First baptist church mt airy nc

Chapter Four

1. … we were enslaved [משעבדים, MeShoo`eBahDeeYM] to fundamentals [ליסודות, LeeYÇODOTh] [of] the world.

“The word τα στοιχεια [ta stoikheia], the elements ... meant (a) the letters of the alphabet… (b) the elements of which a thing was composed, as the fire, air, earth, and water of which the world was thought to be constituted; (c) the elements of the universe, the larger cosmos, including the sun, moon, planets, and stars; and (d) the spirits, angels, and demons which were believed to ensoul the heavenly bodies, traverse all space, and inhabit every nook and cranny of earth, particularly tombs, desert places, and demented persons. These spirits were said to be organized like human governments. In Rom. [Romans] 8:38 Paul calls them ‘principalities’ and ‘powers.’ And vss. [verses] 9 and 10 of our present chapter indicate that he has them in mind in vs. 3. …
Paul … includes in ‘the elements of the universe’ all sub-Christian ideas and observances, both Jewish and Gentile. He regards these ‘elements’ as slave drivers who frighten men with curses for not propitiating them by observance of special days and seasons, food taboos, dietary fads, and circumcision. In Christ he declared his independence of Fate, Fortune, Luck, and Chance, and from astrology, the counterfeit religion and bastard sister of astronomy, whose practitioners exploited the superstition that the stars controlled men’s lives from birth to death.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 521 & 522)
“The elements of the world] A mere Jewish phrase, יסודי עולם הזה yasudey ‘olam hazzeh, ‘the principles of this world;’ that is, the rudiments or principles of the Jewish religion. The apostle intimates that the law was not the science of salvation; it was only the elements or alphabet of it.” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 387)

1. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] as that was filled the time, sent forth, Gods, [את, ’ehTh] His son, born [of] woman, and subject [וכפוף, VeKhahPhOoPh] to instruction.

“The four words, το πληρωμα του χρονου [to pleroma tou khronou], the fullness of the time, express a whole philosophy of history. The Hebrew prophets and Jewish apocalyptists believed that their God was the creator of the universe and arbiter of the destinies of all men and nations. Nothing could happen that was not his doing, either directly or indirectly through angels and men. He had a time for everything, and everything happened exactly on time. … The completion of this present age would be marked by a blood-red revolution, in which all good men and good works would be ground under the heel of the tyrant, while the wicked reigned supreme. Then suddenly God would intervene with the lightning of judgment to snatch the world from the mouth of the bottomless pit and restore it to Paradise, whence it had fallen with the sin of Adam. Sorrow and sighing would flee away, and the Messiah would reign with the perfection of a theocratic king.
At this juncture, says Paul, when the appointed period of history was ‘full,’ god sent his Son γενομενον εκ γυναικος, γενομενον υπο νομον [genomenon ek gunaikos, genomenon upο nomon], ‘born of woman, bοrn under law.’ … Jesus was not only born under law, but was subject to it all his life. ...The ‘yoke’ of the Torah demanded that he observe the customs of his forefathers, such as wearing phylactery and prayer fringes, ceremonial washing of hands before eating, giving thanks at mealtime, praying at stated times, bringing tithes and sacrifices, and obeying the Ten Commandments.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 522 & 523)
Not to mention circumcision, kashrut, and the prohibition of associating with gentiles.
“Sent forth refers to God’s sending of his Son from his pre-existent state in heaven (I Cor. [Corinthians] 8:6; Phil. [Philippians] 2:6-8; Col. [Colossians] 1:15-17). Yet this Son was born of woman. There is nothing in these words, or elsewhere in Paul’s letters, to prove or disprove that he knew the story of the miraculous conception. His point here is that the Christ, although he was the pre-existent Son of God, did not come into this world with a body composed of celestial substance, but was woman-born like all other human beings. … It was very different from the conception of royal sonship in Ps. 2, where the king is called God’s ‘Son; because he has been chosen to be the Messiah. In Paul, Jesus is God’s Son by nature, and his Christhood follows by virtue of this sonship. This belief was the fundamental cause of the split between the Jews and the Christians. The lowly birth, the obscurity of Nazareth, and the fact that Jesus was a common laborer, constituted a grievous scandal in the eyes of all who were expecting their Deliverer to come riding on a chariot of clouds wielding the lightning of judgment. Paul’s gospel contradicts every form of hyperspirituality that fixes a gulf between God and his material world. On the other hand, his conception of the coming of Jesus was poles removed from the pagan stories of the births of heroes, savior-gods, and kings, whose legends were freighted with illicit relationships and lawless conduct like the lives of the devotees who had created them in their own image.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 523-524)
“Nothing is said explicitly about the Son’s preexistence, which is at most implied … born of a woman: … The phrase is derived from the OT [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] (Job 14:1 …). So born, Jesus submitted to the law by being circumcised and thus became capable of falling under its curse. But lest the Galatians draw a wrong conclusion, Paul [and The Interpreters’ Bible] does not mention Jesus’ circumcision. Instead of genomenon, ‘born,’ some patristic writers read gennomenon, and understood this ptc. [participle] as referring to Mary’s virginal conception; but this is anachronistic interpretation.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 787)

1. Accordingly [לפיכך, LePheeYKhahKh], you are not [אינך, ’aYNKhah] a slave anymore [אוד, ’OD], for if [כי אם, KeeY ’eeM] a son, and, if a son, then [אזי, ’ahZahY] also heir from favor [מטעם, MeeTah`ahM] [of] Gods.

“This is Paul’s proclamation of emancipation.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 528)
………………………………………… Worry of Shah’OoL to Galatians [verses 8–20]

1. In [the] past, in a time that you did not know [את, ’ehTh] Gods, you slaved [את, ’ehTh] who that in their nature [שבמנהותם, ShehBeMahHOoThahM] were not Gods.

“The Jews never ceased to ridicule idols and denounce idolaters… They demoted the old gods to the rank of demons and made a list of detractive names for them: angels, shepherds, princes; kings, emperors, benefactors, heroes; demons, personifications, idols, nonentities. Some were living, some dead; some were good, but were not God. Most of them were bad, and their idols were but images of ‘things of nought.’ …
Paul did not deny the existence of these beings whose ignorant worshipers called them gods, but he declared that they did not partake of the nature of God (I Cor. 8:4-6). God permitted them to plague mankind to punish sin, especially the sin of participating in the sacraments of the Gentile cults (I Cor. 10:19-22; 11:28-31). But Christ had conquered them and no Christian needed to fear them.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 529)

1. Behold, you are honoring days and new-[moons], seasons [מועדים, MO`ahDeeYM] and years.

“Days like the Sabbath and Yom hakkippurim [“Day of Atonement”] are meant; months like the ‘new moon’; seasons like Passover and Pentecost; years like the sabbatical years… Paul can see no reason for a Gentile Christian to observe these.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)
…
…………………………………………
Two the covenants [verses 21-26]

1. Say to me, you, the wanters to be subject to Instruction, have you not heard [את, ’ehTh] the Instruction?
2. Is it not written that to ’ahBRahHahM there were two sons, the one from the maid [האמה, Hah’ahMaH] and the second from the woman the free [החפשיה, HahHahPhSheeYah]?
3. But [אך, ’ahKh] [the] son [of] the maid was born according to [לפי, LePheeY] the flesh, and however [ואילו, Ve’eeYLOo] [the] son [of] the free upon mouth of the promise.
4. The words the these, they are a parable to two the covenants: the one from Mount ÇeeNah-eeY [Sinai], the birther to slavery, and she is HahGahR [“The Sojourner”, Hagar].

“It is well known how fond the Jews were of allegorizing; every thing in the law was with them an allegory: their Talmud [ancient commentary] is full of these; and one of their most sober and best educated writers Philo, abounds with them…
It is very likely, therefore, that the allegory produced here; St. Paul had borrowed from the Jewish writings; and he brings it in to convict the Judaizing Galatians on their own principles: and neither he, nor we, have any thing farther to do with this allegory, than as it applies to the subject for which it is quoted; nor does it give any license to those men of vain and superficial minds, who endeavour to find out allegories in every portion of the Sacred Writings; and by what they term spiritualizing, which is more properly carnalizing, have brought the testimonies of God into disgrace. May the spirit of silence be poured out upon all such corrupters of the word of God!” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 390)
“Allegorical interpretation rests upon the belief that every word, figure of speech, and grammatical form in scripture has a special ‘spiritual’ significance besides its literal meaning. The theory is that the God who dictated it meant more than rests on the surface and that while he said one thing, he also meant something else in addition to the literal sense… The Greeks had long since applied the method to explain away the immoral things which the gods said and did in Homer… Then Greek-speaking Jews, like Philo Judaeus, employed it apologetically to read Greek philosophy into the O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible], proclaiming that Moses had said all these good things long before and better than Homer and Plato.
The wonder is that Paul has so little allegory. His restraint is explained partly by his training as a Pharisee. The rabbis were suspicious of any interpretation of scripture that tended to make Jews lax in their observance of the law. Jews with Gnostic leanings, and those who considered some of their ancestral customs outmoded, could resort to allegory to justify their philosophy and conduct, while maintaining that they were the spiritual superiors of the conservatives who held to the letter of the law … His argument, however, is never strengthened by allegorical symbolism and typology, for these are convincing only to those who by imagination can find them so. Rather, as in Rom. 9-11, he introduces unnecessary complications such as the moral difficulties involved in predestination. His gospel does not rest on the quicksands of allegory, a specious method of interpreting scripture. Its interpretations are of interest to the historian not as correct representations of what the writers and first readers of the Bible had in mind, but only as source materials for understanding the life and thought of the allegorists themselves.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 540)

1. Hagar signifies [מסמלת, MeÇahMehLeTh] [את, ’ehTh] Mount ÇeeNah-eeY, that is in Arabia, and parallels [ומקבילה, OoMahQBeeYLaH] to Jerusalem of our day, for she is in slavery with her sons.

“… why does Paul mention Arabia…? Possibly because Mt. Sinai is in Arabia[?], which is Ishmaelite territory; he thus associates the Sinai pact with the eponymous patriarch of Arab tribes … Paul thus suggests that the law itself stems from a situation extrinsic to the promised land and to the real descendants of Abraham. Paul’s Jewish former co-religionists would not have been happy with this allegory.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

1. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] Jerusalem from ascended [מעלה, Mah`eLaH], [the] daughter [of] freedom [חורין, HOReeYN] is she, and she is mother to us.

“The Jerusalem which now is was a most unholy “Holy city”, full of injustice, violence and murder, and subject to the cruel and wicked rulers imposed by a Gentile empire. But over against this Jerusalem of slavery lay an ideal celestial city, unseen at present, but destined soon to supersede it. Paul called it the Jerusalem above. Sarah, the free-woman, was the ancestress of its citizens, who were the people of faith and of freedom in Christ…
Paul speaks of Jerusalem above, because this new city of freedom already exists in heaven where Christ is, where dwell the souls of those who have died in Christ. But it also exists on earth as the church, the body of Christ, whose members are colonists from heaven sent to prepare men for the full establishment of God’s kingdom at Christ’s second coming (Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:1-3).
The biblical root of this conception of an ideal future and heavenly Jerusalem is Isa. [Isaiah] 54. Other descriptions appear in Ezek. [Ezekiel] 40-48; Zech. [Zechariah] 2:1-13; Hag. [Haggai] 2:6-9; Tob. [Tobias] 13:9-18 Ecclus. [Ecclesiasticus] 36; Pss. Sol. [Psalms of Solomon] 17:33. Historically the expectation assumed three forms. According to the earliest hope, God would build the new Jerusalem in Palestine and make it the capital of his theocratic world government. The plan of this glorious city was graven upon the palms of his hands (Isa. 49:16). From this idea it was but a step, especially for those influenced by Greek ideas, to think of this ideal Jerusalem as already existing in heaven. According to the Apocalypse of Baruch, God had shown it to Adam in Paradise before he sinned; to Abraham on the night mentioned in Gen. 15:12-21; and to Moses on Sinai, when he gave him the heavenly pattern for an earthly tabernacle (II Baruch 4:1-6; cf. [compare with] Heb. [Hebrews]12:22). The third conception combined these two ideas. The Jerusalem which was ‘above’ would come down to earth to be established in Palestine in place of the city that ‘now is’ (cf. Rev. [Revelation] 3:12, 21:2; II Esdras 7:26; 13:36; 10:54).
So the new Jerusalem belonged to both worlds and to both ages, to heaven and earth, to the present and the future. Its constitution was the new covenant, and its citizens were the men of faith in Christ, a new kind of freemen who traced their spiritual ancestry through the line of Isaac and his mother Sarah as heirs of God’s promise to Abraham. As for Ishmael and his tribe, they were the men of law, predestined to be slaves forever. Needless to say, the Judaizers found Paul’s allegorical exclusion of themselves utterly unacceptable. They believed that the Torah was God’s blueprint for all creation, and that it would be observed forever in the new Jerusalem. That, they said, was why God was going to purge the old city – to establish an order of life in which perfect obedience to his law would be possible.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 541-542)
“…it was a maxim among the rabbins, that, ‘Whatsoever was in the earth, the same was also found in heaven; for there is no matter, howsoever small, in this world, that has not something similar to it in the spiritual world.’ On this maxim, the Jews imagine that every earthly thing has its representative in heaven: and especially whatever concerns Jerusalem, the law, and its ordinances. Rab. Kimchi, speaking of Melchisedec, king of Salem, says, זו ירושלים של מעלה Zu Yerushalem shel me’alah – ‘This is the Jerusalem that is from above.’…
There is a spiritual Jerusalem, of which this is the type; and this Jerusalem, in which the souls of all the righteous are, is free from all bondage and sin: or by this, probably the kingdom of the Messiah was intended; and this certainly answers best to the apostle’s meaning, as the subsequent verse shows.” (Clarke, 1831, vol. II p. 391)

1. That see, is written:

“Chant, barren, not birthing, [רני עקרה לא ילדה RahNeeY ahQRaH Lo’ YahLahDaH] burst chanting and shouting, not travailing, [פצחי רנה וצהלי לא-חלה PeeTsHeeY ReeNaH VeTsahHahLeeY Lo’-HahLaH] for multitudinous are sons of her deserted than [מי, MeeY] sons of her mistress [כי-רבים בני-שוממיה מבני בעולה KheeY-RahBeeYM BeNaY-ShoMahMeeYHah MeeBeNaY BeooLaH].”
“A telling item in the counterpropaganda of the legalists was the argument that even among the Christians only a radical fringe consisting mainly of foreign Jews, of whom Paul was one, were proposing to abandon the law of Moses. …
In one respect his quotation of Isa. 54:1 does not fit Paul’s allegory. It was Sarah, the mother of freemen, who possessed the husband, and Hagar, the slave, who was the deserted woman. As usual with Paul’s illustrations (cf. Rom. 7:1-4; 11:17-24), the details cannot be pressed without making them go lame …
The Isaian figure to describe the plight of Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile grew out of a common experience in Hebrew family life. Childlessness, particularly the failure to bear sons, was great grief and disgrace. Such was the sorrow of Jerusalem; but the prophet bade her look forward with courage to the time when all her scattered children would come back to her (Isa. 54:3). God was her ‘husband,’ and he would treat his faithful remnant with everlasting lovingkindness, making them more numerous than the former population and giving them a heritage of great peace and prosperity (Isa. 54:13-17).” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 542)
“The prophet’s words are addressed to deserted Zion, bidding it rejoice at the return of the exiles.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

1. But you, my brethren [τεχνα, tekhna, “children”], you are the sons of the promise, as was YeeTsHahQ [“He Laughed”, Isaac].

“The Judaizers claimed that Abraham had obeyed the law of Moses by anticipation, and that God’s promise was his reward. Consequently the descendants of Isaac were children of promise only if they followed Abraham’s example in obeying the law. Paul turned it the other way about: the promise must be taken on faith, not as credit for obedience.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 542)

1. And just as [וכשם, OoKhShayM] that then pursued, [רדף, RahDahPh] the son that was born according to [לפי, LePheeY] flesh, [את, ’ehTh] the son that was born according to the spirit, yes, also now.

“In Gen 21:10 Sarah, seeing Ishmael ‘playing’ with Isaac and viewing him as the potential rival to Isaac’s inheritance, drives him and his mother out. Nothing in Gen is said of Ishmael’s ‘persecution’ of Isaac, but Paul may be interpreting the ‘playing’ as did a Palestinian haggadic explanation of Gen 21:9 (see Josephus, ANT. [Antiquities] 1.12.3§215 …” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)
“A rabbinical tradition of the second century A.S. interprets the Hebrew participle מצחק [MeeTsHahQ, “play”] (LXX παιζοντα [paizonta] in Gen. 21:9 to mean that Ishmael’s ‘playing’ became so rough that Isaac’s life was in danger. This son of a slave is said to have shot arrows at Isaac to kill him, and Paul’s statement shows that some such tradition was current in his day. He applied it to the Judaizers who were trying to force the Christians to observe the whole law of Moses, and to the unbelieving Jews who were excommunicating the Christians and their families and getting them into trouble with the civil authorities (1:5; 4:17; 5:10; I Thess. [Thessalonians] 2:14-16).” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X p. 543)

1. But what says the Written [Scripture]?

“Banish [גרש GahRaySh] the maid and [את, ’ehTh] her son, for not will inherit [יירש, YeeYRahSh], son [of] the maid [האמה, Hah’ahMaH], with son [of] the free.”
“The quotation is from Gen. 21:10 … The speaker of these words is Sarah, who is filled with rage against Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham is represented as greatly grieved, but God is said to have sanctioned the demand of the cruel and jealous wife….
This story was one of the effects and one of the causes of the perpetual feud between the Israelites and the tribes that descended from Ishmael. The Hebrews were so sure that God wanted them to have Palestine that they found no moral difficulty in saying that it was God himself who had overruled Abraham’s conscience (Gen. 17:18-21). They affirmed that Ishmael’s character and destiny had been predetermined (Gen. 16:12). Consequently, even his circumcision at the age of thirteen could not make him a member of God’s chosen people. However great this innocent victim of a family feud might become by virtue of the halfhearted blessing conceded by an uneasy conscience (Gen. 17:20-21), he and his descendants were barred forever from the higher blessing. Theirs was to submit to the religious imperialism of the most favored nation or die. Moreover, all Abraham’s other sons except Isaac were barred from the promise and sent away ‘unto the east country’ (Gen. 25:5-6). And yet while all this was said to be the Lord’s doing, it was in the same breath declared to be the doing of the human actors in this drama of the nations. Sarah herself was said to have suggested that Abraham become a father by her Egyptian slave girl. Then, too, it was explained that Hagar’s flight from the cruelty of her mistress was voluntary, making her, rather than the callous compliance of Abraham, responsible for her plight ‘in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur’ (Gen. 16:7).
Paul’s use of Abraham’s expulsion of Hagar and her child has its parallel in the equally heartless treatment of Esau which he employs in Rom. 9-11 in his longer discussion of the divine process of selection. Here too it was assumed that the hatred generated by centuries of war for the possession of Palestine lay in the heart of God. “I hate Esau,” said Malachi (1:3), making God the speaker; and Rom. 9:6-13 presses it to the utmost limit of predestination. But the love of God in Christ Jesus made Paul’s heart better than his inherited doctrine … When the history of the struggle for the possession of “the Holy land” is allegorized to justify a doctrine of “election” which foredooms countless souls to an eternity of torment in a future hell, it becomes as morally atrocious as it is irreconcilable with Paul’s gospel.
Nevertheless Paul’s allegory gives the historian an insight into Paul’s mind as he wrestled with the insoluble problem of God’s sovereignty and human freedom.” (Stamm, 1953, TIB vol. X pp. 543-544)
“Paul bids the Galatians rid themselves of the Judaizers – and, ironically enough, obey the Torah itself.” (Joseph A. Fitzmyer, 1990, TNJBC p. 788)

Charlotte

Metalmorphosis 

4th Ward
Riverfront park
Dale trail - 3003 Dale Earnhardt Blvd
Charlotte to Columbia

Landsford Canal State Park 

Sesquicentennial State Park
Lake Murray kayaking/tubing
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Saluda Shores
Congaree National Park

 Boardwalk Trail Champion trees 

Harbison State Park
Hampton Preston house
Robert Mills house
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Columbia Museum of Art
State House 1101 Gervais Street, Columbia
SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum
SC State Museum
Columbia to Hilton Head Island
Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
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Wormsloe Plantation Historic Site
JW Marriott museum
Savannah

Forsyth Park 

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Franklin Square
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Green-Meldrim House
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Christian Churches in Cape Coral:

• Abundant Life Christian Center
• Cape Coral First Assembly of God
• Cape Coral United Methodist Church
• Cape Coral Vineyard Church
• First Baptist Church of Cape Coral
• First Presbyterian Church of Cape Coral
• Grace Church, Cape Coral Campus
• New Life Community Church
• St. Andrew Catholic Church

Jewish Synagogues in Cape Coral:

• Cape Coral Hebrew Center
• Temple Beth El

Muslim Mosques in Cape Coral:

• Islamic Society of Cape Coral

Hindu Temples in Cape Coral:

• Hindu Temple of Cape Coral

Buddhist Centers in Cape Coral:

• Cape Coral Buddhist Center

Other Places of Worship in Cape Coral:

• Cape Coral Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
• Unity of Cape Coral

I often get these dashes questions wrong. How do you use dashes? I dont honestly understand.

I turn 16 in 3 days and I'm wasting my life away. Idrc what happens anymore but I just need to talk to someone who is a christian and vent about what is going on in my life. Sorry if this is kinda long but I just need help.
I don't really know where to start so I may bounce around a little but I will start with the first thing that happened and led me to this point. When I was 3 I was put in the foster system for 6 months because of my parents addiction to meth and alcohol. During this time I was a group home and locked in a dark rooms for hours.
Then I had six years of peace but then on my 9th birthday mt parents broke up and my dad kicked my mom. After that they both started using meth and drinking again, I didn't see my mom for 6 months and my dad was always in his room doing meth or something. This is when I first discovered porn. Since that day I have not gone more then 15 days without watching it. For the past year I have tried to stop but haven't been able to.
After a little bit I went back with my mom when she got sober but on thanksgiving she started using again and left for 3 days and I had to watch me 1 year old brother during that time. The on February 6th 2018, I was walking to school when my dad came and kidnapped me. I was with him for only 1 day until I escaped but I was in his basement around weed, meth, needles, and guns. Then at 1 am I told him I was hungry and he left to get sonic. So when he left I also snuck out and left. This day really messed me up. I act like it doesn't but it does. When I was leaving I thought I saw him pulling into our street and at that moment is when I felt the most fear I have ever felt to this day. Luckily it was just some random car and I was able to get away. Then I went on with my life like nothing happened. However I was scared to leave my apartment, to go to school, and was just sad in general. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I stayed, Would life be better? Idk. This was the last time I've seen or talked to my dad.
Then 3 months latter I was put in foster care again because my mom got caught using meth. During this time period I was with 2 different families. Both were amazing and good but I still had all of this stuff that happened to me before. Then in August of 2020 I decided to give my lift to Christ. I didn't fully know what I meant but Ik that he was my savior. After that when ever I watched porn I felt guilty it was weird, it was like something flipped in my brain. I didn't even know watching it was a sin until 2 months after that.
Now 3 years later I'm still watching it and it is destroying me life. This one thing I do is totally destroying my life. I've dealt with all my past trauma, I have a 3.7 Gpa in school, I've had a job for 2 year and I'm getting a new job, I'm getting my licence, I have good friends, I go to church every Sunday, I'm praying everyday, I'm trying to read the bible everyday, I'm going to the gym 6 times a week. Everything in my life is progressing except me breaking my addiction and the lies the enemy is speaking to me.
I know they are lies and its wrong but I keep doing it. Its not even enjoyable anymore but I keep doing it. I cant stop and I'm trying so hard. It is destroying my life even though I have all these good things. I need to stop, I worry that this addiction will eventually lead to me repeating my parents mistakes and what they do.
In March of 2022 I tried killing myself. No one knows this, absolutely know one knows this. I don't know how I'm alive right now. It is only by Gods grace that I am alive. I tied a rope around my neck and tightened it to the point I couldn't get off. So there I was at 1am suffocating to death when I had a vision my younger me walk up and look so disappointed in me, like he didn't recognize me. I then woke up with the rope lying next to me. I don't remember how I got it off. So I can only conclude that God saved me.
From that point on I've dedicated every waking moment to improving my life and self. I have everything has gotten better. I am so much happier now and in such a good place but porn is still destroying my life. I don't really know what to do anymore. I still love and trust God.
Up until about a month ago I would hear from him everyday but one day it just stopped. I could feel the distance, I knew Satan is coming for me. I'm still faithful but I'm dying inside. So know im sitting here at 1:10am writing this not even knowing if anyone cares or if anyone is gonna help.
At the start of my freshman year of high school I fell in love with this girl. I wont say her name but she is the most beautiful and amazing girl ever. Then I messed it up because I got scared that she was gonna leave. Then we stopped talking. I then became friends with this one friend group and one of the guys was talking to and started dating her. I felt so much pain from that. Everyday I would have to hear or see him and hear together.
Now today I want to reach out again. They have been apart for like 8 months now but the guy is still pissy about it. Ik I would be breaking bro code but I need some sort of closure and to just talk to her. I need these feeling I've had for two years to go away or for something to happen.
I've likes multiple girls since and gone on a few dates but even then I still always go back to this one girl. She is so special and I don't know what to do about it.
So because I miss her I then go and substitute porn for the feeling I have and hope they will fill the void or if I'm bored, or feel alone, or am sad. Its gotten a lot better and now its mainly just because its something to do.
I don't know what to do anymore. Today I'm thinking if God is even there for me anymore or whats going on. Idk maybe I should just let go and become what everyone think I will become.
I've had multiple people like my adopted brothers, old friends, and over heard my 1st foster family say that I will just end up a homeless drug addict. Idk. It motivates me so much to prove them wrong and not just be statistic cause kids who grow up with addicts for parents are 8x more likely to become addicts as well.
I just need help breaking this addiction.
Idk sorry for the long post but I just needed to vent and talk to someone. Some advice to finally break this addiction. Sorry for all the background info but it just shows on what caused this and why I do this addiction. So please help if you cant but if not I get it. Thanks for reading all of this. :)

Guys, I (15M from Russia) have been talking to a girl (16F from the US) I met online for over a month and we became best friends! We talk a lot every day. She's baptist and her parents don't let her go out and have friends outside of the church. I grew up in a Christian family too, and our relationship wouldn't be possible without it. She says I'm the best friend she's ever had. I think of her the same way.
We have never seen each other's faces... We've been talking for a long time and I think it's appropriate to ask her for a picture.
How should I address it? Should I send her my picture first? She's very shy, so I have no idea what to do. Please help, guys! Thanks in advance :)

St. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 80-81) says that there will be a first resurrection of the righteous where they dwell in a rebuilt Jerusalem for 1,000 years (keep in mind that Jerusalem had recently been destroyed due to the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), based off Isaiah 44 and 65 ("There shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad over My people ... According to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people," understanding the days of the tree of life to refer to 1,000 years since Genesis 5-11 shows the years of mankind decreasing further and further away from the number 1,000 corresponding to life in Paradise) as well as Revelation 20:4-6,9 ("And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years ... They [the nations] went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city"). Justin, however, also points out that some Orthodox Christians believe in this and some don't, and it's a matter of opinion alone. He doesn't say what the alternative might be however.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 5, ch. 25-36) says that at the end an unlawful and evil king will come, Antichrist, the summary of all demonic apostasy in history, who will take his seat in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Because the apostasy of Antichrist will recapitulate all apostasy, these events will also be the recapitulation of world history, and happen around the 6,000th year of creation; Genesis 1 must be understood as a prophecy, since one day is as a thousand years for the Lord (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). The first advent was halfway through the 6th day; the coming of Antichrist and the last great tribulation will be at the end of the 6th day as the culmination of everything that happened before. This is signified by the name of Antichrist, 666. 666 also signifies this by how, at the time of the apostasy leading to the flood, Noah was 600 years old (Genesis 7:6), and at the time of the persecution of God's people in Babylon, which itself was a prefiguration of the tribulation to come, King Nebuchadnezzar made an idolatrous status 60 cubits tall and 6 cubits wide (Daniel 3:1). This means Antichrist, and soon after him Christ, will come around the 6th century AD, following the chronology of the Septuagint.
The Roman Empire will begin to fall apart (Matthew 12:25) and be partitioned among ten kings, among whom the eighth will rise above the others, slaying three of the kings, to be the Antichrist and rule for 3.5 years during which he persecutes the Church as the Empire falls further apart (Daniel 2:33,41-43, 7:7-8,23-25, Revelation 17:3-18). It is this Antichrist of whom St. Paul speaks in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. He will come suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and will be a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Jeremiah 8:14-17) which is why this tribe is not given the promised inheritance (Revelation 7:4-8).
Because the existence of Antichrist will be permitted so as to recapitulate all apostasy and separate the righteous from the wicked as a great final exercise (Matthew 3:12, 13:24-30), God will confirm the wicked in their delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Antichrist is the beast of the sea described in Revelation 13:1-10. His armor-bearer, the false prophet, is the beast of the earth described in Revelation 13:11-17.
He is the unjust judge the Lord speaks of in Luke 18:1-8, and the one who comes in his own name in John 5:43. The widow in Luke 18 is the unbelieving Jewish people, who will go to the Antichrist for help, and in response he will make a rebuilt Jerusalem his capital city and a rebuilt temple his house, during which time he will persecute the true temple which is the Church (Daniel 8:9-14,23-25). This is the last half-week of the prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:27).
When the Lord comes to destroy him (Daniel 2:35,44, 7:9-14,21-22,26-27, 8:25), together with all the nations which will have become his servants (Isaiah 6:9-13, 13:6-22, 26:10-11), the saints will be resurrected. It must be so: we imitate our Lord (Luke 6:40) and therefore, just as He died, then rose from the dead, then ascended to the Father, we also must die, then rise from the dead, then ascend to the Father. It is at this first resurrection that the promise of the old covenant will be fulfilled (Genesis 13:14-15, 15:18-21, 27:28-29), it is the restoration promised by the prophets (Isaiah 26:19, 30:23-26, 58:13-14, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 28:25-26, 37:11-28), it is the kingdom and reward Christ speaks of (Matthew 19:29, 26:27, Luke 12:37-38, 14:12-13).
The saints will then rule in a beautified Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:11-12, Baruch 5) for 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 20:4-9), the true Sabbath.
After this, heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35, 1 Corinthian 7:31, Revelation 20:11) as the remaining dead will rise and all will be judged (Revelation 20:10-15). Then a new heaven and earth will be established (Isaiah 65:17-18) and the Jerusalem from above, which the Jerusalem from below is patterned after (Exodus 25:40), will come down and the saints will live in it for eternity (Galatians 4:26, Revelation 21:1-6).
St. Clement of Alexandria does not indulge in eschatology, but he does indicate the alternate tradition that Justin may have been referring to. While Justin and Irenaeus interpret the Old Testament to not have been entirely fulfilled yet, Clement takes a different approach and sees the Old Testament as entirely fulfilled within the time frame of the New Testament. We see this when he discusses the prophecy of the 70 weeks. Whereas Irenaeus sees the last half-week as referring to the Antichrist, Clement sees it as referring to Vespasian, and sees the abomination of desolation not to be the Antichrist taking his seat in a rebuilt temple in the future, but as something that already took place under Vespasian.
St. Hippolytus of Rome considers that the Antichrist, a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Genesis 49:16-18, Deuteronomy 33:22, Jeremiah 8:14-17), will defeat in battle the kings of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43), in a battle over who should rule over the Empire, while the Ammonites and Moabites become his willful subjects (Isaiah 11:11-14, Daniel 11:41). As a result of his victory he will begin to think himself to be God, and will move on to assault Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23:4-5), and it is him whom Isaiah 14:3-21 and Ezekiel 28:1-19 refer to. Then he will try to convince the unbelieving Jews that he is the Messiah by gathering them again from the dispersion and re-establishing the kingdom of Israel, but only because he aims to be recognized and worshipped as God. That Israel according to the flesh will persecute the true Israel, the Church, and will request the Antichrist to do this for them, is what is meant by Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Isaiah 8:6-8, 18:1-2, Jeremiah 4:11-18, Micah 5:5, Luke 18:1-8 and Revelation 12.
The beast of the sea is the Roman Empire itself, while the beast of the earth is both the Antichrist and the false prophet (represented by the two horns). The mark on the hand refers to mandatory sacrifice to the Antichrist as to an idol if one wants to buy food, and the mark on the forehead refers to the false glory he grants upon those who submit themselves to him; the persecution Antiochus IV Epiphanes led against the people of God was a prefiguration of this (2 Maccabees 6:7-11).
The last week of Daniel is the whole rule of Antichrist, but during the first half-week Enoch and Elijah, who were translated into heaven and did not die (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11), will return to prophesy, be martyred and be resurrected (Revelation 11:3-12). The second half-week is when Antichrist will take his seat in the temple and severely persecute the Church (Daniel 11:11-12, Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Then Jesus Christ will return and all will be resurrected and judged.
St. Victorinus gave a thorough commentary on Revelation:
6:1-2 (1st seal): Jesus Christ Who conquered by the Gospel and sent the Holy Spirit as an arrow.
6:3-4 (2nd seal): The wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6-7).
6:5-6 (3rd seal): The famines (Matthew 24:7).
6:7-8 (4th seal): The pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7).
6:9-11 (5th seal): The persecution of the faithful (Matthew 24:9-10).
6:10-7:17 (6th seal): The last great tribulation. The blackening of the sun, the fall of the stars, the untimely fall of the figs, the receding of the sky, the removal of the mountains and islands refer to the Christians being deeply troubled or even falling into apostasy because of this great final hardship. The angel from the east who seals 144,000 from the tribes of Israel is Elijah, whose preaching converts many of the unbelieving Jews (Malachi 4:5-6), thereby replenishing the Church. Then the seven archangels destroy the kingdom of Antichrist (Micah 5:5-6, Matthew 13:27-30, Mark 13:27) and all the saints are gathered with Christ forever.
8:1-6 (7th seal): The silence signifies the eternal rest and the narrative might end here, but John starts again from the beginning which is why it ends.
9:13-11:14 (6th trumpet): The four angels at the Euphrates, which also represent the four corners of the earth, are four nations which join the kingdom of Antichrist in due time. The mighty angel is Jesus Christ, His feet of fire are the apostles, the seven thunders He utters are the Holy Spirit, the utterances themselves are the Christian mystagogy of the Old Testament which the Christian prophets are given to interpret now that the apostles have finished their work. John eating the book and being told to prophesy again refers to him committing Revelation to memory and formally publishing it after his labor in exile in Patmos was finished. The temple to be measured is the Orthodox faith, the measuring reed like to a rod is Revelation, the rod proper is the Gospel of John which he is to write later. The courtyard is unnecessary and is therefore not measured but is given over to be trampled by the Gentiles, that is, the heretics Valentinus and such are to be counted outside the Church. The trampling of the holy city for 3 years and a half refers to the rule of Antichrist, and likewise the two prophets will prophesy for 3 years and a half. The two prophets are Elijah who did not die (2 Kings 2:11) and Jeremiah who was to prophesy to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5-10), although some think it is rather Moses. They are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4:11-14, who stand beside the Lord of the earth, that is, either that they are kept in Paradise, or that they will stand before Antichrist. The beast from the pit is Antichrist. The two prophets are killed in Jerusalem, rise after three days and a half and ascend to heaven.
11:15-15:8 (7th trumpet): The heavenly temple, that is, Jesus, is made manifest, and the ark is the gift of the Gospel. The woman with child is Israel, the Church, the people of God. The dragon is Satan who seeks to persecute her and who brought down either 1/3rd of angels or 1/3rd of men with himself, and whose seven heads are the last seven Roman Emperors, as well as the ten horns. The child is Jesus Christ Who became incarnate, conquered, and ascended to heaven. The two wings by which the woman flees the dragon are the two prophets, and this refers to when the Church in Judea, closest to Antichrist's headquarters, will have to flee someplace safe (Matthew 24:15-28). The waters spewed forth by the dragon are the people willing to persecute the Church; the earth swallowing up the woman to protect her refers to the Lord saving the Christians from their tormentors, however it is not known whether this refers to a future event or to what has already happened historically. The battle between Michael and the dragon and the latter's fall from heaven is what triggers the rule of Antichrist; narratively it is before the Church is carried by the two prophets, but it must actually happen after since the prophets ministered in the 3.5 years before Antichrist's tyranny. The beast from the sea is the kingdom of Antichrist. The beast from the earth is the false prophet, who will establish his rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45, Matthew 24:15). The two angels who command the final harvest are the two prophets. Now again, the narrative restarts from a third perspective: that of the unbelievers, upon whom the whole fury of God will fall.
16:17-19:21 (7th bowl): The woman on the beast is an image of Satan. What is called Babylon here and in Isaiah (13-14, 21, 47-48) and Sodom in Ezekiel (16) refers to Rome. The 5 kings who are already fallen are Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus. The king who currently is is Domitian. The king who is to come for a short time is Nerva. The 8th king is the one from whom the 7 proceed, that is, Nero in resurrected form, who will rule with 10 kings and will not be recognized but will rather appear to the unbelieving Jews to be the Christ (Daniel 11:29-37). Then Christ will return with His angelic hosts to bring forth judgment.
20 (The millennium): The binding of Satan happens at the first coming of Christ. The 1,000 years are symbolic (Psalm 105:8). The abyss is the hearts of unbelievers. He is sealed so that it is not right now self-evident who is the servant of God and who is the servant of Satan. But at the end of the millennium he is released for a short while, referring to the 3.5 years during which Antichrist will persecute the Church. The first resurrection is the resurrection of faith (Colossians 3:1). The number 1,000 is 10x100: the one who keeps the Decalogue and the perfection of purity is one who reigns with Christ and for whom Satan is bound, but he remains loosed for those who do not do this, and him being loosed anyway after the millennium refers to how many will apostatize due to being tempted by him.
Then the general resurrection occurs, the final judgment, and the heavenly Jerusalem (which is very symbolic) comes down.
St. John Chrysostom shows more fully the tradition that Clement earlier hinted at. The apostles ask when the end comes and when the temple will be destroyed; Matthew 24:4-14 answers the first question by giving a recapitulation of all that Christians will have to endure, and Matthew 24:15-22 answers the second question; the abomination of desolation refers to the armies of Vespasian surrounding Jerusalem. Matthew 24:23-28 is when Jesus warns about Antichrist, not as the abomination of desolation as Irenaeus and Hippolytus interpreted it, but as the false prophet and false Christ. Then of course Matthew 24:29-31 is about the second coming and the last judgment.
In his interpretation of 2 Thessalonians, John gives us more context. The restrainer mentioned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Roman Empire, which restrains the Antichrist because it is when the Empire falls apart that Antichrist will use the power vacuum to take his place as ruler. The mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who is a prefiguration of Antichrist. God will permit the appearance of Antichrist so as to confirm the wicked in their wickedness; they will claim to believe in him because of the signs he works, but in truth it will be because of the privileges he grants them and the unlawfulness he permits, as when Christ worked signs He was not believed (John 5:43). When Antichrist appears, he will abolish every idolatrous religion, but so as to be worshipped alone (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). He will sit in the temple of God; which does not refer specifically to the temple in Jerusalem, as in Irenaeus and Hyppolitus, but rather to the Christian Church, so that it is the churches that will be led to worship him as God.
But Elijah will return (Matthew 17:11), being to Christ's second coming what John the Baptist was to His first, then Jesus returns and all are resurrected and judged.
St. Jerome (Commentary on Daniel) says that it should be understood that the events that happened surrounding Antiochus IV Epiphanes are a prefiguration of what will happen surrounding Antichrist (Daniel 8:14).
At a time when the love of many will have grown cold (Luke 18:8), when the Roman Empire collapses, 10 kings will rule over its previous territories. Antichrist will rise from a small nation, which is the Hebrew people, and he will be seen as insignificant at first but will gain power through political intrigue, until he conquers Rome and becomes the first, and last, Jew to rule over the civilized world (Daniel 11:24). He will come from Babylon and first defeat the king of Egypt but will then be frightened by the resistance of Rome against him (Daniel 11:25-30), and will rather defeat the kings of Libya and Ethiopia then conquer Israel, but he will not conquer Edom, Moab and Ammon (Arabia), the deserts where the Christians will flee to (Daniel 11:40-41). He will be received by the Jews as the Christ, and he will put on the pretense of holiness and chastity although he will be a blasphemer (Daniel 11:37-39). As a result of his military victories, the remaining 7 kings will submit to him (Daniel 7:8). For 3.5 years he will rule over the whole world, he will sit in the temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God (Daniel 11:31), and he will persecute the Christians (Daniel 11:33), forbidding the true worship and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 12:11), that the Jews may also be tested, whether they choose Christ or Antichrist. The Christians will resist him for a little but many will die (Daniel 11:34).
However, he will make war against the north and the east and pitch his tent in Apedno near Nicopolis, formerly known as Emmaus, in Judea, then will go to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where the Lord will destroy him (Daniel 11:42-45, Isaiah 25:6-8). Then the resurrection and the final judgment will come, without a millennial kingdom since the saints are evidently not to inherit an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one (Daniel 7:18-19).
Concerning the 70 weeks of Daniel, Jerome suggests various interpretations he considers to be valid, some which make the final week to be about Antichrist and some that don't.
Some believe that the Antichrist has already come in the person of Emperor Nero (Daniel 11:30).
St. Augustine of Hippo (City of God 20) says that the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6) is the one referred to in John 5:22-26: it is not the resurrection of the body, but of the soul, as indeed the soul has a kind of death and a kind of resurrection from the dead (Matthew 8:22, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). It is the resurrection of mercy, as opposed to the second resurrection, the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). There is also the equally Orthodox opinion that the first resurrection is a future one, followed by a thousand-year sabbatical kingdom, as taught by Irenaeus, but it is only Orthodox if one believes that this kingdom is spiritual and not the kind of carnal, passionate kingdom expected by the Chiliasts. But if the first resurrection is the one we already participate in as Christians, then the thousand years can be a manner of speech since the time of the Church is happening during the latter half of the sixth millennium, so that it is called a millennium to recapitulate the actual final thousand years it takes place in (in which case the second resurrection is very soon from his perspective; keep in mind that the end of the sixth millennium would be around the year 500 AD and Augustine died in 430), or the millennium is far more symbolic, referring to all of world history (Psalm 105:8). At the end of the millennium Gog and Magog will launch a final great assault against the Church for 3.5 years. This does not refer to any one earthly nation but rather to the unbelieving world, which will oppress the Church wherever it is.
Antichrist will sit in the temple of God, but there are different opinions as to whether this refers to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem or to the Church. Until then, what is keeping him from appearing is also not universally agreed upon: some believe it is the Roman Empire, and that the mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who either will be resurrected or perhaps has not actually died. Some believe that what is keeping Antichrist from appearing and what is the mystery of lawlessness is the number of wicked men in the Church, who, when they are sufficiently plentiful, will create a favorable environment for Antichrist, and that 1 John 2:18-19 refers to the same thing.
It is the common tradition that Antichrist will come among ten kings ruling the Empire among themselves, but it is dangerous to put too much trust into this, as the ten kings could instead be symbolic of all the kings prior to Antichrist.
Antichrist will persecute the Church for 3.5 years.
Soon before the end comes, Elijah will return and convert the Jews to Christianity (Malachi 4:5-6).
...
What has become the general tradition in Eastern Orthodoxy, such as what is found liturgically or commonly? I'd say:

• The first resurrection is Christ's resurrection, which we share in through baptism.
  
• The millennium refers to the era of the Church.
  
• The Old Testament was completely fulfilled by the end of the 1st century AD. We are not looking forward to a future earthly kingdom (even of a spiritual nature) before the eternal Kingdom of God; the kingdom in question, such as what is prophesied by Ezekiel in the last few chapters, is the Church, and as Christians we already judge and possess all things.
  
• The book of Daniel was mostly fulfilled in 1, 2 and 3 Maccabees. Even things referring to the resurrection of the dead in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the resurrection of Christ primarily.
  
• The four kingdoms in Daniel are the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greeks and Romans; or the Babylonians, Medes, Persians and Greco-Romans as expressed in the Syriac tradition. But in any case the Kingdom of God was established, and the Roman Empire was destroyed, when the rock cut without hands crushed it, that is, when Christ was born of the Virgin. Through His Church He has conquered Rome since, and in fact nearly all nations by now.
  
• There will be an Antichrist, who will unite the world religions and try to eliminate the Church. It will be a short-lived but intense final tribulation we will go through before the resurrection, final judgment and universal establishment of the Kingdom of God. Enoch and Elijah will return to preach. We do not know when this will happen, nor what form the kingdom of Antichrist will take...
  
• ... and that's okay. We're not very much concerned with what the end times will look like. We have been in the end times since Christ became the firstborn of the dead and sent His Holy Spirit upon us. I'm far more likely to meet Christ when I die, whenever that is, than when Antichrist comes. The apostle Paul gave one key method to be ready for Antichrist anyway: to hold onto the tradition that he transmitted (2 Thessalonians 2:15), which is in 1 Thessalonians 4. Practice Orthodoxy and everything will turn out alright.
  
• The millenarism of some saints like Irenaeus is not accepted, in part because it became a defining feature of some heresies (like the Modalists who believed that at the return of Jesus there would be a millennial kingdom, then the illusion of the person of the Son would vanish and there would remain the only true person of the Father), and in part because, well, time proved it wrong—they expected the return of Christ to happen about 500 years after Christ, yet here we are.
  
• There is no doctrine of the Rapture. This is strictly a recent Protestant innovation. All instances I can find of the saints interpreting the relevant passages (like Luke 17:22:36 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) understand them to be about the righteous going up to welcome the returning Lord when He comes, and nothing else.
  

St. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 80-81) says that there will be a first resurrection of the righteous where they dwell in a rebuilt Jerusalem for 1,000 years (keep in mind that Jerusalem had recently been destroyed due to the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), based off Isaiah 44 and 65 ("There shall be the new heaven and the new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, or come into their heart; but they shall find joy and gladness in it, which things I create. For, Behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy; and I shall rejoice over Jerusalem, and be glad over My people ... According to the days of the tree of life shall be the days of my people," understanding the days of the tree of life to refer to 1,000 years since Genesis 5-11 shows the years of mankind decreasing further and further away from the number 1,000 corresponding to life in Paradise) as well as Revelation 20:4-6,9 ("And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years ... They [the nations] went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city"). Justin, however, also points out that some Orthodox Christians believe in this and some don't, and it's a matter of opinion alone. He doesn't say what the alternative might be however.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 5, ch. 25-36) says that at the end an unlawful and evil king will come, Antichrist, the summary of all demonic apostasy in history, who will take his seat in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Because the apostasy of Antichrist will recapitulate all apostasy, these events will also be the recapitulation of world history, and happen around the 6,000th year of creation; Genesis 1 must be understood as a prophecy, since one day is as a thousand years for the Lord (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). The first advent was halfway through the 6th day; the coming of Antichrist and the last great tribulation will be at the end of the 6th day as the culmination of everything that happened before. This is signified by the name of Antichrist, 666. 666 also signifies this by how, at the time of the apostasy leading to the flood, Noah was 600 years old (Genesis 7:6), and at the time of the persecution of God's people in Babylon, which itself was a prefiguration of the tribulation to come, King Nebuchadnezzar made an idolatrous status 60 cubits tall and 6 cubits wide (Daniel 3:1). This means Antichrist, and soon after him Christ, will come around the 6th century AD, following the chronology of the Septuagint.
The Roman Empire will begin to fall apart (Matthew 12:25) and be partitioned among ten kings, among whom the eighth will rise above the others, slaying three of the kings, to be the Antichrist and rule for 3.5 years during which he persecutes the Church as the Empire falls further apart (Daniel 2:33,41-43, 7:7-8,23-25, Revelation 17:3-18). It is this Antichrist of whom St. Paul speaks in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12. He will come suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and will be a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Jeremiah 8:14-17) which is why this tribe is not given the promised inheritance (Revelation 7:4-8).
Because the existence of Antichrist will be permitted so as to recapitulate all apostasy and separate the righteous from the wicked as a great final exercise (Matthew 3:12, 13:24-30), God will confirm the wicked in their delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Antichrist is the beast of the sea described in Revelation 13:1-10. His armor-bearer, the false prophet, is the beast of the earth described in Revelation 13:11-17.
He is the unjust judge the Lord speaks of in Luke 18:1-8, and the one who comes in his own name in John 5:43. The widow in Luke 18 is the unbelieving Jewish people, who will go to the Antichrist for help, and in response he will make a rebuilt Jerusalem his capital city and a rebuilt temple his house, during which time he will persecute the true temple which is the Church (Daniel 8:9-14,23-25). This is the last half-week of the prophecy of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:27).
When the Lord comes to destroy him (Daniel 2:35,44, 7:9-14,21-22,26-27, 8:25), together with all the nations which will have become his servants (Isaiah 6:9-13, 13:6-22, 26:10-11), the saints will be resurrected. It must be so: we imitate our Lord (Luke 6:40) and therefore, just as He died, then rose from the dead, then ascended to the Father, we also must die, then rise from the dead, then ascend to the Father. It is at this first resurrection that the promise of the old covenant will be fulfilled (Genesis 13:14-15, 15:18-21, 27:28-29), it is the restoration promised by the prophets (Isaiah 26:19, 30:23-26, 58:13-14, Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 28:25-26, 37:11-28), it is the kingdom and reward Christ speaks of (Matthew 19:29, 26:27, Luke 12:37-38, 14:12-13).
The saints will then rule in a beautified Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:11-12, Baruch 5) for 1,000 years (Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 20:4-9), the true Sabbath.
After this, heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35, 1 Corinthian 7:31, Revelation 20:11) as the remaining dead will rise and all will be judged (Revelation 20:10-15). Then a new heaven and earth will be established (Isaiah 65:17-18) and the Jerusalem from above, which the Jerusalem from below is patterned after (Exodus 25:40), will come down and the saints will live in it for eternity (Galatians 4:26, Revelation 21:1-6).
St. Clement of Alexandria does not indulge in eschatology, but he does indicate the alternate tradition that Justin may have been referring to. While Justin and Irenaeus interpret the Old Testament to not have been entirely fulfilled yet, Clement takes a different approach and sees the Old Testament as entirely fulfilled within the time frame of the New Testament. We see this when he discusses the prophecy of the 70 weeks. Whereas Irenaeus sees the last half-week as referring to the Antichrist, Clement sees it as referring to Vespasian, and sees the abomination of desolation not to be the Antichrist taking his seat in a rebuilt temple in the future, but as something that already took place under Vespasian.
St. Hippolytus of Rome considers that the Antichrist, a Hebrew from the tribe of Dan (Genesis 49:16-18, Deuteronomy 33:22, Jeremiah 8:14-17), will defeat in battle the kings of Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43), in a battle over who should rule over the Empire, while the Ammonites and Moabites become his willful subjects (Isaiah 11:11-14, Daniel 11:41). As a result of his victory he will begin to think himself to be God, and will move on to assault Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23:4-5), and it is him whom Isaiah 14:3-21 and Ezekiel 28:1-19 refer to. Then he will try to convince the unbelieving Jews that he is the Messiah by gathering them again from the dispersion and re-establishing the kingdom of Israel, but only because he aims to be recognized and worshipped as God. That Israel according to the flesh will persecute the true Israel, the Church, and will request the Antichrist to do this for them, is what is meant by Deuteronomy 32:34-35, Isaiah 8:6-8, 18:1-2, Jeremiah 4:11-18, Micah 5:5, Luke 18:1-8 and Revelation 12.
The beast of the sea is the Roman Empire itself, while the beast of the earth is both the Antichrist and the false prophet (represented by the two horns). The mark on the hand refers to mandatory sacrifice to the Antichrist as to an idol if one wants to buy food, and the mark on the forehead refers to the false glory he grants upon those who submit themselves to him; the persecution Antiochus IV Epiphanes led against the people of God was a prefiguration of this (2 Maccabees 6:7-11).
The last week of Daniel is the whole rule of Antichrist, but during the first half-week Enoch and Elijah, who were translated into heaven and did not die (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11), will return to prophesy, be martyred and be resurrected (Revelation 11:3-12). The second half-week is when Antichrist will take his seat in the temple and severely persecute the Church (Daniel 11:11-12, Matthew 24:15-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Then Jesus Christ will return and all will be resurrected and judged.
St. Victorinus gave a thorough commentary on Revelation:
6:1-2 (1st seal): Jesus Christ Who conquered by the Gospel and sent the Holy Spirit as an arrow.
6:3-4 (2nd seal): The wars and rumors of war (Matthew 24:6-7).
6:5-6 (3rd seal): The famines (Matthew 24:7).
6:7-8 (4th seal): The pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7).
6:9-11 (5th seal): The persecution of the faithful (Matthew 24:9-10).
6:10-7:17 (6th seal): The last great tribulation. The blackening of the sun, the fall of the stars, the untimely fall of the figs, the receding of the sky, the removal of the mountains and islands refer to the Christians being deeply troubled or even falling into apostasy because of this great final hardship. The angel from the east who seals 144,000 from the tribes of Israel is Elijah, whose preaching converts many of the unbelieving Jews (Malachi 4:5-6), thereby replenishing the Church. Then the seven archangels destroy the kingdom of Antichrist (Micah 5:5-6, Matthew 13:27-30, Mark 13:27) and all the saints are gathered with Christ forever.
8:1-6 (7th seal): The silence signifies the eternal rest and the narrative might end here, but John starts again from the beginning which is why it ends.
9:13-11:14 (6th trumpet): The four angels at the Euphrates, which also represent the four corners of the earth, are four nations which join the kingdom of Antichrist in due time. The mighty angel is Jesus Christ, His feet of fire are the apostles, the seven thunders He utters are the Holy Spirit, the utterances themselves are the Christian mystagogy of the Old Testament which the Christian prophets are given to interpret now that the apostles have finished their work. John eating the book and being told to prophesy again refers to him committing Revelation to memory and formally publishing it after his labor in exile in Patmos was finished. The temple to be measured is the Orthodox faith, the measuring reed like to a rod is Revelation, the rod proper is the Gospel of John which he is to write later. The courtyard is unnecessary and is therefore not measured but is given over to be trampled by the Gentiles, that is, the heretics Valentinus and such are to be counted outside the Church. The trampling of the holy city for 3 years and a half refers to the rule of Antichrist, and likewise the two prophets will prophesy for 3 years and a half. The two prophets are Elijah who did not die (2 Kings 2:11) and Jeremiah who was to prophesy to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5-10), although some think it is rather Moses. They are the two olive trees of Zechariah 4:11-14, who stand beside the Lord of the earth, that is, either that they are kept in Paradise, or that they will stand before Antichrist. The beast from the pit is Antichrist. The two prophets are killed in Jerusalem, rise after three days and a half and ascend to heaven.
11:15-15:8 (7th trumpet): The heavenly temple, that is, Jesus, is made manifest, and the ark is the gift of the Gospel. The woman with child is Israel, the Church, the people of God. The dragon is Satan who seeks to persecute her and who brought down either 1/3rd of angels or 1/3rd of men with himself, and whose seven heads are the last seven Roman Emperors, as well as the ten horns. The child is Jesus Christ Who became incarnate, conquered, and ascended to heaven. The two wings by which the woman flees the dragon are the two prophets, and this refers to when the Church in Judea, closest to Antichrist's headquarters, will have to flee someplace safe (Matthew 24:15-28). The waters spewed forth by the dragon are the people willing to persecute the Church; the earth swallowing up the woman to protect her refers to the Lord saving the Christians from their tormentors, however it is not known whether this refers to a future event or to what has already happened historically. The battle between Michael and the dragon and the latter's fall from heaven is what triggers the rule of Antichrist; narratively it is before the Church is carried by the two prophets, but it must actually happen after since the prophets ministered in the 3.5 years before Antichrist's tyranny. The beast from the sea is the kingdom of Antichrist. The beast from the earth is the false prophet, who will establish his rule in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45, Matthew 24:15). The two angels who command the final harvest are the two prophets. Now again, the narrative restarts from a third perspective: that of the unbelievers, upon whom the whole fury of God will fall.
16:17-19:21 (7th bowl): The woman on the beast is an image of Satan. What is called Babylon here and in Isaiah (13-14, 21, 47-48) and Sodom in Ezekiel (16) refers to Rome. The 5 kings who are already fallen are Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus. The king who currently is is Domitian. The king who is to come for a short time is Nerva. The 8th king is the one from whom the 7 proceed, that is, Nero in resurrected form, who will rule with 10 kings and will not be recognized but will rather appear to the unbelieving Jews to be the Christ (Daniel 11:29-37). Then Christ will return with His angelic hosts to bring forth judgment.
20 (The millennium): The binding of Satan happens at the first coming of Christ. The 1,000 years are symbolic (Psalm 105:8). The abyss is the hearts of unbelievers. He is sealed so that it is not right now self-evident who is the servant of God and who is the servant of Satan. But at the end of the millennium he is released for a short while, referring to the 3.5 years during which Antichrist will persecute the Church. The first resurrection is the resurrection of faith (Colossians 3:1). The number 1,000 is 10x100: the one who keeps the Decalogue and the perfection of purity is one who reigns with Christ and for whom Satan is bound, but he remains loosed for those who do not do this, and him being loosed anyway after the millennium refers to how many will apostatize due to being tempted by him.
Then the general resurrection occurs, the final judgment, and the heavenly Jerusalem (which is very symbolic) comes down.
St. John Chrysostom shows more fully the tradition that Clement earlier hinted at. The apostles ask when the end comes and when the temple will be destroyed; Matthew 24:4-14 answers the first question by giving a recapitulation of all that Christians will have to endure, and Matthew 24:15-22 answers the second question; the abomination of desolation refers to the armies of Vespasian surrounding Jerusalem. Matthew 24:23-28 is when Jesus warns about Antichrist, not as the abomination of desolation as Irenaeus and Hippolytus interpreted it, but as the false prophet and false Christ. Then of course Matthew 24:29-31 is about the second coming and the last judgment.
In his interpretation of 2 Thessalonians, John gives us more context. The restrainer mentioned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Roman Empire, which restrains the Antichrist because it is when the Empire falls apart that Antichrist will use the power vacuum to take his place as ruler. The mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who is a prefiguration of Antichrist. God will permit the appearance of Antichrist so as to confirm the wicked in their wickedness; they will claim to believe in him because of the signs he works, but in truth it will be because of the privileges he grants them and the unlawfulness he permits, as when Christ worked signs He was not believed (John 5:43). When Antichrist appears, he will abolish every idolatrous religion, but so as to be worshipped alone (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). He will sit in the temple of God; which does not refer specifically to the temple in Jerusalem, as in Irenaeus and Hyppolitus, but rather to the Christian Church, so that it is the churches that will be led to worship him as God.
But Elijah will return (Matthew 17:11), being to Christ's second coming what John the Baptist was to His first, then Jesus returns and all are resurrected and judged.
St. Jerome (Commentary on Daniel) says that it should be understood that the events that happened surrounding Antiochus IV Epiphanes are a prefiguration of what will happen surrounding Antichrist (Daniel 8:14).
At a time when the love of many will have grown cold (Luke 18:8), when the Roman Empire collapses, 10 kings will rule over its previous territories. Antichrist will rise from a small nation, which is the Hebrew people, and he will be seen as insignificant at first but will gain power through political intrigue, until he conquers Rome and becomes the first, and last, Jew to rule over the civilized world (Daniel 11:24). He will come from Babylon and first defeat the king of Egypt but will then be frightened by the resistance of Rome against him (Daniel 11:25-30), and will rather defeat the kings of Libya and Ethiopia then conquer Israel, but he will not conquer Edom, Moab and Ammon (Arabia), the deserts where the Christians will flee to (Daniel 11:40-41). He will be received by the Jews as the Christ, and he will put on the pretense of holiness and chastity although he will be a blasphemer (Daniel 11:37-39). As a result of his military victories, the remaining 7 kings will submit to him (Daniel 7:8). For 3.5 years he will rule over the whole world, he will sit in the temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God (Daniel 11:31), and he will persecute the Christians (Daniel 11:33), forbidding the true worship and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 12:11), that the Jews may also be tested, whether they choose Christ or Antichrist. The Christians will resist him for a little but many will die (Daniel 11:34).
However, he will make war against the north and the east and pitch his tent in Apedno near Nicopolis, formerly known as Emmaus, in Judea, then will go to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where the Lord will destroy him (Daniel 11:42-45, Isaiah 25:6-8). Then the resurrection and the final judgment will come, without a millennial kingdom since the saints are evidently not to inherit an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one (Daniel 7:18-19).
Concerning the 70 weeks of Daniel, Jerome suggests various interpretations he considers to be valid, some which make the final week to be about Antichrist and some that don't.
Some believe that the Antichrist has already come in the person of Emperor Nero (Daniel 11:30).
St. Augustine of Hippo (City of God 20) says that the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6) is the one referred to in John 5:22-26: it is not the resurrection of the body, but of the soul, as indeed the soul has a kind of death and a kind of resurrection from the dead (Matthew 8:22, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). It is the resurrection of mercy, as opposed to the second resurrection, the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). There is also the equally Orthodox opinion that the first resurrection is a future one, followed by a thousand-year sabbatical kingdom, as taught by Irenaeus, but it is only Orthodox if one believes that this kingdom is spiritual and not the kind of carnal, passionate kingdom expected by the Chiliasts. But if the first resurrection is the one we already participate in as Christians, then the thousand years can be a manner of speech since the time of the Church is happening during the latter half of the sixth millennium, so that it is called a millennium to recapitulate the actual final thousand years it takes place in (in which case the second resurrection is very soon from his perspective; keep in mind that the end of the sixth millennium would be around the year 500 AD and Augustine died in 430), or the millennium is far more symbolic, referring to all of world history (Psalm 105:8). At the end of the millennium Gog and Magog will launch a final great assault against the Church for 3.5 years. This does not refer to any one earthly nation but rather to the unbelieving world, which will oppress the Church wherever it is.
Antichrist will sit in the temple of God, but there are different opinions as to whether this refers to a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem or to the Church. Until then, what is keeping him from appearing is also not universally agreed upon: some believe it is the Roman Empire, and that the mystery of lawlessness already at work is Nero, who either will be resurrected or perhaps has not actually died. Some believe that what is keeping Antichrist from appearing and what is the mystery of lawlessness is the number of wicked men in the Church, who, when they are sufficiently plentiful, will create a favorable environment for Antichrist, and that 1 John 2:18-19 refers to the same thing.
It is the common tradition that Antichrist will come among ten kings ruling the Empire among themselves, but it is dangerous to put too much trust into this, as the ten kings could instead be symbolic of all the kings prior to Antichrist.
Antichrist will persecute the Church for 3.5 years.
Soon before the end comes, Elijah will return and convert the Jews to Christianity (Malachi 4:5-6).
...
What has become the general tradition, such as what is found liturgically or commonly? I'd say:

• The first resurrection is Christ's resurrection, which we share in through baptism.
  
• The millennium refers to the era of the Church.
  
• The Old Testament was completely fulfilled by the end of the 1st century AD. We are not looking forward to a future earthly kingdom (even of a spiritual nature) before the eternal Kingdom of God; the kingdom in question, such as what is prophesied by Ezekiel in the last few chapters, is the Church, and as Christians we already judge and possess all things.
  
• The book of Daniel was mostly fulfilled in 1, 2 and 3 Maccabees. Even things referring to the resurrection of the dead in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the resurrection of Christ primarily.
  
• The four kingdoms in Daniel are the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greeks and Romans; or the Babylonians, Medes, Persians and Greco-Romans as expressed in the Syriac tradition. But in any case the Kingdom of God was established, and the Roman Empire was destroyed, when the rock cut without hands crushed it, that is, when Christ was born of the Virgin. Through His Church He has conquered Rome since, and in fact nearly all nations by now.
  
• There will be an Antichrist, who will unite the world religions and try to eliminate the Church. It will be a short-lived but intense final tribulation we will go through before the resurrection, final judgment and universal establishment of the Kingdom of God. Enoch and Elijah will return to preach. We do not know when this will happen, nor what form the kingdom of Antichrist will take...
  
• ... and that's okay. We're not very much concerned with what the end times will look like. We have been in the end times since Christ became the firstborn of the dead and sent His Holy Spirit upon us. I'm far more likely to meet Christ when I die, whenever that is, than when Antichrist comes. The apostle Paul gave one key method to be ready for Antichrist anyway: to hold onto the tradition that he transmitted (2 Thessalonians 2:15), which is in 1 Thessalonians 4. Practice Orthodoxy and everything will turn out alright.
  
• The millenarism of some saints like Irenaeus is not accepted, in part because it became a defining feature of some heresies (like the Modalists who believed that at the return of Jesus there would be a millennial kingdom, then the illusion of the person of the Son would vanish and there would remain the only true person of the Father), and in part because, well, time proved it wrong—they expected the return of Christ to happen about 500 years after Christ, yet here we are.
  
• There is no doctrine of the Rapture. This is strictly a recent Protestant innovation. All instances I can find of the saints interpreting the relevant passages (like Luke 17:22:36 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) understand them to be about the righteous going up to welcome the returning Lord when He comes, and nothing else.
  

In 2017 when I was experiencing a revival in my faith as a response to seeing so many “lukewarm”, ambivalent Christians in my Baptist congregation, I began researching the best translation of the Bible to read. I ended up discovering the Deuterocanonical books and their history. I started really questioning where the authority to declare scriptural canon lies, because I assumed that “we” used the same Bible that was originally declared. I knew that the Bible had to have come from the Catholic Church but I didn’t realize it was altered during the reformation, and that didn’t sit well with me.
I put that on a back burner for a few years until I was bored working from home in May 2020, when I decided to reopen my research. Ultimately that led me down a road where I was really discovering the important roots of Church authority and I knew by August that if I kept researching, I was going to have to become Catholic. And I was okay with it after some initial hesitation, because I only care about being within the divinely revealed truth. (This was definitely a nudge from the Holy Spirit.)
The next couple years I spent learning and wrestling with how to tell my wife. She’s not studious and not very inquisitive, and growing up Lutheran and then super charismatic Pentecostal, she had been fed far more anti-Catholic slander than I, so she wasn’t really open to learning what I wanted to explain.
Somehow, by the Grace of God, she’s come to accept it and has not been an impediment in my conversion. I still attend church with her additionally to Mass, so she doesn’t feel abandoned, but I’ve separated myself from that congregation and stopped taking their form of communion since I decided to pursue conversion.
In Easter 2023 I was conditionally baptized, confirmed, received reconciliation (which was intense and gentle at the same time) and the Holy Eucharist for the first time.
Since then, I haven’t been without temptation obviously, but I’ve had some serious sin problems all but disappear through the sustaining power of Christ. I no longer have a problem with pornography and masturbation - sometimes it’s painful but if I focus on Christ and pray the Rosary, I can avoid it. I’m more charitable with people, and the back of my mind is always thinking about Jesus. I always wish I was at Mass and I go to daily Mass at every opportunity as well as every weekend.
My priest is a humble and gentle Filipino man who sings/chants most of the prayers in the Mass, loves his parish and loves our Lord. He vocally laments the popularity of divorce and abortion and the destruction of the family. And further up, my Bishop is gentle and wise, and I am happy to be in communion with Rome and under the authority of the true Church of Jesus Christ and his Vicar.
I’m so grateful to be where I am. I’m so glad the Lord called me at the time when I was most ready. May I grow closer to Him and more humble and obedient to His will daily, and may he call my wife soon as well.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion that inspired me and resonated with me since 2020, so much so that I had it tattooed on my arm and wear it on a ring as well. Although we didn’t formally choose a Patron during RCIA which I hear some dioceses do, I have taken St. Gemma Galgani as my friend and inspiration, for her intense purity and dedication to Jesus, and him alone.
I love being Catholic.
Edit: please pray for my parish; we had the ceiling collapse in our sanctuary just before Easter and are operating in the basement. We’re fundraising and are working with engineers to ensure that the repairs include preventative measures for future issues.

1st John   Chapter Two  

The Anointed learns upon us right [זכות, ZeKhOoTh]
[verses 1-6]  

-1. My children [ילדי, YeLahDah-eeY], write I to you [את, ’ehTh (indicator of direct object; no English equivalent)] the words the these to sake you not sin,
and if sins a man, we have to us an advocate [מליץ, MayhLeeYTs] before the father – YayShOo`ah [“Savior”, Jesus] the anointed, the righteous.  

“…ethics in the N.T. [New Testament] is never finally a matter of a ‘works-righteousness’ or code. The Spirit interprets our duty to us in various situations.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 227)  

-2. And he is atonement [כפרה, KahPahRaH] for our sins,  

“`Ιλασμος [‘Ilasmos], the atoning sacrifice for our sins… כפור kippur … The word is used only here, and in chap. iv.10.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 862)  

and not upon our sins only,
rather [אלה, ’ehLah’] also upon sins of all the world.  

“The apostle does not say that he died for any select part of the inhabitants of the earth, or for some out of every nation, tribe, or kindred, but for ALL MANKIND: and the attempt to limit this is a violent outrage against God and his word.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 862)  

-3. And in this know [נדע, NayDah`] that we recognize [שהכרנו, ShehHeeKahRNOo] him: if we guard his commandments.  
-4. The sayer, “I recognize him”,
and has not guarded [את, ’ehTh] his commandments,
a worder of falsehood is he,
and the truth has not in him.  
-5. But [אך, ’ahKh] the guarder [את, ’ehTh] His word,
in same the man is completed [נשלמה, NeeShLeMaH], in truth, love of Gods;
in this know that in him are we.
-6. The sayer that he stands in YayShOo`ah,
as [the] way that walked YayShOo`ah, yes also is upon him to walk.  

……………………………………………………….  
The new commandment
[verses 7-17]  

-7. My beloved, not a commandment new write I to you,
rather [כי אם, KeeY ’eeM] a commandment old,
that was to you from [the] first.
The commandment, the old, she is the word that you heard.
-8. And in all that, a commandment new write I to you,
a word that is established [שנכון, ShehNahKhON] also in him and also in you,
that see, the darkness passes and the light the true already shines [זורח, ZORay-ahH].  
-9. The sayer that [כי, KeeY] in light he is and with that hates [את, ’ehTh] his brethren,
still is he [עודנו, `ODehNOo] in darkness.
-10. The lover [את, ’ehTh] his brethren stands in light,
and scandal [ומכשול, OoMeeKhShOL] has not in him.  
-11. But [אבל, ’ahBahL] the hater [את, ’ehTh] his brethren, in darkness is he;
in darkness he walks [מתהלך, MeeThHahLayKh], and he does not [ואינו, Ve’aYNO] know to where he walks,
for the darkness blinds [עור, `eeVayR] [את, ’ehTh] his eyes.  
-12. Write I to you, my children,
So [מפני, MeePNaY] that will be pardoned to you your sins on behalf of his name.
-13. Write I to you, fathers,
so that you recognize him [אותו, ’OThO], that he was from [the] first.
Write I to you, first-born,
so that you conquer [שנצחתם, SheNeeTsahHThehM] [את, ’ehTh] the evil.  
-14. I wrote to you, children,
so that you recognize [את, ’ehTh] the Father.
I wrote to you, fathers,
so that you recognize [את, ’ehTh] him, that he [was] from [the] first.
I wrote to you, first-born,
so that you strengthen,
and word [of] Gods is realized in your midst,
and you conquer [את, ’ehTh] the evil.  
-15. Do not love [את, ’ehTh] the world, nor [אף, ’ahPh] [את, ’ehTh] what that is in [the] world;
man, if he loves [את, ’ehTh] the world, has not within him love of the father.  

“… a love of the creature and the creation is disparaged over against the primal and everlasting ground of existence, the Father and his purpose….  
Such an emphasis is indeed exposed to the modern reproach of a false otherworldliness, and this passage has often been used to fortify such a piety.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 238-239)  

-16. For all that is in the world - lust of [תאות, Thah’ahVahTh] fleshes, lust of the eyes, and pride of [וגאות, VeGah’ahVahTh] the possessions [הנכסים, HahNeKhahÇeeYM] - not from the father is it, rather from the world.  

“For the lust of the eyes a passage in the Testament of Reuben¹⁰ (ch. [chapter] 2) is illuminating. It speaks of the ‘seven spirits of deceit’ which are ‘appointed against man’ of which one is the ‘sense of sight from which ariseth desire’ (cf. [compare with] also Ezek. [Ezekiel] 20:7-8). Jesus strictly warns against the eye as the occasion of temptation in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. [Matthew] 5:27-29)” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 240)  

¹⁰ “The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Torah. It is a pseudepigraphical work comprising the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Oscan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, but opinions are divided if these are the same texts. It is considered Apocalyptic literature.  
The Testaments were written in Greek, and reached their final form in the second century CE. In the 13th century that they were introduced into the West through the agency of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, whose Latin translation of the work gained immediately became popular. He believed that it was a genuine work of the twelve sons of Jacob, and that the Christian interpolations were a genuine product of Jewish prophecy; he accused Jews of concealing the Testaments ‘on account of the prophecies of the Saviour contained in them.’  
With the critical methods of the 16th century, Grosseteste’s view of the Testaments was rejected and the book was unjustly disparaged as a mere Christian forgery for nearly four centuries. Presently, scholarly opinions are still divided as to whether the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs are an originally Jewish document that has been retouched by Christians or are a Christian document written originally in Greek but based on some earlier Semitic material. The feasibility of the Jewish author hypothesis is increasingly difficult to defend, while the Christian nature of the book is a given. Scholarship, therefore, focuses on this book as a Christian work, whether or not it has Jewish original (Vorlage).  
A copy of the testaments is published in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden.  
The work is divided into twelve books, each purporting to be the last exhortations of one of the twelve titular patriarchs. In each, the patriarch first narrates his own life, focusing on his strengths, virtues, or his sins, using biographical material from both the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Next he exhorts his listeners to emulate the one and to avoid the other. Most of the books conclude with prophetic visions.  
The Testament of Reuben is predominantly concerned with admonishing lust, and the sinfulness of Reuben in his having had sex with Bilhah, a concubine of his father. It is likely that the author wished to cover the topic of fornication anyway, and assigned it for Reuben to discuss due to Reuben's relationship with Bilhah being recounted in the canonical bible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testaments_of_the_Twelve_Patriarchs  

…  

……………………………………………………….  
Distressor [צורר, TsORehR] [of] the Anointed
[verses 18-28]  

-18. My children, that is the hour, the last, and, like that you heard that [כי, KeeY] would come the distressor [of] the Anointed [αντιχρισος – antichrisos ~ antichrist], also now have risen distressors of Anointed multitudinous. From here know we that that is the hour, the last.  

“The actual term antichrist appears only in I and II John in the N.T. but the same figure is in view in the ‘man of lawlessness’ of II Thess. [Thessalonians] 2:3-4, in the great agent of sacrilege in Mark 13:14 and its parallels, and elsewhere. In our epistle he is identified with the ‘spirit’ of heresy (4:3) or error (4:6) as already come. He has in mind disturbers of the life of the churches generally and pretenders to messiahship or divinity in various parts of the empire. Words assigned to Jesus in the Gospels bearing on these events were thought of by the evangelists as fulfilled in their day. … The church fathers, rightly or wrongly, supply the names of Dositheus^11, Simon Magus^12, Judas Gallaeus, and later, Montanus^13, as having made messianic claims.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 243-244)  

¹¹ “The legendary background of the Pseudo-Clementine polemic informs us that the precursor of ‘Simon Magus’ was a certain Dositheus. He is mentioned in the lists of the earliest hæresiologists, in a Samaritan Chronicle, and in the Chronicle of Aboulfatah (fourteenth century); the notices, however, are all legendary, and nothing of a really reliable character can be asserted of the man. That however he was not an unimportant personage is evidenced by the persistence of the sect of the Dositheans to the sixth century; Aboulfatah says even to the fourteenth. Both Dositheus and ‘Simon Magus’ were, according to tradition, followers of John the Baptist; they were, however, said to be inimical to Jesus. Dositheus is said to have claimed to be the promised prophet, ‘like unto Moses,’ and ‘Simon’ to have made a still higher claim. In fact, like so many others in those days, both were claimants to the Messiaship. The Dositheans followed a mode of life closely resembling that of the Essenes; they had also their own secret volumes, and apparently a not inconsiderable literature.  
Dositheus (Dousis, Dusis, or Dosthai) was apparently an Arab, and in Arabia, we have every reason to believe, there were many mystic communities allied to those of the Essenes and Therapeuts.” http://sacred-texts.com/gno/fff/fff20.htm  
¹² “Simon Magus (Greek Σίμων ὁ μάγος), also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, was a Samaritan proto-Gnostic and traditional founder of the Simonians in the first century A.D. He appeared prominently in several apocryphal and heresiological accounts of early Christian writers, who regarded him as the source of all heresies.  
Simon Magus has been portrayed as both student and teacher of Dositheus, with followers who revered him as the Great Power of God. There were accusations by Christians that he was a demon in human form, and he was specifically said to possess the ability to levitate and fly at will. The fantastic stories of Simon the Sorcerer persisted into the Middle Ages, becoming a possible inspiration for Goethe's Faust.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus  
¹³ “Montanism was an early Christian movement of the early 2nd century A.D., named after its founder Montanus. It originated at Hierapolis where Papias was bishop and flourished throughout the region of Phrygia, leading to the movement being referred to as Cataphrygian (meaning it was ‘from Phrygia’). It spread rapidly to other regions in the Roman Empire at a time before Christianity was generally tolerated or legal. Although orthodox Nicene Christianity prevailed against Montanism within a few generations, labeling it a heresy, the sect persisted in some isolated places into the 8th century. Some people have drawn parallels between Montanism and modern Pentecostalism (which some call Neo-Montanism). The most widely known Montanist was undoubtedly Tertullian, who was the foremost Latin church writer before he converted to Montanism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montanism

 
-20. And you have to you the anointing [המשיחה, HahMeSheeYHaH] [from [מאת, May’ayTh] the Holy [one], and all of you know.  

“The word [anointing] is not used in the N.T. outside the present chapter.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 245)  
““The χρισμα, chrism, or ointment, here mentioned, is also an allusion to the holy anointing ointment prescribed by God himself, Exod. [Exodus] xxx. 23-25. which was composed of fine myrrh^14, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus¹⁵ , cassia lignea^16, and olive oil.”  

¹⁴ “Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan…. Myrrh was used as an embalming ointment and was used, up until about the 15th century, as a penitential incense in funerals and cremations. The "holy oil" traditionally used by the Eastern Orthodox Church for performing the sacraments of chrismation and unction is traditionally scented with myrrh…” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrrh  
¹⁵ “Sweet Flag, also known as calamus and various rushes and sedges, (Acorus calamus) is a plant from the Acoraceae family, in the genus Acorus. It is a tall perennial wetland monocot with scented leaves and more strongly scented rhizomes, which have been used medicinally, for its odor, and as a psychotropic drug.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Flag  
¹⁶ “The spice now known in pharmaceutical literature under the name of Cassia lignea has, from time immemorial, been an article of trade from South China. Flückiger and Hanbury are indeed of opinion that it was the cinnamon of the ancients, what now bears the name being peculiar to Ceylon and unnoticed as a product of the island till the thirteenth century. (‘Pharmacographia,’ pp. 520, 521.) Cinnamon and cassia are, however, enumerated amongst the products of the East from the earliest periods; and the former was known to the Arabians and Persians as Darchini (dar, wood or bark, and chini, Chinese). It seems in ancient times to have been carried by Chinese traders to the Malabar coast, where it passed into the commerce of the Red Sea. In this way the statements of Dioscorides, Ptolemy, and others, are accounted for, who speak of cinnamon as a product of Arabia and Eastern Africa, countries in which there is no reason to suppose it ever grew.” http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/journals/ajp1883/03-cassia-lign.html  

…
-22. Who is he, worder false, if not with [בלתי, BeeLTheeY] the denier [הכופר, HahKOPhayR] in thus, that YayShOo`ah, he is the anointed?
This is him, distressor [of] the anointed: the denier in father and in son.  

“… not the Jewish refusal to recognize Jesus as the messiah; this denial would hardly be made by members of the church… it is the denial that ‘Jesus Christ has come in the flesh’. … The Doscetists made a separation between the earthly Jesus and the heavenly Christ. These verses sound very harsh and dogmatic to us (and cf. 5:10, 12). As a matter of fact, the impulse of the writer was not that of an inflexible orthodoxy: it was an appeal to the abiding dynamic witness of the Spirit, which quickens and leads into all truth. This Spirit was indeed related inseparably to the old oral confessions of the church (cf. Acts 8:37, RSV mg [margin]), but these evidently were already taking various forms, and the meaning of the term Christ, for example, had changed markedly.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB pp. XII 246-247)  
“Some have supposed that an Ebionite denial of Jesus’ messiahship is all that is intended here (so Maurice Goguel). But the second part of the verse makes it likely that Docetic-Gnostic issues are involved.” (Wilder, 1955, TIB p. XII 271)  
“There were certain persons who, while they acknowledged Jesus to be a Divine Teacher, denied him to be the Christ, i.e. [in other words], the Messiah.  
“He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.] He is antichrist who denies the supernatural and miraculous birth of Jesus Christ; who denies Jesus to be the Son of God; and who denies God to be the Father of the Lord Jesus: - thus he denies the Father and the Son. The Jews in general, and the Gnostics in particular, denied the miraculous conception of Jesus: with both he was accounted no more than a common man, the son of Joseph and Mary. But the Gnostics held that a divine person, ᴁon or angelical being, dwelt in him; but all things else relative to his miraculous generation and divinity they rejected. These were antichrist, who denied Jesus to be the Christ.” (Clarke, 1831, p. VI 866)  

...  

……………………………………………………….  
Children of Gods
[verses 28 to end of chapter]   An Amateur's Journey Through the Bible

Here are all of the new US CCS (Level 3 fast-charging) stations that rolled out in May 2023, according to the Department of Energy. These chargers are suitable for most new EVs on the market, except for:

1. Tesla drivers who haven't bought the official CCS adapter yet. Certain older Teslas need additional work done to accept the adapter.
2. Leaf owners like me, and some owners of older cars that also use CHAdeMO. If you drive a Leaf, or an older CHAdeMO car, see my matching post in leaf.

Some of these chargepoints will be "refreshes," e.g. the provider replaced them with faster chargers etc. Some may be incorrect. This report is only as good as the Alternative Fuels Data Center data.
There were 222 CCS charge points added or refreshed in May 2023, which is up from 171 in April. For comparison, there were only 74 new CCS charge points in May 2022. Things are speeding up.
"What about CCS charging at Tesla superchargers?" Tesla is in the process of rolling out their "magic dock" for non-Tesla cars, but so far in very few locations. If they start doing this at scale and reporting it to the Alternative Fuels Data Center then it will be reflected here.
"What about Ford vehicles with NACS (Tesla) plugs?" They are not on sale yet. Current-generation Ford vehicles have CCS plugs. The next generation will have NACS (Tesla) plugs, but will also support CCS via an adapter.
If you'd like to know about new chargers along your routes right away, or just prefer not to check this list monthly when new openings are rare in your area, I've set up a free service that provides email notifications as soon as they open. You can sign up at evpov.com. Or not! I don't really have a business plan here, I built it to help EV owners like myself.
To streamline this post, multi-chargepoint locations are listed with the number of chargepoints first, so that's why the post is shorter than in previous months.

➡ AR (1) Franklin's Charging Little Rock 724 Woodrow St Little Rock, AR 72205 ➡ AZ (6) 942 E Parma Street (US-CMK-NVL-2A) 942 E Parma Street Gila Bend, AZ 85337 (1) Kroger Frys 62 (Mesa, AZ) 554 W Baseline Rd Mesa, AZ 85210 ➡ CA (1) Fairfield Inn & Suites 8700 Spectrum Pkwy Bakersfield, CA 93308 (1) MOSSY CDJR DC 1 1875 Auto Park Ave Chula Vista, CA 91911 (3) DC CORRIDOR CHEVRON C DC 2 25032 W Dorris Ave Coalinga, CA 93210 (1) South Coast Collection (SoCo) 3303 Hyland Ave Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (1) SCPPA SCPPA CPE200T 1160 Nicole Ct Glendora, CA 91740 (1) Chase Bank - 925 N Hacienda Blvd 925 N Hacienda Blvd La Puente, CA 91744 (1) WOODLANDHILLS ABB 24KW 01 22006 Erwin Street Los Angeles, CA 91367 (1) 7071 - Merced, CA (2020 Childs Ave) 2020 Childs Ave Merced, CA 95341 (1) Mojave Air & Spaceport (Building 1) 16922 Airport Blvd Mojave, CA 93501 (1) BMW MONROVIA OFF NETWORK 01 1425 Mountain Ave Monrovia, CA 91016 (1) Albertsons 1345 (Morro Bay, CA) 730 Quintana Road Morro City, CA 93442 (1) 3333 Fruitvale Ave 3333 Fruitvale Ave Oakland, CA 94602 (1) 7126 - Oakley, CA (5540 Bridgehead Road) 5540 Bridgehead Road Oakley, CA 94561 (1) CircleK - Palm Desert, CA 78005 Country Club Dr Palm Desert, CA 92211 (1) Hilton Garden Inn 20 Advantage Ct Sacramento, CA 95834 (1) BoA Hillcrest CA0-120 (San Diego, CA) 737 UNIVERSITY AVE San Diego, CA 92103 (1) WinCo Foods - Vacaville #60 855 Davis St Vacaville, CA 95687 ➡ CO (1) CITY OF ASPEN RIO GRANDE L3 427 Rio Grande Pl Aspen, CO 81611 (4) CSG EV BOULDER PL4 1500 Pearl St Boulder, CO 80302 (5) 1 Flatiron Crossing (US-ME8-73R-2B) 1 Flatiron Crossing Broomfield, CO 80021 (1) CircleK - Colorado City, CA 8950 S Interstate 25 Colorado City, CO 81004 (2) GPM INVESTMENTS 4590 DC1 8105 N Academy Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80920 (2) KUM & GO CRAIG PL2 700 East Victory Way Craig, CO 81625 (1) DINO WELCOME DINOSAUR PL1 101 Stegosaurus Freeway Dinosaur, CO 81610 (2) PIKES PK CHARGE BA.CA.MI LLC #2 11027 US-24 Divide, CO 80814 (4) ANNEX SITE GEORGETOWN PL4 1120 Argentine Street Georgetown, CO 80444 (4) KUM & GO RIFLE PL4 705 Taugenbaugh Boulevard Rifle, CO 81650 (2) KUM & GO SB SPRINGS PL2 80 Anglers Drive Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 ➡ CT (1) BOA East Hartford CT2-120 (Hartford, CT) 805 E Main Street East Hartford, CT 06108 (1) HARTFORD BMW ABB OUTSIDE 1 Weston Park Rd Hartford, CT 06120 ➡ DE (1) First State Chevrolet 22694 DUPONT BLVD GEORGETOWN, DE 19947 ➡ FL (1) JNKNS JACKSONVI DC FAST 2 11107 Atlantic Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32225 (1) Simon Tampa Premium Outlets (Lutz, FL) 2300 Grand Cypress Dr Lutz, FL 33559 (1) Starbucks 9200 FL-228 Macclenny, FL 32063 (1) Ocean Cadillac 17800 Ipco Road Miami, FL 33162 (1) Sun Plaza 6339 W Colonial Dr Orlando, FL 32818 (1) Simon Orlando Vineland (Orlando, FL) 8200 Vineland Ave Orlando, FL 32821 (1) Simon Tyrone Square (St Petersburg, FL) 6901 22nd Ave N Peterburg, FL 33710 (1) BHY CHARGER 1 9915 E Adamo Dr Tampa, FL 33619 (1) Chase Bank - 5601 Red Bug Lake Rd 5601 Red Bug Lake Rd Winter Springs, FL 32708 ➡ GA (1) GEORGIA POWER EPICENTER DC1 135 riverside parkway SW Austell, GA 30168 (1) JACKSON EMC GAINESVILLE 1000 Dawsonville Highway Gainesville, GA 30501 ➡ IL (1) Castle Chevrolet North 175 N Arlington Heights Rd Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (1) Sunrise Chevrolet 414 E N Ave Glendale Heights, IL 60139 ➡ IN (1) AVON HYUNDAI SALES 8775 E 36 Avon, IN 46123 (1) SHRM CHRG MERCEDESBENZFW 7227 W Jefferson Blvd Fort Wayne, IN 46804 (1) HOC CHARGERS CHARGER #1 4200 E 96th St Indianapolis, IN 46240 (1) Sullivan Cadillac 4040 SW College Rd Ocala, IN 34474 ➡ KS (1) HATCHETT FRONT_WEST 11200 E Central Ave Wichita, KS 67206 (1) HATCHETT BACK EAST 11330 E Central Ave Wichita, KS 67206 ➡ KY (1) JEFF WYLER FH EXPRESS 250 949 Burlington Pike Florence, KY 41042 ➡ LA (1) All Star Automotive 12730 Airline Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70817 (1) Target T1469 (Monroe, LA) 4103 Pecanland Mall Dr Monroe, LA 71203 ➡ MA (6) MASSPORT TNC 4 226 Porter St Boston, MA 02128 (2) MASSPORT TAXI 4 56 Harborside Dr Boston, MA 02128 (1) Littleton Electric Light & Water Department 39 Ayer Road Littleton, MA 01460 ➡ MD (2) POTOMAC EDISON ROCKY GAP DC1 16701 Lakeview Rd NE Flintstone, MD 21530 ➡ ME (1) DARLINGS HYUNDA SALES CHARGER 2 439 Western Ave Augusta, ME 04330 (2) IRVINGOIL ME-FFLD-L3-0001 206 Center Rd Fairfield, ME 04937 (1) MOBIL ONTHEWAY STATION 1 1930 Lisbon Street Lewiston, ME 04240 (1) MOBIL ONTHEWAY STATION 2 1938 Lisbon St Lewiston, ME 04240 ➡ MI (1) Belle Isle DC Fast Charge 176 Lakeside Dr Detroit, MI 48207 (1) Meijer 254 (Hudsonville, MI) 4075 32nd Ave Hudsonville, MI 49426 (1) Evergetic Charging Spa 330 South Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard Lansing, MI 48915 (1) Genesis Cadillac 19900 E Nine Mile Road St Clair Shores, MI 48080 (1) MBSTL ENTRANCE ABB 1048 Hampton Avenue St. Louis, MI 63139 (1) Range USA Ypsilanti 660 James L Hart Pkwy Ypsilanti, MI 48197 ➡ MN (1) WINNER GAS BROOKDALE DR 1500 Brookdale Dr Minneapolis, MN 55444 ➡ MO (1) GM - Allen Christian Buick GMC Inc 724 W Business US Highway 60, Dexter, MO 63841 (1) Store 290 Joplin - 2101 S. Prigmore &I44 2101 S Prigmore Joplin, MO 64804 ➡ MS (1) 1685 High St 1685 High St Jackson, MS 39202 ➡ NC (1) CAPE HATTERAS AVON PIER DCFC2 41001 North Carolina Hwy 12 Avon, NC 27915 (1) Westcott Buick GMC 2410 S CHURCH ST BURLINGTON, NC 27215 (1) 9960 Poplar Tent Rd 9960 Poplar Tent Rd Concord, NC 28027 (1) AEMC- AEMC HQ FAST 125 Cooperative Way Hertford, NC 27944 (1) Capital Hyundai of Jacksonville 2325 N Marine Blvd Jacksonville, NC 28546 (1) Chestnut Arbor 2925 Weddington Matthews Rd Matthews, NC 28105 ➡ NE (1) ERNST CHARGER 1 EAC CHARGER 615 23rd St E Columbus, NE 68601 ➡ NH (1) Berlin City Chevrolet 545 MAIN STREET GORHAM, NH 03581 (2) Tanger Tilton Under Armour 06-07 120 Laconia Road Tilton, NH 03256 ➡ NJ (1) ShopRite Carteret - Wakefern #511 801 Roosevelt Ave Carteret, NJ 07008 (1) Lester Glenn Freehold 3712 Rte 9 Freehold, NJ 07728 (2) FREEHOLDHYUNDAI VERIZON 1 4075 9 Freehold Township, NJ 07728 (2) CLASS 3 CHARGER HYUNDAI-2 250 Rte 4 Paramus, NJ 07652 (1) CIRCLEAUTOGROUP CH- CPE250 1 641 Shrewsbury Ave Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 (1) ROUTE 1 HYUNDAI CPE-250-02 3905 US 1 South Brunswick Township, NJ 08852 (1) ROUTE 1 HYUNDAI RT1-01 3913 US-1 South Brunswick Township, NJ 08852 (1) Lester Glenn Buick-GMC 230 RTE 37 E TOMS RIVER, NJ 08753 (1) Lester Glenn Chevrolet 398 Rt 37 Toms River, NJ 08753 ➡ NY (1) AAA WESTCENTRAL DC FAST CHARGER 100 International Dr Amherst, NY 14221 (2) KEELER STATION 6 1111 Troy Schenectady Rd Latham, NY 12110 (1) LEXUSMIDDLETOWN STATION 1 3496 US-6 Middletown, NY 10940 (1) Lerner NYC Station Plaza (Port Jefferson Station, NY) 5145 Nesconset Highway Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776 (3) BOB JOHNSON BOB JOHNSON KIA 3817 W Henrietta Rd Rochester, NY 14623 (1) Burr Truck Level 3 DC Fast Charge 2901 Vestal Rd Vestal, NY 13850 ➡ OH (1) Serra Chevrolet 3281 S Arlington Rd Akron, OH 44312 (1) Tim Lally Chevrolet 24999 Miles Rd Bedford Heights, OH 44128 (2) CRESTMONT DRIVECRESTMONT2 2961 Center Rd Brunswick, OH 44212 (1) Lambert Buick GMC 2409 FRONT ST CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH 44221 (1) Hampton Inn - Canton 5256 Broadmoor Cir NW Canton, OH 44709 (1) JEFF WYLER EXPRESS 250 Loop @ Far Hills Centerville, OH 45459 (1) DONWOODAUTO DW CHEVY 2 12916 OH-664 Logan, OH 43138 (2) WAG ABB STATION 1 8457 N Springboro Pike Miamisburg, OH 45342 (1) JEFF WYLER CORP 4- DC FAST 401 Milford Pkwy Milford, OH 45150 (1) Friendship Kitchen 70 3800 E. State Rd. Port Clinton, OH 43452 (1) Friendship Kitchen 83 4024 Hayes Ave. Sandusky, OH 44870 (1) Serpentini Chevrolet of Strongsville 15303 Royalton Rd Strongsville, OH 44136 (1) Don's Automotive Group 720 N SHOOP AVE WAUSEON, OH 43567 (1) Bush Auto Place 1850 Rombach Avenue Wilmington, OH 45177 ➡ OK (1) EDMOND HYUNDAI EDMOND 4 14137 N Broadway Ext Edmond, OK 73013 ➡ OR (6) 12000 SE 82nd Ave (US-H8H-UM5-2A) 12000 SE 82nd Ave Happy Valley, OR 97086 (1) PGE IBEW 48 15937 NE Airport Way Portland, OR 97230 ➡ PA (1) DOYLESTOWN 024B1000008033 4465 W Swamp Rd Doylestown, PA 18902 (2) LIBERTY CHARWASH PL 2 2595 Maryland Road Willow Grove, PA 19090 (1) Bergeys Inc 518 RTE 309 colmar, PA 18915 ➡ PR (2) BMW AUTOGERMANA CPE 250 PKNG 2 106 Calle Acuarela Guaynabo, PR 00969 (2) BMW AUTOGERMANA FTZ120KW-2 1086 Ave. Muñoz Rivera San Juan, PR 00919 ➡ RI (1) Paul Masse Chevrolet 1111 Taunton Ave East Providence, RI 02914 ➡ SC (1) Travelers Rest Municipal Complex 125 Trailblazer Dr Travelers Rest, SC 29690 ➡ TN (4) I24 EXIT11 STATION 1 (LL) 701 Sango Road Clarksville, TN 37043 (2) DISTRICT 2 STATION 1 (L) 28 S Park Ave Hohenwald, TN 38462 (2) LAWRENCEBURG STATION 2 (R) 2347 Hwy 43 N Leoma, TN 38468 (1) MB OF MEMPHIS STATION 1 5401 Poplar Ave Memphis, TN 38119 ➡ TX (1) Friendly Chevrolet 2754 North Stemmons Way Dallas, TX 75207 (1) Plaza de Oro 4450 W Jefferson Blvd Dallas, TX 75211 (1) Shell 3302 S Eastman Rd Longview, TX 75602 (1) 3220 Gulf Fwy 3220 Gulf Fwy Texas City, TX 77591 ➡ UT (2) VOLVO CAR USA SANDY DC 2 56 W 9000 S Sandy, UT 84070 ➡ VA (1) BLACKWELL D1 4874 Riverside Dr Danville, VA 24541 (1) Fleet Management Site (For Testing Purpose Only) 512 Herndon Pkwy Herndon, VA 20170 (6) 2577 Jeb Stuart Highway (US-TDM-SCC-1C) 2577 Jeb Stuart Highway Meadows of Dan, VA 24120 (5) 2203 Franklin Road Southwest (US-TUJ-L2K-2C) 2203 Franklin Road Southwest Roanoke, VA 24014 (6) 437 Tiffany Drive (US-CHT-WF7-2C) 437 Tiffany Drive Waynesboro, VA 22980 (2) KOONS HYUNDAI STATION 1 1880 Opitz Blvd Woodbridge, VA 22191 ➡ VT (1) Cody Chevrolet 364 RIVER ST MONTPELIER, VT 05602 ➡ WA (1) 7112 - Bellevue WA (12903 NE 20th Street) 12903 NE 20th Bellevue, WA 98005 (1) 7060 - Burlington, WA (1790 South Burlington Blvd) 1790 South Burlington Blvd Burlington, WA 98233 (1) 5507 - Everett, WA (901 Casino Road) 901 Casino Road Everett, WA 98204 (1) 7025 - Everett, WA (13131 Bothell Everett Hwy) 13131 Bothell Everett Hwy Everett, WA 98208 (1) 4397 - Kelso, WA (1700 Allen Street) 1700 Allen Street Kelso, WA 98626 (1) 7063 - Olympia, WA (1725 Evergreen Park Drive SW) 1725 Evergreen Park Drive SW Olympia, WA 98502 (2) HANSON MOTORS HM3 QUICKCHARGE 2300 Carriage Loop SW Olympia, WA 98502 (1) 7096 - Sequim, WA (51 Carlsborg Road) 51 Carlsborg Road Sequim, WA 98382 (1) Walmart 2539 - Spokane Valley, WA 15727 E Broadway Ave Spokane Valley, WA 99037 (1) 7054 -Vancouver, WA 98664 (10314 SE Mill Plain Road) 13014 SE Mill Plain Rd Vancouver, WA 98684 (1) 7059 - Woodinville, WA (13023 NE 175th St) 13023 NE 175th St Woodinville, WA 98072 ➡ WI (1) BERG HYUNDAI VLI-L3-PDI-4 2900 N Victory Ln Appleton, WI 54913 (1) Wheelers Chevrolet of Coloma 1978 Charles Way Coloma, WI 54930 (1) Wheelers Chevrolet GMC of Marshfield 2701 S. Maple Ave Marshfield, WI 54449 

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It has been a rough start to the newly crowned Prime Minister's term in government with multiple scandals and shock incidents having been revealed in the past week, seeing the defeated former PM Griffonomics placed in police custody, the Deputy Prime Minister MediocreCentrist14 pronounced dead, and a whole slew of unexpected defections. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister has remained composed throughout it all, handling the pressure with aplomb. Many citizens and high ranking officials have expressed their sympathies towards the highly respected leader of the government, but he has managed to take it all in stride. Of course, not without difficult and great effort, but his composure has been soothing to the concerns of many as he continues to go about getting done, what needs to be done.
"We're not asking for sympathy or for pity," the PM said in an interview, "these kinds of high pressure situations are exactly what Australians have entrusted us as a government to handle. There have been a few politicians in this Parliament who have betrayed the trust of their constituents already so far, but I have no plans of being one of them. The people of Hotham, and Australia more widely, they know they can trust me and rely on me to do what I said I would do over the election."
In amongst all this chaos, BellmanTGM was grateful to receive a request from Dickson Baptist Church, who invited him to return to the church following a recent guest appearance he made to preach on a section of the book of Colossians. This Sunday, having accepted this request, he returned to contribute another instalment of the church's ongoing sermon series through the same section of the Bible.
"It's not the kind of thing I think many would expect me to do at this point in time, but I saw it as a chance to get back to my roots, talk with the people of this country, of the great city of Canberra I am once again honoured to call a home of mine. And the people at Dicko Baps are great supporters of mine, not all of them supporters of my policies necessarily, but certainly they have shown great love to me personally, and so it's a joy for me to get an invitation back here, and to feel that love and support from them during this crazy time."
A full transcript of his sermon has been included at the bottom of this article, and the accompanying slideshow can be accessed here.
​
by Manbell Tii'jiem Editor in Chief, BellFeed
_____________________________________________________
SERMON:
Thanks to ___________ for reading that passage for us, yes today we are continuing through the book of Colossians.
Before we start going through the passage today, I wanted to start this week’s message with a question:
What is something you or your family refused to replace for a long time, even though you really needed to?
Maybe something like a really old phone with a cracked screen or maybe a favourite shirt that had holes in it you never wanted to throw away… I don’t know, something like that. Take a few moments to think about it.
[blank SLIDE] Now, hopefully that was something fun for you to think about, I think we’ve all probably had something like this in the past, right? Particularly if you’re trying to save money or if it’s something you’re really nostalgic about. But- ok- what was point of this question, you might be wondering. Well, let’s take a look at these two cars… [SLIDE]
We’ve seen these two cars a few times now if you’ve been coming along to some of the other sermons in this series. I actually used them as an illustration in my previous message a few weeks ago, and I’m told they even popped up again during last week’s sermon. So, hopefully if you were at either or both of those Talks you remember what the illustration was about, but in case you don’t, what they represent is essentially the life of a person before and after they discover Jesus. Life before was like being the driver of an old wrecked and ruined car, and their new life is like being gifted a brand new, flawless luxury car- a comparison between their old life, and their new life as a follower of Jesus.
Now this idea was a smaller point in the previous talks, but in this section we’re looking at today, it’s pretty much the main idea. But what we’re getting now has a bit more detail to it than just what we see in this simplified image with the two cars, because what is actually being talked about is life and death [SLIDE] and it affects and addresses our entire way of living, not just our morning drive to uni. And funnily enough, life isn’t always as easy and obvious as choosing between a wrecked car and a Porsche. Because we as humans have a funny way of wanting to hold onto things from our past, even if we know it would be wiser to move on to something better. And so that’s what we’re exploring today. [blank SLIDE] What does it actually look like to move away from our old lives and live a new life for Jesus?
So, what’s talked about in this passage is important for anyone who might want to believe in Jesus, because it’s teaching us how we should be living our lives as Christians. And if you’re here as someone who is investigating Christianity and Jesus, then it’s a great passage that reveals why Christians live the way they do, what we’re trying to achieve by living this way and how it’s a really good thing.
But before we get into any details, the first thing we have to look at is what Paul makes sure to emphasise as the starting point in verses 1 to 4. And verse 1 starts with the word ‘therefore,’ – or you might have, ‘since, then,’ or something similar to that depending on your translation– but the point is that everything in this passage we’re looking at today comes only after understanding the passage that comes before this. So let’s do a quick recap of that, and if you were here for the service last week then hopefully this will be familiar for you: [SLIDE]
Christ PLUS anything equals… nothing
Christ alone is- sufficient, is- everything that we need.
[SLIDE] Exclusivity, legalism and smorgasbord spirituality is empty, illogical, merely human, insufficient and ends in living life like you don’t have a head! In other words, if you think that living life as a Christian requires anything more than believing in and following Jesus, then not only are you missing out, it’s just plain wrong, and has real negative consequences. [SLIDE]
And this is extremely important to understand before we look at this passage today in chapter 3: faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient- it is everything that is needed to reach salvation. And from this point, keeping that idea in mind, we can now move onto what Paul has for us next. For someone who has believed in Christ and received forgiveness for their sins, well, what happens next? That’s what we’re looking at today, and so let’s move now to the first point on your sermon outlines, dying into life with Jesus. [SLIDE]
So let me read again for us verses 1 to 4:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Now, what this passage is saying is that commitment to Jesus doesn't just lead to a better life, but it leads to a whole new way of living. It’s not just a miracle cure that immediately improves your life without any effort, but it does offer us a brand new, better mindset- we set our minds on things above, and not on earthly things- but even more than just a new way of thinking, it leads us to a whole new life which we see in verses 3 and 4. But how does that work? What does that actually mean?
Well, this piece of the passage offers us a comparison between the death and resurrection of Christ and then uses that image to communicate what it is like to be a follower of Jesus. “Since you have been raised with Christ”- well, in order to be raised like Christ was, we must also die like Christ did. And verse 3 says this a bit more directly: for you died. Ok, kind of extreme! But, obviously, becoming a Christian doesn’t mean you literally die, or else I think this room would be much emptier.
But what this image does is communicate the permanence of the changed life, the finality with which we are supposed to view the decision to commit to living with Christ. We have died to our old way of life, and it doesn’t get much more final than that.
To go back to our car analogy, you’re not supposed to accept the new car and then keep the old one at home in the garage to take out for a spin whenever it takes your fancy- no, you’ve abandoned it, [SLIDE] launched it off a cliff, so to speak… When you have a new car you don’t go back to driving your old broken car, it just wouldn’t make sense.
But to use the terminology of the passage rather than talk about cars all the time [SLIDE], verse 2 sets it up as setting our minds on the things above, and not on earthly things. Things of God versus things of this world. Putting to death the things of the world and instead living out our lives in the way that Jesus did. But what does Paul mean by this? What are the things of the world and what does it mean for Christ to be our lives in a practical sense? It might all sound pretty good in theory, but it’s just fancy words at this point- what does either side of this dichotomy actually look like?
First of all, in verses 5-11 we learn about what is earthly, let’s look at how verse five opens this next point for us: [SLIDE]
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Put to death what is earthly! Let me keep reading- from verse 6 as Paul explains more about why we should do this:
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Let’s look a bit more at verses five and six- [SLIDE] verse six declares that because of these five sins from verse five, the wrath of God is coming. Just five things, can that really be right? Surely there are more than just five things? There are even some notable omissions from this list, like murder for example. So how can Paul say so definitively that these five things, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed are what is bringing the wrath of God?
Well let’s think about what connects these five things together- they are all focused on worldly things and therefore they are idolatry and disloyalty to God. Sexual immorality, the breaching of God’s perfect design of sexually exclusive marriage which was to represent the spiritually exclusive relationship between God and his people. Impurity, the more general expression of immorality and disobedience of God. Lust, chasing after bodily passions– desires of the flesh that are not a part of the desires of God. Evil desires, searching after things that are apart from God. Greed, wanting something that’s not yours, something that you haven’t earned, and chasing after worldly possessions because you value them more than you value God.
And so all of these are expressing what it is Paul is talking about, they are all things that the world is concerned about, they are earthly- they’re not the things above. They’re worldly things that won’t matter when this life is done and dusted and when we stand before God at judgment, and so because of that- the wrath of God is coming. [SLIDE]
And Paul says that these are things that the Colossians once lived in, before they believed in Christ. These are the ways of their old lives, their old earthly lives. And because they have now committed themselves to following Jesus, they have put them to death.
But that’s not all Paul says. He has another list of instructions for them starting from verse 8 [SLIDE]: rid yourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lies.
Now this list is a little different to the other one in verse 5- in verse 5 are all things to do with your own personal desires, things that begin within our own minds. But now from verse 8 we’re looking at things to do with how we relate to other people. The Christian faith is not lived in isolation- we’ll see that more a bit later on in the passage. But what I mean here is, Christians aren’t supposed to just lock themselves away like hermits on top of a mountain somewhere away from society. That might be an effective way to avoid some of those sins, but that’s not thinking about the things above. We as believers are dying to the things of the world so that we can live as Christ did, as someone who loved others with gentleness and sincerity. And so Paul is saying that we shouldn’t be getting angry with each other or deceiving each other- especially not to fellow believers, but also not to anyone else.
And that there is to be nothing that distinguishes believers from one another, there is no hierarchy, which is what he’s saying in verse 11- remember what we have been hearing about what’s been going on for the Colossians in the previous chapters. They’re being told over and over again how certain practices DON’T make us better off spiritually: Jewish law, angel worship, or whatever else it might be that they could compare themselves to- none of that is helpful at all. No, Paul says that even that stuff is a part of your old self, it’s part of the Christ PLUS mentality he talked about in chapter 2. Thinking that you're better than others because you do certain things is also a worldly way of thinking, it’s not the new way of thinking Jesus has for us.
So, now, in verse 11, we see that in life in the image of our Creator “there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free– but Christ is all, and is in all.” And so if we have all put on the life of Christ then we all must treat each other accordingly. No matter your background, your race, whatever it is that may be used to distinguish you from one another, in becoming a follower of Christ, in your new life you take on His image. And so we are all equal under Him.
And that’s where Paul now leads into his next lists which show us exactly what this new life is all about, what it looks like practically to live as a community of believers whose focus is wholly on the things above.
And so let’s look now at point 3 on your outlines, as we look at the new life in Jesus. [SLIDE]
Let me read from verse 12:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
So to live life as a Christian, we need to clothe ourselves in a new outfit. [SLIDE] So far we’ve been using the idea of new and old cars to help us understand this idea but in verse 12 Paul introduces the idea of the new life in Christ as being like putting on new clothes.
Now, when I was a student in NCS a few years ago a friend of mine was doing a ministry apprentice at the time with NCS, just like I’m doing now. And I remember coming along to an NCS Bible Talk one week while he was giving the Bible Talk and I don’t remember for sure what the passage he was giving the Talk on was, but it was one like this one, could even have been this same passage. But it was on a topic that was very similar to this one about putting off our old lives and clothing ourselves in the new life. And he explained that becoming a follower of Christ and still hanging on to your old life would be just like if you had just had a shower after a long hard day’s of work, taken off your sweaty clothes and cleaned yourself up and then right afterwards you put the same dirty clothes you wore all day back on. And to illustrate his point it was then that he revealed that- he had actually literally done this the past few days- so he could be a living example of why that was a bad idea. He had worn the same, dirty clothes for multiple days in a row. Of course, we all thought that was totally gross, but I have to say that it was a very memorable illustration that even years later I still remember.
And so for my talk this week, I too have decided to wear the same clothes… No I’m just kidding! I’m wearing fresh clothes, I promise, my wife would never let me do something like that.
The point is! [SLIDE] Because you’ve put off the old life, you’ve gotten rid of the old clothes, and so instead we put on new clothes that represent Jesus. So what are these clothes? Well that’s our next list- let’s look at the verse again: [SLIDE] “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” And in verse 13 we have forgiveness and finally in verse 14 is love.
Notice that all of these things have to do with relationships. What we see here are instructions about building a loving community that represents the love that Jesus showed us. Just like Jesus was compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving and loving- so should we be to those around us. Because that is what living in the image of Christ is like, what it means to be living for the things above.
And doesn’t it sound like a great community to be a part of? This is why community is one of the core values and aims we have here at Dickson Baptist church. This is the kind of community we are trying to be and this is the type of environment we are trying to create. A community that embodies all of these virtues, and especially, from verse 14, a community built on love. [SLIDE] Paul uses the clothing analogy here again– love is the most important piece of the outfit, the overcoat that goes on top of everything else. It’s the first thing that people should be able to see when they look at Christians and Christian gatherings– their love for each other and for those around them.
Can you think of a time you’ve been welcomed into a place or a group? How did they make you feel loved? Take a few seconds again to think about it.
[blank SLIDE] Ok, well, hopefully you were all able to think of a time like that. I imagine that probably a lot of the things you were sharing could fit into this list that Paul gives us- compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness- making sure that you’re looked after above their own needs. That’s the kind of community and lifestyle that Christians are trying to base their lives on.
But of course Christians are not always like this. We don’t always succeed at living our lives perfectly in this way. And Paul knows that– it’s why forgiveness and bearing with one another gets a special mention in this passage, because he knows we are going to need to, at least every now and then, because we are still human. Which is why it’s so good that we have Jesus to rely on. But even despite this, we should be doing all we can, relying on God’s Spirit, knowing that we are still fallible humans, to help us live up to Jesus’ example of a life lived perfectly in love.
But be encouraged that, even when we fail, at the end of the day it is not our deeds that count for our salvation, remember Christianity is not Christ PLUS good works- it is Christ alone. And that’s why the final item on Paul’s instruction list is to be thankful, our final point for tonight. [SLIDE] Let’s read from verse 15:
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We were called to peace, peace with each other but also peace with God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And for that, Christians are to be forever thankful. And remembering this is, ultimately, the key to actually achieving everything else Paul has talked about so far in this chapter. He concludes by saying just as much, “whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
If we remember what Jesus did for us and what he did for others in His ministry on Earth, then we will know how to live for each other now. And that’s why we have Christian communities like churches and groups like NCS, because here we can gather together to be taught, to admonish and encourage each other, with songs and by studying the Bible. So that we can remind each other of our new identity in Christ, and of what it is He did for us on the cross. And to encourage each other to do everything that we do as though we were doing it for Christ, in thankfulness as a response to everything He did for us. And that, ultimately, is the only instruction we have. To believe, and to remember, so that we can live it out. [blank SLIDE]
So to wrap up now, let’s go back over our points- becoming a Christian offers us a new and better life. Jesus calls us into a new life that doesn’t focus on the temporary things of this world. We need to let go of our old life and instead, we look to lead a better life, focused on the things above, and seek to create a community built on Godly virtues and, most of all, love. And so we remember that it’s only because of Jesus’ sacrifice and example that we can fulfill this, and so we live it out in thankfulness to Him. And that’s the real way that we can let go of our old life, truly putting it to death so that we can live our new life in Him.
If you’re someone who’s here today and is still not sure where you stand with who Jesus is, then focus on getting to know Him first. What we’ve talked about here today is a journey that starts with knowing Him. And my prayer is that, after today’s talk, you will be able to see the goodness of a life lived for Jesus. And if you ever have any questions or something you’d like to know more about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to anyone here at church I’m sure they’d love to help you get to know Jesus more.
And so my encouragement to those who do believe in Him, then, is much the same as Paul’s was to the Colossians- be thankful to Christ, and let that be what motivates you to live your life out for Him, so that everyone around you might be able to look at you and see the goodness of the new life that He offers us.

Shincheonji:
SCJ does not believe that Jesus is God, but instead only a created being, born of the seed Holy Spirit. They believe that Christ is a perfect man, and the perfect sacrifice that atones mankind’s sin.
They believe that he is the “Son of God” who speaks on behalf of the Father as his Spirit works through him after his baptism by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:16, John 1:29-34.
While Shincheonji will willingly lie to a Christian about this belief, it is important to keep note that they only make Jesus out to be a “Promised Pastor”, or essentially a prophet and Messiah of the Old Testament, but not God who took on Human form to die for our sins.
They share many of the same arguments as one would see with both the Muslims and the Jehovah’s Witnesses when it comes to dealing with the Deity of Christ. In essence, Shincheonji is a rebranded version of Arianism, an early church heresy that made Christ an “elevated created being”; however, it is dangerous to try to fit Shincheonji into a “mold”. Every Arian group out there, whether Unitarian, Jehovah’s Witness, or Muslim, may make similar arguments against the Deity of Christ, each group would have their own unique “taste”. When confronting Shincheonji, it is important to keep this in mind.
Arguments for the Divinity and Deity of Christ.

1. Acceptance of worship:

What is worship?

• Worship is the act of giving honor, praise, and adoration to God.

What is idolatry?

• Idolatry is the worship of anything other than the one true God

The Bible makes it clear that God alone can accept worship, otherwise it is idolatry.

• Deuteronomy 5:7-9: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."
• Exodus 20:3-5: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God."

Yet despite this, Jesus accepts worship on multiple occasions throughout the New Testament:

• Matthew 2:11
• Matthew 14:33
• John 9:35-38
• Hebrews 1:6
• Revelation 5:13-14

These are just some of the verses that clearly show Jesus accepting praise and worship, something that is exclusive only to God.
Shincheonji argument as to why Jesus can accept worship:
Shincheonji believes that since Jesus is the perfect embodiment of God, but is not God himself, then therefore it is okay to worship Jesus. Shincheonji would proceed to cite John 5:23, saying that if you were to honor the Son (Jesus) then you would honor the Father (God), or Hebrews 1:3 where it states that Jesus is the radiance of God, but then they would argue that just because he is the radiance of God, it does not mean that he is God. SCJ would also cite 1 Corinthians 1:15, stating that Jesus is the image of God similar to how we are also the image of God citing Genesis 1:27 as reference.
Since Jesus is born of God’s seed through the Holy Spirit, he is an elevated being worthy of worship.
Biblical issues with the above claim:
If we were to assume that Jesus isn’t God, and yet accepts worship, even if Jesus is the “image of God” in a sense of a created being, but not God himself in terms of divine being, then by definition that is idolatry.
Throughout the Bible, we can clearly see that God does not share his glory, worship, and radiance:

• Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.
• Isaiah 48:11: "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."
• Psalm 115:1: "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"

We can also see that in every instance in the New Testament, whenever a created being is given worship, they immediately turn it away.
A few examples include:

• Acts 10:25-26: As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
• Revelation 22:8-9: I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"
  • Notice how even the Angel understood that only God can receive worship, not created beings.
• Revelation 19:10: "Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, 'You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.'"
  • Notice how even the Angel understood that only God can receive worship, not created beings.

When we look at Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
We can see that Jesus is the exact representation and being of God’s glory; something that God does not share (Isaiah 48:11).
In fact, if we read just a few verses further, we can see that Jesus is also referred to as God by the Father:

• Hebrews 1:8: But about the Son He(the Father) says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

And there are even more verses where Jesus is directly referenced as God (please refer to point number 2).
As for Colossians 1:15, there are two parts of the verse:

1. Jesus is the perfect image of God
2. Jesus is the first born of all creation

If we read the entire context of Colossians 1:15-17, we can see that even more titles are thrown upon Jesus that point to his Deity instead.

• Colossians 1:15-17: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

We can see that Jesus created all things, including the Spiritual Realm and the Physical realm, and that He is before all things. A Shincheonji member would attempt to re-interpret that verse that instead Jesus only created the “Spiritual Israel” and Christianity; however, letting the text speak for itself, we can see that the statement is not true in the context of Colossians 1:15-17.
If we do not let the text speak for itself, but instead need another new “Hidden Secret”, then not only is that a direct contradiction of Revelation 22:18-19, it also further proves the point that Shincheonji has a different doctrine and a different Jesus from Orthodox Christianity, something that Paul warned us about in Galatians 1:8.
Since we know that God is the creator of all things (Isaiah 44:24), we can see that Paul was clearly inferring the Deity of Christ.
As for the title “First born of all creation”, David as "Firstborn": In Psalm 89:27, King David is referred to as God's "firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth." This does not mean that David was literally the first person born or the first king in history. Rather, it signifies his exalted position and chosen status as the anointed king of Israel.
By the definition of Idolatry, any created being that accepts worship on behalf of God is blasphemy, and directly contradicts God’s very nature and scripture.
Although Shincheonji may not make this argument now, I will also address the other common argument I have seen other groups use:
There are others who accept worship throughout the BIble, especially the Old Testament
Often, critics would point to 1 Chron. 29:20:
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
Biblical Issues with the above argument:
It is important to note that the worship and homage given to David in this passage was not the same as the worship given to God. The people acknowledged God's blessings on David and his dynasty, and expressed gratitude to David for his leadership and generosity. However, there is no indication that they considered David to be divine or deserving of the same level of worship as God.
Furthermore, throughout the Bible, there is a clear distinction made between the worship due to God and the respect and honor given to human leaders. While figures like David and other prophets were respected and honored for their role in God's plan of salvation, they were never seen as divine or deserving of the same level of worship as God. The worship given to Jesus in the New Testament was of a different nature, as it involved expressions of divine adoration and submission that were reserved for God alone.
To be more specific:
John 20:28: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.”
This is one of the clearest examples of not only Jesus accepting worship (as in the same chapter he does not rebuke Thomas, but instead praises him for understanding the reality), but the same title was never directly applied to David.