#the prophet who will not be believed but knows the truth regardless

[shortnotsweet]

after being on the hellscape that is Twitter and reading hot take after hot take now I literally want to write an miniature essay about HoTD and character resemblance to Greek mythology figures and how Helaena being a dreamer in the show is—while not from the source material and an ability that could have reasonably been given to another character—an intentional detail meant to both further flesh out the Greens AND illustrate their incompetence as a family unit + their ideologically conservative ties that mimic right-wing propaganda. In this essay I will—

[invinciblerodent]

This is going to be very ranty and disjointed, probably borderline incomprehensible post, but with the "return" of Dragon Age Discourse (and really, did it ever go anywhere?) and me repeatedly seeing the complaints and dismissals of DA:I as a "chosen one"-type of a narrative, I just.... I keep finding myself thinking about the relationship of truth and lies within the game.

Throughout the course of DA:I, the idea of a malleable, flexible personal identity, and a painful confrontation with an uncomfortable truth replacing a soothing falsehood, follows pretty much every character throughout their respective arcs.

There are some more obvious ones, Solas, Blackwall, The Iron Bull, their identities and deceptions (of both those around them and themselves) are clearly front and center in the stories told about them, but this theme of deception (both of the self- and the outside world) is clearly present in the stories of the others as well.

Like, for example, ones that come immediately to mind are stories like that of Cullen, who presents an image of a composed and disciplined military man, a commander- all to hide the desperate and traumatized addict that he sees himself as.

Dorian grappled with the expectations of presenting the image of the perfect heir to his father's legacy, the prideful scion of his house, his entire life (he even introduces himself as the result of "careful breeding", like one might speak about a prized horse)- all while knowing that his family would rather see him lobotomized and obedient, than anything even just resembling his vibrant and passionate self.

Cassandra calls herself a Seeker of Truth, and takes pride in that identity- only to learn that in reality, she has been made a liar, a keeper of secrets, without her knowledge or consent, and it is up to her to either uproot the entire organization and painfully cut out the abscess it is to build it back from the ground up into something respectable, or let the information she had revealed sit, and continue to fester.

And this theme continues and reframes itself in, among others, things like Sera's own inner conflict between her elven heritage and her human upbringing, or in Cole being caught in this unconscionable space in-between human and spirit, between person and concept, etc.

The Inquisitor isn't exempt from this either.

I feel like this is where the core of the many misunderstandings of this plot come from, why so many people continue to believe that Inquisition is a "chosen one" or "divinely appointed" type of story, because I think many might just... not realize, that the protagonist's identity is also malleable, and what they are told in the setup/first act of the game is not necessarily the truth.

The tale of the Inquisitor is the exact opposite of that of a "chosen one" story: it's an examination and reflection of the trope, in that it is the story of an assumption that all wrongly believe to be the truth, and thrust upon you, even if you protest. The very point is that no matter who you choose to say that you are, you will be known as the Herald of a prophet you don't even necessarily believe in, and then that belief will be proven wrong, leaving you to cope with either a devastating disappointment if you believed it, or a bitter kind of vindication if you didn't.

There's a moment just after Here Lies the Abyss (when you learn of the lie you've been fed your entire journey in the game) that I don't often see mentioned, but I think it's one of the most emotionally impactful character moments, if you are playing an Andrastian Inquisitor who had actually believed themselves chosen (which I realize is a rather unpopular pick, lol): it's when Ser Ruth, a Grey Warden, realizes what she had done and is horrified by her own deeds, and turns herself in asking to be tried for the murder of another of her order. As far as she is concerned, she had spilled blood for power, and regardless of whether she was acting of her own volition at the time, whether she had agency in the moment, is irrelevant to her: she seeks no absolution, but willingly submits to any punishment you see fit.

And only if you play as an Inquisitor who, through prior dialogue choices, had established themselves as a devout Andrastian, can you offer her forgiveness, for a deed that was objectively not her fault- not really.

You can, in Andraste's name, forgive her- even though you, at that point, know that you have no real right to do so. That you're not Andraste's Herald, that Andraste may or may not even exist, and that you can't grant anyone "divine forgiveness", because you, yourself, don't have a drop of divinity within you. You know that you were no more than an unlucky idiot who stumbled their way into meddling with forces beyond their ken.

You know you're a fraud. You know. The game forces you to realize, as it slowly drip-drip-drips the memories knocked loose by the blast back into your head, that what all have been telling you that you are up to this point, is false. And yet, you can still choose to keep up the lie, and tell this woman who stands in front of you with blood on her hands and tears in her eyes, that you, with authority you don't have, grant her forgiveness for a crime that wasn't hers to commit.

Because it's the right thing to do. Because to lie to Ser Ruth is far kinder than anything else you could possibly do to her, short of refusing to make a decision altogether.

There are any number of criticisms of this game that I can accept (I may or may not agree depending on what it is, but I'm from the school of thought that any interpretation can be equally valid as long as there's text that supports it, and no text that contradicts it), but I will always continue to uphold that the Inquisitor is absolutely not- and never was a "chosen one".

They're just as small, and sad, and lost, as all the other protagonists- the only difference is that they didn't need to fight for their mantle, because instead of a symbol of honor, it acted as a straitjacket.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

The Book: Everything We Know So Far and Possible Connections

The Book's lore is driving me crazy and I had to write this. This isn't meant to be a solid cohesive theory on anything but I wanted to compile everything we know about the Book, some rather disturbing implications of what that might mean, and which characters may or may not have a connection to it, as well as what that connection might be.

This is a long post, so I've bolded the key info. You can skim those if you don't want to go through everything. :)

***Major spoilers for BSD and for Beast!***

Main Series Information:

The first mentions of the Book occur in Chapter 28, when Fitzgerald tells Atsushi that the Guild's goal is to locate it. He tells Atsushi that only one copy of this book exists, and that neither flames nor abilities can damage it.

Fitzgerald claims he knows the Book is there because a prophet ability user foresaw that it had been sealed within Yokohama. When Atsushi asks what the relation is between him and the Book, Fitzgerald says that Atsushi is the guide to the Book.

In Chapter 35, Fitzgerald states that his goal is to use the Book to bring his daughter back to life.

The next mention is in Chapter 46, when Dazai talks to Fyodor in the alley. Dazai mentions that since Fyodor and the Rats don't have the firepower to burn down Yokohama, he instead needs to exterminate Yokohama's ability users to get to the Book, hence the cannibalism strategy.

Dazai says the true Book is a single novel with blank pages where anything written becomes the truth. Fyodor wishes to use it to make a world without the sin of ability users. Dazai says basically "good luck with that dude" lol. (Actually the line is "Give that a go, if you can, that is." which... might be significant?)

Chapter 58: Taneda dumps a lot of info on Ranpo. His assailant, who we know to be Sigma, stole a page from him, a single page removed from the Book in order to study it. The page has exactly the same capacity to make anything written become reality, it just has limited space to write. However, the Book has a restriction: it requires karmic/narrative consistency.

In Chapter 58.5, Mykola's speech about cages and the freedom of birds is ironically dictated word for word by a mysterious author. The translator note on the unofficial version I'm reading says the mysterious author is using imperfect Japanese with lots of katakana - I cannot confirm this myself, but it has interesting implications on our mystery author's identity if true. The page is used to position the Agency as the terrorists in the white hoods and frame them.

Chapter 59: Ranpo believes the Book was not made by an ability user but by something far greater than that. His proof is that unlike Mushitarou's ability, which can also alter reality, the people affected by the Book also have new memories to fit the alteration to the events. The Agency members remember committing the crime, even though they know they didn't.

In Chapter 70, Mushitarou reveals the DoA plans to use the other side of the page to eliminate the country at the next full moon. I am curious as to the significance of the full moon, given the moon's frequent recurrence in the series and Atsushi's ability connection to it. Chapter 74.5 establishes that the Sky Casino, with its 13 year history, was created 8 days ago when the page was written on, as a base for the next stage and also to "repay" Sigma for the use of his ability to retrieve it. In Chapter 75, Fyodor claims that Sigma, too, was written into existence via the Book 3 years ago - he has no memories before this point.

Chapter 77: the page was written with a condition that no police or law enforcement would believe in the Agency's innocence. However, Tachihara broke through that condition by reaffirming his identity as a member of the Mafia, which (metaphorically) tears the page.

Later references don't tell us too much more but I'll summarize them regardless. Kamui/Fukuchi has the page, which Atsushi knows from Sigma's info. Ranpo made an appeal to the police, explaining that the Agency was framed and the page preventing them from seeing the truth, and half the force sees the truth for themselves, breaking through the page's condition. Ranpo believed the direct opposition to the page's restrictions might sway Fukuchi into believing them (unfortunately, we don't know if this was right, as Fukuchi was not affected in the first place, being Kamui himself). And that's what we have so far.

Disturbing Implication #1: The Special Division knows/knew the location of the Book.

Taneda mentions that a page from the Book was taken to study. This implies that at one point, the Special Division had the Book or knew of its location. The higher ups may still know where it is. There are a few potential timelines here: the first is that the page was removed many, many years earlier, perhaps during the war, and the second is that the page was removed and tested 3 years ago, and Sigma resulted from these trials.

Disturbing Implication #2: Ranpo says the Book was created by something greater.

Something greater than ability users. I suspect this may be something outside their world. At this stage, it seems very likely this "greater entity" is an author - the author of the world we read about (it's Asagiri omg). An author, to the world they write, is akin to a god. I'm kind of joking about the Asagiri thing, but the "author" of the Book is likely someone/something that exists beyond the scope of the world of BSD.

Contradiction: The Book cannot be damaged by flame or ability, but pages can be torn out of it? How?

Beast Information:

Oh boy. Where to even start?

Beast Dazai states that the Book is the origin of the main universe's world, and it contains an infinite number of parallel worlds within it.

"What you write becomes a reality" is actually a misnomer. Writing in the Book calls a parallel world that aligns with what is written directly from the Book. This parallel world will then trade places with the real world.

There is a single physical reality, and infinite possible worlds. The Beast universe exists within the Book, as a possible world.

A version of the Book exists in the Beast universe. However, this Beast version of the Book is more of a weakness. Orders from the real world can overwrite Beast. And anyone who tries to write in Beast's Book will make Beast cease to exist.

Beast Dazai jumps at the end of Beast. This is because if more than 3 people know the truth about the Book, the world will destabilize - it may even disappear without Beast's Book being written in.

Beast Dazai created a singularity using his ability. It's not explained how he did this, but it has something to do with his nullification. He did this to read the memories of real-world/original Dazai - the Dazai who exists outside the Book. (It seems all but given that this is Dazai from the main timeline.)

Though the above conflicts with some of what we know in the main manga, we can take it as fact, I think. The narration is heavy on emphasizing that Beast Dazai is telling no lies in this scene.

Disturbing Implication #3: Any alterations are not inventions but transferrals, which means these events actually occurred in another universe.

This means that the Agency really were the DoA terrorists in a parallel world and they did carry out the plan. They really did take the hostages in this world. Tanizaki really did push the button. This would explain their memories. The caveat of no one in law enforcement believing them might make sense too - they're actually criminals in that world, so they would have no reason to believe them. "Trading places" also implies that the terrorist Agency universe has the terrorists trying to save the hostages like the Agency originally planned to do (potentially).

Sigma is an interesting case. If he really was written into existence from the Book, then he was called from another parallel world - literally displaced from his home. His amnesia likely occurred in that parallel world too.

Disturbing Implication #4: The parallel worlds are more fragile than the main world of BSD.

There is something different about our main universe. The Book that originates here is the real deal. But Beast's (and all the Books from different parallel worlds) leave them vulnerable. These worlds can be destroyed at any time if anyone tries to write in these Books. Only a select number of people can know how it really works before it starts to destabilize. What's more, at any point, someone could write in the real-world's Book and overwrite it entirely, and there would be nothing that any of the people within that world could do about it. And Beast Akutagawa, thinking back on the events of the story, comes to the conclusion that even though his world is "but a shadow", the desires, feelings and actions of the people within it make those people no less real than those in the original.

Beast is a goddamn existential horror.

Character Connections

Now, onto the characters who are known to have some kind of connection to the Book.

Fitzgerald wanted the Book in the Guild arc to bring back his daughter. While this is the first mention of it, given that he got his info from clearly secondhand sources (the prophet ability user or Fyodor, most likely), I don't think he has any sort of deeper understanding of it, nor a more personal connection. Ranpo seems to be figuring out the Book's logistics rather quickly, but I expect nothing less from the greatest detective, and he doesn't have a strong personal connection I can see as of yet. As for Fukuchi, whatever knowledge he gained 36 years ago might be connected... but again, I have nothing else to say on this front, considering we have little else on this (I'm actually more inclined to think it has to do with the war - which may tie in with the Book, but not necessarily). I would also be very surprised if Mori doesn't know something but I have no real evidence for this other than that the man is suspicious as hell. Then again, there's also Tokoyami Island, which "appeared" seemingly out of nowhere and is where Yosano's backstory took place and Fukuchi headed after his argument with Fukuzawa. It seems possible, if not likely, that it was created with the Book. So, let's go over some characters who we actually can expand on a little.

Taneda

Not much to say here other than what kind of research was being done with the Book? Given that Taneda had the page on him, was he the one responsible for the research being conducted on it, or was he just involved?

What kind of research was being done with the page? How were they testing it? The page was blank, so they must not have created anything with it yet. How then, did Taneda know how it worked and that the page would have the same capacities as the full Book?

Taneda doesn't seem to understand the Book completely - he thinks it was created by an ability user, after all, and like everyone else in the main universe he doesn't know the reason the Book requires narrative consistency (that it is pulling from other worlds, not just making anything written come true).

The Special Division likely had the Book at one point, but by the time Fitzgerald comes to retrieve it, it has been "sealed". Did the Special Division seal it? Why and how?

Atsushi

We know he has a lot to do with it. Atsushi and the Book are incredibly intertwined, and the initial conflict was kicked off by a bounty placed on his head for this connection.

He is called the "guide" to the Book. What does that mean? Is he meant to locate it? Unlock the seal? Or is he a guide on how to use it properly?

6 years ago, Shibusawa found Atsushi at the orphanage when he was just a kid and tortured him to extract his ability. He was a researcher who learned about the tiger from Fyodor, who called Atsushi's ability "one that guides the envy of all ability users". And we know Fyodor has been after the Book for a long time, so it's difficult to imagine this does not have something to do with it.

Atsushi is the only character to directly reference a real-life novel in the series and recall reading it. "The head may err but never the blood" and "I only regret what I haven't done" are from the real Nakajima Atsushi's "Light, Wind, and Dreams", a fictionalized autobiography detailing the last few years of the life of Robert Louis Stevenson. While other characters quote their namesakes' fiction on occasion, to my recollection, Atsushi is the only one who explicitly remembers reading the book, but finds himself unable to remember the author's name. Cute reference, or plot significant? You decide.

Atsushi's tiger is heavily associated with the moon, particularly the full moon. For some reason, the other side of the page is to be used at the next full moon and cannot be used sooner. Atsushi's ability crystal, pulled out of him by Shibusawa as a child, is described as "pale and glittering like the moon".

It is entirely unlike the red crystals that form in the Dead Apple separated abilities - including Atsushi's tiger (also red). It is, however, similar to Dazai's, which is white. Atsushi transforms into the tiger to swallow the moon-like crystal - to reiterate, it was outside him when he transformed. What's more, from Beast it's known that this instance was when his ability apparently activated for the first time - how could it do that if it was already removed from him? Later on, Shibusawa tries to take the crystal again and Atsushi's transformation deteriorates, that's true, but bear in mind that Atsushi was convinced that crystal was the tiger, which may have psychologically influenced this. In fact, the moon crystal may not be the tiger at all. It is entirely possible it is something else, and it is likely that which makes Atsushi so sought after. If it is, I refuse to believe this has nothing to do with the Book.

Atsushi's ability is described as the "spark of life that resists all abilities". A reference to his healing factor, perhaps? Or something more meaningful?

He's also referred to as an "angel" by Shibusawa who canonically got his information from Fyodor so... make of that what you will.

Tachihara

This isn't so much about Tachihara having significance in future but more about what his breaking of the page's conditions might mean.

At the crux of this is his split identity - he's a Hunting Dog, but also a mafioso, and his struggle between these identities is his core conflict in the Sky Casino arc.

Eventually, Tachihara, recalling Hirotsu and Gin's words that anyone in the Mafia knows that the Agency is innocent, frantically realizes they have the wrong culprits, thus breaking through the page's caveat that all law enforcement would never believe them, accompanied by a metaphorical tear in the page.

It's intriguing because we don't see this same dramatic depiction later on with the police when Ranpo appeals to them - Tachihara has changed his expected role from police to mafioso. Tachihara is no longer playing the "character" he was meant to play.

He tore out of that restriction in the story. His story line is now on a different path. There are some serious implications of that if a change in character can literally break people free of the Book's reality-altering influence. It is all-powerful so long as everyone plays their expected role in that narrative. Breaking out of that can change the story, even if only minutely.

Sigma

Of course Sigma is connected. He was apparently written into the Book three years ago - which means he came from one of the parallel worlds. (Provided Fyodor is telling the truth about his origins, but I think it would be very strange narratively if this wasn't - at least partially - true.)

I am curious if Sigma will regain some of his memories soon, or if it is even possible for him. If he can regain memories, then they would be from a world within the Book. Or, perhaps his memories don't exist because that world has been overwritten and no longer exists?

Is it possible for Sigma to communicate between worlds using his exchange of information? Maybe this is completely out of left field... I'm just curious what role Sigma is going to play in all this.

It's strange, for someone so obviously connected I... really don't have much to say about him. I just think we don't have enough.

Mykola

There isn't too much to say for certain about him, but I know I was super uncomfortable with his entire speech about birds and cages and freedom being dictated in real-time by the page. That's rough, buddy.

As of this moment, he's supposed to be dead, but somehow defied his fate and is still alive. He decided not to play the role ("character") he was previously meant to, and now he is the cast's biggest wildcard.

Mykola's fixation on freedom at all costs may have some interesting implications for his interactions with the idea of the Book. When his words were written on the page, was the page dictating his speech, or was it merely recording what he was already saying? If the Book is the story, then does the story control the characters, or, as it has been implied by Mykola and Tachihara, can the characters defy the story? When they defy the story, the story changes to accommodate this. Have they really, then, defied anything of significance at all? (For clarity: I don't know if this is where BSD will go with it - in actuality, I'm always confused when people theorize the Book's author is evil and controlling, or that the series will end tragically, given how much BSD loves to emphasize the importance of writing and reading and understanding and living. This is just an example of a few possible questions it may make sense for Mykola to fixate on.)

I don't have a lot to say for certain, but given his need to be free, his connection with Fyodor, and his Dazai-foiling traits, I'd think it very odd if he wasn't involved to some extent.

Dazai

...where to even start.

Dazai clearly knows things about the Book. He appears to know much of what Fyodor does, and it makes me curious as to whether it came up when they first met (whenever that was).

However, main series Dazai doesn't seem to have all the info Beast Dazai does. For one thing, he too echoes that the Book makes all that is written into it become reality. He may know about the parallel worlds within it and could just be lying by omission, but I've seen very little to suggest that this is the case.

Main series Dazai appears to know about certain events long before they occur (not everything though; I need to remind people that he can and has been thrown off/wrong about things before) - notably, most of these planned events revolve around Fyodor. He's been preparing Atsushi and Akutagawa specifically to deal with the upcoming threat posed by Fyodor's pursuit of the Book.

Beast Dazai was somehow able to read the memories of real-world Dazai by creating a singularity with his ability... somehow. It's assumed he must've created it while in contact with the Book (otherwise how else could he have read the memories) but it's actually not elaborated on and we still have little to no details.

If his nullification caused a singularity, then how? Was it a singularity with the Book? Himself? Whatever the Book was sealed with/in? Singularities are still quite mysterious, but they need to involve one of two things - an insurmountable contradiction, or an uncontrollable increase in power with no way to cap it. Given that nullification doesn't lend itself to an increase in anything, it's likely an inherent contradiction.

I think it pretty obvious that Dazai has some special knowledge of the Book; some connection to it. He's been preparing to combat Fyodor for many, many years, and he seems to want to take Fyodor out as quickly as possible. Clearly, his potential use of the Book is a big deal to Dazai and worth putting his full effort into preventing, which is a little odd, honestly, considering he only met him once before the events of Dead Apple. Fyodor must've really made a terrible impression on him.

Where did he come from? There's that post about how Dazai is in everyone else's backstory for some reason, but we don't know his yet. Here's what we do know: He has some kind of connection with the Old Mafia Boss. He wandered around Yokohama for awhile. He's not related to Mori or an orphan he picked up.

While I've seen suggestions that Dazai met Fyodor in the 2 year gap between his leaving the Mafia and joining the ADA, I think there's reason to suggest he may have met Fyodor before he ever joined the Mafia, as a young child. Just bringing it up as a possibility because Beast Dazai's forming of a singularity with it sounded intentional - which means at 16, he would already have known what the Book was. Did he get his knowledge from Fyodor? Someone else?

Why did young Dazai become so listless and unable to find a reason to live? How did he become convinced that he will lose everything he wants so badly to keep when he gets it? Why did he think he could predict everything in advance? Is it just his intelligence and observation? Or is there more to it than that?

While I'm not a huge fan of the "Dazai is the Book" theory (given that it would make him literally inhuman, which I think runs antithetical to his story), on reviewing all this I've come up with a new incredibly deranged and not-at-all-sound theory:

Dazai is the Book's seal. In this essay I will -

Fyodor

First of all, we know hardly anything about him. We don't understand his ability. We don't even know how old he is. He's been with V/the Decay of the Angel for many years apparently... he was involved in Shibusawa's actions... he has some kind of a history with Dazai... he perfected the art of dramatically standing on windy roofs... truly, he's an enigma.

On a more serious note, all we know is that he wants the Book to create a world free of ability users. Free of sin.

This doesn't seem to fully align with Fukuchi's goal. My proof? They have differing concepts of "angels".

Fukuchi's "angels" borrow from the Buddhist concept of Devas and also likely references Mishima Yukio's The Decay of the Angel. Fukuchi tells Tachihara that the angels are the politicians who remain in their lofty seats and send soldiers into war to die. His goal isn't revenge per se, but it does appear to involve dethroning them in a sense. He doesn't mention wiping out ability users nor of having any particular ill-will towards them.

However, Fyodor's concept is closer to the Abrahamic concept of angel, what with the numerous references to original sin, the script for the play in Untold Origins speaking of angels banished by God for their sins, etc. What's interesting is that the play emphasizes ability users as "angels" who have regained some of their prior powers (I find it difficult to believe Fyodor was not involved in the creation of this) - so Fyodor's "sinful angels" are likely ability users. What does this mean for their goals? Are they still aligned? Is the undermining of government necessary for the elimination of ability users? (Also quick note: do not quote me on any religious stuff - I am not religious myself. I do research sometimes but I'm very, very far from an expert ahaha.)

So, now: Cannibalism was part 1 of the DoA's plan, and all the ensuing stages will culminate in the use of the other side of the page.

Firstly, there's the obvious "what will the other side of the page be used for?"

But then there's something else. By the time Cannibalism occurred, the pieces were already in place for the next phase of the plan, where Sigma would steal the page from Taneda. Why then, does Fyodor still claim, on numerous occasions, to be after the Book? The page should be able to accomplish anything the Book can. Either there is something misleading in the information we have been told, or there is something he wants to do with the Book that isn't writing in it. I think the former is more likely but I digress, the latter is still a possibility.

A few more outstanding questions: Why was he spreading info on Atsushi to Shibusawa and presumably Fitzgerald, but not going after Atsushi himself? Wouldn't he want Atsushi as the Book's guide?

What is his connection to the prophet ability user Fitzgerald mentioned - is it him, with his uncanny predictive powers? Is it someone else associated with the DoA? Is it someone in the government? How long ago was this prediction made - was it made long enough ago that this is why V was active in Yokohama?

There's a lot that's very confusing about Fyodor, and I don't think we know nearly enough about him to make proper predictions as to his relation to the Book yet.

Akutagawa

He's only really tangentially related to it through his connection to Atsushi - if any showdown is going to happen involving the Book, you can bet he and Akutagawa will be teaming up for that.

At the same time, Dazai selected Akutagawa as a mentee a long time ago, and he's been planning for them to work together since he met Atsushi, specifically so they can prevent Fyodor from achieving his goals. In Beast, he mentions their abilities form a singularity together - likely that ability to "cut through anything".

I know this may be entirely wild and out of left field but if it can cut through anything... could it damage the impervious Book? Could it even destroy it? Or maybe it could destroy whatever is sealing it? Who knows, but it makes me think they're going to have to destroy something. (Interesting how this runs counter to sskk's need to act as protectors of the Book in Beast... so maybe it will be in defense. It's all so unclear.)

There's also the whole "dragon is the manifestation of the chaos of ability users". Atsushi and Akutagawa are the tiger and the dragon, at odds with each other via rivalry but also in balance. I think it would be very strange if Atsushi's ability were unusual but not Akutagawa's.

In addition to all the above, I am also side-eyeing all the author characters in this series. For one thing, there's very few of them. For another, two of them have died, changing the path of their respective best friends' lives - and in a series that actually... doesn't kill that many named characters off permanently, it's worth taking a look at.

Yokomizo wanted to transcend the boundaries of fiction in his writing to create a mystery that bled into reality - the ultimate mystery. Mushitarou writes to see his friend again, to connect with him through his greatest passion. Poe's ability allows him to take real people and pull them into constructed narratives that can be escaped once they are "solved" - when the story reaches its conclusion. He is also the one who spurs Mushitarou into writing to cope with his loss.

Natsume wrote a few books as well. We don't know completely what they were about (and from my brief research they don't seem to correspond perfectly to his real life novels - might be a reference to Kokoro but the story does not appear to be the same...), but at least one was a series of three novels, with the last featuring an assassin who stopped killing, but Natsume derided these books and said they were not very good. He tore out the last few pages from the third, final book that explained why the assassin changed his path, and gave the book to a young Odasaku with a note "Don't blame me if you regret [reading] it".

Odasaku wanted to complete that novel. It completely changed his perspective on the world and opened his eyes - he re-read it multiple times (if I remember correctly, he also read it over and over to a wounded and exasperated Dazai in TDIPUD lol), and the lack of an ending bothered him immensely, not just because the story was incomplete, but because the scene was necessary to understanding the assassin's character. Odasaku wrote to understand himself and others, because writing novels is writing people. Natsume seemed to think he was uniquely qualified to do so, but Odasaku disagreed, thinking that someone who took lives was in no position to write about them - to understand them.

Odasaku dies. In every universe, and before he gets the chance to write the novel that sits in his mind - except in Beast, where Dazai painstakingly maintained the world to ensure he stayed alive. It seems oddly specific that this one random person should die before having the opportunity to write the story he wished... and I have to wonder if the universe really doesn't want him writing that book for some reason. And if that's the case, then is there any reason (beyond saving Oda from killing) why Natsume encouraged him to do so?

As a bonus, in the anime, Odasaku is the one to title drop "to the stray dogs" as a cheers, which Dazai will later echo. This doesn't happen in the novel... but if you look back at the difference between the anime Book and the manga Book - you'll notice the manga Book's cover is blank. The anime's says "Stray Dogs". Could be something, could be nothing. But it's worth mentioning.

And that's pretty much it for now! As we get more info, I'll continue to update this post. If anything here gives you ideas, please feel free to ramble about it in the tags or comments, or shoot me an ask! I love to read all your thoughts. :)

[walkswithmyfather]

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18:1‭-‬6‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

“Molded by the Master” By In Touch Ministries:

“You have been perfectly designed to accomplish the work God has planned for you.”

“If you have ever watched a potter work, as Jeremiah did in today’s passage, you know the wonder of seeing a vessel take shape from a lump of clay. It was an object lesson for the prophet—God was teaching that the nation of Israel needed to be shaped by His hand. In fact, we are all vessels designed and molded by the master Potter.

In the studio, when clay is placed on the wheel, the potter already has a specific design in mind for it. The same is true of us—the Lord has determined how He plans to work in our life and what part we are to play in building His kingdom. Each believer is shaped differently to worship and honor God. But regardless of how He made us, we all bear our Potter’s unmistakable imprint.

Too often we look around at the talents and abilities of others and wish to be more like someone else. But we have been perfectly designed for God’s purposes, and He makes no mistakes. Know this: The Master is pleased with who you are, for you are “awesomely and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Take a moment and ask God to let this truth sink into your heart and mind today.”

[Photo by Earl Wilcox at Unsplash]

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

The partisans of organized violence – those who see catastrophe as the only path to world renewal, and believe that justice, goodness, brotherhood, and equity can and must be imposed by force – declare, with pedantic emphasis, that Christianity has failed. In doing so, they only repeat what everyone – friends and enemies alike – believed when, one tragic morning, three crosses were raised on Calvary, and the Prophet of the New Order, Jesus of Nazareth, died as he hung on one of them. In fact, from a human point of view, Christ’s death put an end to his crazy venture of wanting to transform the world. The agitator is dead – thought the enemies – it is all over. Our leader is dead – thought the friends – it is all over. The disciples themselves returned from Calvary cowed, sorrowful, and disillusioned, the gall of failure eating away at their spirits.

The people most convinced of Christ’s failure were undoubtedly the radical zealots. Some of them had followed the revolutionary carpenter from Nazareth, believing he would lead an armed insurrection which would overthrow the Roman regime, establish the dictatorship of the chosen people, and bring about the advent of the kingdom of peace and justice, under the hegemony and splendor of Israel. When these revolutionaries saw that Jesus, instead of leading an uprising, let himself fall without resistance into the power of his enemies to be crucified ignominiously, they were enraged. What Jesus had done seemed to them the height of stupidity.

This reproach of Christ made by his contemporary advocates of organized violence is the same one that reappears, under a different guise, through the present advocates of violence. They want to see Christ as a sentimental, romantic, low-spirited reformer, who failed because he did not want to impose his authority violently, nor lead the oppressed masses to victory through armed insurrection.

---

What the Gospels describe as forty days of temptation in the desert was simply the period when Christ considered the vital question of what tactic he would employ in the struggle against evil, which roadmap he would use for building his new order. Christ discarded the three methods of human domination which are the essence of various forms of organized violence:

Economic might (producing bread as plentiful as stones and distributing it to the multitudes), under the illusion that a full belly is all that is needed to solve all human problems.

Political power, indissolubly linked to military power (the worship of Satan, in exchange for the kingdoms of the earth, the impérium universalis), trusting that humanity can be reformed by means of laws, decrees, and regulations, imposed by an authority supported by the police and the army.

Ecclesiastical power founded on terror and superstition (to throw oneself from the battlements of the temple and come out unscathed).

In the desert, Jesus chose his tactics, which have seemed true madness and crass folly to desperate people through the ages, to those who do not know the reality of human nature, and to the optimistic believers in evolution, economic progress, or dictatorial statism. In the desert, Christ discovered an eternal and awesome truth: the means determine the ends. A cause can be as noble and great as you want, but if you use means that do not correspond to it, it simply will elude your grasp. Many of his enemies, and more than a few of his friends, would supplant this truth with another, diabolically inverted one: “the ends justify the means.” But Jesus saw that organized violence of any kind, regardless of the end or ideal with which it seeks to justify itself, is always self-defeating, betraying the ends for which it is employed.

---

In other words, Christ discovered that justice, brotherhood, and peace, all deep yearnings of humanity, all ideals of social coexistence, can neither be dictated nor imposed. As a supreme realist and a profound connoisseur of human nature, he neither deluded nor deceived himself with reformist utopias. He believed that a kingdom of justice can only be built by just persons, a new world by new people, “new wine in new wineskins.” He warned that people cannot be reformed by force, nor rehabilitated by violence; they must be born again through the working of vital powers of a higher order, which he came to imbue in us. That is why Christ rejected Spartacism and imperialism as methods of social transformation. A popular insurrection can change regimes, but it cannot change people: neither its opponents, whom it does not change, but destroys, nor its proponents, whom it does not change, but corrupts. Christ – the supreme realist – saw that a simple regime change would only mean substituting one set of exploiters for others. That is why Christ ordered Peter: “Put your sword back in its sheath,” because violence only engenders violence. Spartacism is the father of tyranny. And substituting one tyrant for another does not improve the lot of the oppressed.

The current advocates of violence reproach Jesus for not having decided to use this method and attribute to it what they call the failure of “the two thousand years of Christianity.” They forget that, to a large extent, the reason Christian actions have watered down, delayed, or paralyzed the faith’s transforming power is precisely because the followers of Christ have often succumbed to the temptation of trying to Christianize the world through violence. They have wielded the sword in the name of the one who repudiated the sword. And they have sought to redeem humanity from its evils by means of organized violence, in the name of the one who condemned violence.

When faced with the sword, Jesus erects the cross and climbs up on it. The cross is the love that sacrifices itself, that gives itself for others. He who conquers, dominates, and imposes himself, cannot redeem. He only redeems who denies himself out of love and gives his life for the good of others.

[howtomuslim]

The Unifying Power of Islam: Binding Diverse People Together

In a world fragmented by differences, Islam stands out as a unifying force that transcends cultural, racial, and geographical boundaries. Its ability to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds into an international community is a testament to its enduring beauty and relevance in today’s society. 

One of the most fascinating ways in which Muslims feel a connection between fellow muslims worldwide is by the means of a common and endearing greeting: “Assalamu Alaykum” (peace be upon you, commonly shortened to “Salam” or peace)

Islam emphasises the fundamental unity of humanity, teaching that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, and thus, all races and communities are equal in the eyes of the Divine. The Quran states: 

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted” (Quran 49:13). 

This verse underscores the importance of recognising our shared humanity and fostering mutual understanding among diverse communities.

The Brotherhood of Believers

Central to Islam is the concept of brotherhood/sisterhood among believers. 

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever” (Sahih Bukhari). 

This Hadith highlights the interconnectedness of believers and emphasizes the importance of empathy and support within the Muslim community.

Unity in Worship

Five times a day, Muslims around the world turn towards the Kaaba in Mecca, united in prayer, united in direction and united in purpose of worship. This act of collective worship, known as Salah, serves as a powerful symbol of unity and solidarity among Muslims regardless of their geographical location or cultural background. It reinforces the notion that despite our differences, we are bound together by a common faith and devotion to God.

“We have been seeing you turning your face to the heavens. So, We will certainly assign to you a Qiblah that you would like. Now, turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid-ul-Harām), and (O Muslims), wherever you are, turn your faces in its direction. Even those who have been given the Book know well that it is the truth from their Lord, and Allah is not unaware of what they do.” [Quran 2:144]

Social Justice and Equality

Islam places a strong emphasis on social justice and equality, advocating for the fair treatment of all individuals irrespective of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself” (Sahih Bukhari). This Hadith underscores the importance of empathy and fairness in our interactions with others, fostering a sense of unity and inclusivity within society.

Cultural Diversity within Islam

Islam is not monolithic, but rather encompasses a rich mosaic of cultures, languages, and traditions from around the world. This diversity is celebrated within the Islamic framework, with different communities bringing their unique customs and practices to the fold of Islam while maintaining their identity as Muslims. The Quran affirms this diversity, stating:

“And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colours. Indeed, in that are signs for those of knowledge” (Quran 30:22)

In a world marked by division and discord, Islam offers a path towards unity, compassion, and understanding. Its teachings inspire individuals to transcend their differences and come together in pursuit of a common purpose: to worship Allah and serve humanity. 

[deltaruminations]

Notes on potential layers to the Scary Number wrt Gaster

(I'm getting tired of typing Gaster's stupid name over and over so I'm calling him G lol)

It's well known that G is closely associated with the number 6, particularly the number of the Beast (666):

The typer value in Deltarune's Introduction (Survey) is 666

Fun Event 66 leads to spr_mysteryman, whose unused battle stats are all repetitions of sixes, and all of the Gaster Followers are found through fun values in the 60s

The typer value used in ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN is also 666

It isn't news to players that UT/DR uses the visual and emotional language of secularized Christian symbols, as well as of the esoteric and occult, to a variety of ends. The use of the Scary Number as a direct reference to Gaster in particular may very well have such layers. Here are some very rough thoughts on that lol

Layer 1 - It Spooky lol

Even to a broad, secular audience, the number 666 is well-associated with the supernatural and occult, and therefore to both fascination and discomfort with the unfamiliar and unknown. It furthers the sense of mystery around G and stokes feelings of unease and mistrust toward him (feelings that may be intended in part to obfuscate his nuance, but also may not be unwarranted in themselves).

It's worth noting that making mysteryman's battle stats so "high" presents G as being mythically, impossibly powerful. Even Flowey X and Asriel only have 9950 HP and 9999 HP respectively. We could also read into those stats as signs of corruption (in a digital sense), as if each value has expanded arbitrarily to fill the maximum characters available to it. This suggests a power that is both impossible, even broken, and lacking any comprehensible meaning or purpose.

Layer 2 - Roles in Conspiracy

The surface associations of 666 with horror themes largely comes as a result of its role in Apocalypticist and syncretic conspiracy theorizing. In the former case, it is often interpreted as the sign of the Antichrist ("one who opposes Christ"); in the latter, it's often believed to be in some way prophetic or indicative of a more secular evil.

Thematically, conspiracy can be taken be taken as a mistrust of information, a dissatisfaction with "canon" answers, and an insatiable drive to find alternative conclusions. The idea that a pursuit of knowledge in itself could be just as (if not more) dangerous dangerous than any truths it seeks to discover is consistent with themes in eldritch and cosmic horror.

From a metanarrative perspective, piecing together G's lore very obviously feels like becoming involved in conspiracy, because in many ways it is. The ambiguity of information demands identifying auspicious symbols and triangulating possibilities between them, while rarely (if ever) having enough information to truly confirm anything beyond doubt. We often find ourselves wondering if it's even a good idea to piece together that lore in the first place -- what is G capable of doing if we do put him together?

We can't know just yet what, if any, significance the idea of conspiracy could have from G's perspective, but we may be able to take some swings. I'll discuss one idea in the speculation section, after layer 3.

Layer 3 - The Beast(s) of Revelation

There's a good chance I'm reading in too deep at this point, but I think it's interesting and worth throwing out there regardless. I should also note that I'm an ex-Catholic who was always very apathetic about the whole Religion Thing so I'm in no way an expert on this lol

The actual Biblical significance of 666 is its association to the Beast of Revelation, specifically as its "mark." However, there are apparently two beasts it could be referring to.

From Wikipedia:

The first beast comes "out of the sea" and is given authority and power by the dragon. This first beast is initially mentioned in Revelation 11:7 as coming out of the abyss.

The second beast comes "out of the earth" and directs all peoples of the earth to worship the first beast. The second beast is associated with Revelation 13:11–18 the false prophet.

"Out of the sea" is obviously a red flag if we consider that whole thing with Onionsan and the music they keep hearing. We may also have reasons to consider "ocean" and "abyss" to be interchangeable in a video game metanarrative context.

"Out of the earth" is less clear -- should we take it as literally coming from underground (ex. from the bunker) or below reality (ex. a Dark World), or as being something that is "of the world," formed out of its material, such as a Lightner? Perhaps such as the Knight?

There's also that stuff about the dragon which idk??? Maybe something there??? is jockington the devil

Again, I think it's hasty to draw any firm conclusions from this. I'll leave my thoughts for the speculative section that follows.

Speculation

These ideas both build upon my thinking that G, before "shattering," was a Lightner in Deltarune and may have been opening Dark Fountains and/or driving sad little men mad with his dastardly charms. This is the part where you're free to just peace out if you think that idea is too bonkers lol I don't blame you

G may have been vulnerable to conspiracy and/or manipulation

Conspiracies tend to take hold because they prey on inherent vulnerabilities in the human (and monster) condition -- our need to adapt to hardship despite having imperfect knowledge -- and not necessarily because believers are malicious in intent or incapable of rationality. Conspiracies are also key tactics of recruitment & control among high-control groups, who prey on those vulnerabilities by claiming to have answers. Note the common trope of cults in Lovecraftian horror.

We have reason to think that G may have tendencies toward excessive, potentially dangerous rationality and may have been vulnerable (at one time) to offers of truth (as well as, possibly, offers of things like personal connection).

We know that G's scientific work -- his pursuit of knowledge -- had dangerous potential. At the very least, it seems to have resulted in the loss of his physical form, if not also whatever happened to the "followers." There's also some stuff about his leitmotif that I think indicates a prone-ness to fruitless rumination (actual music writeup coming eventually. hopefully. maybe. i got a lotta shit to say on that topic ok)

The stuff about connection -- I mean he definitely seeks "connection" now but it's a professional relationship on paper, and he's also been a disembodied consciousness for years so it's no wonder if needs a buddy. But i do (very personally) believe it's pretty reasonable to think that an overanalytical perfectionist with a tendency to speak and behave strangely (ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN indicates that he was weird even before going ghost) and maybe kind of a strange face might have ongoing issues with forming meaningful relationships lmao

G may have been manipulated by the "first beast" into doing whatever doomed the world

G may have, in experimenting with Dark Worlds, uncovered some kind of entity from the "abyss." This entity may have convinced G by Some Means to open further Fountains and share the entity's "truths" (perhaps in the form of shadow crystals). In this way, "666" could be seen as describing G as the false prophet.

ALSO If we believe that he wrote Raslei's prophecy, and consider that it may be itself a flawed reaction to those earlier mistakes (we don't actually know yet whether closing the fountains and amassing all the darkners is a good idea either), then Ralsei is now a false prophet, instated by a beast from the "abyss" (incorporeal romhacker G) to listen to him. so either way the "Dragon" still ends up rising. oh and also G is now sort of abstractly the Antichrist (Antiknight?) working in opposition of "Christ's" (the entity's? the Knight's?) goals. hoo boy are you having fun yet. i sure as shit am

Something that really tickles me about this idea is that for all the stuff we've seen leading us to think of G as an eldritch entity it turns out there actually Could Be some kind of terrible horror with unspeakable intent wreaking havoc but that thing isn't G, G is just the guy who empowered it (and set in motion the destruction of the world/himself in the process)

also just to be clear: the manipulation idea isn't just me jumping through hoops to absolve G of any crimes. we all acknowledge that asgore still stole children's SOULs even though he had sympathetic reasons to do so lol

in hindsight i'm realizing maybe all of the real significance of this could just come down to the whole "antichrist" thing which is very clearly supported in Deltarune (the Knight wants fountains open. G doesn't.) but in the spirit of conspiracy theorizing and false prophecy i'll leave the rest of this up. it's only fitting right

[loominggaia]

You guys are making me spill some deets about Sovereign a bit prematurely, so I thought this was a good time to finish the Mr. Kraken article. This guy plays a major role in an upcoming story, but he won't appear for a while, so here's an article to tide you over until then.

Let's meet Mr. Ocean's "little" nephew. ;)

(sorry for the horrible art, I started it a long time ago and just finished it in a rush. I'd like to replace it with something better in the future.)

MR. KRAKEN

(lore under cut)

Sovereign, leader of the Aquarian Alliance, is well known for kidnapping noblewomen into his harem and forcing them to bear his offspring. But not all of these women submit peacefully, and the former queen of Pashwapa was one such rebel.

Sovereign held the queen captive in his royal nursery, where she was expected to lay her eggs. Knowing they would be fertilized by the cruel leader, the queen decided to sabotage her eggs as an act of resistance. She swallowed small amounts of random toxic substances every day for years during her gestation period, poisoning her body. The poison did not kill her, but it did seem to affect her next clutch of eggs in a strange way.

The clutch contained four tiny, unviable eggs and one unusually large egg. Sovereign fertilized the large egg regardless, hoping for a big, strong child. He got more than he bargained for when the egg hatched, for his new son was several times larger than the other hatchlings in the nursery.

Sovereign was pleased with his size at first, believing he would be a great warrior one day. But his son kept growing…and growing…and growing still. He quickly outgrew his nursery. Still in his juvenile bubbler stage, he had already grown larger than his mother. The boy's size became problematic for himself, his nursery attendants, and most of all his father, who quickly realized this was not just a normal growth spurt: it was a genetic defect. Ashamed of his son's condition, Sovereign banished him to a faraway colony made up of other offspring who were "defective" in his eyes. He forbade the child from returning to his kingdom.

The child kept growing with no signs of stopping. His siblings tried their best to care for him, but the shunned colony was struggling as it was, and simply keeping their brother's giant belly full proved too difficult. At fifty years old, the giant had reached adulthood and was many times larger than anyone else in the colony…yet, he was still growing, and so he was banished from the colony into the wilderness.

The giant was forced to fend for himself, but he didn't seem to struggle with this. He was so large that he made prey of the wild predators that his kind usually feared. He just kept growing larger over the years as he wandered the wilderness, and the larger he grew, the harder it became to hide from his father's hostile forces. The giant was forced to venture into deeper, darker waters as time went on.

At some point, he was noticed by an independent tribe of cecaelia living deep in the abyssal waters. Their civilization was one of the very few still unmolested by Sovereign's war campaigns, and in fact, they had little knowledge of the Aquarian Alliance at all.

These deepwater tribesmen witnessed the giant kill a colossal deepwater squid with his bare hands, and they believed he was the heroic prophet from their ancient legends. They not only welcomed him into their tribe, but honored him as some sort of demigod. They had been fearing a great kraken that slumbered near their village for thousands of years, and believed the giant cecaelia was sent by the gods to protect them from it when it finally awakened. The giant cecaelia accepted his new position, and allowed the tribe to feed and care for him in exchange for his protection.

Many centuries have passed since that fateful day, and word of the giant cecaelia has spread all throughout the seas, even making its way up to Terria. Many believe he is only a legend, while others know the truth. He is known by many different names such as "The Abyssal Giant" or "The Squid-Slayer". But those closest to him know him as "Mr. Kraken", and he still protects the deepwater tribe today, growing ever larger as time goes on.

After so many centuries, he has grown nearly as large as his prophsied kraken adversary. He feeds on the giant squids that once terrorized the deepwater tribe, and they celebrate him in return. What does the future hold for Mr. Kraken? He fears that he will eventually outgrow the deepwater tribe, just as he outgrew his nursery and the colony of his banished siblings. He only wishes that his estranged father will one day recognize his power and welcome him back to Aquaria.

For now, Mr. Kraken remains hidden in the dark depths of the sea. He watches over the deepwater tribe as they build their civilization around him, waiting for his sleeping adversary to finally awaken and their prophecy to be realized.

SEE ALSO

Aquarian Alliance

Mr. Ocean

Scylli

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

*

[naneun-no]

I love jikook but you should let taekookers have this..I mean, it's normal that they're happy. Jikook don't interact on social media and you can't find excuses because Jimin liked some old posts of Yoongi and Tae, so he could like Jungkook posts too but he didn't. He never mentioned Jungkook during his live, and Jungkook didn't say anything about Vibe. They don't interact in public. Jimin posted Jk in Qatar and that's all. (And don't mention birthdays because many members interacts on birthdays). Taekook spent time together 1. Tae posted a story with Jk month ago. 2. They went to play bowling and maybe to ski resort. 3. They were in a hotel making a video together (it was different from the video made by the staff. Tk directed and edited the video) 4. Tae mentioned that he talked to Jk on phone 5. Tae said he supposed to travel with Jk 6. Tae said that he asked Jk to play with him 7. Today they were together/ or they played together. All this in these last months. We see jikook moments only when there are old clips or thanks to run bts. It's okay to be sad. I'm sad too. But taekookers have the right to he happy. They basically have what jikookers had in the past. Tk are often together, and we don't know the relationship status of jikook. Maybe sometimes they meet, maybe not. But taekook are now that jikook were in the past. Sad but the reality

Lol, well dang. I kinda thought that’s what I was doing when I responded playfully instead of making it something negative.

Which I could have, cause the previous anon (maybe it was you?) came in hot to MY blog with a condescending attitude talkin about “it’s time to admit the truth” like some kind of self-important prophet. Believe me, there were a whole lot of things I could have said but I thought I would just be kind of silly and have fun with their wording slip-up (which happens to all of us, which is why I mentioned in the tags that it was all in good fun and I meant no offense. I included that particularly in case English wasn’t their first language; my aim was to have a little fun, not be discouraging).

And… who’s sad? 😅 I mean I know you said you are but I’m not. I’m an adult, and so even if I have this whole thing ass backwards wrong I’m not gonna be SAD about who two men I don’t even know are fucking. A little surprised, maybe a little bummed, yeah, but ultimately unaffected because their relationship was and still is beautiful regardless. And I certainly don’t feel even a little bummed right now, because I haven’t seen any reason to doubt their closeness.

In fact, pretty much the only thing that makes me sad on here is when people decide to anonymously stomp into someone else’s space and demand things of them with the entitlement of a 3 year old.

I’m having a grand old time in my silly little corner of the internet, minding my own business. I got a good laugh today and tried to do so without being TOO much of a jerk. I love that Tae and JK are hanging out, which you would know if you’d bothered to read anything else I’ve said. I don’t think them hanging out means what you think it means, but that’s okay.

I love BTS. I love Jikook. I love Taehyung, and Taekook, and all the various pairings and groupings and friendships within that group of 7 lovely men. I happen to believe that one pair is involved romantically, and that’s okay. That doesn’t stop anyone else from believing what they believe and enjoying their own pieces and corners of the fandom. But this is my space. Get the difference? I have never and will never elbow my way into a Taekook space and wag my tongue. Notice how I NEVER tag Taekook for that exact reason.

I have no problem “letting them have this.” They absolutely are welcome to have it. You, however, are not welcome to tell me how to respond in my space.

Whatever. Have some vminkook.

[childofchrist1983]

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. - Jeremiah 17:5-6 KJV

Whom do we trust: God or this world? For so many, it feels that it might be easier to trust in ourselves or what we can see and touch, rather than what we take on in faith.

But in this Bible passage, God is warning the people not to trust in their kings to protect them while they are going against the most important of all the Commandments – Refusal to put God first by worshiping false gods and idols. They were offering sacrifice to Baal, even murdering their children by throwing them into the fires built to honor Baal. Is it any wonder that God was angry! The result of their trust in their kings was the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of those remaining into Babylon. About 800 years later, the immorality in Rome so weakened this once powerful nation and allowed it to be overcome by the army of Constantine.

Today, we also face a lack of morality in our world. This behavior and a lack of belief and trust in God Almighty and Jesus Christ has weakened strong nations and there are always governments that are poised to take advantage of weakness. Regardless of what is going on around us, we need to stay firm as did the prophets and keep reminding those who will listen that we need to return to the way that leads to Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation and eternal life in Heaven. It isn't easy, but we need to trust that God will bring good out of whatever evil seems to be happening in the present. After all, at the end of the Babylonian captivity, King Cyrus sent the Israelites back with enough gold to rebuild the temple. After Constantine defeated the Romans, the persecution of Christians at that time had ended.

We can't see into the future, but God can, and He has. And one day, we will understand God's plan. For now, it is enough that we trust in Him. Always! Only our Heavenly Father knows the very day our LORD and Savior and King - Jesus Christ - will return and He knows when we will be born and take our last breath. And thanks to His living and Holy Word - the Holy Bible - we know how we are to continually lean on Him and live for Him as well as how this world will end. We see all that is written within it happening before our very eyes. We know that when our lives are over, Jesus has a place for all those who believed and trusted in Him and didn't place their trust in people and things that would lead them away from Him and His Gospel Truth, His Holy Word.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time daily to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful Lord, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in the Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[dfroza]

bravery in this world is to keep things pure in heart

but this is also the courage of having the heart reborn in A new True nature

(inside, Anew)

the courage to “believe…” is actually a point of humility in being open to simply receive what is already done on our behalf through pure and sacred Blood

(becoming virgin pure just as gold is refined, just as pure olive oil used to illumine the inside of the Temple since the heart becomes the Spirit’s Temple)

we’re not bowing to the culture, if said culture goes astray from our Creator’s truth.

people and nations have gone astray throughout the course of our fallen History as humans who have been instilled with conscience, yet some pay no heed to it. even choosing to be a good person is not enough to enter eternal life since we’re each still marked by an old Adamic nature. we must take upon ourselves the True nature of Adam reborn, the resurrected Son who is Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ)

this is the path of Light and no other.

from John’s ancient writing about an illuminated conversation:

Woman: Sir, it is obvious to me that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped here on this mountain, but Your people say that Jerusalem is the only place for all to worship. Which is it?

Jesus: Woman, I tell you that neither is so. Believe this: a new day is coming—in fact, it’s already here—when the importance will not be placed on the time and place of worship but on the truthful hearts of worshipers. You worship what you don’t know while we worship what we do know, for God’s salvation is coming through the Jews. The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well. Regardless of whether you are in Jerusalem or on this mountain, if you do not seek the Father, then you do not worship.

Woman: These mysteries will be made clear by He who is promised, the Anointed One.

Jesus: The Anointed is speaking to you. I am the One you have been looking for.

The Book of John, Chapter 4:19-26 (The Voice)

do you “believe…” in writing of the Spirit that searches for the heart of A pure Queen?

(A new Eve)

there is a beautiful mystery “unveiled” in the Church Body as Bride of the eternal King (A new Adam) in that even though the Body of the Church is comprised of both men & women (and boys & girls) each according to their conceived gender in the womb, yet we also see in this a pure “mirroring” of earthly marriage shared as a lifelong covenant of a (man & woman) according to our Creator’s original “Genesis” design in which the Church upholds

(it is sacred)

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Twenty-ninth  Word - Part 38

Fourth matter: After destroying this world, the One Who created it will re-form it more beautifully and convert it into a mansion of the Hereafter. The Qur’an, which contains thousands of rational evidences, and other Divine Scriptures agree on this, as do the All-Majestic One’s Attributes of Majesty and Grace as well as His Beautiful Names. Moreover, He promised that He would bring about the Resurrection and the Supreme Gathering through all of His heavenly decrees sent to His Prophets, all of whom agree that He carries out His promises. Prophet Muhammad is the foremost to confirm this, along with the strength of his one thousand mir- acles. All saints and righteous scholars confirm this as well. Lastly, the uni- verse predicts it with all the evidence it contains.

In short, it is as certain as the sun’s rising the next morning after set- ting this evening that the “sun of truth” will appear in the form of the Hereafter’s life after this world’s life sets.

Inspired by the Divine Name the All-Wise and the Qur’an’s grace, I have elaborated the proofs of this truth to convince the intellect and ready the heart to accept it. But the words of the Creator of the universe have the greatest right to speak in this matter. So, listen to the Eternal Discourse of the All-Wise Maker, in which He addresses everyone regardless of time and place. In response, we must believe and affirm what He says:

When the earth quakes with a violent quaking destined for it and throws up its burdens, and human cries out: “What is the matter with it?” That day it will proclaim its tidings because Your Lord has inspired it. That day humans will come forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds. Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. (99:1–8)

Give glad tidings to those who believe and do good, righteous deeds: for them are Gardens through which rivers flow. Every time they are provided with fruits therefrom, they say, “This is what we were provided with before.” For they are given to them in resemblance (to what was given to them both in the world, and just before in the Gardens). Furthermore, for them are spouses eternally purified. They will abide there (forever). (2:25)

All-Glorified are You. We have no knowledge save what You have taught us. Surely You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. O God, bestow blessings on our master Muhammad and on his Family, as You bestowed blessings on our master Abraham and his family. You are the All-Praiseworthy, the All-Sublime.

[drmaqazi]

WHAT DOES IMRAN KHAN MEAN BY Laa Ilaaha IllAllah?

When we say “La Ilaaha IllaAllah," we are affirming that there is no god but Allah (Ta’ala). Every Muslim believes in this and testifies to it.

Maybe your first time saying La ilaaha illaAllah was when you reverted to Islam, or maybe you grew up saying this every day. Regardless of how we came to believe in Allah (Ta’ala), the phrase is an important part of our faith.

Saying La illaha illa Allah affirms your faith, yes. But did you know that saying it also has benefits that bring you reward in the sight of Allah (ta’ala)? Here are three benefits to motivate you to keep your tongue moist with La illaha illa Allah.

Forgiveness of Sins

It was narrated from Mu’adh bin Jabal RadiyAllahu ‘anhu that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: “There is no soul that died bearing witness to La Ilaaha IllAllah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, from the heart with certainty, but Allah will forgive it.” (Ibn Majah).

Acceptance of Du’a

Narrated ‘Ubada bin As-Samit: The Prophet (ﷺ) “Whoever gets up at night and says: — ‘Laa ilaaha illAllah Wahdahu laa Shareeka lah lahul Mulk, wa lahul Hamd wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shai’in Qadeer. Al Hamdu lillaahi wa SubhaanAllahi wa laa-ilaaha illAllah waAllahu Akbar wa laa hawla wa laa Quwwata illaa-billaah.’

(None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One and has no partners . For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah. All the glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, And Allah is Great And there is neither Might nor Power Except with Allah). 

And then says: — Allahumma, Ighfir li (O. Allah! Forgive me). Or invokes (Allah), he will be responded to and if he performs ablution (and prays), his prayer will be accepted.” (Bukhari).

Freedom from Hell

Narrated `Utban bin Malik Al-Ansari RadiyAllahu ‘anhu, who was one of the men of the tribe of Bani Salim: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to me and said, “If anybody comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said: La Ilaaha IllaAllah, sincerely, with the intention to win Allah’s Pleasure, Allah will make the Hell-Fire forbidden for him.” (Bukhari).

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed RadiyAllahu ‘anhumaa bore witness that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:

“If a person says: ‘Laa ilaaha illAllahu wa Allahu Akbar (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Allah is the Most Great),’

Allah says: ‘My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, and I am the Most Great.’ If a person says: Laa ilaaha IllAllah Wahdahu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah alone), 

Allah says: ‘My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, alone.’ If he says,Laa Ilaaha IllaAllahu laa shareekalahu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah with no partner or associate),’ 

[smqazi]

WHAT DOES IMRAN KHAN MEAN BY Laa Ilaaha IllAllah?

When we say “Laa Ilaaha IllaAllah," we are affirming that there is no god but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Every Muslim believes in this and testifies to it.

Maybe your first time saying Laa ilaaha illaAllah was when you reverted to Islam, or maybe you grew up saying this every day. Regardless of how we came to believe in Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), the phrase is an important part of our faith.

Saying Laa illaha illa Allah affirms your faith, yes. But did you know that saying it also has benefits that bring you reward in the sight of Allah ((Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)? Here are three benefits to motivate you to keep your tongue moist with Laa illaha illa Allah.

Forgiveness of Sins

It was narrated from Mu’adh bin Jabal (RadiyAllahu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: “There is no soul that died bearing witness to Laa Ilaaha IllAllah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah, from the heart with certainty, but Allah will forgive it.” (Ibn Majah).

Acceptance of Du’a

Narrated ‘Ubada bin As-Samit (RadiyAllahu ‘anhu): The Prophet (ﷺ) “Whoever gets up at night and says: — ‘Laa ilaaha illAllah Wahdahu laa Shareeka lah lahul Mulk, wa lahul Hamd wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shai’in Qadeer. Al Hamdu lillaahi wa SubhaanAllahi wa laa-ilaaha illAllah waAllahu Akbar wa laa hawla wa laa Quwwata illaa-billaah.’

[(None has the right to be worshipped but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). He is the Only One and has no partners . For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). All the glories are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), And Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) is Great And there is neither Might nor Power Except with Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)]. 

And then says: — Allahumma, Ighfir lee (O. Allah! Forgive me). Or invokes Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)), he will be responded to and if he performs ablution (and prays), his prayer will be accepted.” (Bukhari).

Freedom from Hell

Narrated `Utban bin Malik Al-Ansari (RadiyAllahu ‘anhu), who was one of the men of the tribe of Bani Salim: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to me and said, “If anybody comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said: Laa Ilaaha IllaAllah, sincerely, with the intention to win Allah’s Pleasure, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) will make the Hell-Fire forbidden for him.” (Bukhari).

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed (RadiyAllahu ‘anhumaa) bore witness that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:

“If a person says: ‘Laa ilaaha illAllahu wa Allahu Akbar [(None has the right to be worshipped but Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and Allah is the Most Great)].’

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: ‘My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, and I am the Most Great.’ If a person says: Laa ilaaha IllAllah Wahdahu [(There is none worthy of worship except Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) alone)].

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says: ‘My slave has spoken the truth; there is none worthy of worship except I, alone.’ If he says, Laa Ilaaha IllaAllahu laa shareeka lahu (There is none worthy of worship except Allah with no partner or associate).’ 

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Pray for Our Nation and Vote for Our Leaders Fall of 2024

We have diligently been praying about the upcoming elections, that we, as a nation, will elect the right person who will hold the office of the president of the United States. We are also praying that we will elect good senators and representatives to rule over us, as well. We know all Christians, have been praying as well. Many believers are divided and confused about the choices before us. As Christians, we should care about character, the Supreme Court, and social issues like abortion and traditional marriage and also the future of our nation. Yet, the Lord has not made it easy this time for us to be at peace about our vote. There are no easy answers. The Bible says as long as we are in this earth, we see through a glass darkly, so we are faced with the choice between two flawed candidates for the presidency. Regardless of the outcome, we are committed to honoring and praying for whichever leaders get elected across the board because the Bible tells us we are to honor the offices of our leaders. The next president will face enormous challenges and problems and will need our support and prayers. We are admonished in the Word of God to pray for them, as God wants us to have leaders that will make decisions that will allow us to live quiet and peaceable lives in an environment of godliness and honesty according to the scripture below:

1 Timothy 2:1-5 1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

What Will the Next President Do?

I started praying about the presidential elections long ago. I even asked the Lord to show me who the new presidents would be, as I know He has revealed the future to some of His prophets and people. I told the Lord I would like to know since I have had such a burden to pray about this matter. My burden came with a lot of weeping and crying over our nation and the upcoming elections and over the spirit of division that is in our land. I have an intercessory prayer burden and maybe I just have a Jeremiah anointing on me right now, as Jeremiah was known as “the weeping prophet.” Anyway, God did not reveal to me who the next president would be, but rather led me to a scripture in Jeremiah and began speaking to me about what the next president would do. Here was the scripture He spoke to my heart:

Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

Here is what He revealed to me about the correlation of this scripture and the office of the presidency of which either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will fill. We are going to have one of these people as our next president and one of them will be “set over the nations” for a very unusual purpose. The Lord does want this nation to change and the needed change is one of coming back to honoring God in our culture and society. Regarding our nation, change means that those things in our nation that are corrupt and dishonest need to change and be removed. Change requires that the bad things need to be rooted out, to make room for the new. The Lord revealed to me that a lot of destruction would be going on during the next presidential term, as there would be a lot of “throwing down” and “rooting out” of past government policies and wickedness in high places. As I stated, He did not tell me who would be our next president, but He gave me this scripture and explained to me what it meant for this election. Either we, as a nation, will repent and serve Him or we will continue to suffer under more pressure from our government leaders and endure more strife among us. Our problems are spiritual problems and not party problems. No one party has the answers to our problems in this nation. God has our answers if we seek Him.

Again, what the Lord spoke to me about, was the next president would be tearing down and destroying a lot of things, before the Lord could begin to “build and plant” good things in our government. The plowing up would come before our nation could be rebuilt. The next president cannot build until some of the evil is rooted out. Then they, or possibly the next president to follow, would then be able to build and plant. This would come after some things were destroyed in this next term of office. My first thought was: “I wonder if this is Donald Trump because he is sometimes like a bull in a china closet and he plans to do a lot of changing in the government if he gets to be president.” But the Lord then revealed to me not necessarily so, as this verse could describe either of them; and could refer to Hilary Clinton, as well, as this election still hangs in the balance. (Sometime our first thoughts toward a Word from the Lord are not exactly the way we mentally process it, but can have a different meaning.) [1] See note at bottom of article regarding how to discern the origin of the things we hear.

What Will be Torn Down?

Wrong policies can tear down many of our Christian values and beliefs in our country (like unrestricted abortions). No party is perfect, nor is any candidate perfect. However, before voting it would be wise, as Christians, to compare platforms of the parties to see which one more closely lines up with the Bible. If we think we cannot vote for a person because of their personality, we can vote for the person who stands upon the party platform that is based more on Christian principals, non-abortions as those will be the issues that we will live under. We then can pray the person who represents that party will lead the nation in the platform statements they represent. (You can search the Internet for a comparison between the Platforms.) The Bible declares that everything that can be shaken, will be shaken, and only things that are based on the Word of God will stand. We pray the church will be standing for the right issues and will vote in this critical year that will determine our future, because more chaos and destruction are coming to our land very soon.

Destruction and Chaos Coming

The destruction that is coming will either be another judgment on our nation because of increased sin and will continue until we repent and turn back to God. Part of any judgment process is the exposing of sin, so men can be saved, so God may be allowing the exposing of sin in our nation for the purpose of pulling it down and rooting it out. I do believe our country is going through judgment and tribulation, but I do not believe we will be destroyed as a nation, as I believe our national judgments are coming for the purpose of restoration, not total destruction. However, if evil is not dealt with, we will be overcome by it. We could be spared many heartaches if we would just repent and get rid of the evil in our individual lives and then the evil in our nation will lessen. What will be torn down will depend on who is elected for president, along with the house and senate.

Hebrews 12:23-29 (AMP): 23 And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect, 24 And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better {and} nobler {and} more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]. 25 So see to it that you do not reject Him {or} refuse to listen to {and} heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen {and} heed Him Who warned {and} divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject {and} turn our backs on Him Who cautions {and} admonishes [us] from heaven? 26 Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake {and} make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens.   27 Now this expression, yet once more, indicates the final removal {and} transformation of all [that can be] shaken–that is, of that which has been created–in order that what cannot be shaken may remain {and} continue. 28 Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm {and} stable {and} cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service {and} acceptable worship, with modesty {and} pious care and godly fear {and} awe; 29 For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

This Election is Hanging in the Balance as to the Outcome

The Lord spoke to me this election hangs in the balance and it will be up to the prayers and actions of Christians as to who is elected because the church will determine who will rule over this nation and this applies to all the nations in the world. God rules His Kingdom through His people and if we obey Him, His will, will be done. This is because our leaders are a reflection of the people. The Bible tells us that nations that sin will come under judgment and without repentance we come under the curses of the Bible and one curse is having leaders or rulers that exploit the people by exercising power and excessive rule over them. This does not just apply to our nation, but the nations of the world, as well. The church worldwide was called to be light and salt to the nations and when the church fails in her calling, we all suffer. The church will ultimately determine which candidate comes to power. If we repent and pray, the Lord will see we get the better of the two, although they are both very flawed. People are asking who they can vote for. Perhaps, this time we are faced with voting for a platform that does not list “killing babies” as one of its principles and policies, so instead of voting for a person, we should pray about voting for the party platform of principles and policies that is closest to the tenets of Christian belief and the Word of God.

What About Just Not Voting at All?

One look at our country and we see our nation seemingly getting further away from God and instead of people repenting and trying to get their lives right before God, many just either remain apathetic or laugh things off. Soon none of the things happening in our nation will be a laughing matter if we do not repent. We are praying for a revival in this nation. Some people are refusing to vote at all, because they do not like what they see in either candidate. However, I do not believe the Lord would have us disengage from the voting process because we are disgusted, but try to get God’s perspective as to how He is viewing all of this confusion in our nation. If we refuse to vote, we are leaving the choice to others who will decide who rules over us, as a decision” not to vote,” is still a decision and that is the decision of passivity. God never calls us to be passive about things. If we do not understand what is going on, we can trust God that He knows the future and will guide us to do the right things today that will affect our future. Some people who are refusing to vote are calling their withdrawal from the election process, as a vote of conscious. They do not want to side with the wrong people. However, when we take that position, we are then allowing others to dictate our future because the presidency is bigger than just one person. There are many people who surround the president that will be making decisions in their respective offices of the Supreme Court, the cabinet members and other government offices. The new president will influence the Senate and the representatives and the nations of the world. Should we just not vote and let others choose who will be doing these things?

There are other issues on the ballot besides voting for the president and other candidates such as the senators and representatives. We have local officials that we will be selecting along with referendums and propositions that affect our cities and towns. One in our state, Florida, is the issue of deciding if we are going to allow recreational marijuana to be legal. As Christians, we need to say no to this form of drug addiction. Our children are already bombarded with enough temptations without the added burden of legal marijuana which is destructive to so many people. Other states will also be voting on important issues in their areas, so we need to study the propositions and vote on the right side of these issues as well.

Option of Voting for Personality or the Party Platform?

We have two major parties, as we all know, the republicans and the democrats, so in this election, if we are having problems with voting for either of the presidential candidates because of their personalities, perhaps, as I have stated, we should consider casting our vote not based on the candidate’s personality, but instead, we are to vote for the person who stands on the platform that most closely lines up with Bible principals because the two platforms are very different. To look at just one issue, the one of abortion, we find one party supports life, while the other supports death (pro-abortion) and the candidates are both very vocal about their stand on this issue. The other main issue is that of the Supreme Court appointees by the next president. We should consider voting for the candidate whose party platform most closely lines up with Christian principles and then believe God to work with the person to change them and correct them by using the men and women that will serve with them, as each party will have a cabinet of people who will be there to advise them and work with them. This should apply to the other candidates as well at the local and state levels. I am not telling anyone how to vote because ultimately that is each individual’s right and decision. I am only sharing my own struggle regarding voting. I believe we can hear God in the matter if we seek the Lord with our whole heart because He tells us if we do, He will hear and answer.

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Bottom Line

Bottom line is that neither candidate is the answer to ultimately changing our country, but rather when we all repent from our sins, and the people of this nation turn back to God we will then come back under God’s protection and favor again. He will then give us the leaders we need who will build up our country again. This go round we should all be prepared to face turmoil on every side, as I know neither candidate will fully have the answers to our nation’s problems, because our problems are spiritual problems and until we return to God, we will continue under the judgments that we see all around us. The clearest thing the Lord revealed to me about this next presidency is that it comes with a destructive process of things being “torn down” before we can ever rebuild as a nation. However, it is necessary; as it is like remodeling a house. First, you have to tear a lot of things out, refurbish some things, rearrange some things, add some new things, add new fixtures and paint so that the new remodel will work better for us. We did this in our kitchen a few years back and the process took about two months and it was really hard to live in the house while it was going on, but the end result was great. I had new pull-out drawers so I did not have to crawl on the floor to get into the lower cabinets and other upgrades that made my cooking so much easier. So, it is now, in our government. We have to endure the coming process before we will be blessed with the end result. The best way to endure is to pray for both parties and for peace and unity among them so they can work together for the good of the country.

Prepare for the Days of Turmoil Ahead

Since trouble is coming to our nation, we should be prepared physically, financially, mentally, and spiritually. The most important thing is that we get close to God and hear His voice so we know where He wants us to be in the coming days. We must learn to depend on Him for all of our needs. This is the time to seek God and get our house in order for the coming days of tribulation throughout the world. We must learn to overcome the things we all will face by trusting and having faith in God and His Word. We need to pray not only for our country, but for the nations of the world that need Jesus as well. Our answer is to pray that all Christians will work toward establishing the Kingdom of God in each of their respective countries, as we look for the coming of the Lord to rule and reign in the world. This begins with the Kingdom of God established in each of our individual lives. Eventually God’s kingdom will triumph over all. God has called each of us for such a time as this. This will be a time of overcoming and a walk of faith and miracles in the Lord, so from that perspective it will be exciting to see Him move in miraculous ways. We are now living in the days that our Lord will soon return, so we must remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24:13:

Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

We are praying that God will withhold more judgments on our nation and have mercy on us because I do not believe His people are ready for what lies ahead. We are praying God will give us His wisdom and guidance in this nation and place over us His leaders who can take us through hard times. We are asking the Lord to cleanse us and deliver us from all deception as much of our problems stem from being deceived into becoming worldly. May He give us His discernment so we choose wise and righteous leaders, who love justice and mercy. We pray that our great country will be used to fulfill His will on the earth, as it is in Heaven.

Bottom line is that we need to pray the Lord’s Prayer over this election and listen to God as to his leadership regarding voting, not only for the president but for all elected officials and the voter propositions, as well. We have the privilege of voting and we should not throw that privilege away. We will be accountable before God for all of our choices. My prayer is that all of God’s people will hear His voice and vote accordingly. We can make a difference in this world.

Matthew 6:9-13 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

From: Steven P. Miller, @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder and Administrator of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Group Monday, July 15, 2024, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X … @ParkermillerQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO.

[destinyimage]

7 Signs of the Antichrist: These Things Herald the Rise of the Beast

There are more than one hundred passages in Scripture that describe the antichrist.

There are less than fifty about Adam. Again and again, God gives explicit details about who this man of mystery is—without, of course, identifying him by name. His characteristics, his intention, and his agenda are obvious, but much of the Church, like an ostrich, sticks its head in the sand and tries to ignore the eventuality of his appearing. I don’t say this to scare you, but to prepare you. I don’t want to make you anxious, but I want to make you aware. We must watch and pray. Being prepared, being aware, watching and praying will bring us the peace and hope that God has for us individually and for the Church as a whole. John, from his first letter, says it this way:

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 (1 John 4:1-3 KJV).

The Church has often assumed that the he John is referring to is the devil, but that is not entirely correct. The he John has in mind is the spirit of antichrist. Understand that there is a man who is coming who will be possessed by the devil, a master of the occult—indeed, of all the satanic arts. He may be an atheist, an agnostic, or what is more likely, he may act as though he is a deeply religious person. (He undoubtedly will be, but not in the manner that most people think of religion.)

He will be quick to pervert everything that comes under his influence.

He will be involved in every sin imaginable while acting like a model citizen.

He will deceive many.

That man is coming, but before he appears, John tells us very plainly that the antichrist spirit “is already in the world.” John also gives us some specific markers by which we can identify that spirit.

It will deny that Jesus came in the flesh by means of the virgin birth.

It will deny the relationship between Jesus and the Father.

It will deny the reality of the Trinity.

It will deny that Jesus is God.

You may be wondering how people can give any measure of credibility to a person who pretends to be religious yet who denies what seem to be obvious truths about God. How is it possible that he wins the unstinting allegiance of multitudes when what he is advocating is so blatantly false?

One reason is that so many, even among those who claim to be believers, are unfamiliar with basic Bible doctrines. They are strangers to the Bible themselves, and can we blame them? They never heard the truths of the Word of God from the pulpit either because the preacher was preoccupied with more important issues or he was terrified to touch on it himself.

People are becoming numb to Gospel Truth. They have heard so many diverging arguments regarding God or the Bible on social media that they essentially have stopped listening. When someone comes along and presents them with a candy-coated gospel while offering to drink a beer or smoke weed with them, they are ready to get on board regardless of what the leader is saying, and no matter how outrageous it may seem.

Another reason for the success of the antichrist’s advent is his skillful and selective use of propaganda as a tool of persuasion. Do you think social media outlets have become adept at manipulating data to promote certain narratives and discredit others? Wait until the antichrist harnesses the power of advanced AI capabilities to control what you hear. He will make all past and current efforts at media manipulation look like child’s play.

The Herald of the Antichrist’s Coming

Perhaps the greatest factor that leads to the antichrist’s acceptance is the spirit of antichrist that is preparing the way for him. John the Baptist was the herald of Christ’s coming. The antichrist will also have a clever and capable master of information manipulation who will twist his lies into a semblance of the truth. This character is identified as the false prophet in Revelation 19:20. He will make Joseph Goebbels, Valenti Beria, and Mao’s misinformation minions look like rank amateurs in comparison. The worldview he will sell people is social- ism. It will not be a difficult task for many, since they have already succumbed to the siren song of socialist doctrine. They will need little persuasion since what the antichrist will offer them is something they have already bought into. They don’t realize that it is a deal with the devil, and their part of the wager is their eternal soul.

Please don’t think that I am saying that because socialism will be a major factor in preparing the way for the antichrist’s advent that capitalism is the only economic system that is of God. God’s ways are not man’s ways. What God has in mind for the earth is neither capitalism nor socialism, but an economic system designed by the One who created it and ultimately owns it all.

What I am saying is that socialism has a fundamental flaw that makes it unworkable when it comes to equal outcomes for human beings. It is this: a foundational premise of socialism is that man is essentially good. The only things that are blocking man’s continuing quest for perfection are inequities in the human condition caused by the lust for money and power. All men need to do to experience perfection is to give all their money and power to the state, so that the state can distribute resources equitably to all.

When anyone has the temerity to remind the current crop of socialists that their preferred worldview has a terrible track record of mayhem, disaster, and blood, they are undaunted in their quest for utopia. They claim that the benighted despots of the past did not have the advantages available to us in the 21st century. Now, they say, we can do socialism the way it is supposed to be done, and success will be inevitable. In the meantime, if a few million people die, that is a small price to pay for saving the planet. They maintain that there are too many useless eaters anyway. This is the current position of the World Economic Forum and its false prophet, Yuval Noah Harari. They are maneuvering to take hold of the levers of power, and America’s leaders seem to be falling in line.

I understand that there is more to socialist doctrine than this, but I am emphasizing the aspect of socialism that requires men to believe that they are basically good and capable of perfection as a result of their own effort. This is a lie that is conclusively refuted by the testimony of human history, the clear record of the Bible, and the perfect plan of redemption.

This idea of men achieving perfection by submission to the all-powerful, benevolent state qualifies socialism to be a main tenet of the antichrist’s doctrine, since he will seek to control the apparatus of power, and he will eventually become the personification of the state. If people are already conditioned to submit to the state, that will make his job much easier, since less persuasion or coercion will be required for them to give their allegiance to him.

Socialist doctrines and dogma are advancing all around us. It seems that every day’s headlines bring us another outrageous proposal or policy that would have been laughed to scorn or mercilessly mocked a generation or even a decade ago. Now they seem to be standard operating procedure in many places. This is not a right or left issue or a matter of adherence to a political party. The conflict goes much deeper than that. It involves an ongoing and intensifying battle for the souls of men.

The antichrist spirit is better known for what it denies than for what it advocates. As I mentioned earlier, this spirit will deny the virgin birth, which we must believe to be saved. It denies the relationship between the Father and Jesus, as well as the person of the Holy Spirit, attacking the Trinity as an unworkable concept, since it cannot be understood by the rational mind. It will deny that Jesus is God. The antichrist spirit may give Jesus credit for being a good man or a prophet, but it denies Him as the only substitute for the sin of man. The antichrist spirit loves religion but has a problem with Jesus Christ. Remember, this spirit wants to either remove Jesus or replace Jesus.

This is what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 15. He writes of fighting a wild beast at Ephesus. He was never thrown into an arena where he fought actual beasts. He was referring to the antichrist spirit. He said he fought the beast in Ephesus, and there he saw a mighty revival.

Today, you are fighting the beast in your daily life. You feel the pressure and the stress on your family, in your finances, in your relationships, and in your ability to witness your faith. In addition to all the natural circumstances that come against you, there is an antichrist spirit that opposes your efforts to succeed in fulfilling your God-given purpose.

Second Thessalonians was written by the great apostle Paul to the church of Thessalonica. The occasion of his letter to them was that he got word that they had received a letter as though it was written by him. Someone had forged a letter, signed it from Paul, and sent it to them. (Having an account hacked is not a recent phenomenon.) The letter told them, among other things, that they had missed the blessed hope and catching away of the saints. He wrote to reassure them and to remind them of what he had told them when he was personally present with them. The Book of 2 Thessalonians also contains an urgent emphasis on the last days, and it warned the Church to beware of those who had doctrines different from Paul’s on that subject. Here is one important passage:

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 trou- bled, 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 (2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 KJV).

The apostle Paul shows us that the antichrist is constantly trying to emerge on the world scene. However, there is a restraining force that is hindering the antichrist from being revealed and taking his place of power. That restraining force is the Holy Ghost-filled, fire-baptized Church of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God within you is a restraining force holding back the plague, holding back the pestilence, holding back the depression, holding back the divorce, holding back the complete collapse of the economy, and so much more. You are the restrainer through the power of the Holy Spirit. You are pushing back against the antichrist spirit—and no weapon formed against you will prosper.

The only antidote to the spirit of antichrist is the real Christ within you, who is the hope of glory. Through the Spirit of God, you are empowered to proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere you go. Your influence in your family, your home, your community, and your workplace are all impediments that make it impossible for the antichrist to enact his agenda as long as you are on the earth. You are still here, and that is why he is not here—yet.

You are the antichrist’s worst nightmare!