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So, what should congregations do in response to COVID-19? One such response is given below: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/march-web-only/seattle-churches-stop-meeting-to-slow-covid-19-coronavirus.html?utm_source=ctweekly-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=16245031&utm_content=701922595&utm_campaign=email

The exprnses are those related to earning the income not living expenses which often exced income. Nrverless tithe is beteeen the lndividusl and God. No one needs to be involved.

My question to Gustave: Is the Breitbart report as to what the Pope said accurate? On a personal basis, when I cite a statement of this type, I like to, if possible, cite a Catholic source. I do not think that Breitbart is a Catholic source.

Actually the phrase is not "Evenings and mornings" but "Evenings-mornings". The term for the daily sacrifice is "morning and evening". I've read in more than one commentary that the author of Daniel suffered from dyslexia and meant to write "Morning and evening" but that by mistake switched them around and forgot to include the word "and" in between them. That is what is necessary for us to correct what he actually wrote so that it can be not what he wrote but what he meant to write for it to apply to the morning and evening sacrifice. The term "Evenings-mornings" is similar to the evening and morning of the creation week, indicating a connection to the daily cycle, but also in a focus on the cycles. The ancient near east had many cycles. A day in Egypt was either the 24 hour cycle of the sun or the annual flooding of the Nile (Yes, one of those day-year situations that Desmond Ford said does not exist.) Two fantastic books to study the cycles are "Before Philosophy" 1946 University of Chicago Press by Henri Frankfort and others. (Why our church does not reprint this book amazes me. So many of our arguments would end if our people would read this book.) Another is "The Myth of the Eternal Return" by Mircea Eliade. We find the Hebrew cycles in Leviticus 23 and here and there in Deuteronomy. Leviticus 23 tells us what a Hebrew week is: It is 6 days and the Sabbath, Six months and either the Day of Atonement or Passover, Six years and the Sabbatical year, and six Sabbatical years and the Jubilee. From this we see that the daily cycles are literal days, literal months, literal years, or literal Sabbatical years. Since Deuteronomy downplays the Jubilee and Daniel was a Deuteronomist we can not focus on the Sabbatical years. Thus to Daniel 2300 evenings-mornings can mean 2300 days, 2300 months or 2300 years. Daniel knew that which one it would be was based on the spreading of the gospel to fit the condition. If the Hebrews could be faithful over the next few years, the prophecy of Deuteronomy 4 would have been fulfilled and the exile end with a second great exodus lead by the Messiah. When this did not happen Daniel 9 connects it to the 70 weeks of years. Ezekiel applies it to the last 2300 days of the 70 weeks of years and tells what could have happened had Jesus been accepted. With his rejection we move on to the possibility of 2300 months or 2300 years. The 2300 year application brings us to 1844, which was the end of a Sabbatical year and the start of a Jubilee, and the first Sabbatical year and Jubilee since Edward Robinson did the first serious study of the Holy Land that brought us to the dawning of the age of exegesis, the rediscovery of the ancient world, an age where we could start to investigate the pages of scripture like never before. If we were to do the math we can probably find a time when something could have happened at the 2300 month mark, but it was the 2300 year application that was the last time this prophecy could cycle around and where things did happen. In Ezekiel (who was a priest and would take the Sabbatical years as an option) we find a prophecy for 2310 days, and they are the last 2310 days of the end of the great controversy for the burring the wicked after they are destroyed. If we remove the 10 days between the New Year and Day of Atonement, we have another 2300 day prophecy. Ezekiel places it in what would have happened had Jesus been accepted and they would have been the last 2300 days of the 70 week prophecy. Ezekiel's prophecy is a sister prophecy and fits with 2300 days, not 2300 morning and evening sacrifices. There is nothing to support the 1150 days or 2300 morning and evening sacrifices. Those who want to apply the book of Daniel to Antiochus still does not have the prophecy fit but it is closer to 1150 days than 2300 days. But they need a dyslexic Daniel who meant to write "morning and evening" but by mistake wrote "evenings - mornings" But "evenings-mornings fits the emphases that Daniel is thinking about the cycles, it fits with in the exegetical context of Deuteronomy 4 where the world could have ended with the exile, and the third year of Belshazzar covered the year that was exactly 1150 days from business as usual and exactly 2300 days from the year that has Medio-Persia laying seize to Babylon, Belshazzar's feast and the early days of the Medio-Persia rule, and it fits with the 2310 day sister prophecy in Ezekiel.

indeed this may be, but still this article presented by fulcrum7 is not useful where ever it may be published and read. Unfortunately it does represent the view point of some sad's. Yes, i said SAD's

The Word "bread" is mentioned 267 times in the NIV version of the Bible, and contained in a total of 246 verses. By way of perspective, the word "love" is mentioned in 526 different verses, and occurs 547 times. So bread must be very important; in order to rate this high in relation to the importance placed in scripture upon "love." The word "bread is found from Genesis, all the way up to the book of Hebrews. Whereas "love" is found all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Today, I decided it was time to come up with a civilized, personal response to C19 and so the decision was made to bake some Beet Bread. Yes; it is Red Bread...sort of red...Unlike the text of Leviticus, above; I only made two loaves. The recipe called for enough ingredients to make 4 loaves, but one of the ingredients was for Soy Flour, which I didn't have, so I thought: "hmmm. I should try a little rye flour," so that made the loaves much more solid or dense; hence resulting in two loaves. But they turned out absolutely PERFECT! I was quite proud of myself because its been years since I made anything like this. Already, I am planning the next thing to bake. I think "Yeast Biscuits" will be on tomorrow's roster. I am reminded of the following quotes: Given the importance of well-made bread in the Bible, perhaps we could also turn our thoughts to what Jesus called: "the bread of life..."

This one is better. It shows wide-open "proselytizing" (not parady)

Overall Question: What is unique about the Bible? Memory Text: Psalm 119:105 New International Reader’s Version Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me. Sunday – The Living Word of God Deuteronomy 32:45-47 Good News Translation 45 When Moses had finished giving God's teachings to the people, 46 he said, “Be sure to obey all these commands that I have given you today. Repeat them to your children, so that they may faithfully obey all of God's teachings. 47 These teachings are not empty words; they are your very life. Obey them and you will live long in that land across the Jordan that you are about to occupy.” John 1:1-5 God’s WORD Translation In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was already with God in the beginning. 3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.4 He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it. John 1:14 Contemporary English Version The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us. John 14:6 Modern English Version Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Deuteronomy 32:47 Easy-to-Read Version Don’t think these teachings are not important. They are your life! Through these teachings you will live a long time in the land across the Jordan River that you are ready to take. Monday – Who Wrote the Bible, and Where? Exodus 2:10 Christian Standard Bible When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” Amos 7:14 Common English Bible Amos answered Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son; but I am a shepherd, and a trimmer of sycamore trees. Jeremiah 1:1-6 English Standard Version The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. 4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Daniel 6:1-5 American Standard Version It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; 2 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no damage. 3 Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. 4 Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. Matthew 9:9 New King James Version As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Philippines 3:3-6 New Revised Standard Version 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— 4 even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Revelation 1:9 Revised Standard Version I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Tuesday – The Bible as Prophecy Genesis 49:8-12 New Living Translation “Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you. 9 Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. 11 He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. Psalm 22:12-18 The Living Bible 12 I am surrounded by fearsome enemies, strong as the giant bulls from Bashan. 13 They come at me with open jaws, like roaring lions attacking their prey. 14 My strength has drained away like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart melts like wax; 15 my strength has dried up like sun-baked clay; my tongue sticks to my mouth, for you have laid me in the dust of death. 16 The enemy, this gang of evil men, circles me like a pack of dogs; they have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count every bone in my body. See these men of evil gloat and stare; 18 they divide my clothes among themselves by a toss of the dice. Isaiah 53:3-7 New Century Version He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him. 4 But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him. 5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds. 6 We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. But the Lord has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done. 7 He was beaten down and punished, but he didn’t say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth. Daniel 9:24-27 Holman Christian Standard Bible Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city—to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat, but in difficult times. 26 After those 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.” Micah 5:2 The Voice But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, of the clans of Judah, are no poor relation— From your people will come a Ruler who will be the shepherd of My people, Israel, Whose origins date back to the distant past, to the ancient days. Malachi 3:1 New English Translation “I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Zechariah 9:9 Lexham English Bible Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king comes to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a male donkey, the foal of a female donkey! Wednesday – The Bible as History 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Common English Bible 3 I passed on to you as most important what I also received: Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, 4 he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. 5 He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve 1 Corinthians15:51-55 Holman Christian Standard Bible 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Romans 8:11 Easy-to-Read Version God raised Jesus from death. And if God’s Spirit lives in you, he will also give life to your bodies that die. Yes, God is the one who raised Christ from death, and he will raise you to life through his Spirit living in you. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 Christian Standard Bible For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Thursday – The Transforming Power of the Word 2 Kings 22:3-20 New Living Translation 3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, 4 “Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. 5 Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple. 6 They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. 7 But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.” 8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 Shaphan went to the king and reported, “Your officials have turned over the money collected at the Temple of the Lord to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” 10 Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king. 11 When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 12 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: 13 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.” 14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. 15 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the king of Judah has read will come true. 17 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will burn against this place, and it will not be quenched.’ 18 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 19 You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 20 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city.’” So they took her message back to the king. John 16:13 New Century Version But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. John 17:17 New American Standard Bible Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. Hebrews 4:12 Good News Translation The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. Romans 12:2 English Standard Version Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

My bread specialties are Challah bread and a bread made from the flour of grape seeds. I even make bagels sometimes. Beets seem to be the rage lately in health food circles. I sometimes juice beets. However, you should not drink too much beet juice as it can injure the kidneys. The last time I juiced beets, I took the pulp and made burger patties out of them. Yep, red patties! It is amazing how some vegetable juices can be harmful when their properties are concentrated like in juice. Kidney injuries, you can turn orange with too much carrot juice. But you can eat these vegetable until stuffed and won't get too much of them.

The Bible says, or does it? https://atoday.org/the-bible-tells-me-so-part-1/

How can that be a grave sin? When Jesus himself said to take the message to all the world!!

Church policy is too often the length of a dollar bill. Its been like this for too long, and its not related to "covid-19."

B/W PHOTODUDE thank you for posting this article ==== yes I am sure that the tithes and offerings will be down=== but if we keep them until the church opens up again I am sure our churches will be fine dgrimm60

BLESSEDMAN YES Spring is here ===== I live in TENNESSEE and my calendars that I have said sprig was on MAR 19 2020 on that day here the temp was 71 F and sunny and blue sky==t=== then the next few days were colder === cloudy and some days rainy ===== but in the next 3 or 4 months the weather will be warm==hot == dry dgrimm60

Definitely appropriate! I notice that people leave all the best vegetables like Kale, beets etc on the shelves, in favour of all the junk foods, which shelves are all bare! God knows what he is talking about here!

none of these diseases Exo 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. 💝 One of my favorites ! And how apropos at this point in time.

I will redeem you 💕 Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Memory Text: Daniel 12:3 New International Version Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Sunday – Michael, Our Prince Daniel 12:1 New Living Translation At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Daniel 12:1 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Time of trouble. When Christ’s mediation ceases and God’s Spirit is withdrawn from men, then all the pent-up powers of darkness descend with indescribable fury upon the world. There will be a scene of strife such as no pen can picture (see GC 613, 614). Romans 8:34 God’s WORD Translation Who will condemn them? Christ has died, and more importantly, he was brought back to life. Christ is in the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. Christ also intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:25 Christian Standard Bible Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them. Monday – Written in the Book Daniel 12:1 New Century Version At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will stand up. There will be a time of much trouble, the worst time since nations have been on earth, but your people will be saved. Everyone whose name is written in God’s book will be saved. Tuesday – The Resurrection Daniel 12:2-3 Holman Christian Standard Bible Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:2 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY A special resurrection precedes Christ’s second advent. “All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message” will arise at that time. In addition, those who beheld with mockery Christ’s crucifixion, and those who have most violently opposed the people of God, will be brought forth from their graves to see the fulfillment of the divine promise and the triumph of truth. Romans 8:18 Easy-to-Read Version We have sufferings now, but these are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us. Hebrews 2:14-15 Contemporary English Version 14 We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. Wednesday – The Sealed Book Daniel 12:4 Complete Jewish Bible “But you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there as knowledge increases.” John 14:29 English Standard Version And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. Thursday – The Waiting Time Daniel 12:5-13 New English Translation 5 I, Daniel, watched as two others stood there, one on each side of the river. 6 One said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, “When will the end of these wondrous events occur?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as he raised both his right and left hands to the sky and made an oath by the one who lives forever: “It is for a time, times, and half a time. Then, when the power of the one who shatters the holy people has been exhausted, all these things will be finished.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, “Sir, what will happen after these things?” 9 He said, “Go, Daniel. For these matters are closed and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand. 11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that causes desolation is set in place, there are 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits and attains to the 1,335 days. 13 But you should go your way until the end. You will rest and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive what you have been allotted.” Daniel 12:11 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Those who hold to the view that the “daily” represents “paganism” subtract 1290 from 1798 and arrive at the date 508. They see in the events surrounding this date, such as the conversion of Clovis, the king of the Franks, to the Catholic faith, and in the victory over the Goths, an important stage in the establishment of the supremacy of the Catholic Church in the West. Daniel 12:12 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Waiteth. This implies that the following prophetic period may be expected to continue beyond the end of the 1290 days. If the 1290 and the 1335 days begin at the same time, the latter period reaches to the year 1843, a significant date in relationship to the great advent awakening in America, generally known as the Millerite movement. Friday – Further Thought John 14:29 New International Reader’s Version I have told you now before it happens. Then when it does happen, you will believe.

This reminds me of a tale from Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories called "Minimizing Milton."

bow shall be seen 🌈 Gen 9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

5 Things You Didn't Know About Saint Patrick's Day_2 On March 17, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world. The holiday, which falls on the anniversary of St. Patrick's death, is accompanied by parades, drinking beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about the world’s favorite Irish holiday... Blue Was the Color Originally Associated With St. Patrick The color blue was chosen to represent the Order of St. Patrick, which was an order of knighthood. Green was already in use, representing the Order of the Thistle. During the Irish Rebellion in 1798, people started wearing a clover on their lapels, and the green color eventually became associated with St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick Wasn’t Irish and His Original Name Wasn't Patrick St. Patrick, who was born in the late 4th century, had parents that were Roman and lived in either Wales or Scotland. But he was kidnapped as a teen by Irish raiders and was taken to Ireland. Eventually, he escaped back to Britain after having converted to Christianity, but he later returned to Ireland to preach and convert the Irish pagans. His real name, before it was changed when he became a priest, was Maewyn Succat. The Pubs in Ireland Used to Be Closed on St. Patrick’s Day St. Patrick’s Day is famous for the wearing of the green and drinking beer or stout, depending on where celebrants live. However, St. Patrick’s Day was strictly religious in Ireland during a large part of the 20th century, and pubs there were actually closed on March 17. It became a national holiday in Ireland in 1970, and the pubs opened to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by hoisting a glass in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. . Saint Patrick is Not an Official Saint St. Patrick’s Day falls on the anniversary of Patrick’s death on March 17 in the fifth century. His followers in Ireland began to celebrate his feast day on that day during the ninth and tenth centuries, even though he was never formally canonized by a pope. New York City’s parade is The Oldest in America St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated with a parade since long before the American Revolution. The first known instance happened in Boston in 1762 when Irish soldiers, who were in the English military, marched in a parade in New York City. Now, about 250,000 people participate in the annual parade, but floats, cars and other additions are still not permitted.

promise I will put enmity Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Thank You BlessedMan: Amid all of the world crisis with the coronavirus, it will be love like what you provided that will make us steadfast and strong. I truly will cherish these words of endearment. May YAHWEH richly bless and keep you always! 1

Not necessarily, and for a couple reasons. First this more liberal view of Pope Frances could cause a conservative backlash. Second, Adventist tradition has us moving from the 6th head to back to the 5th head, the Holy Roman Empire with Papal supremacy, instead of moving a head to the 7th head. The Pope still plays a role in the 7th head but more of a secondary role as the moral voice of the head. The 7th head is the world united under economic cooperation. I'm afraid that many Seventh-day Adventists are going to be so busy looking for the return to the 5th head that we will miss the 7th head. Third, Revelation 13 says that it is the lamb like beast forcing the world to get-in-line, not the 5th head of the beast. The lamb like beast is technically in it's most basic form us as individuals. We can broaden this to applying to a nation that is based on individualism, Americanism, and starts out like Christ, and on Protestantism, and how these will tell us that it will be to our advantage to go along with the system. The dragon represents Satan and demons working directly, and their message is that God has no right to place a law over us, that the only truth is what is truth for you. Existentialism (where your existential experience is the FINAL source of truth, but even then our existential experience, as well as our will power ends up getting lost as we become slaves to our feelings. ) The beast is in a lot of ways the opposite to the dragon. The beast is any organization that replaces God in our life, who ends up telling us what we are to believe and do and is not that interested in our existential situation. Liberals are more attracted to the dragon, conservatives are more attracted to the beast. The lamb-like beast that ends up speaking like a dragon tells the liberals that it is to their advantage to go along with the beast even though they disagree with it. Once there was a conference with faith leaders from many different faith traditions, both Christian and non-Christian. At the end of the conference a pastor stood up and said "I use to be very aggressive in evangelism, but now I see that you have a living relationship with God and I am no longer going to try to make Christians out of you." When he said that a wise rabbi stood up. He said to the pastor, "Don't say that! Jesus told you to spread the gospel and you will not be faithful if you did not share the gospel with the rest of us. The message of this conference is not to get you to stop spreading the gospel, but only a message to be careful how you do it. " I am not sure if Pope Francis is telling us not to share the gospel (which would fit our idea of last day events of trying to get everyone to come together in relationship to the 7th head) or if he is (rightfully) warning that we have often tried to spread the gospel in very unkind ways, a lot of using external control psychology to push what we believe, instead of sharing in love what we believe, listening to others with listening love and respect and let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest. The dragon is Satan and the demon's working directly and promotes spiritualism, the idea of live as you please for heaven is your home, there is no truth except for what is true for you

promise: New every morning ⛅ Lam 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (mercies)

HEY ALL Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20 that is pretty clear as what the bible says we should do a followers of JESUS CHRSIT dgrimm60

I can think of ways that most denominations are "closed" in this kind of sense, to include ours.

Thank you for the reply Gustave; I guess I am having trouble finding in the article where they say that? Any chance you can share the specific statement? I understand that some people would say that; but I am not sure where it is in the said article under discussion?

slowing down the rate of virus patients is good. If a bulge of the population needing medical care gets greater than the hospital facilities to treat them.... like in Italy now. they will have to be deciding who lives and who dies. Here in my community all schools are closed from elementary to university as of tuesday this next week. They will be arranging remote education. and they are looking at closing the washington oregon border.

Can you be specific, and tell us what in that Breitbart article was NOT correct? Whats very clear here, aside from that is that what Francis calls "the new evangelism" is not in fact "new" at all.

Promises start tonight and tomorrow depending on what country you live in around the world. Memorize them and use them against temptation as ‘it is written.’ With the promises it doesn’t always lend to a 3-word phrase. It may be only 2 words or as much as 4 words to complete the right thought. God bless

This weeks Sabbath School lesson was very interesting because of the content from Daniel's time, but also the striking parallels to current events. Daniel only saw the problems with the temple being rebuilt and the problems that were being encountered in the rebuilding. The angel tells him he has been struggling with the King of Persia for twenty one days or so. This I found to be a new understanding of the text because I had always thought of the King of Persia to be Satan as in the King of this world and thereby being King of Persia. But as the lesson brought out, it really was Satan that the angel was in controversy with until the the First Prince came to help. But they were struggling for control of Cyrus's mind and will. So, in like manner, the great struggle was like unto the Battle of Armegeddon where Jesus is warring with the dark side for the hearts and minds of the people. (Har Meggido, or Mount Carmel was the mountain on which Elijah challenged the people to choose this day whom they would serve) What the lesson brought out to me is even when we can not see the spiritual war going on, there is tremendous activity unseen to humans. Whenever, a huge disturbance occurs, we can be sure that unseen to human eyes there is a tremendous warfare going on that we can not see. If we only had Elisha to pray that our eyes could be open to see! This is where this Sabbath School lesson parallels intense activity in the world that we cannot see today. Yeah, the corona virus has everything messed up in the world and it came on so fast and took over the world. Was it as fast as a thief in the night? We can have our humor in our Facebooks memes about the panic buying of toilet paper while the economy is crashing about us. I highly suspect that in the spiritual realm an extreme amount of activity is going on. I do not believe this is one of the last plagues, but the reactions of the populace is a foreshadowing of things to come. I do not believe it is too far gone for the sleeping virgins to awake and get oil for their lamps, but it is way past time to be casual about God. The panic is also very strange in that another disease is running amok and has killed over 22,000 people this year and is now virtually ignored. 41 states are still red for high influenza activity by the CDC standards. Large numbers of people still refuse to get their flu shots when 99 percent of the cases this years are covered by the flu shot this year. Probably most of those people died needlessly. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

Memory Text: Daniel 11:35 New International Version Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. Sunday – Prophecies About Persia and Greece Daniel 11:1-4 Christian Standard Bible In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.) 2 Now I will tell you the truth. “Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants. 4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them. Daniel 11:2-4 Easy-to-Read Version 2 “Now then, Daniel, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will rule in Persia. Then a fourth king will come who will be much richer than all the other kings of Persia before him. He will use his riches to get power and turn everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a very strong and powerful king will come who will rule with much power. He will do anything he wants. 4 Just as he comes to power, his kingdom will be broken up and scattered in all directions. It will not be divided among his descendants. And it will not be ruled in the same way because that kingdom will be pulled up and given to other people. Daniel 11:2 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Inasmuch as this vision was given to Daniel in the third year of Cyrus (ch. 10:1), the reference is doubtless to the three kings who followed Cyrus on the throne of Persia. … Xerxes is “the fourth.” Xerxes is to be identified with the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther… It has usually been taken, as in the KJV, to mean that Xerxes would stir up the nations of the world against Greece. That this occurred is a well-known fact of history. Daniel 11:3 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY “a valiant [warrior] king.” This clearly refers to Alexander the Great (336–323 B.C.)… in less than 25 years after Alexander’s death, a coalition of four generals had defeated Antigonus, the last aspirant to the control of the whole empire, and Alexander’s territory was divided into four kingdoms (later reduced to three). Daniel 11:4 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Alexander had scarcely reached the pinnacle of his power when he was cut down. In 323 B.C. this king who ruled from the Adriatic to the Indus suddenly fell ill, and 11 days later was dead. Daniel 8:3-8 Common English Bible 3 When I lifted my eyes, I suddenly saw a ram with two horns standing in front of the canal. Both horns were high, but one was higher than the other. The higher one came up after the other one. 4 I saw the ram goring west, north, and south. No animal could resist the ram, and no one could stop it, rescuing others from its power. The ram did whatever it pleased. It became powerful. 5 I was trying to understand this when suddenly a he-goat came from the west, crossing the entire earth but not touching the ground. Between this goat’s eyes was a horn that was a sight to see. 6 The he-goat came to the ram that had two horns, the one I’d seen standing in front of the canal. The he-goat charged the ram in powerful anger. 7 I saw the he-goat approach the ram. It was enraged at the ram and attacked it, shattering the ram’s two horns. The ram couldn’t resist the he-goat. The he-goat threw the ram on the ground and trampled on it. No one could rescue the ram from the he-goat’s power. 8 The he-goat became even greater, but at the height of its power, its large horn snapped. In its place, four horns, each a sight to see, came up toward the four winds of heaven. Daniel 8:20-22 Good News Translation 20 “The ram you saw that had two horns represents the kingdoms of Media and Persia. 21 The goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the prominent horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 The four horns that came up when the first horn was broken represent the four kingdoms into which that nation will be divided and which will not be as strong as the first kingdom. Monday – Prophecies of Syria and Egypt Daniel 11:5-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible 5 “The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his. 6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times. 7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. 8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North, 9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.10 “His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood, and will again wage war as far as his fortress. 11 Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North who will raise a large army but they will be handed over to his enemy. 12 When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph. 13 The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies. 14 “In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail. Daniel 11:5 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY From this point on through much of the chapter, the prophecy focuses on the two kingdoms emerging from Alexander’s empire with which God’s people, the Jews, had most to do. These were Syria, ruled by the Seleucids, and Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemies. From the geographical standpoint of Palestine, the former was north, and the latter, south. Isaiah 46:9-10 Modern English Version 9 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My good pleasure,” Tuesday – Rome and the Prince of the Covenant Daniel 11:16-28 English Standard Version 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found. 20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land. Daniel 11:16 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY According to the view that the Romans are introduced in v. 14, the conquest of Palestine here described is believed to be that of Pompey, who, in 63 B.C., intervened in a dispute between the two brothers, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, rivals to the throne of Judea. Wednesday – The Next Power Daniel 11:29-39 Christian Standard Bible 29 “At the appointed time he will come again to the South, but this time will not be like the first. 30 Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant. 31 His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. 33 Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will fall by the sword and flame, and be captured and plundered for a time. 34 When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely. 35 Some of those who have insight will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. 36 “Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. 37 He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god desired by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. 38 Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward. Daniel 11:31 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY this passage has been understood to describe the action of the great apostate power in Christian history that substituted a false sacrifice and ministration for the true sacrifice of Christ and His ministration as high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Thursday – Final Events Daniel 11:40-45 Common English Bible 40 At the end time, the southern king will attack him. The northern king will storm against him with chariots and horses and many ships. He will invade countries, sweeping over them like a flood. 41 He will invade the beautiful country, and tens of thousands will die. But Edom, Moab, and the best of the Ammonites will escape from his hand. 42 He will extend his power into other countries. Even Egypt won’t escape. 43 He will take control of Egypt’s hidden treasures of gold, silver, and all its precious things. Libyans and Cushites will follow at his feet. 44 But reports from the east and north will alarm him, and in a great rage he will set off to devastate and destroy many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. But he will come to his end, and no one will help him. Daniel 11:40 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Here the king of the north and the king of the south are mentioned as such for the first time since vs. 14, 15. Seventh-day Adventist expositors who find the career of France during the Revolution the subject of vs. 36–39 hold that Turkey is the king of the north of vs. 40–45. Those who apply vs. 36–39 to the papacy here find a prophetic picture of the climax of its career.

I wonder what would happen if we all did this in church this Sabbath? Or anywhere else?

📣 Shout for Joy 🔊📢 Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

I read it as it reads? To me the "Crown of Life," is Eternal Life that the Bible talks about throughout. God keeps promising us that we will be living with him throughout eternity? And that to me leads us to the other question "the test!" To me its how we live our lives, sure there will always be the ups and downs, and so if we pass the test, or maybe we should say the different trials we go through, and that will bring us to the "crown of Life" living with Jesus for eternity? That's the way I see it!!

Lord, remember me 😓 Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

May I recommend reading Ezekiel in light of the chapter "The Role of Israel in Old Testament prophecy" and Deuteronomy 4 which says that the exile could have been the last days, and that Ezekiel did not see a second coming, but the messiah setting up the kingdom after his resurrection.

In recent times, more people have wanted to attend a TOP Event than could be allowed to do so. So, BlessedMan, on that basis I commend you for not attending. Your absence opens up a space for someone else to attend. Thank you for personally making it possible for someone else to attend.

Memory Text: Daniel 10:19 Modern English Version He said, “O man, greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace be unto you. Be strong and courageous!” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Sunday – Fasting and Prayer, Once Again Daniel 10:1-3 Common English Bible In the third year of Persia’s King Cyrus, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true: there would be a great conflict. Daniel understood the message, having discerned the meaning of the vision. 2 During that time, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. 3 I didn’t eat any rich foods. Neither meat nor wine passed my lips, and I didn’t clean up at all until the three weeks were up. Daniel 1:1 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY Daniel was now apparently near the end of his life, about 88 years old, considering that he was 18 when he was taken captive. Ezra 4:1-5 Christian Standard Bible When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them, “You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build. 5 They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia. Daniel 10:12 Contemporary English Version Daniel, don’t be afraid! God has listened to your prayers since the first day you humbly asked for understanding, and he has sent me here. Monday – A Vision of the Prince Daniel 10:4-9 Holman Christian Standard Bible 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid. 8 I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless. 9 I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Daniel 10:5 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY The heavenly Being appeared in human form (see Gen. 18:2; Dan. 7:13; Rev. 1:13). The description closely resembles that given by John when Christ was revealed to him. It was, indeed, the same Being who appeared to Daniel. Joshua 5:13-15 Easy-to-Read Version 13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the man and asked, “Are you a friend to our people or are you one of our enemies?” 14 The man answered, “I am not an enemy. I am the commander of the Lord’s army. I have just now come to you.” Then Joshua bowed his face to the ground to show respect and said, “I am your servant. Does my master have a command for me?” 15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Take off your sandals. The place where you are standing is holy.” So Joshua obeyed him. Revelation 1:12-18 New Century Version 12 I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands 13 and someone among the lampstands who was “like a Son of Man.” He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold band around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like bronze that glows hot in a furnace, and his voice was like the noise of flooding water. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. He looked like the sun shining at its brightest time. 17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead. Tuesday – Touched by an Angel Daniel 10:10-19 New Living Translation 10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. 12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. 14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” 15 While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. 16 Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. 17 How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.” 18 Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. 19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” Wednesday – A Great Conflict Daniel 10:20-21 English Standard Version 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince. Daniel 10:13 Good News Translation The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me, because I had been left there alone in Persia. Daniel 10:13 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY In order to refute Satan’s claim that God is a tyrant, the heavenly Father has seen fit to withhold His hand and allow the adversary an opportunity to demonstrate his methods and seek to win men to his cause. God does not force men’s wills. He allows Satan a degree of freedom, while through His Spirit and His angels He pleads with men to resist evil and follow the right. Thus God demonstrates to the onlooking universe that He is a God of love, and not the tyrant Satan has accused Him of being. It was for this reason that Daniel’s prayer was not immediately answered. The answer waited until the king of Persia made his choice for good and against evil, by his own free will. Thursday – A Victorious Prince Colossians 2:15 New International Reader’s Version He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross. Colossians 2:15 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY The life of Christ was a continual series of conflicts, but in every encounter Jesus proved victorious. Every effort on the part of Satan to destroy Him only further exposed the workings of the deceiver. Christ’s life of victory, culminating in Calvary, spelled the doom of the devil. Satan’s disguise was torn away. His methods of operation were laid open before the angels and the entire heavenly universe. He had exposed his true colors. Romans 8:37-39 New International Version 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Once again...this one came at just the right time!

The following is a review of an important book on the manner in which the EGW Writings were prepared: https://spectrummagazine.org/2020/visions-and-revisions-textual-history-ellen-g-whites-writings-book-review

Michael Rosen was arrested for embezzling $100,000 from the bank in order to pay for his kids’ Jewish school tuition. As the policeman, who also had kids in private Jewish day school, was leading Rosen away in handcuffs, he asked him, "I have just one question for you. Where were you going to get the rest of the money?"

Fabulous that you've given it a go! My husband and I have gone completely whole-food, plant-based vegan (eliminating also salt, oil, sugar, and alcohol) since January 1st. Our team (the two of us combined) weight loss after January was 30 pounds off. My husband's blood sugars dropped from a daily morning reading of 200+ to a stable morning reading of 85-90. His doctor eliminated one of his medications for now, and hopes to eliminate the other drugs in the near future. We continue with the eating plan. My goal for February was to be in bed, asleep, by 10:30 p.m. My husband's goal was to do intermittent fasting between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. We both did all right, with a few slip-ups here and there. Our team weight loss after February was 52 pounds. Our goal for March is to get more exercise. We intend to keep up with our walking goals of 7,500 steps a day, but to also do some weight training, swimming, and cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines).

Great post, I mostly agree, when I have time will come back with a question or two. And of course MHO. I may not be reading your context or intention quite correctly here; but this is a good point. God tends to (although not always) let us know on an as needed basis. For eg; He doesn't dole out "grace," in advance, before whatever we need it for has happened. "As your days, so shall your strength be." Many applications similarly, in NT. I can summarize really briefly how I currently view it. As some might have figured by now, I am very interested in any views that have "Christ and Him crucified" at the Center and helm of a given "prophecy." (Gal 6:14). is a major reason, but there are many others. I really have been having marvellous studies on prophecy lately that lead one along such lines. I have also said elsewhere, we could likely use less emphasis & energy spent on "predictions," and more on Jesus; His life, His death, his resurrection, and His second coming. IMO these ARE the four Pillars of all Bible prophecy. All other prophecy is corresponded with power and influence; according to their relation to this theme. On a similar note, OT prophecy does play several important roles in the more modern NT Bible prophecy; such as "the repeating of history" and building the theme of Christ and Him crucified as the central pillar, rather than a side issue of our prophetic dogmas. I can give one quick example here then have to run - I am looking after a very sick loved one these days, so "time is short." A lot of people, I have noticed that get into "Israel" and "Israel In Bible Prophecy," choose to delve into Ezekiel; and getting too caught up in predictions and dates. Im not saying its wrong to delve into - just not very central to "christ and Him crucified." Let me explain really fast with a passage from Ezekiel: The Lord God Will Seek Them Out Eze 34:11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. Isnt this very similar to an occassion where Jesus said: ""What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?" (Mat 18:2) So this shows that history can repeat itself, Jesus often uses said history to tell people how to have a relationship with Jesus. THAT is what prophecy is about "Great Controversy, pg 622: "We should acquaint ourselves with God NOW by proving His promises." (compare Ezekiel 34:15) till next time. Ill get to your post asap Trevor

The Jubilee years start the Yom Kippur of a year that ends in our number 4 and where in January we start a year ending in 5. Yom Kippur 1844 happened to be the end of a cycle of sabbatical years and the start of a Jubilee according to the high date. 1455 BC or number 00 or number 50 years according to the low date, 1250 BC. As to the final fulfillment of the prophecies, God will let us know when it is time. In the mean time there will be things that can apply over history. As we learn more about the exegesis, and more about applications (at least the good ones) the foundation will be built for what we need to know including if we live in the last time the principle cycles around. There is a big problem with our application of the 1260 days because we make it a day year, yet the textual context is that they are literal days in the 70 weeks that we have already used the year day principle, so we have to be very careful of applications that use other principles outside of the literal days. We look at the application of the Papacy as the little horn in Daniel, and I believe correctly, but there was another application that we can also look at to learn both what we need to learn about the exegesis (sometimes they were not literally fulfilled but could have been in or soon after the generation that gets the message) but the Flavian Emperors also fit. There were 10 Roman Emperors, and 3 plucked up with Vespasian becoming emperor, his son Titus destroying the temple and other son Domitian being the emperor of Revelation reviving the persecution of Nero, 666 (or 616 depending on how much of his name you use). Every time we again have the persecution that originated with Nero we can re-apply 666. Domitian may have prided himself on being the great little horn of Daniel, but John pointed out that whether the world ends under his persecution is not based on him but on the spreading of the gospel, and that the church had lost it's first love and the theme of Revelation is "Preach again!" God is not waiting for the exile, the fall of Jerusalem, Domitian, Sunday Laws etc. but when the gospel has been spread into all the world, then shall the end come. The application of Revelation 13 is any organization that replaces Christ in our life. Had Hezekiah shared the gospel with the Babylonians his reformation could have spread to the whole world and not too long before the Messiah was king. Instead he showed them his stuff and they brought to Babylon the memory of his stuff and they came back and took it and instead of the Messiah, the son of David ruling over God's people, it entered a period or others instead of Christ or in Greek "Antichrist" and seven periods to cover from the Son of David until we are again ruled by the Son of David. These are: Babylon, Medio-Persia, Greece, Rome, The Holy Roman Empire, the deadly wound (the crowns are on the horns not the head. thus the beast is and is not and is yet to come). The deadly wound is a period of independent nations, some based on the American Revolution offering freedom, others based on the French Revolution (with a different understanding of freedom where they came to feel that the elite could be free and needed more control over the common people). as well as some trying to maintain catholic Europe where the place you were born decided if you were Roman Catholic, Reformed Roman Catholic (with a reformation based on the Bible, i.e. Protestantism), Eastern Orthodox, or Islam, which was apparently an early reformation, but did not know how much of the church's corruption crept into the Bible. (Sadly, in current politics too many Republicans want to bring us back to catholic Europe, and too many Democrats want to bring us to post French Revolution Europe, and too many have forgotten a little thing called the American Revolution. ) Then there is the 7th head, which is different from the others since the others use politics and warfare to conquer, the 7th head is the world volunteering union under economic cooperation where the merchants of the earth (or corporations) instead of politicians are leading out.

💕 Together with God 1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

TrevorL, Interesting. Not saying your wrong, but I mostly disagree with the stuff about the papacy: I could be wrong; but I believe the identity of the Beast and the Antichrist is yet to be revealed. Antichrist or no I do believe the papacy will have a significant role in the coming apostasy.

Memory Text: Daniel 9:19 New Century Version Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear us and do something! For your sake, don’t wait, because your city and your people are called by your name. Sunday – The Centrality of God’s Word Daniel 9:1-2 Common English Bible In the first year of Darius’ rule—Darius, who was Ahasuerus’ son, a Median by birth and who ruled the Chaldean kingdom— 2 I, Daniel, pondered the scrolls, specifically the number of years that it would take to complete Jerusalem’s desolation according to the Lord’s word to the prophet Jeremiah. It was seventy years. Monday – An Appeal to Grace Daniel 9:3-19 Christian Standard Bible 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands— 5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land. 7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. 12 He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven. 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. 14 So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.15 Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name renowned as it is this day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us. 17 Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. 18 Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name. Daniel 9:18-19 Good News Translation 18 Listen to us, O God; look at us and see the trouble we are in and the suffering of the city that bears your name. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right. 19 Lord, hear us. Lord, forgive us. Lord, listen to us, and act! In order that everyone will know that you are God, do not delay! This city and these people are yours. 2 Kings 19:15-19 Contemporary English Version 15 He prayed: Lord God of Israel, your throne is above the winged creatures. You created the heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms of this world. 16 But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God. 17 It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian kings have turned nations into deserts. 18 They destroyed the idols of wood and stone that the people of those nations had made and worshiped. 19 But you are our Lord and our God! We ask you to keep us safe from the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth will know that you are the only God. 2 Kings 19:15 CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION COMMENTARY Two winged creatures made of gold were on the top of the sacred chest and were symbols of the Lord’s throne on earth. Tuesday – The Value of Intercession Daniel 9:5-13 New Living Translation 5 But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6 We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land. 7 “Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8 O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. 12 You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. 13 Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. Wednesday – The Work of the Messiah Daniel 9:21-27 New English Translation 21 yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering. 22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a Most Holy Place. 25 So know and understand: From the issuing of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a period of seven weeks[q] and sixty-two weeks. It will again be built, with plaza and moat, but in distressful times. 26 Now after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. As for the city and the sanctuary, the people of the coming prince will destroy them. But his end will come speedily like a flood. Until the end of the war that has been decreed there will be destruction. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of that week he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt. On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.” Thursday – The Prophetic Calendar Daniel 9:24-27 New King James Version 24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:24 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY In view of the fact that ch. 9 is an exposition of the unexplained portion of the vision of ch. 8, and inasmuch as the unexplained portion had to do with the 2300 days, it is logical to conclude that the 70 weeks, or 490 years, were to be “cut off” from that longer period. Furthermore, in the absence of contrary evidence, it may be assumed that the 70 weeks would be cut off from the beginning of that period. Daniel 9:25 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY At the time this vision was given, Jerusalem and the Temple were still in ruins. Heaven announces that a command will be issued to rebuild and restore, and that from that date a definite number of years will reach to the long-looked-for Messiah… In their decrees neither Cyrus nor Darius made any genuine provision for the restoration of the civil state as a complete unit, though a restoration of both the religious and the civil government was promised in the prophecy of Daniel. The decree of the 7th year of Artaxerxes was the first to give the Jewish state full autonomy, subject to Persian overlordship…. Beginning with the autumn of 457 B.C., when the decree went into effect, 69 prophetic weeks, or 483 years, reach to the baptism of Jesus in 27 A.D. Daniel 9:26 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY The city and the sanctuary. An obliteration of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, is here foretold. This was fulfilled by the Romans in A.D. 70. The Roman soldiers took blazing firebrands and deliberately set them in the interior woodwork of the Temple structure, with the result that it was soon utterly demolished. Daniel 9:27 SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY The “he” here spoken of is the Messiah of the preceding verses. Interpreting the verse thus makes the entire 70 weeks, or 490 years, of prophecy a consistent, continuous unit. The statements made meet a unique fulfillment in the time of the Messiah. The confirming of the covenant may be considered to be the continuation of the Jewish nation as the chosen people of God through the period named…. For one week. This week, the 70th, began in A.D. 27 with the opening of Christ’s public ministry at the time of His baptism. It extended beyond the crucifixion “in the midst of the week,” in the spring of A.D. 31, to the rejection of the Jews as the covenant people in the autumn of A.D. 34 (490 years after 457 B.C. is A.D. 34The “vineyard” was then “let out … unto other husbandmen” (Matt. 21:41; cf. Isa. 5:1–7; GC 328, 410). For about 31/2 years the authorities in Jerusalem tolerated the preaching of the apostles, but their spite was finally translated into decisive action in the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and the general persecution that then broke upon the church. Until this time the apostles and other Christian workers appear to have confined their efforts largely to the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem… Adding the remaining 1810 years of the 2300 years to A.D. 34 brings us to the autumn of 1844 as the time when the heavenly sanctuary would be “cleansed”.

I wonder: Will HCH count the teeth in the beast, and who will he say each tooth represents? Will he tell us that the beast has 50 teeth and each tooth represents a Governor of a US State? Perhaps he will relate each tooth to a SDA leader. Or, maybe the teeth could represent people here in this forum--Stan could be the wisdom tooth. Which tooth would I be? On a more serious note; When you begin to understand the Bible by reading the newspaper, there is no end to where you could go. You have no boundaries.