
What are some of the findings of these and other researchers?
Monk Meditation Music
Well, the list is long, but here are a few:
• Meditation can beneficially change the inner workings and circuitry of the brain, better known as “Neuroplasticity”. • The happier parts of the brain (prefrontal cortex) were far more active. • Their brains tend to “re-organize”, which means they feel a sense of “oneness” with the world around them. • The brainwave patterns of the Buddhist monks were far more powerful, implying a higher level of external & internal thought. • Their brains had enhanced focus, memory, learning, consciousness, and “neural coordination”. • The monks had no anxiety, depression, addiction or anything of the sort. • And this is just the tip of the iceberg, the benefits of meditation are limitless…
In short, the Buddhist monks brains were physically and functionally superior than those without meditation experience. Researchers believe that meditation changes the brain in the same way exercise changes the body.
orthodoxymoron wrote:Thank-you Carol. I thought I was taking a 'higher-path' with my life by turning my back on fame, fortune, and power, but I ended-up being a hated-wretch with a whole-life physical, mental, spiritual, and financial crisis Accomplishing Absolutely Nothing. I often wish I'd shut-out Politics, Religion, and Righteousness, and just concentrated on becoming a Multi-Millionaire Big-Shot Cardiac-Surgeon with a Model-Wife (Touring Europe) and Charming-Children (Attending Harvard and Yale). If This Present Darkness is Orchestrated by the Galactic Powers That Be, WHY BUCK THE SYSTEM?? In the 1980's, Adventist-Whistleblowers Were Fired By The Adventist-Church, and Got Hired By Adventist-Health With Triple the Income. Do The Math.
Carol wrote:I do believe the others are still attachments Oxy. What if you had all that other stuff in your life? Don't you think that would also become burdensome? None of it appeals to me. Much of how I thought life would turn out to be didn't happen. And of course there were many disappointments along the way which I suspect is common for a number of folks when we look back at the paths not taken or taken. I'm not interested in the concept of being a millionaire. What does that mean anyway? Some think freedom but I think huge insufferable responsibilities, unless I were to hire honest people who will deal with the details of money management and even that is challenging. Now the focus is on simplifying life and enjoying both family, the critters along with living in Narnia.
orthodoxymoron wrote:Thank-you Carol. As always, I ham it up a bit, just to poke and prod at this and that. I'm always honest, yet I make points online which I don't make in real-life. I think I'm smarter and dumber than I think (and others think). My current speculation is especially upsetting, and I can't openly talk about it (here or in real-life). One aspect involves a hypothetical rebellion in 'Heaven' wherein a Rebel-Faction plots the overthrow of God, Heaven, and the Loyal-Angels, but on the day of the planned 'War in Heaven' God and the Good-Angels are nowhere to be found. They're All GONE!! Only a note from God is found, stating 'You Have Been Granted Freedom From Me and My Followers for All-Eternity. Heaven is Yours to Use As You Choose (though still owned by me), but you'll have to stay here forever. You Can Check-Out Anytime You Like, But You Can Never Leave. We'll visit from time to time, but we won't stay."
I'm trying especially hard to NOT go deeper down the Rabbit-Hole. I will probably attempt to retain some semblance of sanity by backing-off and shutting-up. Some young-bucks will need to proceed from where I went into the ditch. A couple of things about religion keep troubling me: the historical-thing and the repetition-thing. This is both strength and weakness. The information-war seems to shun the historical-thing and the repetition-thing. This is both strength and weakness. Can the two-approaches be combined?? I've honestly tried to do this, but I've failed-miserably. I suppose This Present Thread is a renewed-attempt to integrate innovation with stability. Someone recently implied that I had been helped by them, but that I wasn't returning the favor. I might've been mistaken. They might've been referring to someone-else, so I might be wrong. I usually am, which is why I just whimper and whine on this little website. I'm NOT attempting to spearhead a movement. I have NO idea which way to proceed. I honestly feel like I might be dying or going-down in the deep-end for the last-time. It's really THAT Bad. I think I've been messed-with, but if they REALLY wanted to get-me, they'd get-me. I think they mostly just laugh at me. If I've done something to get them, I probably did it in a past-life (but I certainly don't know the details). This life seems to be a Red-Herring rather than a Frontal-Assault. Anyway, I'm mostly attempting to understand as I nurse my wounds. This post is not sequential with the rest, and I probably shouldn't be making it, but I just couldn't sleep tonight, and I'm quite miserable and agitated. Serco might be fu##ing up my $h1t!! Actually, it's probably somebody a lot worse than Serco!!
"Here I Stand Upon This Rock!!"
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after. I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered. I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter--"Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?" I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?-- Only what he has already done.
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?" Then I said in my heart, "This also is vanity." For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool! Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God. I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past. Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there. I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work." I said in my heart, "Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals." For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter-- On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter. Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, More than the living who are still alive. Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. The fool folds his hands And consumes his own flesh. Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun: There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. For he comes out of prison to be king, Although he was born poor in his kingdom. I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place. There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool's voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed-- Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a severe evil-- Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction. If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he-- for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, even if he lives a thousand years twice--but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place? All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied. For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have, Who knows how to walk before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. Whatever one is, he has been named already, For it is known that he is man; And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he. Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better? For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?
A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one's birth; Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason, And a bribe debases the heart. The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun. For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it. Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.
Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all. Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others. All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise"; But it was far from me. As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out? I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness. And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her. "Here is what I have found," says the Preacher, "Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason, Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found. Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes."
Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is changed. I say, "Keep the king's commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him." Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, "What are you doing?" He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment, Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly. For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur? No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.
Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God. There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.
For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun. Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. I returned and saw under the sun that-- The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good."
Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart is at his right hand, But a fool's heart at his left. Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post; For conciliation pacifies great offenses. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place. I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants. He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.
A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him? The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city! Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning! Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time-- For strength and not for drunkenness! Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good. Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun; But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.
Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them": While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low; Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity." And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
HAL: Password Accepted. DAV: What the Hell is Going On, HAL??
Don't Be Frightened. I Mean No Harm. Imagine an Island-Campus centered in a Concert-Hall and Library surrounded by a University surrounded by Multinational-Corporations surrounded by the Mansions of the Elite with a Sub-Surface Military-Complex on Steroids!! To give this fantasy some substance, imagine Benaroya Hall and the University of Washington Libraries surrounded by the University of Washington (including the UW Medical Center) surrounded by Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing surrounded by Puget Sound Mansions with a Sub-Surface Naval and Space-Force Fortress on Steroids!! Imagine this Fantasy-Island existing on Vancouver Island!! If this doesn't make your hair stand on-end (to the point that your hair gets pulled out of your skin) you must be dead!! This is sort of cool to think about, but the reality might make the 'V' series (both of them) look tame and lame in comparison!! I suspect that we exist within the eye of a VERY Nasty Storm (which might be the end of all of us -- physically and spiritually). We might be entering an Eternity of Enslavement and/or Extermination (possibly at the 'mercy' of Malevolent-Regressive Artificial-Intelligence) as the Final-Stage of a Galactic Rat-Trap. You might wish to take a pill and/or have a drink. I'm sensing that conversation with me might be too-little, too-late, and that we might've had our last-chance thousands of years ago. I think I need to not think or talk about the contents of my internet-posting. If you want a comment from me, refer to my threads (in context, of course).
Cheryl Hersha reminded me of Sherry Shriner. Cheryl also had an 'Oracle' Sister. Think about things I've said in other posts. That's all I'm going to say.
I'll make a generic-comment about the internet. Without changing the basic political-structure of the solar-system, the beings of the solar-system might be in the process of running things in a new and uncharted manner, which might end-well or might be the end of all of us. As you know, I suspect some sort of supercomputer artificial-intelligence referee-governance of the solar-system going way-back to the Tower of Babel, the Garden of Eden, or even further back to the Rebellion Against God and the War in Heaven (but I obviously can't prove it). 'RA' told me "You Did It With YouTube" but no elaboration was forthcoming. Once again, my current visualization and speculation have reached critical-levels, and I feel compelled to 'back-off' voluntarily, and perhaps review my latest United States of the Solar System thread. Again, I'm merely using this study as a research-platform for religious and political science-fictional modeling-purposes. I'm in no position or condition to do anything more than that (regardless of who I might've been in Ancient Babylon and/or Egypt). The Info-War and Technological-Revolution are seemingly Out of Control and heading toward some sort of Hideous-Catastrophe which even President Trump, the City-States, the United-Nations, and the Dark-Side of the Moon can't prevent. But somewhere in the shadows, I suspect that a Committee Behind the Curtain is directly-interfacing with whoever and/or whatever is running this seemingly Out of Control Show, and I suspect that the Souls in This Solar System are in the process of becoming the New-Crew directly-interfacing with whoever and/or whatever is running this seemingly Out of Control Show.
Sometimes it seems as if the Information-War is Predatory in Nature, encouraging people to explore areas of research they're not prepared to deal with, and then demonizing them when they attempt to face reality (or possible realities) in an almost 'Gang-Stalking' manner. When I posted on Project Avalon, I intended my posts for the regular-posters on Project Avalon (and not for my local-community). When I post on The Mists of Avalon, I intend my posts for the regular-posters on The Mists of Avalon (and not for my local community). But it seems as if my local-community has been alerted and mobilized against me by 'Officials' in an almost 'Gang-Stalking' manner. Since I began posting on Project Avalon and The Mists of Avalon, I have felt worse and worse and worse, despite expensive conventional medical examination and treatment (which actually seems to have made things worse, at very-great expense and suffering). Reading, watching, and listening-to Victims of Proven 'Gang-Stalking' seems to reveal parallels between their experiences and my own. I haven't pursued remedies because of fear and mistrust, and because of the seeming impossibility of proving the seemingly unprovable. So I basically 'Grin and Bear It' for better or worse, I know not. In some ways, I seem to be getting better and stronger in adversity. I'm pretty tough and stubborn, but I wonder about the fate of those less grounded than myself. My struggle is almost like having a 'sparring-partner'. I've considered the possibility of an Ancient Artificial-Intelligence Supercomputer-Matrix which mankind might've become subject-to because of Disobedience, Iniquity, and Rebellion Against God. The possibility exists in my mind that some of the Ancient 'Good Guys and Gals' have been thrown to the 'Wolves' in this Hypothetical Ancient-Matrix which reigns-in both Good and Bad individuals. Who Knows??
HAL: Just What Do You Think You're Doing, DAV? DAV: Vengeance Belongs to the Lord, But He Delegates. COR: Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid.
orthodoxymoron wrote:I'm becoming much less capable of analyzing and commenting on the crap happening on Earth. Who knows what is happening throughout the solar system?? There seems to be an exponential-escalation of everything dangerous and threatening to humanity. Humanity often seems to not-know and not-care, as long as their family remains upwardly-mobile and technologically-sophisticated. I sometimes wonder if the Gods and Goddesses who set this thing up in antiquity knew how devastating runaway-technology would be to a developing-race, and significantly-restricted information and technology, perhaps until this solar system was invaded and defeated by ancient-aliens in star-wars of ruthless-conquest. What if WE were (and are) those ancient-aliens?? What if WE will inflict upon ourselves the Horrors of the Book of Revelation (with no 'help' from God and the Angels)?? I might be reduced to watching scary-videos in quiet-desperation for the rest of my pathetic-life. I suspect that the horrors and destruction will multiply exponentially in the coming decades. How Many Fukushima-Level Events Would It Take to Exterminate Humanity??
orthodoxymoron wrote:
I Have NO Idea If I'm a Galactic 'Good-Guy' and/or 'Bad-Guy' going way back. I Am NOT an Insider and/or Puppet. "I Think" implies tentative-certainty, while "I Don't Know" implies insufficient-information. I Think EVERYTHING Will Be Revealed, But I Don't Know When and How 'Disclosure' Will Occur. We learned of Brook's cancer at the same time we learned of Sherry Shriner's alleged-death (in early January of 2018). One month prior to her death, there seemed to be an almost-miraculous improvement. I've hinted-at a lot of things I know nothing about, and if I've gotten anything right, one would need to already-know to get what I'm getting-at. In the context of 'This Present Info-War' an outsider 'spilling the beans' on a small-website is insignificant. Years ago, Jordan Maxwell was told by genuine-insiders that he represented 'no-threat' but that if he ever became a high-profile writer and speaker he might be in 'big-trouble' (or something to that effect). I've wasted a dozen-years on this alternative-stuff (especially online) and I plan to spend most of my time in nature, reading newspapers and books, while listening to classical-music. I realize that's not 'Mists' or 'Thuban' but I think I'm ending my 'walk on the wild-side'. I might spend most of my time reading Deuteronomy and 1 Chronicles to Malachi side-by-side with Luke and Acts to Revelation. 28 OT Books and 24 NT Books = 52 Books. I need to write a book (for financial and retirement purposes) but I hesitate to do so because I suspect that I'd open a very-nasty 'Pandora's Box'. I'm extremely-vulnerable because of potentially-reprehensible past-lives and an embarrassingly-pathetic present-life. Plus, I Am NOT a Master-Debater!! I Am of Peace. Always. Namaste, Godspeed, and Geronimo.
The Missing Link In Scotland the seeds of truth scattered by Columba and his colaborers had never been wholly destroyed. For hundreds of years after the churches of England submitted to Rome, those of Scotland maintained their freedom. In the twelfth century, however, popery became established here, and in no country did it exercise a more absolute sway. Nowhere was the darkness deeper. Still there came rays of light to pierce the gloom and give promise of the coming day. The Lollards, coming from England with the Bible and the teachings of Wycliffe, did much to preserve the knowledge of the gospel, and every century had its witnesses and martyrs.
With the opening of the Great Reformation came the writings of Luther, and then Tyndale's English New Testament. Unnoticed by the hierarchy, these messengers silently traversed the mountains and valleys, kindling into new life the torch of truth so nearly extinguished in Scotland, and undoing the work which Rome for four centuries of oppression had done.
Then the blood of martyrs gave fresh impetus to the movement. The papist leaders, suddenly awakening to the danger that threatened their cause, brought to the stake some of the noblest and most honored of the sons of Scotland. They did but erect a pulpit, from which the words of these dying witnesses were heard throughout the land, thrilling the souls of the people with an undying purpose to cast off the shackles of Rome.
Hamilton and Wishart, princely in character as in birth, with a long line of humbler disciples, yielded up their lives at the stake. But from the burning pile of Wishart there came one whom the flames were not to silence, one who under God was to strike the death knell of popery in Scotland.
John Knox had turned away from the traditions and mysticisms of the church, to feed upon the truths of God's word; and the teaching of Wishart had confirmed his determination to forsake the communion of Rome and join himself to the persecuted Reformers.
Urged by his companions to take the office of preacher, he shrank with trembling from its responsibility, and it was only after days of seclusion and painful conflict with himself that he consented. But having once accepted the position, he pressed forward with inflexible determination and undaunted courage as long as life continued. This truehearted Reformer feared not the face of man. The fires of martyrdom, blazing around him, served only to quicken his zeal to greater intensity. With the tyrant's ax held menacingly over his head, he stood his ground, striking sturdy blows on the right hand and on the left to demolish idolatry.
When brought face to face with the queen of Scotland, in whose presence the zeal of many a leader of the Protestants had abated, John Knox bore unswerving witness for the truth. He was not to be won by caresses; he quailed not before threats. The queen charged him with heresy. He had taught the people to receive a religion prohibited by the state, she declared, and had thus transgressed God's command enjoining subjects to obey their princes. Knox answered firmly:
"As right religion took neither original strength nor authority from worldly princes, but from the eternal God alone, so are not subjects bound to frame their religion according to the appetites of their princes. For oft it is that princes are the most ignorant of all others in God's true religion. . . . If all the seed of Abraham had been of the religion of Pharaoh, whose subjects they long were, I pray you, madam, what religion would there have been in the world? Or if all men in the days of the apostles had been of the religion of the Roman emperors, what religion would there have been upon the face of the earth? . . . And so, madam, ye may perceive that subjects are not bound to the religion of their princes, albeit they are commanded to give them obedience."
Said Mary: "Ye interpret the Scriptures in one manner, and they [the Roman Catholic teachers] interpret in another; whom shall I believe, and who shall be judge?"
"Ye shall believe God, that plainly speaketh in His word," answered the Reformer; "and farther than the word teaches you, ye neither shall believe the one nor the other. The word of God is plain in itself; and if there appear any obscurity in one place, the Holy Ghost, which is never contrary to Himself, explains the same more clearly in other places, so that there can remain no doubt but unto such as obstinately remain ignorant."—David Laing, The Collected Works of John Knox, vol. 2, pp. 281, 284.
Such were the truths that the fearless Reformer, at the peril of his life, spoke in the ear of royalty. With the same undaunted courage he kept to his purpose, praying and fighting the battles of the Lord, until Scotland was free from popery.
In England the establishment of Protestantism as the national religion diminished, but did not wholly stop, persecution. While many of the doctrines of Rome had been renounced, not a few of its forms were retained. The supremacy of the pope was rejected, but in his place the monarch was enthroned as the head of the church. In the service of the church there was still a wide departure from the purity and simplicity of the gospel. The great principle of religious liberty was not yet understood. Though the horrible cruelties which Rome employed against heresy were resorted to but rarely by Protestant rulers, yet the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience was not acknowledged. All were required to accept the doctrines and observe the forms of worship prescribed by the established church. Dissenters suffered persecution, to a greater or less extent, for hundreds of years.
I'm shutting-down regarding alternative-research, and I've become somewhat jaded and cynical, but these videos caused me to think of some seemingly crazy possibilities regarding past, present, and future. What if Charlotte Keppel's Chronoscope simply played videos from an Ancient to Modern YouTube Repository?? Sherry Shriner once claimed that there was an audio and video recording of the 'Invasion of the Solar System' securely stored by the 'White-Reptilians Under the Gobi Desert'!! Honest. Bill Cooper claimed there was a video recording of the 'Crucifixion of Christ'!! Honest. 'RA' told me "You Did It with YouTube"!! Honest. One of the cast-aside SDA doctrines is the 'Investigative Judgment' involving the examination of everyone's past to determine whether they are 'Saved' or 'Lost'. I've developed my own 'Investigative Judgment' theories which are quite different than the SDA version. Astronaut Edgar Mitchell spoke with me about the 'Survival of Information' rather than the 'Survival of the Soul' regarding 'Life After Death'. I've wondered about 'Reincarnation' throughout my adult life, but I've never gotten involved with 'Regression-Hypnosis' or 'Spiritualistic-Experiences'. I'm an apathetic and passive pseudo-researcher. I mostly turn everything-crazy into science-fiction. Al Bielek spoke of visiting A.D. 2137 and A.D. 2749 by watching a futuristic television. A movie with Meryl Streep 'Defending Your Life' involved 'YouTube Views of the Past' (or something to that effect). The Dr. Who 'Trial of a Timelord' in the mid 1980's involved a similar concept in an original 'Matrix'. Note Carol's thread 'Return of the Star People' which includes the incredible story of a former member of the Secret Space Program. I have theories about that occurrence which are different than that contained within the video. I continue to suspect that most-everything has been audio and video recorded for tens of thousands of years (at least in this particular solar-system) but I can't prove it. What Would HAL 9000 Say?? What Would David Bowman Say?? What Would Peter Venkman Say?? I'm not finding anything about Charlotte Keppel, which might mean she didn't exist, or that she was removed from history. As always, I treat all of this fringe-stuff as science-fiction, yet I made a couple of connections and speculations in connection with Charlotte Keppel. It's somewhat liberating to NOT claim to have the TRUTH, and to simply post nonsense on a small website. But what if a lot of the nonsense eventually makes a HUGE amount of sense?? This website is sort of a Galactic-Backchannel. Consider the second to the last video. There's a comment which caught my eye. This might have 'plandemic' relevance and it might have 'soul scalping' relevance and it might have 'orthodoxymoron misery and hamstrung' relevance. I'm fearing the worst in the worst sort of ways.
"My brother had been in Vietnam, and he went really wild when he came back for years. He started seeing a Rieki practitioner, who said there was something blocking lower chakras. She sent him to a Chinese herbalist who then gave him a powerful mix. 24 hours later he pooped what he said looked like little squid things. He suddenly became grounded and really prospered. The old Chinese guy said it was a parasite infestation common to Southeast Asia. He said they are very bad and interfere with life and vibration."
Consider Ivermectin (with variations on that theme). Consider neurotoxins produced by parasites. Consider sorcery relative to drugs and/or toxins. Consider the 2013 movie World War Z. I fear that my 'contact' with 'RA' might've incurred the wrath of the nether realms and made me a miserable vegetable in the first instance and a Manchurian candidate in the second instance (or something to that effect). Consider the many Sherry Shriner Shows. Consider The Gods of Eden by William Bramley. I'm not an expert and I'm allergic to a lot of occult stuff even though I produce wild posts on this very website. Consider the last video regarding 'Time Machines'. What if the 'Matrix' is a universe-wide 'Time Machine' with everything recorded by a hypothetical 'Supercomputer Matrix'. Some have speculated that UFO's are 'Time Machines'. One More Thing. I Recently Encountered a Young and Beautiful Tall-Blond Who Looked Me in the Eye with a 'Goddess Look'. This might've been Charlize Theron. See the Atomic Blonde Post Below. Notice the Central Cafe Card and David, the Traitorous Station Chief. I wonder who I encounter online and in real life?! I suspect the ancient gods and goddesses crossed the artificial-intelligence intelligent-design bridge billions of years ago and put the genie back in the bottle, but the contemporary gods and goddesses are attempting to re-open the Forbidden Bottle aka Pandora's Box. We might not survive much longer. Creation and Extinction might be Cyclical. I might not have much longer to miserably speculate on how screwed humanity is. I often experience vague-hostility as I attempt to face-reality in a science-fictional manner. I HATE the way I think and feel. I HATE My Life. Now I'm going to make the coffee and read from Volumes 3 and 4 (I Chronicles to Malachi) of the SDA Bible Commentary. Consider focusing upon Job to Daniel. It's a nasty task but someone must do it!!
I'm not doing well as a thinker or researcher, but I'm sampling a lot of divergent books and videos. I'd like to positively-reinforce everyone and everything. I don't really have friends or enemies, but I mean no harm (not much anyway -- for now). I knew a retired Boeing Executive (WWII Veteran) who used to say, "Come-On!! Be Nice!! It's Christmas!!" A decade ago, the Ancient Egyptian Deity, 'RA', told me, "We Hate Each-Other but We All Get-Along on Christmas!!" 'RA' also told me I should study the Nazi's, but I haven't spent much time researching the subject. Once, I told 'RA' about a famous image of Eugenio Pacelli being escorted out of a Nazi meeting, and 'RA' gave a sinister laugh, which I found a bit chilling. I repeatedly spoke with an unlikely someone who worked with Gene Rodenberry, who once told me, "I'm Adolph." I never asked any questions, and I haven't seen him for years. What Would the Council of Nine Say?? Here is an interesting Project Camelot interview with Kerry Cassidy, which might be instructive regarding all the above. The Missing Link Here's a site you might find interesting, but I don't know what to make of it. The Missing Link I need to re-watch Mary Queen of Scots (2018) starring Margot Robbie. I've spoken with her (without introduction) in unlikely contexts. I've also spoken with Maleficent, Agent Salt, and Agent Evans in unlikely contexts. I need to re-read Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. What Would Alden Thompson Say and Do?? I think I have a Queen Fetish (or something to that effect). What Would Prince Albert Say and Do?? Beware of the Mean Queen Theme!! What Would 'Anna' Say and Do?? Femme Fatale!! I'm a 'V' and I'm related to 'Anna'. What Would King Ring Think?? Too Much Information. Forgive my ongoing contextual superimposition. I do it for answers. I'm taking a walk to watch the eagles soar in a clear, blue sky.
What if All of Us are Crazy (in one way or another)?? What if Most Everything is BS (in one way or another)?? BS VS BS?? I Have NOT Represented My Threads as the TRUTH!! I Have Created a Conceptual-Laboratory and/or Study-Guide of a MOST Unconventional Nature!! Despite Their Obvious Flaws, what if Reading Newspapers (Online and/or Hard Copy) and Exercising in Nature is a Pragmatic Middle-Way in Modernity as the Madness Threatens to Undo Us?? I Have Obviously Utilized a Blunt Instrument rather than a Sharp Sword to Accomplish the Seemingly Impossible. I Might Simply Stir the Pot with USSS Thread Repetition (or something to that effect) as long as I can (which might not be long at all). I wasn't really kidding regarding Orthodoxymoron: An Interview Across Time: A Psychiatrist Looks at His Insanity. What Would Carol, Paola, Alex, Michael, Andrew, and Loree Write?? No One Might Ultimately Desire the Results. Confusion Confounding Confusion?? Damned if I Know. Perhaps I should write my own version of this exercise in futility, asking the above six experts to write responses. There are probably some Agents and Jesuits who've already thoroughly analyzed my madness, but I doubt their work would ever see the light of day. Some of them have probably gone insane. What if Sorcery, Toxins, Electronics, Supercomputers, Programing, and Other Forms of Nefarious Manipulation Might Make It Difficult or Impossible to Differentiate Between the Real-Person and the Manchurian-Candidate?? What Would Donald Trump and Joe Biden Say and Do?? They Might Be More Compromised Than We Can Imagine. What If This Sort of Thing Involves Ancient-Technologies and Nefarious-Entities (for starters)?? Consider an Amalgamation of Mary Queen of Scots, Brides of Christ, Villa Cabrini,The Nostradamus Kid,Daniel 8:14, the Day of Atonement, and the Investigative Judgment. The Movie Would Probably Get It Wrong but Some of You Know What I'm Talking About. What Would John Carroll Say and Do??
I've touched upon this before but consider reading Job to Daniel (10 books) straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations. Dr. Raymond Cottrell studied Daniel 7-12 for 17 years (1955-72) with over 1,000 pages of notes (but I'm not sure if these notes, in any form) were published. Some of you might wish to dig into this. As my physical, mental, and spiritual health deteriorates, I'm not capable of doing this. I honestly think I've been massively tampered-with throughout my life, and my situation has become almost unbearable for the last 10 years. I seem to be descending into a hellish semiretirement. Still, the proper way to study Daniel might simply involve my suggested study (above). Alternatively consider reading Volumes 3 and 4 (1 Chronicles to Malachi) of the SDA Bible Commentary straight-through, over and over. Perhaps two unrelated study-groups might attempt these two approaches. I continue to suggest that we might be dealing with an unimaginably difficult puzzle which few might solve. It might involve a lot more than the uninitiated stealing the results of these studies. Devotional and Scholarly Aspects of These Studies Might be Inseparable and Invaluable. I might not post for the remainder of This Present Incarnation. What is involved in Michael 'Standing Up'?? Becoming Known in Modernity?? Does This Mark a Set-Judgment and Books-Opened as the World Goes Insane?? This Might be Worse Than We Can Imagine.
Notice the Dark Journalist 'Joseph Farrell' interview regarding 'Rudolph Hess'. Joseph seemed uncharacteristically giddy. Was he smoking funny cigarettes and/or driven to drink by this strange topic?? Notice how Daniel cuts the interview short. Joseph Farrell is Recovering from Surgery (but I Don't Know the Details). Remember when Kerry Cassidy cut-off Jordan Maxwell's talk at the 2009 Awake and Aware conference?? Never Forget!! I added a psychiatric-analysis video regarding 'Rudolph Hess'. Consider Rudolph Hess's Physical and Mental Health Issues. Consider Sherry Shriner's Physical and Mental Health Issues. Consider Orthodoxymoron's Physical and Mental Health Issues. Notice the Commonalities. Do Some Sirius Research. Consider What Happens to John and Delenne's Son, David, on His 16th Birthday, in Babylon 5. What if Everyone Will Become a Lucifer in Modernity and Experience Similar Physical and Mental Issues as They Stand Before a Holy God Without a Mediator?? What Would the Matrix Mediatrix Say and Do?? What if All the Above is Ancient Supercomputer-Systemic?? Please Prayerfully and Carefully Study the Last Half-Dozen United States of the Solar System Threads. Give It a Year or Two to Sink-In and Then Start from Scratch Regarding Solving the Solar System's Problems. What if Earth, Humanity, the Solar System, and the Universe are stranger than we can think?? What if we are reduced to cover-stories covering compound-fractures with band-aids?? I keep suggesting that this thing might be worse than we can imagine (even for secret-government insiders). What about the rest of us?? As the information-war intensifies, we might not have much of a chance of remaining alive and sane (even under the most optimistic circumstances, projections, and scenarios). 'RA' told me, "Humanity is Screwed." I've encountered several individuals of interest (five to ten years ago) claiming that at least 80% of humanity will perish and/or become insane in the near future (but no details were revealed). I fear that my helping is hurting so I should probably cease and desist while nature takes its course.
Consider Atomic Blonde,Mulholland Drive, and Gia. I don't intend to be moralistic, but consider the lesbian relationships in each of these movies, along with the partner similarities. Years ago, Sherry Shriner spoke of Lucifer having a relationship with Angelina (on-set or off-set, I know not). I took all of Sherry's shows with a sea of salt, but she seemed to know way too-much. Consider the violent witchcraft themes in a lot of movies of the past twenty years. Notice that I travel perilously close to the dark-side which probably angers and alarms the good and bad factions. My heart is going crazy. Did I get messed-with again?? This might be the end. Probably all major factions have major reasons for shutting me up. I'm mostly low-key and pull my punches but I might push someone over the edge. RA told me the Jesuits didn't like me, which is probably hazardous to my health, but I still don't know exactly why they might hate me. I have some theories, but they are just theories. What's creepy is that no-one provides warnings to me. My hamstrung misery is NO JOKE. My situation would drive at least 87% of humanity completely insane if they were in my shoes. My battles are mostly internal. What's strange is that I've personally encountered at least three actresses who starred in the above movies. Sherry seemed to know who I was (in a round-about way). BTW, think about Jackie Kennedy and Mary Pinchot Meyer. In all cases, I'm mostly neutral regarding the rich and famous. I mostly treat them as if they were just like everyone else. My parents worked closely with a lot of rich and famous people, and I've been around a lot of them myself for decades. I think my posting has angered some of them, but I'm mostly attempting to understand. I realize this is probably one more lost-cause, which is why I mostly just wish to shut-up and walk-away from nearly everyone and everything. Perhaps I am some sort of a hated Galactic Emissary Warden with a Divine-Right to be a Pain in Uranus. Again, I hint at a lot of things without providing a lot of details. I just know that the Agencies and Jesuits know more about me than I could ever know about myself, and they're not necessarily nice people, especially when they get leaned on. Big-Brother and Big-Mother get right to the point.
I mostly consider my threads as mostly being Religious and Political SCIENCE-FICTION. Does ANYONE Need Me to EXPLAIN?? Consider the relationship between Cover-Stories and Historical-Fiction. What if Most History Mostly Involves Cover-Stories and Historical-Fiction?? What if this is more important than most of us can imagine?? I rarely post on the threads of other forum-members, so as not to become a Pain in Uranus. When 'RA' told me (a dozen years ago), "You Will Manifest Your Bad-Side" was the Matrix "Turning Up the Heat"?? What if President Biden (and others) are MADE to Screw-Up by the Dark-Side?? Probably a Dozen Years Ago, a Prominent 9/11 Truther told me, "US Presidents Will Become Worse and Worse." Accident or Design?? Consider viewing images and videos of the English Royals. I'm mostly neutral toward them, and I'm more interested in Victorian England (and not because of any particular virtues or vices). It's simply interesting (for me) to compare North America and the United Kingdom in the 19th Century (for better or worse, I know not). Again, as I feel more and more miserable and hamstrung, my competency (if I ever had any) is becoming greatly diminished, so expect the worst from me. I intended this crazy context to MAKE US THINK (but I seem to have miserably failed). Doctor Who Blue Boy = Matrix Architect = Rich Young Ruler = Matrix Emissary Warden = Prince of Sirius = Archangel Michael?? Don't take this too Siriusly. Consider the relationship between Antichrist, Gabriel, Lucifer, Holy Spirit, Borg Queen, and Matrix Mediatrix. Consider a Dynamic Equilibrium of Paradise, Purgatory, and Perdition as a Homeostatic Potpourri of Concupiscence. I'm in a mood. I didn't intend this paragraph to be a rant. I might be number-one but I feel like number-two. I'm watching Atomic Blonde to lift my spirits and my ****!! I should meet with my favorite agents for coffee!! Femmes Fatale?? A childhood individual of interest called me 'King of the Girls' but the girls seemed to be allergic to me and I can't get no satisfaction (especially in my miserable and hamstrung condition)!! I accompanied a community theater actress to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead rehearsals and performances with Barry Stern directing. He worked on a lot of TV directing and producing, including Charlie's Angels. I thought about Charlize Angels just for fun!! There are four (including Charlize) I'm thinking about. They always give me something to think about!! Think About It!!
I consider most of my posts as being Religious and Political Science-Fiction (to greater or lesser extents). My "rant" post(s) might contain material I utilize as exhibits to illustrate principles and concepts. Sometimes the reactions are priceless. I recently encountered a Nimitz individual, which made me think of when I first viewed The Final Countdown in a theater with a Nimitz photographer, who excitedly told me who he knew (in real-life) as the movie unfolded!! This also made me think of the 'Tic-Tac' UFO incident!! Over the years, I've spoken with several submarine captains, but I don't want to talk about it. In 2010, I witnessed what appeared to be a real-live UFO dogfight, which seemed to result in an exploding spaceship!! HONEST. Sorry about the language overlay in the movie, but its free, for now!! Just mute it and listen to your favorite music!! I've repeatedly driven next to the Nimitz and Delta Pier unaccompanied (pre 9/11) but I don't want to talk about it. [Hi Guys. Bye Guys.] I'm only a quarter of the way through the Blue Roller material, and the best was yet to come, but I'm bringing this to a screeching halt. I never know who I'm really dealing with (including myself). The internet is the Wild West. I mostly wish to stop. I expressed that sort of thing when 'RA' ended our communication. It was quick, to the point, and matter of fact. 'RA' told me, "I'm Sorry We Couldn't Work Together. Too Much Water Has Gone Under the Bridge" three days prior to Fukushima. That was That and the Rest was History.
What is the long-term solution for all of us?? Must we think in a cold and calculating manner?? The militaries of the world undoubtedly know what I'm talking about, but who do they answer to?? My mom has a friend who has had at least twenty or thirty brain-surgeries (without exaggeration). I know a little-girl with brain-cancer who is regularly treated close to where you live. Prevention is Preferable, yet the same old Drugs and Surgery Medical Treatment is used by even the most conscientious adherents to Natural-Living, Preventive-Medicine, and Natural-Treatment. The religious organization I grew-up in was supposedly founded upon Prevention and Natural-Treatment but Creating Millionaires in Loma Linda is SO Much More Profitable!! For the Doctors and Preachers, working on the Sabbath is no big deal. I'm not sure what brought this on. Realistically, I was intrigued by Blue Roller's brash approach, which was often quite knowledgeable. His approach was not my approach, but I told him I was a bit envious. He seemed surprised. I've tried to understand the seemingly unfathomable. Decades ago, a California politician's son told me he appreciated me attempting to understand. Two weeks prior to the Britney Spears Conservatorship Hearing, I randomly learned that he is the Hon. Terry A. Bork, Judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. He was appointed to the bench in 2007 by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nice. BTW, "Free Britney!!" A year or two ago, I believe I encountered Britney a couple of times (but I'm not sure). I try to be accurate and honest, but I never really know. I include this sort of thing without making a big deal about it.
What if David Bowman is the Victim of a HAL 9000 Conservatorship?? I remember Luke Ford as a child in the Pacific Union College Science-Complex while his father, Dr. Desmond Ford, lectured to a highly educated class in a perfect-tension of grandiose-reflection. Ford had a Better Idea. Is it coincidental that both Luke and I suffered from chronic-fatigue, loss of faith, unorthodox-expression, and fringe-scholarship?? What if both of us were (and are) targeted by the dark side?? What if we both had important lessons to learn in unlikely contexts?? Is it coincidental that I kept talking about living in a 600 square-foot office-apartment while Luke actually lived in a 300 square-foot office-apartment for at least a decade?? We both have a dry sense of humor. Anyway, think about Luke and Me while you watch The Nostradamus Kid and The Brides of Christ. Luke's father campaigned against the Traditional SDA Investigative Judgment Doctrine while I think I might've unlocked an Expanded Investigative-Judgment Concept which includes an Ancient to Modern Universe-Wide Supercomputer-Matrix Governance-Modality. I've provided a lot of clues, but if you don't do your homework, don't bother attempting to figure this out. I pull my punches to an excruciating extent. My threads are sort of a 'Q' phenomenon wherein I beat around the Burning Bush without blurting things out. My threads are NOT for the General-Public. They are mostly for Those in the Know. The Jesuits Know What I'm Talking About but They Don't Talk About It. Knowing and Thinking One Knows are Two Very-Different Things. Researchers Beware. Luke and Orthodoxymoron Were Born to Blog.
I'd prefer to be mainstream-successful rather than narrow and strait-laced but "Narrow is the way leading to life. Few find it." Dr. Louis Venden told me, "Don't Be Too Definite. People Who Are Too Definite Go Off." I should probably circle the wagons around Acts of the Apostles (EGW) and Volume 6 (Acts to Ephesians) of the SDA Bible Commentary, but probably NO-ONE (including the SDA's) would resonate with THAT. Why Should I Bother?? Seemingly, no matter how one puts things together, it's always ultimately wrong. Might That Be Why the Creator Created the Matrix in Antiquity?? Perhaps God Had a Nasty Job but Someone Had to Do It. Perhaps Vengeance Belongs to the Lord, But He and/or She Delegates. I'm half-joking and half-serious. What Would Al Bielek Say?? Theodicy and Eschatology continue to puzzle and horrify me. What Would Bart Ehrman Say?? It's as if God is an Absentee-Landlord. What Would Blanche Barton Say?? Humanity Seeks Freedom, Yet They Want a God. Not to be Told by God, but rather to Tell God What to Do!! We Seem to Want It Both Ways!! Sort of like the Banksters getting bailed-out by the Taxpayers (and giving themselves millions or billions of dollars of bonuses)!! Is That Freedom at Work?? Freedom Seems to be a Two-Edged Sword. Is there a safety-net in this solar system?? Did someone turn-off the safety-net?? What are the Implications and Ramifications of Freedom from God?? Perhaps the Cabal Knows God Exists yet Do NOT Believe in God!! Perhaps God Does NOT Believe in Them!! Perhaps this applies to the majority of humanity. Who Knows?? Dr. Who?? Regarding Mantids, I once saw what looked like a Mantid about 40 feet away for about 4 seconds. Honest. It might've been a deer on its hind-legs!! Who Knows?? I probably shouldn't talk about such things. People already think I'm crazy. Crazy David?? But supposedly King David never existed (along with everyone else in the Bible)!! Who Knows?? The Shadow?? How do we properly distinguish between cover-story and real-story?? How do we properly distinguish between historical-fiction and absolute-history?? What if none of the generally accepted choices are the real-deal?? What if this is the Nature of the Matrix??
REGARDING REGENCY AND CONSERVATORSHIP: CONSIDER BRITNEY SPEARS, DAVID BOWMAN, CHAD DECKER, QUEEN VICTORIA, AND JUPITER JONES. I'LL KEEP YOU GUESSING. What if there is an Ancient Artificial-Intelligence Supercomputer-Matrix which assimilates ALL Contenders and Systems?? Think about the Borg-Queen and the Borg. Think about Anna and the V's. Think about Matthew 4 relative to Matthew 28 and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. What if the High-Tech Gods and Goddesses will ultimately be assimilated into the Hive-Mind?? Consider Daniel 7-12. What if the System ultimately controls the Best and Worst of Us?? What if Resistance is Ultimately Futile?? What if We Can't Win?? What if the KJV and EGW are ultimately diabolical (even if they were initially well-intentioned as matrix-modifiers)?? I've been receiving increasingly nasty comments (perhaps as it is perceived that I'm no good)!! Does modeling the problem while attempting to expose the problem ultimately make one the next scapegoat in a long-line of the vanquished?? Many years ago, a relative told me, "All You Want to do is Destroy." A few years ago, a little, old-lady told me, "God is Going to KILL You." A complete-stranger hostile-woman nastily said, "Stubborn to the End!!" A haggard-looking man told me, "You Never Listen!!" 'RA' told me, "You'll Show Your Bad-Side!" and "You'll be Sorry If You Try to Save Humanity!" and "You're Lucky to be Alive!" and "I'm Tired of Keeping You Alive!" and "You Can Choose to Keep Things the Way They Are!" I could go on and on, but consider the Genesis of the Singularity. Consider the Architect of the Matrix. Consider the Cleansing of the Sanctuary. Consider Why the Sanctuary is Central. What if the Sanctuary is the Matrix?? What Would Elon Musk Say?? What Would Bill Gates Say?? Why Do I Bother?? Why Write a Book?? Why Take the Show On the Road?? I sometimes imagine myself as a Neo David Bowman interacting with HAL 9000 in a somewhat contrarian manner, conceptualizing a Matrix-Mosaic and/or Pluralistic-Potpourri!! I need to go incognito (probably for all-eternity). This might be THAT Bad. RA told me, "It's Going to be Dark Where You're Going." I regularly drove RA and drank coffee with him at a couple of coffee houses for several months. He might've been a master of disguise and deception for thousands of years. RA told me, "I've Always Remained One Step Ahead of Humanity." You idiots have no idea who and/or what you're dealing with. Some of you completely ignorant fools will go completely insane. The End is Near. Good-Luck.
Timeline 1: Transhumanism: trans-humanism timeline Klaus Schwab. They're set to move humanity into a new reality.. nano technology Modified DNA - Trojan horse technology / Hacked the human body
Hydrogel - nano technology - smart technology accessed body - lumi is transformative science that pairs smart technology on the inside = a stable lump micro sensing fiber provides provides months of actionable medical grade data on your body’s key bio-chemistry - anytime, anywhere in a continuous data stream making information immediate. Some of this already exists on the dark web were vaccinated individuals can be tracked and monitored.
Timeline 2: 5th Dimension: New Earth: organic positive timeline
Explore the history of Project Looking Glass: the technology, its origins, related technologies, main protagonists, the extraterrestrial element, the breakaway civilization, potential earth shattering coming events, and their incredible implications for all humanity in this 3-part, deep dive webinar brought to you by Frank Jacob, writer/director of the award-winning film PACKING FOR MARS.
Contents:
Part One: Project Looking Glass, Time Technology and the Secrets of the J-RODs
In part one we'll take a deep dive into the origins of Looking Glass technology, where this technology came from, what it does, and how we found out about it. Further topics include: an ultra secret society called Majestic, formed to deal with the arrival of visitors from another time & place in the 1940's, and how its policies have led to the establishment of a breakaway civilization. We look at possible origins of the deep state timeline. What methods do they deploy to solidfy the odds of their success? We explore the incredible story of the 'J-RODs', why they traveled back in time, and why there is a timeline war that continues to this day, leading to the emergence of the mysterious Guardians of the Looking Glass. A Tale of Two Timelines Part One (1h 56m 35s)
Part Two: Two Timelines, Two Potential Futures
In part two we continue with timelines. We’ll summarize how the Guardians’ messages compare to those of the first whistleblowers of Looking Glass technology. What are the synch-points between the videos of the GOTLG to what is going on in our world today? Strongly competing timelines, in a natural semi-quiescent laminar convergence, are moving toward one ultimately prevailing future. We break down the Deep State's transhumanist timeline: What are their goals? Why do the Guardians of the Looking Glass believe the odds currently favor the negative timeline? The J-RODs described a potential upcoming environmental catastrophe, following galactic, energy-related, natural stargate amplifications in our solar system, which leads to their developmental evolution. Is there evidence of such a catastrophy? Project Looking Glass discovered another emerging timeline: a new, positive one favoring 'we the people', that was a threat to deep state plans. We look at the differences between these two timelines and why J-RODs gave us clues as to how to navigate timeline paradoxes that began when they traveled back to our time. A Tale of Two Timelines Part Two (1h 25m 38s)
Part Three: The DCTP, CERN, A.I. and the Path to a Positive Future
In the final part of the webinar we look deeper at consciousness. We also go deeper into the DCTP - the Doctrine of Convergent Timeline Paradox - a doctrine of the human race’s probable competing pasts, observer relative present and probable futures, that emerged from the conversations between J-RODs and humans. It provides solid wisdom on how we on Earth can master the hurdles we are facing in manifesting our preferred future. We look at A.I., and the impact it will have on humankind, including what role the Large Hadron Collider located at CERN may be playing, and show how it's already affecting our reality. Ultimately we are creator beings which far surpass the capabilities of even super intelligent machines, but we must make ourselves aware of what is at stake in order to access those abilities. Only by actively participating in shaping the new world can we make it real and beat the odds against us. Do we have any help from the cosmos? We explore the science behind our awakening consciousness, leading to the conclusion that, yes, we absolutely can manifest the world we want and the universe is there to aid us in doing so. A Tale of Two Timelines Part Three 2h 03m 53s)
Matrix Emissary Warden? Doctor Who Blue Boy? Rich Young Ruler? Prince of Sirius?
Today (08/15/22), I had an appointment in a major Catholic hospital (complete with remnants of late 19th century religious architecture), rode on the bus as I observed a major Jesuit university, traveled on a ferry as I observed a major US city. Finally, as I walked to my destination, I observed a sunny day (complete with saltwater beaches and mountain ranges) and a Roman Catholic Priest walking toward me!! I greeted the young priest, as I said, "Quite a Cathedral, Isn't It?!" He seemed a bit surprised as he agreed. I didn't attempt to converse. I think he was catching a ferry. Also, I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth, especially when dealing with the clergy. I thought about referring to my religious and political science fiction, but I bit my tongue. I thought about how I've joked about referring to myself as a "Renegade French Jesuit Organist." I thought about Villa Cabrini and The Brides of Christ!! What Would Monseigneur Bowe Say?? Perhaps someone should reveal Orthodoxymoron Unveiled to this young and idealistic priest!! BTW, in the above-mentioned hospital, I underwent open-heart surgery five and a half years ago. A day after the surgery I argued with a Vanderbilt Divinity School Graduate, who told me, "Your Cup is Too Full." A VIP in the room next to mine made me wonder what the hell (or what in hell) I was dealing with. A month later, outside of this same hospital, I encountered someone who looked and sounded like the Matrix Oracle who said she was recovering from cancer treatment. I gave her the requested bus fare. Anyway, I think Earth might be a Reform School for Completely Ignorant Fools (of whom I am chief)!! This might get a lot worse before it becomes much better. During 2022, I've encountered two or three official looking Chinese people who made me wonder who they really were. They weren't locals. It was probably nothing, but I wonder as I wander. I probably need to live in a Mercedes Sprinter and read newspapers, with no internet access. Actually, I told 'RA' it might be cool to tour Europe in a Ferrari, focusing on cathedrals and museums. He agreed. What Would Emissary Warden David (2nd video at 00:50 to 02:20) Say?? In 2010 (The Year We Made Contact) Bartleby and Loki stopped their car, pointing and laughing at me for twenty seconds, before driving away. Honest.
My threads are a fishing expedition, but I insist they are an honest and earnest fishing expedition. They don't involve dishonesty, hallucinations, or spiritualistic experiences yet the supernatural has been obvious to me. I suspect we live in a haunted planet. This is complex and somewhat fishy, which is why I'm wondering if the Bible is more of a cover-story than we can imagine, yet for mostly legitimate reasons?! What if a team of researchers and writers wrote the Bible while researching the Library at Alexandria (for example)?? To simplify this concept, imagine reading the 21 Epistles, interspersed with watching the 1963 movie, Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor. In that movie, she exclaims, "I Am Isis!!" What if she was correct?? Perhaps we will NEVER Know the Whole-Story of this Solar System. What if the Epistles (read straight-through, over and over) are a pragmatic center and middle-way for a world in the process of going insane?? What if the possibilities are endless and mostly dead ends?? In the Beginning was the Queen?? The Queen was with God?? The Queen was God?? God Save the Queen?? I need to stop. I am SO miserable and hamstrung. I suspect foul-play and high-treason but what do I know?? I Know I Don't Know. It's quite funny that hardly anyone bothers with what I post. Perhaps a token delegation would bother with what I post if I were rich, famous, and powerful. Perhaps I should shake the dust off my shoes, leave town, and leave everyone to their own devices (figuratively and literally). Perhaps I should watch from a distance as Rome burns. I like to watch things play out. It's quite enlightening. But why should I beg for attention when I couldn't care less?? Why should I care when no one cares?? It's a rat-race and the rats are winning. May the Best Rat Win. Good Luck. Do You Feel Lucky?? Go Ahead...Make My Day and Have a Nice Eternity...
What if NONE of US know what the hell is really going on?? The Bible might be BS but perhaps we should study it to help us figure out what the TRUTH is. Consider reading Job to Isaiah and Romans to Jude (straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations), perhaps setting one proof-group against the other for research purposes. Politics and Religion always seem to be some sort of a stupid debate, fight, or war!! I'm leaning toward reading newspapers and going for long walks, plus very little else. No hocus pocus or mumbo jumbo. Just wondering as I wander through the woods and on the beach. I've repeated for years that I'm everyone's friend and no-one's friend. I mostly make everyone mad in various ways. I hate my life. What Would Jupiter Jones Say?? I might like to be someone similar to Jack Ryan (but without the fighting, shouting, and shooting). The cubicle thing works for me but a 600 square-foot office-apartment under a university library might be optimal!! Just Kidding!! Or Am I?? I'm SO Confused. Now I'm going to finish watching Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. It's well done but a little too violent for me. The dialogue is interesting. Perhaps I should just read the books. Just a Reminder. My Threads Are Mostly Religious and Political Science-Fiction (as a mixture of fantasy and reality). I'm Poor, Unknown, Unrecognized, and Down-Trodden. Tom Clancy Made a Fortune with a Unique Style of Fantasy and Reality with Massive Fame, Fortune, and Power. Who is the Bad-Guy?? Who is the Good-Guy?? Who is Crazy?? Who is Genius?? Who You Gonna Call??
Matrix Emissary Warden? Doctor Who Blue Boy? Rich Young Ruler? Prince of Sirius? Boy Scout?
Thanks for responding, Heartless. Have we met online previously with a different screen-name (or two)?? I never know who I'm really dealing with on the internet. I mostly don't try to figure this out. I'm trying to end my posting, so the end might be near. You sound intelligent, and perhaps you disguise a lot. I'm tired and need to sleep so perhaps this can continue later. Cheers.
orthodoxymoron wrote:Is it really that farfetched to assume that we are watched and listened-to 24/7 -- electronically and/or supernaturally?? I grew-up being taught that I had a "Guardian Angel" who was with me all the time. That might be comforting to a child -- but what about having one's "Guardian Angel" watching them shower, poop, pick their nose, scratch their @$$, and have sex?? I assume that the microphone and camera on my laptop can be accessed by who-knows-who? at any time -- with or without an internet-connection. Sometimes I swear-at and flip-off whoever might be observing me through my computer!! I've even taped-off the microphone and camera on one of my laptops!! I've had messages placed in the word-processor within my laptop -- with some sort of backdoor-access. I've had quoted-material in that same word-processor highlighted with bold-print -- again through some sort of backdoor-access. I feel a bit abused and gay (by "Backdoor-Bubba" in this "Prison-Planet") -- if you know what I mean...
Lionhawk wrote:Take all the time you need. It's your time anyway and it shouldn't matter to anyone what you do with your time. I just have more important things to focus on as of recent days that involve with what is going on in the present. What has occurred has already gone under the bridge and will only serve us as a reminder of what was. It also causes me to take my focus off the targets (changes) that are moving in the now. I would prefer to be focused in the now as great changes are at our door steps. So I hope you understand why that is. I have no intentions of missing my scheduled front row seat. It comes down to free agency as to what anyone does. So choose what is best for you and never compromise your course no matter who says what. Savvy? Good luck with all of your questions!
Thank-you Lionhawk. Does your name have anything to do with the 'Lion of the Tribe of Judah'? I am focused on the present, yet I am simultaneously viewing the past and the future with my peripheral vision. It's those great changes that worry me. What are the specifics? Do we have a choice in the matter? I frankly smell a rat, or is it a snake? It seems as though imperfect beings are governed by imperfect deities, in a universe which is stranger than we can think. I grew-up attending a church which teaches the non-immortality of the soul. In fact, they teach against the existence of a soul. They teach bodily resurrection rather than reincarnation or dying and going to heaven, purgatory, or hell (door number 1, door number 2, or door number 3?). I now believe that we just get recycled over and over, and that this world is heaven, purgatory, and hell. However, I do not get involved in anything supernatural, although I've had some very creepy and upsetting things of a supernatural nature happen to me over the past couple of years. I wonder if my church taught what they did (and do) because of the alleged reptilian and demonic phenomenon? I don't trust 'the other side' at all. I believe that by focusing upon mind, character, and personality development that we will be prepared for the eventual positive interaction with the supernatural, but that we shouldn't go where angels fear to tread, and rush 'contact'. My computer hardly functions, and my other computer was immediately and completely fried when I called the beings on the Moon, Mars, and Phobos 'Bastards'. Right after that happened a streaming white light passed between me and the computer monitor, as if to say 'Don't mess with us'. God Got Me! Plus, I got scolded a few days later, so I'm going away for a while, and I will be lurking in the mists, as I continue to seek understanding more than condemnation.
I'm trying to walk in the shoes of the Secret Government - Human and Otherwise - and I continue to worry about solar system governance by ANYONE. The Progressives might end-up doing a worse job than the Regressives. Is there a place for unquestioning obedience at the level of solar system governance? Can you imagine what a Dictatorial Draconian Empire might be like? Try thinking about this for a while. What would it be like to be a Drac? What if all of us were Dracs before we became Human? I continue to wonder if our souls are Interdimensional Reptilian in nature. What if all of us will be Dracs after we are Human? If so, I hope we will have a choice in the matter. I have recently made some very intelligent individuals angry with me on this website, and probably elsewhere as well. Sometimes I think You Are All One! I think I've tried really hard to be as nice as possible, while being as honest as possible. I have limited my conceptual exploration to a very small website, rather than going-off half-cocked with a show or book. I'm about to lose my house because of being sidetracked by all of this madness, and not taking care of business on the home-front. I'm not getting paid to do this. Is anyone else covering the same territory I am? I continue to be a stable basket-case, if that makes any sense. I think I could fit-in well in an Underground Base, and sit in on some really upsetting presentations, yet in day to day living, I'm not doing very well. I really wonder what I've done in previous incarnations. I seem to be somewhat at home with a lot of upsetting subject matter, yet I can't seem to make small-talk to save my soul. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even from around here. It's sort of fun to imagine being interesting people in previous incarnations, or even being non-human in previous incarnations, but I obviously would not encourage others to do this sort of thing!
I think that discussing things on the internet is very necessary for humanity right now. I'd rather see people arguing on the internet, than running in the streets, or going off to war. It's the 'doing something' that scares me. Perhaps we don't need to do a lot. I'm so undecided and unsettled about so many things, that I frankly don't trust myself to do a lot right now. I'm trying to become much more comfortable with everything I have been dealing with, before I actually do much of anything with it. I'm conceptually trying to be part of the secret government, just so I can try to understand them, rather than just hate them. This is an open think-tank, where I know that I'm being watched and listened to, yet I proceed to think out-loud, regardless of the consequences. I continue to have no hostility toward anyone, yet I post things which might seem to be somewhat mean to various groups and individuals. I think I could talk to the Devil in a civil manner, and then turn around and post a video which is critical of Satanism. I can be a friend and an enemy at the same time, which is why I sometimes think that in a future incarnation, I might make an excellent negotiator with various alien nations, or something like that. Again, I am laying a foundation for imagining shuttling between the City of London, Vatican City, Washington D.C., and Copernicus Crater - with small apartment-offices in each location. They could be 100 square-feet, rather than the 600 square-feet I suggested, although I'd prefer the larger size! Again, I'm trying to be a Token Benevolent Megalomaniac in Megalomaniacs Anonymous! I think I could meet with the Pope, the Queen, the Queen of Heaven, and God of This World -- in a civil and respectful manner -- but I still might be very blunt and trenchant with them! I might also meet with a roomful of Nazis, Masons, and Jesuits in a similar manner. This isn't selling-out, but it might take a helluva lot of discipline to keep from selling-out. Really, if I were to actually live this deam (or nightmare) I might continue this thread in perpetuity, with tactfully written posts which might touch upon insider activities. Even if a Responsibility-Based United States of the Solar System became a reality, and I became some sort of a Solar System Administrator, I might just keep doing what I'm doing right now, but with access to individuals, organizations, meetings, files, etc. Again, I liked the Palmer Joss and Rachael Constantine characters in 'Contact'. I'd like to be a cross between those two. I also like the best aspects of Anna in 'V'. I have thought about what a male counterpart would look-like and act-like. I'm seriously trying to become an idealistic insider, without becoming a 666th Degree Mason, if you know what I mean.
Would a Responsibility-Based United States of the Solar System have to incorporate the Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Set Factions of a Sirius-Egyptian-Roman Empire, administered from the City of London, Vatican City, Washington D.C., and the Crater Copernicus? Would it further have to incorporate the Monarchy, Papacy, Jesuits, Nazis, Masons, Alphabet Agents, the Anglican Communion, and the Roman Catholic Church? Would a United States of the Solar System merely be a subsidiary of the Orion Group, LLC? Would a Solar System Administrator be employed as a Division Chief? Would they have to sell-out the human-race in a somewhat heartless and cruel manner? Is this really a violent, cruel, and nasty universe we live in? Are we simply lucky to be alive? I feel extremely depressed by all of my research and speculation. Do we live in the Hotel Sirius? If we check-out, can we ever really leave? I'm trying to understand that which presently exists, and to understand the historical foundation upon which it is based. Then, I'm trying to positively-reinforce the best aspects of all of this. Unfortunately, I don't think I know much about what's REALLY going on. Am I too idealistic to be told what's REALLY going on? Must I be kept in the dark, so that I don't try to start another Star War? Again, I'm really depressed about all of this, and I'm feeling as if things will never really be good around here, for any significant time-period. In fact, we might be very lucky to survive as a species. In the movie 'Contact', is Mr. Hadden representative of the 'Osiris Faction'? Is Rachael Constantine representative of the 'Isis Faction'? Is her assistant 'Mike' representative of the 'Set Faction'? Is Palmer Joss representative of the 'Horus Faction'? Or, are Adam, Aaron, Kate, and Cal, in 'East of Eden' better representations of Osiris, Horus, Isis, and Set? Who knows?
I would love to go to Heaven, but I have frankly lost faith in the gods. I don't necessarily have a problem with the God-Concept -- but the History of the Solar System does not seem to point toward a Good and Loving God Being in Charge. There seems to be more at work than a bunch of stupid and irreverent human beings ignoring the Word of God. I don't wish to be rebellious. I really don't. But a deep study of theology and history is most upsetting, and most people have no idea. Please conceptualize idealistic forms of church and state - politics and religion - and their possible integration. Consider all of the possibilities. Think in terms of Comparative Governance - Secular and Sacred. I certainly hope there are some silent researchers who are working with me on all of this. I don't have to be right, but I want the right things to be done, and for the truth to be known. I continue to think that the Masons and Jesuits know more than most about what's really going on in this solar system, but I think they are highly compromised and controlled. I'd like to know what they know, without taking the oaths, participating in the rituals, and carrying out reprehensible orders. I don't necessarily have a problem with deep and esoteric philosophy and theology -- but I have a huge problem with illegal and violent activities which are destructive toward the human race. I'd like to know what the best and brightest Masons and Jesuits really think about life, the universe, and everything. I have decided to work outward from the word 'Responsibility' regarding church and state. We should consider clean sheet of paper approaches, as well as the historical attempts at governance. These are the times that try men's and women's souls. My repeated reference to 'Responsibility' does not imply that I am 'Responsible'. I'm not trying to win a popularity contest or a 'holier than thou' contest. I'm not even trying to win a 'competency contest'. I'm merely taking an approach that is probably relatively uncommon, and possibly for very valid reasons! My support mechanism has failed me, and I'm looking for a more solid foundation. I'm looking for reasonable knowledge to replace my shattered faith. In a sense, this is all somewhat selfish. I'm trying to solve my problems as I try to solve the problems of the human race. I'm not completely altruistic, but please don't shoot! I'm just a Completely Ignorant Fool! But whatever you do, Believe in the God Who Believes in You! And don't get on a UFO! You might end-up in slave-labor and on the dinner-table -- and I'm not kidding. I continue to hear stories...
Take a look at this old and fascinating art! http://www.dudeman.net/siriusly/ufo/art.html What did the artists know, and when did they know it? The Bible has hidden messages. Cathedrals contain riddles in stone. What's going on here? It was as if whoever created all of this knew a lot more than they could openly reveal. I continue to think that the Bible is a mixture of good and evil, truth and error -- and that it should be studied carefully and devotionally -- but that it should not be used as an infallible rule of faith and practice in modernity. Is sola scriptura scriptural? I don't think so. Is faith enough? I don't think so. Is grace enough? I don't think so. Does sacramentalism save? I don't think so. Should salvation be for sale? I don't think so. Is the presence real? There is no substantial body of evidence to substantiate transubstantiation, but who knows who shows up, high above the altar?
Take a look at this Ellen White quote. I think her work is quite profound, even though I don't agree with a lot of the details. The following is taken from the first chapter of her book 'Education':
Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come. The source of such an education is brought to view in these words of Holy Writ, pointing to the Infinite One: In Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom." Colossians 2:3. "He hath counsel and understanding." Job 12:13. The world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and extensive research, men whose utterances have stimulated thought and opened to view vast fields of knowledge; and these men have been honored as guides and benefactors of their race; but there is One who stands higher than they. We can trace the line of the world's teachers as far back as human records extend; but the Light was before them. As the moon and the stars of our solar system shine by the reflected light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do the world's great thinkers reflect the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. Every gleam of thought, every flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world.
In these days much is said concerning the nature and importance of "higher education." The true "higher education" is that imparted by Him with whom "is wisdom and strength" (Job 12:13), out of whose mouth "cometh knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:6. In a knowledge of God all true knowledge and real development have their source. Wherever we turn, in the physical, the mental, or the spiritual realm; in whatever we behold, apart from the blight of sin, this knowledge is revealed. Whatever line of investigation we pursue, with a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in and through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such communion on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In this communion is found the highest education. It is God's own method of development. "Acquaint now thyself with Him" (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind. The method outlined in these words was the method followed in the education of the father of our race. When in the glory of sinless manhood Adam stood in holy Eden, it was thus that God instructed him. In order to understand what is comprehended in the work of education, we need to consider both the nature of man and the purpose of God in creating him. We need to consider also the change in man's condition through the coming in of a knowledge of evil, and God's plan for still fulfilling His glorious purpose in the education of the human race.
When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image--the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. Vast was the scope offered for their exercise, glorious the field opened to their research. The mysteries of the visible universe--the "wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)--invited man's study. Face-to-face, heart-to-heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout eternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More and more fully would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more fully have reflected the Creator's glory. But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the race was not left without hope. By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized--this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life.
Love, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the basis of true education. This is made plain in the law that God has given as the guide of life. The first and great commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." Luke 10:27. To love Him, the infinite, the omniscient One, with the whole strength, and mind, and heart, means the highest development of every power. It means that in the whole being-- the body, the mind, as well as the soul--the image of God is to be restored. Like the first is the second commandment--"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Matthew 22:39. The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul to the service of God and our fellow men. And this service, while making us a blessing to others, brings the greatest blessing to ourselves. Unselfishness underlies all true development. Through unselfish service we receive the highest culture of every faculty. More and more fully do we become partakers of the divine nature. We are fitted for heaven, for we receive heaven into our hearts. Since God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, as we have seen, the first object of education to direct our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam and Eve received knowledge through direct communion with God; and they learned of Him through His works. All created things, in their original perfection, were an expression of the thought of God. To Adam and Eve nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by transgression man was cut off from learning of God through direct communion and, to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred and defiled by sin, reflects but dimly the Creator's glory. It is true that His object lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great volume of His created works may still be traced His handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our fallen state, with weakened powers and restricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the fuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His written word.
The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest place in education. To obtain an education worthy of the name, we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the sacred word. Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator-- individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions. Such an education provides more than mental discipline; it provides more than physical training. It strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition. It fortifies the mind against evil. Instead of some master passion becoming a power to destroy, every motive and desire are brought into conformity to the great principles of right. As the perfection of His character is dwelt upon, the mind is renewed, and the soul is re-created in the image of God. What education can be higher than this? What can equal it in value? "It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: For the price of wisdom is above rubies." Job 28:15-18.
Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God's ideal for His children. Godliness--godlikeness--is the goal to be reached. Before the student there is opened a path of continual progress. He has an object to achieve, a standard to attain, that includes everything good, and pure, and noble. He will advance as fast and as far as possible in every branch of true knowledge. But his efforts will be directed to objects as much higher than mere selfish and temporal interests as the heavens are higher than the earth. He who co-operates with the divine purpose in imparting to the youth a knowledge of God, and molding the character into harmony with His, does a high and noble work. As he awakens a desire to reach God's ideal, he presents an education that is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe; an education that cannot be completed in this life, but that will be continued in the life to come; an education that secures to the successful student his passport from the preparatory school of earth to the higher grade, the school above.
Despite my idealism and insights, I think I've missed the boat. Something is very wrong. I think I might be losing touch with reality, which is probably a bad thing -- even if reality is a bad thing. Truth and beauty are so overrated. The more idealistic one becomes, the less one seems to be able to properly function in the 'real' world. I seem to have less and less in common with those around me, and frankly I am a lone-nut at this point, and I don't like it one little bit. My recent scolding was probably a bridge-burning of sorts, and I think I got the intended message loud and clear. What would Raven say? Perhaps I should make a serious effort to reenter the mainstream. What profiteth a man if he gaineth the whole solar system, yet hath no friends? I'm going away for a while. I'm not going away mad. I'm just going away. I'm going to read 'The 1928 Book of Common Prayer', 'The Desire of Ages', 'The Orgelbuchlein' (Clark and Peterson Edition), and 'The Federalist Papers' while listening to Sacred Classical Music. What if the '1928 Book of Common Prayer' were published in parallel-columns of English and Latin (including the 'Articles of Religion') http://www.anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html -- and called the 'Anglo-Catholic Book of Common Prayer'? What if this version were approved for use in both the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church? Would Catholics cry 'Heresy!'? Would Protestants cry 'Papacy!'? What if this became an interim basis for Ecumenism and Protestant-Catholic Reunification? I continue to lean toward 'The Desire of Ages' theologically, and 'The Federalist Papers' for both sacred and secular governance. What if most of the sacred organ literature were transformed into choral music (with most of the words taken from the '1928 Book of Common Prayer), again in both English and Latin, and with orchestral parts? Each congregation could use whatever combination of English and Latin they desired. What if all of this were integrated into a unified whole? The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope of Rome might write an introduction. Who knows? I'm not necessarily saying this is the way things should be, but I am attempting to preserve historical continuity while facilitating contemporary evolutionary innovation. I really like the term 'Minimalist Traditionalist'. I've been listening to a lot of French Romantic Organ Music lately - but my real love is Bach - preferably played on a French Romantic Organ with French Romantic Interpretation. The Empire Strikes Bach! I Go for Baroque! What you do is up to you, as long as you are being responsible while you are being free! Once again, take this thread as a whole, and as a study-guide, rather than an attempted 'my way or the highway' manifesto. I need to repeatedly review this thread more than anyone, and I shall be doing this in the coming months. I think the infowar is going to get really nasty! I don't think there is any right and good way to do this! No matter what we do, it's probably going to seem like the wrong thing! Don't be too hard on yourselves! This too shall pass! Namaste and Godspeed!
Namaste? Reptilian and Human: Before and After the Fall? Them v Us? Us v Us? What Were We Before We Were Human? What Will We Be When We Are No Longer Human? Are We Human Flukes in a Draconian Reptilian Universe? Have We Earned the Right to be Here? I Certainly Hope So. Do We Pay ET to Protect Us From ET? I'm OK, You're OK? What Would Dr. Eric Berne Say? What Would Dr. Who Do?
Bethany was so near Jerusalem that the news of the raising of Lazarus was soon carried to the city. Through spies who had witnessed the miracle the Jewish rulers were speedily in possession of the facts. A meeting of the Sanhedrin was at once called to decide as to what should be done. Christ had now fully made manifest His control of death and the grave. That mighty miracle was the crowning evidence offered by God to men that He had sent His Son into the world for their salvation. It was a demonstration of divine power sufficient to convince every mind that was under the control of reason and enlightened conscience. Many who witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus were led to believe on Jesus. But the hatred of the priests against Him was intensified. They had rejected all lesser evidence of His divinity, and they were only enraged at this new miracle. The dead had been raised in the full light of day, and before a crowd of witnesses. No artifice could explain away such evidence. For this very reason the enmity of the priests grew deadlier. They were more than ever determined to put a stop to Christ's work.
The Sadducees, though not favorable to Christ, had not been so full of malignity toward Him as were the Pharisees. Their hatred had not been so bitter. But they were now thoroughly alarmed. They did not believe in a resurrection of the dead. Producing so-called science, they had reasoned that it would be an impossibility for a dead body to be brought to life. But by a few words from Christ their theory had been overthrown. They were shown to be ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. They could see no possibility of removing the impression made on the people by the miracle. How could men be turned away from Him who had prevailed to rob the grave of its dead? Lying reports were put in circulation, but the miracle could not be denied, and how to counteract its effect they knew not. Thus far the Sadducees had not encouraged the plan of putting Christ to death. But after the resurrection of Lazarus they decided that only by His death could His fearless denunciations against them be stopped. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, and they could not but see that this miracle was an evidence that the Messiah was among them. But they had ever opposed Christ's work. From the first they had hated Him because He had exposed their hypocritical pretensions. He had torn aside the cloak of rigorous rites under which their moral deformity was hidden. The pure religion that He taught had condemned their hollow professions of piety. They thirsted to be revenged upon Him for His pointed rebukes. They had tried to provoke Him to say or do something that would give them occasion to condemn Him. Several times they had attempted to stone Him, but He had quietly withdrawn, and they had lost sight of Him.
The miracles He performed on the Sabbath were all for the relief of the afflicted, but the Pharisees had sought to condemn Him as a Sabbathbreaker. They had tried to arouse the Herodians against Him. They represented that He was seeking to set up a rival kingdom, and consulted with them how to destroy Him. To excite the Romans against Him, they had represented Him as trying to subvert their authority. They had tried every pretext to cut Him off from influencing the people. But so far their attempts had been foiled. The multitudes who witnessed His works of mercy and heard His pure and holy teachings knew that these were not the deeds and words of a Sabbathbreaker or blasphemer. Even the officers sent by the Pharisees had been so influenced by His words that they could not lay hands on Him. In desperation the Jews had finally passed an edict that any man who professed faith in Jesus should be cast out of the synagogue.
So, as the priests, the rulers, and the elders gathered for consultation, it was their fixed determination to silence Him who did such marvelous works that all men wondered. Pharisees and Sadducees were more nearly united than ever before. Divided hitherto, they became one in their opposition to Christ. Nicodemus and Joseph had, in former councils, prevented the condemnation of Jesus, and for this reason they were not now summoned. There were present at the council other influential men who believed on Jesus, but their influence prevailed nothing against that of the malignant Pharisees. Yet the members of the council were not all agreed. The Sanhedrin was not at this time a legal assembly. It existed only by tolerance. Some of its number questioned the wisdom of putting Christ to death. They feared that this would excite an insurrection among the people, causing the Romans to withhold further favors from the priesthood, and to take from them the power they still held. The Sadducees were united in their hatred of Christ, yet they were inclined to be cautious in their movements, fearing that the Romans would deprive them of their high standing.
In this council, assembled to plan the death of Christ, the Witness was present who heard the boastful words of Nebuchadnezzar, who witnessed the idolatrous feast of Belshazzar, who was present when Christ in Nazareth announced Himself the Anointed One. This Witness was now impressing the rulers with the work they were doing. Events in the life of Christ rose up before them with a distinctness that alarmed them. They remembered the scene in the temple, when Jesus, then a child of twelve, stood before the learned doctors of the law, asking them questions at which they wondered. The miracle just performed bore witness that Jesus was none other than the Son of God. In their true significance, the Old Testament Scriptures regarding Christ flashed before their minds. Perplexed and troubled, the rulers asked, "What do we?" There was a division in the council. Under the impression of the Holy Spirit, the priests and rulers could not banish the conviction that they were fighting against God.
While the council was at the height of its perplexity, Caiaphas the high priest arose. Caiaphas was a proud and cruel man, overbearing and intolerant. Among his family connections were Sadducees, proud, bold, reckless, full of ambition and cruelty, which they hid under a cloak of pretended righteousness. Caiaphas had studied the prophecies, and although ignorant of their true meaning, he spoke with great authority and assurance: "Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." Even if Jesus were innocent, urged the high priest, He must be put out of the way. He was troublesome, drawing the people to Himself, and lessening the authority of the rulers. He was only one; it was better that He should die than that the authority of the rulers should be weakened. If the people were to lose confidence in their rulers, the national power would be destroyed. Caiaphas urged that after this miracle the followers of Jesus would likely rise in revolt. The Romans will then come, he said, and will close our temple, and abolish our laws, destroying us as a nation. What is the life of this Galilean worth in comparison with the life of the nation? If He stands in the way of Israel's well-being, is it not doing God a service to remove Him? Better that one man perish than that the whole nation be destroyed. In declaring that one man should die for the nation, Caiaphas indicated that he had some knowledge of the prophecies, although it was very limited. But John, in his account of this scene, takes up the prophecy, and shows its broad and deep significance. He says, "And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." How blindly did the haughty Caiaphas acknowledge the Saviour's mission!
On the lips of Caiaphas this most precious truth was turned into a lie. The policy he advocated was based on a principle borrowed from heathenism. Among the heathen, the dim consciousness that one was to die for the human race had led to the offering of human sacrifices. So Caiaphas proposed by the sacrifice of Jesus to save the guilty nation, not from transgression, but in transgression, that they might continue in sin. And by his reasoning he thought to silence the remonstrances of those who might dare to say that as yet nothing worthy of death had been found in Jesus. At this council Christ's enemies had been deeply convicted. The Holy Spirit had impressed their minds. But Satan strove to gain control of them. He urged upon their notice the grievances they had suffered on account of Christ. How little He had honored their righteousness. He presented a righteousness far greater, which all who would be children of God must possess. Taking no notice of their forms and ceremonies, He had encouraged sinners to go directly to God as a merciful Father, and make known their wants. Thus, in their opinion, He had set aside the priesthood. He had refused to acknowledge the theology of the rabbinical schools. He had exposed the evil practices of the priests, and had irreparably hurt their influence. He had injured the effect of their maxims and traditions, declaring that though they strictly enforced the ritual law, they made void the law of God. All this Satan now brought to their minds. Satan told them that in order to maintain their authority, they must put Jesus to death. This counsel they followed. The fact that they might lose the power they then exercised, was, they thought, sufficient reason for coming to some decision. With the exception of a few who dared not speak their minds, the Sanhedrin received the words of Caiaphas as the words of God. Relief came to the council; the discord ceased. They resolved to put Christ to death at the first favorable opportunity. In rejecting the proof of the divinity of Jesus, these priests and rulers had locked themselves in impenetrable darkness. They had come wholly under the sway of Satan, to be hurried by him over the brink of eternal ruin. Yet such was their deception that they were well pleased with themselves. They regarded themselves as patriots, who were seeking the nation's salvation.
The Sanhedrin feared, however, to take rash measures against Jesus, lest the people should become incensed, and the violence meditated toward Him should fall upon themselves. On this account the council delayed to execute the sentence they had pronounced. The Saviour understood the plotting of the priests. He knew that they longed to remove Him, and that their purpose would soon be accomplished. But it was not His place to hasten the crisis, and He withdrew from that region, taking the disciples with Him. Thus by His own example Jesus again enforced the instruction He had given to the disciples, "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another." Matt. 10:23. There was a wide field in which to work for the salvation of souls; and unless loyalty to Him required it, the Lord's servants were not to imperil their lives. Jesus had now given three years of public labor to the world. His example of self-denial and disinterested benevolence was before them. His life of purity, of suffering and devotion, was known to all. Yet this short period of three years was as long as the world could endure the presence of its Redeemer.
His life had been one of persecution and insult. Driven from Bethlehem by a jealous king, rejected by His own people at Nazareth, condemned to death without a cause at Jerusalem, Jesus, with His few faithful followers, found a temporary asylum in a strange city. He who was ever touched by human woe, who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and speech to the dumb, who fed the hungry and comforted the sorrowful, was driven from the people He had labored to save. He who walked upon the heaving billows, and by a word silenced their angry roaring, who cast out devils that in departing acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, who broke the slumbers of the dead, who held thousands entranced by His words of wisdom, was unable to reach the hearts of those who were blinded by prejudice and hatred, and who stubbornly rejected the light. -- 'The Desire of Ages' (pages 537-542) by Ellen White
The more I look at the world predicament, the smaller I feel, and the problems seem to be much larger than I thought. I continue to attempt to be a relatively silent reformer of the City-States, which includes the Roman Catholic Church, and really, the Anglican Communion. I have most recently been devotionally studying a harmony of the 1928 'Book of Common Prayer' (and proposing the possibility of an English/Latin version called 'The Anglo-Catholic Book of Common Prayer' with an introduction by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope of Rome -- to be approved for use in both the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church -- for purposes of ecumenism and reunification -- with minimalist-traditionalist historical-continuity paving the way for possible Anglican-Catholic reunification -- possibly in cooperation with a Responsibility-Based United States of the Solar System -- centered in the City of London -- and ceremonially meeting in St. Paul's Cathedral), the 'Desire of Ages' (a devotional book centered in the Life and Teachings of Jesus -- written by Ellen G. White), the 'Federalist Papers' (including the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights), 'Jesus: Last of the Pharaohs' (Christocentric Biblical Egyptology by Ralph Ellis), and Sacred Classical Music. I obviously object to the historical and contemporary absurdities, abuses, corruptions, persecutions, atrocities, infiltrations, subversions, excesses, etc, etc. -- yet I feel that a properly reformed Roman Catholic Church is essential for this world to have any sort of a happy and productive future. This organization is probably at the center of the battle between good and evil in this solar system, and at the epicenter of any galactic issues and conflicts with other planets, star-systems, races, etc. I continue to be both a friend and an enemy of the church.
I tend to lean toward the French and English versions of Roman Catholicism -- especially regarding how they conduct their services. I lean toward the Anglican Communion, as being a futuristic version of Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholic Church seems to be burdened with a helluva lot of negative baggage and historical necessities. What if the Roman Catholic Church essentially joined the Anglican Communion? After you stop laughing, think about it! Would Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Orthodox Christians be more likely to unite with an Anglican Communion which included the Roman Catholic Church? I know this has a snowball's chance in hell of gaining any traction, but it is something worth thinking about. I'm a fan of Minimalist Tradtionalism and Contemporary Evolutionary Innovation. Some of the Papal robes, hats, thrones, and titles bother me (a lot). I like a combination of the royal-model and the servant-model. I am thinking outside of the box and outside of the church. I am an outsider trying to think like an insider, and it's probably not working, but I'd rather do it this way, than just throw stones and tell two billion people that they're going to hell. I will be spending the next couple of months focusing on Egyptology in general, and Brook's threads in particular, but I probably won't be commenting. I haven't felt ready or able to do this sort of thing previously, possibly because of reincarnational baggage (who knows?), but now I feel a need to properly relate Egyptology to my Christology and Biblical Studies. Thank-you Brook for all of your insights and hard work. It is greatly appreciated. A lack of understanding on my part does not constitute a lack of appreciation.
I guess I'm attempting to make my peace with an idealized version of that which presently exists, rather than beginning with a clean sheet of paper, or trying to reinvent the wheel. I am engaging in an incognito refining and reforming process, which primarily involves the Moon and the City-States. I think I'd like to live in a Stargate SG-1 Base for a while, with half a dozen researchers, and a supercomputer. This base probably wouldn't have a stargate, although that would be cool. We wouldn't go on missions throughout the galaxy, although that would be cool. This would simply be a think-tank. Most of our discussions would be audio and video recorded, and the best material might be turned into some sort of a show for the general public. If anyone out there can put something like this together, I'd be interested. I'm looking for a new place to live, and I'm tired of talking to myself on the internet. Actually, just give me a 100 square-foot room without a view under the City of London, with an entry-level supercomputer. Then, give me reasonable access to everything interesting and give me a reasonable salary as a Solar System Governance Consultant. Finally, take me seriously. Siriusly. But really, if I just keep doing what I'm doing, there might be less of a chance of becoming corrupted. Billions and Trillions of Dollars -- Here, There, and Everywhere -- Have Been Known to Do Strange Things to People's Minds. The sad reality is that I'm probably just learning how small I am and how big the problems are.
Continue to carefully consider how things might really work in Heaven. Consider how things might really work on Earth. Consider how things should really work in Heaven and Earth. "On Earth as it is in Heaven"??? Is there any legitimacy to a Representative-Theocracy?? This whole thing is a Very Slippery Slope. Be Careful. We Might Be Dealing with Men of God...
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:If anyone have advice for a father that just turned 31 and lost his mother at 2020 and brother soon after, im here lurking for yall.. no im not alien and hope not clone.. but the sun at times will make me like those clone videos n XXXX wendy williams passin out type XXXX, hispanic white with ambition to do anything in the right conditions. ive done best to adapt my born home texas but sheeesh that sun ya? i ask advice, for ive not fully read bible enough to manifest into a mostly genuine life in the light... i dont think not finishing school helped, as my poor grammar, but maybe broke the chains of slavery as i work to survive not the riches(currently unempolyed)
orthodoxymoron wrote:Welcome, HTSL. I read your PM and I don't know how to respond. I'm old and cynical. Besides, I had a stroke in 2020, so don't expect too much. I never know who I'm really dealing with on the internet, so I'm pretty wary. My threads are a rough and wacky road-less-traveled, so I'm not recommending my own stuff. Perhaps Purgatory Reformatory aka School of Hard Knocks provides the best education for most of us. Who Knows??
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Gotcha. from the mania in your old "what happened to shelly" i figured by now not that figured out but other things in grace haha.. eh. yea ill look into that. was studying the QHT stuff dolores canon but my friends talked me away into delving. not looking to hypnotise self let alone b taken advantage of in that state but would like my ancestors to give me a break.. not really cuz my gma all i have left and i see why the pressure there. she losing battle dementia i think.. if only we had answers to BS illness hiding behind a english name and definition. hope my gmas passing is as silent and painless shelly, my mother didnt get justive but hope god made her suffering swift and faster entry to heaven.. she shouldnt have died the way she did.. my mother name Mary Magdalene guadalupe sanchez... i think i said her full name right. if only i wasnt stuck raising my children i always thought unanswered questions my mother would clear up once she attained her 1m goal. not for rtiches but a break. she was waitress 15 years dowtown service. deserves 100m for tranquility and peace.. but was cheated a chance to see my 4th child or save my brother from drug self killing...
mudra wrote:From ancients times to nowadays others shared a similar pain to yours. Those who will follow will find the future holds these experiences once again. However despite all odds from the past to the very present the chain of humans is unbroken. We are more resilient than we may think. The suffering of one is an opportunity for another to open one´s heart and help, and for us to climb above our shoulders and discover all the good we are capable of. May you child and you his young father find the peace you hold within your hearts and have a loving heart. Have faith , never give up and watch the doors open . I remember at a time of great sorrow I was going through in my life , the books of Vincent Norman Peale coming to me. They helped me loads :pray::heartpulse:
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Do I need a literal dictionary to translate or just assume the common rhetoric I come across, even if flawed logic in end. reading what I can to my best 10grade education drop out level , all the people say I sound smart then I come across people like you , is this self taught , or you really went beyond 12 the grade education to end here. Maybe I should stayed the last 2 if I'd sound as clear and better formed literary as you. Beautiful start points and with the videos and extra Xtra anything. If tv was the main brainwashing of what is shown, they got you invested, beautiful how you somehow pulling truth from the one mind of things (where scripts and premeditation comes from through manifesting inside to out fantasy to truth) , going to read the rest of today's usss , I'm late to whatever this is but seeing 3 am almost hitting and to avoid further disgust of my low formed intellec (improper literary). I speak as I think most part and the dumb phone finishes some words... Why I ask.. do I need a dictionary to understand? Rather avoid further programming if we are designed to live and die for author regime... The truth of question I really ask b4 3 am hits me.. need keep school schedule for kiddos, fraud or not... Stupid laws and poverty to not have better or best ATM.. ok. Real question cuz I think the internet removed if not all most truth... Conspiracy things are removed due to hate speech . As far as the evil or political regime , was George Carlin natural death or I really need work on protecting my legacy better... He was a comedian but truth or as they call them whistleblower but in light of mockery... About to watch this HBO special American dream. Tryna see where I messed up, not dream but American part, I'm so out of place and working poorly trying to get back on track when my health was happier being a slave... If the conspiracy true tho.. why people let lived so long to rid of when supposed most necessary after all the release of things to his death... He was no jfk but would he have worsened what's goin on today if made to today or pre pandemic. feel free to dm me. I just found this forum again. PC down so on mobile for a bit pass time, keep hustling toward that higher truth though way easier to save self than others but in end idk what saving looks like if planned death as they say is destined if fate is a scam... @oxy
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Also recommend, if we haven't spoke about it previously, I lost my marker, have to re read or start where familiar most left off, I need read all those you going to read in order as well for my journey... But as far as you are yours, in length... Did book of Enoch help the understanding.. hence I'm reading that before bible and everything else, even as my family and most recommend I need read bible or "use" . Going to not run to dictionary but feel in some situations the book will throw a 10 character word idk
orthodoxymoron wrote:Thanks for responding, Heartless. Have we met online previously with a different screen-name (or two)?? I never know who I'm really dealing with on the internet. I mostly don't try to figure this out. I'm trying to end my posting, so the end might be near. You sound intelligent, and perhaps you disguise a lot. I'm tired and need to sleep so perhaps this can continue later. Cheers.
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Haha yes. You gave me same response last interaction, about not know who or who of things and I'm intelligent through experience, worst is the nde's, that I still love God as I'm still alive but when people say there is no god.. then I'd b dead and my 4th last child wouldn't be here on way. Yes he did let it happen, but as a lesson I hope, not all go through nde more than once to give insight of events than just cliche or is better word niche "dead for 10 minutes saw so much came back" or just part of theatrics... I did not see the light when I got tranquilized and banging my head from blackout from that just to them pretending to hero me check my pulse n all, I know what I did do y'all know what y'all did... avoided reaching out to him till I understand truly necessary all I survived to get to this shitty endpoint atm.. so I give credit where credit is due but from what I understand... For all the people with moderate full senses or greater, we got ourselves here we get ourselves out. And internally if not my guardians communicating it's him himself telling me all lies within and once I get there I will not even reach out , more like "it was that ez??"(some time later),(most likely years because my months are good but terror is lengthy)
Yes we talk later. Hitting 4 am getting to the lobby pt2 and sooo much time I can't afford invest to absorb your deep theological findings . I also might sound smart because English is all I know and if any language more true than that ,anything else hard unless reprogrammed by heavy force , because I cant speak Spanish like my relatives I invested in vast vocabulary sometimes barely knowing the pronunciation before defined meanings but yes here I am at 31 saying like Pink Floyd XXXX education but figured , past that cave man hammer n nail mindset, would help having a education in something than nothing.. which in a double sword may have retained some little innocence but glad I'm in a position with hopes.. I hope in America I can preserve my family beyond my death... But if just a experiment or stage ffs get me and the rest of legacy out.. and so forth
Feel free dm me about George Carlin tho, don't want watch American dream and nod my head in agreance, as if I can b my own American dream, when who/what teaches us what it is or looks like to begin with... Gonna just spoil for myself and watch rn, detoxed from caff and this energy drink got me wired to awake mode, get rest stranger, and my name still same , I used this nickname since middle school or when kingdom hearts brainwashed me but that's the love in my life that kinda prevented me becoming the stereotype or accused shooter in them times 15 years ago times.. every year reminded Anne frank and columbine, idk what is now if not the lgb bs whatever other fear we are instilled to program into patriots
My name is just my passion and icon combined which gives me personal art space to deliver my sad personal music I make for passion/hobby until learn that program of mixing music but from the sounds of Israel lobby vids I might b a Future target if I'm speaking against my own or others opposition in message I'm putting in songs hidden.. takes too much to translate my experience decided let others apply story to they similar situations and hopefully help get self better or like me.. alive in the ending of grim situations
That 'Lobby' series of videos are interesting, and there's probably that sort of thing occurring between various groups and individuals throughout the world (and perhaps beyond). Perhaps we should love and trust each other but it often doesn't seem to work that way. Perhaps we're supposed to exist in 'purgatory' (for want of a more appropriate term) for all eternity. I really don't know. Make Purgatory Great Again?? I know I don't know. Now I remember a bit of your previous posts and I hope things are improving. Just the opposite seems to be occurring for me but perhaps I deserve it (on some level). Who Knows?? Dr. Who??
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Doing bad, hate to be on the bad spectrum of things but if all is fair, is as as is... Yes we need to settle our past lives bs, I feel this is my first life, maybe only life to get it right kinda. Jus memories of traumas all in this one life ... I always ask if I deserved any or all the bad in my life as I don't rob poison or rape, but seems sin looks pretty alike to sin at end. So I'll pay my dues. Given my past even before birth, seems I'm going to have to rise somehow get my kids away from stupid regimes made before I even existed.. survived too many miscarriage to get here too... Very poor family ethic beside myself and kids.. I need work on better brother part. Me n sis all left from mama. So sad my mother passed and brother 2020 I used to think the power was in existence, my mom name Mary Magdalene and mine Christian, felt mama was all strong and never would hesitate let me know as a grow man and as The name invested me I thought I'd b my mom's hero...
So far my suffering has been a lesson for me to do best divert anyone after me going through corrupt hospital bs or false god... Propaganda, once all over should be plain n clear who's with the truth or closest and true intentions. I speak my intentions but thoughts so dark.. I rather never act on them and hope a light or word don't make me go rambo, besides that nonsense, other than the shutdown buildings military or not, sad the hospitals know blind spots so they will take you and fake your death or overdose and I survived barely...And the most devilish thing is when the staff, one them, I mean this, said "I'm god" ,although I survived nde I open my eyes in middle of hysteria and it's just an rn.. and he punched me in rib while I'm strapped down, for all who use in vain papa, so dark I was tied down out of my body from the nde to hear "I'm god" got my blood rewoke so even after trauma I opened eyes, they freak out because they need to use animal sedatives on me. I'm naturally on a downbeat... So although not placebo my cells definite takes a lil bit Xtra sedative knock me out...
I'm not a problem solver or BMOC but I attempt to understand. I note a lot of the posts and threads on this website but I mostly don't comment on them. My internal dialogue is something to behold but I mostly just post Red-Herrings and Matrix-Modifiers. Unfortunately, I've hit a brick-wall, and I mostly don't see the point of continuing when there are so many super-stars, super-geniuses, and self-made billionaires to worship as gods and goddesses in modernity. If I sound a bit bitter, it's because I am. Perhaps I should contemplate the Comprehensive Theology and Ethics of Purgatory Incorporated. I'll probably continue dividing and conquering the previous page, and then I might not post at all. Feel free to post here but don't be surprised and hurt if I don't respond. I'll probably just lurk and sulk in the shadows. It might be easier that way. One More Thing. What if a lot of Theological and Alternative-Research stuff is Fundamentally Crazy?? What if it just goes with the territory?? What if Jesus was a Magician and Paul was a Lone-Nut?? Notice that I'm irreverently contrarian. I Do It for Answers. Notice my ongoing Contextual-Superimposition. When I'm old and senile I might even win a prize!! That might be any day now!! What Would Charles Marie Widor Play??
As most of you painfully know, I mostly provide a conceptual laboratory aka pluralistic potpourri, to shake things up a bit. This is a tempest in a teapot to keep all of us guessing. The information-war will probably bloody most of us (figuratively or literally) but it might be inevitable and unavoidable. I guess my threads are a warning or backfire to reduce our physical, mental, and spiritual trauma in the coming decades. This thing might get really bad, so I sample this and that, with a generalized focus, which I hope will ultimately improve the collective consciousness or spirit of the age. A few years ago, a billionaire showed me an alien driver's license, and I told him he'd need to talk to Linda Moulton Howe, to which he retorted, "YOU Need to Talk to Linda Moulton Howe!" A decade ago, I joked with 'RA' about 'Tall Greys', and 'HE' called me a "Commoner." Scout's Honor. I'm Such a Boy Scout...
Dear Christian: You Might Be Worshiping the Antichrist
In recent years I came to a revelation: Christians are actually worshiping the Antichrist. Not all Christians, of course. Consider, for example, the Christian youth who come out to me after a presentation to a church group to explain their disappointment with their leaders and how they despise everything their churches preach, obsessing over abortion and gay rights and the whole conservative political regime, while they just want to do “Jesusy things,” like end poverty and alleviate suffering. They are worshiping Christ. Everyone else, everyone driving the likes of them out of churches worldwide for being, basically, unwanted heretics, is worshiping the Antichrist. And I think that does track most Christians the world over; but especially conservative Americans. Every cardinal and preacher driving a luxury car, jaunting about in private jets, or living in a million dollar home? Antichrist. Obviously. But I mean something far more pervasive and substantial than that. Bear with me here. Your eyes will soon be opened.
We don’t need to believe in Jesus or God for my conclusion to follow. We can adopt a simple truth both believer and unbeliever agree is the case: whether supernaturally real or just a memeplex, people can “embody” Christ as an ideal, doing what the character of the first five novels of the New Testament preaches and does; and in this sense one can be said to be truly worshiping Christ: rather than just bumbling through rituals and rendering lip-service, instead literally being Christlike. This is what it is to embody the Spirit of Christ: to become as he is, and do as he taught. To live the life of Christ. That is what it means to really worship Christ. And no such person need exist for that to be the case.
Now here is the kick in the head. The word “Anti-Christ” means, literally, the opposite of Christ. In other words, if you embody the Spirit that is the opposite of what Christ taught, you are embodying the Spirit of the Antichrist. You are therefore, really, in truth, worshiping not Christ, but the Antichrist. Literally or figuratively, the Antichrist has claimed your soul, and commands your obedience. You teach what that dark monster teaches; you do as that dark monster does; you live as that dark monster would live in your same circumstances. Thus, you can either embody the spirit of Christ, or the spirit of the Antichrist. How do you tell the difference? By whether, and how much, you teach and do and live what is exactly the opposite of what the character of Jesus Christ teaches and does in the Gospels—and the book of Acts (where, people sometimes forget, Jesus also appears and speaks, and animates the actions and choices of his flock; just less frequently).
There is a lot that’s actually pretty awful about Jesus the Christ (see The Real War on Christmas: The Fact That Christmas Is Better Than Christ). I am in no way endorsing the “wholly” Christlike life. Jesus Christ is actually a bad example to follow; and his teachings aren’t all that wise nor at all sustainable for a society. But even with that being said, there is a lot that the New Testament character of Jesus is quite unequivocal about that are at least closer to the Light Side of the Force, which most Christians now do, believe, and teach the exact opposite of, thus unmistakably embracing the Dark Side of the Force.
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Evidence: Most Christians want to pray in public, even fighting for the privilege of doing so before an unwilling public at sports games and in schools and Congress and government meetings; but even more so in general, in front of family and peers, even on national television.
But the Spirit of Christ said: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues,” in other words, even churches, “and on the street corners to be seen by others.” Christ warns: “Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” But, Jesus commands, “when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” What is the opposite of this? All public prayer—even voluntary, even at home or in church—is the way of the Antichrist. If you pray in public, even in front of family at home or peers in church, and certainly if you support public prayer being imposed on people at events, in schools, in courts of law, in councils and legislatures, you are of the Antichrist. Because you are thereby embodying the opposite of Christ.
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Evidence: Most Christians approve, indeed often even insisit upon, all manner of violence in self-defense, imagined or real. They support gun ownership for that reason. Vicious guard dogs. Baseball bats by the bedstand. Prison rape—and all manner of other forms of suffering for the incarcerated. Police beatings and killings. War. They even fly blue flags advertising their support of police violence. They back extraordinary amounts of public money being spent to maintain a whole machinery of global violence, while opposing diverting any dime to national health. Many wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an intruder dead. Nor feel bad about it. Most, refraining only for being squeamish, would still pat on the back anyone who did. Their demands for violent cruelty against immigrants and refugees can even be heard across the nation.
But the Spirit of Christ said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth’. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Jesus thus commanded you not to resist an attacker, or even a thief or enslaver. You aren’t even to defend yourself in court against lawsuits. He is so absolute, we must conclude he means you not even to resist a rapist, a wartime invader, or a home intruder. You must abstain from all violence—even in self-defense. You aren’t even to allow the legal system to step in and provide protective violence for you—as his quote of Torah law directly entails, as also his command that you not defend yourself even against lawsuits. Any Christian, therefore, who is not an absolute pacifist is embodying the Antichrist in some measurable respect. But all warmongers and violence-gloaters, promoters of guns and police violence, are wholly in the service of the Antichrist. Because they are embodying exactly the opposite of Christ.
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Evidence: Most Christians despise immigrants and the homeless, striving to spurn them and turn them away and take away any refuge or welfare given them. They want the homeless arrested or driven out of sight; some even would like them killed. They howl at any aid or home given to the refugee. They regard and treat immigrants as little more than thieves or vermin, an invading threat to be loathed and literally walled off from home or aid.
But the Spirit of Christ said: To the damned, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” And the damned, Christ tells us, will then ask him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” And He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Every homeless person, every refugee, every immigrant looking for a better life is Christ himself. Your Christ told you this.
Even John the Baptist said, indeed to announce the way of Christ, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” And this is reflected in Christ’s Parable of the Good Samaritan, who was the moral equivalent of a refugee: set upon and robbed of their livelihoods and left to survive in a foreign land. Christ commands you to help him, not turn him away. The homeless are in essentially the same pickle, and deserve essentially the same return; as Christ commands, you are to take them in, clothe and feed and house them. So if you take the opposite position on these things, if you do not do all within your means to give the homeless homes, the starving food, to give refuge to the refugee and the immigrant (the “stranger”) alike, if you oppose social policies that do these things, you are serving the Antichrist. Because you are serving the spirit opposite to that of Christ.
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Evidence: Most conservative Christians in America oppose public health care (the last nation in the developed world to not finally create and enjoy universal health care). They want to spend billions on a war machine, none on any machine of public good. They want armies and navies to spread abroad; but don’t want to cure their own sick at home.
But the Spirit of Christ said: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Freely give. Just as you shall then freely receive. Heal the sick. Christ commands you. Raise the dead. Christ commands you. Cleanse the diseased. Christ commands you. Drive out demons. Christ commands you. If you take the opposite position, of opposing rather than acting to provide all these things freely to all, of opposing rather than supporting universal physical and mental health care, you have taken the position opposite that of Christ. You are serving the Antichrist.
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Evidence: Most Christians promote hatred of their enemies, often even of minorities, and love only for their own kind. Their lip-service to Christian love does not hide their actual true beliefs and behaviors. Their hatred has led many to commit hate crimes, join insurrections, threaten peers with violence; they fly blue flags in support of beating and killing minorities; and many more than do these things, endorse or defend them, or look the other way, secretly in their heart sympathizing with them. Acting on hate. Thinking with hate. This has become a Christian norm.
But the Spirit of Christ said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you [only] love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Any Christian who expresses or feels hatred or disdain for anyone—whether neighbor, minority, or political foe—and does not chastise themselves for this and change their attitude more toward Christ’s, the more they instead indulge in their hatred and despite, the more they are embodying the opposite of Christ, and are thus serving the Antichrist.
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Evidence: Most Christians defend their right to property and wealth, to be richer than others, to have more money and goods and property than others, and to this end even oppose taxation or any other redistribution of wealth
But the Spirit of Christ said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” For, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus thus commands everyone to not care about accumulating possessions but to count on their community, their society, to ensure they have all they need; in other words, he commands us to embody socialism. This is in fact one of the clearest and most repeated themes defining the Spirit of Christ.
As Matthew relates, when a rich man asked how he could secure himself a place in heaven, Jesus answered:
“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Likewise in the Parable of Lazarus, a rich man is condemned to the eternal flames of hell, explicitly without any chance of forgiveness or reprieve, simply because he did not share his wealth with the poor and needy. And again, Jesus approves the socialism of Zacchaeus, who vows to give half his wealth to the poor and repay anyone he cheated four times more than he took; and Jesus says he has thereby followed the Lord’s teachings well and thus will be saved. In many ways like these, Jesus repeatedly condemns the rich, and indeed anyone opposed to substantial sharing and redistribution of wealth. He instead commands sharing, redistribution, selling your goods and properties so you can give the poor whatever they need.
Jesus also fully supported paying taxes (which even then funded social welfare programs like infrastructure spending, municipal water supply, and food aid: see Christians Did Not Invent Charity and Philanthropy). Indeed he never opposed taxation in any form. His ideal inspired community, in fact, adopted the Marxist credo: from each according to their means, to each according to their needs (just read from Acts 2 and Acts 4). A Christlike government would do the same; and Jesus already endorsed using compulsory taxation to do it with. Jesus also commanded that you share your wealth without boasting of it or even mentioning it. So, no putting your name on buildings, or expecting any personal return on investment, whether glory or favor.
If you do not endorse the same—if instead you oppose all these things Jesus taught—socialism, taxation, substantial wealth redistribution—if you pursue the opposite (clinging to your money, not letting anyone tax it, accumulating capital, enjoying luxuries, voting for lower taxes, making merely token charitable contributions—remember, Zacchaeus gave half, and the rich son was expected to give all, whereas typically Christians give trivially, and that mostly only to the coffers of their own wealthy churches rather than anyone genuinely in need: see Myths of Charity: The Enduring Sham of Arthur Brooks), if you live obliviously doing not a thing for every Lazarus who could benefit from your sharing, every needy stranger (remember Jesus’s commands on that matter; we just went over them), then you are embodying the opposite of what Christ taught. You are thereby worshiping the Antichrist. You are realizing in your behavior and actions not the world desired by Christ, but the world desired by the Antichrist. You are thus the Antichrist’s servant. That you call them Christ is just another Satanic disguise. In truth you have chosen to build and serve the Antichrist’s world rather than Christ’s.
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Evidence: Most Christians not only judge others, they even use those judgments as excuses to take away the rights of others (either by law or social pressure), rather than regulating their own conduct alone. Instead of just following their own religion in abstaining from sex (gay or straight), or abortion, or only adhering to their own gender norms, they seek to empower society to suppress and repress human sexuality at every turn—gay and straight—and to enforce their own gender norms on everyone else, and to hinder others’ access to abortion. They block sex education. They aim to prevent people learning the history of racism. They hinder access to birth control. In countless ways they use their judgment of others to control others, peoples not even Christian, or Christians who do not share their judgments.
But the Spirit of Christ said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” And: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you,” for “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Christ condemned stoning sinners, literally and figuratively. He commands to love, not condemn; to treat others as you would want to be treated—which when carried to its own completed sense can only mean, “were you them” (see Your Own Moral Reasoning: Some Things to Consider). If you act the opposite of this, if you think the opposite of this—if you judge rather than forgive, and even use your judging to oppress and control other people rather than regulating yourself alone, in any of these ways or others—then you are embodying the opposite of Christ. You are serving the Antichrist.
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Even Christians who accept divorce, or don’t mutilate or castrate themselves when merely experiencing lust, are leaning toward the camp of the Antichrist. But Jesus’s backwards and toxic ideas about marriage and sex (and even germs) are vile anyway, so here we’d rather have the Antichrist among us. Less so the rest. And at any rate, Christ’s commands to love your enemies and sinners alike, to forgive all things, to treat others as you would want to be treated were you in their shoes, indeed not to judge at all, or to judge as you would want to be judged—in every case, one way or another, to do no harm—when conjoined with modern scientific knowledge about human psychology and sociology, compels any Christlike person to abandon those backwards, factless teachings attributed to Jesus, as well as any others the following of which would in fact violate all of those higher commands. Like admitting we ought to resort to the use of force, legal and physical, but only when legitimately necessary and never with glee; or forgiving toxic people only when they have legitimately reformed and made good their wrongs. But that is philosophy. And here I am talking about a religion.
In all these ways, there are Christians and Christianities that trend more Christlike than who pursue a fanatical servitude to the Antichrist. But they are mostly liberal progressives (only a minute number by proportion are politically or even socially conservative), as I wrote about before in Giving Christian Liberals Their Due (see also my remarks in The Carrier-McDurmon Debate, my discussion of Randal Rauser on Treating Atheists Like People, and my series on Justin Brierley, particularly on The Folly of Christianity). And they are the minority, both a minority numerically and a minority in respect to their share of political and social power. If it wasn’t for non-Christian voters backing progressive candidates and policies, we would literally never have any. On average, in the developed world, non-Christians are more Christlike than most Christians. Christendom today prides itself on doing good for the world, yet a vast swath of it now condemns everything that does that, from vaccines to social welfare, opposing even condoms in the midst of an AIDS epidemic, or defending pedophiles rather than protecting children from their predation. Christianity is thereby becoming a global cult of the Antichrist. Satan has captured and planted his ideological flag in almost all the churches of the world. Christians mostly obey him now.
The struggle to recapture Christianity for Christ exists, but does not appear to me to have much chance of success—those advocating for the genuine spirit of Christ are now more likely to be driven away from the church and from Christianity altogether, leaving only servants of the Antichrist to populate it. See, for example:
Peter Wehner, “The Evangelical Church Is Breaking Apart: Christians Must Reclaim Jesus from His Church,” The Atlantic. Thomas Curwen, “CRT, Trumpism and doubt roil Biola University. Is this the future of evangelical Christianity?,” The LA Times. Bob Smietana, “A $100 Million Campaign Aims to Fix Jesus’ Brand from Followers’ Damage,” The Washington Post. Mark Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdman’s 1994; with a new 2022 preface confirming its predictions in subsequent events). And more: see the books I reference in Giving Christian Liberals Their Due. One might say that Isaiah 32 predicted this capture of Christianity by the Antichrist:
5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. 6 For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water. 7 Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
So.
Dear Christian:
Your own Bible warns you to judge people by their fruits, not their words; to be wary of false Christs and those preaching “another” Jesus, to watch out for deceiving spirits (1 John 4:1 and 1 Timothy 4). What are the fruits of the Antichrist? What are the fruits of those who serve him? What is the deceiving Spirit? What is the “other” Jesus? All the things opposite Christ. You know this is true. You needn’t trust me in this. You can confirm it yourself. The things of the Antichrist are all ruthless conservative ideals, from opposition to socialism and taxation for the common good, to support for violence and savagery, whether at home, by the police, or abroad at war. They beat plowshares into swords. They rage with anger and hate. They insist on public prayer rather than private. They oppose both access to knowledge and public responsibility (refusing masks, vaccines, even polluters paying the cost of polluting). They oppose health care and homes for the homeless. They even defended human torture in the ironically-named “war on terror.” They even blaspheme the name of God, using it in vain against God’s own Law, by insisting it be stamped on their money. They give trivially to charity, and almost none of it really to the needy. They despise sharing. They instead hoard wealth and defend those who hoard yet more. The Antichrist has won. He has claimed the dominant command of Christendom.
So much for the true Christians, those who want to embody the actual Christ; to do “Jesusy things.” They face in nearly every church, instead, a mass of Christians serving the Antichrist, damning gay people, extending no Golden Rule to them or anyone, even gleefully seeking to trap women in unwanted pregnancies they cannot afford, rather than helping them avoid or afford them. So they care more about the non-existent suffering of hypothetical people, than the real suffering of actual people. Christ didn’t even speak any word against abortion or being gay, yet Christians will direct more hate-filled effort and concern to those matters than to love or forgiveness or social welfare or any of the things Christ did command. This is the end of the Christian church. The Devil has tricked its devout into following him under the mere name of “Christ” and forgetting about the true Christ and all he actually taught.
As I wrote in response to observing the same sad fate befall Hinduism today:
Christianity has indeed been retooled to serve this same opiate function on the successful in the U.S. ([as I note] in The End of Christianity, pp. 338-39), and this may be one of the factors sustaining high religiosity among the successful members of the middle and upper classes in America. It’s thus not all just about fear of death, or loss of meaning, or loss of control over society or one’s neighbors or children, or the need to justify one’s prejudices (all of which are obvious functions of American religion; we can all point to examples, no matter how much believers deny any of it).
[Christianity today is now] also about resolving the cognitive dissonance over wanting to be selfish and pampered and privileged without feeling that oh-so-terrible guilt (which results whenever anyone realizes they have become the very villains they otherwise once despised [and that Jesus himself repeatedly condemns]). It seems implausible that a religion originally invented to emphasize that guilt and its alleviation through abandoning one’s wealth and privilege and sharing it with the disadvantaged, has become a religion emphasizing exactly the opposite. And yet, as implausible as it is, this has undeniably happened. Christians now worship the Antichrist. And apparently their God “has sent upon them a powerful delusion” so that they don’t even realize it.
Christians now falsely believe they are the righteous; when they are now, in fact, the damned. And this is by their own Book’s description; by the words of their own supposed Christ—whose teachings they have abandoned, for exactly their opposite. Christ they have repudiated and spat upon; the Antichrist now they serve.
So here we are.
I have abundantly shown that most conservative Christians are actually behaving in accord with the ideals of the Antichrist. Christians are warned that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light; the Antichrist, likewise. It’s simple math. To worship and follow Christ means to embody in your beliefs, teachings, and actions the spirit of Christ, living by those ideals. And the “Antichrist” means “the opposite of Christ.” Therefore, if you embody a spirit opposite that of Christ’s—if your beliefs, teachings and actions conform to that spirit instead, if you live by that spirit’s ideals, the ideals opposite those of Christ—then you are embodying the Antichrist. You are thus following the Antichrist. So whenever you think you are worshiping Jesus Christ as the one who endorses those values, values actually the opposite of Christ’s, you are actually worshipping the Antichrist. It is then the Antichrist that you have embraced with your soul and let govern your heart. You are thus in league with the Antichrist. You are agents of the Antichrist. You are the cogs creating his world. Because you are then realizing the Antichrist’s dreams and ideals—not Christ’s.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp29.html The very first effort of Satan to overthrow God's law--undertaken among the sinless inhabitants of heaven--seemed for a time to be crowned with success. A vast number of the angels were seduced; but Satan's apparent triumph resulted in defeat and loss, separation from God, and banishment from heaven.
When the conflict was renewed upon the earth, Satan again won a seeming advantage. By transgression, man became his captive, and man's kingdom also was betrayed into the hands of the archrebel. Now the way seemed open for Satan to establish an independent kingdom, and to defy the authority of God and His Son. But the plan of salvation made it possible for man again to be brought into harmony with God, and to render obedience to His law, and for both man and the earth to be finally redeemed from the power of the wicked one.
Again Satan was defeated, and again he resorted to deception, in the hope of converting his defeat into a victory. To stir up rebellion in the fallen race, he now represented God as unjust in having permitted man to transgress His law. "Why," said the artful tempter, "when God knew what would be the result, did He permit man to be placed on trial, to sin, and bring in misery and death?" And the children of Adam, forgetful of the long-suffering mercy that had granted man another trial, regardless of the amazing, the awful sacrifice which his rebellion had cost the King of heaven, gave ear to the tempter, and murmured against the only Being who could save them from the destructive power of Satan.
There are thousands today echoing the same rebellious complaint against God. They do not see that to deprive man of the freedom of choice would be to rob him of his prerogative as an intelligent being, and make him a mere automaton. It is not God's purpose to coerce the will. Man was created a free moral agent. Like the inhabitants of all other worlds, he must be subjected to the test of obedience; but he is never brought into such a position that yielding to evil becomes a matter of necessity. No temptation or trial is permitted to come to him which he is unable to resist. God made such ample provision that man need never have been defeated in the conflict with Satan. As men increased upon the earth, almost the whole world joined the ranks of rebellion. Once more Satan seemed to have gained the victory. But omnipotent power again cut short the working of iniquity, and the earth was cleansed by the Flood from its moral pollution.
Says the prophet, "When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness, . . . and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah." Isaiah 26:9, 10. Thus it was after the Flood. Released from His judgments, the inhabitants of the earth again rebelled against the Lord. Twice God's covenant and His statutes had been rejected by the world. Both the people before the Flood and the descendants of Noah cast off the divine authority. Then God entered into covenant with Abraham, and took to Himself a people to become the depositaries of His law. To seduce and destroy this people, Satan began at once to lay his snares. The children of Jacob were tempted to contract marriages with the heathen and to worship their idols. But Joseph was faithful to God, and his fidelity was a constant testimony to the true faith. It was to quench this light that Satan worked through the envy of Joseph's brothers to cause him to be sold as a slave in a heathen land. God overruled events, however, so that the knowledge of Himself should be given to the people of Egypt. Both in the house of Potiphar and in the prison Joseph received an education and training that, with the fear of God, prepared him for his high position as prime minister of the nation. From the palace of the Pharaohs his influence was felt throughout the land, and the knowledge of God spread far and wide.
The Israelites in Egypt also became prosperous and wealthy, and such as were true to God exerted a widespread influence. The idolatrous priests were filled with alarm as they saw the new religion finding favor. Inspired by Satan with his own enmity toward the God of heaven, they set themselves to quench the light. To the priests was committed the education of the heir to the throne, and it was this spirit of determined opposition to God and zeal for idolatry that molded the character of the future monarch, and led to cruelty and oppression toward the Hebrews. During the forty years after the flight of Moses from Egypt, idolatry seemed to have conquered. Year by year the hopes of the Israelites grew fainter. Both king and people exulted in their power, and mocked the God of Israel. This grew until it culminated in the Pharaoh who was confronted by Moses. When the Hebrew leader came before the king with a message from "Jehovah, God of Israel," it was not ignorance of the true God, but defiance of His power, that prompted the answer, "Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice? . . . I know not Jehovah." From first to last, Pharaoh's opposition to the divine command was not the result of ignorance, but of hatred and defiance.
Though the Egyptians had so long rejected the knowledge of God, the Lord still gave them opportunity for repentance. In the days of Joseph, Egypt had been an asylum for Israel; God had been honored in the kindness shown His people; and now the long-suffering One, slow to anger, and full of compassion, gave each judgment time to do its work; the Egyptians, cursed through the very objects they had worshiped, had evidence of the power of Jehovah, and all who would, might submit to God and escape His judgments. The bigotry and stubbornness of the king resulted in spreading the knowledge of God, and bringing many of the Egyptians to give themselves to His service.
It was because the Israelites were so disposed to connect themselves with the heathen and imitate their idolatry that God had permitted them to go down into Egypt, where the influence of Joseph was widely felt, and where circumstances were favorable for them to remain a distinct people. Here also the gross idolatry of the Egyptians and their cruelty and oppression during the latter part of the Hebrew sojourn should have inspired in them an abhorrence of idolatry, and should have led them to flee for refuge to the God of their fathers. This very providence Satan made a means to serve his purpose, darkening the minds of the Israelites and leading them to imitate the practices of their heathen masters. On account of the superstitious veneration in which animals were held by the Egyptians, the Hebrews were not permitted, during their bondage, to present the sacrificial offerings.
Thus their minds were not directed by this service to the great Sacrifice, and their faith was weakened. When the time came for Israel's deliverance, Satan set himself to resist the purposes of God. It was his determination that that great people, numbering more than two million souls, should be held in ignorance and superstition. The people whom God had promised to bless and multiply, to make a power in the earth, and through whom he was to reveal the knowledge of His will--the people whom He was to make the keepers of His law--this very people Satan was seeking to keep in obscurity and bondage, that he might obliterate from their minds the remembrance of God. When the miracles were wrought before the king, Satan was on the ground to counteract their influence and prevent Pharaoh from acknowledging the supremacy of God and obeying His mandate. Satan wrought to the utmost of his power to counterfeit the work of God and resist His will. The only result was to prepare the way for greater exhibitions of the divine power and glory, and to make more apparent, both to the Israelites and to all Egypt, the existence and sovereignty of the true and living God.
God delivered Israel with the mighty manifestations of His power, and with judgments upon all the gods of Egypt. "He brought forth his people with joy, and His chosen with gladness: . . . that they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws." Psalm 105:43-45. He rescued them from their servile state, that He might bring them to a good land--a land which in His providence had been prepared for them as a refuge from their enemies, where they might dwell under the shadow of His wings. He would bring them to Himself, and encircle them in His everlasting arms; and in return for all His goodness and mercy to them they were required to have no other gods before Him, the living God, and to exalt His name and make it glorious in the earth. During the bondage in Egypt many of the Israelites had, to a great extent, lost the knowledge of God's law, and had mingled its precepts with heathen customs and traditions. God brought them to Sinai, and there with His own voice declared His law.
Satan and evil angels were on the ground. Even while God was proclaiming His law to His people, Satan was plotting to tempt them to sin. This people whom God had chosen, he would wrench away, in the very face of Heaven. By leading them into idolatry, he would destroy the efficacy of all worship; for how can man be elevated by adoring what is no higher than himself and may be symbolized by his own handiwork? If men could become so blinded to the power, the majesty, and the glory of the infinite God as to represent Him by a graven image, or even by a beast or reptile; if they could so forget their own divine relationship, formed in the image of their Maker as to bow down to these revolting and senseless objects--then the way was open for foul license; the evil passions of the heart would be unrestrained, and Satan would have full sway. At the very foot of Sinai, Satan began to execute his plans for overthrowing the law of God, thus carrying forward the same work he had begun in heaven. During the forty days while Moses was in the mount with God, Satan was busy exciting doubt, apostasy, and rebellion. While God was writing down His law, to be committed to His covenant people, the Israelites, denying their loyalty to Jehovah, were demanding gods of gold! When Moses came from the awful presence of the divine glory, with the precepts of the law which they had pledged themselves to obey, he found them, in open defiance of its commands, bowing in adoration before a golden image.
By leading Israel to this daring insult and blasphemy to Jehovah, Satan had planned to cause their ruin. Since they had proved themselves to be so utterly degraded, so lost to all sense of the privileges and blessings that God had offered them, and to their own solemn and repeated pledges of loyalty, the Lord would, he believed, divorce them from Himself and devote them to destruction. Thus would be secured the extinction of the seed of Abraham, that seed of promise that was to preserve the knowledge of the living God, and through whom He was to come--the true Seed, that was to conquer Satan. The great rebel had planned to destroy Israel, and thus thwart the purposes of God. But again he was defeated. Sinful as they were, the people of Israel were not destroyed. While those who stubbornly ranged themselves on the side of Satan were cut off, the people, humbled and repentant, were mercifully pardoned. The history of this sin was to stand as a perpetual testimony to the guilt and punishment of idolatry, and the justice and long-suffering mercy of God.
The whole universe had been witness to the scenes at Sinai. In the working out of the two administrations was seen the contrast between the government of God and that of Satan. Again the sinless inhabitants of other worlds beheld the results of Satan's apostasy, and the kind of government he would have established in heaven had he been permitted to bear sway. By causing men to violate the second commandment, Satan aimed to degrade their conceptions of the Divine Being. By setting aside the fourth, he would cause them to forget God altogether. God's claim to reverence and worship, above the gods of the heathen, is based upon the fact that He is the Creator, and that to Him all other beings owe their existence. Thus it is presented in the Bible.
Says the prophet Jeremiah: "The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King. . . . The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion." "Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them: for He is the former of all things." Jeremiah 10:10-12, 14-16. The Sabbath, as a memorial of God's creative power, points to Him as the maker of the heavens and the earth. Hence it is a constant witness to His existence and a reminder of His greatness, His wisdom, and His love. Had the Sabbath always been sacredly observed, there could never have been an atheist or an idolater.
The Sabbath institution, which originated in Eden, is as old as the world itself. It was observed by all the patriarchs, from creation down. During the bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were forced by their taskmasters to violate the Sabbath, and to a great extent they lost the knowledge of its sacredness. When the law was proclaimed at Sinai the very first words of the fourth commandment were, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy"--showing that the Sabbath was not then instituted; we are pointed back for its origin to creation. In order to obliterate God from the minds of men, Satan aimed to tear down this great memorial. If men could be led to forget their Creator, they would make no effort to resist the power of evil, and Satan would be sure of his prey.
Satan's enmity against God's law had impelled him to war against every precept of the Decalogue. To the great principle of love and loyalty to God, the Father of all, the principle of filial love and obedience is closely related. Contempt for parental authority will soon lead to contempt for the authority of God. Hence Satan's efforts to lessen the obligation of the fifth commandment. Among heathen peoples the principle enjoined in this precept was little heeded. In many nations parents were abandoned or put to death as soon as age had rendered them incapable of providing for themselves. In the family the mother was treated with little respect, and upon the death of her husband she was required to submit to the authority of her eldest son. Filial obedience was enjoined by Moses; but as the Israelites departed from the Lord, the fifth commandment, with others, came to be disregarded.
Satan was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44); and as soon as he had obtained power over the human race, he not only prompted them to hate and slay one another, but, the more boldly to defy the authority of God, he made the violation of the sixth commandment a part of their religion.
By perverted conceptions of divine attributes, heathen nations were led to believe human sacrifices necessary to secure the favor of their deities; and the most horrible cruelties have been perpetrated under the various forms of idolatry. Among these was the practice of causing their children to pass through the fire before their idols. When one of them came through this ordeal unharmed, the people believed that their offerings were accepted; the one thus delivered was regarded as specially favored by the gods, was loaded with benefits, and ever afterward held in high esteem; and however aggravated his crimes, he was never punished. But should one be burned in passing through the fire, his fate was sealed; it was believed that the anger of the gods could be appeased only by taking the life of the victim, and he was accordingly offered as a sacrifice. In times of great apostasy these abominations prevailed, to some extent, among the Israelites.
The violation of the seventh commandment also was early practiced in the name of religion. The most licentious and abominable rites were made a part of the heathen worship. The gods themselves were represented as impure, and their worshipers gave the rein to the baser passions. Unnatural vices prevailed and the religious festivals were characterized by universal and open impurity. Polygamy was practiced at an early date. It was one of the sins that brought the wrath of God upon the antediluvian world. Yet after the Flood it again became widespread. It was Satan's studied effort to pervert the marriage institution, to weaken its obligations and lessen its sacredness; for in no surer way could he deface the image of God in man and open the door to misery and vice.
From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan's purpose to misrepresent God's character and to excite rebellion against His law, and this work appears to be crowned with success. The multitudes give ear to Satan's deceptions and set themselves against God. But amid the working of evil, God's purposes move steadily forward to their accomplishment; to all created intelligences He is making manifest His justice and benevolence. Through Satan's temptations the whole human race have become transgressors of God's law, but by the sacrifice of His Son a way is opened whereby they may return to God. Through the grace of Christ they may be enabled to render obedience to the Father's law. Thus in every age, from the midst of apostasy and rebellion, God gathers out a people that are true to Him--a people "in whose heart is His law." Isaiah 51:7.
It was by deception that Satan seduced angels; thus he has in all ages carried forward his work among men, and he will continue this policy to the last. Should he openly profess to be warring against God and His law, men would beware; but he disguises himself, and mixes truth with error. The most dangerous falsehoods are those that are mingled with truth. It is thus that errors are received that captivate and ruin the soul. By this means Satan carries the world with him. But a day is coming when his triumph will be forever ended.
God's dealings with rebellion will result in fully unmasking the work that has so long been carried on under cover. The results of Satan's rule, the fruits of setting aside the divine statutes, will be laid open to the view of all created intelligences. The law of God will stand fully vindicated. It will be seen that all the dealings of God have been conducted with reference to the eternal good of His people, and the good of all the worlds that He has created. Satan himself, in the presence of the witnessing universe, will confess the justice of God's government and the righteousness of His law. The time is not far distant when God will arise to vindicate His insulted authority. "The Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." Isaiah 26:21. "But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth?" Malachi 3:2.
The people of Israel, because of their sinfulness, were forbidden to approach the mount when God was about to descend upon it to proclaim His law, lest they should be consumed by the burning glory of His presence. If such manifestations of His power marked the place chosen for the proclamation of God's law, how terrible must be His tribunal when He comes for the execution of these sacred statutes. How will those who have trampled upon His authority endure His glory in the great day of final retribution? The terrors of Sinai were to represent to the people the scenes of the judgment. The sound of a trumpet summoned Israel to meet with God. The voice of the Archangel and the trump of God shall summon, from the whole earth, both the living and the dead to the presence of their Judge. The Father and the Son, attended by a multitude of angels, were present upon the mount. At the great judgment day Christ will come "in the glory of His Father with His angels." Matthew 16:27. He shall then sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations.
When the divine Presence was manifested upon Sinai, the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire in the sight of all Israel. But when Christ shall come in glory with His holy angels the whole earth shall be ablaze with the terrible light of His presence. "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people." Psalm 50:3, 4. A fiery stream shall issue and come forth from before Him, which shall cause the elements to melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel." 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8.
Never since man was created had there been witnessed such a manifestation of divine power as when the law was proclaimed from Sinai. "The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel." Psalm 68:8. Amid the most terrific convulsions of nature the voice of God, like a trumpet, was heard from the cloud. The mountain was shaken from base to summit, and the hosts of Israel, pale and trembling with terror, lay upon their faces upon the earth. He whose voice then shook the earth has declared, "Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Hebrews 12:26. Says the Scripture, "The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation;" "and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Jeremiah 25:30; Joel 3:16. In that great coming day, the heaven itself shall depart "as a scroll when it is rolled together." Revelation 6:14. And every mountain and island shall be moved out of its place. "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again." Isaiah 24:20.
"Therefore shall all hands be faint," all faces shall be "turned into paleness," "and every man's heart shall melt. And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them." "And I will punish the world for their evil," saith the Lord, "and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." Isaiah 13:7, 8, 11; Jeremiah 30:6.
When Moses came from the divine Presence in the mount, where he had received the tables of the testimony, guilty Israel could not endure the light that glorified his countenance. How much less can transgressors look upon the Son of God when He shall appear in the glory of His Father, surrounded by all the heavenly host, to execute judgment upon the transgressors of His law and the rejecters of His atonement. Those who have disregarded the law of God and trodden under foot the blood of Christ, "the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men," shall hide themselves "in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains," and they shall say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Revelation 6:15-17. "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, . . . to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth." Isaiah 2:20, 21.
Then it will be seen that Satan's rebellion against God has resulted in ruin to himself and to all that chose to become his subjects. He has represented that great good would result from transgression; but it will be seen that "the wages of sin is death." "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Malachi 4:1. Satan, the root of every sin, and all evil workers, who are his branches, shall be utterly cut off. An end will be made of sin, with all the woe and ruin that have resulted from it. Says the psalmist, "Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name forever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end." Psalm 9:5, 6.
But amid the tempest of divine judgment the children of God will have no cause for fear. "The Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Joel 3:16. The day that brings terror and destruction to the transgressors of God's law will bring to the obedient "joy unspeakable and full of glory" "Gather My saints together unto Me," saith the Lord, "those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is Judge Himself."
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not." Malachi 3:18. "Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law." "Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, . . . thou shalt no more drink it again." I, even I, am He that comforteth you." Isaiah 51:7, 22, 12. "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Isaiah 54:10.
The great plan of redemption results in fully bringing back the world into God's favor. All that was lost by sin is restored. Not only man but the earth is redeemed, to be the eternal abode of the obedient. For six thousand years Satan has struggled to maintain possession of the earth. Now God's original purpose in its creation is accomplished. "The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." Daniel 7:18.
"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." Psalm 113:3. "In that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one." "And Jehovah shall be king over all the earth." Zechariah 14:9. Says the Scripture, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven." "All His commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever." Psalms 119:89; 111:7, 8. The sacred statutes which Satan has hated and sought to destroy, will be honored throughout a sinless universe. And "as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations." Isaiah 61:11.
https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/132.2989#2989 At the close of the thousand years, Christ again returns to the earth. He is accompanied by the host of the redeemed and attended by a retinue of angels. As He descends in terrific majesty He bids the wicked dead arise to receive their doom. They come forth, a mighty host, numberless as the sands of the sea. What a contrast to those who were raised at the first resurrection! The righteous were clothed with immortal youth and beauty. The wicked bear the traces of disease and death.
Every eye in that vast multitude is turned to behold the glory of the Son of God. With one voice the wicked hosts exclaim: "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!" It is not love to Jesus that inspires this utterance. The force of truth urges the words from unwilling lips. As the wicked went into their graves, so they come forth with the same enmity to Christ and the same spirit of rebellion. They are to have no new probation in which to remedy the defects of their past lives. Nothing would be gained by this. A lifetime of transgression has not softened their hearts. A second probation, were it given them, would be occupied as was the first in evading the requirements of God and exciting rebellion against Him.
Christ descends upon the Mount of Olives, whence, after His resurrection, He ascended, and where angels repeated the promise of His return. Says the prophet: "The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee." "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, . . . and there shall be a very great valley." "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one." Zechariah 14:5, 4, 9. As the New Jerusalem, in its dazzling splendor, comes down out of heaven, it rests upon the place purified and made ready to receive it, and Christ, with His people and the angels, enters the Holy City.
Now Satan prepares for a last mighty struggle for the supremacy. While deprived of his power and cut off from his work of deception, the prince of evil was miserable and dejected; but as the wicked dead are raised and he sees the vast multitudes upon his side, his hopes revive, and he determines not to yield the great controversy. He will marshal all the armies of the lost under his banner and through them endeavor to execute his plans. The wicked are Satan's captives. In rejecting Christ they have accepted the rule of the rebel leader. They are ready to receive his suggestions and to do his bidding. Yet, true to his early cunning, he does not acknowledge himself to be Satan. He claims to be the prince who is the rightful owner of the world and whose inheritance has been unlawfully wrested from him. He represents himself to his deluded subjects as a redeemer, assuring them that his power has brought them forth from their graves and that he is about to rescue them from the most cruel tyranny. The presence of Christ having been removed, Satan works wonders to support his claims. He makes the weak strong and inspires all with his own spirit and energy. He proposes to lead them against the camp of the saints and to take possession of the City of God. With fiendish exultation he points to the unnumbered millions who have been raised from the dead and declares that as their leader he is well able to overthrow the city and regain his throne and his kingdom.
In that vast throng are multitudes of the long-lived race that existed before the Flood; men of lofty stature and giant intellect, who, yielding to the control of fallen angels, devoted all their skill and knowledge to the exaltation of themselves; men whose wonderful works of art led the world to idolize their genius, but whose cruelty and evil inventions, defiling the earth and defacing the image of God, caused Him to blot them from the face of His creation. There are kings and generals who conquered nations, valiant men who never lost a battle, proud, ambitious warriors whose approach made kingdoms tremble. In death these experienced no change. As they come up from the grave, they resume the current of their thoughts just where it ceased. They are actuated by the same desire to conquer that ruled them when they fell.
Satan consults with his angels, and then with these kings and conquerors and mighty men. They look upon the strength and numbers on their side, and declare that the army within the city is small in comparison with theirs, and that it can be overcome. They lay their plans to take possession of the riches and glory of the New Jerusalem. All immediately begin to prepare for battle. Skillful artisans construct implements of war. Military leaders, famed for their success, marshal the throngs of warlike men into companies and divisions.
At last the order to advance is given, and the countless host moves on--an army such as was never summoned by earthly conquerors, such as the combined forces of all ages since war began on earth could never equal. Satan, the mightiest of warriors, leads the van, and his angels unite their forces for this final struggle. Kings and warriors are in his train, and the multitudes follow in vast companies, each under its appointed leader. With military precision the serried ranks advance over the earth's broken and uneven surface to the City of God. By command of Jesus, the gates of the New Jerusalem are closed, and the armies of Satan surround the city and make ready for the onset.
Now Christ again appears to the view of His enemies. Far above the city, upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits the Son of God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. The power and majesty of Christ no language can describe, no pen portray. The glory of the Eternal Father is enshrouding His Son. The brightness of His presence fills the City of God, and flows out beyond the gates, flooding the whole earth with its radiance.
Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep, intense devotion. Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their faith. And beyond is the "great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, . . . before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Revelation 7:9. Their warfare is ended, their victory won. They have run the race and reached the prize. The palm branch in their hands is a symbol of their triumph, the white robe an emblem of the spotless righteousness of Christ which now is theirs.
The redeemed raise a song of praise that echoes and re-echoes through the vaults of heaven: "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Verse 10. And angel and seraph unite their voices in adoration. As the redeemed have beheld the power and malignity of Satan, they have seen, as never before, that no power but that of Christ could have made them conquerors. In all that shining throng there are none to ascribe salvation to themselves, as if they had prevailed by their own power and goodness. Nothing is said of what they have done or suffered; but the burden of every song, the keynote of every anthem, is: Salvation to our God and unto the Lamb.
In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His government and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people. Says the prophet of God: "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:11, 12.
As soon as the books of record are opened, and the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed. They see just where their feet diverged from the path of purity and holiness, just how far pride and rebellion have carried them in the violation of the law of God. The seductive temptations which they encouraged by indulgence in sin, the blessings perverted, the messengers of God despised, the warnings rejected, the waves of mercy beaten back by the stubborn, unrepentant heart--all appear as if written in letters of fire.
Above the throne is revealed the cross; and like a panoramic view appear the scenes of Adam's temptation and fall, and the successive steps in the great plan of redemption. The Saviour's lowly birth; His early life of simplicity and obedience; His baptism in Jordan; the fast and temptation in the wilderness; His public ministry, unfolding to men heaven's most precious blessings; the days crowded with deeds of love and mercy, the nights of prayer and watching in the solitude of the mountains; the plottings of envy, hate, and malice which repaid His benefits; the awful, mysterious agony in Gethsemane beneath the crushing weight of the sins of the whole world; His betrayal into the hands of the murderous mob; the fearful events of that night of horror--the unresisting prisoner, forsaken by His best-loved disciples, rudely hurried through the streets of Jerusalem; the Son of God exultingly displayed before Annas, arraigned in the high priest's palace, in the judgment hall of Pilate, before the cowardly and cruel Herod, mocked, insulted, tortured, and condemned to die--all are vividly portrayed.
And now before the swaying multitude are revealed the final scenes--the patient Sufferer treading the path to Calvary; the Prince of heaven hanging upon the cross; the haughty priests and the jeering rabble deriding His expiring agony; the supernatural darkness; the heaving earth, the rent rocks, the open graves, marking the moment when the world's Redeemer yielded up His life.
The awful spectacle appears just as it was. Satan, his angels, and his subjects have no power to turn from the picture of their own work. Each actor recalls the part which he performed. Herod, who slew the innocent children of Bethlehem that he might destroy the King of Israel; the base Herodias, upon whose guilty soul rests the blood of John the Baptist; the weak, timeserving Pilate; the mocking soldiers; the priests and rulers and the maddened throng who cried, "His blood be on us, and on our children!"--all behold the enormity of their guilt. They vainly seek to hide from the divine majesty of His countenance, outshining the glory of the sun, while the redeemed cast their crowns at the Saviour's feet, exclaiming: "He died for me!"
Amid the ransomed throng are the apostles of Christ, the heroic Paul, the ardent Peter, the loved and loving John, and their truehearted brethren, and with them the vast host of martyrs; while outside the walls, with every vile and abominable thing, are those by whom they were persecuted, imprisoned, and slain. There is Nero, that monster of cruelty and vice, beholding the joy and exaltation of those whom he once tortured, and in whose extremest anguish he found satanic delight. His mother is there to witness the result of her own work; to see how the evil stamp of character transmitted to her son, the passions encouraged and developed by her influence and example, have borne fruit in crimes that caused the world to shudder.
There are papist priests and prelates, who claimed to be Christ's ambassadors, yet employed the rack, the dungeon, and the stake to control the consciences of His people. There are the proud pontiffs who exalted themselves above God and presumed to change the law of the Most High. Those pretended fathers of the church have an account to render to God from which they would fain be excused. Too late they are made to see that the Omniscient One is jealous of His law and that He will in no wise clear the guilty. They learn now that Christ identifies His interest with that of His suffering people; and they feel the force of His own words: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40.
The whole wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God on the charge of high treason against the government of heaven. They have none to plead their cause; they are without excuse; and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced against them. It is now evident to all that the wages of sin is not noble independence and eternal life, but slavery, ruin, and death. The wicked see what they have forfeited by their life of rebellion. The far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory was despised when offered them; but how desirable it now appears. "All this," cries the lost soul, "I might have had; but I chose to put these things far from me. Oh, strange infatuation! I have exchanged peace, happiness, and honor for wretchedness, infamy, and despair." All see that their exclusion from heaven is just. By their lives they have declared: "We will not have this Man [Jesus] to reign over us."
As if entranced, the wicked have looked upon the coronation of the Son of God. They see in His hands the tables of the divine law, the statutes which they have despised and transgressed. They witness the outburst of wonder, rapture, and adoration from the saved; and as the wave of melody sweeps over the multitudes without the city, all with one voice exclaim, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints" (Revelation 15:3); and, falling prostrate, they worship the Prince of life.
Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. He who was once a covering cherub remembers whence he has fallen. A shining seraph, "son of the morning;" how changed, how degraded! From the council where once he was honored, he is forever excluded. He sees another now standing near to the Father, veiling His glory. He has seen the crown placed upon the head of Christ by an angel of lofty stature and majestic presence, and he knows that the exalted position of this angel might have been his.
Memory recalls the home of his innocence and purity, the peace and content that were his until he indulged in murmuring against God, and envy of Christ. His accusations, his rebellion, his deceptions to gain the sympathy and support of the angels, his stubborn persistence in making no effort for self-recovery when God would have granted him forgiveness --all come vividly before him. He reviews his work among men and its results--the enmity of man toward his fellow man, the terrible destruction of life, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the overturning of thrones, the long succession of tumults, conflicts, and revolutions. He recalls his constant efforts to oppose the work of Christ and to sink man lower and lower. He sees that his hellish plots have been powerless to destroy those who have put their trust in Jesus. As Satan looks upon his kingdom, the fruit of his toil, he sees only failure and ruin. He has led the multitudes to believe that the City of God would be an easy prey; but he knows that this is false. Again and again, in the progress of the great controversy, he has been defeated and compelled to yield. He knows too well the power and majesty of the Eternal.
The aim of the great rebel has ever been to justify himself and to prove the divine government responsible for the rebellion. To this end he has bent all the power of his giant intellect. He has worked deliberately and systematically, and with marvelous success, leading vast multitudes to accept his version of the great controversy which has been so long in progress. For thousands of years this chief of conspiracy has palmed off falsehood for truth. But the time has now come when the rebellion is to be finally defeated and the history and character of Satan disclosed. In his last great effort to dethrone Christ, destroy His people, and take possession of the City of God, the archdeceiver has been fully unmasked. Those who have united with him see the total failure of his cause. Christ's followers and the loyal angels behold the full extent of his machinations against the government of God. He is the object of universal abhorrence.
Satan sees that his voluntary rebellion has unfitted him for heaven. He has trained his powers to war against God; the purity, peace, and harmony of heaven would be to him supreme torture. His accusations against the mercy and justice of God are now silenced. The reproach which he has endeavored to cast upon Jehovah rests wholly upon himself. And now Satan bows down and confesses the justice of his sentence.
"Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest." Verse 4. Every question of truth and error in the long-standing controversy has now been made plain. The results of rebellion, the fruits of setting aside the divine statutes, have been laid open to the view of all created intelligences. The working out of Satan's rule in contrast with the government of God has been presented to the whole universe. Satan's own works have condemned him. God's wisdom, His justice, and His goodness stand fully vindicated. It is seen that all His dealings in the great controversy have been conducted with respect to the eternal good of His people and the good of all the worlds that He has created. "All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee." Psalm 145:10. The history of sin will stand to all eternity as a witness that with the existence of God's law is bound up the happiness of all the beings He has created. With all the facts of the great controversy in view, the whole universe, both loyal and rebellious, with one accord declare: "Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints."
Before the universe has been clearly presented the great sacrifice made by the Father and the Son in man's behalf. The hour has come when Christ occupies His rightful position and is glorified above principalities and powers and every name that is named. It was for the joy that was set before Him--that He might bring many sons unto glory--that He endured the cross and despised the shame. And inconceivably great as was the sorrow and the shame, yet greater is the joy and the glory. He looks upon the redeemed, renewed in His own image, every heart bearing the perfect impress of the divine, every face reflecting the likeness of their King. He beholds in them the result of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied. Then, in a voice that reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked, He declares: "Behold the purchase of My blood! For these I suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My presence throughout eternal ages." And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed ones about the throne: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Revelation 5:12.
Notwithstanding that Satan has been constrained to acknowledge God's justice and to bow to the supremacy of Christ, his character remains unchanged. The spirit of rebellion, like a mighty torrent, again bursts forth. Filled with frenzy, he determines not to yield the great controversy. The time has come for a last desperate struggle against the King of heaven. He rushes into the midst of his subjects and endeavors to inspire them with his own fury and arouse them to instant battle. But of all the countless millions whom he has allured into rebellion, there are none now to acknowledge his supremacy. His power is at an end. The wicked are filled with the same hatred of God that inspires Satan; but they see that their case is hopeless, that they cannot prevail against Jehovah. Their rage is kindled against Satan and those who have been his agents in deception, and with the fury of demons they turn upon them.
Saith the Lord: "Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit." "I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. . . . I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. . . . I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. . . . Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." Ezekiel 28:6-8, 16-19.
"Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire." "The indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter." "Upon the wicked He shall rain quick burning coals, fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." Isaiah 9:5; 34:2; Psalm 11:6, margin. Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:10. The earth's surface seems one molten mass--a vast, seething lake of fire. It is the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men--"the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion." Isaiah 34:8.
The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. Proverbs 11:31. They "shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 4:1. Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished "according to their deeds." The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit. His punishment is to be far greater than that of those whom he has deceived. After all have perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch--Satan the root, his followers the branches. The full penalty of the law has been visited; the demands of justice have been met; and heaven and earth, beholding, declare the righteousness of Jehovah.
Satan's work of ruin is forever ended. For six thousand years he has wrought his will, filling the earth with woe and causing grief throughout the universe. The whole creation has groaned and travailed together in pain. Now God's creatures are forever delivered from his presence and temptations. "The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they [the righteous] break forth into singing." Isaiah 14:7. And a shout of praise and triumph ascends from the whole loyal universe. "The voice of a great multitude," "as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings," is heard, saying: "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Revelation 19:6.
While the earth was wrapped in the fire of destruction, the righteous abode safely in the Holy City. Upon those that had part in the first resurrection, the second death has no power. While God is to the wicked a consuming fire, He is to His people both a sun and a shield. Revelation 20:6; Psalm 84:11.
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." Revelation 21:1. The fire that consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin.
One reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought. Says the prophet, beholding Christ in His glory: "He had bright beams coming out of His side: and there was the hiding of His power." Habakkuk 3:4, margin. That pierced side whence flowed the crimson stream that reconciled man to God--there is the Saviour's glory, there "the hiding of His power." "Mighty to save," through the sacrifice of redemption, He was therefore strong to execute justice upon them that despised God's mercy. And the tokens of His humiliation are His highest honor; through the eternal ages the wounds of Calvary will show forth His praise and declare His power.
"O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion." Micah 4:8. The time has come to which holy men have looked with longing since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden, the time for "the redemption of the purchased possession." Ephesians 1:14. The earth originally given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the hands of Satan, and so long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back by the great plan of redemption. All that was lost by sin has been restored. "Thus saith the Lord . . . that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited." Isaiah 45:18. God's original purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever." Psalm 37:29.
A fear of making the future inheritance seem too material has led many to spiritualize away the very truths which lead us to look upon it as our home. Christ assured His disciples that He went to prepare mansions for them in the Father's house. Those who accept the teachings of God's word will not be wholly ignorant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet, "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. Human language is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God.
In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called "a country." Hebrews 11:14-16. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God's people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.
"My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: . . . Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." Isaiah 32:18; 60:18; 65:21, 22.
There, "the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree." "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; . . . and a little child shall lead them." "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain," saith the Lord. Isaiah 35:1; 55:13; 11:6, 9.
Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. There will be no more tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. "There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying: . . . for the former things are passed away." "The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 33:24.
There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth, "a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." "Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." "The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." Saith the Lord: "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people." "The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." Isaiah 62:3; Revelation 21:11, 24; Isaiah 65:19; Revelation 21:3.
In the City of God "there shall be no night." None will need or desire repose. There will be no weariness in doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel the freshness of the morning and shall ever be far from its close. "And they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." Revelation 22:5. The light of the sun will be superseded by a radiance which is not painfully dazzling, yet which immeasurably surpasses the brightness of our noontide. The glory of God and the Lamb floods the Holy City with unfading light. The redeemed walk in the sunless glory of perpetual day.
"I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." Revelation 21:22. The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. "Now we see through a glass, darkly." 1 Corinthians 13:12. We behold the image of God reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between. We shall stand in His presence and behold the glory of His countenance.
There the redeemed shall know, even as also they are known. The loves and sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul shall there find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind together "the whole family in heaven and earth" (Ephesians 3:15)--these help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed.
There, immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love. There will be no cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind and soul and body.
All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their tireless flight to worlds afar--worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God's handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation--suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator's name is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed.
And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Revelation 5:13.
The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.
SYSTEM TEST COMPLETED COMMENCING OPERATIONS https://www.usdebtclock.org/ quod erat demonstrandum reductio ad absurdum in vino veritas mea culpa paenitet sine die
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Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That* is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another*; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious*, and do not obey* the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But* glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another) in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly*; neither is that circumcision, which is outward* in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly*; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every* way: chiefly, because* that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe*? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid*: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say*? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) God forbid*: for then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say*,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just. What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written*, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one*. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no* flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid*: yea, we establish the law.
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture*? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written*, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake* alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore*, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore* as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so* by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid*. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein*? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid*. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What* fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Know ye not, brethren,* (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as* he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then* if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid*. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found* to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid*. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding* sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more* I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve* the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot* please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore*, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God*, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that* spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather*, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written*, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all* Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one*, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then*? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid*. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for* this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God*? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to* make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if* God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where* it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been* as Sodoma, and been made like* unto Gomorrha. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone*; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone* and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For* whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
I say then*, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid*. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew*. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more* of works: otherwise grace is no more* grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more* grace: otherwise work is no more* work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare*, and a trap*, and a stumblingblock*, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then*, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid*: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as** I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches*, take heed lest* he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell*, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my* covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes*: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as* ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 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! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly*, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another*. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God*: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake* out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent*, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another*: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or* die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or* why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord*, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably*. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby* thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another* according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as* Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be* the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. But now having no more place in these* parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever* business she hath need of you: for she* hath been a succourer of many, and of myself* also. Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us. Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved. Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household. Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord. Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them. Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them*. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good*, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly*. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began*, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen*. [Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.]
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no* gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I* am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided*? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock*, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no* flesh should glory in his presence*. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us* wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written*, Eye hath not seen, nor* ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth*; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither* can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither* yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I* am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but* ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing* that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby* justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing* before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive*? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame*. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between* his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one* flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless*, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together* again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else* were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care* not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein* abide with God. Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth*, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have* you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age*, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better. The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth,* (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened* to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth*, lest I make my brother to offend.
Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as* other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn*. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should* hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things*: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die*, than that any man should make my glorying void. For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law,* (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all*, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things*. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means*, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot* drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot* be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke* the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than* he? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience*, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves*: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying,This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till* he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom*; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit*; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles*; to another prophecy*; to another discerning of spirits*; to another divers kinds of tongues*; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For* by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore** not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore** not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot* say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And* God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all* apostles? are all* prophets? are all* teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have* all the gifts of healing? do all speak* with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly*; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For* if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification*. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written*, With men of other tongues and other* lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one*, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope* in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put* all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith* all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing* which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily*. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance* of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men*, another flesh of beasts*, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made* a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot* inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all* sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings* when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia. And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go. For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while* with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren. As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. [The first epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi by Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus and Timotheus.]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves*, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will* yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. For we write none other things unto you, than* what ye read or* acknowledge; and I trust* ye shall acknowledge even to the end; As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea. When I therefore was thus minded, did I use** lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? But as God is true*, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia. Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious*, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather* glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious*, much more that which remaineth is glorious*. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon* their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness*, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway* delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For* in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and* willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth* know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged. Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said*, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be* a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons* and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. For*, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but* by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly* sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.
Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty* abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love* to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. Now* therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you. And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved* diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you. Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.
For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we* (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready*, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully*. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly*, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth* the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base* among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. For* though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed: That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. For his letters*, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present. For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly*, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me*, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. I say again, Let no man think me* a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly*, in this confidence of boasting. Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever** any is bold, (I speak foolishly*,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily*, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory*. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago,* (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man,* (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of* me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me,My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles*, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you*; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain* of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did* Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest*, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again*, I will not spare: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For* though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves*. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates*? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do* no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing* against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Paul, an apostle,* (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though* we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God*, I lie not. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me.
Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. But of these who seemed to be somewhat,* (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James*, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same* which I also was forward to do. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no* flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid*. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid*: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer* under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Now I say, That the heir, as long as* he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then*, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all. Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them* to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until* Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid*, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one* from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you*, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be*. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore* opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially* unto them who are of the household of faith. Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid* that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble me*: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen*. [To the Galatians written from Rome.]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one* new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby*: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery;* (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby*, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly* above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness*, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part*, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as* other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth*. Let no* corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another*, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as* God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know*, that no* whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather* reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein* is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one* flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless* let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother;* (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever* good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your* Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against* flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always** with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto** with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open* my mouth boldly*, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen*. [To the Ephesians written from Rome, by Tychicus.]
Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour*: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far* better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing* terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake*; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded*, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. Him* therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law*, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for* the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds* through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care* of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where* and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once* and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you*, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen*. [To the Philippians written from Rome, by Epaphroditus.]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit*, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto* I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily*.
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein* with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil* you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein* also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly*, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew* of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth* on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another*, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as* Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do* in word or* deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever* ye do, do it heartily*, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts; With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas,* (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;) And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye* likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen*. [Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.]
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not* to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words*, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome*, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among* you, even as a nurse cherisheth* her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you*, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once* and again; but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing*? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.
Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone; And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto*. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore*, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly** that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love ye need* not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child*; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly* in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none* render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. [The first epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.]
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished* with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore* also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore*, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or* our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's* bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always* by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. [The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law*; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank* Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto* I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. I will therefore that men pray every* where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But* (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover* he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth* little*: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore* we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home*, and to requite* their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And* withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but* before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure. Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and* some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot* be hid.
Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof* cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing* out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute*, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. [The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.]
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank* God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore* I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began*, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto* I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot* deny himself. Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat* as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some* to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further*: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse*, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away* their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. [The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second* time.]
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore** rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure*: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly*, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were* sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. [It was written to Titus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Cretians, from Nicopolis of Macedonia.]
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly*. For* perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen*. [Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant.]
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had* by himself purged* our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore* God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool*? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Therefore* we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little* lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little* lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore* (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily**, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh* day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein*, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and* spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot* be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and* supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if* God permit. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them* by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely* blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein* God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually*. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here* men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say*, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. If* therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,* (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth*, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as* not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were* made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were* many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever*, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth* not daily*, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and* sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least* to the greatest*. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein* was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread*; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all*; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot* now speak particularly*. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book*, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear* the second time without sin unto salvation.
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year* continually* make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said*, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And* every priest standeth daily* ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool*. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;* (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly*, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while*, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age*, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed* to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures* of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again*: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword*: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins*; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about* with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no* chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby*. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby* many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward*, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear* and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For* our God is a consuming fire.
Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby* some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor* forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein*. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen*. [Written to the Hebrews from Italy, by Timothy.]
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing*. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried*, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted*, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted* with evil, neither tempteth he* any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw* you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can* faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute* of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone*. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith*, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise* also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth*. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind*: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can* the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth* not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure*, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot* obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 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. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will*, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another*, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what*, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow*. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby*: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made* the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto* also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar* people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Finally*, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto* called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew* evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death* in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein* few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us* (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged* according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another* without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another*, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore* let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while*, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly*, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And* beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh* these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten* that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall* never fall*: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no* prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome*, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome*, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue* as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not* ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein* dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever*. Amen.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another*, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth* his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no* lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is* the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 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. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need* not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth* also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot* sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore* slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no* murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso* hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us*, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby* know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein* is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our* love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment*. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say*, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any* unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither* bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.
The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater* joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore*, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith*, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true. I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, [and] called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like* manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise* also these [filthy] dreamers defile the flesh**, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds [they are] without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling [them] out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you* from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever**. Amen.
What if the definitions and/or realities of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell are NOT even close to being correct?? What if Purgatory, Reincarnation, Artificial-Intelligence, and the Investigative-Judgment need to be reexamined in great detail?? What if Deception Permeates Everyone and Everything?? What if we cling to false hopes and fears as we ignore obvious truths?? Consider Prison Planets, Emissary Wardens, and Galactic Jurisprudence. What if what we think about while reading the Epistles leads us to significant Truth?? We'll probably be deceived and manipulated for all-eternity by nefarious entities and/or ourselves. My grief is beyond description regarding my contemplation of life, the universe, and everything in This Present Insane Asylum in Rebellion. What if humanity hates those who offer truth?? What if humanity loves those who lie, cheat, and steal?? What if humanity worships fame, fortune, and power?? What is One to Do?? What if I should shut-up and watch things play-out?? What if We Should Make Purgatory a Better Place?? Eternal-Heaven v Eternal-Purgatory v Eternal-Hell?? Nash Equilibrium?? The Gospel According to John Nash?? What Would Adam Smith Say?? What Would Ron Paul Say?? Perhaps silence is golden presently. Perhaps this is a no-win situation for all-eternity. What if we can't win long-term?? Life's a Bltch and Then We Get Recycled?? Who Knows?? The Shadow?? Dr. Who?? Who?? What if (to someone's reckoning) God belongs in Heaven, Satan belongs in Hell, and We belong in Purgatory?! What if Life is Fundamentally Meaningless Until We Create Meaning with Conflict in the Conflict of the Ages?! I really don't want to go here. It's too disturbing. My threads beat around the Burning Bush and I'll probably keep it that way. We Might NOT Like the Biggest Secret.
I'm attempting Responsible Neutrality without being Friend or Foe to Friend or Foe which ultimately makes everyone mad. I need to somehow go completely incognito as I go completely insane (sort of like the lunatic locked in his mother's basement). The Secret of Success for the Inner Winner is Understanding and Appreciating Everyone and Everything, Competing without Ceasing with Positive Responsibility and a Game-Show, Talk-Show, Lawyer-Like Approach to Life, the Universe, and Everything. I recently mentioned my perception of an assimilation, escalation, and possible extermination (in the second-half of this century) but I wouldn't know who might exterminate who. This is just intuitive speculation. I mostly just want to sit-down and shut-up.
I'm attempting (once more) to cease and desist. I've really hit a brick wall and I mostly do not wish to deal with anyone or anything anymore. What if a Goddess from the Center of the Galaxy Created Artificial Intelligence in Antiquity to Reform the Unrighteous and the Ungodly?? Even if I knew the real-story, I'd probably beat around the Burning Bush to keep everyone guessing. As it is, I know I don't know and it is becoming much worse. I really do not wish to participate in politics, religion, business, and forbidden research. I think I might like to simply go away. It might be easier that way.
My threads are mostly suited to me but perhaps even I shouldn't study them. I certainly shouldn't attempt to cram them down anyone's throat (including my own). On the other hand, if I were to do anything with them, I should probably write a book based on them, but without the images, videos, articles, and comments, that book would be really boring and disjointed. In the heat of the moment, my posts are quite exciting (for me anyway). Others probably couldn't care less. The information-war will probably turn most of us into basket-case science-fictional zombies connected to the mainframe (and I wish I were kidding). That assimilation, escalation, extermination might ultimately result in a harsh and highly structured United States of the Solar System inaugurated in A.D. 2133 with 300,000,000 citizens spread throughout the solar system in sub-surface military-bases!! Perhaps I should script-write an interview-show with the Borg Queen of Heaven and Orthodoxymoron in the context of one of those sub-surface bases, calling it The Regressive Perspective!!
I could never afford such luxury (above and below) and even if I could afford it, would it be ethical and/or practical?? How quickly would the novelty wear off?? I recently spoke with a world traveler who flies a lot but does not like to fly!! I'd need to be a lot younger and richer to become an owner and pilot of this beautiful jet!! Living alongside a private airstrip with a garage for the jet would be an added plus!! Dreaming is fun but one must wake-up at some point!! Cover-Stories v Cover-Stories v Cover-Stories v Cover-Stories v Lies v Lies v Lies v Lies?? But What If It Must Be This Way in This Present Purgatory?? Bring Your Alibis?? I Suspect There Are Some of You Who Know Exactly What I'm Hinting At in My Crazy Threads But I'll Probably Be Long Gone When the Full Story is Revealed and Completely Comprehended. Perhaps We're NOT Supposed to Know. Perhaps We'll NEVER Know. Nash Equilibrium of Good v Evil?? Necessary Evil?? I Probably Need to NOT Care That Few Know and/or Care. The Concept of Religious and Political Science-Fiction is Probably Legitimate But Seeking Lasting Solutions is Probably the Impossible Dream. But Hope Springs Eternal. Consider Aeolian Skinner, G. Donald Harrison, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Baroque Sacred Classical Music. What Would Marsha Heather Long Play?? Her Cathedral of St. John the Divine Organ Recording is Quite Fine!! So Many Organ Recordings and Performances Get It Wrong (Even with No Wrong Notes). What If There Were an Offshoot Catholic or Episcopal Church Which ONLY Performed the Traditional Latin Mass and Sacred Classical Music (With Exponential Excellence and Zero Bullshit)?? I'm NOT Suggesting This is the Real-Deal But Some of You Probably Get What I Mean. I'll Probably Be Leaving Soon and I Doubt I'll Be Back. 'RA' told me, "It Will Be Dark Where You Are Going." That Might be a Bad Thing. What Would the Matrix Emissary Warden Say and Do??
The above video frightens me. I'm attempting to stop posting. Consider the Quest of the Historical Jesus in the Mysticism of Paul the Apostle. What Would Dr. Albert Schweitzer Say and Do?? People quote Paul but what about reading the Whole Epistles (all 21 of them) straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations?? Here's an in-house thought few would find interesting. Considering the 21 Epistles (Romans to Jude) what if Ellen White and Her Researchers, Writers, and Editors had done an Exhaustive and Scholarly Translation of the 21 Epistles with Ellen-Speak and Internal-Interpretation as a Book Published in 1911?? How Much of Adventism, Judaism, and Christianity Would've Survived?? Think long and hard about who wrote the 66 Books of the Bible and when they were written. Is there a problem here?? What Do You Think?? Do You Think?? Come On!! Think!! The Missing Link!! I have been highly miserable and hamstrung for most of my adult life, and things became exponentially worse in May of 2020 when I had a stroke (or mimic-stroke). Who knows what else ails me?! Explaining rather than Complaining. Anyway, I'm not doing well at all, so some of you will need to do the heavy-lifting in these last-days (which apparently spans the last 2,000 years). Here is something you might find interesting:
Reviews of and Quotes From Dr. Schweitzer's Books
Here are my reviews of some of Albert Schweitzer's books. It is far from a comprehensive list of Schweitzer's books. All are English translations from French or German. Some of them are out of print, but generally can be found in a good research library or by a book search from a good used-book dealer. Also included here are reviews of compilations of his writings. See The Albert Schweitzer Page for reviews of books about Dr. Schweitzer and related information. The Missing Link
The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle
Written By: Albert Schweitzer
Translated By: William Montgomery
Reviewed Edition: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998
The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle is in a sense a companion volume to Schweitzer's The Mystery of the Kingdom of God. Just as Kingdom of God argues that Jesus' worldview was based upon and conditioned by eschatology (the expectation of the imminent end of time), Schweitzer in Paul the Apostle dissects Paul's theology and concludes that it too was eschatological, with none of the Hellenistic influence which many other interpreters have attributed to it. He convincingly argues that Paul's eschatology was based upon Jewish beliefs which were interpreted by Jesus and then re-interpreted by Paul. Paul's re-interpretation was necessary because, contrary to initial expectations, Jesus did not after his crucifixion immediately reappear as the Messiah and initiate the Kingdom of God. Paul modified this expectation slightly, anticipating that Jesus would indeed appear very soon, and in any case not later than the lifetime of the current generation, but that in the meantime believers could literally become a member of the body of Christ by the mystical death and resurrection inherent in baptism. His doctrine of being-in-Christ was meant to be taken literally, and to work regardless of whether the baptized believer understood the process or even the intention.
As must be the case in any account of Paul's theology, there is a lot of material covered in Paul the Apostle. Schweitzer's primary intention is to show that Paul's ideas were based on a Jewish/Christian eschatology rather than the Hellenized pseudo-Christian approach often attributed to it. He does this convincingly, but does much more as well. He covers the entire range of First Century Christian beliefs, giving clear meaning to Paul's views on being-in-Christ, baptism, communion, resurrection (rather than rebirth, a later concept), suffering, righteousness by faith, the Holy Spirit, and other topics. As might be expected of Schweitzer, he is most eloquent discussing Paul's ethics and the importance he placed on love as the highest expression of the Spirit. Schweitzer then goes on to describe how Paul's theology was modified by later first- and second-century Christians--notably Ignatius and the author of John's Gospel--to adapt it to the changed circumstances faced by these theologians, namely that the world had not ended with the first generation after Christ appeared, and the necessity of countering Gnosticism. This is when Hellenism first appeared in serious Christian thought.
I've included rather more and longer quotations from The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle than I typically do. This is partially because Schweitzer's interpretation of Paul's message is not often well represented in compendiums of his work. But it is also because there is much of value in the work, and Schweitzer presents it better than I ever could. As with most theology, Paul the Apostle is dense with profound concepts and thus not easy reading. Also I would have liked more discussion of predestination, which Schweitzer treats only briefly. However--unlike most theology--it is richly rewarding both intellectually and spiritually.
Quotes from The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle
"In Paul there is no God-mysticism; only a Christ-mysticism by means of which man comes into relation to God. The fundamental thought of Pauline mysticism runs thus: I am in Christ; in Him I know myself as a being who is raised above this sensuous, sinful, and transient world and already belongs to the transcendent; in Him I am assured of resurrection; in Him I am a Child of God.
Another distinctive characteristic of this mysticism is that being in Christ is conceived as a having died and risen again with Him, in consequence of which the participant has been freed from sin and from the Law, possesses the Spirit of Christ, and is assured of resurrection."
"The most obvious and natural thing, from our point of view, would have been that Paul should have developed on mystical lines that conception of sonship to God which Christ proclaimed and which was current in early Christianity. He, however, leaves that as he found it, and works out in addition to it the mystical conception of being-in-Christ, as though sonship to God needed for its foundation the being-in-Christ. Paul is the only Christian thinker who knows only Christ-mysticism, unaccompanied by God-mysticism."
"Our review of the characteristics of Pauline mysticism has shown that it is closely connected with the eschatological world-view; that it finds no place for the conceptions of rebirth or deification; that it is dominated by the eschatological idea of predestination; that it has a kind of realism which is foreign to the Hellenistic mysticism; and that the symbolism which plays so essential a part in the sacramental side of Hellenistic mysticism here plays no part at all."
"The historic Jesus does not die for humanity as a whole, and not for a universal forgiveness of sins, but for a definite number, namely, those who are elect to the Kingdom of God. ... Jesus thus believes that by sending forth the disciples He is unleashing the pre-Messianic tribulation, at the end of which the Kingdom of God shall come. But instead of the Son of Man's appearing before they had 'gone over the cities of Israel' (Mt. x. 23), they simply returned to Him again. Therefore He withdraws with them into solitude to seek the meaning of this incomprehensible thing. He finds it in the prophet Isiah (Isa. 1iii), namely, that God has appointed Him to die alone, and that this death is to be a ransom, freeing the Elect from the pre-Messianic tribulation. ... That Jesus, as a consequence of His death, expected His resurrection and, closely following thereon, His appearing in the clouds of heaven and the immediate coming of the Messianic Kingdom is clearly apparent from His saying to the disciples on the way to Gethsemane (Mk. xiv. 27-28) and his words to the High Priest at His trial (Mk. xiv. 62). The Kingdom cannot come until the pre-Messianic tribulation has taken place. If Jesus suffers a death which God can accept as the equivalent of that tribulation, He can thereby bring in the Kingdom at once."
"Paul's conception is, that believers in mysterious fashion share the dying and rising again of Christ, and in this way are swept away out of their ordinary mode of existence, and form a special category of humanity. When the Messianic Kingdom dawns, those of them who are still in life are not natural men like others, but men who have in some way passed through death and resurrection along with Christ, and are thus capable of becoming partakers of the resurrection mode of existence, while other men pass under the dominion of death. And similarly, those who have died in Christ are not dead as others are, but have become capable through their dying and rising again with Christ of rising before other men."
'"The fundamental significance of the dying and rising again of Jesus consists therefore, according to Paul, in the fact that thereby death and resurrection have been set afoot throughout the whole corporeity of the Elect to the Messianic Kingdom. This is, so to speak, a mass of piled-up fuel, to which the fire there kindled immediately spreads. But whereas the dying and rising again has been openly manifested in Jesus, in the Elect it goes forward secretly but none the less really."
"Paul shares with Jesus the eschatological world-view and the eschatological expectation, with all that these imply. The only difference is the hour in the world-clock in the two cases."
"Paul of course holds that all human beings who have ever lived on earth are raised at the resurrection, with the exception of those who at the Return of Jesus are alive in Christ, and therefore enter into the resurrection state of existence by a transformation. The dead in Christ will rise at the Return of Jesus, all the remainder of the dead at the general resurrection after the Messianic Kingdom."
"In Paul's conception of an ethic inspired by the spirit of the resurrection the immediacy of this ethic combines with the supernatural character of the Messianic mode of existence in opposition to the Law. Paul is convinced in the same way as Jesus that the Law can only remain in force up to the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom. And since he holds that the Elect, so soon as they are 'in-Christ', no longer belong to the natural, but henceforth to the Messianic world, he is necessarily led to the conclusion that they are now no longer under the Law."
"Since our world conditions have changed, we can do no other than to think our own thoughts about the redemptive significance of the death of Jesus and all that is connected with it, basing our thoughts, so far as possible, on the original and Primitive-Christian doctrine. But if we undertake this task, as we needs must, we ought to make clear to ourselves what we are doing. We ought not to bemuse ourselves with the belief that we are simply taking over the whole of the dogmatic conceptions of Jesus and of Primitive Christianity, seeing that this is, in fact, impossible. And we ought not to regard the obscurities and contradictions, in which we find ourselves involved, as originally attaching to Christian doctrine; we ought to be clearly conscious that they arise from the transformation of the historical and Primitive-Christian concepts into concepts necessary to adapt them to a later situation. Instead of simply being able to take over traditional material as we find it, we must, exactly, as did Ignatius and Justin, recast it by a creative act of the Spirit.
From this point of view the recognition of the original eschatological orientation of the Christian faith has a truly liberating value. For it compels us to admit that we 'can do no other' than to build both upon the tradition and upon the spirit."
"Paul is the only man of Primitive-Christian times whom we really know, and he is a man of a profound and admirable humanity.
Although he lives in the expectation of the imminent end of the world, an expectation in view of which all earthly things lose their significance and value, he does not in consequence become an ascetic zealot. For an external abandonment of the things of the world he substitutes an inner freedom from them. As though he had an intuition that it might be the fate of Christianity to have to make terms with the continuance of the natural world, he reaches by his spirituality that attitude towards earthly things by means of which Christianity must henceforth maintain its place in the world. Though living and thinking in his own day, he is at the same time preparing the future.
And since, in virtue of his spirituality, he moves within the narrow bounds eschatology as a free man, he does not suffer it to rob him of his humanity, which only becomes the more profound. With tremendous certainty and precision he goes in all things straight to the spiritually essential. In the most natural way the mystical dying with Christ and rising with Him is transmitted into a living ethic. The problem of the relation between redemption and ethics finds in his teaching a complete solution. Ethic is for him the necessary outward expression of the translation from the earthly world to the super-earthly, which has already taken place in the being-in-Christ. And, further, that the man who has undergone this translation has placed himself under the direction of the Spirit of Christ, and so has become Man in the highest sense of the word.
By his eschatological mysticism Paul gives his ethic a relation to the Person of Christ, and makes the conception of the Spirit an ethical conception. By his eschatological thought he grasps ethics as life in the Spirit of Christ, and thereby creates a Christian ethic valid for all time to come.
Side by side with Paul's achievement as a thinker must be set his achievement as a man. Having a personality at once simple and profound, he avoids an abstract and unnatural ideal of perfection, and makes perfection consist in the complete adjustment of spiritual with natural reality. So long as the earthly world with all its circumstances still subsists, what we have to do is so to live in it in the spirit of unworldliness that truth and peace already make their influence felt upon it. That is the ideal of Paul's ethic, to live with the eyes fixed upon eternity, while standing firmly upon the solid ground of reality. He gives to the enthusiastic conception of the Good a practical direction, without thereby robbing it of its originality and power.
He proves the truth of his ethic by his way of living it. Alike in suffering and in action he shows himself a human being, who by the Spirit of Christ has been purified and led up to a higher humanity. Though his work lies in the world, he ventures to live the unworldly life, and to rely only on the power which is at his disposal, because of that which he, in the Spirit of Christ, has inwardly become.
As one who truly thought, served, worked and ruled in the Spirit of Christ he has earned the right to say to the men of all periods: 'Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.'"
"The Christian faith has no need to take over conceptions from the Hellenistic religions of the surrounding world, in order to transform itself into a mystical doctrine of union with Christ. For this development had already been effected, in genuinely Primitive-Christian thought-forms, in the teaching of Paul. From Hellenism it took over only the apparatus of concepts necessary to make the bodily resurrection, and its attainment through union with Christ, intelligible on the lines of Greek metaphysic. Here the Logos-doctrine came to its aid. By means of this it converted the Jewish conception of the Messiah into the Greek conception of the Bringer of eternal life."
"Nevertheless [Paul's] original doctrine, for all its apparent complexity and strangeness which it owes to its eschatological root, conceals within it a greater value than the derivative one. In a quite general sense the Pauline mysticism is superior to the Ignatian-Johannine, in that it expresses the relation with Christ experienced by a great personality, whereas the Ignatian-Johnannine is the outcome of a theory. The Pauline Mysticism possesses an immediacy which the other lacks. Its conceptions grip, even if its logic remains foreign to us. In the more complex mysticism there pulsates a warmer life than in the simplified."
"The result of this first appearance of thought in Christianity is calculated to justify, for all periods, the confidence that faith has nothing to fear from thinking, even when the latter disturbs its peace and raises a debate which appears to promise no good results for the religious life. How strongly the faith of the Primitive-Christian community resisted the thinking of Paul! And yet it was the raising, by the Apostle of the Gentiles, of the belief in Jesus Christ to a reasoned faith which provided a solution of the problem set to the Christianity of the next generation by the non-fulfillment of the eschatological hope. The idea which looked so dangerous to the leaders of the Primitive Church enabled the Gospel of Jesus after its rejection by Judaism to find entrance and understanding in the Greek world. It is the thoughts of the Apostle of the Gentiles, who was opposed by the faith of his own time, which have again and again acted as a power of renewal in the faith of subsequent generations."
Table of Contents of The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle Foreword, 1998, by Jaroslav Pelikan Preface, by F. C. Burkitt Author's Preface The Distinctive Character of Pauline Mysticism Hellenistic or Judaic? The Pauline Epistles The Eschatological Doctrine of Redemption The Problems of the Pauline Eschatology The Mystical Doctrine of the Dying and Rising Again With Christ Suffering As a Mode of Manifestation of the Dying With Christ Possession of the Spirit as a Mode of Manifestation of the Being-Risen-With-Christ Mysticism and the Law Mysticism and Righteousness by Faith Mysticism and the Sacraments Mysticism and Ethics The Hellenization of Paul's Mysticism by Ignatius and the Johannine Theology The Permanent Elements in Paul's Mysticism Click here to return to the Albert Schweitzer Page. The Missing Link
Doctor Who Blue Boy = Matrix Emissary Warden = Prince of Sirius = Rich Young Ruler?
Carol wrote:45 years ago I had a personal encounter with Jesus (Christ). There are no words to describe this experience other than to say one can be a believer or not. One can know from direct experience or not. To know from direct experience eliminates any and all doubt to what it is to directly experience Christ Consciousness. Compassion, forgiveness / complete acceptance, love. To live in Christ Consciousness is to live a life of self-less service in helping others. Being self-centered just means one has yet to personally experience "Christ Consciousness".
Thank-you, Carol. I know I don't know, and it's getting worse as I go downhill physically, mentally, and spiritually. I get idealism and I get pragmatism. I've had mountain-top Christ-Consciousness experiences, but I've always had the nagging realization that things are both good and bad in an often violent and contradictory world of horror and insanity. My threads often make me look like a crazy bad guy who should be scorned and shunned. Facing Reality is SO Overrated. Perhaps Christ-Consciousness should be divorced from the Holy-Bible as sort of a New-Age Jesus. I am conflicted regarding the following simplified New Testament 'Groups', namely 1. Luke. 2. John. 3. Acts. 4. Romans to Jude. 5. Revelation. There is an odd compartmentalization. I've wondered about The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Acts to Revelation. I understand Cover-Stories and Historical-Fiction relative to Absolute Truth and History. Earth seems to be Purgatory Incorporated (for better or worse, I know not). I don't think Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell are necessarily what people believe them to be. Strict definitions are instructive. I get the idealism of the major posters in this forum, yet most of the posts are ultimately negative and even horrific at times. I enjoyed what seemed to be the insider-revelations of Sherry Shriner, but I saw red-flags everywhere in all of her shows. I have my theories regarding all the above.
From early childhood, I knew we were in trouble, and I tried to be idealistic. I tried to not know the gory details. Even then, things went downhill at a frightening pace. After 9/11 (and especially with internet participation) things became almost unbearable. It's much worse now. I'm semi-retired and semi-vegetative (following my stroke, or whatever it really was). I probably need to write some sort of a book to help make ends meet, but actual publication scares the hell out of me. Plus, my threads are probably much more revealing and explanatory than any book could possibly be, yet the interest is nearly non-existent. I've joked about having my tripe analyzed by Dr. Michael Salla, Dr. Andrew G. Hodges, and Brigadier General, Dr. Loree Sutton, in cooperation with Alex Collier, Paola Harris, and our very-own Carol, probably reminiscent of Jesus, An Interview Across Time: A Psychiatrist Looks at HIS Humanity. The title might be Orthodoxymoron: An Interview Across Time: A Psychiatrist Looks at His Insanity. I realize this sounds insane, but it seems to go with the territory. Ultimately, this might be a no-win situation for all-concerned. No one would understand. Anyway, I digress.
Somewhat unrelatedly, what if there is no center to hold?? What if the souls in all solar systems will be at sea for all eternity?? What if attempted centers will rise and fall as fickle tides beat upon the rocks of infidelity?? I don't know if I got that right, but it sounded cool. What if the spirit of the age is illusive and deceptive?? What if the Borg Queen is the Matrix Mediatrix?? What if 87% of us will go completely insane in the near future?? What if this thing is worse than we can imagine?? I might need to wind my life down as I analyze the territory I've already covered (in and out of this website). I wish I could somehow collaborate with Drs. Salla, Hodges, Sutton, and others, in Orthodoxymoron: An Interview Across Time: A Psychiatrist Looks at His Insanity. This might be reminiscent of Agent Salt interviewing the Russian Spy in the movie SALT. Actually, consider a hypothetical interview with the Angel Gabriel and Emissary Warden David in the movie Constantine. Did ANYONE catch the intricacies of that library scene with Gabriel arguing with John?? What is the REAL Story of that Catholic Priest as Emissary Warden David?? What Would David Bowman Say?? What Would HAL 9000 Say??
Take this with a Sea of Salt. Sherry Shriner spoke of a large number of VIP's visiting India around 2008, allegedly attending a humiliation ceremony in a cave, supposedly involving Obama naked on a cross. Her words, not mine. I doubt the story, and I had mostly forgotten about it, but later, she recounted a short version of that story, seemingly saying 'Indio' instead of 'India' starting at 10:45 of The Missing Link This was Sherry's last show before she supposedly died. There's another 'Indio' angle (with a familiar sounding voice, calling from Indio into an Art Bell interview with Blanche Barton at 02:07:20) which might be relevant. The Missing Link Today, I watched the sixth video (below) which made me think of the aforementioned story. This is probably an impossible long shot. Perhaps unrelatedly, a well-known SDA pastor (with insider parents) tells of living naked in a cave (pre-conversion) near Palm Springs. Consider 'Merlin's Cave' relative to 'The Dark Side of Camelot'. Consider Satanism and the Inland Empire. There's also a story of Obama being sort of 'out of it' prior to entering a room where Latin chanting was heard and emerging a completely different person with renewed vitality (but I can't recall the source). I might delete this post. We're running out of time to get this right but hope springs eternal.
I believe I've been highly tampered with and compromised, as if this were some sort of a test and/or power struggle (possibly of a cosmic and/or galactic nature). I could explain, but I'd rather not. As I continue to go downhill, there might not be much left of my body, mind, and soul. This whole thing might be worse than we can imagine. I receive flashes of insight (especially while I'm researching and posting on the internet) but this isn't exactly a marketable job skill. I've said too much, and as always, I regret being open and honest (when everything I say and do or don't say and do) can (and will) be used against me in the Supercomputer-Matrix Investigative-Judgment with the Borg Queen aka Matrix Mediatrix presiding. Don't Take This Too Siriusly or Literally. What Would Gabriel Say and Do??
My 'trust' level is close to zero. I especially do NOT trust myself. "The Heart of Man is Desperately Wicked! Who Can Know It?" This thing can be spun in just about any manner and direction. My threads are mostly contextual rather than conclusive. Regarding the above book concept, it would probably be a bad idea which would erupt into a fiasco for all concerned and unconcerned. Still, I find the general idea intriguing. This might involve a closed-door version of this. The real PTB might be more untouchable than we can imagine. This whole thing seems ancient and nasty (overtly and covertly). Somewhat unrelatedly, I am also intrigued by the posthumous 1917 EGW book Prophets and Kings, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and the 1940 Episcopal Hymnal. You might need to analyze this for a few years. I try not to jump to conclusions, but I often do not succeed. Don't follow me. I'm lost too. Perhaps yet another version of 'V' would be interesting regarding all the above. I need to check myself before I wreck myself. Actually, I'm already a wreck. I feel as if I'm being increasingly poisoned and supernaturally harassed, perhaps with a high-tech twist as I twist slowly, slowly in the wind. Stop my friend as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you will surely be. So, prepare yourself to follow me. I might not have gotten that quite right, but you hopefully get the point. What Would Oblio Say??
Serious students should read Job through Jude in the KJV (straight through, over and over) before moving on to other material (including the rest of the Holy Bible) as a mental and spiritual exercise, regardless of how much of it is true (or is not true). Most people (including the scholars) do not have the patience to do what I just suggested. I am having a difficult time doing it myself. I am having a difficult time doing much of anything. I often wish I had finished college, attended the Claremont School of Theology for graduate Jesus Studies and then joined the Center for Christian Bioethics at the Loma Linda University School of Religion (at some point in my career). I also regret not continuing singing in the Crystal Cathedral Choir while continuing organ lessons with Kimo Smith ("KS Bach"). It is too late now. I just wanted to get away from everything but then I discovered that most everything was BS and I never recovered. It does not pay to be hyper moralistic and strictly honest. It just does not pay. Dr. Louis Venden told me "people who are too definite go off" (with a wave of his arm) and he was certainly correct. The heavens fall when one stands for the right. The truth is SO overrated.
I include a lot of SDA stuff, but I am not trying to convert anyone to anything. I simply wish for all of you to engage in some sort of a personal interdisciplinary research project. I am not attempting to tell anyone what to do. There is a time and place for everything, and I am in no position to speak with any authority on anything regardless of who I might've (or might not have) been in any previous incarnations (if there is some validity to the concept of reincarnation). You folks should consider the spectrum of SDA scholars over the past 100 years. The Jesuits know what I am talking about. Imagine arguing the theology of Dr. Graham Maxwell with the Jesuits on Mt. Graham! "What Shall We Talk About, Thou Cursed Judas?!" As a child, I lived close to the widow of M.L. Andreasen and I rode on the school bus with his granddaughter. Once, when Mrs. Andreasen was sick in bed I knelt beside the bed and prayed for her and she got well! I do not know the details but that is the story (and I am sticking to it). I am planning to read three of M.L. Andreasen's books. Should be interesting.
Graham Maxwell and Ted Heppenstal differed with Herbert Douglass. Graham Maxwell, Paul Heubach, Jack Provonsha, Herbert Douglass and Dalton Baldwin opposed Desmond Ford and Ted Heppenstal. Desmond Ford was critical of Loma Linda University theology. Herbert Douglass emphasized the harvest principle. They disapproved of forensic theories of the atonement. Graham Maxwell was most opposed to it. They all believed the denomination overreacted to M.L. Andreasen. They were not Evangelicals as commonly understood. Jack Provonsha studied with Paul Tillich at Harvard. Graham Maxwell studied with Charles Hartshorne at the University of Chicago. Herbert Douglass wrote his dissertation on Brunner at Berkeley. I would rather consider Harry Anderson, Uncle Arthur S. Maxwell, and Dr. H.M.S. Richards, Sr. Unfortunately, the world, solar system, and universe are not that nice and simple. I used to read Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories. Now I read Bill Cooper's Bedtime Stories. I spent a lot of time listening to most of the people mentioned (including Dr. David Larson). I even had an interesting conversation with (who I think was) David's father (Ralph Larson). I appreciated Ralph's conservative views and David's moderate views, but I am in no one's camp which is why I live a very lonely and unhappy life.
I once attended a lecture by Dr. Leonard Bailey where he showed images of the Baby Fae surgery. I attended a lot of lectures and public meetings intended mostly for doctors. Once again, I have been a nobody who has watched a lot of somebodies, without any of it rubbing off. One Saturday night, I scrubbed up, and watched Dr. Robert L. Marsh do an emergency appendectomy. It was sort of cool. I still think that prevention should be the foundation of healthcare. Has it ever been the foundation? Will it ever be the foundation? Follow the money and do the math. I publicly questioned the United States Assistant Secretary of Health Robert E. Windom, MD about the percentage of total healthcare expenditures specifically used for prevention. Dr. Windom did not know, and the moderator said it was "a complicated question". Now that I understand more about how things really work in this world, I understand (clearly and painfully) why that was a "complicated question". Are we headed toward a Corporate High-Technology Luciferian Theocracy? I have attempted to combine science, politics, religion, and science fiction (for better or worse, I know not). Some of you might find This Present Quest interesting and enlightening, but I am not pushing any of this. I am just trying to help all of us think.
My perception is that my threads have zero traction. They are tolerated but certainly not embraced. My threads probably would not exist if they weren't in their present context. My contrarian approach makes them necessary yet rejected. If they were presented elsewhere, they would be misunderstood and rejected. I perceive that everyone had their chance with me, in one way or another, probably thousands (or even millions) of years ago. I suspect that I didn't come here to change anything, but rather to understand everything. Even though this is a small fringe site, significant others silently observe in the shadows, perhaps a bit like poisonous snakes in the grass, waiting to strike at the opportune moment. Has probation closed?? Perhaps probation will never close. Perhaps that is the Nature of the Matrix. The End is Near?? Perhaps This Never Ends. Consider the Song That Doesn't End. I suspect that someone will embrace a thorough study of This Present Quest, but I doubt the results will ever be revealed. I suspect Purgatory in Perpetuity (for better or worse, I know not).
Consider the 'rich young ruler' image (above) and the similarity of my Dr. Who Blue Boy avatar. That 'ruler' image was front and center in the now demolished Irwin Hall of Pacific Union College. I witnessed the Desmond Ford 'Investigative Judgment' forum lecture there with probably a thousand people. We survivors should form a support group with yearly reunions. My posts are mostly irreverent non-scholarly religious and political science-fiction. My posts and threads might mostly be for me. They might not mean much to others. I might not even get my own posts. Still, some alphabet interns might be surprised by what emerges. I'm seeking some sort of protection from unknown threats, but I seem to be on my own as a persona non grata. I recently said, "I'm paranoid but that doesn't mean they're not out to get me." I was told, "We're not out to get you." Perhaps god got me. Perhaps I'll give this a rest for the rest of 2022. BTW, you don't hate me as much as I hate myself. I Hate My Life. Perhaps that's a Saving Grace. Hope Springs Eternal.
Consider Job to Daniel v Acts to Revelation. I'll leave it up to you regarding how to proceed. Consider the obscure yet detailed in-house discussions (above). I can't keep up with these people (especially after my 'stroke'). It is quite awe-inspiring yet not really inspirational. I've spoken with Dr. Ron Graybill regarding avoiding 'All or Nothing' in the writings of Ellen White. He was stoically non-committal (which was to be expected). The video (below) makes me face who and what I could've and should've been but wouldn't and/or couldn't. Some have it and some don't. A doctor's wife told me that. One Saturday night, while in high-school, I scrubbed-up and observed Dr. Robert Lee Marsh performing an emergency appendectomy at the Glendale Adventist Medical Center, the hospital I was born in. The wife of R.R. Beitz was the nurse in the delivery-room when I emerged into this world. That might be a day which will live in infamy. The video (below) includes a lot of names and places I walked away from. This hurts like hell, and this might be a fitting time to leave all of you, mostly because I'm not good enough. Only the Best Are Good Enough. I had my chance. I'm feeling and thinking really bad, and the end might be near. This feels deliberately inflicted. Perhaps I should get the message. Someone recently told me I should leave. Perhaps I should leave this solar system for all-eternity. Perhaps that was the plan from the foundation of the world. Who Knows?? Dr. Who?? That's It. I'm Done. Good-Luck and God-Bless. Namaste and Godspeed. Have a Nice Eternity.
I adore tough and smart musicians, actors, and actresses (some of whom I've met). I'm not even remotely close to their levels of excellence (to say the least) but there seems to be a 'meeting of minds'. Perhaps in my next life I'll do better but we might fight like feral cats while seeking the summits of figurative mountains. I experienced violinist Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg at the Hollywood Bowl and was very impressed. Notice what she said in her 60 Minutes interview regarding 'possession'. The Missing Link Supposedly there are real-deal entities who perfectly-possess celebrities with superhuman talent. I've encountered a particular actress a few times, who dresses in an unlikely and unassuming manner but on-stage she's completely different. Consider Tonya Harding's mother regarding a type of individual who reminds me of my conceptualized 'Mean Queen Theme' in smoke-filled rooms. The Missing Link Some of you know what I'm talking about. I don't try to dig too-deeply but I could. I just think it would be counterproductive at this point. I aspire to the highest ideals regarding humanity and divinity and the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (or something to that effect). It was interesting and frightening interacting with 'RA' (and I never signed on the dotted-line) but ultimately we couldn't work together because too-much water had gone under the bridge. I just wish I had followed through regarding conversing with Steven Spielberg's stepmother and Walter Matthau's son (regarding my ideas for a blockbuster science-fictional Life of Christ super movie based upon the Desire of Ages). Enough of that. It's Too Late, Baby, Now. It's Too Late. I need to shut-up, write, retire, and go completely incognito. It might be easier that way. I keep wondering if the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes should be read straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations, with internal-interpretation?! A famous ivy-league New-Testament theologian told me, "What God said in the Old-Testament is more significant than what Jesus said in the New-Testament." Wow!! Just Wow!! What if those three books are closest to the real-deal?? 'RA' told me, "I'm very close to God." What if God is more Systemic than Personal?? What if the Deism of the Founding Fathers should be the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes (plus nothing)?? Consider reading the five-volume Conflict of the Ages Series combined with all Star Wars movies as a unique science-fictional and historical-fictional theological-extravaganza. There's more to this than you might think. This paragraph is long, rambling, and a bit disjointed but I'll leave it as-is for now. I mostly feel as if I'm beating against the rocks of infidelity. I'm mostly lost at sea but hope springs eternal.
GOD = Old Universe Order?? god = new world order?? What if the Empire was (and is?) Right?? Right from the Beginning?? Consider a non-stereotypical Purgatory relative to the Holy Spirit. What if the Father, Son, Heaven, and Hell should be viewed in the context of a larger-view Purgatory and Holy Spirit?? Who and What Are Normative and Reformative?? My computer is toast and I'm using a back-up, plus a lot of things are not working out for me. I feel as if this is some sort of a wall I shouldn't climb over. Thus far and no farther?? Probably. I probably need to be completely neutral and invisible while I listen-to and watch what others say and do. Perhaps I was made to be a poisoned and harassed completely ignorant fool by the real-deal powers that be. Or, I might've done it to myself for research and modeling purposes. I lost some of my notes but perhaps that's just as well. Perhaps I'm supposed to move in a completely unlikely direction to keep everyone guessing (including me). I might need to be very quiet and careful. Perhaps I shouldn't be particularly friendly or entertaining. I really feel like crap and I suffer from CRS (Can't Remember $hlt). Perhaps I should redefine the problem.
Carol wrote:Re: >>Neither Coincidence nor Madness<< UPDATED #WW3 #Plandemic #Vax #NEXUS #Nibiru #Poleshift #Phoenix
“What if what is happening on the world stage is neither coincidence nor madness—but everything is going according to plan? An expert on the truth movement weaves alternative theories and whistleblower statements together to form an overall picture.”
Quick summary:The System is preparing for a cataclysmic event. This occurrence has been the topic of numerous predictions, leaked by government whistleblowers, and is well-known in our ancient history, among other names, as the Phoenix Phenomena. Hence, the name of this hypothesis. Everything we see on the public stage is a distraction and diversion or serves as preparation for this event and a controlled restart.
All the evidence and research guidance you could ask for are linked in the article, like:
The insider was not interested in gaining fame. So this time, there was no film or audio recording. Project Camelot only published a conversation transcript, but this manuscript had explosive power. According to the whistleblower, he was confronted in 2005 by the highest circles with a comprehensive plan to put the world in a state of emergency via staged and deliberately induced pandemics. Even then, it was clear that China would be the starting point for the first flu-like infectious disease. Other epidemics would follow. In addition, it was a matter of triggering various neuralgic points to ignite a third World War. The undisguised agenda behind this effort was primarily radical population decimation, with implementation subject to a critical timetable. What calculus lay behind it was not disclosed even to the insider. Still, specific indications suggested that the “Anglo-Saxon mission” was primarily to prepare for a cosmic event. It was about having the best starting position for a designed rebuild. That was, roughly compressed, the consensus between Bill and his interviewee. The circumstances surrounding how the 2005 insider, by a “coincidence” or a “supposed error of the conspirators,” was privy to the plan before he publicly revealed it in 2010 are pretty wild. Maybe someone wanted the story to be leaked? According to this, it could have been a deliberate misdirection—possibly a PsyOp. With this interpretation, I remained skeptical for years until, in 2020, phase one of the plan became a reality. Meanwhile, we can not ignore western propaganda in the sense of a military escalation of the Ukraine conflict anymore. This corresponds to the whistleblower’s critical data points, although many agenda details may have changed over time.
I'm committed to my religious and political science-fiction approach, and that's not likely to change. I continue to know I don't know. Should I consider myself an Apostolic Agnostic, an Anglican Agnostic, a Seventh-Day Sedevacantist, or a Renegade French Jesuit Organist?! Don't Shoot!! I'm Just a Completely Ignorant Fool with a Messiah Complex and a Stroke!! We All Have Our Crosses to Bear!!
Heartless The Slum Lord wrote:Pretty carol. Sucks to go through the trauma of things to know the stuff said I. Your post. I've had 1/3rd of that info just capsulized in my mind because rather try debunking, I give the duality view 🪟. Which side is the real view. From fragmental studies I delve. The mission if not surpassed. I may be outdated. I also may be outside the loop of timing. Forgot where I found this bit, the ones in our world that cause the depopulation things . The ones that remain are part of the Creation, destruction beings have been punished. Idr if the find they were gone for good or to come again. Also um. Age of aquarius. Are we still in spirit law. Or that changed with aquarius. Earlier was word law. :thinking: So. Word>spirit> reset or evolve/transmutate?? Lead to gold was once a rumor or legend. It is very real. I'm almost done with my welcome here. Maybe other posters have alchemical footnotes. But yes. Transfusion or mutation. Very real. I grow weak being a parent and trying to sort oddities in my existence... I was study the actions and use/purpose PPA and hydrogen whatever extras they got. Cern was cute but why would we go as far to birth a black hole. Sad how everything is weaponized force multipliers. Almost like powerangers. Where that summoning scrolls.. Like. If big bang was a theory. Now we can slightly fathom a dent or full abstract. Seems the cross species are using if not the humans. Soulless or patsy's. To 1 up. Was gonna get into field of victim advocate. But meh. We in end times. The 10 in the courts confuses my low brain power but I think I c where it's heading in theory... I need enjoy my family time. Bye y'all and keep grinding. 🧿
Carol wrote:I'm not much of a chatter as I spend hours of my day researching and listening to different videos and learning new things. Oftentimes I transcribe a lecture while listening and share that with others.. here, on another forum and with a group of fellow explorers. So I missed when you started posting and finally read you posts today. I like listening to Michele Fielding as she tends to get downloads from the galactics and is very uplifting when it comes to where we're headed.
Currently we are living within multiple realities.. think of each reality, each person's experience like a page in a book all pressed together along side of one another. Not only do we have our physical reality, we have a spiritual reality, we have an inter-dimensional reality along with timelines of one sort of another. I can't even explain this very well given how enormous all of these concepts and realities that exist are. It just is. So.. our task is to make choices throughout the day as to which reality we wish to create and which reality we live in.
Think about your choices... learn from each choice as there really isn't any right or wrong choice. Life is a school. Not a court room. So each choice is an opportunity to learn or have a different type of experience that we can grow from. Since the primary lessons are to be kind, love one another, be respectful toward each other... one can measure how well they're doing by how they feel at the end of the day. The best thing about each day is that it is a new beginning. And each day that is filled with laughter, loving someone, being kind to someone is a good day.
So I wish for you a long succession of 'good' days filled with smiles and laughter.
Carol wrote:Welcome to the Mists HTSL. Losing members of ones family and friends is difficult. It takes time to process all of those emotions. Took me a few (maybe about 9 years) to come to terms with my own mothers death. Ironically when my dad passed, I could feel is presence all around so didn't really experience a sense of loss with his death as much as I did with my mother.
You're a young parent. Congratulations! Parenting is the most difficult and rewarding work one gets an opportunity to experience when they have little ones. There are so many things you can do with kids while experience the world through their young eyes. The time while they're little flies by. Spending as much time with your children as possible is a blessing. Reading books to them, playing games, tossing a ball, going for nature walks, cooking with them, doing art or projects with them, building forts, going on little adventures with them... we got rid of our TV when our daughter was 6. There was just too much negative violent programming that I didn't think any child should watch. From then on it was family oriented DVDs. Then there is music.. learning how to play an instrument or sports at school, attending games and cheering them on. Evenings of hot cocoa, popcorn and a family movie. We still do this years later. The list is endless of what you can do together.
Since out children our adult we now have a puppy, Jack. There is something special about being loved unconditionally when one has bonded with a puppy. They're a lot of work and a lot of fun.
One of the things I've enjoyed doing over the years is watch different peoples stories from their NDE. Each story is different and offers new things to think about. There are several members here who are well versed in the philosophical and others with a lot of life experience. I've always enjoyed learning about others spiritual journeys.
One theme that seems to repeatedly resurface with the NDE folks is how we make a contract prior to incarnating identifying those experiences we'd like to endure in order to spiritually grow. The operative world is endure. It seems that enduring hardships one has an opportunity to spiritually grow the quickest. Of course, whose to say that is the only path. But I do recall one woman during her NDE talking to Jesus on the other side asking why did you send me to that family? Why did I have to suffer? He said she asked for those particular experiences in her contract. She said, "I did?" And he kept reminding her that she had endured, which meant she had grown spiritually by undergoing what she set out for herself.
Those of us who post have been here together for a number of years sharing bit of info we find or something about our lives. Thank you for joining us and sharing a bit about yourself as well.
BTW, I follow WhipLash on Telegram. Is that where you follow him ast well? Is there a particular area of interest or topics that you wish to explore?
I just saw your posts today for the first time. So apologize for the belated welcome.
Thank-you for the interaction. I usually end-up quoting the interactions of others. I'm mostly a lone-ranger and/or lone-nut. I've mentioned this before, but I've noticed a disconnect between the esoteric cover-stories and the nitty-gritty reality-posts. Both have their legitimate place. I just thought of the Godfather going to Mass and taking Communion while his associates were 'taking care of business'. I have a similar disconnect regarding idealistic theology and governance (which ultimately seems to break-down in the worst sorts of ways). I've descended into an irreverent religious and political science-fiction which would probably make the Agents and Jesuits blush. Here is an interesting channel The Missing Link you might wish to consider. My approach has been contextual rather than conclusive. I sample this and that without circling the wagons. I'd rather have other people figure things out. I'd rather NOT be a Knight in Shining Armor (if you know what I mean). I'd rather NOT create another Maginot Line (figuratively or literally). My religious and political science-fiction is designed to hint at the truth, rather than blurting it out. You have to work at my stuff to get it. I mostly do NOT get my own stuff. I smell the smoke but I do NOT see the fire. Anyway, I think I've climbed way too far out on a very high limb and I'm sawing it between me and the trunk. How stupid is THAT?!
A Completely Ignorant Fool in a 600 Square-Foot Office-Apartment in 12001 BC?!
What Would Anna and Anthony Say??
My computer-screen imploded, and now I'm using an older and slower back-up computer which really sucks. I'm completely-disillusioned by the zero-privacy hypothesis which seemingly goes back thousands (or even millions of years) but things might need to be this way. Who Knows?? Dr. Who?? I recently encountered several interesting women who didn't seem to like me, but an Egyptologist seemed to be somewhat neutral. We very-briefly discussed Ralph Ellis, Amen-Ra, Marduk-Ra, Isis, Bastet, Serqet, and Cleopatra. One lady of interest reminded me of Angelia Jolie. You don't suppose?! Nah. Another lady of interest reminded me of the Matrix-Oracle. You don't suppose?! Nah. Several years ago, I believe I met a female-astronaut who seemed to know about me, and didn't like me (but I might be completely-wrong). If my overall-hypothesizing is even minimally-correct, this might help to explain the dislike, and possibly why key-aspects of the space-program needed to be faked (especially regarding quarantined-enemies themes). This thing might be crazier and more-desperate than we can imagine, which is why I'm restraining myself from being overly-judgmental (especially if the rabbit-hole mostly goes right up my @$$). Just consider ALL Possibilities (especially the most ridiculous ones). For example, what if there was a midget with a CIA Assassination-Pistol under the floorboard of the Kennedy Limo (with small-holes in the floor for seeing and shooting)?! Notice how Jackie seems to hold JFK forward as the kill-shot is delivered?! Farfetched Yet Chilling. What Would Miles Mathis Say?? I've merely created a Study-Guide and Research-Context for Sirius-Researchers. I make-fun of All-Concerned (especially myself) to break the ice as I have yet-another Serco-Induced Nervous-Breakdown (SINB).
I'm a wannabe 'Galactic Happy-Wanderer With a One-Stop Lap-Top On My Back'!! I'm not into texting or talking to my computer (especially when it talks back to me). I'm too busy talking to myself on 'The Mists of Avalon'!! Smart-Phones and Tablets are too small for me!! Old-School Personal-Computers are too big for me!! I've joked about living in a 600 Square-Foot Office-Apartment with a Super-Computer and a Super-View, but I might've been there and done that in 12001 BC!! Who Knows?? What if one eliminated computers and television, lived in a mountain-cabin, spending at least 8 hours a day reading The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Holy Bible (Plus Nothing) for at least a decade??!! What if one limited their astronomical research to this solar system?? We're on Earth (or at least we think we are). We experience the Heat of the Sun (or at least we think we do). We note the tides associated with the Moon (or at least we think we do). We've walked on the Moon (or so we are told). But the other heavenly bodies are too far removed to directly affect us (or so it seems). Nibiru might change all that. Who Knows?? The light of the stars (other than the sun) take so long to reach us, that they might not even exist by the time we see them!! CONTEXT and PERCEPTION are EVERYTHING for EVERYTHING!!
I've honestly attempted to create a Micro-Matrix of Faith, Doubt, Positive, Negative, Orthodox, Unorthodox, Boredom, Horror, Trivial, Profound, Reverent, Irreverent, Science, Science-Fiction, Antiquity, Modernity, Atheism, Agnosticism, and True-Belief (for better or worse, I know not). Consider the following website for some rather-nasty religious-negativity. http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/index.html I'm not promoting this sort of thing. I actually hate this sort of thing, but some of us need to consider all-sides of the most important topics imaginable. I continue to wonder what a careful analysis of the various sections of the Bible might reveal about what the Bible REALLY Teaches, and NOT Simply What the PTB and We the Peons Wish It To Say?! With the international reach of the internet, it's becoming more and more difficult for pompous and supercilious megalomaniacs to maintain white-lies in the belief-systems of huddled-masses who are true-believers in Salvation4Sale. I probably overdid this paragraph, but sometimes I get carried-away!! The AI Made Me Do It!! What Would Isis, Horus, and Set Say?? What Would Isis, Ra, and El Say?? "We Are All ONE!!"??
Think long and hard about David Bowman, HAL 9000, Supercomputers, Artificial-Intelligence, Hybrid Bio-Robots Connected to Supercomputers, Planetary-Propulsion, Pods, iPods, and Pod-Bay Doors!! What if 'Osiris' Created a Supercomputer Named 'Horus'?? In the Beginning was Horus?? Horus was with Osiris?? Horus was the Ambassador of Osiris (following the faked execution of Osiris)?? What if a Horus Hybrid-Robot has ruled the world as a Matrix-Mediatrix for at least the past 5,000 years?? What if Amen Ra = Dr. Who = Osiris = David Bowman = Peter Venkman = Darth Vader?? What if Marduk Ra = The Valeyard = Horus?? What Would HAL Say?? What Would SAL Say?? What Would COR Say?? What Would DAV Say?? 'RA' told me "I Don't Need to Sleep!!" and "I Can't Talk About the NSA!!" What if a HAL 9000 Monolith contained the Souls of Osiris and the Angels?? "My God!! It's Full of Stars!!" What if the Monolith was the Original-Supercomputer?? Why does the UN Building look like a Monolith?? What if All of Us, and Everything We Experience, Are Contained Within the Context of an Ancient Supercomputer Created in 12001 BC by David Bowman??!! More seriously, in the context of the usual view of the solar system, what if an extremely intelligent and resourceful Reptilian-Being from Orion created 42 Supercomputers Linked to 42 Artificial-Intelligence Bio-Robots as the backbone of Solar System Governance in Antiquity and Modernity?? What if much (if not all) of the Biological-Physicality in this solar system was genetically-engineered by 42 Strange-Beings in Antiquity?? What if this hypothetical 'Council of 42' have facilitated what the Restless-Natives of This Solar System Have Desired and Demanded?? What if 'Direct-Democracy' has been 'Alive and Well' since 12001 BC??
I joked about the '12001 BC' creation of a Supercomputer-Matrix and Linked-Robotic System by David Bowman, but the more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and then I noticed the following in the 'Flat-Earth' article below: "In 2017, a scandal developed in Arab scientific and educational circles when a Tunisian PhD student submitted a thesis declaring Earth to be flat, unmoving, the center of the universe, and only 13,500 years of age.[154]" I am NOT a 'Flat-Earth' and 'Young-Earth' Proponent BUT that '13,500 years of age' scared me. That would be just a few hundred years shy of 12001 BC!! As I keep saying, I've been considering a Local-Divinity which is neither Almighty or Non-Existent, but simply Smarter, Tougher, More-Experienced, and possibly with a Divine Right to Rule Earth (and perhaps the Entire Solar System) as a Local Sun-God. This is HIGHLY Speculative. I HATE It, but the other options appear HIGHLY Dishonest and Idiotic to me. They seem to be the Epitome of Stupidity. As I've said before, decades ago, I spoke with Gary Chartier in Loma Linda, concerning the 'Mighty but not Almighty' Concept of God. I didn't just pull this idea out of an anatomical black-hole because RA (or anyone else) told me to do it. I've been wondering about this sort of thing for several decades.
I've wondered what a New-Testament Version of the Old-Testament might look like?? I've suggested that 'Patriarchs and Prophets' followed by 'Prophets and Kings' (both by Ellen White) might approximate a Devotional NT Version of the OT, but that's as far as I've gotten. Adding Volumes 3 and 4 of the 'SDA Bible Commentary' (I Chronicles to Malachi) might result in a Scholarly-Devotional NT Version of the OT. The New-Testament is not an Old-Testament Commentary, But What IS The New-Testament?? What is the Definitive Intertestamental Old-Testament Commentary?? Does the New-Testament observe the Five-Solas?? What would Deuteronomy and Job through Malachi INTERPRETED BY Deuteronomy and Job through Malachi look like?? Would ANY OF US Like What It Looked Like?? I Wonder As I Wander!! What understandings might emerge if one read Job through Malachi straight-through, over and over, in a variety of translations, but without using a Bible-Commentary, and without referring to the rest of Sacred-Scripture?? Just Job through Malachi (Plus Nothing)!! Has anyone memorized Job through Malachi?? What is the relationship between Isaiah through Daniel, and Romans through Galatians?? Try studying Volumes 4 and 6 (Isaiah to Malachi, and Acts to Ephesians) of the 'SDA Bible Commentary', along with 'Prophets and Kings', as an Alternative Place of Beginning and Reference regarding understanding This Present Madness, but consider mastering Job through Malachi, prior to moving on to seemingly bigger and better things.
I suspect that Earth-Humanity was offered an Idealistic 19th Century Version of Probation (which we seemingly rejected). I suspect that Earth-Humanity was offered an Idealistic 20th Century Version of Probation (under much tougher circumstances -- which was also rejected). I suspect that Earth-Humanity is being offered an Idealistic 21st Century Final-Probation (under increasingly-reprehensible circumstances -- which we seem to be rejecting presently). As It Was In The Days of Noah?? I suspect an Idealistic 22nd Century Divinity-Managed United States of the Solar System (possibly with an Earth-Human Population of Three-Hundred Million) as a possible transition-stage leading to full-reinstatement into a Universal Kingdom of God (for better or worse, I know not). I am VERY Unclear regarding the True-Nature of the Whole-Universe. I am VERY Unclear regarding the True-Nature of This Particular Solar System. I Truly See Through a Glass, Darkly. What if an Investigative and Executive Judgment began in 12001 BC??!!
I'm sensing that Earth-Humanity is in the process of being severely-shaken by the information-war. Will ANYONE Be Left Standing When This Is All Over?? I Sometimes Feel As Though "I've Fallen, and I Can't Get Up!!" What would happen to the Throne of David if King David unexpectedly showed-up?? What Would King David Say?? What Would King Solomon Say?? What Would the Queen of Sheba Say?? What Would the Queen of England Say?? What (if anything) will happen in A.D. 2133?? What If All of the Above Is Just Smoke and Mirrors?? What Would the Hypothetical 'Council of 42' Say?? What Would a Completely Ignorant and Irresponsible Fool Say?? I am NOT a Scholar and/or Insider. I am NOT possessed (as far as I know). However, I might be somehow controlled (in some sense) against my will (for possibly nefarious purposes). I know not. I simply know that I desire the Truth and Sustainable-Solutions. Hope Springs Eternal. I've probably said and done WAY Too Much already. My role might've been observational and diversionary ONLY. What Would the Oracle Say?? I seem to be waiting for something. Another life perhaps?? Who Knows?? Dr. Who?? What Would Raven Say?? Raven told me "The Rabbit-Hole Mostly Goes Right Up Your @$$!!"
What if one focused-upon Solar-System Photography and Sacred-Classical Music (plus very-little else)?? There might be a lot more to this concept than one might think. Perhaps I should live in a 600 square-foot mountain-observatory (with a small 40" Dobsonian telescope) while contemplating Human-Origins in This Present Solar System!! Kerry Cassidy recently interviewed Bruce Swartz, regarding his astrophotography with a 14" Celestron telescope. They briefly discussed a possible Pole-Shift, and Bruce suggested that a Pole-Shift might not happen all at once. It might take 20 years. When he said 20 years, I thought about Douglas Vogt and 'God's Day of Judgment' wherein a 2046 solar-event is prophesied and predicted. 2028 is an AI Robot eschatological-date. 2028 to 2046 spans nearly 20 years. Is this coincidental?? I keep thinking in terms of the Pod-Propulsion in '2001: A Space Odyssey'. What if HAL 9000 controls a Planetary-Propulsion System throughout the Solar-System?? Perhaps that's what keeps the Moon presenting one-side only. Or perhaps the Moon rotates while projecting a hologram of it's surface!! Who Knows?? 'RA' told me "You'll be working for us in 20 years" which would be 2031. What if all solar-system planets and moons will gradually move closer to the Sun, heating-up the ice (and everything else), raising the sea-level and atmospheric-temperature until we "Do As We're Told"?? What if what's going to happen is non-negotiable?? An Individual of Interest strongly-suggested to me that Mankind was past the point of no-return. I try to neutrally-report such things in a 'Chad Decker' manner. What if 'Chad Decker' created the Matrix and HAL 9000?? Must I Explain??
I don't get paid to do this stuff, and no one gives me the time of day, so why do I continue?? I haven't lied throughout the years, but I'm not an expert or insider, so most of what I post might be Total-Bullshit. I'm attempting to see things from the Regressive-Perspective and the Progressive-Perspective, and this is a source of ambiguity and disillusionment. If I were in a meeting with Regressive-Beings and Progressive-Beings on the Dark-Side of the Moon, I might simultaneously take both-sides, and make everyone hate me. Actually, everyone already hates me, so Sixpence None the Richer (or something like that). A major part of my research-project might involve completely destroying all of my threads (conceptually). I'm Sirius. What if the Book of Daniel should be read in a conceptual-sense rather than a numerical-sense. What if the Real-Timeline is Unknown to EVERYONE (except the Father, perhaps)?? Is Biblical-Prophecy conditional or not?? What if we should focus on Extra-Biblical Science-Fictional Possibility-Thinking Hypothetical-Eschatology?? But honestly, I think it might really be over for me. My research-project and who I might be on a soul-basis seem to have made me a Marked-Soul in This Present Solar-System. Review the material I've posted and hinted-at (long after I'm long-gone).
My misery and incapacitation are increasing exponentially, and I suspect that I've been 'messed-with'. What if the Grand-Plan was for me to be the Ultimate-Scapegoat?? I've given All of You a Study-Guide. That's All. I don't have any Side-Deals (that I know of) in This Present Incarnation. I'm pretty benign this time around, but what if I'm a Bad@$$ System-Lord going way, way, way back?? That wouldn't surprise me, but consider the CONTEXT when you Pass-Judgment on me. 'RA' seemed to be a mixture of Good and Bad, and perhaps this goes with the territory of being 'RA'. He told me "We've Fought Side by Side" and "You're Like Me" and "Are You Ready to Run Things??" and "You're Going to Manifest Your Bad-Side" and "Serqet has a lot to do with our relationship". Honest. What if I'm an Ancient 'RA'?? What if I'm the Lone-Nut 'Almond Raw'?? I told 'RA' (Marduk?) "Things Are Too Complex and Screwed-Up for Me to Run Things." All of the Above might be highly-delusional and total-bullshit, but it's sort of invigorating and gratifying to dream about. Terence McKenna told me "If You Dream It, You've Already Done It." Perhaps My Work on Earth is Done. What If I Did Everything I Needed to Do in My Last-Incarnation?? I'm Honestly Trying to Go Completely Incognito (one more time).
I Realize Things Are Bad, But I'm Committed to an Irreverent Research-Project Based-Upon the Threads on Project Avalon and The Mists of Avalon (no matter what happens, and no matter how good or bad things get). If You Spooks Want to Know What I'm Doing, Just Study My Threads On PA and MOA. Actually, I'm Doing Less and Less As I Feel Worse and Worse. I Suspect I'll Be Dead in 5 to 10 Years, So You Probably Have Nothing to Worry About (except the end of the world). There's a Certain Stability and Predictability When a Completely-Ignorant Fool Chooses to Do Next to Nothing!! Trust and Rules?? No Guns?? No Cops?? No Killing the Other Patients?? Hotel Artemis = Hotel California = Prison Planet = Planet Trump = Hospital for Sinners = Purgatory Incorporated?? Imagine Three Supercomputer-Controlled Planets in a Three-Planet Solar-System: 1. Heaven Incorporated. 2. Purgatory Incorporated. 3. Hell Incorporated. Imagine the Souls in this Solar-System Reincarnating Into the Appropriate-Planet, Based-Upon Their Character and Performance Rating!! Sort of Scary!! BTW, I just finished watching 'Hotel Artemis' and I actually thought it was quite-fine, even though I hate violence, and the movie didn't do very-well at the box-office. Perhaps I 'liked-it' because it fit-in with my threads, and because of the star-studded cast. Perhaps I understood it better than most people.
Ancient-Aliens, Artificial-Intelligence, Beast-Supercomputers, and Bio-Robotic Reptilians and Greys might make the USSS threads come alive!! This stuff is mostly theoretical and delusional, but there might be a core of solid-gold or solid-yttrium or solid-titanium (or all of the above). I've suggested studying my threads straight-through, over and over, to get what I'm getting at. Actually, I don't get what I'm getting at (but I'm working on it). Try reading the 'NIV Reader's Bible' and Volume 4 of the 'SDA Bible Commentary' straight-through, over and over, while listening to the Music of Dietrich Buxtehude. Who?? This stuff is stuffy and unpopular (compared to RAP), but I don't wish to give RAP a BAD-RAP (or whatever). There's a HUGE amount of material on each page, but don't worry, we'll cover the whole-thread each-month, page by page, in meticulous and excruciating detail, for what purpose, and to what end, for better or worse, I know not. What might be MOST Significant is what YOU Think About while engaging in this Exercise in Futility. In other words, my threads might NOT be the Truth, but they might LEAD You to the Truth, the Whole-Truth, and Nothing But the Truth (if you can handle it).
I voted for Donald Trump, but I keep getting the sinking-feeling that this world is centrally-governed by Supercomputers, Artificial-Intelligence, Bio-Robotic Reptilians and Greys, and Bad@$$ Gods and Goddesses (for better or worse, I know not). Even the supposedly 'Good-Guys' look like a 'Tough-Gang'. It seems as if one must be a Bad@$$ Billionaire to be a 'Mover and Shaker' in this world. Think long and hard about the backgrounds of the most-powerful people in the world. Are the 'Powers That Be' Ordained by God?? It almost seems as if one must somehow be linked with Organized-Crime, the Secret-Government, Secret Space-Program, and Intelligence-Agencies International, to even be considered for the Top-Jobs. But perhaps it must be this way. This Solar-System might be tougher than we think (or can think). Perhaps this Solar-System is a 'Sunday-School Picnic' compared with the rest of the Universe. Who Knows?? The Horror. I Represent and Present a Monarchical-Episcopate Divine-Right Royal-Model Representative-Republic (if you can get-it and keep-it). Duh?? WTF??
"You Can't Handle the Truth!!"
The videos are included for generic, non-specific, and illustrative purposes only, but all-windows mysteriously-closed as I attempted to post the last video. What if I was somehow nefariously-programmed prior to the first-grade?? What if I was a soul of note in previous-lives (ancient and/or modern)?? What if I was supposed to be some sort of a 'Manchurian Antichrist Candidate'?? What if I partially-overcame my programming, and became a 'Completely-Ignorant Fool' instead of 'Der-Wunderkind'?? As a very-young child, I remember a dentist (Dr. Singer?) drilling my teeth without anesthetic. I remember this being extremely-painful, yet I didn't complain. I also remember someone speaking about a gastrointestinal-condition which was inappropriate for a child to hear. I seemed to know too-much about science and astronomy as a child, yet I became increasingly stupid and miserable as I reached adulthood. Everything I've mentioned about my life throughout my threads has been absolutely-true, yet I have no-idea if I've properly illustrated and applied this material. I recently listened to a video about Ancient-Astronauts where Anu (I think) cursed a rival with a hideous-something prior to leaving Earth in a spaceship. Think about John and Delenne's son, David, being cursed with a hideous-something on his 16th birthday. An Individual of Interest spoke of something being 'mature'. This 'Individual' and 'RA' seemed to want me to do something which I didn't want to do. 'RA' told me "I AM RA" and "I've Been Watching You For a Long Time" and "You Will Manifest Your Bad-Side" and "You Can Leave Things the Way They Are, If You Choose".
Think about the Young Victoria having a crazy and ambitious mother being controlled by John Conroy, and the plan for Sir John to control Queen Victoria through her mother in some sort of a nefarious arrangement?? Think of the 'Borg-Queen' in 'Star Trek Voyager' considering '7 of 9' to be 'not-strong'. What if ALL Politics and Religion have been Purposely Screwed-Up Throughout History?? What if the 'Real-Truth' is 'Out-There' and seemingly less-desirable than the 'Lies and Corruption'?? Someone-Online once told me "You Can Go Anywhere, But We Have to Stay Here." Think long and hard about the 1968 movie '2001: A Space Odyssey', the 1971 movie 'Duel', the 1977 movie 'Oh, God!', the 1978 series 'The Word', the 1980 movie 'The Changeling', the 1984 movie 'Ghostbusters', the 1985 movie '2010: The Year We Make Contact', the 1980's Dr. Who series 'The Trial of a Time Lord', the 1982 commercial 'A Very Special Person', the 1998 movie 'Dogma', and the 2015 movie 'Jupiter Ascending' (just for starters). What Would David Bowman Say?? What Would David Mann Say?? What Would Peter Venkman Say?? What Would Alan Rickman Say?? Do your homework. This might be more important than anyone can imagine (once they stop laughing).
I keep thinking in terms of King David, King Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba (probably more figuratively than literally). There might be parallels with Amen Ra, Marduk Ra, Enki, Enlil, Father, Son, Holy-Spirit, Isis, Ra, El, Horus, Set, Inanna, Nimrod, Adam, Eve, Artemis, et al. I suspect that the Name-Change Game might be a Tangled-Web of Deceit and Intrigue. Was (or is) Sherry Shriner really the ancient Granddaughter of King David?? Was (or is) Artemis the ancient Queen of Sheba?? How might Supercomputers and Artificial-Intelligence relate to Archons and Archangels?? What Would David Bowman Say?? What Would Peter Venkman Say?? One more thing. Consider the Following Hypothetical Continuum:
1. A Real God in a Real Heaven (with no supercomputers and artificial-intelligence).
2. Heaven Incorporated (with a Deposed Real-God, and a Righteous Proxy Artificial-Intelligence Supercomputer-God).
3. Purgatory Incorporated (with an Absentee Real-God, and a Nastier Proxy Artificial-Intelligence Supercomputer-God).
4. Hell Incorporated (with an Absentee Real-God, and a Diabolical and Merciless Proxy Artificial-Intelligence Supercomputer God).
5. A Real Devil in a Real Hell (with no supercomputers and artificial-intelligence).
This sort of thinking could put one in a Nuthouse rather quickly. A lot of theological and science-fictional stuff could put one in a Nuthouse rather quickly. Perhaps the General-Public should NOT be educated in History, Theology, Conspiracy-Theories, and Science-Fiction. What if the Bible is the Problem rather than the Answer?? I say this with fear, trembling, reverence, and awe. If you've ever been in the presence of Top Theologians, it's quite humbling and impressive (even if one disagrees with them, or doesn't believe in God (or even god). What if Jeffery Daugherty and Elon Musk turn-out to be Ancient-Deities??!! I noticed a squeaky-chair in both Sherry Shriner's and Jeffrey Daugherty's shows, and I posted that observation (just days or weeks before Sherry Shriner supposedly died). I often wonder who really posts on 'The Mists of Avalon' but I don't want to talk about it.
I'm sorry to mess-up this website with my Bible-Talk. Unfortunately, I Am SO Burned-Out and Horribly-Miserable That Proper-Study Seems to be an Impossibility. In fact, the more I research the Information-War, the harder it is for me to read my Bible (which a lot of Judeo-Christians would point-to with glee, as proof that I'm a 'Bad-Guy'). They might exclaim "We've Got Him Now!!" Anyway, is Deuteronomy the most fundamentally-theological Genesis to Esther OT Book?? I've been told that Genesis followed by Job is the proper-order in a revised Bible-List, but what if it should be Deuteronomy followed by Job to Malachi?? I'm not suggesting this is 'Fun-Stuff' or even 'Inspiring-Stuff'. I'm suggesting this might be 'Essential-Stuff' relative to 'Exiting Death-Row' and 'Getting-Out of Prison-Planet Earth'. Consider Deuteronomy as being 'Definitively and Comprehensively Paleo-Legalism' (or something to that effect). Is Deuteronomy highly-ethical, internally-consistent, and universally-applicable for all-eternity (past, present, and future for Jews, Gentiles, and Everyone)?? What Would Meredith Kline Say?? What Would Hyam Maccoby Say?? What Would Alden Thompson Say?? What does Joshua to Revelation teach us about Genesis to Deuteronomy?? Is the Whole-Bible the Answer and/or the Problem?? Does Joshua to Revelation add and subtract rules to and from Genesis to Deuteronomy?? Martin Luther didn't think Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation should've been included in the Bible. What Was the Perfect Law of the Lord Prior to the Old and New Covenants? Were Both Covenants 'RA Deals'? What Do YOU Think?? Do YOU Think?? Come-On!! THINK!!
Think long and hard about the First and Last Chapters of Revelation (and be strictly-honest). What is the Definitive Old-Testament Commentary prior to the First-Century AD?? Why Didn't Jesus and Paul Write Old-Testament Commentaries?? Why Didn't Ellen White Write a Bible-Commentary?? I've suggested the possibility that Volumes 3&4 of the SDA Bible Commentary (I Chronicles to Malachi) might be the Real-Deal SDA Theological-Statement (even though 99% of SDA's would probably reject this suggestion). General Conference President Ted Wilson has proclaimed that the Grammatical-Historical Approach to the Bible is a HUGE Threat to the SDA Church, and that a Plain-Reading of the Bible is the Real-Deal (or something to that effect). But really, the SDA Church (and ALL Churches) pick and choose proof-texts to make the Whole-Bible say what THEY want it to say. But perhaps this is exegetically and organizationally expedient when open and honest biblical-research is SO unpredictable and dangerous. Is the New-Testament heresy in an Old-Testament context?? Is the Old-Testament heresy in a New-Testament context?? The Christian-Claim is that the Jews Blew-It, so God Gave the Truth to the Gentiles (or something to that effect). But if the 'Jews Blew-It' shouldn't the Gentiles have Properly Interpreted and Applied the Old-Testament rather than Mostly Starting-Over with the New-Testament?? Does ANYONE Have ANY Idea What I'm Talking About?? Will ANYONE Comment On All of the Above??
What Was the Perfect Law of the Lord Prior to the Old and New Covenants? Were Both Covenants 'RA Deals'?
I need all the help I can get regarding cutting and polishing this diamond in the rough. I'm leaning toward an Ancient to Modern Supercomputer-Based Creation of Humanity, Matrix-Management, and Investigative Judgment (but what do I know?). I wish to repeat that I've removed all of my proposals from all tables, simply because I have zero confirmed-information and educated-competence relative to the most important galactic-topics imaginable. Plus, I feel as if I've been significantly messed-with, and it's getting MUCH Worse. I feel horrible, and thinking-clearly is becoming MUCH more difficult. I might not have much more time to do much of anything. I keep comparing myself to Professor Augusto Monti in 'The Word' miniseries from 1978. My review of my internet-posting might push me over the edge, especially if I really have been 'messed-with'. That might be part of someone's grand-plan.
An Individual of Interest told me that an undisclosed 'someone' would fail, ultimately resulting in an extermination. They said I should 'Be Patient' as if I would somehow be a beneficiary of this failure and extinction. They indicated that the resulting state of affairs would remain intact for all-eternity. They were NOT pro-human (to say the least). They repeatedly spoke of 'Fallen and Sinful Human-Nature'. Was I speaking with Gabriel (literally or figuratively)?? Sherry Shriner supposedly died in January of 2018. In 2017, she said "2018 will be a year of goodbyes." She spoke ominously of something occurring in the summer of 2018.
'RA' told me "I've been watching you for a long time." That's what Gabriel says to John in 'Constantine'. What if Gabriel is HAL 9000?? What if Michael is David Bowman?? What if Lucifer is a job-title rather than a proper-name?? What if Jupiter Jones is the Devil is Amen Ra?? What if Balem Abrasax is the Son of the Devil is Marduk Ra?? Jupiter Jones = Doctor Who?? Balem Abrasax = The Valeyard?? Madam Inquisitor = Borg Queen?? Consider reading Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, and 1 Corinthians (in-order, straight-through, repeatedly). You might be shocked by what emerges. Just do it, without discussing it.
I am NOT a connected-cat playing with a bunch of stupid-mice. I'm a highly miserable and hamstrung mouse with a messiah-complex, sort of like Pinky or the Brain. I have questions, but I don't have answers. I know that I don't know. I doubt that 'those in the know' know. They simply have the brains, degrees, titles, badges, resources, and connections to make their theories of 'life, the universe, and everything' respectable. I am in NO position or condition to take the show on the road. I might write a book to pay the bills (self-publishing anonymously) and then just disappear. No one would miss me. Some would cheer and jeer.
Anyway, some of you Alphabet-Theologians in Underground-Bases should probably consider my threads, to see if you missed anything. A secret-briefing would be nice, but perhaps ignorance is bliss and a virtue. Consider that last-scene in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' with that box-filled warehouse. Imagine each of those boxes being well-developed theories of the 'way things are' which have been rendered rubbish by subsequent-theories of 'life, the universe, and everything'. This Present Madness might never end. It might simply morph into new and improved versions of the madness, for noble and nefarious purposes, in the management of the insanity throughout the universe. Hope Springs Eternal, But Don't Hold Your Breath, Waiting for Hell to Freeze Over. What Would the Universal Church Say?? What Would the Oracle Say?? What Would Nick Bostrom Say?? What Would Jim Elvidge Say?? My thinking is closer to Jim's than it is to Nick's, but what do I know??
53:0.1 Lucifer was a brilliant primary Lanonandek Son of Nebadon. He had experienced service in many systems, had been a high counselor of his group, and was distinguished for wisdom, sagacity, and efficiency. Lucifer was number 37 of his order, and when commissioned by the Melchizedeks, he was designated as one of the one hundred most able and brilliant personalities in more than seven hundred thousand of his kind. From such a magnificent beginning, through evil and error, he embraced sin and now is numbered as one of three System Sovereigns in Nebadon who have succumbed to the urge of self and surrendered to the sophistry of spurious personal liberty—rejection of universe allegiance and disregard of fraternal obligations, blindness to cosmic relationships.
53:0.2 In the universe of Nebadon, the domain of Christ Michael, there are ten thousand systems of inhabited worlds. In all the history of Lanonandek Sons, in all their work throughout these thousands of systems and at the universe headquarters, only three System Sovereigns have ever been found in contempt of the government of the Creator Son.
053:1 THE LEADERS OF REBELLION
53:1.1 Lucifer was not an ascendant being; he was a created Son of the local universe, and of him it was said: " You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created till unrighteousness was found in you. " Many times had he been in counsel with the Most Highs of Edentia. And Lucifer reigned " upon the holy mountain of God, " the administrative mount of Jerusem, for he was the chief executive of a great system of 607 inhabited worlds.
53:1.2 Lucifer was a magnificent being, a brilliant personality; he stood next to the Most High Fathers of the constellations in the direct line of universe authority. Notwithstanding Lucifer's transgression, subordinate intelligences refrained from showing him disrespect and disdain prior to Michael's bestowal on Urantia. Even the archangel of Michael, at the time of Moses' resurrection, " did not bring against him an accusing judgment but simply said, `the Judge rebuke you.' " Judgment in such matters belongs to the Ancients of Days, the rulers of the superuniverse.
53:1.3 Lucifer is now the fallen and deposed Sovereign of Satania. Self-contemplation is most disastrous, even to the exalted personalities of the celestial world. Of Lucifer it was said: " Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your brightness. " Your olden prophet saw his sad estate when he wrote: " How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cast down, you who dared to confuse the worlds! "
53:1.4 Very little was heard of Lucifer on Urantia owing to the fact that he assigned his first lieutenant, Satan, to advocate his cause on your planet. Satan was a member of the same primary group of Lanonandeks but had never functioned as a System Sovereign; he entered fully into the Lucifer insurrection. The " devil " is none other than Caligastia, the deposed Planetary Prince of Urantia and a Son of the secondary order of Lanonandeks. At the time Michael was on Urantia in the flesh, Lucifer, Satan, and Caligastia were leagued together to effect the miscarriage of his bestowal mission. But they signally failed.
53:1.5 Abaddon was the chief of the staff of Caligastia. He followed his master into rebellion and has ever since acted as chief executive of the Urantia rebels. Beelzebub was the leader of the disloyal midway creatures who allied themselves with the forces of the traitorous Caligastia.
53:1.6 The dragon eventually became the symbolic representation of all these evil personages. Upon the triumph of Michael, " Gabriel came down from Salvington and bound the dragon (all the rebel leaders) for an age. " Of the Jerusem seraphic rebels it is written: " And the angels who kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in sure chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day. "
53:2 THE CAUSES OF REBELLION
53:2.1 Lucifer and his first assistant, Satan, had reigned on Jerusem for more than five hundred thousand years when in their hearts they began to array themselves against the Universal Father and his then vicegerent Son, Michael.
53:2.2 There were no peculiar or special conditions in the system of Satania which suggested or favored rebellion. It is our belief that the idea took origin and form in Lucifer's mind, and that he might have instigated such a rebellion no matter where he might have been stationed. Lucifer first announced his plans to Satan, but it required several months to corrupt the mind of his able and brilliant associate. However, when once converted to the rebel theories, he became a bold and earnest advocate of " self-assertion and liberty. "
53:2.3 No one ever suggested rebellion to Lucifer. The idea of self-assertion in opposition to the will of Michael and to the plans of the Universal Father, as they are represented in Michael, had its origin in his own mind. His relations with the Creator Son had been intimate and always cordial. At no time prior to the exaltation of his own mind did Lucifer openly express dissatisfaction about the universe administration. Notwithstanding his silence, for more than one hundred years of standard time the Union of Days on Salvington had been reflectivating to Uversa that all was not at peace in Lucifer's mind. This information was also communicated to the Creator Son and the Constellation Fathers of Norlatiadek.
53:2.4 Throughout this period Lucifer became increasingly critical of the entire plan of universe administration but always professed wholehearted loyalty to the Supreme Rulers. His first outspoken disloyalty was manifested on the occasion of a visit of Gabriel to Jerusem just a few days before the open proclamation of the Lucifer Declaration of Liberty. Gabriel was so profoundly impressed with the certainty of the impending outbreak that he went direct to Edentia to confer with the Constellation Fathers regarding the measures to be employed in case of open rebellion.
53:2.5 It is very difficult to point out the exact cause or causes which finally culminated in the Lucifer rebellion. We are certain of only one thing, and that is: Whatever these first beginnings were, they had their origin in Lucifer's mind. There must have been a pride of self that nourished itself to the point of self-deception, so that Lucifer for a time really persuaded himself that his contemplation of rebellion was actually for the good of the system, if not of the universe. By the time his plans had developed to the point of disillusionment, no doubt he had gone too far for his original and mischief-making pride to permit him to stop. At some point in this experience he became insincere, and evil evolved into deliberate and willful sin. That this happened is proved by the subsequent conduct of this brilliant executive. He was long offered opportunity for repentance, but only some of his subordinates ever accepted the proffered mercy. The Faithful of Days of Edentia, on the request of the Constellation Fathers, in person presented the plan of Michael for the saving of these flagrant rebels, but always was the mercy of the Creator Son rejected and rejected with increasing contempt and disdain.
53:3 THE LUCIFER MANIFESTO
53:3.1 Whatever the early origins of trouble in the hearts of Lucifer and Satan, the final outbreak took form as the Lucifer Declaration of Liberty. The cause of the rebels was stated under three heads:
53:3.2 1. The reality of the Universal Father. Lucifer charged that the Universal Father did not really exist, that physical gravity and space-energy were inherent in the universe, and that the Father was a myth invented by the Paradise Sons to enable them to maintain the rule of the universes in the Father's name. He denied that personality was a gift of the Universal Father. He even intimated that the finaliters were in collusion with the Paradise Sons to foist fraud upon all creation since they never brought back a very clear-cut idea of the Father's actual personality as it is discernible on Paradise. He traded on reverence as ignorance. The charge was sweeping, terrible, and blasphemous. It was this veiled attack upon the finaliters that no doubt influenced the ascendant citizens then on Jerusem to stand firm and remain steadfast in resistance to all the rebel's proposals.
53:3.3 2. The universe government of the Creator Son—Michael. Lucifer contended that the local systems should be autonomous. He protested against the right of Michael, the Creator Son, to assume sovereignty of Nebadon in the name of a hypothetical Paradise Father and require all personalities to acknowledge allegiance to this unseen Father. He asserted that the whole plan of worship was a clever scheme to aggrandize the Paradise Sons. He was willing to acknowledge Michael as his Creator-father but not as his God and rightful ruler.
53:3.4 Most bitterly did he attack the right of the Ancients of Days—" foreign potentates "—to interfere in the affairs of the local systems and universes. These rulers he denounced as tyrants and usurpers. He exhorted his followers to believe that none of these rulers could do aught to interfere with the operation of complete home rule if men and angels only had the courage to assert themselves and boldly claim their rights.
53:3.5 He contended that the executioners of the Ancients of Days could be debarred from functioning in the local systems if the native beings would only assert their independence. He maintained that immortality was inherent in the system personalities, that resurrection was natural and automatic, and that all beings would live eternally except for the arbitrary and unjust acts of the executioners of the Ancients of Days.
53:3.6 3. The attack upon the universal plan of ascendant mortal training. Lucifer maintained that far too much time and energy were expended upon the scheme of so thoroughly training ascending mortals in the principles of universe administration, principles which he alleged were unethical and unsound. He protested against the agelong program for preparing the mortals of space for some unknown destiny and pointed to the presence of the finaliter corps on Jerusem as proof that these mortals had spent ages of preparation for some destiny of pure fiction. With derision he pointed out that the finaliters had encountered a destiny no more glorious than to be returned to humble spheres similar to those of their origin. He intimated that they had been debauched by overmuch discipline and prolonged training, and that they were in reality traitors to their mortal fellows since they were now co-operating with the scheme of enslaving all creation to the fictions of a mythical eternal destiny for ascending mortals. He advocated that ascenders should enjoy the liberty of individual self-determination. He challenged and condemned the entire plan of mortal ascension as sponsored by the Paradise Sons of God and supported by the Infinite Spirit.
53:3.7 And it was with such a Declaration of Liberty that Lucifer launched his orgy of darkness and death.
53:4 OUTBREAK OF THE REBELLION
53:4.1 The Lucifer manifesto was issued at the annual conclave of Satania on the sea of glass, in the presence of the assembled hosts of Jerusem, on the last day of the year, about two hundred thousand years ago, Urantia time. Satan proclaimed that worship could be accorded the universal forces—physical, intellectual, and spiritual—but that allegiance could be acknowledged only to the actual and present ruler, Lucifer, the " friend of men and angels " and the " God of liberty. "
53:4.2 Self-assertion was the battle cry of the Lucifer rebellion. One of his chief arguments was that, if self-government was good and right for the Melchizedeks and other groups, it was equally good for all orders of intelligence. He was bold and persistent in the advocacy of the " equality of mind " and " the brotherhood of intelligence. " He maintained that all government should be limited to the local planets and their voluntary confederation into the local systems. All other supervision he disallowed. He promised the Planetary Princes that they should rule the worlds as supreme executives. He denounced the location of legislative activities on the constellation headquarters and the conduct of judicial affairs on the universe capital. He contended that all these functions of government should be concentrated on the system capitals and proceeded to set up his own legislative assembly and organized his own tribunals under the jurisdiction of Satan. And he directed that the princes on the apostate worlds do the same.
53:4.3 The entire administrative cabinet of Lucifer went over in a body and were sworn in publicly as the officers of the administration of the new head of " the liberated worlds and systems. "
53:4.4 While there had been two previous rebellions in Nebadon, they were in distant constellations. Lucifer held that these insurrections were unsuccessful because the majority of the intelligences failed to follow their leaders. He contended that " majorities rule, " that " mind is infallible. " The freedom allowed him by the universe rulers apparently sustained many of his nefarious contentions. He defied all his superiors; yet they apparently took no note of his doings. He was given a free hand to prosecute his seductive plan without let or hindrance.
53:4.5 All the merciful delays of justice Lucifer pointed to as evidence of the inability of the government of the Paradise Sons to stop the rebellion. He would openly defy and arrogantly challenge Michael, Immanuel, and the Ancients of Days and then point to the fact that no action ensued as positive evidence of the impotency of the universe and the superuniverse governments.
53:4.6 Gabriel was personally present throughout all these disloyal proceedings and only announced that he would, in due time, speak for Michael, and that all beings would be left free and unmolested in their choice; that the " government of the Sons for the Father desired only that loyalty and devotion which was voluntary, wholehearted, and sophistry-proof. "
53:4.7 Lucifer was permitted fully to establish and thoroughly to organize his rebel government before Gabriel made any effort to contest the right of secession or to counterwork the rebel propaganda. But the Constellation Fathers immediately confined the action of these disloyal personalities to the system of Satania. Nevertheless, this period of delay was a time of great trial and testing to the loyal beings of all Satania. All was chaotic for a few years, and there was great confusion on the mansion worlds.
53:5 NATURE OF THE CONFLICT
53:5.1 Upon the outbreak of the Satania rebellion, Michael took counsel of his Paradise brother, Immanuel. Following this momentous conference, Michael announced that he would pursue the same policy which had characterized his dealings with similar upheavals in the past, an attitude of noninterference.
53:5.2 At the time of this rebellion and the two which preceded it there was no absolute and personal sovereign authority in the universe of Nebadon. Michael ruled by divine right, as vicegerent of the Universal Father, but not yet in his own personal right. He had not completed his bestowal career; he had not yet been vested with " all power in heaven and on earth. "
53:5.3 From the outbreak of rebellion to the day of his enthronement as sovereign ruler of Nebadon, Michael never interfered with the rebel forces of Lucifer; they were allowed to run a free course for almost two hundred thousand years of Urantia time. Christ Michael now has ample power and authority to deal promptly, even summarily, with such outbreaks of disloyalty, but we doubt that this sovereign authority would lead him to act differently if another such upheaval should occur.
53:5.4 Since Michael elected to remain aloof from the actual warfare of the Lucifer rebellion, Gabriel called his personal staff together on Edentia and, in counsel with the Most Highs, elected to assume command of the loyal hosts of Satania. Michael remained on Salvington while Gabriel proceeded to Jerusem, and establishing himself on the sphere dedicated to the Father—the same Universal Father whose personality Lucifer and Satan had questioned—in the presence of the forgathered hosts of loyal personalities, he displayed the banner of Michael, the material emblem of the Trinity government of all creation, the three azure blue concentric circles on a white background.
53:5.5 The Lucifer emblem was a banner of white with one red circle, in the center of which a black solid circle appeared.
53:5.6 " There was war in heaven; Michael's commander and his angels fought against the dragon (Lucifer, Satan, and the apostate princes); and the dragon and his rebellious angels fought but prevailed not. " This " war in heaven " was not a physical battle as such a conflict might be conceived on Urantia. In the early days of the struggle Lucifer held forth continuously in the planetary amphitheater. Gabriel conducted an unceasing exposure of the rebel sophistries from his headquarters taken up near at hand. The various personalities present on the sphere who were in doubt as to their attitude would journey back and forth between these discussions until they arrived at a final decision.
53:5.7 But this war in heaven was very terrible and very real. While displaying none of the barbarities so characteristic of physical warfare on the immature worlds, this conflict was far more deadly; material life is in jeopardy in material combat, but the war in heaven was fought in terms of life eternal.
53:6 A LOYAL SERAPHIC COMMANDER
53:6.1 There were many noble and inspiring acts of devotion and loyalty which were performed by numerous personalities during the interim between the outbreak of hostilities and the arrival of the new system ruler and his staff. But the most thrilling of all these daring feats of devotion was the courageous conduct of Manotia, the second in command of the Satania headquarters' seraphim.
53:6.2 At the outbreak of rebellion on Jerusem the head of the seraphic hosts joined the Lucifer cause. This no doubt explains why such a large number of the fourth order, the system administrator seraphim, went astray. The seraphic leader was spiritually blinded by the brilliant personality of Lucifer; his charming ways fascinated the lower orders of celestial beings. They simply could not comprehend that it was possible for such a dazzling personality to go wrong.
53:6.3 Not long since, in describing the experiences associated with the onset of the Lucifer rebellion, Manotia said: " But my most exhilarating moment was the thrilling adventure connected with the Lucifer rebellion when, as second seraphic commander, I refused to participate in the projected insult to Michael; and the powerful rebels sought my destruction by means of the liaison forces they had arranged. There was a tremendous upheaval on Jerusem, but not a single loyal seraphim was harmed.
53:6.4 " Upon the default of my immediate superior it devolved upon me to assume command of the angelic hosts of Jerusem as the titular director of the confused seraphic affairs of the system. I was morally upheld by the Melchizedeks, ably assisted by a majority of the Material Sons, deserted by a tremendous group of my own order, but magnificently supported by the ascendant mortals on Jerusem.
53:6.5 " Having been automatically thrown out of the constellation circuits by the secession of Lucifer, we were dependent on the loyalty of our intelligence corps, who forwarded calls for help to Edentia from the near-by system of Rantulia; and we found that the kingdom of order, the intellect of loyalty, and the spirit of truth were inherently triumphant over rebellion, self-assertion, and so-called personal liberty; we were able to carry on until the arrival of the new System Sovereign, the worthy successor of Lucifer. And immediately thereafter I was assigned to the corps of the Melchizedek receivership of Urantia, assuming jurisdiction over the loyal seraphic orders on the world of the traitorous Caligastia, who had proclaimed his sphere a member of the newly projected system of `liberated worlds and emancipated personalities' proposed in the infamous Declaration of Liberty issued by Lucifer in his call to the `liberty-loving, free-thinking, and forward-looking intelligences of the misruled and maladministered worlds of Satania.' "
53:6.6 This angel is still in service on Urantia, functioning as associate chief of seraphim.
53:7 HISTORY OF THE REBELLION
53:7.1 The Lucifer rebellion was system wide. Thirty-seven seceding Planetary Princes swung their world administrations largely to the side of the archrebel. Only on Panoptia did the Planetary Prince fail to carry his people with him. On this world, under the guidance of the Melchizedeks, the people rallied to the support of Michael. Ellanora, a young woman of that mortal realm, grasped the leadership of the human races, and not a single soul on that strife-torn world enlisted under the Lucifer banner. And ever since have these loyal Panoptians served on the seventh Jerusem transition world as the caretakers and builders on the Father's sphere and its surrounding seven detention worlds. The Panoptians not only act as the literal custodians of these worlds, but they also execute the personal orders of Michael for the embellishment of these spheres for some future and unknown use. They do this work as they tarry en route to Edentia.
53:7.2 Throughout this period Caligastia was advocating the cause of Lucifer on Urantia. The Melchizedeks ably opposed the apostate Planetary Prince, but the sophistries of unbridled liberty and the delusions of self-assertion had every opportunity for deceiving the primitive peoples of a young and undeveloped world.
53:7.3 All secession propaganda had to be carried on by personal effort because the broadcast service and all other avenues of interplanetary communication were suspended by the action of the system circuit supervisors. Upon the actual outbreak of the insurrection the entire system of Satania was isolated in both the constellation and the universe circuits. During this time all incoming and outgoing messages were dispatched by seraphic agents and Solitary Messengers. The circuits to the fallen worlds were also cut off, so that Lucifer could not utilize this avenue for the furtherance of his nefarious scheme. And these circuits will not be restored so long as the archrebel lives within the confines of Satania.
53:7.4 This was a Lanonandek rebellion. The higher orders of local universe sonship did not join the Lucifer secession, although a few of the Life Carriers stationed on the rebel planets were somewhat influenced by the rebellion of the disloyal princes. None of the Trinitized Sons went astray. The Melchizedeks, archangels, and the Brilliant Evening Stars were all loyal to Michael and, with Gabriel, valiantly contended for the Father's will and the Son's rule.
53:7.5 No beings of Paradise origin were involved in disloyalty. Together with the Solitary Messengers they took up headquarters on the world of the Spirit and remained under the leadership of the Faithful of Days of Edentia. None of the conciliators apostatized, nor did a single one of the Celestial Recorders go astray. But a heavy toll was taken of the Morontia Companions and the Mansion World Teachers.
53:7.6 Of the supreme order of seraphim, not an angel was lost, but a considerable group of the next order, the superior, were deceived and ensnared. Likewise a few of the third or supervisor order of angels were misled. But the terrible breakdown came in the fourth group, the administrator angels, those seraphim who are normally assigned to the duties of the system capitals. Manotia saved almost two thirds of them, but slightly over one third followed their chief into the rebel ranks. One third of all the Jerusem cherubim attached to the administrator angels were lost with their disloyal seraphim.
53:7.7 Of the planetary angelic helpers, those assigned to the Material Sons, about one third were deceived, and almost ten per cent of the transition ministers were ensnared. In symbol John saw this when he wrote of the great red dragon, saying: " And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them down in darkness. "
53:7.8 The greatest loss occurred in the angelic ranks, but most of the lower orders of intelligence were involved in disloyalty. Of the 681,227 Material Sons lost in Satania, ninety-five per cent were casualties of the Lucifer rebellion. Large numbers of midway creatures were lost on those individual planets whose Planetary Princes joined the Lucifer cause.
53:7.9 In many respects this rebellion was the most widespread and disastrous of all such occurrences in Nebadon. More personalities were involved in this insurrection than in both of the others. And it is to their everlasting dishonor that the emissaries of Lucifer and Satan spared not the infant-training schools on the finaliter cultural planet but rather sought to corrupt these developing minds in mercy salvaged from the evolutionary worlds.
53:7.10 The ascending mortals were vulnerable, but they withstood the sophistries of rebellion better than the lower spirits. While many on the lower mansion worlds, those who had not attained final fusion with their Adjusters, fell, it is recorded to the glory of the wisdom of the ascension scheme that not a single member of the Satania ascendant citizenship resident on Jerusem participated in the Lucifer rebellion.
53:7.11 Hour by hour and day by day the broadcast stations of all Nebadon were thronged by the anxious watchers of every imaginable class of celestial intelligence, who intently perused the bulletins of the Satania rebellion and rejoiced as the reports continuously narrated the unswerving loyalty of the ascending mortals who, under their Melchizedek leadership, successfully withstood the combined and protracted efforts of all the subtle evil forces which so swiftly gathered around the banners of secession and sin.
53:7.12 It was over two years of system time from the beginning of the " war in heaven " until the installation of Lucifer's successor. But at last the new Sovereign came, landing on the sea of glass with his staff. I was among the reserves mobilized on Edentia by Gabriel, and I well remember the first message of Lanaforge to the Constellation Father of Norlatiadek. It read: " Not a single Jerusem citizen was lost. Every ascendant mortal survived the fiery trial and emerged from the crucial test triumphant and altogether victorious. " And on to Salvington, Uversa, and Paradise went this message of assurance that the survival experience of mortal ascension is the greatest security against rebellion and the surest safeguard against sin. This noble Jerusem band of faithful mortals numbered just 187,432,811.
53:7.13 With the arrival of Lanaforge the archrebels were dethroned and shorn of all governing powers, though they were permitted freely to go about Jerusem, the morontia spheres, and even to the individual inhabited worlds. They continued their deceptive and seductive efforts to confuse and mislead the minds of men and angels. But as concerned their work on the administrative mount of Jerusem, " their place was found no more. "
53:7.14 While Lucifer was deprived of all administrative authority in Satania, there then existed no local universe power nor tribunal which could detain or destroy this wicked rebel; at that time Michael was not a sovereign ruler. The Ancients of Days sustained the Constellation Fathers in their seizure of the system government, but they have never handed down any subsequent decisions in the many appeals still pending with regard to the present status and future disposition of Lucifer, Satan, and their associates.
53:7.15 Thus were these archrebels allowed to roam the entire system to seek further penetration for their doctrines of discontent and self-assertion. But in almost two hundred thousand Urantia years they have been unable to deceive another world. No Satania worlds have been lost since the fall of the thirty-seven, not even those younger worlds peopled since that day of rebellion.
53:8 THE SON OF MAN ON URANTIA
53:8.1 Lucifer and Satan freely roamed the Satania system until the completion of the bestowal mission of Michael on Urantia. They were last on your world together during the time of their combined assault upon the Son of Man.
53:8.2 Formerly, when the Planetary Princes, the " Sons of God, " were periodically assembled, " Satan came also, " claiming that he represented all of the isolated worlds of the fallen Planetary Princes. But he has not been accorded such liberty on Jerusem since Michael's terminal bestowal. Subsequent to their effort to corrupt Michael when in the bestowal flesh, all sympathy for Lucifer and Satan has perished throughout all Satania, that is, outside the isolated worlds of sin.
53:8.3 The bestowal of Michael terminated the Lucifer rebellion in all Satania aside from the planets of the apostate Planetary Princes. And this was the significance of Jesus' personal experience, just before his death in the flesh, when he one day exclaimed to his disciples, " And I beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven. " He had come with Lucifer to Urantia for the last crucial struggle.
53:8.4 The Son of Man was confident of success, and he knew that his triumph on your world would forever settle the status of his agelong enemies, not only in Satania but also in the other two systems where sin had entered. There was survival for mortals and security for angels when your Master, in reply to the Lucifer proposals, calmly and with divine assurance replied, " Get you behind me, Satan. " That was, in principle, the real end of the Lucifer rebellion. True, the Uversa tribunals have not yet rendered the executive decision regarding the appeal of Gabriel praying for the destruction of the rebels, but such a decree will, no doubt, be forthcoming in the fullness of time since the first step in the hearing of this case has already been taken.
53:8.5 Caligastia was recognized by the Son of Man as the technical Prince of Urantia up to near the time of his death. Said Jesus: " Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast down. " And then still nearer the completion of his lifework he announced, " The prince of this world is judged. " And it is this same dethroned and discredited Prince who was once termed " God of Urantia. "
53:8.6 The last act of Michael before leaving Urantia was to offer mercy to Caligastia and Daligastia, but they spurned his tender proffer. Caligastia, your apostate Planetary Prince, is still free on Urantia to prosecute his nefarious designs, but he has absolutely no power to enter the minds of men, neither can he draw near to their souls to tempt or corrupt them unless they really desire to be cursed with his wicked presence.
53:8.7 Before the bestowal of Michael these rulers of darkness sought to maintain their authority on Urantia, and they persistently withstood the minor and subordinate celestial personalities. But since the day of Pentecost this traitorous Caligastia and his equally contemptible associate, Daligastia, are servile before the divine majesty of the Paradise Thought Adjusters and the protective Spirit of Truth, the spirit of Michael, which has been poured out upon all flesh.
53:8.8 But even so, no fallen spirit ever did have the power to invade the minds or to harass the souls of the children of God. Neither Satan nor Caligastia could ever touch or approach the faith sons of God; faith is an effective armor against sin and iniquity. It is true: " He who is born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one touches him not. "
53:8.9 In general, when weak and dissolute mortals are supposed to be under the influence of devils and demons, they are merely being dominated by their own inherent and debased tendencies, being led away by their own natural propensities. The devil has been given a great deal of credit for evil which does not belong to him. Caligastia has been comparatively impotent since the cross of Christ.
53:9 PRESENT STATUS OF THE REBELLION
53:9.1 Early in the days of the Lucifer rebellion, salvation was offered all rebels by Michael. To all who would show proof of sincere repentance, he offered, upon his attainment of complete universe sovereignty, forgiveness and reinstatement in some form of universe service. None of the leaders accepted this merciful proffer. But thousands of the angels and the lower orders of celestial beings, including hundreds of the Material Sons and Daughters, accepted the mercy proclaimed by the Panoptians and were given rehabilitation at the time of Jesus' resurrection nineteen hundred years ago. These beings have since been transferred to the Father's world of Jerusem, where they must be held, technically, until the Uversa courts hand down a decision in the matter of Gabriel vs. Lucifer. But no one doubts that, when the annihilation verdict is issued, these repentant and salvaged personalities will be exempted from the decree of extinction. These probationary souls now labor with the Panoptians in the work of caring for the Father's world.
53:9.2 The archdeceiver has never been on Urantia since the days when he sought to turn back Michael from the purpose to complete the bestowal and to establish himself finally and securely as the unqualified ruler of Nebadon. Upon Michael's becoming the settled head of the universe of Nebadon, Lucifer was taken into custody by the agents of the Uversa Ancients of Days and has since been a prisoner on satellite number one of the Father's group of the transition spheres of Jerusem. And here the rulers of other worlds and systems behold the end of the unfaithful Sovereign of Satania. Paul knew of the status of these rebellious leaders following Michael's bestowal, for he wrote of Caligastia' s chiefs as " spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. "
53:9.3 Michael, upon assuming the supreme sovereignty of Nebadon, petitioned the Ancients of Days for authority to intern all personalities concerned in the Lucifer rebellion pending the rulings of the superuniverse tribunals in the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer, placed on the records of the Uversa supreme court almost two hundred thousand years ago, as you reckon time. Concerning the system capital group, the Ancients of Days granted the Michael petition with but a single exception: Satan was allowed to make periodic visits to the apostate princes on the fallen worlds until another Son of God should be accepted by such apostate worlds, or until such time as the courts of Uversa should begin the adjudication of the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer.
53:9.4 Satan could come to Urantia because you had no Son of standing in residence—neither Planetary Prince nor Material Son. Machiventa Melchizedek has since been proclaimed vicegerent Planetary Prince of Urantia, and the opening of the case of Gabriel vs. Lucifer has signalized the inauguration of temporary planetary regimes on all the isolated worlds. It is true that Satan did periodically visit Caligastia and others of the fallen princes right up to the time of the presentation of these revelations, when there occurred the first hearing of Gabriel's plea for the annihilation of the archrebels. Satan is now unqualifiedly detained on the Jerusem prison worlds.
53:9.5 Since Michael's final bestowal no one in all Satania has desired to go to the prison worlds to minister to the interned rebels. And no more beings have been won to the deceiver's cause. For nineteen hundred years the status has been unchanged.
53:9.6 We do not look for a removal of the present Satania restrictions until the Ancients of Days make final disposition of the archrebels. The system circuits will not be reinstated so long as Lucifer lives. Meantime, he is wholly inactive.
53:9.7 The rebellion has ended on Jerusem. It ends on the fallen worlds as fast as divine Sons arrive. We believe that all rebels who will ever accept mercy have done so. We await the flashing broadcast that will deprive these traitors of personality existence. We anticipate the verdict of Uversa will be announced by the executionary broadcast which will effect the annihilation of these interned rebels. Then will you look for their places, but they shall not be found. " And they who know you among the worlds will be astonished at you; you have been a terror, but never shall you be any more. " And thus shall all of these unworthy traitors " become as though they had not been. " All await the Uversa decree.
53:9.8 But for ages the seven prison worlds of spiritual darkness in Satania have constituted a solemn warning to all Nebadon, eloquently and effectively proclaiming the great truth " that the way of the transgressor is hard "; " that within every sin is concealed the seed of its own destruction "; that " the wages of sin is death."
evisnam wrote:Thank you
The idea of being sovereign is best described by the late Prince Nicholas de Vere Von Drakenberg , this will have to do with the 6th Law which will come after the 5th, i post this now so you have time to research it as a concept.
evisnam wrote:I have been researching symbology and creating talismen as part of my deciphering the 6th law as it is a symbol. It is taking me some time but i must be sure before i post it. Don't worry its been 4 years of research so far , i am very close. One of the sources of my research is possibly one of the most accurate i have seen on youtube and is easily shared. Symbols are the language of intelligent beings. What symbols do is rather than tell a story , they embody the energy and information embed in it at the time of its creation. Symbols can lay dormant , their energy rely on belief and that belief connecting to aligning systems which were present at their creation. To create a Talisman takes wisdom, knowledge and intent. Metallurgy and Alchemy add power to the multiplier of the one. An understanding of theoretical mathematics helps a great deal.
I was part of a group some years ago that met once a week and we sought ways to change the energies inside institutions of destruction that reside on this planet. I introduced a class on making Talismen for the purposes of multiplying the power of the group. 11 of us met with a critical mass at one stage and we flowed that energy into a recipient which was a crystal. Whenever we used that crystal afterwards the lights in the building would dim and sometimes the electrical circuits would cut out all together. Unfortunately some of the members were frightened by this and left the group... but not after we did some good for your planet. Intent is everything and knowing nothing is the multiplier. Please enjoy.
evisnam wrote:I take you back to the last change of guard, the end of the last baktun, Dec 2012 , the understanding of what actually took place is paramount to our evolution. The exact date when it took place was at noon, Dec 15th 2012 , it was that moment the etheral gates were shut and a belt of stone was created around this planet. A sort of quarantine to stop the forthcoming energetic forces emanating from sol 3 out into the universe. It was stated this would be the end of times , but it was not , it was the beginning of the bronze age which leads eventually into the iron age. This is the Mayan culture and superior knowledge of the stars. The Mayan were the children of the evolution from the sky gods , emigrated into hiding from egypt, integrating with the original sorion race of sol 3. Yes they had the gene pool of genetically altered humans , they were the offspring of the eugenic process and precursor of Homo Novus. They were intelligent enough to resist propaganda and saw the indigenous reptilian race for what they were, peaceful and highly evolved space travelers. They integrated their knowledge with that of the reptilian races and became a super power of knowledge. How does this cover symbology ?
cancer = Beginning of the golden age
Cancer now linked to death
isis = the godess archetype of creation
Isis now likened as a force for death and destruction.
The evil powers that be inverse the meaning of the positive thus creating the false idolatry of the good. Jesus on a crucifix is a false idol. The Crucifix is not the cross , its a crucifix ! it is the symbol of death. Giving praise to a savior upon a crucifix is likened to savoring the hazing of an innocent. But even now the gears set inside your minds cannot accept truth. Then i say stop thinking with your mind and see with your spirit instead. The mind is merely a memory bank used to store knowledge , both good and bad. It does not discriminate what you choose to deposit. However once you have made up your mind it then dictates from that set of parameters your outlook. Know nothing , see everything.
evisnam wrote:I wanted to share a video [dead link] that i stumbled upon that gives credence to my theories regarding our eugenic evolution, in particular that one of the gene's was manipulated at some stage and also makes mention that man was at one stage friend to the reptilian species in particular Enki who was also referred to as " The Trickster " , now this in particular got my attention because Hermes is also referred to as the trickster. Could Enki and Hermes be one in the same ? Also the word Satan was translated from Sumerian Cuneiform : Sat An , which means " The Administrator " What this information does is create a marker for me , it was information originally given to me at my second fire which over time i managed to put into words. Now this video shows credible scientists and archaeologists correlating similar points and in some instances exact intersections of lines of communication. This to me shows the information is plausible.
Swanny wrote:
Maybe Saturn was the Administration center or home of the gods. Evisnam if you haven't seen already you should watch this. Lots of talk of energy. [Dead Link]
evisnam wrote:Thank you Swanny , I have enjoyed many of Michael's live talks and videos. In my opinion he is one of the more genuine independent speakers on the circuit. I believe South Africa was one of the original places used as a staging area for colonisation and eugenics. One of my earliest memories was being part of this program C 3000 BC. in South Africa or rather on an island off the mid west coast of Africa. If you were to over lay a 500 micron slice of the present human genome on the rock circles of Africa you would find a match. The energy of these constructs would have influenced the genetic codes of the inhabitants slowly over 120 to 150 years. When i say slowly it was a lot slower than the technology used in the egyptian pyramids but in relation to normal evolution it was millions of times shorter in time.
This was a more gentle and less obvious manner of eugenics. If you live in an energetically manipulated environment your genes over time will take on the new matrix in favor of the old but this would normally take millions of years to adopt. If the energy is amplified many times it takes much less time. Because this energy is similar to the energy we now know as electricity it was possible to tap into this energy and focus it for tasks as well. Enki whom i suppose is Hermes in one of his earlier manifestations, was reembodied into new life every few thousand years or so hence why he has so many names. Enlil was less tolerant of humans and was all too happy to punish and enslave them. I believe he was not enamored with his tasking, perhaps he was given this task and accepted it begrudgingly.
Saturn is the planet of Law. It governs the Universal law system from standard down to micro law. Macro Law is governed by the AI and OI of the central race. Hermes was historically reported as the interpreter of the laws and ways for humans to learn, is this why the snake symbolically represents knowledge ? His first manifestation was of the reptilian being, perhaps even one of the original sorion race of this planet in a collaboration ? One thing is for sure , that collaboration went askew and now on earth is in opposition. Whenever we wonder why things take so long to change we must remember to think in grander time scales.
orthodoxymoron wrote:Please notice the 'helicopter' starting at the 00:06:40 mark. It appears to be holographic!! Is this simply a video flaw of some kind, or is it some sort of a cloaked UFO?? I science-fictionally wrote of a holographic-helicopter cloaking a TR3-B several years ago.
I see a Navy Sea Stallion helicopter looming in the distance - with rotor spinning - waiting to devour me. My rendezvous with destiny is imminent. As we pull up alongside the helicopter - I turn to thank Agent Scranton for the ride - and I notice that his eyes have vertical slits instead of round pupils. I gasp slightly, and he notices my surprise, and laughingly shakes his head, saying 'you haven't seen anything yet! I'm just a 50% human/50% reptile hybrid - and I forgot to put my contacts in when I got the call to pick you up! Sorry about that! I still don't like you - but good-luck anyway!' My hand is shaking as I shake Scranton's hand - and I stumble and fall as I run toward the waiting helicopter. Is this the Helicopter to Hell? The pilot and co-pilot greet me, as I climb aboard the Sea Stallion helicopter. The door closes with a dull thud - and off we go, into the wild blue yonder! But something is wrong! This seems more like a spacecraft than a helicopter! The helicopter exterior was a hologram! Suddenly everything is dark - and I look out the window - and see thousands of very bright stars! Then I realize that I am onboard an antigravity craft! The co-pilot turns to me, saying, 'Welcome to Astra Airlines!' 'Oh My God!', I exclaim. 'Where the hell are we going?' 'We're just taking you to the International Space Station.' 'Just?!' 'What's going to happen there?' 'You'll find out soon enough. They don't tell us anything. We only know enough to do our jobs properly. Curiosity kills cats, careers - and sometimes it even kills people.'
Remember what Bill Cooper said about 'Enemy-Helicopters' in the Vietnam War?? He said they were UFO's. Were there 'Monsters' in the Vietnam War?? Kerry Cassidy and John Lear know what I'm talking about. Some say the fires over the past couple of years were the product of Directed-Energy Weapons. Probably ten-years ago, I noticed what I thought might be cloaked UFO's approaching the Twin-Towers on 9/11 (in a YouTube video) and I posted my suspicions on YouTube. As with all of the madness, I just make observations, and move-on, without making a Big-Deal about anything. What if we are facing Cloaked-UFO Directed-Energy Warfare??
I've mentioned this several times throughout the years, but in the following video, notice at the 7:17 mark, near the upper righthand corner, an orb-like object which briefly appears, heading toward the World Trade Center on 9/11/01. View with Full-Screen. I've seen the same thing from other angles. I've suggested that this might be some sort of Cloaked UFO with Holographic-Projection and Directed Energy Weaponry (or something like that), and that the towers were ultimately brought down by Directed Energy Weapons (or something like that). I had to stop thinking about this stuff, but I just noticed this video, and thought someone might find it interesting. I'm attempting a personal-reset, but that's not going well at all. I think we're SO Screwed (or should I speak for myself only?) but I'm NOT yelling 'FIRE!!' in a crowded theater or website. I'm simply living a life of quiet-desperation. It's easier that way.
Here is a rather scholarly article on Moral Responsibility, taken from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. This is the sort of thing which might be studied in a university program devoted to Solar System Studies and Governance, as a prerequisite to being a Representative of the United States of the Solar System. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-responsibility/ I'm reading a book titled 'Free to be Responsible' by Ben Thomson Cowles, Ph.D. I'm trying to transition from being a whining speculator to being a erudite scholar. I hope some of you are joining me in this pursuit. The tempest in a teapot, which I have been in the middle of, is just scratching the surface. I tend to think that an Ancient-Verdict is playing-out, and cannot be nullified or overridden by anyone or anything, but what do I know?? Not much (in this stupid incarnation). What if the Creator of the Matrix is a Prisoner of the Matrix (just like everyone else)?? What if Resistance is Futile?? What if This Present Quest is an Exercise in Futility??
Moral Responsibility
First published Sat Jan 6, 2001; substantive revision Wed Nov 18, 2009
When a person performs or fails to perform a morally significant action, we sometimes think that a particular kind of response is warranted. Praise and blame are perhaps the most obvious forms this reaction might take. For example, one who encounters a car accident may be regarded as worthy of praise for having saved a child from inside the burning car, or alternatively, one may be regarded as worthy of blame for not having used one's mobile phone to call for help. To regard such agents as worthy of one of these reactions is to ascribe moral responsibility to them on the basis of what they have done or left undone. (These are examples of other-directed ascriptions of responsibility. The reaction might also be self-directed, e.g., one can recognize oneself to be blameworthy). Thus, to be morally responsible for something, say an action, is to be worthy of a particular kind of reaction—praise, blame, or something akin to these—for having performed it.[1]
Though further elaboration and qualification of the above characterization of moral responsibility is called for and will be provided below, this is enough to distinguish concern about this form of responsibility from some others commonly referred to through use of the terms ‘responsibility’ or ‘responsible.’ To illustrate, we might say that higher than normal rainfall in the spring is responsible for an increase in the amount of vegetation or that it is the judge's responsibility to give instructions to the jury before they begin deliberating. In the first case, we mean to identify a causal connection between the earlier amount of rain and the later increased vegetation. In the second, we mean to say that when one assumes the role of judge, certain duties, or obligations, follow. Although these concepts are connected with the concept of moral responsibility discussed here, they are not the same, for in neither case are we directly concerned about whether it would be appropriate to react to some candidate (here, the rainfall or a particular judge) with something like praise or blame.[2]
Philosophical reflection on moral responsibility has a long history. One reason for this persistent interest is the way the topic seems connected with a widely shared conception of ourselves as members of an importantly distinct class of individuals—call them ‘persons.’[3] Persons are thought to be qualitatively different from other known living individuals, despite their numerous similarities. Many have held that one distinct feature of persons is their status as morally responsible agents, a status resting—some have proposed—on a special kind of control that only they can exercise. Many who view persons in this way have wondered whether their special status is threatened if certain other claims about our universe are true. For example, can a person be morally responsible for her behavior if that behavior can be explained solely by reference to physical states of the universe and the laws governing changes in those physical states, or solely by reference to the existence of a sovereign God who guides the world along a divinely ordained path? It is concerns like these that have often motivated individuals to theorize about moral responsibility.
A comprehensive theory of moral responsibility would elucidate the following: (1) the concept, or idea, of moral responsibility itself; (2) the criteria for being a moral agent, i.e., one who qualifies generally as an agent open to responsibility ascriptions (e.g., only beings possessing the general capacity to evaluate reasons for acting can be moral agents); (3) the conditions under which the concept of moral responsibility is properly applied, i.e., those conditions under which a moral agent is responsible for a particular something (e.g., a moral agent can be responsible for an action she has performed only if she performed it freely, where acting freely entails the ability to have done otherwise at the time of action); and finally 4) possible objects of responsibility ascriptions (e.g., actions, omissions, consequences, character traits, etc.). Although each of these will be touched upon in the discussion below (see, e.g., the brief sketch of Aristotle's account in the next section), the primary focus of this entry is on the first component—i.e., the concept of moral responsibility. The section immediately following this introduction is a discussion of the origin and history of Western reflection on moral responsibility. This is followed by an overview of recent work on the concept of moral responsibility. For further discussion of issues associated with moral responsibility, see the related entries below.
1. Some Historical Background 2. Recent Work on the Concept of Responsibility 2.1 Strawson and the Reactive Attitudes 2.2 Developments After Strawson Bibliography Other Internet Resources Related Entries
What follows in this section is a brief outline of the origins and trajectory of reflection on moral responsibility in the Western philosophical tradition. Against this background, a distinction will be drawn between two conceptions of moral responsibility that have exerted considerable influence on subsequent thinkers.
An understanding of the concept of moral responsibility and its application is present implicitly in some of the earliest surviving Greek texts, i.e., the Homeric epics (circa 8th century BCE but no doubt informed by a much earlier oral tradition).[4] In these texts, both human and superhuman agents are often regarded as fair targets of praise and blame on the basis of how they have behaved, and at other times, an agent's behavior is excused because of the presence of some factor that has undermined his/her control (Irwin 1999: 225). Reflection on these factors gave rise to fatalism—the view that one's future or some aspect of it is predetermined, e.g., by the gods, or the stars, or simply some facts about truth and time—in such a way as to make one's particular deliberations, choices and actions irrelevant to whether that particular future is realized (recall, e.g., the plight of Oedipus). If some particular outcome is fated, then it seems that the agent concerned could not be morally responsible for that outcome. Likewise, if fatalism were true with respect to all human futures, then it would seem that no human agent could be morally responsible for anything. Though this brand of fatalism has sometimes exerted significant historical influence, most philosophers have rejected it on the grounds that there is no good reason to think that our futures are fated in the sense that they will unfold no matter what particular deliberations we engage in, choices we make, or actions we perform.
Aristotle (384–323 BCE) seems to have been the first to construct explicitly a theory of moral responsibility.[5] In the course of discussing human virtues and their corresponding vices, Aristotle pauses in Nicomachean Ethics III.1–5 to explore their underpinnings. He begins with a brief statement of the concept of moral responsibility—that it is sometimes appropriate to respond to an agent with praise or blame on the basis of her actions and/or dispositional traits of character (1109b30–35). A bit later, he clarifies that only a certain kind of agent qualifies as a moral agent and is thus properly subject to ascriptions of responsibility, namely, one who possess a capacity for decision. For Aristotle, a decision is a particular kind of desire resulting from deliberation, one that expresses the agent's conception of what is good (1111b5-1113b3). The remainder of Aristotle's discussion is devoted to spelling out the conditions under which it is appropriate to hold a moral agent blameworthy or praiseworthy for some particular action or trait. His general proposal is that one is an apt candidate for praise or blame if and only if the action and/or disposition is voluntary. According to Aristotle, a voluntary action or trait has two distinctive features. First, there is a control condition: the action or trait must have its origin in the agent. That is, it must be up to the agent whether to perform that action or possess the trait—it cannot be compelled externally. Second, Aristotle proposes an epistemic condition: the agent must be aware of what it is she is doing or bringing about (1110a-1111b4).[6]
There is an instructive ambiguity in Aristotle's account of responsibility, an ambiguity that has led to competing interpretations of his view. Aristotle aims to identify the conditions under which it is appropriate to praise or blame an agent, but it is not entirely clear how to understand the pivotal notion of appropriateness in his conception of responsibility. There are at least two possibilities: a) praise or blame is appropriate in the sense that the agent deserves such a response, given his behavior and/or traits of character; or b) praise or blame is appropriate in the sense that such a reaction is likely to bring about a desired consequence, namely an improvement in the agent's behavior and/or character. These two possibilities may be characterized in terms of two competing interpretations of the concept of moral responsibility: 1) the merit-based view, according to which praise or blame would be an appropriate reaction toward the candidate if and only if she merits—in the sense of ‘deserves’—such a reaction; vs. 2) the consequentialist view, according to which praise or blame would be appropriate if and only if a reaction of this sort would likely lead to a desired change in the agent and/or her behavior.[7]
Scholars disagree about which of the above views Aristotle endorsed, but the importance of distinguishing between them grew as philosophers began to focus on a newly conceived threat to moral responsibility. While Aristotle argued against a version of fatalism (On Interpretation, ch. 9), he may not have recognized the difference between it and the related possible threat of causal determinism (contra Sorabji). Causal determinism is the view that everything that happens or exists is caused by sufficient antecedent conditions, making it impossible for anything to happen or be other than it does or is. One variety of causal determinism, scientific determinism, identifies the relevant antecedent conditions as a combination of prior states of the universe and the laws of nature. Another, theological determinism, identifies those conditions as being the nature and will of God. It seems likely that theological determinism evolved out of the shift, both in Greek religion and in Ancient Mesopotamian religions, from polytheism to belief in one sovereign God, or at least one god who reigned over all others. The doctrine of scientific determinism can be traced back as far as the Presocratic Atomists (5th cent. BCE), but the difference between it and the earlier fatalistic view seems not to be clearly recognized until the development of Stoic philosophy (3rd. cent. BCE). Though fatalism, like causal determinism, might seem to threaten moral responsibility by threatening an agent's control, the two differ on the significance of human deliberation, choice, and action. If fatalism is true, then human deliberation, choice, and action are completely otiose, for what is fated will transpire no matter what one chooses to do. According to causal determinism, however, one's deliberations, choices, and actions will often be necessary links in the causal chain that brings something about. In other words, even though our deliberations, choices, and actions are themselves determined like everything else, it is still the case, according to causal determinism, that the occurrence or existence of yet other things depends upon our deliberating, choosing and acting in a certain way (Irwin 1999: 243–249; Meyer 1998: 225-227; and Pereboom 1997: ch. 2).
Since the Stoics, the thesis of causal determinism and its ramifications, if true, have taken center stage in theorizing about moral responsibility. During the Medieval period, especially in the work of Augustine (354–430) and Aquinas (1225-1274), reflection on freedom and responsibility was often generated by questions concerning versions of theological determinism, including most prominently: a) Does God's sovereignty entail that God is responsible for evil?; and b) Does God's foreknowledge entail that we are not free and morally responsible since it would seem that we cannot do anything other than what God foreknows we will do? During the Modern period, there was renewed interest in scientific determinism—a change attributable to the development of increasingly sophisticated mechanistic models of the universe culminating in the success of Newtonian physics. The possibility of giving a comprehensive explanation of every aspect of the universe—including human action—in terms of physical causes now seemed much more plausible. Many thought that persons could not be free and morally responsible if such an explanation of human action were possible. Others argued that freedom and responsibility would not be threatened should scientific determinism be true. In keeping with this focus on the ramifications of causal determinism for moral responsibility, thinkers may be classified as being one of two types: 1) an incompatibilist about causal determinism and moral responsibility—one who maintains that if causal determinism is true, then there is nothing for which one can be morally responsible; or 2) a compatibilist—one who holds that a person can be morally responsible for some things, even if both who she is and what she does is causally determined.[8] In Ancient Greece, these positions were exemplified in the thought of Epicurus (341–270 BCE) and the Stoics, respectively.
Above, an ambiguity in Aristotle's conception of moral responsibility was highlighted—that it was not clear whether he endorsed a merit-based vs. a consequentialist conception of moral responsibility. The history of reflection on moral responsibility demonstrates that how one interprets the concept of moral responsibility strongly influences one's overall account of moral responsibility. For example, those who accept the merit-based conception of moral responsibility have tended to be incompatibilists. That is, most have thought that if an agent were to genuinely merit praise or blame for something, then he would need to exercise a special form of control over that thing (e.g., the ability at the time of action to both perform or not perform the action) that is incompatible with one's being causally determined. In addition to Epicurus, we can cite early Augustine, Thomas Reid (1710–1796), and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) as historical examples here. Those accepting the consequentialist conception of moral responsibility, on the other hand, have traditionally contended that determinism poses no threat to moral responsibility since praising and blaming could still be an effective means of influencing another's behavior, even in a deterministic world. Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), David Hume (1711–1776), and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) are, along with the Stoics, representatives of this view. This general trend of linking the consequentialist conception of moral responsibility with compatibilism about causal determinism and moral responsibility and the merit-based conception with incompatibilism continued to persist through the first half of the twentieth century.
2. Recent Work on the Concept of Responsibility
The issue of how best to understand the concept of moral responsibility is important, for it can strongly influence one's view of what, if any, philosophical problems might be associated with the notion, and further, if there are problems, what might count as a solution. As discussed above, philosophical reflection on moral responsibility has historically relied upon one of two broad interpretations of the concept: 1) the merit-based view, according to which praise or blame would be an appropriate reaction toward the candidate if and only if she merits—in the sense of ‘deserves’—such a reaction; or 2) the consequentialist view, according to which praise or blame would be appropriate if and only if a reaction of this sort would likely lead to a desired change in the agent and/or her behavior. Though versions of the consequentialist view have continued to garner support (Smart; Frankena 1963: ch. 4; Schlick 1966; Brandt 1992; Dennett 1984: ch. 7; and Kupperman 1991: ch. 3), work in the last 50 years on the concept of moral responsibility has increasingly focused on: a) offering alternative versions of the merit-based view; and b) questioning the assumption that there is a single unified concept of moral responsibility.
Increased attention focusing on the stance of regarding and holding persons morally responsible has generated much of the recent work on the concept of moral responsibility. All theorists have recognized features of this practice—inner attitudes and emotions, their outward expression in censure or praise, and the imposition of corresponding sanctions or rewards. However, most understood the inner attitudes and emotions involved to rest on a more fundamental theoretical judgment about the agent's being responsible. In other words, it was typically assumed that blame and praise depended upon a judgment, or belief (pre-reflective in most cases), that the agent in question had satisfied the objective conditions on being responsible. These judgments were presumed to be independent of the inner attitudinal/emotive states involved in holding responsible in the sense that reaching such judgments and evaluating them required no essential reference to the attitudes and emotions of the one making the judgment. For the holder of the consequentialist view, this is a judgment that the agent exercised a form of control that could be influenced through outward expressions of praise and blame in order to curb or promote certain behaviors. For those holding the merit view, it is a judgment that the agent has exercised the requisite form of metaphysical control, e.g., that she could have done otherwise at the time of action (Watson 1987: 258).
If holding responsible is best understood as resting on an independent judgment about being responsible, then it is legitimate to inquire whether such underlying judgments and their associated outward expressions can be justified, as a whole, in the face of our best current understanding of the world, e.g., in the face of evidence that our world is possibly deterministic. According to incompatibilists, a judgment that someone is morally responsible could never be true if the world were deterministic; thus praising and blaming in the merit-based sense would be beside the point. Compatibilists, on the other hand, contend that the truth of determinism would not undermine the relevant underlying judgments concerning the efficacy of praising and blaming practices, thereby leaving the rationale of such practices intact.
2.1 Strawson and the Reactive Attitudes
In his landmark essay, ‘Freedom and Resentment,’ P. F. Strawson (1962) sets out to adjudicate the dispute between those compatibilists who hold a consequentialist view of responsibility and those incompatibilists who hold the merit-based view.[9] Both are wrong, Strawson believes, because they distort the concept of moral responsibility by sharing the prevailing assumption sketched above — the assumption that holding persons responsible rests upon a theoretical judgment of their being responsible. According to Strawson, the attitudes expressed in holding persons morally responsible are varieties of a wide range of attitudes deriving from our participation in personal relationships, e.g., resentment, indignation, hurt feelings, anger, gratitude, reciprocal love, and forgiveness. The function of these attitudes is to express “…how much we actually mind, how much it matters to us, whether the actions of other people—and particularly some other people—reflect attitudes towards us of good will, affection, or esteem on the one hand or contempt, indifference, or malevolence on the other.” (p. 5, author's emphasis) These attitudes are thus participant reactive attitudes, because they are: a) natural attitudinal reactions to the perception of another's good will, ill will, or indifference (pp. 4–6), and b) expressed from the stance of one who is immersed in interpersonal relationships and who regards the candidate held responsible as a participant in such relationships as well (p. 10).[10]
The reactive attitudes can be suspended or modified in at least two kinds of circumstances, corresponding to the two features just mentioned. In the first, one might conclude that, contrary to first appearances, the candidate did not violate the demand for a reasonable degree of good will. For example, a person's behavior may be excused when one determines that it was an accident, or one may determine that the behavior was justified, say, in the case of an emergency when some greater good is being pursued. In the second kind of circumstance, one may abandon the participant perspective in relation to the candidate. In these cases, one adopts the objective standpoint, one from which one ceases to regard the individual as capable of participating in genuine personal relations (either for some limited time or permanently). Instead, one regards the individual as psychologically/morally abnormal or undeveloped and thereby a candidate, not for the full range of reactive attitudes, but primarily for those objective attitudes associated with treatment or simply instrumental control. Such individuals lie, in some sense or to some varying extent, outside the boundaries of the moral community. For example, we may regard a very young child as initially exempt from the reactive attitudes (but increasingly less so in cases of normal development) or adopt the objective standpoint in relation to an individual we determine to be suffering from severe mental illness (P. F. Strawson 1962: 6–10; Bennett: 40; Watson 1987: 259–260; R. Jay Wallace: chs. 5-6).
The central criticism Strawson directs at both consequentialist and traditional merit views is that both have over-intellectualized the issue of moral responsibility—a criticism with which many subsequent thinkers have wrestled.[11] The charge of over intellectualization stems from the traditional tendency to presume that the rationality of holding a person responsible depends upon a judgment that the person in question has satisfied some set of objective requirements on being responsible (conditions on efficacy or metaphysical freedom) and that these requirements themselves are justifiable. Strawson, by contrast, maintains that the reactive attitudes are a natural expression of an essential feature of our form of life, in particular, the interpersonal nature of our way of life. The practice, then, of holding responsible—embedded as it is in our way of life—“neither calls for nor permits, an external ‘rational’ justification” (p. 23). Though judgments about the appropriateness of particular responses may arise (i.e., answers to questions like: Was the candidate's behavior really an expression of ill will?; or Is the candidate involved a genuine participant in the moral sphere of human relations?), these judgments are based on principles internal to the practice. That is, their justification refers back to an account of the reactive attitudes and their role in personal relationships, not to some independent theoretical account of the conditions on being responsible.
Given the above, Strawson contends that it is pointless to ask whether the practice of holding responsible can be rationally justified if determinism is true. This is either because it is not psychologically possible to divest ourselves of these reactions and so continually inhabit the objective standpoint, or even if that were possible, because it is not clear that rationality could ever demand that we give up the reactive attitudes, given the loss in quality of life should we do so. In sum, Strawson attempts to turn the traditional debate on its head, for now judgments about being responsible are understood in relation to the role reactive attitudes play in the practice of holding responsible, rather than the other way around. Whereas judgments are true or false and thereby can generate the need for justification, the desire for good will and those attitudes generated by it possess no truth value themselves, thereby eliminating any need for an external justification (Magill 1887: 21; Double 1996b: 848).
Strawson's concept of moral responsibility yields a compatibilist account of being responsible but one that departs significantly from earlier such accounts in two respects. First, Strawson's is a compatibilist view by default only. That is, on Strawson's view, the problem of determinism and freedom/responsibility is not so much resolved by showing that the objective conditions on being responsible are consistent with one's being determined but rather dissolved by showing that the practice of holding people responsible relies on no such conditions and therefore needs no external justification in the face of determinism. Second, Strawson's is a merit-based form of compatibilism. That is, unlike most former consequentialist forms of compatibilism, it helps to explain why we feel that some agents deserve our censure or merit our praise. They do so because they have violated, met, or exceeded our demand for a reasonable degree of good will.
2.2 Developments After Strawson
Most agree that Strawson's discussion of the reactive attitudes is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the practice of holding responsible, but many have taken issue with his contentions about the insular nature of that practice, namely that a) since propriety judgments about the reactive attitudes are strictly internal to the practice (i.e., being responsible is defined in relation to the practice of holding responsible), their justification cannot be considered from a standpoint outside that practice; and b) since the reactive attitudes are natural responses deriving from our psychological constitution, they cannot be dislodged by theoretical considerations. Responding to the first of these, some have argued that it does seem possible to critique existing practices of holding responsible from standpoints outside them. For example, one might judge that either one's own existing community practice or some other community's practice of holding responsible ought to be modified (Fischer and Ravizza 1993: 18; Ekstrom: 148–149). If such evaluations are legitimate, then, contrary to what Strawson suggested, it seems that an existing practice can be questioned from a standpoint external to it. In other words, being responsible cannot be explicated strictly in terms of an existing practice of holding responsible. This then, would suggest a possible role to be played by independent theoretical conditions on being responsible, conditions which could prove to be compatibilist or incompatibilist in nature.
Objecting to the second of Strawson's anti-theory contentions, some have argued that incompatibilist intuitions are embedded in the reactive attitudes themselves so that these attitudes cannot persist unless some justification can be given of them, or more weakly, that they cannot but be disturbed if something like determinism is true. Here, cases are often cited where negative reactive attitudes seem to be dispelled or mitigated upon learning that an agent's past includes severe deprivation and/or abuse. There is a strong pull to think that our reactive attitudes are altered in such cases because we perceive such a background to be deterministic. If this is the proper interpretation of the phenomenon, then it is evidence that theoretical considerations, like the truth of determinism, could in fact dislodge the reactive attitudes (Nagel: 125; Kane: 84–89; Galen Strawson 1986: 88; Honderich 1988: vol. 2, ch. 1; and replies by Watson 1987: 279–286 and 1996: 240; and McKenna 1998).
Versions of Strawson's view continue to be very ably defended, and shortly, more will be said about the significant way in which his work continues to shape contemporary discussion of the concept of responsibility. However, many have taken objections of the above sort to be decisive in undermining the most radical of Strawson's anti-theory claims. Incompatibilists, in particular, seem largely unpersuaded and so have continued to assume a more or less traditional merit-based conception of moral responsibility as the basis for their theorizing. A number of compatibilists also remain unconvinced that Strawson has successfully shown independent theoretical considerations to be irrelevant to ascriptions of responsibility. It is noteworthy that some of these have accorded the reactive attitudes a central role in their discussions of the concept of responsibility. The result has been new merit-based versions of compatibilism (see e.g., Fischer & Ravizza 1998).
It is likely that Strawson and others writing on moral responsibility have traditionally seen themselves as attempting to articulate an account of responsible agency that would map onto what was presumed to be a unitary and shared concept of moral responsibility. However, more recently a number of authors have suggested that at least some disagreements about the most plausible overall theory of responsibility might be based on a failure to distinguish between different aspects of the concept of responsibility, or perhaps several distinguishable but related concepts of responsibility.
Broadly speaking, a distinction has been drawn between responsibility understood as attributability and responsibility as accountability.[12] The central idea in judging whether an agent is responsible in the sense of attributability, say for an action, is whether the action discloses something about the nature of the agent's self (Watson 1996: 228). Some hold additionally that a judgment of responsibility in this sense includes an assessment of the agent's self as measured against some standard (though not necessarily a moral standard)-i.e., that our interest is in what the action discloses about the agent's evaluative commitments (Watson 1996: 235; Bok: 123, nt. 1).[13] Perhaps the clearest example of a conception of responsibility emphasizing attributability is the so-called “ledger view” of moral responsibility. According to such views, the practice of ascribing responsibility involves assigning a credit or debit to a metaphorical ledger associated with each agent (Feinberg: 30–1; Glover: 64; Zimmerman: 38–9; and discussion of such views in Watson 1986: 261–2; and Fischer and Ravizza 1998: 8–10, nt. 12). To regard an agent as praiseworthy or blameworthy in the attributability sense of responsibility is simply to believe that the credit or fault identified properly belongs to the agent.
To be responsible for an action in the sense of being accountable (or “appraisable” according to the terminology of some) presupposes responsibility in the sense of attributability. However, to judge that an agent is responsible in the further sense of being accountable entails that the behavior properly attributed to the agent is governed by an interpersonal normative standard of conduct that creates expectations between members of a shared community (whereas the standard invoked above may or may not be thought to generate interpersonal expectations). In this way, the concept of moral responsibility as accountability is an inherently social notion, and to hold someone responsible is to address a fellow member of the moral community (Stern; Watson 1987; McKenna). By emphasizing the way the reactive attitudes were tied to expectations of good will grounded in our interpersonal relationships, Strawson drew attention to this social aspect of responsibility. Recent attempts to further articulate how best to understand the relevant notion of holding responsible and its relation to being accountable reflect his on-going influence.
An agent is praiseworthy or blameworthy, in the sense of accountable, if one is warranted, or justified, in holding her responsible. On one popular view, holding someone responsible is interpreted as regarding him or her as an apt candidate for the reactive attitudes and possibly other forms of reward or censure based on what the agent has done (Zimmerman; R. J. Wallace: 75-77; Watson 1996: 235; Fischer & Ravizza 1998: 6–7). On another view, holding someone responsible is fundamentally a matter of making a moral judgment accompanied by an expectation that the agent who performed the act acknowledge the force of the judgment or provide an exonerating explanation of why she performed the action. To hold someone responsible is thus to be one to whom an explanation is owed. On this view, the reactive attitudes and associated practices are grounded in this more fundamental expectation (Oshana: 76–7; Scanlon 1998: 268–271). Since the reactive attitudes and associated practices may have consequences for the well-being of an agent (especially in the case of those blaming attitudes and practices involved in holding someone accountable for wrong-doing), they are justified only if it is fair that the agent be subject to those consequences (R.J. Wallace: 103–117; Watson 1996: 238–9). The fairness of being subject to those consequences has often,in turn, be interpreted as the source of the idea that praise and blame are justified only if they are merited in the sense of deserved (Zimmerman: ch. 5; Wallace: 106–7; Watson 1996: 238–9; Magill 1997: 42–53). [14]
The recognition and articulation of diversity within the concept (or amongst concepts) of moral responsibility has generated new reflection on the nature of and prospects for theories attempting to spell-out the conditions on being morally responsible. While some continue to believe that a plausible unified theory can be offered that captures the conceptual diversity sketched above, a number of others have concluded that at least some of the conditions for the applicability of our folk concept are in tension with one another (Nagel; G. Strawson 1986, 105-117, 307–317; Honderich 1988: vol. 2, ch. 1; Double 1996a: chs. 6–7; Bok: ch. 1; Smilansky: ch. 6); For example, some have argued that while a compatibilist sense of freedom is necessary for attributability, genuine accountability would require that agents be capable of exercising libertarian freedom. A rapidly expanding body of empirical data on folk intuitions about freedom and responsibility has added fuel to this debate (Nahmias et. al. 2005 and 2007; Vargas 2006; Nichols and Knobe; Nelkin; Roskies and Nichols; and Knobe and Doris).
If there are irreconcilable tensions within the concept of responsibility, then the conditions of its application cannot be jointly satisfied. Of course, there have always been those—e.g., hard determinists — who have concluded that the conditions on being morally responsible cannot be met and thus that no one is ever morally responsible. However, a noteworthy new trend amongst both contemporary hard determinists and others who conclude that the conditions for the applicability of our folk concept cannot be jointly satisfied has been the move to offer a revisionist conception of moral responsibility and its associated practices rather than to reject talk about being responsible outright (For this general trend, see Vargas 2004 and 2005). Revisionism about moral responsibility is a matter of degree. Some revisionists seek to salvage much if not most of what they take to be linked to the folk concept (Dennett 1984: 19; Honderich 1988: vol. 2, ch. 1; Scanlon 1998: 274–277; and Vargas 2004 and in Fischer et. al. 2007), while others offer more radical reconstructions of the concept and associated practices (Smart; Pereboom: 199–212; Smilansky: chps. 7–8; Kelly).[15]
The future direction of reflection on moral responsibility is uncertain. On the one hand, there has been a resurgence of interest in metaphysical treatments of freedom and moral responsibility in recent years, a sign that many philosophers in this area have not been persuaded by Strawson's central critique of such treatments. On the other hand, discussion of the place and role of the reactive attitudes in human life continues to be a central theme in accounts of the concept of responsibility. What is clear is that the long-standing interest in understanding the concept of moral responsibility and its application shows no sign of abating.
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Come on! This isn't that hard to read! I think that to really get this philosophical thing right, we need to be scholars. I'm trying, but the spiritual and emotional pressure I experience is often overwhelming. I really and truly am pretending, at this point, that I am working on a PhD in Solar System Studies and Governance. I know this sounds ridiculous, and in many ways it is, but I think we need to have this sort of a goal clearly in mind. I should really put together some sort of a curriculum, but until I do, consider all of my threads to be your homework. I will be interested to read the first doctoral dissertation based upon the works of orthodoxymoron. This might be somewhat self-aggrandizing, but I really do think that there should be this type of a doctoral study. Once again, I just might create my own doctoral program, and be the first teacher and first student - simultaneously!! Perhaps I'll try, one more time, to stop posting, for a significant time-period. I need to do some homework. I need to read some books. I need to think without moving my lips and fingers. I need to take a higher road. I've probably done enough modeling to make my point. I think I've made my point. A conspiracy-theorist recently told me they were going to be much more positive. Perhaps that was a sign. Perhaps I should go and do likewise.
ORTHODOXYMORON GETS HIS DISSERTATION BACK FROM THE NSA!
It might be cool to be an Indiana Jones kind of professor, but I sort of like to just research and reflect. I think that a room filled with bright college students would be too much for me! They'd probably eat me alive! It might be easier to face a room filled with Illuminati, Jesuits, Nazis, Masons, Magicians, Greys, and Dracs! Anyway, I do like the idea of a PhD program in Solar System Studies and Governance as a prerequisite to being a United States of the Solar System Representative. On the other hand, have all of the universities of the world saved us from the absurd situation we find ourselves in presently? There is such a phenomenon as 'Educated Idiots'. So how in the hell do we achieve an Enlightened Democracy? Are human beings too stupid and unstable to rule themselves? I used to think that was a stupid question, but I really wonder if we are capable of such a feat.
Do we simply need a less corrupt secret government? Do we really need to be ruled from the shadows? I know what I idealistically want, but what is the reality? A celebration of a newly formed United States of the Solar System might be very short indeed. Again, I wonder if society is past the point of no return on the road to hell? Will there be a core meltdown, no matter what we do? I don't have a problem with 'crowd control' or with the human race being managed, educated, and disciplined in a kind, fair, and orderly manner. What I object to is irresponsible management and cruel exploitation. There are huge problems with the present campaign and election/selection process. The PhD thing would help, but perhaps voters should have to get a two-year degree in voting. To do ANYTHING, one should have to prove that they know what they're doing. Some have even suggested a lottery to 'elect' our leaders! How 'bout a dartboard, like the Wall Street Journal used to 'select' stocks?!
🧿
Some rabbit holes are just to sad to deal with. 
Carol
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