#FLOOD THE NATIONS WITH GRACE AND MERCY

[conjectureand-gloom]

spamming christian primary school hymn songs in my taylor swift gc :)

@like-the-stars-i-shine (you aren’t on this gc but. you went to said christian primary school and yk which hymn i mean- look at the tags)

[hiswordsarekisses]

I found some beautiful commentary on this passage - The truth is that the “church” - the actual definition meaning “the people of God” - is the “true church” - those who follow the Word of God and are led by His spirit - the church is not a building no matter how we call it.

Church: ekklēsía: “properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. The English word "church" comes from the Greek word kyriakos, "belonging to the Lord"”

Surely we are well aware the building is not our safety, but the true church of God’s people is strong and safe because HE is within her.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:5-7

“The "object" of this (psalm 48:12-14) is to inspire the next generation with a belief that God is the protector of the city; that it is so strong that it cannot be vanquished; that there is safety in such a city as that. As applied to the church now, or at any time, it means that we are to take such views of its being a true church of God; of its being fixed on firm foundations; of its being so able to resist all the assaults of Satan, and of its being so directly under the divine protection, that it has nothing to fear. It will and must stand to all coming time, a place of absolute safety to all who seek protection and safety within it.” ~ Barnes Notes

“The call to survey Zion, or the Church, as a fortified city, is designed to suggest "how well our God secures His fold." This security is perpetual, and its pledge is His guidance through this life.” - Jameson-Faussett Brown

“The free favour of God in Christ; which is not only as a shield, but as a bulwark to the church; his everlasting love, electing grace, the covenant of grace, with its blessings and promises, all which are more immovable than rocks and mountains; and especially the power of God, which surrounds his church, as the mountains did Jerusalem; and by which they are kept and preserved as in a garrison… The Spirit of God, and his operations and influences, which are a standard against the enemy's flood of opposition and persecution; and who being in His church and His people, is greater than he that is in the world, ~ Gill

From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.

~ Isaiah 59:19

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Psalm 125:2

Let our faith in the word of God be hereby confirmed. Let our hope of the stability of the church be encouraged. Let our minds be filled with good thoughts of God. All the streams of mercy that flow down to us, must be traced to the fountain of His loving-kindness. Let us give to God the glory of the great things he has done for us. Let all the members of the church take comfort from what the Lord does for his church. Let us observe the beauty, strength, and safety of the church. Consider its strength; see it founded on Christ the Rock, fortified by the Divine power, guarded by Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. See what precious ordinances are its palaces, what precious promises are its bulwarks, that you may be encouraged to join yourselves to it: and tell this to others. This God, who has now done such great things for us, is unchangeable in his love to us, and his care for us. If he is our God, he will lead and keep us even to the last. He will so guide us, as to set us above the reach of death, so that it shall not do us any real hurt. He will lead us to a life in which there shall be no more death. ~ Matthew Henry

Set your heart to her bulwarks." That is, Pay close attention to them; make the investigation with care, not as one does whose heart is not in the thing, and who does it negligently. The word rendered "bulwarks" - חיל chêyl - means, properly, a host or army, and then a fortification or entrenchment, especially the "ditch" or "trench," with the low wall or breastwork which surrounds it… “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.” Isaiah 26:1

[feedingtheflockministry]

One Will Be Taken and the Other One Left

In my youth I was taught to believe in the pre tribulation rapture, and various scripture passages were used to support it. One passage that was often referred to was, “one will be taken and the other one left”. When we take a closer look at both the passages of scripture from Matthew 24:27-51 and Luke 17:22-37 what we see is not the faithful servants being taken, but rather the unfaithful servants.

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

In Luke the same dialogue is taking place, but at the end of it the disciples asks Jesus, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” In Matthew’s telling of this account he states this just before the end of the tribulation of those days.

Those who are taken are destroyed as in the days of Noah and Lot. They are not the believers, but unbelievers. Even those that share a bed together are effected by this. For there are believers who are married to unbelievers (by married I mean a man and a woman). Just look at Lot and his wife. His wife looked back at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt. For there will be much grief covering the earth at the second coming.

Many believers out there pray continuously for the rapture to take place. Others make YouTube videos centered around this subject while speaking in the name of prophetic words, or dreams and visions of the pre tribulation rapture. Little do they understand that they are praying for the wrath of God to come upon humanity. They spread fear through their lack of understanding, instead of preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We must stop all of this! We must instead pray for His mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, and patience for ALL people. That He blesses the nations and their inhabitants with a soft heart of repentance in order that they may receive the gospel message as truth that will lead them to salvation.

Scripture Passages for this Message:

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30)

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Notice, first the tares and second the wheat, not reverse as the pre or mid tribulation rapture teaches)

The Glorious Return (Matthew 24:27-51)

For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not passaway until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke’s Gospel of the Second Coming (Luke 17:22-37)

And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. [Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

7th December >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor 

on

Thursday, First Week of Advent.

Thursday, First Week of Advent

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

(Readings for the feria (Thursday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Thursday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Isaiah 26:1-6 Let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith.

On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:

“A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you.”

Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a

R/ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

R/ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD. This gate is the LORD’s; the just shall enter it. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior.

R/ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

O LORD, grant salvation! O LORD, grant prosperity! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD; we bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light.

R/ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. or R/ Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation Isaiah 55:6

Alleluia, alleluia. Seek the LORD while he may be found; call him while he is near. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Whoever does the will of my Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

------------------------------

Saint Ambrose, Bishop, Doctor 

(Liturgical Colour: White: B (2))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Thursday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Ephesians 3:8-12 To preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ.

Brothers and sisters: To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 21-22, 25 and 27

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

The favors of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him, and through my name shall his horn be exalted. He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.’”

R/ For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation John 10:14

Alleluia, alleluia. I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel John 10:11-16 The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion When You Are Weak, Remember The Deeds Of The LORD

#DailyDevotion When You Are Weak, Remember The Deeds Of The LORD Psalm 77 (Music) 10Then I said, “It makes me weak, that the right hand of the Most High might change. Verse ten has a couple of different translations based on how certain Hebrew words are given vowels. Here are a couple of other major ways it is translated: (ESV)  Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” (KJV)  And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. There are quite some differences there. It apparently is some tough Hebrew to interpret. Lets just go with the translation we have been using. With the given translation you could see who we could get weak if we thought the right hand of the Most High could change. One thing we have with the Almighty is that He does not change. His default mode is always in His Name given in Ex. 34:6. He is kind, merciful, steadfast in love, forgiving sins but disciplining those He loves when they sin. If He is wrathful and we repent in trust He will default to His primary will toward us being kind, merciful, steadfast in love and forgiving us our sins with discipline. In his weakness the psalmist is worried God might change. Thank God, He does not. 11I recall the LORD's accomplishments; I remember the wonders You did long ago, 12and meditate on all Your work; I think of what You have done. 13O God, Your way is holy. Is any god as great as our God? 14You are the God Who does wonders, You have shown Your power among the nations. 15By Your arm You freed Your people, both Jacob's and Joseph's descendants. When we get weak like above, we need to do what the psalmist does here: he recalls the LORD's accomplishments and the wonders He did long ago. He meditates on how God created the world and all that is in it. He thinks about how He destroyed the world and everything on it by a flood, but saved humanity through eight people. He ponders the choosing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, bringing their descendants to Egypt to grow and then delivering them from the Egyptians with His strong hand. We would do well to ponder these things along with the incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ for us. He is the right hand of the Most High who does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Music) 16The waters saw You, O God, the waters saw You and shook; yes, they were stirred to the depths. 17The clouds poured down water; the skies thundered and Your arrows darted. 18Your thunder rumbled in the sky; lightning flashes lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. 19You tread through the sea; Your path went through great waters; yet no one could tell where You walked. 20You led Your people like a flock by the hands of Moses and Aaron. He recalls how the LORD delivered them through the Red Sea, bringing them through the middle on dry land and then killing the pursuing Egyptians by covering them with the water. We recall how Jesus was baptized, was tempted, crucified, dead, buried, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He now joins Himself to us through baptism and leads us like a flock through this tumultuous world to the world to come. Jesus is only seen now through the means of grace; the Word, Baptism, Absolution, the LORD's Supper and the Church's Absolution. Heavenly Father, when we are weak and fear You have changed, give us Your Holy Spirit so we can recall all Your great saving deeds You have performed for us through You Son, Jesus Christ, our LORD to the effect we may be comforted and strengthened in our faith. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

[dfroza]

And so we live in a world where we have to choose our path

choosing what we value and listen to, indeed what we treasure. yet with all of us living in temporal bodies that can die at any moment, in a world where disaster can strike at any moment. which is all because of the curse of death that destroyed the world.

there was also a global Flood that ripped apart the planet just thousands of years ago with unprecedented volcanic explosions and shifting continental plates causing new mountains to be formed, along with valleys and canyons while laying a vast fossil record of life destroyed. yet not with “transitional” forms of life as told by evolution’s lie, but life that was intentionally created (fully functional right from the start) by our Maker in the beginning…

but greatly affected by the curse of death ever since, bringing about violence in the animal kingdom as well as with humankind. even plant life was affected by the curse. all of nature itself needs healing, to be mended. just as the heart (spirit) of people

(in Son Light)

species on earth have branched out by intentional design, each capable of adapting to their environment. just as people have branched out into nations and cultures and languages from the original man Adam and his wife Eve. although the modern population of about 8 billion people branched out from Noah and his sons and their wives after the Flood.

A great tearing of earth occurred during this time, exposing the inner “heart” as magma flowed free, with the warming of the oceans bringing mass rain and snowfall and the freezing of the poles into a glacial ice age that has slowly receded since, as the climate of garden earth adjusted to the catastrophe.

but where are we headed now?

we are actually looking forward to the return of our heavenly King to rule earth and to give it a Sabbath day’s “rest” of a thousand years which will put an end to all the madness. just as we are looking forward to living in new bodies that will be immortal. and even though this planet is terminal, meaning, it will eventually be destroyed by fire so that A new heaven & earth will be made as our “Home” (an inheritance for children of Light) but we are here living out our lives in the meantime, growing things from seeds for sustenance and producing the massive amount of energy needed for life to thrive. which of course energy production has diversified through technology and some forms are better than others, although even as some oppose it but right now food production depends very much on fossil fuel energy. nations are dependent upon it for the global food supply.

And do people fear the future?

many do.

although there is no fear of this world in our Creator’s Love.

surely, the world that defies God is set to be severely Judged which points to a great catastrophe. and yet we are now in a time of great patience and mercy, sharing the message of grace and rebirth to turn hearts back to the pure “Genesis”

people in Heaven have no worries of the future.

and as children (daughters & sons) of our heavenly Father we know what is to come, with the ultimate healing and restoration of all things. and so we stand our ground in this faith (and hope) with courage. it is an act of bravery to “believe…”

True nature will indeed be restored.

and nothing will deceive on earth at all.

from the 17th chapter of Acts:

This God made us in all our diversity from one original person, allowing each culture to have its own time to develop, giving each its own place to live and thrive in its distinct ways. His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us. For you know the saying, “We live in God; we move in God; we exist in God.” And still another said, “We are indeed God’s children.” Since this is true, since we are indeed offspring of God’s creative act, we shouldn’t think of the Deity as our own artifact, something made by our own hands—as if this great, universal, ultimate Creator were simply a combination of elements like gold, silver, and stone. No, God has patiently tolerated this kind of ignorance in the past, but now God says it is time to rethink our lives and reject these unenlightened assumptions. He has fixed a day of accountability, when the whole world will be justly evaluated by a new, higher standard: not by a statue, but by a living man. God selected this man and made Him credible to all by raising Him from the dead.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 17:26-31 (The Voice)

(this is A new Adam)

[chosenstriker]

Closing Report Of Mgbidi Lagos Experience 2023

What God Has Determined Shall Be Done. Amen

The great first annual Life-Changing Crusade in The Lord’s Chosen Church worldwide which paves way for unlimited open doors and favors for the people of God has been concluded. The world has been blessed and indeed, we’ve taken charge to operate in dominion, restoration, and great explosion by grace and miracle.

The occasion had an overflow in the population of participants from seven continents of the world who were present at the venue with millions who followed on all our social media platforms and zoom.

Further, souls were restored to Christ, several irreparable cases of sicknesses and ailments were rolled away by the Lord, and the congregation at large received immensely from God.

Appreciation and thanksgiving were overwhelmingly attributed to God in melodies by song leaders, and national and international choristers from different countries of the world.

Also, the dignitaries who graced the occasion to worship and receive blessings from the Lord are as follows:

• Prof. Bernard Odoh- APGA Governorship candidate for Ebonyi State.

• Pst. O. Anosike -General Overseer Rock Of Victory International South Africa.

• His Excellency Mr. Douve Diri- Governor of Bayelsa State.

• Mr. Daniel Eniekezimene- Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State.

• Hon. Abedi- Special Adviser to the Governor of Bayelsa State.

However, His Excellency acknowledged God for His faithfulness, mercies, and miracles in Bayelsa State, Nigeria during the unprecedented flood that destroyed sources of livelihood, and killed, and displaced multitudes of people. According to him, our Daddy in the Lord, Pastor Lazarus Muoka called him and said, “the Lord is with you”, that was how the flood receded and life returned to normalcy. He admitted the supremacy of God over everyone and all things and enunciated that he has come on behalf of the Bayelsa State government and its occupants to attribute respect and worship to this Awesome God who has seen them through. In turn, our General Overseer joyfully welcomed and prayed that God will preserve and prosper him and his household all around in sound health, grace, and power.

Messages were taken from these themes:

• What God Has Determined Shall Be Done( Parts 1-4).

• Are You Among Those Who Have Disappointed The Lord? And

• The Heavenly Report, he emphasized the fact that this year, God has determined to bless, protect and guide us, nothing shall be able to harm us and declared thus:

“this year, you will never walk in darkness or stumble.

Grace is already waiting for you to launch you into the great explosion.

Victory, riches, and above only shall be your portion”.

There shall be a restoration of whatever has been taken from you physically, spiritually, and otherwise”.

The congregants claimed these and lots more utterances of blessing and favor from the mouth of God’s servant.

<a href="tlccrm.org" style="color:#222255">tlccrm</a>

We are so grateful to this Great God for His grace and power upon the ministry, within these 20 years of operation, the church has launched over 4000 locations in Nigeria, and out of 190 countries, 110 fellowship centers have been established.

Hallelujah! By the spirit of God, we are taking over the world and causing revival.

Only God can do this!

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

From Being Totally  Lost

“Seek the LORD, all who are humble, and follow His commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you—protect you from His anger on that day of destruction.” Zephaniah 2:3NLT

Mingled through what God’s going to set in motion, how “…all the people on earth” Zephaniah 1:18NLT will be destroyed, we find mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Grace. Grace and more grace. Zephaniah is three small chapters, an easy read. God is very angry, gruff and explanatory about the destruction coming. Although we see much of the consequences God planned to occur, when Babylon overran Judah, I believe this tiny book also speaks much about the end times. Because God doesn’t lie or change HIs mind only at the end of time will God destroy all of the evil people on earth. 

To me, it’s astounding how God repeatedly asks, almost begs people to repent and return to Him. Patience? Does that sound like a hateful, ‘I’m gonna get you’ God? Consider —“I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for Me now! Surely they will listen to My warnings.…” Zephaniah 3:7NLT Yahweh is wanting a little “reverence.” Meanwhile people act like brainless dolts not even considering His power.

Humanity today by and large act like God is nonexistent. A FaceBook video showed someone asking people, ‘Who is Jesus?’ Out of the many interviewed, the common answer was —‘I don’t know.’ Kindergarten through graduate schools have done their subtle communism teaching well, in making Jesus and God irrelevant. More people are totally lost in sin and not knowing about Jesus’ saving grace than ever before in the history of our nation. We started out as a nation whose God was LORD God with covenant, desiring to worship God, send out missionaries, and love the world to Jesus. Now we’re spiritually illiterate in vast ways. Is there any hope for us?

I’ve heard several prophets say the elderly will need to teach the youth which will be born in the next revival, —The Great Awakening. We’ll have the privilege to keep them from being totally lost. Somehow the in-between generations have lost much of their reverence for and belief in God. The elderly generation remains “…those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His Presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.” Malachi 3:16NIV

Those elderly teachers will awaken the youth that they— “…no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against Me. I will remove all proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on My holy mountain. Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the LORD.” Zephaniah 3:11-12NLT

For many years people have quoted to me—“For the LORD your God is …a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17NLT Until today I never saw how we became the redeemed ones He sang over. Again He did it all for us, rescuing us from our lost state of rebellion and sin, removing our pride and saving us. 

Some of us will seek Him. From there He will take us the rest of the way to being humble and needy. Will just have to be willing. Some won’t. Are you willing? It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: LORD God of covenant with the USA, we need this revival to wash over our land in a flood from east to west and north to south that not everyone be lost. Our world needs the revival too. Please God, send this great revival soon, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by  Debbie Veilleux

Copyright 2023 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you. 

[lesfeldickbiblestudy]

  Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 59 WINKING AT EVIL? WAKE UP! - PART 2 REVELATION 2:11 – 3:22 Again, we always like to remind folks who maybe new to the program that we’re non-denominational. I don’t follow any particular denominational line. We’re going to teach the Word the way we see it and the Spirit leads, and I think a lot of people are beginning to understand that if you just look at what it says it’s there as plain as day, and I always stress, it’s just as important to look for what is not there as what is there. And, in that line, I can say that very thing concerning these seven letters we’ve been studying here in Revelation, and this is why I feel that they are Jewish. They are still under the Kingdom economy because there is not one Pauline doctrinal statement in here, not a one. There’s not a reference to salvation by faith alone. For these Jewish believers it’s all works as we saw in the last program. And there’s no reference to faith in the death burial and resurrection for salvation as it is for us today in this Age of Grace. It was all based on who Jesus of Nazareth really is and was for these Jewish believers. So, all of these things are pertinent to Bible study; that you recognize to whom it’s spoken. What is the language that’s being used? Who’s writing it? And then, what is not there. And that pretty much settles it. All right, we’re going to go right on from where we left off and that would be in Revelation chapter 2,and we’re going to start the letter to Thyatira, which is verse 18. And again, remember, these are all words spoken by the Son of Man, as He’s referred to Israel so often, but here He’s referred to as the Son of God. So remember those are all titles that mean the same person. Revelation 2:18 "And unto the angel (or the minister or the leader) of the church (assembly) in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who has eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;" Now again, as we pointed out in one of the programs last taping, what do those terminologies refer to? Love? Mercy? Grace? No. What? Judgment! He is about ready to move in with judgment. And remember, God is just as capable of pouring out judgment as He is mercy and grace. Israel experienced it in her past history. My, what was the whole purpose of the prophets? To warn Israel that if they did not turn from their wicked ways judgment was coming. Well, not the flood, not the Tribulation back then, but invading armies. And did it happen? Yes, it happened because Israel refused to listen. Well, we have the same thing now. Remember, this is probably written, I think, in the late 50’s; that is of the first century. We’re talking about somewhere between 55 and 60 AD during which time Paul is also writing his letters to the Gentile churches, but Peter, James, and John are still dealing with the Jewish element, and oh, if people could only see that. Now, while we had a break I put the timeline on the board and I’m going to just rehearse it briefly. We come out of the Old Testament to Christ’s earthly ministry and it’s all Jewish. And again, I’m going to use the verse that we’ve used so often. You can turn with me, if you will, to Romans 15 verse 8, and this is for people who do not understand that Christ’s earthly ministry was only to the nation of Israel. Oh, they know the verse in John, "He came unto His own and His own received Him not." They know that much, but I guess they think His own rejected Him in the first week of His ministry and then He began ministering to Gentiles. Nothing could be further from the truth! I was reading somebody again just the other day, where this fellow was saying that all those multitudes that Jesus ministered to were Gentile. That’s not what this Book says! Got Romans 15 verse 8? We’ve used it a lot the last year, and I’ll keep using it because it says it all! Romans 15:8a "Now I say, (now this is Paul writing to Gentiles) that Jesus Christ was

a minister of (the whole world? Of Gentiles? But what?) the circumcision…" Now that’s plain English. Why can’t they see that? He was a minister of the circumcision, Israel, Romans 15:8b "…for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:" Well, come back to my timeline, all the way back to Abraham. Promises and prophecy. Promises and prophecy. And as I mentioned, I think in last month’s taping, there were over 350 distinct prophecies concerning His first advent and every one of them were fulfilled to the last jot and tittle. Now, there was also a bunch of them that went on to the end that had not yet been fulfilled, but they will be! Now, back to the timeline. So anyway, He comes out of the Old Testament economy; He begins His earthly ministry, strictly to the nation of Israel, but the Romans and the Jews brought about the crucifixion. He arose from the dead. After forty days with the Twelve, or the Eleven, He went back to Glory, and then everything is left on the shoulders of particularly Peter, James, and John. Those are the only three we really get much activity from. All right, now then, if you’ll follow my timeline, Peter, James, and John continue to minister to these Jews who had become believers first in Christ’s earthly ministry. I suppose I could put the three years up there to help identify what I’m talking about. Here we have His three years of earthly ministry, then He goes back to glory and Peter, James, and John continue what was started here. Nothing is different. They perform the miracles. They are still under the signs and wonders, and so they are ministering now still to the "circumcision," to the Jews with the idea that the 7 years of Tribulation is right out in front of them. The whole prophetic program is going to be fulfilled and that it’s going to be followed by the Second Coming and then would come that glorious Kingdom here on earth. And so, the whole idea was for these believing Jews, and when I speak of a believing Jew, we’re talking about Jews who had embraced Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah! They are not believing in the death, burial, and resurrection as we are, although they certainly know that the One who was killed and rose from the dead, went back to glory and was in a position to come again. But, what they’re looking for is the fulfillment of these promises made to their forefathers. And that had to rest on Christ’s return, but that couldn’t happen until the rest of prophecy concerning the seven years of Tribulation had been fulfilled first. All right, now a verse just comes to mind. Let’s go back to Matthew chapter 24, verse 13, and I’ve stressed it when we teach these verses in Matthew 24 that this is all Tribulation ground. If you have a red-lettered edition, it’s red. These are the words of the Lord Jesus before He ascends, and in fact, this is even before the crucifixion and the Twelve have just asked Him, what are going to be the signs of your coming and the end of the age? All right, so He starts unfolding everything that pertains to these seven years of Tribulation, or the wrath and vexation. All right, the only verse I want you to look at right now is verse 13. And this is what Peter, James, and John are admonishing these Jewish believers to look at. If they can just get through the horrors of those seven years they will witness the return of the King. And what does it say? Matthew 24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Now, He wasn’t talking about their eternal salvation. They weren’t talking about their spiritual salvation; He was talking about the physical. If you believers can endure these seven years and come out at the other end still alive, then you’ll be able to go into the Kingdom as flesh and blood. And remember, a remnant of Jews will. A scattering of Gentiles will. But nevertheless, this is what Jesus is referring to when He speaks of these things that are right out in front of them. Now, I guess I also have to make note

of the fact that this timeline, that we’ve been looking at, especially since we started our study in James, Peter, and John; so far as these Jewish believers are concerned this was the timeline. They were expecting the wrath and vexation to come in and then would come the Second Coming, and then would come the Kingdom, and then Israel could be the evangelists of the world. Now, of course, we understand that from our vantage point, God stopped this whole shebang right here shortly before the Tribulation came in and instead of bringing in wrath, He opens up the timeline with the grace of God, or what we call the out-calling of the Body of Christ, which puts all this out into the future. And so we are now in the 1900 and some year period of time where all of this has been put on hold, but these Jews that Peter, James, and John are ministering to don’t know that. This is what I always have to stress. There’s nothing in these letters, there’s nothing in the book of Revelation to indicate that the timeline is going to be interrupted. Now, the only place in Scripture where we have an indication of that timeline being interrupted is in Luke 4, and we’re not going to look at that now, but you remember in Luke 4 when Jesus stopped in the middle of Isaiah chapter 60 verse 2, when He said, "And today this has been fulfilled in your ears." Well, He stopped just ahead of the description of the Tribulation.But no one else had any clue that this was going to be interrupted and that these things were not going to be finished. All right, so back to Revelation chapter 2 and verse 18. He’s speaking of judgment. Revelation 2:18b "…who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass." Brass always throughout the Old Testament spoke of judgment. Revelation 2:19 "I know thy works, (again, see the emphasis) and charity, (love) and service, and faith, (yes, there were some good people in these assemblies) and thy patience, (and then He comes back and emphasizes what for the second time?) and thy works; (Works. Works. Works) and the last to be more than the first." So there was good element in every one of these assemblies. And even Thyatira, but along with the good element what do we have? A Jezebel! Now, I usually like to just tantalize people’s thinking. Does any sane woman name her daughter Jezebel? Do you? Have you ever heard of one? I haven’t. Why? Because she was the epitome of wickedness. The gal knew nothing but sexual immorality. That was her thing. All right, now that was back in the Old Testament, but here to point out the Jewishness of it all, the Lord refers to this woman who was doing the same thing within this Jewish believing community – another Jezebel. Not the same one that you’ve got back there in the book of Kings, but she was a Jezebel because she was promoting sexual immorality amongst these Jewish congregations. Revelation 2:20a "Notwithstanding (in spite of all their works) I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest (permit) that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess,…" Now, I don’t want to give people the impression that I’m anti-woman, or anti-female, but when you look a the New Age movement today, or when you look at the pagan, mythological religions of ancient history, who was usually the promoter of it? Women. Look at your New Age movement, who are your greatest promoters of the New Age? Who are the ones most likely to succumb to it? The women and the same way in mythology. It was those goddesses that hooked the masses of people. Well, it’s the same way here. Here she had come into this Jewish assembly and called herself a prophetess. Now, how did she get away with it? Well, the element that should have known better condoned it. They said, oh well, she’s not going to do that much harm, let’s not cause a big division. Am I making my point? This is what’s happening today. This is exactly what happens today. An element comes into a local church and even though most of the people

know it’s dead wrong they don’t want to cause any waves, they don’t want to cause any problems so they condone it. And that’s exactly what the Lord warns against. And what does she begin to do? Revelation 2:20b "…to teach and to seduce my servants (and for what purpose?) to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols." Much different than what you had in Pergamus? Huh-uh. Much different than what we see today? Huh-uh. It’s just over and over throughout human history. This has been the thing that has plagued the human race, especially when you get into the realm of religion. Okay, take warning. She has been dealt with by the Lord evidently, because He says in the first person: Revelation 2:21 "And I gave her space (or I gave her time) to repent of her fornication; (her immorality) and she repented not." She wouldn’t have a thing to do with the Lord’s pleading. Revelation 2:22a "Behold, (the Lord says) I will (What is that? That’s a promise. And here comes the prophecy) cast her into a bed,…" Now, let’s compare the two Jezebel’s for just a moment. If you know anything about Jezebel, the queen wife of King Ahab, what was her end? They threw her down didn’t they? And she was killed in the process, just utterly thrown down and destroyed. But see, this Jezebel, God is going to cast into a "bed" but it’s going to be a bed of judgment. Revelation 2:22b "…and them that commit adultery with her (and they’re going to go) into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." Now, Jezebel back in the Old Testament had an untimely end, no doubt about it, and for all her beauty and all of her abilities to seduce, she still had a rather horrible ending, but it was rather quick. But this Jezebel, it’s going to be a seven-year period of tribulation and judgment. And again, I don’t want people to think that I’m a fear-monger, but listen, these seven years are going to be beyond comprehension. And again, I’m going to take you back to Matthew 24, the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, concerning this seven-year period. Now, I know He’s referring specifically here in this verse we’re going to read to the last half. But as I’ve stressed over the years, remember the first half is not going to be a Sunday school picnic by any stretch, because one fourth of the world’s population will lose their lives in the first half. The other three-fourth’s in the last half, but nevertheless it’s going to be a horrible seven-year period and this is what this Jezebel and her followers are being warned of, that they would be going into the horrors of the Tribulation. All right, Matthew 24 verse 21, and remember this is from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself. The Creator of everything. The Author of this Book. The One who controls the future. Matthew 24:21 "For then (especially the last half of the seven years) shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." And you know I’ve always reminded people since I’ve taught these things, He’s going clear back to the Noahic Flood, and it was awful. He comes on up through the various times of judging the nation of Israel and some of those times were awful. But then He comes on and looks into the future from the time of 30-32 AD and He looks down the corridors of time all the way up to this seven-year period and he said, even that which is in between, there would be nothing to compare with this period of time. Now, if you know anything about recent history, what is He looking past? The Holocaust; Hitler’s death ovens. Even they could not compare with the horrors of these final three and a half years. And when you see the human race behaving themselves as they are lately, can you say, "No wonder." It’s no wonder. I’m surprised God hasn’t already moved. You know, I remember way back, I think probably in the 80’s, Billy Graham made the statement that if God does not judge America, Sodom and Gomorrah will scream "You’re not fair." Well, if Billy Graham thought it was that bad in the 80’s, then what in the world must God think today.

And it’s getting worse by the week. All right, so these judgments are coming and God’s wrath is suddenly going to be released. So again, here is the judgment that’s going to befall this unbelieving, immoral segment of even the Jewish people. Revelation 2:22 "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, (but He always gives them the loophole and what was it?) except they repent of their deeds." God would still forgive. Never forget, how does Romans 5 put it? "That where sin abounds Grace doeth much more abound." And here it is, even this wicked woman who was leading people into gross immorality, God was ready to forgive her. God’s grace was ready to bring her back, if she would repent. But she would not, and if she would not, God says: Revelation 2:23 "And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches (assemblies. All seven of them, now don’t forget we’re talking about seven assemblies) shall know that I am he who searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto you every one of you according to your works." They’re going to get what they deserve. Revelation 2:24 "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira as many as have not this doctrine, (you have not followed Jezebel) and which have not know the depths of Satan, as they speak;(Now stop a minute. What does that mean? For those who had followed Jezebel, who were they really kowtowing to? Satan. And the depths of it.) I will put upon you no other burden." In other words, for those that were keeping themselves free of the influence of Jezebel and the immorality, God was still going to protect them in a special way. Revelation 2:25 "But that which ye have already hold fast (how long?) till I come." Now, you see, they were looking for this timeline on top. They were still expecting all these events to be fulfilled according to the Old Testament promises and so the Lord is telling them, if you can just bear up, and as we say in Matthew 24, if they could endure these things until the end, then they would enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom. Revelation 2:26 "And he that overcometh, (in other words can resist the temptations of even the influence of a Jezebel, if they can hold fast and overcome) and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:" Now, we’ll pick this up in our next program. I haven’t got time and I want to take you back to Deuteronomy and see how the nation of Israel is indeed going to be the number one nation in the Kingdom economy.

[bookoftruth]

Doubts make you stronger in your love for Me

Wednesday, September 21, 2011 22:00

I come in the Name of Jesus, Who came in the flesh and was made man.

My dearly beloved daughter, you are now so very close to My Heart, yet you can feel so far away. At times you think you have been separated from Me, when in fact, you have only drawn closer in union with Me.

So strong now, My daughter, I Am building your confidence, so that you can continue to proclaim My Word to mankind. This is a very important Mission. Because of the demons unleashed in their millions by Satan in these times, they are attacking you on every corner. The first people they will use will be believers who will queue up to throw the first stone at you.

As My great Act of Mercy for mankind gets closer, so too will the demons try to block out the Truth and prevent people, good people, from investing the time I need of them to save the souls of My children with no belief at all. Do not allow cruel slander, which is gathering momentum, to distract you from My Work.

Heed now My prophecy. For every man who repents at this time, three more souls can be saved per man. Think of it like this. The blessings bestowed on man who seeks forgiveness will be given to these people’s families. Every soul who prays to Me now and asks Me to save their closest family and friends will receive My Mercy in abundance.

Prayer is your salvation, My children. The more you pray, the more I will open your hearts and reveal My Truth. My favours have now been extended in a way not witnessed on this Earth before. However, I cannot pour out these powerful graces unless you ask for them.

My daughter, be advised that a viciousness, which will startle you, will now be seen in a mounting attack on these divine Messages. Ignore them. Close your eyes. Block your ears. Instead, pray that such souls will see enlightenment.

Doubts, My daughter, are trials experienced, not only by you, but, by My beloved followers. While they can be unsettling, they are allowed by Me to make you all stronger in your love for Me.

Relax now, My children. Accept My Word. Live your lives as I expect you to. Put your families first, before everything. They must never be neglected on My behalf. Pray now with quiet confidence and be assured that My prophecies will unfold at the Command of My Eternal Father. They will happen according to the perfect timing laid down by My Father.

Never forget, My children, that many secrets given to My visionaries and seers, foretelling future events to come, have been mitigated through prayer. Many, many ecological disasters have been averted because of the devotion shown to My Blessed Mother. Her devotees have averted many earthquakes, floods and tsunamis because of their prayers. Prayer can be very powerful. One person’s prayers and suffering can save a nation. Remember that.

I love all, My children. The power to save each other lays in your hands, children. Don’t forget what I have said before. Prayer is your armour against evil in this world. Prayer can mitigate global disasters. Keep praying for peace in your world. Pray, too, for an easy transition to the New Paradise on Earth, which awaits all My children who seek redemption.

Your beloved Jesus

[fidei]

Jesus saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him

A sermon by St Bede the Venerable

Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me. Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men.

  He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: Follow me. This following meant imitating the pattern of his life – not just walking after him. St John tells us: Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

And he rose and followed him. There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift.

As he sat at table in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. This conversion of one tax collector gave many men, those from his own profession and other sinners, an example of repentance and pardon. Notice also the happy and true anticipation of his future status as apostle and teacher of the nations. No sooner was he converted than Matthew drew after him a whole crowd of sinners along the same road to salvation. He took up his appointed duties while still taking his first steps in the faith, and from that hour he fulfilled his obligation and thus grew in merit. To see a deeper understanding of the great celebration Matthew held at his house, we must realise that he not only gave a banquet for the Lord at his earthly residence, but far more pleasing was the banquet set in his own heart which he provided through faith and love. Our Saviour attests to this: Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

  On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive him, as it were, when we freely assent to his promptings and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done. Christ, since he dwells in the hearts of his chosen ones through the grace of his love, enters so that he might eat with us and we with him. He ever refreshes us by the light of his presence insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven. He himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.

[acid-ixx]

my belief of your love exists after you looked at me (1) inspired by @myuni-moon and so many more content creators who made sagau <3. Tw: religious beliefs, cult-like behavior, this is a short draft that i wanted to share.

(part 2)

They say eyes are the window to your soul.

When worried, one could always look into those orbs, swimming, filled to the brim with emotions that claw deep into abysmal depths. They portray of love, of resentment, of curiosity- those eyes could bestow you fear, paralyze you.

Even allure you as swarms of whispers have gossiped desires, painting a blank slate of a canvas to that of one's fantasy. Fantasies that hid veils upon veils of bloodshed behind vivacious colors.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Love graces you, like rain; it pours and fills, whilst fortunate for those who seek to be refreshed of sins and wrongdoings. The heavy stream slowly overfills the cup of a brain, it strikes you mercilessly, endlessly even, 'til the dam cracks and breaks. You're left with floods of dirt, grime- finally one's true intensions; exposed and stripped to their very being.

Maybe that is why I've loved You since I set my sight upon Your body. I've sold myself to You, to feel a twinge of intimacy once Your eyes lays only upon me. I love You, my Divine God. I shan't dare sully Your honorable name, for you have bestowed me of my will to live.

A god above Gods, the creator of Tevyat, an everlasting life-source. They've existed for thousands of years, the time they took, was the time they spent to create Tevyat, to bless immortality upon the Archons. Your very presence, to say the least, was ephemeral. It united the seven nations. But only those worthy have met you.

Rex lapis praised you, prayed for you, stood near your Divine presence with the utmost loyalty. Kissing the air you breathed as you passed by him. Offering his once frigid heart, now warm upon your sun-like contact, it melted the barriers, he felt those welcoming hands of yours that cared for Liyue, for the nations, for the Archons, the people, for Tevyat overall.

Must he be so lucky?

A God so merciful taught him love, saved him from the thin strings of death every time, as he lived another life with Your grace, as it taunted his mind of sins, drowning him in the embers of hell. But You, You who have saved him, You gave more, and he took. It's only logical to return the favor. His offerings; were they enough to serve you? The nation, Liyue, one he grew with pride; did the people praise you enough as he did to you?

Knelt upon the tiled floor was the Geo Archon, as he prayed near your shine. A shrine he created, purely for you. Hopefully, he wished, you'd be pleased with his presents. Hopefully, he needed, that it's worthy for you, as you allow him to kiss the soles of your feet. Dirt; that was him, as opposed to you. No one could outmatch you, they'd be greeted with death at their doorsteps. Not a measly life, even an Archon's, is important. At least, he knew, even as he's useless once he can't satisfy you- is that he, amongst every Archon, praised you most. He lived the longest, as that to his advantage to praise you the longest. How would one compete?

[shepard-ram]

Here we go the first meeting between the Empire and the new god.

You watched invisible on top of your obsidian wall as the soldiers of the Empire triggered the traps you had added since you saw that plane fly near the wall, the horror stories that the people of your small nation told you that the planes came first then the army sometimes the only sign that a place was going to be attacked was due to those planes. You wouldn't allow the Empire to rampage through your little peaceful part of the world, you wouldn't let your people go through that terror again, nobody was losing anymore family, you wouldn't allow Talos to share his families fate. A smile graced your face as they finally trudged through the traps reaching the wall only to hit the barrier blocks you placed in front, you saw a pair in very fine armor, far better crafted than the soldiers that fell to the traps, mayhaps they were in charge of this army turning your head to the sky watching as you willed it to darken with storm clouds maybe you could scare them off right now.

Philza placed his hand out in front of him it hit something, it was solid but completely invisible and the tnt had no effect only showing that this invisible wall continues below ground. What nation was this? How had the come across such technology as invisible indestructible wall? A glance at his eldests face showed that his mind was also trying to grasp these answers after all they were the most technologically advanced nation on the globe yet this simple wall was truly halting their advance into this hidden nation. He was brought out his thoughts as the sky suddenly darkened, storm clouds appearing from no where swirling around lighting jumping from cloud to cloud, this was no natural storm, then he was quickly pulled back to their front lines by his son as a torrent of lightning struck right where he once was leaving a scorching crator where he once stood. He turned to thank his son but only saw him staring at some thing in the sky following his sons gaze he saw them.

Techno couldn't tear his eyes away from the being looking down upon them a cold glare in their eyes that glowed like embers, a pair of wings larger than his father's and looking almost ethereal as if mortal eyes were never ment to gaze upon these wings that seemed to be made out of the last light of a sunset, dressed in clothing unknown to the Prince that had travelled the world and seen all it had to offer, a pair of halos sat upon their head intertwined with on another one glowing as crimson as redstone the other glittering as if it were made of gold. This surely divine being meet his gaze before speaking " I will not have this land corrupted by your nations incessant warmongering, this land of peace has no need for people drenched in blood such as you little general, leave now before I decide inflict upon you the pain and sorrow you have inflicted onto those you've conquered, those innocents whose lives were ripped away from them by you, those who have had to greave and weep for the lives of those they loved cut short by your hands, leave now for this is the only mercy you shall ever have from me". As the divine beings finished their proclamation he could hear the sound of the army at his back fleeing in terror not that he blamed them as his father managed to pull him back to camp his gaze not leaving the divine beings form until they faded from sight. As the finally reached the war tent he was driven to his knees as chat suddenly flooded his mind( NEW GOD,E, NEW GOD, THE DIVINE HAVE RETURNED, E, THEY MUTED US SO RUDE, THEY WERE COOL, WE HAVE TO WORSHIP THEM RIGHT WHAT ARE THEIR DOMAINS) he realises as chat wondered over the divine that yes he hadn't heard chat for the entire time you were present, you were like a balm to his madness, he had to see them again even if it resulted in them smiting him it would be worth it.

And so we end off with you thinking you've won when this tales only just begun, an Emperor who now had to deal with the fact that not only did the divine grace the mortal plain once more but that this divinity had halted the empires advance in its tracts the army refusing to move any further, an now love sick General Prince who will actively try and court you and a chat also worshiped with you. As for the larger world well once the story of your divine intervention spread, let's just say you have a lot of grateful new worshipers.

Ender-anon

This was way to fun to write.

GUYS COME GET Y'ALLS JUICE-

Even if you were to leave your barrier to defend the city alone it would not have stopped the city from being an image of divine protection. But your little showcase of strength, morality, devotion, will power and pure power put you right in their crosshairs. You really shouldn't be surprised that this won't be the last time you butt heads

[actualbird]

[Genshin Impact Meta] Did Khaenri’ah “deserve” it?: Sin and Divine Punishment

SPOILERS FOR NEW ARCHON QUEST AHEAD

I want to preface this analysis/theory with the fact that I am not an expert in Catholic Theology, hell naw, but I am a Filipino lapsed Catholic who received a Catholic education for 15 years of his life. So while I am not necessarily qualified, I am driven, and I think that’s the main driver of any Genshin Impact meta, really. 

With that out of the way, let me begin. Khaenri’ah, as was revealed in the 1.4 Quest To Be Reunited, was a nation that was destroyed and cursed by the gods. So many questions came to me, when this tidbit was revealed, but one question reigned supreme: 

Did they deserve it?

Destruction, in the Bible, when coming from God, is very commonly brought forth as divine punishment for sin. “Khaenri'ah, huh? You sure know a lot! The legacy of Khaenri'ah is long gone, the sinners are all that's left, and they're not worth mentioning.” says Kaeya in his voiceline “More About Kaeya: IV” and this single line is very important because it ties Khaenri’ah and its people to the concept of sin, the concept of an act that goes against divine law.

Sin, in itself, is a vast topic, but for the purposes of this analysis/theory I will use the definition I learned in my Theology classes: there, in every person, is the radical possibility of human freedom. Sin is an action a human can do with that freedom, but it is an action that results in the loss of charity and the state of grace. The “state of grace” is exactly what it sounds like; the state of having grace. “The presence of this “grace” — God’s own life — restores us to God’s own “image and likeness,”” writes Father Michael Kerper in ParableMag. In simplest terms, being in a state of grace is being how God created humans in the beginning; in his image and likeness; good, virtuous.

So what did Khaenri’ah do to fall from the state of grace? 

In “A Herald Without Adherents” Dainsleif remarks that “Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god — not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization — it was the pride of humankind.” 

Things we can extrapolate from this quote are the following: Khaenri’ah was powerful, Khaenri’ah was built by humans and humans alone, Khaenri’ah was “the pride of humankind.” Pride, defined as one of the mortal sins, is hubris. It is flying too close to the sun and falling into the sea as punishment. But what was Khaenri’ah’s sun, in this metaphor? Why did it fly, what was its motivation?

Before I answer that question, I want to posit that their Khaenri’ah’s sin of pride is linked to the nation’s desire for knowledge. The 1.4 Quest To Be Reunited revealed that Khaenri’ah was very technologically and alchemically advanced. They had the knowledge to create Ruin Guards/Field Tillers and also had the knowledge to create the art of Khemia, a type of alchemy that can create life itself. Knowledge is the key word here, and Khaenri’ah hungered to know more, more, more.

But is knowing a sin?

Bruce Birch writes in “A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament” about the account in Genesis where Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge. He writes:

“This account [Genesis] does not imply that faithful life is against knowledge. It instead asks whether there are boundaries to human knowing that must be honored. How do we live in God’s creation in a way that acknowledges the limits of our humanness and refuses to play God by reaching beyond those boundaries in ways that threaten to bring death? There may be forms of knowing that we attempt for our own human pride and self-centeredness which exact death-bringing penalties.”

Knowing, when it goes beyond what has been deemed a boundary, when it threatens to bring evil, is a sin. So now the question is this: Was Khaenri’ah playing with fire? Were they planning on going past the set boundaries of what should and should not be known? 

Here is were I go into full speculation mode. 

Why did Khaenri’ah make the Ruin Guards/Field Tillers? The machines do not seem to be defensive, they seem like weapons of war. Were they preparing to go to war, then? If so, with who? I believe that they were going to wage war against the very beings that set limits in the world in the first place; the gods themselves. So going back to my question earlier, why did Khaenri’ah fly towards the sun? My answer is this: they wanted to kill the sun, to kill the gods once and for all. 

Pride in its most volatile: deicide, the killing of gods. 

The gods, somehow, caught wind of this, and did not give Khaenri’ah any time to strike first. The gods destroyed Khaenri’ah and laid a curse among all its people. Divine punishment.

All throughout the Bible there are tales of divine punishment. The Genesis flood narrative, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel. In all these narratives, God takes justice into his own hands.

Because he’s the only one who has the right.

We humans can judge an act as moral or immoral, but at the end of the day, supposedly, we must entrust judgement of persons to the justice and mercy of God. Sin is placed under not the interpretation of humans, but the interpretation of the divine.

Deicide is a lofty sin, but did an entire nation and its people, many of which I assume were innocents, deserve destruction, pain, and suffering?

What humans think doesn’t matter. The gods are the ones who gets to choose who lives and who dies. 

And now,

Khaenri’ah is looking for revenge.

[pandaemoniumpancakes]

Michelangelo, Libyan Sibyl, ca. 1511, fresco, 395 × 380 cm, Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

   “The pose of the Libyan Sibyl is one of the most dynamic and complex inventions Michelangelo created with the last figures of the Veiling. The twisting motions of the Sibyl, inensified by the movement of her robes, express “furor divinus,” or divine fury, that is present on other scenes on the second half of the Ceiling as well.“ (Matthias Winner, from ‘Jonah’s Body Language’ in The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration)

   “The same holds true for the lovely figure of the Libyan Sibyl who, having written a great volume drawn from many books, is about to rise to her feet in an attitude of womanly grace; and at one and the same time she makes as if to rise and to close the book, something most difficult, not to say impossible, for anhyone but the master to have depicted.” (Giorgio Vasari, from ‘Life of Michelangelo Buonarroti’ in The Lives of the Aritsts, trans. Julia Conway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella)

   “The Sibyl neer reveals the truth,/ unless she is furious, demented and wretched;/ and the divine plan/ is discerned when her mind is affected, not when it is sound.” (Leonardo Bruni Aretino, from ‘Ballad in Praise of Venus: 7’)

   “La Sibilla non mai il vero isnoda,/ Se non quand’è furente, matta e grama;/ E la divina trama/ Cerne il commosso, e non il sano petto”

   “According to Barbieri, Libyca had prophesied: Behold, the day shall come and shall illuminate the condensed shadows, and the lips of men shall be silent: and they shall seethe King of the Living. A virgin, the mistress of the nations, shall hold him in her lap, and shall reign in mercy; and the womb of his mother shall be the image of all.” (from ‘The Libyan Sibyl’ in Michelangelo: the Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, Marcia B. Hall)

   “It is only when we consider the Sibyl in relation to this narrative that we understand what she is in fact doing. She is not closing the weighty book, as Vasari says; on the contrary, extending her arms, she is lifting the pages to receive the divine light which God above is separating from darkness. Directly across from her on the other side of God, the side of darkness, the pensive figure of Jeremiah appears appropriately as the very personification of lamentation and woe, brooding on vice, traditionally symbolized by such darkness. By contrast, the more exultant Libyan Sibyl props up her book, elevating it toward the divine illumination separated from darkness by God, her extended arms mirroring the outstretched limbs of the Creator. Looking up at the Libyan Sibyl from the chapel and seeing the way in which both her spiraling shape and extended arms echo these aspects of God's body, indeed imitating them, we understand, through such visual analogy, how Michelangelo is here magnifying the meaning of light at the moment of creation, for it is a spiritual illumination flooding down upon the prophetic, sibylline text, as the Sibyl herself elevates the book, pushing its pages toward God, toward that divine luminosity that foretells grace itself.” (Paul Barolsky, from ‘What is the Libyan Sibyl Doing?’)

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Help from On High

a prayer by Charles Spurgeon

O Thou who art King of kings and Lord of lords, we worship Thee. Before Jehovah’s awful throne, we bow with sacred joy.

We can truly say that we delight in God. There was a time when we feared Thee, O God, with the fear of bondage. Now we reverence, but we love as much as we reverence. The thought of Thine omnipresence was once horrible to us. We said, “Whither shall we flee from His presence?” and it seemed to make hell itself more dreadful, because we heard a voice, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.” But now, O Lord, we desire to find Thee. Our longing is to feel Thy presence and it is the heaven of heavens that Thou art there. The sick bed is soft when Thou art there. The furnace of affliction grows cool when Thou art there and the house of prayer, when Thou art present, is none other than the house of God and it is the very gate of heaven.

Come near, our Father, come very near to Thy children. Some of us are very weak in body and faint in heart. Soon, O God, lay Thy right hand upon us and say unto us, “Fear not.” Peradventure, some of us are alike and the world is attracting us. Come near to kill the influence of the world with Thy superior power.

Even to worship may not seem easy to some. The dragon seems to pursue them and floods out of his mouth wash away their devotion. Give to them great wings as of an eagle, that each one may fly away into the place prepared for him, and rest in the presence of God today.

Our Father, come and rest Thy children now. Take the helmet from our brow, remove from us the weight of our heavy armour for awhile, and may we just have peace, perfect peace, and be at rest. Oh! help us, we pray Thee, now. As Thou hast already washed Thy people in the fountain filled with blood and they are clean, now this morning wash us from defilement in the water. With the basin and with the ewer, O Master, wash our feet again. It will greatly refresh. It will prepare us for innermost fellowship with Thyself. So did the priests wash ere they went into the holy place.

Lord Jesus, take from us now everything that would hinder the closest communion with God. Any wish or desire that might hamper us in prayer remove, we pray Thee. Any memory of either sorrow or care that might hinder the fixing of our affection wholly on our God, take it away now. What have we to do with idols anymore? Thou hast seen and observed us. Thou knowest where the difficulty lies. Help us against it and may we now come boldly, not into the Holy place alone, but into the Holiest of all, where we should not dare to come if our great Lord had not rent the veil, sprinkled the mercy seat with His own blood, and bidden us enter.

Now, we have come close up to Thyself, to the light that shineth between the wings of the cherubim, and we speak with Thee now as a man speaketh with his friends. Our God, we are Thine. Thou art ours. We are now concerned in one business—we are leagued together for one battle. Thy battle is our battle and our fight is Thine. Help us, we pray Thee. Thou who didst strengthen Michael and his angels to cast out the dragon and his angels, help poor flesh and blood that to us also the word may be fulfilled, “The Lord shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.”

Our Father, we are very weak. Worst of all we are very wicked if left to ourselves and we soon fall a prey to the enemy. Therefore, help us. We confess that sometimes in prayer when we are nearest to Thee at that very time some evil thought comes in, some wicked desire. Oh! what poor simpletons we are. Lord, help us. We feel as if we would now come closer to Thee still and hide under the shadow of Thy wings. We wish to be lost in God. We pray that Thou mayest live in us, and not we live, but Christ live in us and show Himself in us and through us.

Lord, sanctify us. Oh! that Thy spirit might come and saturate every faculty, subdue every passion, and use every power of our nature for obedience to God.

Come, Holy Spirit, we do know Thee. Thou hast often overshadowed us. Come, more fully take possession of us. Standing now as we feel we are, right up at the Mercy Seat, our very highest prayer is for perfect holiness, complete consecration, entire cleansing from every evil. Take our heart, our head, our hands, our feet, and use us all for Thee. Lord, take our substance, let us not hoard it for ourselves, nor spend it for ourselves. Take our talent, let us not try to educate ourselves that we may have the repute of being wise, but let every gain of mental attainment be still that we may serve Thee better.

May every breath be for Thee, may every minute be spent for Thee. Help us to live while we live, and while we are busy in the world as we must be, for we are called to it, may we sanctify the world for Thy service. May we be lumps of salt in the midst of society. May our spirit and temper as well as our conversation be heavenly. May there be an influence about us that shall make the world the better before we leave it. Lord, hear us in this thing.

And now that we have Thine ear, we would pray for this poor world in which we live. We are often horrified by it. O, Lord, we could wish that we did not know anything about it for our own comfort. We have said, “Oh! for a lodge in some vast wilderness.” We hear of oppression and robbery and murder, and men seem let loose against each other. Lord, have mercy upon this great and wicked city. What is to be done with these millions? What can we do? At least help every child of Thine to do his utmost. May none of us contribute to the evil directly or indirectly, but may we contribute to the good that is in it.

We feel we may speak with Thee now about this, for when Thy servant Abraham stood before Thee and spake with such wonderful familiarity to Thee, he pleaded for Sodom, and we plead for London. We would follow the example of the Father of the Faithful and pray for all great cities, and indeed for all the nations. Lord, let Thy kingdom come. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth. Chase the old dragon from his throne, with all his hellish crew. Oh! that the day might come when even upon earth the Son of the woman, the Man-child, should rule the nations, not with a broken staff of wood, but with an enduring sceptre of iron, full of mercy, but full of power, full of grace, but yet irresistible. Oh! that that might soon come, the personal advent of our Lord! We long for the millennial triumph of His Word.

Until then, O Lord, gird us for the fight and make us to be among those who overcome, through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of our testimony, because we “love not our lives unto the death.”

We lift our voice to Thee in prayer, also, for all our dear ones. Lord, bless the sick and make them well as soon as it is right they should be. Sanctify to them all they have to bear. There are also dear friends who are very weak, some that are very trembling. God bless them. While the tent is being taken down, may the inhabitant within look on with calm joy, for we shall by-and-by “be clothed upon with our house that is from heaven.” Lord, help us to sit very loose by all these things here below. May we live here like strangers and make the world not a house but an inn, in which we sup and lodge, expecting to be on our journey tomorrow.

Lord, save the unconverted and bring out, we pray Thee, from among them those who are converted, but who have not confessed Christ. May the Church be built up by many who, having believed, are baptized unto the sacred name. We pray Thee go on and multiply the faithful in the land. Oh! that Thou wouldst turn the hearts of men to the Gospel once more. Thy servant is often very heavy in heart because of the departures from the faith. Oh! bring them back. Let not Satan take away any more of the stars with his tail, but may the lumps of God shine bright. Oh! Thou that walkest amongst the seven golden candlesticks trim the flame, pour forth the oil, and let the light shine brightly and steadily. Now, Lord, we cannot pray any longer, though we have a thousand things to ask for. Thy servant cannot, so he begs to leave a broken prayer at the Mercy Seat with this at the foot of it, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.