A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Exodus (11-12)

•November 9, 2023 • Leave a Comment

A parallel Exodus would reoccur during the endtime, which would far exceed that of the original Exodus led by Moses.

Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’

“Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Jeremiah 16:13-15.

So severe shall be their bondage that their deliverance from it shall be a far greater Deliverance than that out of Egypt where they spent 210 years in slavery under their Egyptian taskmasters!

For more see,

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

Exodus 11

¹ And the Lord said unto Moses, “Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterwards he will let you go hence. When he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

— he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether; absolutely, entirely, without any exception or limitation, them, their wives, their children, their flocks and herds, without any restraint upon them and without any condition of return;

— or fixing any time for it, but the dismission should be general, unlimited, and unconditional; or “in thrusting he shall thrust you out,” with force and vehemence, with urgency and in great haste.

²Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow from his neighbor, and every woman from her neighbor, jewels of silver and jewels of gold.” — let every man ask; not borrow, of his neighbour;

— jewels of silver, jewels of gold; to ornament themselves with at the feast they were going to keep: the Samaritan and Septuagint versions add, and clothing or raiment, and such it is certain they did borrow.

³And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

— therefore they complied with their request, not only out of love to the people, but out of fear to Moses, lest he should punish them severely in case of refusal.

⁴And Moses said, “Thus saith the Lord: ‘About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt;

⁵and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts.

— and all the firstborn in the land of Eygpt shall die; by the destroying angel; however, it was sudden and immediate death, and which was universal, reaching to all the firstborn that were in the families of the Egyptians in all parts of the kingdom;

⁶And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.

— shall be a great cry throughout all the land; in the case of a death, people set up loud wailings, and imagination may conceive what “a great cry” would be raised when death would invade every family in the kingdom.

⁷But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast, that ye may know how the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ — shall not a dog move his tongue; a proverbial expression, importing all should be peace and quietness among the Israelites;

⁸And all these thy servants shall come down unto me and bow down themselves unto me, saying, ‘Get thee out, and all the people who follow thee!’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. — in a great anger; in heat of anger, burning with indignation.

⁹And the Lord said unto Moses, “Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

— that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt; of the smiting of the firstborn, dividing the waters of the Red sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; but since these words were said before any of the plagues, were inflicted, it may refer to them all.

¹⁰And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. — and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart: one time after another, and yet more and more;

— so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land; until the last plague, the slaying of the firstborn, was brought upon him and his people, related in the following chapter.

Exodus 12

The Passover and Timeline of the Exodus

¹ And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, — the Lord spoke; according to these Scriptural record, neither Moses nor Aaron introduced any legislative power of their own, either at this time or later;

— the whole system, religious, political, and ecclesiastical, was received by Divine Revelation, commanded by God, hence the term the “law of Moses” is misleading, used by those misguided;

²“This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. — again, the starting of a month or a year is by Divine Revelation; not for mere man to determine for themselves when the month or year to start;

³Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. — a lamb; the word used (śeh) is a vague one, applied equally to sheep and goats, of any age and of either sex;

— in the tenth day of this month; it was necessary they should now begin to prepare the passover four days before, because otherwise it would have been difficult to get ready so many lambs in Egypt, especially as they were to depart in haste;

— but not necessarily for later generation, thus implied by the Targum Jonathan: but “not for (coming) generations.” Perhaps in later generations, the growth of population would make such a practice unmanagable to confine it in a single day;

— the passover in Egypt, they were commanded to sprinkling with a bunch of hyssop upon the lintel, and upon the two side posts, and was eaten with haste, but the passover in later ages were to be kept during all the seven days so that no leaven (of malice) should be found in their houses.

⁴And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats. — more apecifics of the lamb or from the goats (śeh from verse 3 above) is revealed here: a male of the first year, and without blemish;

⁶And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. — evening (`ben ha arbayim); “between the [two] evenings;

— “between the evenings” – the first evening was to begin with the decline of the sun from the zenith, and the second begins with sunset.

— Evidence of progressive Revelation on how to keep the Passover:

1. The first Passover was slaughtered by the whole congregation of Israel, but later it was slaughtered by priests and Levites at the sanctuary and still later, only at the Temple.

2. Introduction of the second passover; Numbers 9:9 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: ‘If any man of you or your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord.

¹¹ The fourteenth day of the second month at evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹² They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bones of it. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.

⁷And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall eat it. —

— regarding keeping of the second Passover by King Hezekiah in II Chronicles 30:

¹⁵ Then they killed the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month; and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord.

¹⁶And they stood in their place according to their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites. II Chronicles 30:15-16

— in later years, this killing of the Passover lamb could only be done near the Temple so as to sprinkle the blood of the Lamb at the base of the altar, Exodus 29:12, which was not in the original Exodus.

— again, with King Josiah, another good king, at the Temple, II Chronicles 35:

¹⁰ So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place and the Levites in their courses, according to the king’s commandment. ¹¹ And they killed the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

¹² And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people to offer unto the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen. ¹³ And they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the ordinance. II Chronicles 35:10-13

⁸And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire; and with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

The Targum Jonathan translates and explains the eating of the Passover from the Hebrew in Exodus 12 into the vernacular, in a very simple language, and verse 8 is extremely clear: “And you shall eat the flesh on that night, the fifteenth of Nisan . . . without leaven,” Exodus 12

This eating of the Passover is during the night of the fifteenth. If this is the night of the fourteenth, there shouldn’t be any need to take unleavened bread; neither was any unleavened bread available.

⁹Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire — his head with his legs and with the viscera thereof.

¹⁰And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning (בֹּקֶר bôqer, H1242), and that which remaineth of it until the morning (בֹּקֶר bôqer, H1242) ye shall burn with fire.

Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning ^H1242 were the first day. Morning is thus a 12-hours period, starting at midnight. This means they were to burn any roasted remains before they left. And they left probably around 1-2 pm, burning any remains before they go.

Targum: Nor shall any be left of it till the morning; but what may remain of it in the morning you shall cover over, and in the daylight of the sixteenth day burn with fire; for you may not burn the residue of a holy oblation on the feast day.

Rashi: and whatever is left over of it until morning-: What is the meaning of “until morning” a second time? [This implies] adding one morning to another morning, for morning starts with sunrise, and this verse is here to make it [the prohibition] earlier, [i.e.,] that it is forbidden to eat it [the leftover flesh] from dawn. This is according to its apparent meaning.

Another midrashic interpretation is that this teaches that it may not be burnt on Yom Tov but on the next day, and this is how it is to be interpreted: and what is left over from it on the first morning you shall wait until the second morning and burn it. — [from Shab. 24b]

¹¹And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord’S Passover ^H6453.

— “WHAT FOLLY!” some misguided would preach to convey this meaning: “And you shall eat it in trepidation” that is, with dread and apprehension but no readiness for fleeing; if so what would be the point, “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste?”

¹²For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

Targum: ninety thousand myriads of destroying angels — a myriad is generally a unit of ten thousand; but usually this expression is taken to mean an innumerable number.

¹³And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over ^H6452 you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.

— flashing forward, the blood of the Lamb of God, Christ, in around AD 31, were to save mankind from the penalty of death; when the Angel of Death came to smite the land of ‘Egypt.’

— the lamb was to be without blemish; the Lord Yeshua offered himself for humanity as the Lamb of God without spot. Not a bone of it must be broken. Despite they couldn’t find any fault with him, the chief priests went on to condemn Christ.

¹⁴“‘And this day (this day is when the death plague occurred) shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. — this day is still referring to the time the Death Angel passed over the houses, the subject in discussion;

— a memorial, it’s a feast and an ordinance – this should be the same night as the night to be much observed as stated in verse 42, not a separate night as most CoGs, who hail largely from their original home, Samaria, would thinks so!

Rashi: and you shall celebrate it: The day that is a memorial for you-you shall celebrate it. But we have not yet heard which is the day of memorial. Therefore, Scripture states: “Remember this day, when you went out of Egypt” (Exod. 13: 3), we learn that the day of the Exodus is the day of memorial.

Now on what day did they go out [of Egypt]? Therefore, Scripture states: “On the day after the Passover, they went out” (Num. 33:3). I must therefore say that the fifteenth of Nissan is the day of the festival, because the night of the fifteenth they ate the Passover sacrifice, and in the morning they went out.

¹⁵Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread. Even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Rashi: For seven days: Heb. שִׁבְעַתיָמִים, seteyne of days, i.e., a group of seven days.

Rashi: For seven days you shall eat unleavened cakes-: But elsewhere it says: “For six days you shall eat unleavened cakes” (Deut. 16:8). This teaches [us] regarding the seventh day of Passover, that it is not obligatory to eat matzah, as long as one does not eat chametz. How do we know that [the first] six [days] are also optional [concerning eating matzah]?

This is a principle in [interpreting] the Torah: Anything that was included in a generalization [in the Torah] and was excluded from that generalization [in the Torah] to teach [something] it was not excluded to teach [only] about itself, but it was excluded to teach about the entire generalization.

[In this case it means that] just as [on] the seventh day [eating matzah] is optional, so is it optional in [the first] six [days]. I might think that [on] the first night it is also optional. Therefore, Scripture states: “in the evening, you shall eat unleavened cakes” (Exod. 12:18). The text established it as an obligation. — [from Mechilta]

¹⁶And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation to you. No manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.

¹⁷And ye shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

— the notion that the First Day as a holy day for an assembly during the Exodus were not practiced like practising Jews have today. Perhaps they assembled in haste to flee; more details were added later, like as the issue that there was no wave sheaf offering during the Exodus; that was also added later as in Leviticus 23; which is another evidence of progressive revealing of God’s laws through further revelation.

¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening (`ereb), ye shall eat unleavened bread until the one and twentieth day of the month at evening (`ereb).

Leviticus 23:5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even (h6153`ben ha arbayim or between the evenings) is the LORD’S passover. (h6153 ben ha arbayim is also used in Ex 12:6; 16:12; 29:39,41; 30:8; Lev 23:5; Num 9:3,5,11; 28:4,8)

The composite Feast combining the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread is already evidenced above.

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day (h3117 יוֹם yowm), and the darkness he called Night (h3915 לַיִל layil). And the evening (h6153 עֶרֶב`ereb) and the morning (h1242 בֹּקֶר boqer) were the first day (h3117 יוֹם yowm). Evening and Morning are both a 12-hour period.

If we use even (‘ereḇ), as the beginning of a day for Atonement, in Leviticus 23:32, we must keep Atonement for two days on the 9th and 10th – contrary to the scriptures. Also, If we use even (‘ereḇ) as the beginning of the fourteenth for Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12:18, we must keep the Days of Unleavened Bread for 8 days – again, contrary to the scriptures.

¹⁹Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or born in the land.

²⁰Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.’”

²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said unto them, “Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover ^H6453. — and to kill the Passover; to eat the Passover; hence Passover is an event, not a day; you couldn’t kill a day, nor eat one;

— you kill the Passover at even (ben ha arbayim) on the fourteenth of Nisan (the time when Christ died); but you eat the Passover at night on the fifteenth;

²²And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out from the door of his house until the morning.

During the first Passover, they were to stay in their houses, but later on they were not allowed to stay within their gates, which certainly include their houses. It says in Deuteronomy 16:5

“Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” This is proof that God makes adjustments in later years to the observance of ordinances from the original instructions given in Egypt.

²³For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over ^H6452 the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

²⁴And ye shall observe this thing as an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

²⁵And it shall come to pass, when ye come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as He hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

²⁶And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, ‘What mean ye by this service?’

²⁷that ye shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’S Passover ^H6453, who passed over ^H6452 the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The LORD’s “Passover” vs the Death Angel “passed over” the house. Which is the real Passover? So both the fourteenth and fifteenth were to be memorialized for a remembrance for the Children.

²⁸And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron; so did they.

²⁹And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne, unto the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.

³⁰And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

³¹And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel! And go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.

³²Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said; and be gone, and bless me also.”

³³And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, “We are all dead men.”

Numbers 9:11 The fourteenth day of the second month at evening they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning (בֹּקֶר bôqer, H1242), nor break any bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.

The Israelites could have left around 1-2 am, which is early morning. It may even be slightly later at 2-3 am but it would still be in the morning, bôqer.

³⁴And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

³⁵And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses [for they had already] borrowed from the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment.

Indications are that there are at least fourteen days between the ninth and tenth plagues, for the chapter starts with the beginning of the month, until Passover, the killing of the lamb;

in Chapter 11:2 “Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow from his neighbor, and every woman from her neighbor, jewels of silver and jewels of gold,”

ESV The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

Actually the spoilings have occurred much earlier, throughout the ten plagues: Exodus 3:19 “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.”

And then more specifically in Exodus 3:22, “and every woman shall borrow of her neighbor and of her that sojourneth in her house jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment.”

Hence verses 35-36 is a flashback, for the spoiling had already began much earlier.

³⁶And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they despoiled the Egyptians.

For they had already plundered the Egyptians. In the previous chapter,

Exodus 11:1 And the Lord said unto Moses, “Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterwards he will let you go hence. When he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.

² Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow from his neighbor, and every woman from her neighbor, jewels of silver and jewels of gold.” So the plundering of the Egyptians had been happening for at least 13 days earlier!

³⁷And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children.

Targum says from Pilusin towards Succoth, a hundred and thirty thousand “sons,” — supposingly to total 600,000;

Rashi: from Rameses to Succoth: They were 120 “mil” [apart]. Yet they arrived there instantly, as it is said: “and I carried you on eagles’ wings.” – [from Mechilta]

Numbers 33:3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the morrow after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians,

⁴for the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, whom the Lord had smitten among them. Upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments. ⁵And the children of Israel removed from Rameses and pitched camp in Succoth.

Since one lamb is for two or three families, some of the families could have earlier moved earlier from Goshen to Rameses in preparation for the signal to flee. Houses in Goshen could be quite empty.

³⁸And a mixed multitude went up also with them, and flocks and herds, even very much cattle.

³⁹And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it was not leavened because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

The thrusting out of Egypt was carried out immediately after the killing of the firstborn, not the day after. Exodus 12:31-33, otherwise the urgency “with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste (verse 11)” made no sense.

Actually the Israelites were not thrusted out of Egypt until about a week later. Perhaps they could be better described “they began to be thrust out of Egypt.” And until they crossed the Red Sea they were really being thrusted out.

Also, the Israelites didn’t tarry, so they didn’t wait for another 24 hours to start moving.

⁴⁰Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. — Targum: “the days of the dwelling of the sons of Israel in Mizraim were thirty weeks of years, (thirty times seven years)” which is 210 years;

— Targum: “But the number of four hundred and thirty years (had passed away since) the Lord spake to Abraham.”

⁴¹And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even on the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

The 6 hours at the top right “Afternoon” is also known as “**`ben ha arbayim**”

⁴²It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord to be observed by all the children of Israel in their generations.

— the night to be much observed is the night when they ate the Passover, when a few hours later, the Death Angel came and slaughtered the Egyptians, which made such a night memorable to be kept;

Deuteronomy 16:1 “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the Lord thy God; for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. . .

⁴ And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy borders seven days, neither shall there anything of the flesh, which thou sacrificed the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.

Night (from 6 pm to 6 am) and morning (from midnight to 6 am) overlaps morning by 6 hours. So they left after midnight around 1-2 am which is night as well as in the morning.

⁴³And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover ^H6453. There shall no stranger eat thereof; — this is the ordinance of the passover; as before delivered, and these the laws and rules, according to which it is to be observed, as now related, both with respect to the lamb, and to the unleavened bread;

— and the following is an account of the persons that were to partake of it: there shall no stranger eat thereof, one uncircumcised that is of another country.

⁴⁴but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. — if a stranger wished to join, he would need to accept circumcision for himself and the males of his family. —

⁴⁵A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof. — similarily, if a foreigner, bought as a slave into an Israelitish family, may eat of it, if he is made a member of their community by circumcision.

⁴⁶In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth any of the flesh abroad out of the house, neither shall ye break a bone thereof. — neither shall ye break a bone thereof; any of its tender bones to get out the marrow; and so the Targum of Jonathan adds, “that ye shall not eat that which is in the midst of it.”

⁴⁷All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. — all Israelites are to keep the Passover;

⁴⁸And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee and will keep the Passover ^H6453 to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land, for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

⁴⁹One law shall be for him that is homeborn and for the stranger who sojourneth among you.” — one set of law shall be to him that is homeborn and would be the same unto the stranger;

⁵⁰Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

⁵¹And it came to pass the selfsame day that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. — this is a reminder that the children fled out of Egypt on the fifteenth of Nisan, and as that night was such a spectacular event, it was to be a night to be much remembered in later generations.

~~~~

A parallel Exodus would reoccur during the endtime, which would far exceed that of the original Exodus led by Moses.

Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’

“Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Jeremiah 16:13-15; so emphatic is such a scene that it is repeated in Jeremiah 23:6-8.

So severe shall be their bondage that their deliverance from it shall be a far greater Deliverance than that out of Egypt where they spent 210 years in slavery under their Egyptian taskmasters!

For more see,

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

Posted in Books of Moses

Why the Philippines Out of China’s BRI?

•November 8, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Why the Philippines Pulled Out of China’s Belt-and-Road Project: “He did what these client politicians do — they signal left but turn right,” so why this turnaround?

Sputnik International • November 4, 2023 // Asia Times

The Philippines forged closer ties with China and Russia under former President Rodrigo Duterte. But his successor, Bongbong Marcos, is following in the footsteps of his dictator father, said peace activist, writer, teacher and political analyst KJ Noh.

During election campaign Philippine frontrunner Marcos favors China over the US

The Philippines is regressing to its historic status as a US colony by rejecting China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for trade and security, a pundit says.

Filipino President Bongbong Marcos was among 23 regional leaders who attended the BRI summit in Beijing in October.

However, transportation Secretary Jaime Batista of the archipelago nation announced on October 30 that three joint rail infrastructure projects on the islands of Luzon and Mindanao, totaling around $5 billion dollars, have been revoked. According to the minister, construction on the three lines was delayed by Beijing, as per the agreement made by Rodrigo Duterte, the predecessor of Marcos.

In the 21 years Ferdinand Marcos ran the Philippines, billions went missing

“We have three projects that are no longer being funded by the Chinese government,” Bautista said. “We can’t wait forever, and it seems that China is not that interested anymore.”

That came a week after four Filipino navy ships entered disputed territorial waters claimed by the Chinese around islands in the South China Sea, resulting in a collision with a Chinese warship.

The Reagans dance with the Marcos during a state visit to Manila in 1969

Peace advocate KJ Noh told Sputnik that Manila’s decision was “very foolish.”

“Marcos has put all his chips on a losing bet,” Noh said. “The multipolar world is rising, linked to the economic infrastructure of the Belt and Road. It’s the biggest global construction project on the planet.”

He said the Filipino government was counting on continued “US geopolitical ascendancy, which is no longer the case.”

“Essentially, they’re saying that we side with the United States in its war against China, and economic benefit and win-win and neutral growth be damned,” Noh said. “It’s partly a legacy of the colonial legacy of the Philippines. The Philippines has always been a US client state and it’s simply falling, reverting back to the norm in this situation.”

The Philippines were under US rule from the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 until July 4, 1946.

Some $50B are known to have plundered from the Philippines treasury

The writer said Marcos’ decision to emulate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not surprising given his family’s long relationship with Washington under his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos.

“The US was involved, interfered in 86 elections since World War Two,” Noh pointed out. “The Philippines has always been the US’s playground simply because the geostrategic value of the Philippines.”

China’s Overland & Maritime Belt-and-Road Routes Bypassing the Philippines

[Besides, the Pentegon knows where the remaining Marco’s wealth is located, looted from the Ferdinand’s era; some returned but the bulk remains hidden, subject to blackmail]

“Remember the father Marcos was a complete and total tin-pot US puppet. He did everything that the US did until they got tired of him and then they got rid of him. And this is the son. The son who does not fall far from the tree,” he continued. “He did what these client politicians do — they signal left but turn right.”

Posted in China, Philippines, US

US military to consume seafood from Fukushima

•November 7, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US military will buy seafood from Fukushima to offset Chinese ban

Yahoo News • October 30, 2023 // US News & World Report

The US has reportedly begun buying Japanese seafood for its military stationed there to offset the impact of China’s ban on seafood, according to a new report from Reuters.

US Military Bulk Buys unwanted Japanese Seafood to Counter China Ban

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said there will be a long-term contract between the US armed forces and the fisheries and co-ops in Japan.

Emanuel pushed for more ways Washington could help offset China’s ban on seafood, which was put in place in August in response to the the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s release of diluted and treated radioactive wastewater back into the Pacific Ocean.

Unwanted Sea bream at the Tokyo market destined for the US Navy

Japan’s move to release the wastewater came under fire from Chinese leaders at the time, including China’s Foreign Ministry, who said China “firmly opposes and strongly condemns it” and that Japan disregarded the criticism of the international community.

“The best way we have proven in all the instances to kind of wear out China’s economic coercion is come to the aid and assistance of the targeted country or industry,” Emanuel told Reuters.

US Military Bulk Buys Japanese Seafood to Counter China Ban

Pressed on Emanuel’s comments during a press conference Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated China’s opposition to Japan’s discharge and defended the ban as a “precautionary measure.”

“The precautionary measures taken by China and some other countries in response to Japan’s move to protect food safety and people’s health are entirely legitimate, reasonable and necessary,” Wenbin said Monday.

US troops dine at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Mess Hall in Okinawa, Japan

“As for the remarks of the US Ambassador to Japan, it needs to be pointed out that the duty of diplomats is to deepen friendship between countries,” Wenbin said, “rather than to smear other countries and sow discords.”

Emanuel told Reuters the US’s first purchase in the arrangement is just under a metric ton of scallops, a small portion of the more than 100,000 tons of scallops Japan exported to China last year.

The seafood will be given to soldiers in messes and vessels and sold in shops and restaurants on military bases, Emanuel reportedly said, adding that the types of seafood will expand over time. The US military had not purchased local seafood in Japan prior to the deal, according to Emanuel.

Unwanted Tuna from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo destined for the US Navy

The contained water was being stored in about 1,000 tanks, which were expected to reach capacity by early 2024. The tanks also risked leakage if the water was not removed.

While drawing criticism from some world leaders, Japan’s plan is supported by the scientific community, which has claimed watching the plan closely will deem it safe.

The tsunami led to nuclear meltdowns and a number of fuel plants explosions

On 9 March 2021, ahead of the 10-year anniversary, a UN report said there had been “no adverse health effects” documented among Fukushima residents directly related to the radiation from the disaster. Any future radiation-related health effects were “unlikely to be discernible,” it said.

Posted in Japan, US

The Four Countries that could be Pivotal

•November 6, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Will the Israel-Hamas war become a regional conflict? Here are 4 countries that could be pivotal

The Conversation • November 1, 2023

Fears are escalating the conflict between Israel and Hamas could spill over into a broader war involving other countries in the region.

Neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Egypt, as well as regional players like Iran and Qatar, are currently navigating domestic and international pressures in their response.

So, how likely is it that another country could be dragged into the conflict – or have a diplomatic role in helping resolve the crisis? Here are four possibilities beyond Iran (which we covered in a separate piece).

Egypt: limited desire to get involved

In Egypt, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s regime came to power in 2013 by ousting the Muslim Brotherhood-led government that was democratically elected following the Arab Spring uprising. The Muslim Brotherhood movement has long been a focal point for political opposition in Egypt and is ideologically aligned with Hamas.

Although El-Sisi’s government has allowed some protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza, these have been tightly controlled. And notably, they have not been permitted at Tahrir Square, the heart of the Arab Spring protests.

El-Sisi’s main concern is the conflict in Gaza does not spark widespread demonstrations in Egypt, which could galvanise dissatisfaction with his regime. As such, El-Sisi will try to prioritise domestic stability rather than direct involvement in the war. He will likely support Hamas rhetorically, while doing little of substance to assist its fight against Israel.

Critically, this means Egypt will also remain reluctant to open its southern border crossing with Gaza to allow Palestinian refugees to leave.

For a decade, Egyptian forces have been battling an Islamist insurgency in the Sinai desert. El-Sisi is concerned an influx of refugees from Gaza may exacerbate these tensions and lead to increased militant activity against the regime.

Lebanon: it depends what Hezbollah decides to do

In Lebanon, war with Israel would be an unwelcome development. In recent years Lebanon’s political landscape has been marked by public dissatisfaction with elites and an ongoing economic crisis.

Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite Muslim militant and political group in Lebanon, has already been clashing with Israeli forces across the border. If violence continues to escalate between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah could enter the war from the north. This would commit Lebanon to an unpopular military confrontation with Israel, shattering the fragile peace between the countries that has held since 2006.

“Now, thou son of man, Behold, I am against thee, O Tyre,” Ezekiel 26-27

Given Hezbollah is embedded in the Lebanese government and commands the strongest and most well-organised militant force in the country, other Lebanese factions are limited in their ability to restrain it. These factions would also be wary of triggering another civil war by trying to prevent Hezbollah from pursuing military action.

Because Hezbollah receives funding, military equipment and training from Iran, it is seen as one of Tehran’s strongest proxies for its ambitions in the region. Any decision by Hezbollah to increase its attacks on Israel would thus be driven by Iran, or at least carried out with Tehran’s approval.

Syria: backed into a corner by political debts to Iran

Political protest in Syria in 2011 led to civil war between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebel groups. Assad depended on Iranian and Russian military support to maintain his grip on power.

Assad has no incentive to engage Israel militarily and destablise his hard-won political control. However, debts to Iran may need to be repaid with agitation against Israel if Israel launches an expected ground operation into Gaza.

Since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israeli communities, Syrian state media says Israel has hit airports in Damascus and Aleppo with missile strikes, causing damage and airport closures. State media also said eight Syrian soldiers were killed in an air strike last week. Israel said it had struck Syrian army infrastructure in response to rocket launches from Syria.

An oracle concerning Damascus: Before long Damascus will cease to be a city, and she will be reduced to a heap of ruins. Isaiah 17:1

Israel’s likely objective with these strikes was to deter, rather than provoke, a military confrontation. The strikes are a reminder to Assad that Israel has the capability to hit important targets deep in Syrian territory – and is willing to do so.

There is a risk such actions, combined with political pressure from Iran and Hezbollah, may still lead to a military escalation between Syria and Israel.

One actor with the ability to restrain Syria is Russia, which maintains a large military presence in the country. Russia has no interest in seeing Syria enter into a war with Israel, as this would likely fracture the fragile political stability Russia has been heavily invested in maintaining.

Qatar: seizing a diplomatic opportunity?

Qatar is perhaps one of the most interesting countries to watch in the coming weeks. For decades, it has played a somewhat provocative and outsized role in regional politics and diplomacy.

Qatar has long had a close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates. It also houses Hamas’ political offices in Doha and has been one of the key financial backers for the group. As a Sunni Muslim state, Qatar is ideologically more closely aligned with Hamas than the group’s more prominent financial backer, Iran.

Qatar has already played a key role in negotiations with Hamas to release four hostages from Gaza.

Qatar lost regional influence in 2017 when four countries in the region cut ties and imposed a blockade on it. It now wants to regain prominence as a key player in the region. It would be in Qatar’s interests to position itself as a central diplomatic broker in the conflict and avoid being viewed in a similar light to Iran, as an enabler and funder of Hamas activity.

So, could Qatar succeed in leveraging its close relationship with Hamas to facilitate negotiations between the group and Israel to release the remaining Israeli hostages or even bring an end to the conflict? Or would Qatar’s lack of diplomatic relations with Israel thwart these ambitions?

Qatar’s influence may depend on Israel’s appetite for negotiations and the extent to which the United States demonstrates a willingness to broker between the parties.

~~~~

“I am thy shield! Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt [Nile] unto the great river, the River Euphrates” (Genesis 15)

Posted in Islamic, Israel

Exodus (9-10)

•November 5, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Exodus 9

¹Then the Lord said unto Moses, “Go in unto Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. — let my people go, that they may serve me; this demand had been made repeatedly; and, though reasonable, was refused.

²For if thou refuse to let them go and wilt hold them still,

³behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep. There shall be a very grievous pestilence.

— the hand of the Lord; immediately, without the stretching out of Aaron’s hand; is upon the cattle; many of which, some of all kinds, should die by a sort of pestilence; a disease would be sent among all the flocks and herds of the Egyptians;

— the Targum renders it a “death” as the Jews commonly call a pestilence, whether on man or beast, because it generally sweeps away large numbers.

⁴And the Lord shall distinguish between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belong to the children of Israel.’” — nothing shall die of the children’s of Israel; this was the greater miracle,

— because the Israelites and the Egyptians were mingled together in the land of Goshen; so that their cattle breathed the same air, and drank the same water. By which it appeared that this pestilence was not natural, but proceeded from the immediate hand of God.

⁵And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.” — saying, tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land;

— thus giving him time and space to consider the matter well, repent of his obstinacy, and dismiss the people of Israel, and so prevent the plague coming upon the cattle, as threatened.

⁶And the Lord did that thing on the morrow; and all the cattle of Egypt died, but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. — but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one; at least of the murrain or a pestilential disease, or by the hand of God.

⁷And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

— and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go; though this plague was so heavy upon him and his people, and the loss they sustained so great:

— in the other plagues of the water, the frogs, lice, and flies, though very troublesome and terrible, yet the loss was not very great; but here much damage was done to their property, yet this did not make his heart relent, or cause him to yield to let Israel go.

⁸And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, “Take to you handfuls of ashes from the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. — and the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go, though this plague was so heavy upon him and his people, and the loss they sustained so great;

⁹And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains, upon man and upon beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” — upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt;

— so that, as the last plague affected their property, substance, and riches, which in those times greatly lay in cattle, this, besides that, would affect their persons, and give them exceeding great pain, though it might not issue in death.

¹⁰And they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became boils breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast. — the sixth plague smote man and beast with;

— these failing down in the manner before described, on whomsoever they lighted, whether man or beast, produced sore boils and inflammations, and raised blisters and blotches;

¹¹And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. — the magicians; this time are not only not able to imitate the plague, but are themselves attacked by it;

— for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians; but not upon Moses and Aaron, nor upon any of the Israelites;

¹²And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken unto Moses. — their priests and magicians were so far from being able to shelter the king from this plague by their secret arts, that they were attacked by them themselves,

— were unable to stand before Moses, and were obliged to give up all further resistance. But Pharaoh did not take this plague to heart, and was given up to more hardening of his heart.

¹³And the Lord said unto Moses, “Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

¹⁴For I will at this time send all My plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants and upon thy people, that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. — for I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart; the plague of the hail, which next follows, so called, because it consisted of various things, as hail, rain, lightning and thunder;

¹⁵For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. — and thou shall be cut off from the earth; or “thou hadst been or wouldest have been cut off from the earth” must have perished out of it, and been no more in the land of the living.

¹⁶And in very deed, for this cause have I raised thee up: to show in thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.

— and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth; as it has been more by that last action than by all the rest of the plagues; though, in all, his sovereignty, wisdom, power, patience, longsuffering and justice, are most visibly displayed and glorified.

¹⁷As yet exaltest thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt not let them go? — as yet exaltest thou thyself against my people; and so against God himself, disobeying his commands, despising his messengers, and hardening his heart against him and refusing to let Israel go;

¹⁸Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. — I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail; which should fall very thick, and the hailstones be very numerous and heavy, and the storm last long;

¹⁹Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field, for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.’” — I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail; the seventh plague which Pharaoh’s hardened heart provoked was that of hail;

— a phenomenon which must have produced the greatest astonishment and consternation in Egypt as rain and hailstones, accompanied by thunder and lightning, to kill both men and beasts.

²⁰He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses, — he that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh; it is a new fact that any of the Egyptians had been brought to “fear the word of Yehovah.”

— probably, the effect of the plagues had been gradually to convince a considerable number, not so much that Yehovah was the one True God as that he was a great and powerful god, whose chastisements were to be feared.

²¹and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field. — left his servants and cattle in the field; let them remain there, and took no thought about them, and so took no methods to preserve them; to his own detriment and loss.

²²And the Lord said unto Moses, “Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and upon beast and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” — stretch forth thine hand toward heaven; the action was appropriate, as the plague was to come from the heaven.

²³And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. — the fire ran along upon the ground, devouring both herbs and cattle which were upon it; and came at the exact time he had foretold it should; all which were very extraordinary;

²⁴So there was hail and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. — so there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail; which was a miracle within a miracle; and very wonderful indeed it was, that the hail did not quench the fire, nor the fire melt the hail;

²⁵And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. — the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt; it is to the hail and not to the fire nor lightning that the great destruction of men and beasts is attributed;

— perhaps the fire and lightning are destined for the endtime? “Like fire that burns the forest and like a flame that sets the mountains on fire.” – Psalm 83:14

²⁶Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. — only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail;

— so that such Egyptians as might dwell among them, they, their servants, their cattle, and their fruits, escaped this plague; and oftentimes do wicked men fare the better for the people of God that are among them.

²⁷And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. — the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked; which was well spoken, had it been serious and from his heart; for God is righteous in his nature, and in all his works;

— and in all those judgments he had inflicted upon him; and he and his people were wicked in using the Israelites in such a cruel manner, and in detaining them when it had been promised them again and again that they should have leave to go, and especially in rebelling against God, and disobeying his commands.

²⁸Entreat the Lord (for it is enough), that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.” — mighty thunderings; literally, as in the margin, “voices of God.” Thunder was regarded by many nations of antiquity as the actual voice of a god.

²⁹And Moses said unto him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail, that thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord’S.

— that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s; that the whole earth is his, and therefore he can do, and does in it whatever he pleases; as the heavens also are his, and therefore can cause thunder, lightning, hail, and rain, and stop them when he thinks fit;

³⁰But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God.” — but as for thee, and thy servants, notwithstanding the confession of sin he had made, Moses know that they haven’t fear the Lord God yet;

³¹And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bolls. — and the flax and the barley was smitten; with the hail, thunder and lightning, and were beat down, bruised, broken, and blasted and destroyed;

³²But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were not grown up. — they haven’t grown up yet; Heb, they were late or hidden. The ear was undeveloped, and lay hid in the low tufts that grew like grass.

³³And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the Lord; and the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. — Moses went out of the city, that, being solitary, he might pour forth his heart in fervent prayers.

³⁴And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more and hardened his heart, he and his servants. — but even this plague did not lead Pharaoh to alter his mind; as soon as it had ceased on the intercession of Moses, he and his servants continued sinning and hardening their hearts.

³⁵And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. — hardened; fifferent words in the Hebrew. In Exodus 9:34 the word means “made heavy,”that is, obtuse, incapable of forming a right judgement; in Exodus 9:35 it is stronger, and implies a stubborn resolution.

Exodus 10

¹ And the Lord said unto Moses, “Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs before him; — go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart; that I might shew these my signs before him; and others that were to be done;

²and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son and of thy son’s son what things I have wrought in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that ye may know that I am the Lord.” — and that thou mayest tell; of thy son, and of thy son’s son;

— there was a further and higher reason for the infliction of those awful judgements, namely, that the knowledge of them there, and the permanent record of them still, might furnish a salutary and impressive lesson to others down to the latest ages.

³And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh and said unto him, “Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

— how long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? to acknowledge his offence, lie low before God, and be subject to his will; he had humbled himself for a moment;

— but then this did not continue what God expected of him, and complains of the want of, was such a continued humiliation before him, and such a subjection to him, as would issue in complying with what he had so often demanded of him;

⁴Else, if thou refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into thy border. — locusts, a well-known plague throughout the Middle-East and neighbouring countries;

⁵And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one shall not be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.

— and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field; such fruit trees as escaped the hail, and such boughs and branches of them which were not broken off by it;

— “When their swarms appear, everything green vanishes instantaneously from the fields, as if a curtain were rolled up; the trees and plants stand leafless, and nothing is seen but naked boughs and stalks.”

⁶And they shall fill thy houses and the houses of all thy servants and the houses of all the Egyptians — which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day.’” And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

— thy houses shall be filled; they entered the inmost recesses of the houses, were found in every corner, stuck to their clothes, and infested their food;

⁷And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, “How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?” — knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

— as good as ruined, by the plagues and boils upon the cattle, which destroyed great quantities, and by the hail which had smitten their flax and their barley; or “must thou first know that Egypt is destroyed?” before thou wilt let the people go;

⁸And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said unto them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But who are they that shall go?” — but who are they that shall go? or, “who and who”? for Pharaoh was unwilling that they should all go, but would have some retained as pledges of their return;

⁹And Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.”

— with our flocks and with our herds will we go; which were requisite for the sacrifices, not knowing which they were to sacrifice, and with which to serve God, till they came to the place where they were to sacrifice;

¹⁰And he said unto them, “Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones. Look to it, for evil is before you.

— and the Pharaoh said unto Moses and Aaron, let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; either as mocking them, let the Lord you talk of be with you if he will, and let him deliver you if he can, as I shall let you go with your children, which I never will;

— look to it, for evil is before you; which is either a charge of an evil design upon them, and intended to raise a mutiny, make an insurrection, and form a rebellion against them.

¹¹Not so! Go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord, for that ye did desire.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence. — not so; you shall not go with your children as you propose; —

¹²And the Lord said unto Moses, “Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.”

— and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left; the wheat and the rye, or rice, the grass, herbs, and plants, it had beat down, but not utterly destroyed, as well as some boughs and branches of trees which were left unbroken by it.

¹³And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. — the Lord brought an east wind. Locusts generally come with a wind; and, indeed, cannot fly far without one;

— an east wind would in this case have brought them from northern Arabia, where they are often bred in large numbers;

¹⁴And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. Very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. — and rested in all the coasts of Egypt; in every part of it where the Egyptians dwelt;

— and where there were meadows, pastures, fields, gardens, orchards; here they lighted and fed, excepting the land of Goshen, where Israel dwelt;

¹⁵For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, and there remained not any green thing in the trees or in the herbs of the field through all the land of Egypt.

— the land was darkened; either by their flying in vast numbers, and so darkening the air, as they have ofttimes done; or by covering the green and lightsome herbs and productions of the earth with their dark and direful bodies.

¹⁶Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. — I have sinned against the Lord your God; against the Lord by disobeying his command, in refusing to let Israel go, when he had so often required it of him; and against Moses and Aaron his ambassadors;

¹⁷Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.”

— Pharaoh desires their prayers that this death only might be taken away, not this sin: pretending that he would never offend any more, and if he did, he did not desire it should be forgiven him, but that due punishment should be inflicted on him.

¹⁸And he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. — intreated the Lord; Moses complied, though Pharaoh had this time made no distinct promise of releasing the people.

¹⁹And the Lord turned a mighty, strong west wind, which took away the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. — there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt; so that the removal of them was as great a miracle as the bringing them at first;

²⁰But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. — but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart; for as yet he had not brought all his judgments on him he designed to bring;

²¹And the Lord said unto Moses, “Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.” — the plague of darkness brought upon Egypt was a dreadful plague;

²²And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. — it was darkness which might be felt, so thick were the fogs. It astonished and terrified. It continued three days; six nights in one;

²³They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. — it was darkness which might be felt, so thick were the fogs; it continued three days; six nights in one; so long the most lightsome palaces were dungeons;

²⁴And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, “Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed. Let your little ones also go with you.” — go ye, serve the Lord, only let your flocks and your herds be stayed; stopped or remained behind, as a pledge and security of their return;

²⁵And Moses said, “Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. — but Moses said, thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings: sheep, rams, and goats for sacrifices, and oxen for burnt offerings;

²⁶Our cattle also shall go with us. There shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God, and we know not with what we must serve the Lord until we come thither.” — the Israelites’ own cattle must go as well: because until they reach their destination they do not know how many sacrifices will be required.

²⁷But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. — but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart; yet more and more, and he would not let them go;

²⁸And Pharaoh said unto him, “Get thee from me! Take heed to thyself! See my face no more, for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die!” — see my face no more; neither here nor elsewhere: for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die; this was a foolish as well as a wicked speech;

²⁹And Moses said, “Thou hast spoken well. I will see thy face again no more.” — knowing by a spirit of prophecy that he should be no more sent unto him, and that Pharaoh should in a little time be drowned in the Red sea, when he would be seen no more by him nor any other; for as for what is said in the following chapter.

Posted in Books of Moses

Schiff: The US Isn’t Japan… It’s Argentina!

•November 4, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Peter Schiff: The US Isn’t Japan… It’s Argentina!

ZeroHedge by Tyler Durden • November 1, 2023

A lot of people don’t think it does, at least not yet. They point to Japan as an example of a country that has a much higher debt-to-GDP ratio and is doing fine. Peter Schiff said they’re looking at the wrong country. The US is more like Argentina than Japan.

The debt to GDP ratio in Japan is over 200%. The US debt-to-GDP ratio is only around 125%. If Japan is doing fine, why should we worry here in the US?

Peter notes the fact that Japan isn’t really doing “fine.”

They’re having a problem right now in Japan. They’re on the cusp of a crisis.”

The yield on a 10-year Japanese Government Bond is up to 8.7%. The yen recently broke the 150 mark. Meanwhile, price inflation is ratcheting up.

Don’t say, ‘Hey, Japan got off scot-free.’ They didn’t. They’re about to get their come-uppance.”

Peter said the US is in a different situation than Japan and it will get its come-uppance sooner. It will never get to a 200% debt-to-GDP ratio. The US won’t even get to 150%.

Why not?

Peter said the big difference between the US and Japan is that Japan is a net creditor and the Japanese people save at a much higher rate than Americans.

The world owes Japan a lot of money. Japan has a lot of that money in US dollar assets — in US Treasuries, in US mortgage-backed securities. Japan is going to sell and is selling those assets to try to mitigate the damage.

Because Japan was so wealthy, and didn’t have to borrow from abroad, they were able to run up their debt higher before the crisis happened. That doesn’t mean they’re not going to have a crisis. They just had more rope before they finally hung themselves with that rope.”

The US doesn’t have as much rope because the country is broke.

We owe the world. We owe the world a fortune. We depend on the world to buy our paper, to buy our Treasuries. That’s our biggest export — our debt — our dollars and our debt. If we can’t export that anymore, the economy doesn’t function anymore.

It’s built on that whole foundation, which is in the process of collapsing. So, you can’t draw some false comfort in the fact that Japan got away with it to 200% of GDP, or whatever it is, so we can too. We’re not Japan. We are worse. We’re Argentina.”

The Argentinian central bank is also in a war against price inflation it can’t win. It recently raised its interest rate to 133%. And that’s still below the country’s inflation rate.

Even though they have interest rates in the triple digits, it’s not going to work. It’s not going to stop inflation. The budget deficits are rising in Argentina. The national debt is rising.

So, inflation is not going away. These rate hikes aren’t going to stop it because they can’t change the dynamic of government spending. We are in the same predicament.”

Some people will say you can’t compare the US and Argentina. Peter said, “Sure we can.”

The laws of physics work in America the same way they work in Argentina. Economics are laws. We have the same consequences.”

Peter noted that at one point, Argentina was one of the wealthiest nations in the world.

So, Argentina wasn’t always broke. They are now. So, if it can happen to Argentina, it can happen to America if we’re doing the same exact thing that they did – running these big deficits, printing all of this money.”

Posted in US

Leaked: Israeli plan to cleanse out Gaza

•November 3, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Israeli plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza: the plan advocates the forced transfer of the population of the Gaza Strip to Sinai permanently, and calls for the international community to be leveraged to assist the move.

The Cradle • October 29, 2023 // Breitbart

Israeli culture magazine Mekovit published on 28 October a leaked document issued by Israel’s Ministry of Intelligence recommending the occupation of Gaza and total transfer of its 2.3 million inhabitants to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

The document, issued on 13 October, identifies a plan to transfer all residents of the Gaza Strip to North Sinai as the preferred option among three alternatives regarding the future of the Palestinians in Gaza at the end of the current war between Israel and the Hamas-led Palestinian resistance.

The document recommends that Israel evacuate the Gazan population to Sinai during the war, establish tent cities and new cities in northern Sinai to accommodate the deported population, and then create a closed security zone stretching several kilometers inside Egypt. The deported Palestinians would not be allowed to return to any areas near the Israeli border.

Palestinians shelter at a tent camp set up for those who were displaced from their homes by Israel’s evacuation orders and airstrikes, Khan Younis.

The existence of the document does not necessarily indicate that its recommendations are being implemented by Israel’s security establishment.

The Ministry of Intelligence, headed by Gila Gamliel of the Likud party, does not control any of Israel’s intelligence agencies, but independently prepares studies and policy papers, which are distributed for consideration by the government and its security bodies.

However, recent statements by Israeli government officials and actions by the Israeli army in Gaza suggest the plan is indeed being implemented. Since 7 October, Israeli officials have repeatedly issued warnings to Palestinians to move to southern Gaza in advance of a looming ground invasion.

Israel has imposed a total siege on Gaza, cutting off food, water, fuel, and electricity. The siege, combined with intense Israeli bombing that has killed over 8,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, threatens to make Gaza uninhabitable.

An official at the Ministry of Intelligence confirmed that the ten-page document is authentic but “was not supposed to reach the media,” Mekovit noted.

According to a right-wing activist, the document from the Ministry of Intelligence was leaked by a member of Likud. Leaking the document was an attempt to find out whether “the public in Israel is ready to accept ideas of a transfer from Gaza.”

The document unequivocally and explicitly recommends carrying out a transfer of civilians from Gaza as the desired outcome of the war.

An Israeli government ministry has drafted a wartime proposal to transfer the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

The transfer plan is divided into several phases: in the first phase, the population in Gaza must be forced to move to southern Gaza, while Israeli air strikes will focus on targets in northern Gaza.

In the second phase, the Israeli army’s ground entry into Gaza will begin, which will lead to the occupation of the entire strip, from north to south, and the “cleansing of the underground bunkers from Hamas fighters.”

At the same time as the Gaza Strip is occupied, the citizens of Gaza will move to Egyptian territory and will be prevented from returning permanently.

“It is important to leave the traffic lanes towards the south usable, to allow the evacuation of the civilian population towards Rafah,” the document states.

The document recommends beginning a dedicated campaign that will “motivate” Gazans “to agree to the plan,” and make them give up their land.

Gazan should be convinced that “Allah made sure that you lost this land because of the leadership of Hamas – there is no choice but to move to another place with the help of Your Muslim brothers,” the document reads.

“I am thy shield! Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates” (Genesis 15)

Further, the plan states the government must launch a public relations campaign that will promote the transfer program to western states in a way that does not promote hostility to Israel or damage its reputation.

The deportation of the population from Gaza must be presented as a necessary humanitarian measure to receive international support. Such a deportation could be justified if it will lead to “fewer casualties among the civilian population compared to the expected number of casualties if they remain,” the document says.

The document also states that the US should be leveraged to pressure Egypt to take in the residents of Gaza, and to encourage other European countries, and in particular Greece, Spain and Canada, to help take in and settle the refugees who will be evacuated from Gaza.

Finally, the document claims that if the population of Gaza remains, there will be “many Arab deaths” during the expected occupation of Gaza by the Israeli army, and this will damage Israel’s international image even more than the deportation of the population.

For all these reasons, the recommendation of the Ministry of Intelligence is to promote the transfer of all Palestinians in Gaza to Sinai permanently.

Posted in Israel, Zionism

Exodus (7-8)

•November 3, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Exodus 7

¹ And the Lord said unto Moses, “See, I have made thee a god (’ĕ·lō·hîm) to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. — a god ’ĕ·lō·hîm to Pharaoh;

— “a god” that is, he was to act in this business as God’s representative, God’s envoy, to act and speak in His name and to perform things beyond the ordinary course of nature;

— any messenger (mal·’āḵ) is also an angel; and God gives authority for an messenger to carry God’s name, “for My name is in him;”

“Behold, I send a messenger (mal·’āḵ) before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Have regard for him, and obey his voice. Provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for My name is in him. Exodus 23:20-21

²Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

— that he send the children of Israel out of his land; this was the principal thing to be insisted upon; and all that was said or done to him was to bring about this end, the dismission of the children of Israel out of Egypt.

³And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. — but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go; that is, not directly, not for some time, not until all the wonders are wrought, and plagues inflicted to bring him to it;

— Pharaoh first hardening his own heart against God; leaving him to strong delusions, to believe the lying miracles of his magicians: this the Lord thought fit to acquaint Moses with, lest he should be discouraged by his refusal to dismiss Israel.

⁴But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egypt and bring forth Mine armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. — that I may ;lay mine hand upon Egypt; the inhabitants of Egypt, smiting them with one plague after another;

— and particularly with the last, slaying their firstborn; every plague was a stroke of his hand, and an effect of his mighty power and vengeance, and more especially that;

⁵And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” — and the Egyptians shall know; these great judgement, and Israel’s triumphant exodus, will teach the Egyptians Yehovah’s might, and His superiority to their own gods.

⁶And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them; so did they. — their reluctance and resistance from this time ceased.

⁷And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old when they spoke unto Pharaoh. — and Moses was eighty years old; at this time, which is observed partly to show how long Israel had been afflicted in Egypt;

— for their great troubles and miseries began about the time of the birth of Moses, or a little before, as appears from the above history;

⁸And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

⁹“When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then thou shalt say unto Aaron, ‘Take thy rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.’” — thy rod; this Moses ordinarily held in his hand, but the rod is now called Aaron’s, because Moses had entrusted him with it.

¹⁰And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

— it became a serpent; or a “dragon” as the Septuagint says; not only to affect Pharaoh with wonder, but to strike a terror upon him, because it was also an Egyptian deity.

¹¹Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. Now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. — the names of these magicians of Egypt, Janis and Jamberes, were already incorporated in the Targum, but picked up by Paul in II Timothy 3:8;

¹²For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. — swallowed up their rods and so gave proof of Aaron’s superiority to the magicians; though this miracle made no impression upon Pharaoh.

¹³And He hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. — he hardened Pharaoh’s heart; or, “notwithstanding the heart of Pharaoh was hardened” though he saw the rods of his magicians devoured by rod;

— or “therefore” his heart was hardened, because he saw that the rods of his magicians became serpents as well as Aaron’s; that he hearkened not unto them; to Moses and Aaron, and comply with their demand, to dismiss the people of Israel;

¹⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuseth to let the people go. — Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; or “heavy,” dull and stupid, stiff and inflexible, cannot lift up his heart, or find in his heart to obey the will of God;

¹⁵Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning. Lo, he goeth out unto the water, and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink until he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

— and thou shall stand by against the brink of the river Nile, in order to meet him, seems rather to imply a daily custom of the Pharaoh; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand; as a terror to Pharaoh;

¹⁶And thou shalt say unto him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness”; and behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

— saying, let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness; the demand is once more renewed, before any punishment is inflicted for refusal, that the patience and forbearance of God might be the more visible, and his judgments appear the more righteous when inflicted, as well as Pharaoh be left more inexcusable.

¹⁷Thus saith the Lord: “In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: Behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

— they shall be turned to blood, which was a very grievous plague to them; both because it was an eternal dishonour to their religion, and because from hence they had both their drink and their meat; and if this river was their god;

¹⁸And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.”’” — the water of the Nile has always been regarded by the Egyptians as a blessing unique to their land; now with the water changed into blood and stink, this was a severe calamity.

¹⁹And the Lord spoke unto Moses, “Say unto Aaron, ‘Take thy rod and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

— both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone; in which water were kept in private houses, fetched from the river for the use of families; all which were to be turned into blood everywhere, in all parts of the land, and in all places mentioned, immediately upon Aaron’s taking his rod, and smiting the waters with it in that part of the river that was before him.

²⁰And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

— and all the waters that were in the river were turned into blood; not only the face of the waters looked like blood, but they were really turned into it; and not only the surface of the water, but all the water that was in the river, wherever it flowed, and as far as it flowed in the land of Egypt.

²¹And the fish that were in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. — the change in the water extended to “the streams,” or different arms of the Nile; or canals; “the ponds,” that is, every collection of water;

²²And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them, as the Lord had said. — the magicians could not act on this large scale; they could only operate, or seem to operate, on some small quantity of water;

²³And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. — neither did he set his heart (that is, pay attention); Pharaoh did not lay even this to heart; he passed it over as a slight matter, unworthy of much thought, and “turned, and went into his house.

²⁴And all the Egyptians dug round about the river for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the river. — for they could not drink of the waters of the river; it being turned into blood, and stunk so exceedingly;

— and though they might strain it, and make it in some measure, drinkable, and might make use of the juice of herbs, and other things, to extinguish their thirst, and the better sort might have a stock of wine, yet multitudes must be greatly distressed.

²⁵And seven days were fulfilled after the Lord had smitten the river. — and seven days were fulfilled; these words seem to mark the duration of the first plague.

Exodus 8

¹ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, “Go unto Pharaoh and say unto him, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

— again, while the main purpose of the plague was to punish the nation by which Israel had been so long oppressed, the secondary object of throwing contempt upon their, religion was main-rained. Frogs were among the Egyptian sacred animals.

²And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs. — I will smite all thy borders with frogs: fill the whole land of Egypt with them, to the utmost borders thereof on every side.

³And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants and upon thy people, and into thine ovens and into thy kneading troughs.

— everywherea bundantly: which must be very offensive and troublesome to them, what with their ugly shape, croaking noise and filthy smell, and the disagreeable touch of them, leaping on them, and even upon their food, and all vessels used for the same, which must make it very nauseous and distasteful to them;

⁴And the frogs shall come up both on thee and upon thy people and upon all thy servants.’” — even the king himself not excepted; his people, and servants, high and low, rich and poor, and upon the king’s ministers, courtiers, and nobles; but the children of Israel may be thought to be exempted from this plague;

⁵And the Lord spoke unto Moses, “Say unto Aaron, ‘Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.’” — say unto Aaron, stretch forth thy hand with thy rod; for Aaron was to speak and to do whatever he ordered him from the Lord;

⁶And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. — and the frogs came and covered the land of Egypt: they came up at once, and in such multitudes everywhere, that the whole land was full of them;

⁷And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. — the magicians would seem foolishishly to have been able to increase the plague, but not to remove it;

⁸Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord, that he may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord.”

— Pharaoh said, entreat the Lord; this is the man, who, not long ago, proudly said, Who is the Lord? Who is Jehovah? He now begins to know something of Jehovah’s power and justice at least;

⁹And Moses said unto Pharaoh, “Glory over me: When shall I entreat for thee and for thy servants and for thy people to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?” — when shall I entreat for thee, that they may remain in this river only?

¹⁰And he said, “Tomorrow.” And Moses said, “Be it according to thy word, that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God. — and he said, be it according to thy word, as if he had said, it shall be done as thou hast desired, and at the time fixed;

¹¹And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses and from thy servants and from thy people. They shall remain in the river only.”

¹²And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. — and Moses cried unto the Lord: prayed unto him with great fervency, and with a loud voice, most fervently entreating that the frogs might be removed on the morrow, as he had promised;

¹³And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. — so that the land stank with the odour of their putrefaction;

¹⁴And they gathered them together upon heaps, and the land stank. — and the land stank; with the stench of the dead frogs, which was another proof and evidence of the reality of the miracle;

¹⁵But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart and hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. — but when Pharaoh saw that there was respite; from his affliction, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; the plague was removed, and he found himself and his people at ease:

— or there was a “breathing” before he and his people were so oppressed, that they could scarce breathe, but now being delivered from the judgment on them with which they were straitened, were enlarged and at liberty, and in easy circumstances: he hardened his heart;

¹⁶And the Lord said unto Moses, “Say unto Aaron, ‘Stretch out thy rod and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” — it is observed by Hebrew commentators that the nine plagues are divided into three groups:

— distinct warnings are given of the first two plagues in each group; the third in each is inflicted without any previous notice; namely, the third, lice, the sixth, boils, the ninth, darkness.

¹⁷And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and on beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. — that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt: not gnats, nor flies, but lice, though perhaps not of the common and ordinary sort, but new and extraordinary;

¹⁸And the magicians so did with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not; so there were lice upon man and upon beast. — it was as easy for them to produce lice as frogs, but God forbid them, partly to confound them, and to show that what they did before was only by his consent, but to show them that even the dust of the earth obeys him.

¹⁹Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. — the finger of God; the magicians meant to say, “This is beyond the power of man: it is supernatural;

²⁰And the Lord said unto Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Lo, he cometh forth to the water, and say unto him, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

— cometh forth to the water; it is not improbable that on this occasion Pharaoh went to the Nile, and Moses was ordered to meet him while walking on the banks of the Nile and repeat his request for the liberation of Israel;

²¹Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants and upon thy people and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

— and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of the swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are; their number would be so very great.

²²And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. — and I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell; distinguish it from other parts of the land of Egypt:

— but restricted to the place where Pharaoh lived, and to bound and limit such sort of creatures as flies, which move swiftly from place to place, and particularly to keep the land of Goshen clear of them;

²³And I will put a division between My people and thy people. Tomorrow shall this sign be.’”

²⁴And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. — into the house of Pharaoh, and into the houses of his servants;

— and into all the land of Egypt: into the palace of Pharaoh, and of his nobles, ministers and courtiers, and into the dwelling places of all his subjects, throughout the whole land, excepting the land of Goshen;

²⁵And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron and said, “Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.” — the Pharaoh gave way before this plague ended and without waiting for any remonstrance on the part of the magicians or others, he “called for Moses.”

— and said, go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land; that is, in the land of Goshen, in the place where they were; he was willing to allow them the liberty of sacrificing to their God, which it seems they had before; but then he would not consent they should go out of the land to do it.

²⁶And Moses said, “It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? — the abomination of the Egyptians; that which the Egyptians abhor to kill, or to see killed; because they worshipped them as gods, as is notoriously known.

²⁷We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as He shall command us.” — we will go three days’ journey into the wilderness; as was first insisted on, and from which demand they should not depart;

²⁸And Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away. Entreat for me.” — for the first time Pharaoh shows his real objection to letting the Israelites go: he is afraid that they will escape him;

— so he suggests the compromise: entreat or petition for me; that they shall just enter the wilderness on his eastern border, remaining near the frontier, and therefore within his reach.

²⁹And Moses said, “Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people tomorrow; but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

— let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more. God’s servants must rebuke even kings when they openly break any of their words; and told the Pharaoh not to deceive them again as he had done before;

³⁰And Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. — entreat for me; the words seem to be spoken in haste, and with great eagerness and vehemence;

³¹And the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. — there remained not one; the meaning is not, not one swarm of flies, but not one fly, there was not one left;

³²And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. — again, it is after being impressed, and partially relenting, that Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

Posted in Books of Moses

Over 10 Million Have Crossed US Border

•November 2, 2023 • Leave a Comment

What goes around comes around. Now over 10 Million Illegals Have Crossed US Border Under Biden – Report Claims

Sputnik International • October 30, 2023

More than 10 million people may have illegally entered the United States since President Joe Biden took the reins in January 2021, according to Center Square, a US conservative website. US President Joe Biden at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 25, 2023. - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.10.2023

Republicans have subjected US President Joe Biden’s border policy to harsh criticism since the beginning of his tenure which saw an abrupt influx of migrants through the Mexican border.

Currently, GOP presidential candidates and lawmakers are lashing out at Team Biden for failing to secure the southern frontier, prompting the latter to backpedal on its decision to axe the Donald Trump-era effort to build a border wall. Thus, in early October, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to install 20 new miles of barriers along the Rio Grande in southeastern Texas.

Over 10 Million Have Crossed US Border Under Biden – Report Claims

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, released on Friday, indicated that US immigration enforcement released over 900,000 migrants into the country in fiscal 2023, marking the third consecutive year of record high illegal border crossings under Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, Center Square – a project of the Franklin News Foundation, a conservative online news organization – estimates that the number of illegals entering the US has reached a whopping 10 million since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.

In Queens, NY, immigrants filled the sidewalks and streets

The conservative media went on saying that the figure does not include “gotaway data,” which CBP does not make public. However, the media noted that it managed to obtain those numbers from a Border Patrol agent, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity.

“Since January 2021, total illegal border crossers apprehended nationwide were 8,396,198. Combined with at least 1,678,979 gotaways, the number increases to over 10 million (at least 10,075,177),” the conservative media outlet noted.

The media outlet cited official US CBP data for fiscal years 2020-2023. (CBP fiscal year is from October 1 to September 30). Given that CBP reported 3,201,144 apprehensions in fiscal 2023; 2,766,582 in fiscal 2022; 1,956,519 in fiscal 2021; and 471,954 in nine months of the Biden administration in fiscal 2020, the total number of official apprehensions amounts to 8,396,199.

Thus, the news outlet estimated that the minimum reported gotaways from January 1, 2021, to September 30, 2023 could be at least 1,678,979.

The report lamented the fact that the gargantuan figure is greater than the individual populations of 41 states, adding that the only states with an estimated population greater than 10 million are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina.

What’s more, among those crossing the border illegally were thousands of suspected terrorists as well as drug and human traffickers, as per the conservative news outlet.

The burning border issue adds to the plummeting approval numbers of President Joe Biden, who announced his reelection bid in April. Joe’s rating among his fellow Democratic Party members has slid 11 percentage points since September to 75%, while his overall approval has fallen to 37%, according to a new Gallup poll.

“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished” Ezekiel 6:6

“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.

“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25

Posted in Esau, Latin Americas, Southern Border, US

Exodus (5-6)

•November 1, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Exodus 5

¹ And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’” — let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness of Sinai or Horeb there, where they might keep it more freely and safely, without being disturbed by outsiders;

²And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” — that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go? he knew of no superior monarch to him, whose orders he was obliged to obey in any respect, and particularly in this, the dismission of the people of Israel out of land;

³And they said, “The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” — lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword: this they urge as a reason to have their request granted, taken from the danger they should be exposed unto, should they not be allowed to go and offer sacrifice to God;

⁴And the king of Egypt said unto them, “Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, delay the people from their work? Get you unto your burdens!” — wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? The Pharaoh regards the pilgrimage as merely an excuse for a holiday;

— Get you to your burdens; these words were addressed to the Israelites, the elders of whom went with Moses, several others also probably following him, when he went in unto Pharaoh, impatient to see what the end would be.

⁵And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens!” — they are already sufficiently numerous; and putting a stop to their labours could unsettle them, and make them dangerous to their masters.

⁶And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, — taskmasters and officers; taskmasters were Egyptians; “officers” (shoterim) supervisors or foremen, were undoubtedly Hebrews.

⁷“Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. — let them go and gather straw: a mixture of clay, mud and straw; it has been estimated that this requirement would “more than double” the people’s toils;

⁸And the tally of bricks which they made heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish any thereof. For they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ — therefore they cry, let us go and sacrifice to our God;

— suggesting, that this request and cry of theirs did not proceed from a religious principle, or the great veneration they had for their God, but from the sloth and idleness they were addicted to.

⁹Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words.” — vain words; those of Moses and Aaron, which he claimed were vain, or false; that is, that they falsely pretended that their God had commanded them to go and worship, when it was only a crafty design of their own to advance themselves by raising sedition.

¹⁰And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “Thus saith Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. — and the taskmasters of the people went out; from the presence of Pharaoh, out of his court, to the respective places where they were set to see that the Israelites did their work;

— and their officers; the officers of the Israelites, who were under the taskmasters, and answerable to them for the work of the people, and their tale of bricks.

¹¹Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it; yet not any of your work shall be diminished.’” — “Let the work be heavy upon the people, and they shall stick to their work, and not look at lying words.”

¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. — to gather stubble instead of straw; straw not being easy to come at, they were obliged to gather stubble that was left in the fields, after the corn was gathered in.

¹³And the taskmasters hastened them, saying, “Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.” — and the taskmasters hasted them; kept them tight and close to their work, and were urgent on them to make quick dispatch of it;

¹⁴And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were demanded, “Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?” — this makes it clear, not only that the taskmasters and officers were different persons, but that the one were Egyptians appointed by Pharaoh, and the other were Israelites;

— and were demanded, wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and today, as before?

¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, “Why dealest thou thus with thy servants? — “Why do you treat your servants like this?”

¹⁶There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.” — the Egyptian task-masters, who, by sending us abroad to gather straw, hinder us from doing the work which they require;

— and so they are both unjust and unreasonable. They charge the task-masters, not the king, either in civility and duty, casting his fault upon the instruments; or because they did not know, or at best not believe, that this was the king’s act.

¹⁷But he said, “Ye are idle, ye are idle! Therefore ye say, ‘Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.’ — but he said, ye are idle, ye are idle; instead of expressing indignation at the taskmasters, and relieving the officers and the people, he insults them in a flouting sarcastic way, charging them with sloth and idleness;

— therefore ye say, let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord; suggesting that it was not so much the service and honour of God they regarded, as that they might have a leisure day from work and labour.

¹⁸Go therefore now and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tally of bricks.”

¹⁹And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil straits after it was said, “Ye shall not diminish any from your bricks of your daily task.” — after it was said, ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task; after this had been said and confirmed by Pharaoh, they had no hope of things being better with them, but looked upon their misfortune as irretrievable.

²⁰And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. — when the Israelitish overlookers saw that they were in an evil condition, they came to meet Moses and Aaron, waiting for them as they came out from the king, and reproaching them with only making the circumstances of the people worse.

²¹And they said unto them, “The Lord look upon you and judge, because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.” — a sword . . . to slay us; this the officers may have feared that their inability to enforce the Pharaoh’s impracticable demands would ultimately lead to their execution.

²²And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, “Lord, why hast Thou so evilly treated this people? Why is it that Thou hast sent me? — Moses returned unto the Lord; he could find nothing to say to the officers;

— the course of events had as much disappointed him as it had them. All that he could do was to complain to God, “must I, who hoped to be a blessing, become a scourge to them?”

²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.” — “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, the Pharaoh has done evil to this people, and thou hast not delivered thy people at all.”

Exodus 6

¹ Then the Lord said unto Moses, “Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.” — now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: in inflicting punishments on him: for with a strong hand shall he let them go; being forced to it by the mighty hand of God upon him;

²And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, “I am the Lord. — I am the Lord; that is, יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah;

³And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but by My name Jehovah was I not known to them. — and I appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, El-Shaddai;

— “but by my name Yehovah was I not known to them?” God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Yahweh, since it is only used among the Samaritan communities; and not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century; (more on this at the end)

⁴And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. — the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers; not being in actual possession of any part of it, but lived as pilgrims and strangers in it, as their posterity now did in another land not theirs;

⁵And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant. — that covenent was with Abraham, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt [river Nile] unto the great river, the River Euphrates,” Genesis 15:18.

Moses was to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt into a land ”which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” Exodus 6:8.

⁶Therefore 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 from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

— and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm; with an arm stretched out from heaven to earth; by the exertion of his almighty power, openly and manifestly displayed in the lighting down of his arm upon the enemies of his people, and in delivering them out of their hands;

⁷And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, who bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. — and I will be to you a God, to be revered by you, and also to be your all-powerful leader, protector and benefactor.

⁸And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the Lord.’” — to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; where God has authority and power to dispose of lands and kingdoms as he please; and faithful to give them what he had promised.

⁹And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel, but they hearkened not unto Moses from anguish of spirit and from cruel bondage. — but they hearkened not unto Moses; being disappointed of deliverance by him, and their afflictions being increased, and lying heavy upon them, they were heartless and hopeless;

¹⁰And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, — at another time, and renewed his orders to him to go again to Pharaoh, and require their dismission;

¹¹“Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.” — the second message was an advance upon the first;

— the first asked only for permission to enter the wilderness, much of which was within the limits of Egypt; the second was a demand that the Israelites should be allowed “to go out of the land.”

¹²And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me. How then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” — “uncircumcised” is used, according to the Hebrew idiom, for any imperfection which interferes with efficiency: “slow of speech and of a slow tongue.”

¹³And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. — this time, no notice is taken of the objection of Moses, having been sufficiently answered before, and Aaron is joined with him in the following charge;

¹⁴These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. — this genealogy describes here, to show the lineage of Moses and Aaron, by. whom this great work was to be effected. Only he promiseth in brief the genealogy of his two elder brethren. Reuben and Simeon;

¹⁵And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

¹⁶And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were a hundred thirty and seven years.

¹⁷The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimi, according to their families.

¹⁸And the sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar, and Hebron and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years.

¹⁹And the sons of Merari: Mahali and Mushi; these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

²⁰And Amram took Jochebed, his father’s sister, for a wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years.

²¹And the sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.

²²And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Zithri.

²³And Aaron took Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, for a wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

²⁴And the sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.

²⁵And Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took one of the daughters of Putiel for a wife; and she bore him Phinehas; these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.

²⁶These are that Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” — their armies; this expression is here used of the Israelites for the first time. It seems to refer to that organisation, of a quasi-military character,

— which was given to the people by the order of Moses during the long struggle with Pharaoh, and which enabled them at last to quit Egypt, not a disorderly mob, but “harnessed,” or “in military array” (Exodus 13:18). The expression is repeated in Exodus 7:4; Exodus 12:17; Exodus 12:51.

²⁷These are they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. — this emphatic repetition shows the reason for inserting the genealogy;

— the names of Moses and Aaron are given twice and in a different order; used in Exodus 6:26 probably to mark Aaron as the older in the genealogy, and used in Exodus 6:27 to denote the leadership of Moses.

²⁸And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt, — and it came to pass indicates a time gap;

²⁹that the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.” — speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee; that he let Israel go;

— and that in case of refusal, that he would punish him and his people with this and the other plague, one after another, and at last slay him and their firstborn.

³⁰And Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?” — of uncircumcised lips; as he had done, Exodus 6:13, and this is only a repetition of what is there said, in order to lead on to what is related in the following chapter.

~~~~

Allies Fear US Is Overextended

•October 31, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Allies Fear US Is Overextended as Global Conflicts Spread

Bloomberg October 28, 2023 // Yahoo News

(Bloomberg) — Joe Biden came to office declaring America is back. Now, facing hot wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and a simmering cold one with China, the US is beginning to look overextended.

The US defense industry — Biden’s “arsenal of democracy” — is struggling to produce enough artillery shells to ensure Ukraine can keep firing them at Russian forces. The Pentagon is bombing targets in Syria as it rushes air defenses to the region to protect troops in case Israel’s war against Hamas prompts new attacks by enemies. Taiwan, another American ally, has stepped up orders for American weapons as China confronts it over strategic sea lanes.

In capitals across Europe and Asia, officials are growing worried that some partners might ultimately be shortchanged as the surge in simultaneous challenges strains the US ability to respond and its defense industry struggles to produce enough weapons for all these conflicts. Rivals in Beijing, Moscow and Tehran, they fear, won’t miss the openings that creates.

Adding to the alarm is the presidential election just over a year from now that may return Donald Trump to the White House with his talk of pulling out of alliances, making deals with Russia and openly confronting Iran and China. Already, Biden’s $106 billion budget request for aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan is running into headwinds from Republicans in Congress.

Biden has raced to reassure leaders around the world that the US would be able to confront all the threats at once and deliver on its promises of support.

Privately, however, administration officials concede that the crisis in the Middle East has upended what had been a key tenet of their global approach – that the long-tumultuous region was finally heading into a period where it wouldn’t require such a big US commitment, allowing Washington to focus more on the threat from China. That eastward pivot is likely to be slowed, officials said.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had to hastily recast the online version of his 7,000-word essay for Foreign Affairs on “The Sources of American Power” this week to delete a reference to the Middle East as “quieter than it’s been in decades.”

Since the Hamas attack on October 7, the US has been rushing forces back to the Middle East. Biden dispatched two aircraft carrier groups and air-defense systems to the region, and put thousands of troops on heightened alert, in what officials call a signal to Iran and other rivals in the region not to join the fight when Israel launches a widely expected ground invasion of Gaza.

But that message of deterrence doesn’t seem to have gotten through. This week, the US sent warplanes to strike targets in Syria – its first military action in the region since October 7 – after a string of attacks by Iran-backed militias had injured more than a dozen troops at US bases there and in Iraq.

Administration officials underline there are no plans at the moment to have US troops fight on the ground in the Middle East. But Biden, who even as vice president was known for telling aides in the Situation Room that superpowers don’t bluff, is fully aware of the risks that the American forces may be drawn in if efforts to contain the conflict fail.

In Ukraine, the US has been adamant from even before Russia’s February 2022 invasion that it wouldn’t get directly involved in the fighting, instead marshaling allies and providing military and financial support that’s been essential to Kyiv’s ability to push back Moscow’s forces.

But now, with Ukraine’s counteroffensive this year making slow progress against Russia’s defenses and questions in Congress growing about the continued commitment to support Kyiv as the war settles into a standoff, the global message looks less clear. The Kremlin, for its part, is betting that it will be able to outlast the US and its allies.

Now, Israel is also seeking some of the same kinds of shells Ukraine needs for its war against Hamas. Taiwan, at the same time, has ordered some of the same air-defense weapons that both Israel and Ukraine use.

Already, Moscow seems to be winning the race in artillery shells, which have become a key weapon in the conflict. Ukraine has depleted limited US and allied stocks and efforts to escalate production, especially in Europe, have faced setbacks.

“Our industrial base was not prepared to have to restock so many different types of weapons for multiple different partners at the same time,” said Michèle Flournoy, a former undersecretary of Defense for policy. “In all three cases, our ability to equip train and support these partners is really the primary means by which we can safeguard our own interests,” she said.

“The US risks overreaching at a dangerously complicated and uncertain time in the world during a time when we see historic American dysfunction, incompetence and division in our ability to govern,” said former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have no assurance of thy life.

In the morning thou shalt say, ‘Would God it were evening!’ and at evening thou shalt say, ‘Would God it were morning!’ for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. Deuteronomy 28:66-67

Posted in US

Europe Facing Civil War?

•October 30, 2023 • Leave a Comment

ZeroHedge by Tyler Durden October 28, 2023 // Datestone Institute

In Vienna, London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and dozens of other European cities, demonstrations “in support of Palestine” were organised even before the Israelis responded the jihadist pogrom perpetrated by Iran-backed Hamas on October 7, while the corpses of more than 1,400 Israeli victims — tortured, raped, murdered and mutilated, babies decapitated or burned alive — were still warm. According to a JNS report:

“The IDF on Monday, October 23, published two segments from the interrogation of Hamas terrorists who participated in the massacre.

“‘The purpose of entering Israeli territory… was to kidnap civilians; they want as many hostages as possible,’ one of the terrorists revealed. He added, ‘They [Hamas] promised us that whoever brings a kidnapped person will receive an apartment and $10,000.'”

All the same, each and every one of these demonstrations in Europe was the scene of hate-filled slogans against Israel and Jews.

In Brussels, those slogans were shouted, and the atmosphere of violence and blood-lust was everywhere. Around me, surrounded by about 2,000 hate-filled demonstrators, a group of a dozen young Arabs were shouting “Death to the Jews” and “Death to Israel,” all the while exchanging knowing smiles and a few jokes. One of them ordered me to stop filming. I did.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger explained in an interview recently that Europe had made a serious mistake by creating within itself, through mass immigration, populations that reject all its norms, values and a “constitutional basis.” He deplored the fact that in 2023 in Berlin, almost 80 years after the Holocaust, people, with complete impunity, are shouting “Death to the Jews” in the streets.

Thousands march to Israeli embassy in Kensington for Free Palestine

In the hours following the revelation of the butchery committed by Hamas, a wave of racist violence and attacks began in Europe, especially in France. Against Arabs or Muslims? Not at all. Against Jews, of course. In Europe, Jews are still the victims of hatred and violence. Apparently it is a way for our local pro-Hamas Europeans to celebrate the jihad pogrom of October 7.

Even though the media have been warning us for 30 years about the risk of violence against Muslims, in deeds and figures, our Jewish fellow citizens are infinitely more victims of violence and abuse than are Muslims living in Europe. Already in 2015, Jeffrey Goldberg warned in The Atlantic: “In 2014, Jews in Europe were murdered, raped, beaten, stalked, chased harassed, spat on and chased for being Jewish.”

I feel a certain fatigue towards those who hold Israelis and Arabs equally responsible. Not just the European Left, which often no longer takes the trouble to hide its anti-Semitism. No, also those on the right who, out of cowardice or ignorance, tell us that Israel had it coming.

Let us look at a few facts: In 2005, seeing that the peace process had reached an impasse, Israel forcibly expelled 8,500 Jews from their homes in the Gaza Strip and bulldozed all their homes and communities. From that day on, there was not a single Israeli foot on Gaza soil and Gaza was “free.” Now, with not one Jew there, the Arabs of Gazan finally had total control of this beautiful land on the Mediterranean coast and could build the “Singapore of the Middle East.”

A group of Americans even donated $14 million to buy 3,000 greenhouses from the expelled Jews and donated them to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to ensure that the Gazans could start with businesses there. Within days, they all had been looted and destroyed.

In 2006, elections were held in Gaza; the majority of Gazans voted for the totalitarian terrorist organisation, Hamas, whose openly stated goal was — and still is — the total destruction of Israel and the eradication of the Jews (Articles 7, 32).

In 2007, in response to Hamas’s smuggling in weapons to fulfil its genocidal mission, a blockade of Gaza was introduced by Israel and Egypt, in agreement with the Palestinian Authority, which Hamas had just persuaded to leave Gaza by killing hundreds of its members, some by throwing them from the top floors of high buildings.

Israel bears no responsibility whatsoever for the pogrom it suffered on October 7, the responsibility for which lies entirely not only with the psychopaths of Hamas but at least as much with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the puppet-master and aspiring hegemon of the region.

But let us return to Europe. In most Western European countries, support for terrorism and incitement to hatred and violence against non-Muslims have gone from being offences, to being support for and diversity and “multiculturalism.” 99% of those who commit these offences are never prosecuted, let alone convicted. Saying “Death to the Jews” and “Gas the Jews” has again become acceptable in the West.

No sane person, according to Thucydides, wants the worst form of war, which is civil war. It is for this reason that Europe needs to better understand what it has done to itself. Europe doubtless intended to “do good” but has demographically overwhelmed itself with people who Europeans may have imagined were fleeing tyranny, but who in fact were bringing tyranny with them. Three measures seem worth considering.

The first is a moratorium on immigration. Europeans will have the greatest difficulty integrating the populations already present in their countries. They may not even be able to. Many do not seem to want to integrate into European culture; they appear to want Europeans to integrate into theirs. It should by now be obvious that adding millions of newcomers every year will not solve the problem.

This would mean leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The extremist “open borders” jurisprudence of the Strasbourg Court prevents any development of a rational asylum policy. In 2012, the ECHR enacted the so-called “Hirsi ruling,” named after the court case of Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy, which states that the European states have the legal obligation to rescue migrants wherever they find them in the Mediterranean Sea — even just 200 meters away from the Libyan coast — and ferry them to a European port, so that these people can claim refugee status.

When the Italian Navy intercepted illegal migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and sent them back to their point of origin in Libya, not only did the ECHR condemn Italy for this “obvious” breach of human rights; the Italians had to pay 15,000 euros ($17,000 at the time) to each of these illegal migrants in the name of “moral damage.” This kind of money is equivalent to more than 10 years of income in the countries of origin of Mr Hirsi Jamaa and his companions: Somalia and Eritrea.

In 2016, Somalia’s GDP per capita was an estimated $400; Eritrea’s $1,300. Everyone, of course, heard about the Hirsi ruling. In Africa, especially, many understood that if they could reach the Mediterranean, European navies would now be obliged to ferry them directly to Europe.

Before the Hirsi ruling, when people tried to reach the shores of Europe, hundreds every year tragically died at sea. After Hirsi, the objective is now simply to be intercepted. Consequently, hundreds of thousands attempt this journey — often with the help of non-governmental organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, whose activists wait for boats to appear at sea, just off the Libyan coast.

Finally, Europeans will have to do the unthinkable: actually apply their laws. If anyone — Muslim or non-Muslim — wants to celebrate the jihadist pogroms against Jews, well, they can go and rejoice in Iran or Qatar. Not in Europe.

Every “Death to the Jews” or “Death to Israel” uttered in Europe, particularly after babies tortured, burned alive and beheaded, women raped and more than 200 Israelis dragged back to Gaza as hostages on October 7, is an insult not only to Jews, but to us, what we are, our laws, our democracies and the will of the people.

On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

Posted in Europe, Islamic, Southern Border

Exodus (3-4)

•October 29, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Exodus 3

¹ Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

— Horeb; also called Sinai, Exodus 19:1; that is, “dry,” “desert,” was the general name for the mountainous district in which Sinai is situated, and of which it is a part.

— mountain of God; so named either according to Hebrew idiom from its great height, as “great mountains,” Hebrew, “mountains of God” (Ps 36:6); “goodly cedars,” Hebrew, “cedars of God” (Ps 80:10);

²And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. — the “angel of the Lord” is certainly not “the Lord” hence he is an angel;

— but sometimes the Son appears as an angel: Malakh or messenger; hence this being in the fire could be a created angel or he could be the Son;

³And Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

⁴And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here am I.”

— the name of the Lord, יהוה, is comprised of 3 different letters that form the words for;

‘was’, היה, PAST
‘is’, הוה PRESENT
‘will be’, יהיה FUTURE

⁵And He said, “Draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

⁶Moreover He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

— many commentators mistakenly identify this Being “the Lord” is the Son; but more events that followed were to revealed (regarding the Temple, even the Son says this is my Father’s House, not the Son’s; and as such the Being in the Holy of Holies, accepting the sacrificial blood sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat during the Day of Atonement) this Being is certainly the Father;

⁷And the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. — and have heard their cry, by reason of their taskmasters; who were set over them to see that they did their work;

— and to lay heavy burdens on them, and afflict them by all manner of ways they could devise; and who abused and beat them for not doing what was not to be done, which made them cry out because of their barbarous usage of them, and cry unto God for help and deliverance;

⁸And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

— the enumeration of the nations here mentioned are only five of the ten whose land was promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:19-21) being expressly mentioned. One, however, that of the Hivites, is added;

— but the “the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites,” were not mentioned here; perhaps they, being the children of Esau, over four hundred years later, had already moved to Spain; for a more indepth study of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah;

⁹Now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel hath come unto Me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. — and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them; which is repeated to emphasis he took of their suffering;

¹⁰Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” — to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up to a good and broad land, to the place of the Canaanites;

¹¹And Moses said unto God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” — who am I, that I should go? the men most fit for great missions are apt to deem themselves unfit. When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, his reply was, “O Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6).

¹²And He said, “Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” — God replies – “Thou wilt not be unfit, since I will be with thee – I will supply thy deficiencies;

¹³And Moses said unto God, “Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, ‘The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,’ and they shall say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say unto them?” — what is his name; the meaning of this question is evidently: “By which name shall I tell them that the promise is confirmed?”

— Israel’s God had had no name that could be called a proper name more than any other. He had been known as “El,” “the High;” “Shad-dai,” “the Strong;” and “Yehovah,” “the Existent;” but these terms had all been felt to be descriptive epithets, and none of them had passed as yet into a proper name.

¹⁴And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am.” And He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘I Am hath sent me unto you.’” — the name of the Lord, יהוה, is comprised of 3 different letters that form the words for;

‘was’, היה, PAST
‘is’, הוה PRESENT
‘will be’, יהיה FUTURE

— the true meaning of the Hebrew, אהיה אשׁר אהיה, ’Ehyeh ’ăsher ’ehyeh: Yehovah promises that He will be, to Moses and His people, what He will be—something which is undefined;

— thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you; or as the Targum has it, “I am he that is, and that shall be.”

¹⁵And God said moreover unto Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.’ This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

— the Lord God of your fathers; Hebrew, Yehovah, God of your fathers. The “I AM” of the preceding verse (‘ehyeh) is modified here into Yehovah, by a substitution of the third person for the first. The meaning of the name remains the same;

— lastly, God’s name in Hebrew is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah (not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century);

¹⁶Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob appeared unto me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;

— the elders; either by age, or rather by office and authority. For though they were all slaves to the Egyptians, yet among themselves they retained some order and government, and had doubtless some whom they owned as their teachers and rulers, or heads of tribes and families;

¹⁷and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ — the same 6 tribes as mentioned in verse 8 above;

¹⁸And they shall hearken to thy voice; and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

— they shall hearken; the pronoun “they” refers to “the elders” and they appeared to be persuaded easily, and at once.

¹⁹And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. — no, not by a mighty hand; rather, not even under a mighty hand. Pharaoh, even when chastised by God’s mighty hand, will not voluntarily permit of their departure;

²⁰And I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go. — and I will stretch out my hand; or “therefore” he would stretch out his mighty hand, exert his almighty power; and for this purpose was Pharaoh raised up, and his heart hardened, that God might show his power in him, and on him;

— and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will do in the midst thereof: with those wondrous plagues, the amazing effects of his almighty power, which were wrought by him in the midst of Egypt, by which their land, their rivers, their persons, and their cattle, were smitten;

— and after that he will let you go; this is said for their encouragement, that their faith and patience might hold out, who otherwise seeing him so obstinate and inflexible, might be ready to despair of ever succeeding.

²¹And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty, — not only will the Egyptians then let the Israelites go, but God will give them favour in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they will bestow many valuables upon them.

²²but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor and of her that sojourneth in her house jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters, and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.”

— Egypt had spoiled Israel by the tributary labour so unjustly enforced, and now Israel carried off the spoil of Egypt-a prelude to the victory which the people of God will one day obtain in their conflict with the power of the world;

— oppressed, wronged, down-trodden, miserably paid for their hard labour during centuries, the Israelites were to obtain at the last something like a compensation for their ill-usage; the riches of the Egyptians were to be showered on them.

Exodus 4

¹ And Moses answered and said, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, ‘The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.’” — they will say, The Lord hath not appeared; it is very probable that the people would have said this if Moses had not had any credentials to produce;

— this on the background that they had been no appearance of God to any one for over two hundred years in Egypt; and the Israelites, who had not seen Moses for forty years, would not know whether he was a veracious person or not;

²And the Lord said unto him, “What is that in thine hand?” And he said, “A rod.” — a rod; the word seems to denote the long staff, from three to six feet in length; such as shepherds use in the management of their flocks, for Moses was now feeding the flock of his father-in-law. It was usually made of acacia wood.

³And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. — it became a serpent; it changed into a fiery serpent; whereby it was intimated and frightful what and how pernicious his rod should be to the Egyptians.

⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, “Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail.” And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand— — the tail was the dangerous part; whereby God would try Moses’s faith, and prepare him for the approaching difficulties.

⁵“that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee.”

— that they may believe; the sign was to convince the Israelites, in the first instance, and cause them to accept the mission of Moses (see verses 30, 31). It was afterwards to be exhibited before Pharaoh (verse 21), to try him and prove him, but not to convince him.

⁶And the Lord said furthermore unto him, “Put now thine hand into thy bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. — and when he took it out, behold, his hand was a leprosy of the white sort, and which is reckoned the worst and most difficult to be cured;

⁷And He said, “Put thine hand into thy bosom again.” And he put his hand into his bosom again and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. — it was turned again as his other flesh; the inflicting of this disease, and curing it in an instant, was so much the greater miracle, as the leprosy is a disease generally reckoned incurable by any human;

⁸“And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. — that they will believe the voice of the latter sign; which had a voice in it commanding belief that he was a messenger of God; the first sign respects his rod, the other his hand, a miracle with leprosy.

⁹And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.”

— and pour it upon the dry land, and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land; by which it would appear how easily the Lord could destroy the land of Egypt, and make it a barren land;

¹⁰And Moses said unto the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.” — I am not eloquent; not able to deliver thy message acceptably and decently, either to Pharaoh or to the Israelites.

¹¹And the Lord said unto him, “Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? — God could and would have cured the defect in Moses’ speech, whatever it was;

— could and would have added eloquence to his other gifts, if he had even at this point yielded himself up unreservedly to his guidance and heartily accepted his mission; nothing is too hard for the Lord. He gives all powers – sight, and hearing, and speech included – to whom he will.

¹²Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.” — by my Spirit to direct and assist thee what and how to speak. Whence Moses, though he still seems to have remained slow in speech, yet was in truth mighty in words as well as deeds, Acts 7:22.

¹³And he said, “O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.” — send by whom thou wilt send, by any but me; hence the anger of the Lord was kindled;

¹⁴And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. — Aaron; this is the first mention of Aaron; the words “he can speak well,” probably imply that Aaron had both the power and will to speak;

— he cometh forth to meet thee, by my instigation and direction; which, because I see thou art still diffident, I give thee for a new sign to strengthen thy belief that I will carry thee through this hard work.

¹⁵And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. — I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth; Even Aaron that could speak well, yet could not speak to purpose, unless God were with his mouth; without the constant aids of divine guidance, the best gifts will fail.

¹⁶And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. — instead of God; God did not speak to Aaron directly, but only through Moses.

— Aaron was to recognise in Moses God’s mouthpiece, and to consider what Moses told him as coming from God. Moses had still, therefore, the higher position.

¹⁷And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.” — take this rod; the staff or crook he carried as a shepherd, that he might not be ashamed of the mean condition out of which God called him. “This rod must be his staff of authority, and must be to him instead of either the sword or sceptre.

¹⁸And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, “Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren who are in Egypt and see whether they are yet alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” — Jethro said, Go in peace; Jethro’s character is altogether one of which kindness and understanding are his main elements.

¹⁹And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life.” — all the men which sought thy life; not only the Pharaoh, but the kindred of the murdered man, and the officials empowered by the Pharaoh to arrest Moses. As forty years had elapsed since the homicide, this is readily conceivable.

²⁰And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

²¹And the Lord said unto Moses, “When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand; but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

— but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go; that is, not directly, not for some time, not until all the wonders are wrought, and plagues inflicted to bring him to it;

²²And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Israel is My son, even My firstborn.

²³And I say unto thee, “Let My son go, that he may serve Me.” And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.’” — Israel is my son, even my firstborn; as dear to him as a man’s firstborn is, or as his only son;

²⁴And it came to pass, on the way at the inn, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. — the Lord met him; the Septuagint and the Targum, “an angel of the Lord;“

²⁵Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet and said, “Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.” — Zipporah took a sharp stone; she perceived, it seems, the danger of her husband;

— and he being disabled from performing the office, whether by some stroke of affliction, or the terror of so dreadful and unexpected an appearance, and a delay in a matter of such moment being dangerous, she performed the work herself;

— a bloody husband art thou to me; some think she spake to the child, whom she calls her spouse, as some late rabbins affirm the infant used to be called, when it was circumcised;

²⁶So He let him go; then she said, “A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.” — so he let him go; God let Moses go, allowed him to recover; accepted Zipporah’s act as sufficient, albeit tardy, reparation, and spared the life of her husband.

²⁷And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” And he went and met him on the mount of God, and kissed him. — the scene suddenly shifts. Moses is left in the wilderness to recover his strength and make such arrangements with respect to his wife and children as he thinks best under the circumstances.

²⁸And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. — Aaron met him in the mount of God, and kissed him; after a separation of forty years, their meeting would be mutually happy.

²⁹And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. — all the elders; the Israelites retained their own national organization; their affairs were administered by their own elders, who called a public assembly Exodus 4:31 to hear the message brought by Moses and Aaron.

³⁰And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. — Aaron did the signs; by the direction of Moses; hereby full proof was given to the people of the divine mission of Moses and their concurrence was gained before he applied to Pharaoh in their behalf.

³¹And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. — then they bowed their heads, and worshipped;

— expressing their thankfulness for the notice he took of them, and signifying their readiness to obey all instructions and directions that should be given them.

Posted in Books of Moses

China outpacing US in AI patents

•October 28, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China increasingly outpacing US in AI patents – Bloomberg

RT News • October 25, 2023 // Bloomberg

Beijing is pursuing self-reliance in critical tech sectors

China has dramatically increased its lead over the US in AI patent filings, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing data tracked by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Chinese companies and institutions applied for 29,853 AI-related patents in 2022, compared to 29,000 in the previous year. The figure is nearly 80% more than US filings, which amounted to 16,805 over the same period, marking a year-on-year decline of 5.5%.

Japan and South Korea rounded out the 2022 leaders, having applied for 8,870 and 7,899 AI patents respectively.

According to the data, China has accounted for more than 40% of global AI applications over the past year.

But in the past decade, China has filed 74.7% of the global AI patents – WIPO

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China has filed 389,571 patents in the area of AI in the past decade, accounting for 74.7% of the global total and ranking first in the world.

The growth is driven partly by the largest digital user base in the world. China is generating new data, particularly from mobile users, faster than any other country.

Chinese companies have substantially boosted investments in AI and quantum computing after President Xi Jinping urged the nation to accelerate fundamental scientific research. Beijing is aiming to increase self-reliance in crucial areas, including chipmaking, space exploration, and military sciences.

The measures were taken amid Washington’s latest efforts to curtail China’s access to advanced technologies.

Chinese multinational technology company Baidu is currently vying with tech giants such as Alibaba Group and Tencent, as well as minor startups, including Baichuan and Zhipu, to create a local response to US rival OpenAI’s groundbreaking generative AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Tech firms from China such as Huawei Technologies have already established a track record of leading innovation in the networking, supercomputing, and image recognition sectors.

The Asian nation has outpaced the US in the number of AI filings since 2017, when Chinese companies deployed algorithms in a wide range of businesses, from online shopping to ride-hailing.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Exodus (1-2)

•October 27, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The two hundred and ten years of Israel’s stay in Egypt were divided into two unequal periods, in the former and longer of which they were prosperous and favoured, while in the latter they were oppressed. Both periods had their uses and place in the shaping of the nation and its preparation for the Exodus.

Exodus 1

¹ Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob: — every man and his household came with Jacob; into Egypt, all excepting Joseph, and along with them their families, wives, children, and servants;

— though wives and servants are not reckoned into the number of the seventy, only such sons as came out of Jacob’s loins:

— the Targum of Jonathan is, “a man with the men of his house,” as if only male children were meant, the sons of Jacob and his grandsons;

²Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. The first sons of Jacob by Leah;

— the sons are arranged according to their mothers, as in Genesis 35:23-26, and the sons of the two maid-servants stand last. Leah has precedence over Rachel; Bilhah over Zilpah.

³Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin, —and Benjamin; who, though youngest of all, is placed before Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Ashe; because they were the children of the maidens.

⁴Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. — the children of each wife and concubine are given in order of seniority. The omission of Joseph from the list is explained in the last clause of Exodus 1:5.

⁵And all the souls who came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls, for Joseph was already in Egypt. — on the number 70, in which Jacob is included; but not Joseph;

— seventy souls; Jacob himself, 1; his sons, 12; his daughter, Dinah, 1; his grandsons, 51; his grand-daughter Serah, 1; his great-grandsons, 4—Total, 70. His daughters, except Dinah, and his sons’ daughters, except Serah, spoken of in Genesis 46:7, are not included;

— if his female descendants were, at the time of his descent into Egypt, as numerous as the males, the entire number of those who “came out of his loins” must have been 132.

⁶And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. — Plant by plant the leaves drop, and the stem rots and its place is empty.

⁷And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. — Seed by seed the tender green spikelets pierce the mould, and the field waves luxuriant in the breeze and the sunshine. ‘The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly.’

⁸Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. — “a new king” is a phrase not found elsewhere; perhaps to imply that he did not succeed his predecessor in the natural order of descent and inheritance;

— he “arose up over Egypt,” occupying the land, as if on different terms from the previous king whose place he took, either by usurpation or conquest.

⁹And he said unto his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. — “his people” no doubt they were his nobles, or, at any rate, his courtiers;

— ancient Egypt must have had a population of seven or eight millions, which would imply nearly two millions of adult males, whereas the adult male Israelites, near a century later, were no more than six hundred thousand (Exodus 12:37).

¹⁰Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and it come to pass, when there befalleth any war, that they join also unto our enemies and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.” — let us deal wisely; instead of open force, the king proposes stratagem;

— he thinks that he has hit upon a wise scheme, a clever plan, by which the numbers of the Israelites will be kept down, and they will cease to be formidable. The nature of the plan appears in Exodus 1:11.

¹¹Therefore they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. — Raamses is a place different from Ramesses, Genesis 47:11 and had its name from the then reigning Pharaoh, Ramesses Miamun;

— Raamses; Pi-Ramesu, the city of Rameses, was the ordinary seat of the Court during the earlier part of the nineteenth dynasty. It appears to have been a new name for Tanis, or for a suburb of Tanis, which overshadowed the old city;

¹²But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew; and they were grieved because of the children of Israel. — and they were grieved because of the children of Israel; because of their multiplication and increase, and because their schemes for lessening them did not succeed; they were as thorns in their eyes;

¹³And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. — with rigour; forced labour was of a very severe character; those condemned to it worked from morning to night under the rod of a task-master, which was freely applied to their legs or backs, if they rested their weary limbs for a moment.

¹⁴And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick and in all manner of service in the field; all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigor. — all their service wherein they made them serve was with rigour; they not only put them to hard work, but used them in a very churlish manner, abusing them with their tongues, and beating them with their hands;

¹⁵And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah. — Hebrew midwifes; or “midwives of the Hebrew women.”

¹⁶And he said, “When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them upon the birthstools, if it be a son then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter then she shall live.”

— if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; opinions are divided, however, what was the method of destruction which the king did recommend; short-term thinking: for he feared not them, but the males only;

¹⁷But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. — but the midwives feared God; their faith inspired them with such courage as to risk their lives, by disobeying the mandate of a cruel tyrant;

¹⁸And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said unto them, “Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?”

¹⁹And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.”

— for they are lively; they are vigorous; a large proportion of the women deliver themselves; and the services of professional accoucheurs are very rarely called upon; or that they gave birth to their children before the midwives arrived.

²⁰Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. — God dealt well with the midwives; this represents God as rewarding them for keeping their faith.

²¹And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses. — that he made them houses; making houses for them, being moved by the Lord, to preserve them from the insults of the Egyptians; others of Pharaoh building houses for them;

²²And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every son who is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” — every son that is born; the Targums and the Septuagint add “to the Hebrews,” but without any necessity, since the context shows that only Hebrew children are meant.

Exodus 2

¹ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took for a wife a daughter of Levi.

²And the woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. — there went a man of the house of Levi; Amram the husband, the son of Kohath, and grandson of Levi, as appears from Exodus 6:18; and Jochebed his wife; and their two children, Miriam and Aaron;

— Miriam, a daughter, born probably soon after their marriage, and Aaron, a son, born some twelve years later. Soon after the issue of the edict, Jochebed gave birth to her third child, a son;

³And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the reeds by the river’s brink. — Moses, was born, as the Jews say, in the thirty seventh year after the death of Levi, AM 2368;

— the ark was made of the papyrus which was commonly used by the Egyptians for light and swift boats.

⁴And his sister stood afar off to learn what would be done to him. — and his sister stood afar off; this was Miriam, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it; who is supposed to be about ten or twelve years of age;

⁵And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her maidens walked along by the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to fetch it. — the princess would, of course, seek a part of the river which was reserved for females; probably Jochebed know where she was accustomed to bathe.

⁶And when she had opened it, she saw the child; and behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” — Jewish writers say, she knew it by its being circumcised, the Egyptians not yet using circumcision.

⁷Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?” — the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee; for she perceived that she was desirous of having the child brought up as her own.

⁸And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” And the maid went and called the child’s mother. — called the child’s mother; Jochebed must have been waiting near, eagerly expecting—perhaps, while concealed from sight, watching the result, and ready to appear the moment that she was summoned.

⁹And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, “Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.” And the woman took the child, and nursed it. — take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages; by which means she, who was unknown to the princes, had not only the nursing of her own child, but was paid for it;

¹⁰And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses [that is, Drawn out], and she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” — the child grew; in stature and in strength; Josephus regards these words as implying a growth that was strange and extraordinary (Ant. Jud. ii. 9, § 6);

¹¹And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. — he went out unto his brethren; it is probable that Pharaoh’s daughter had never concealed from Moses that he was not her own child, but one of the oppressed race.

¹²And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. — he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand; this act of Moses may seem and indeed by some has been condemned as rash and unjustifiable—in plain terms, a deed of assassination.

¹³And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together; and he said to him that did the wrong, “Why smitest thou thy fellow?” — the second day; that is, the next day;

— wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? Compare with Acts 7:26, where the words of Moses are reported somewhat differently, “Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?”

¹⁴And he said, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killed the Egyptian?” And Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known.” — and Moses feared; lest the thing should be discovered and be told to Pharaoh, and he should suffer for it: this fear that possessed Moses was before he fled from Egypt and went to Midian;

¹⁵Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. — and dwelt in the land of Midian: a country so called from Midian, one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah, Genesis 25:2.

¹⁶Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. — the Priest of Midian; Reuel Exodus 2:18. His name, and the detailed notices in Exodus 18, prove that he was a priest s(ometimes used of a prince, ruler, and governor) of the one true God who was known to the patriarchs especially under the name El.

¹⁷And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. — the shepherds came; those of the neighbourhood;

— the rule of the desert is that those who come to a well take their turns in the use of the water in the order of their arrival. But these rude shepherds declined to wait for their turn.

¹⁸And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that ye have come so soon today?” — strictly, and then he is the same who elsewhere is called Jethro, Exodus 3:1;

¹⁹And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock.” — an Egyptian; so they concluded from his dress and appearance, perhaps even from his speech.

²⁰And he said unto his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” — that he may eat bread; Arabian hospitality was offended that the stranger had not been invited into the tent to partake of the evening meal. The feeling of the modern Bedouin would be the same.

²¹And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. — the Targum says it was at the end of ten years; and indeed forty years after this a son of his seems to have been young, having not till then been circumcised, Exodus 4:22.

²²And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom [that is, A stranger there]; for he said, “I have been a stranger in a strange land.” — Gershom; that is, a stranger there. Now this settlement of Moses in Midian was designed by Providence to shelter him for the present; God will find hiding-places for his people in the day of their distress.

²³And it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. — in those many days;

— as Moses was now eighty years old (Exodus 7:7), and only forty when he quitted Egypt, the Pharaoh from whom he fled must have reigned above forty years.

²⁴And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. — and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; that he would bring their seed out of a land not theirs, in which they were strangers, and were afflicted, into the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.

²⁵And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God took heed of them. — and God looked upon the children of Israel; with an eye of pity and compassion, and saw all the hardships they laboured under, and all the injuries that were done unto them.

Posted in Books of Moses

“I am thy shield!” (Genesis 15)

•October 26, 2023 • Leave a Comment

In Chapter 14, Abraham had refused all share in booty, a large sacrifice. Now he might fear lest the four kings he had routed should rally and fall upon him; but here he is promised protection, “I am thy shield!” and “a Great Reward” from God!

Genesis 15 “I am thy shield!”

¹ After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield and I will give you a great reward.” — up to this time Abram had received only general promises of offspring, and of the land being the possession of his seed; where is hat land? and years were passing by, and the fulfilment of his hopes remained distant as ever;

— but the war with the Elamite king he had also made for himself powerful enemies; and though the immediate result was fortunate, yet many Canaanite nations may have witnessed with displeasure so remarkable an exhibition of the power and energy of an intruder, an “immigrant!”

— and thus the time had come when the patriarch needed and obtained more formal assurances, first, of the bestowal upon him of offspring (Genesis 15:1-6), and, secondly, of the future possession of that land, now called Palestine (Genesis 15:18-21);

²And Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” — Abram is still childless and landless;

— what wilt thou give me? there is a slight tone of complaint in these words. God promised Abram a “reward great exceedingly”

— Abram answers that no reward can really be great so long as he has no heir.

³And Abram said, “Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” — “What wilt thou give me?” Of what use will land or wealth be to me, the immediate reward specified by the promise?

⁴And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, “This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own loins shall be thine heir.” — but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir; that is, one shall inherit all thou hast, that shall be begotten by thee;

— an own son of Abram’s, and not a servant born in his house; one that should spring out of his own loins: one “out of thy womb”, that is, out of his wife’s, which was his; the phrase designs a genuine and legitimate son, who would be legally his heir.

⁵And He brought him forth outdoors and said, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if thou be able to number them.” And He said unto him, “So shall thy seed be.” — Abram’s seed according to the flesh were like the “dust of the earth,” Genesis 13:16, and his spiritual seed are like the stars of heaven.

⁶And he believed in the Lord; and He accounted it to him for righteousness. — Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God.

⁷And He said unto him, “I am the Lord who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to inherit it.” — the Lord next confirms and explains the promise of “the land” to Abram and further assurance was given tohim of “this land ” the land of Canaan for an inheritance.

⁸And he said, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” — he asks for a sign, not out of distrust of God’s promise, for he was strong in faith, but for further assurance and confirmation.

⁹And He said unto him, “Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a shegoat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” — the sign to Abram is the sign of the covenant:

— take me an heifer; offer me a sacrifice, a occasion of great importance, when two or more parties join in a compact, they either observe precisely the same rites as Abram did, or, where they do not, they invoke the lamp as their witness;

¹⁰And he took unto Him all these, and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another; but the birds divided he not. — divided them in the midst; that is, the three animals, the heifer, goat, and ram into two equal parts; this was done for two reasons.

to represent the torn and distracted condition in which his seed was to lie for a season;
to ratify God’s covenant with Abram and his seed; for this was a rite used in making covenants, as appears both from Scripture, Jeremiah 34:18, and other authors;

— laid each piece one against another, one half against the other, the left side against the right, shoulder against shoulder, and leg against leg, so that they might seem to join;

— partly in hope they would join together, that God would in his time put those parts together, and unite those dry bones, (to which the Israelites are compared, Ezekiel 37:1-28), and clothe them with flesh; and partly that the persons entering into covenant might pass between those parts, and so testify their union and conjunction in one and the same sacrifice.

— but the birds divided he not; but laid them one against another, as the pieces were laid; so the birds used in sacrifice under the law were not to be divided, Leviticus 1:17; which may signify that when the people of the Jews, in the latter day, are brought together into their own land, when they will better answer the character of turtles and doves than they ever did, will be no more divided and separated from each other;

— but the intended offerings were not burnt, hence, perhaps, God’s commitment of “I am thy shield!” is debatable; or conditional?

¹¹And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. — and when the birds of prey came down upon the carcases, Abram scared them away;

— had there been a sacrifice the fire would have kept the vultures from approaching; but the bodies lay exposed, and Abram therefore kept guard over them, lest the purpose of the ceremonial should be frustrated by any want of respect shown to the outward symbols.

¹²And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. — when the sun was going down; the time described was the evening following the night on which he had received the assurance that his seed should be countless as the stars.

¹³And He said unto Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. — thy seed shall be strangers; so they were in Canaan first and afterward in Egypt: before they were lords of their own land, they were strangers in a strange land;

— only by entering under Joshua 400 years later would the land be theirs, otherwise they were only strangers to the land;

¹⁴And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge, and afterward shall they come out with great substance. — that nation; had it been expressly revealed that the country that would afflict them was Egypt, the principal seat of their servitude, and the instrument of their sorest bondage;

— will I judge: that is, punish after judgement, which prediction was in due course fulfilled – and afterward shall they come out with great substance;

¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried at a good old age. — and thou shall go to thy fathers in peace; or die, which is a going the way of all flesh;

¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” — for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full; from this sentence we have much to learn:

— the Amorites in Amos 2:9, “whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from beneath.“ Perhaps like Hamas today;

— first; the Lord foreknows the moral character of people; second. In his providence he administers the affairs of nations on the principle of moral rectitude; third. Nations are spared until their iniquity is full; fourth; they are then cut off in retributive justice in due time.

¹⁷And it came to pass that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between those pieces. — behold a smoking furnace; this signified the affliction of his seed in Egypt: they were there in the furnace of affliction, and labouring in the very fire;

— a burning lamp; this speaks comfort in this affliction: and this God showed Abram at the same time with the smoking furnace. The lamp indicates direction in the smoke; God’s word was their lamp, a light shining in a dark place.

¹⁸On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

— from the river of Egypt; the river of Egypt is the Nile, which overflowed it annually and made it fruitful; so the Targum of Jonathan calls it the Nile of Egypt; it was rendered, “from the Nile of Mizraim” or Egypt to the great river, Euphrates;

— Keil and Delitzsch: the river (נהר) of Egypt is the Nile, and not the brook (נחל) of Egypt (Numbers 34:5); the character of the promise, the two large rivers, the Nile and the Euphrates, are mentioned as the boundaries within which the seed of Abram would possess the promised land,

— and from hence to the river Euphrates, the eastern boundary, was the utmost extent of it in which it was ever possessed, as it was in the times of David and Solomon, II Samuel 8:3.

¹⁹the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, — the Kenites; thought to be the Idumeans, who sprung from Kenaz of Esau’s race; found among the Amalekites in the south (1 Samuel 15:6); note that Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite (Judges 1:16);

— the Kenizzites are also supposed by some to be the descendants of Kenaz, a grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:11; but then they must be so called here by anticipation, or that is, the land they were anticipated to live there; since Kenaz was not then born; Caleb, the head of the tribe of Judah, was a Kenizzite, Numbers 32:12, Joshua 14:6;

and from Deuteronomy 2:5:

Meddle not with them [the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir]; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth, because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

— the Kadmonites; elsewhere the Kadmonites are never mentioned again; probably dwellers on the eastern desert frontier of the Jordan, an eastern or an ancient people, of whom we know nothing;

— besides, none of the land of the children of Esau, at least of those that dwelt about Mount Seir (Deuteronomy 2:5) was to be given to the children of Israel; henced could the Edomites or Idumeans (at least a portion of them had left, some remained) have moved away while the children of Israel were in Egypt?

²⁰and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, — the Hittites, who had their name from Heth, a son of Canaan, see Genesis 10:15; they dwelt about Hebron, in the south of the land of Canaan:

— the Perizzites and the Rephaim; probably these are included in the common name of Canaanites, those that lived in the land of Canaan;

²¹and the Amorites and the Canaanites (descendants of Canaan) and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” — v16 above; “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” but soon it would be full, like Hamas today;

— the Jebusites; who inhabited Jerusalem and its surroundings, which was first called Jebus, from the founder of this nation;

— in this and the previous verses ten nations are reckoned as occupying the land of Canaan at that time, whereas only seven are mentioned in the times of Moses and Joshua; Deuteronomy 7:1; Joshua 3:10;

— although the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates,” that seed were meant to be the whole house of Israel. Hence, during the Exodus, Moses was tasked of bringing the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, for “I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers” Exodus 6:4.

“When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee — the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou—” Deuteronomy 7:1

And Joshua said, “Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites” Joshua 3:10.

~~~~

and from MSG

When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses. That’s when God made a covenant with Abram: “I’m giving this land to your children, from the Nile River in Egypt to the River Euphrates in Assyria—the country of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

— Deuteronomy 7:1; Joshua 3:10; and these three -the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites- were not among them. Perhaps they were all from the children of Esau, a posterity of Shem (whereas the others are mostly posterity of Ham), and during this time interval of over 400 years, they moved north and eventually settled in Spain and then onto the New World;

— note, too, that several states of the United States (namely Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and California) have the Spanish Mexicans settled there first, then later during the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848, the American zionists took over, which accounted for a loss of 55% of Mexico’s territory.

During the Mexican-American War, Mexico lost 55% of her Territory

— for a more indepth study of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

Posted in Books of Moses, Ephraim, Five Eyes, Zionism

China restricts Graphite in tech war

•October 25, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China restricts exports of graphite as it escalates a global tech war

CNN by Juliana Liu • October 21, 2023 // ZeroHedge

China has unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite — a mineral crucial to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) — on national security grounds, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said Friday.

China accounts for an estimated 65% of global graphite production

The announcement comes just days after the United States imposed additional limits on the kinds of semiconductors that American companies can sell to Chinese firms.

“At the moment both China and Western countries are engaged in a tit for tat, highlighting how protectionist measures often spread. Newton’s third law that every action causes a reaction applies here, too,” said Stefan Legge, head of tax and trade policy research at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland.

“At the same time, both sides of the dispute also realize how costly it is if geopolitics trumps economics,” he added.

China, which dominates the world’s production and processing of graphite, says export permits will be needed, starting in December, for synthetic graphite material — including high-purity, high-strength and high-density versions — as well as for natural flake graphite.

The Institute for Energy Research, a Washington, DC-based research organization, says carmakers are trying to lock in supplies of graphite from sources outside of China, as demand for EV batteries outpaces other uses for the material.

Shares of Tesla, Rivian, Nikola, VinFast and Fisker all slide lower in trading

Global sales of EVs, including purely battery-powered vehicles and hybrids, are soaring, according to the International Energy Agency.

Sales exceeded 10 million units last year, up 55% from 2021, and are expected to rise to nearly 14 million vehicles this year, it projected.

According to the US Geological Survey, the market for graphite used in batteries has grown 250% globally since 2018. China was the world’s leading graphite producer last year, accounting for an estimated 65% of global production, it said.

Besides EVs, graphite is commonly used in the semiconductor, aerospace, chemical and steel industries.

Gallium, germanium restrictions

The export curbs were announced as China faces pressure from multiple governments over its commercial and trade practices. For more than a year, it has been embroiled in a tech war with the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia over access to advanced chips and chipmaking equipment.

In July, Beijing imposed export restrictions on gallium and germanium, two minerals essential for making semiconductors. One month later, its overseas shipments of the materials fell to zero.

Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said China had previously imposed temporary export controls on graphite, with little industry impact, adding that the new rules were not a “complete ban.” Still, he predicts prices will go up.

“We believe that the average price of graphite will continue to rise in the future due to supply and demand imbalances, including Russia, which was one of the major graphite suppliers before the Russia-Ukraine war,” he said.

China has a massive hold on the worldwide supply chain of critical minerals needed to make EV batteries. It refines 60% of the world’s lithium and 80% of the cobalt, according to the US Department of Energy.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Israel Plans to Turn Gaza Into ‘Hiroshima!’

•October 24, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Israel Plans to Turn Gaza Into ‘Hiroshima’ But Without Nuclear Weapons – Sy Hersh

Sputnik International • October 19, 2023

The latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has resulted in thousands killed and injured on both sides, with over 500 perishing in the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday night.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have every intention of staging in the Gaza Strip something similar to the US destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, only without nuclear weapons, American journalist Seymour Hersh wrote in an article on Substack.

“Gaza City is in the process of being turned into Hiroshima with no nuclear weapons used,” Hersh cited sources as telling him.

Furthermore, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has every intention “to wipe out Hamas,” with little concern for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Gaza that were told to evacuate and move south of the enclave on October 12, underscored Sy Hersh, referencing unnamed intelligence analysts in Washington.

Netanyahu formed an emergency unity government a few days ago with ex-military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to bring his National Unity party into the governing coalition and join the war cabinet including Defense Minster Yoav Gallant.

Israel has vowed to “destroy” the Hamas movement ruling in the Gaza Strip after its attacks on Southern Israel. After calling up a reported 350,000 army reservists — totalling around a tenth of the country’s workforce — since October 7, Israel appeared to be holding back on an invasion.

On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip.

After it breached the border, killing and seizing people in neighboring Israeli communities, Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. Thousands of dead and injured have been reported on both sides as a result of the escalation.

While the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remains closed, at some point, “American-made bombs in the Israeli arsenal, including those known as “bunker busters,” may be targeted on the underground tunnel systems where Hamas manufactured the weapons and conducted planning for the horrific attacks in southern Israel on October 7,” wrote Hersh.

“Under the Israeli plans, there would be no need for a massive ground invasion,” insiders had informed Hersh, while Israeli troops, “would be needed for hunting down those Hamas members underground who choose to surrender.” However, the orders to the Israeli military, according to a cited official, would be “shoot on sight,” with surrender not an option.

“The official told me that the Hamas soldiers who would emerge from the tunnels desperate for food were seen by the Israelis as starving rats who would be met with poisoned food. The fate of the nearly two hundred hostages, most of them Israeli but known also to include a few Americans, was left unsaid,” wrote Sy Hersh.

Accordingly, Netanyahu’s plan, as per the official referenced by Hersh, is to ensure that the Israeli Army destroys the Hamas tunnel system, along with every member of the militant group they can hunt down. After that, the remnants of Gaza City would be purportedly barricaded at the southernmost end. Hamas “stragglers” would be tracked down as Israeli soldiers scored every block in the destroyed city.

Sy Hersh also weighed in on the visit paid by US President Joe Biden to Israel on Wednesday. After earlier sending to the eastern Mediterranean near Israel two US Navy carrier strike groups led by the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, Biden pledged support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s operation in the Gaza Strip.

Recalling Biden’s Sunday interview for US media, where he conceded that while Hamas “must be eliminated entirely,” while adding that there “needs to be a path to a Palestinian state,” Hersh suggested that the latter was “not on Israel’s agenda.”

His visit had come a day after an attack on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza, where locals were sheltering from Israeli airstrikes on the enclave.

On October 17, a deadly attack on the al-Ahli Hospital killed hundreds of people. Palestinian authorities and the Israeli army have since been pointing fingers at one another for the disaster. Hamas said that the missile was launched by the IDF, while Israeli officials put the blame on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

The entire international community was shocked by the catastrophe, with citizens across the globe rallying in support of Palestine and urging for a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that the attack on the hospital is an “act of dehumanization.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the hospital’s destruction as a tragedy and a humanitarian catastrophe. Speaking at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, he voiced hope that the horrific event will be a “signal” that the bloody conflict in Gaza needs to end as soon as possible.

Regarding the US show of force in the region amid the escalation of hostilities, Sy Hersh cited an official as saying:

“All the American services are jumping on it… but Israel is saying, ‘Go back. We don’t want your stuff’… There are no better pilots today than those in the Israeli Air Forces. Bibi’s got it under control and no Israeli is going to worry about the fate of the citizens of Gaza.”

The unnamed official also purportedly speculated whether Joe Biden’s fleeting visit to Israel might have been an attempt to “keep the Ukraine war off the front pages,” amid Kiev’s botched counteroffensive.

On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates:

the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim, and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:18-21

Posted in Israel, Zionism

Kidnapping (Genesis 14)

•October 23, 2023 • Leave a Comment

A Study of kidnapping in the Days of Old: compare and contrast with today’s Hamas kidnapping of civilians and bring them back as captives into the Gaza strip.

Now, Hamas is holding 200 to 250 civilians as hostages. Is there going to a similar solution to the one Abraham experienced? PARSHA POSTS: BEHAR | The Blogs

Genesis 14

¹ And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar [Babylon], Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, — and it came to pass; that is, after the separation of Abram and Lot, the latter of whom now appears as a citizen of fruitful, but wicked Sodom;

— the raid is minutely described in Genesis 14:1-12; a confederacy consists of four kings; Elam is today’s Persia, Iran.

²that these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. — three more kings joining Sodom and Gomorrah against the four in the confederacy;

— MSG:

Then this: Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim went off to war to fight Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, that is, Zoar.

³All these were joined together in the Vale of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea. — were united in a confederacy, and so formed a pentapolis, or group of five allied kingdom;

— which is the salt sea; from these words commentators have concluded that the vale of Sodom was later swallowed up by the Dead Sea;

⁴Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. — Chedorlaomer king of Elam; he must be the leader;

— and in the thirteenth year they rebelled; refused homage to Chedorlaomer and to pay tribute to him.

⁵And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

— in the fourteenth year; after some pause and preparation, Chedorlaomer, in conjunction with his three allies, set himself to reduce the revolters: the group of five allied kingdom;

⁶and the Horites in their Mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. — the Horites, the ancient inhabitants of Seir, the sons of Esau or Edom; they dwelt in caves; such as are still to be seen in Petra and other places around;

⁷And they returned and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites, who dwelt in Hazezontamar. — they returned; more correctly, they turned, as they did not go back by the same route, but wheeled towards the north-west;

— the Amalekites; that is, the land the Amalekites were anticipated to live there; Saul had to pursue these wandering hordes into the recesses of Paran, but they were evidently then in possession of the Negeb of Judea.

⁸And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar), and they joined battle with them in the Vale of Siddim, — they have now arrived again at the point they had reached in Genesis 14:3. The five kings came out and joined battle against the four in the dale of Siddim.

⁹against Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and against Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five. — the invaders were from Chaldea and Persia, then only small kingdoms. They took Lot among the rest, and his goods. Though he was righteous, and Abram’s brother’s son, yet he was with the rest in this trouble.

¹⁰And the Vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there, and those who remained fled to the mountain. — and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there. Stumbled into the pits and perished;

¹¹And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their victuals, and went their way. — and they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah; they entered these cities and pillaged them, and carried off everything valuable in them;

¹²And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods and departed. — his goods, and departed; as him and his family, so all his substance, his cattle, wealth, and riches of every sort, and went off with it:

¹³And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt on the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. — these were confederate with Abram, that is, had entered into a league for their mutual defence against common enemies.

¹⁴And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house (three hundred and eighteen), and pursued them unto Dan. — Abram had now a company of three hundred and eighteen trained men, born in his own house;

— which implies a following of more than one thousand men, women, and children. His flocks and herds must have corresponded in extent to such an establishment.

¹⁵And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and smote them and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. — he divided himself, that is, his forces into several parties,

— that coming upon them from several quarters he might strike them with greater terror, whilst they thought his army far more numerous than it was.

¹⁶And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods, and the women also and the people. — and the women also, and the people; not only that belonged to Lot, but to Sodom and Gomorrah, who had been taken and carried captive; these were all rescued and brought back by Abram,

¹⁷And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (which is the King’s Dale) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings who were with him. — the king’s dale; the Targum calls it the place of the king’s exercise, where he had his diversions in riding, walking, etc;

¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. — Melchizedek king of Salem; he was probably the king of some Semitic race who still occupied Salem, but from whom it was at a subsequent period wrested by the Jebusites, who called it Jebus;

¹⁹And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth; — and he blessed him; Melchizedek blessed Abram, which was one part of his office as a priest, to wish and pray for a blessing on others;

²⁰and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And he gave him tithes of all. — Abraham gave him tithes; Abram thus consecrated the war by a thank-offering to God, who had given him the victory;

— but he also, by paying tithes, acknowledged the priesthood of Melchizedek, and that the God whom he served was the true God.

²¹And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for thyself.” — after the conversation between him and Melchizedek was over; note the king of Sodom’s grateful offer to Abram, Give me the captives, and take thou the substance;

²²And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, — I have lifted up my hand; that is, this is a serious matter with Abram; he had made an oath or solemn asseveration before God;

²³that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,‘I have made Abram rich’”

— “I have lifted up mine hand” [that is, I have sworn] unto the Lord that I will not take from a thread even to a sandal-thong, and that that I will not take any thing that [is] thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich.”

²⁴except only that which the young men have eaten and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” — while Abram refrains from accepting any part of the spoils beyond what had been consumed in supplying the necessities of his followers in the expedition, he expressly excepts the portion to which his confederates, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, became entitled by their share in the recovery of the property.

Posted in Books of Moses, Islamic, Israel, Zionism

Israel cleansing Palestinians off Gaza

•October 22, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US opposes peace as Israel ethnically cleanses Palestinians, waging war on ‘entire nation’ of Gaza

G/E by Ben Norton • October 15, 2023

Israel is ethnically cleansing Palestinians, trying to force them out of Gaza into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The US and EU support Netanyahu’s scorched-earth war on the “entire nation” and the State Department ordered diplomats not to call for peace, de-escalation, or a ceasefire.

The Israeli government is in the process of ethnically cleansing more than 1 million Palestinians, pushing them out of their homes in Gaza.

According to senior Israeli officials, the plan of the far-right Benjamin Netanyahu government is to force Palestinians into the desert of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where they will live in so-called “tent cities.”

At the same time, Israel is brutally bombing the besieged Gaza strip – one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

There are even reports that Israel has attacked convoys of Palestinian civilians who were abiding by its evacuation order and fleeing from the north to the south of the 40-kilometer strip.

Meanwhile, the United States has adamantly refused to support calls for peace.

Instead, the State Department told US diplomats not to mention the phrases “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed,” and “restoring calm” when discussing Gaza, according to a memo obtained by HuffPost.

On 12 October, Israel ordered the roughly 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern half of Gaza to evacuate to the south.

The United Nations warned that it would be “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”

The UN “strongly appealed” for the Israeli evacuation order “to be rescinded,” noting it “could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”

Israel ignored the UN and instead cracked down even harder, bombing Palestinian civilians as they evacuated.

The BBC acknowledged that the Israeli military attacked a Palestinian convoy, writing, “These vehicles were carrying civilians, who were fleeing northern Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation order.”

The BBC verified a video of the attack, describing it as “a scene of total carnage,” which “is too graphic for us to show.”

“Bodies, twisted and mangled, are scattered everywhere,” the BBC described, adding that many of the victims of the Israeli attack were women and children, including infants aged 2 to 5 years old.

The Associated Press confirmed the same, writing:

Two witnesses reported a strike on fleeing cars near the town of Deir el-Balah, south of the evacuation zone and in the area Israel told people to flee to. Fayza Hamoudi said she and her family were driving from their home in the north when the strike hit some distance ahead on the road and two vehicles burst into flames. A witness from another car on the road gave a similar account.

As of 14 October, Israel had killed at least 2,215 Palestinians, including 724 children and 458 women, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Another 8,714 Palestinians have been wounded in a week of Israeli attacks, among them 2,450 children and 1,536 women.

Meanwhile, top Israeli officials have engaged in borderline genocidal rhetoric.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog declared at a press conference that the country is at war with the “entire nation” of Gaza.

“It is an entire nation out there that is responsible” Herzog said, in reference to Palestinians.

“It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up [against Hamas],” he argued, in comments reported by HuffPost.

According to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Israel’s plan is to ethnically cleanse Palestinians and force them into Egypt.

Citing an anonymous high level source, Hersh wrote,

“I have been told by an Israeli insider that Israel has been trying to convince Qatar, which at the urging of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a long-time financial supporter of Hamas, to join with Egypt in funding a tent city for the million or more refugees awaiting across the border.”

This plan was in fact confirmed by Israel’s former deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, who previously served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States and a foreign policy adviser for far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In an interview with Al Jazeera reporter Marc Lamont Hill on 12 October, Ayalon stated:

DANNY AYALON: This was, this is thought out. It’s not something that we tell them, go to the beaches, go drown yourselves, God forbid, not at all. There is a huge expanse, almost endless space in the Sinai desert, just on the other side of Gaza.

The idea is – and this is not the first time it will be done – the idea is for them to leave over to the open areas where we and the international community will prepare the infrastructure, you know, tent cities, with food and with water – you know, just like for the refugees of Syria that fled the butchering of Assad a few years ago to Turkey; Turkey received 2 million of them.

This is the idea. Now Egypt will have to play ball here, because once the the population is out of sight, then we can go…

I’ll tell you in a practical manner what we should do, and what we can do: create, like in the past, in history, a humanitarian corridor.

When there is a humanitarian corridor – and we have been discussing this with the United States – then we can guarantee in this corridor that nobody will get hurt.

Now, again, I say, there is a way to receive them all on the other side for temporary time, on the Sinai, because what did Hamas turn –

MARC LAMONT HILL: On the other side? Are we talking about Rafah? Are you saying the other side, they go to Egypt?

DANNY AYALON: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. And Egypt will have to play ball.

The Promise Land between two Great Rivers; the Nile and Euphrates (Gen 15:18)

While Israel is ethnically cleansing Palestinians and killing large numbers of civilians, Western governments have showed unflinching support.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both traveled to Tel Aviv to symbolically back the far-right Netanyahu government.

The Financial Times reported that some EU officials are concerned “that the European Commission president could look as if she is endorsing military actions that will cause mass civilian casualties — and that will swiftly be labelled as war crimes.”

An unnamed EU diplomat told the Times, “We may be about to see massive ethnic cleansing” – a clear indication that Western capitals know exactly what Israel is doing.

“Our fear is that we’ll pay a heavy price in the global south because of this conflict,” an anonymous EU official confessed to the newspaper.

The vast majority of countries in the Global South support the Palestinian people in their struggle against Israeli colonialism. A rare exception is the far-right government in India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents a vehemently anti-Muslim Hindu-nationalist party, the BJP, which sees Israel’s religious ethnostate as an inspiration and potential model for its own plans for a so-called “Hindu Rashtra.”

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has suggested that Israel plans to further escalate its extreme violence. He told soldiers near the border of Gaza that the “next stage is coming.”

The Israeli military has also been attacking neighbors Lebanon and Syria.

Human Rights Watch confirmed that Israel used white phosphorous in strikes on both Gaza and Lebanon. The human rights organization made it clear that this “puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injuries” and “violates the international humanitarian law prohibition on putting civilians at unnecessary risk.”

Israel has likewise bombed Syria multiple times, even targeting the international airport in Aleppo.

For the roughly 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the besieged Gaza strip, conditions are virtually unlivable.

Israel has cut off Gaza’s access to electricity, water, food, and fuel. The Associated Press reported, “When water does trickle from pipes, the meager flow lasts no more than 30 minutes each day and is so contaminated with sewage and seawater that it’s undrinkable, residents said.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) cautioned, “Mass casualties are unlike anything seen in past years.”

“The medical system is on its knees. As Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power. Water cannot be pumped. Sewage systems will likely flood. People have nowhere else to go,” the humanitarian organization stated.

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire. Ezekiel 23:25

Posted in Israel, Zionism

Rising Hostility in the US

•October 21, 2023 • Leave a Comment

War between Israel and Hamas raises fears about rising hostility in the US

Associated Press • October 18, 2023

A fatal stabbing in Illinois, a gun pointed at protesters in Pennsylvania, vandalism at synagogues and harassment of staff at a Palestinian restaurant all are raising fears that the war between Israel and Hamas is sparking violence in the United States.

War between Israel and Hamas raises fears and hostilities in the US

The tensions follow a familiar pattern of crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities rising when conflict erupts in the Middle East and Americans have been killed or taken hostage.

“We have a two pronged threat to American faith communities,” said Brian Levin, founding director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

While it’s too soon to say with certainty whether anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish crimes have increased during the war, hate crimes overall increased in the US last year. In its annual report released Monday, the FBI estimated that hate crimes increased by 7% to 11,634 cases in 2022 compared to the previous year.

With 1,124 incidents, anti-Jewish attacks were the second most reported hate crime, after anti-Black cases. There were 158 reported incidents of anti-Muslim attacks, and 92 reports of anti-Arab cases, according to the report.

Civil rights organizations, however, believe that even before the Hamas attacks in Israel, crime data didn’t reflect reality due to a lack of participation by local police departments and internalized fear among the Muslim population, said Robert McCaw, director of governmental affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

In 2021, the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, released a study in which 85% of those who were subjected to Islamophobia said they did not report it to authorities.

“The true number remains to be seen,” McCaw said.

Insurrection? Pro-Palestinian Protesters Occupy Capitol Building

In one of the most troubling recent incidents, a landlord in Plainfield, Illinois, is accused of attacking a Palestinian American tenant and her son with a knife on Saturday, purportedly because of their Muslim faith, stabbing the 6-year-old boy to death and injuring the mother.

The sheriff, prosecutors and family all said the boy and his mother were targeted for being Muslim. More specifically, prosecutors said the landlord was “angry … for what was going on in Jerusalem” and his wife told police her husband feared they would be attacked by people of Middle Eastern descent.

In Pennsylvania, a man was charged with felony ethnic intimidation after police said he pointed a gun and yelled slurs at attendees of a pro-Palestinian rally near the state Capitol on Friday. In Boston, the word “Nazis” was spray-painted across the sign for the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace.

“There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in everything that’s happening,” said Abed Ayoub, national executive director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He said the group has received more than 100 reports including verbal harassment, threats, intimidation and physical attacks.

“It’s very reminiscent of the early days of post-9/11, where people didn’t want to go outside, they didn’t want to send their kids to school,” he said. “They’re just worried about being in public and being approached.”

In Dearborn, Michigan, which has the nation’s highest Muslim population per capita, community and faith leaders met outside the city’s police department Monday. The city has seen multiple threats of violence in recent days, including from a man accused of asking on social media if anyone in metro Detroit wanted to “go to Dearborn & hunt Palestinians.”

“We have to understand that these issues that are overseas are not just overseas, they are very much also issues here,” said Imran Salha, the imam of the Islamic Center of Detroit.

Historically, anti-Jewish hate crimes have increased during violent Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, said Levin, a professor emeritus at California State.

In March 1994, there was a spike in anti-Jewish hate crimes from 79 incidents to 147 a month after an American Israeli extremist opened fire on Palestinian Muslims in a mosque, he said, citing FBI statistics.

In October 2000, anti-Jewish hate crimes in the US surged from 81 to 204 compared to the month before after a series of violent protests in Arab villages in northern Israel. Levin observed a similar trend in May 2021, particularly in cities with significant Jewish populations such as New York and Los Angeles.

In California last week, flyers spreading anti-Jewish rhetoric were left in neighborhoods and on vehicles in the city of Orange. And in Fresno, police said a man suspected of breaking windows and leaving an anti-Jewish note at a bakery also is a “person of interest” in the vandalism of a local synagogue.

Julie Platt, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, said synagogues and Jewish community centers around the country have been strengthening their security programs, but that she does not want to see members of her community duck for cover.

“I think the whole point of this is to terrorize us psychologically,” she said. “As long as I hear of no credible threats, I believe we should live our Jewish lives.”

Several Palestinian Americans interviewed Friday in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Arab population said the atmosphere has been tense in the last week.

Jumana Alkaram said she has not been personally threatened but that: “I know if I was to demonstrate my heritage or the Palestinian flag there would be some type of threat. Because the majority has the support of Israel and don’t have the full legit story about what’s happening in Gaza.”

In New York City, a Palestinian restaurant, Ayat, was forced to disconnect its phone after receiving “nonstop” threatening voicemails, according to co-owner, Abdul Elenani. The storefront features a mural of a crying Palestinian and its menu includes calls to “end the occupation.”

On Friday, a man entered the dining room shouting “terrorist” at the people behind the counter, Elenani said.

Still, the hostile reception was overshadowed by the support he has received from his neighbors, many of whom are Jewish and share his views about minimizing civilian deaths, he said.

“In New York, we all live together, we work together, we grow together,” Elenani said. “And we all want this violence to stop.”

“And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him” Jeremiah 50:32.

“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished” Ezekiel 6:6.

Posted in US

The Case for “Greater Israel!”

•October 20, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The biblical Case for a “Greater Israel” between two Great Rivers!

“On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates” Genesis 15:18

The Scriptures below are part of a prophecy and speaks about the regathering of the outcasts of Israel from the nations to which they have been scattered; that the time is before the coming of the Messiah.

The Tehiya and the National Religious Party are parties supporting this idea.

Annexation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip are part of the platform of the Israeli Likud party, and of some other Israeli political parties.

Commentators and observers have suggested the two blue strips of the Israeli flag represent the Nile and the Euphrates

Meir Kahane, an ultra-nationalist Knesset member, who founded the American Jewish Defense League and the banned Israeli Kach party, are working towards Greater Israel and other Zionist goals.

The modern descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel include many in the northwestern European countries. The descendants of Joseph include many of the English-speaking countries today, most notably the United States and Britain and some of Britain’s former colonies, such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Judah was the tribe to lead the way into the Promised Land (Numbers 10:13–14). The Jews of the tribe of Judah have been the first to return to the land of Israel in our recent past. If the chronicles of the Bible are are a guide, then the rest of the tribes will follow Judah.

Following Nakba and Naksa, Progression towards a Greater Israel

Ezekiel 11:16-17

¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’

¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’

Isaiah 11:10–12:6

¹⁰ “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand for an ensign of the people; to It shall the Gentiles seek, and His rest shall be glorious.”

¹¹ And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

¹² And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

¹³ The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

¹⁴ But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall despoil them of the east together. They shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

¹⁵ And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian Sea; and with His mighty wind shall He shake His hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams and make men go over dryshod.

¹⁶ And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people who shall be left from Assyria, as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 12:1 And in that day thou shalt say: “O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comforted me.

² Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.”

³ Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;

⁴ and in that day shall ye say: “Praise the Lord! Call upon His name! Declare His doings among the people; make mention that His name is exalted.

⁵ Sing unto the Lord, for He hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.

⁶ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion! For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

The Promise Land between two Great Rivers; the Nile and Euphrates

Jeremiah 16:14–15

¹⁴ “Therefore behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

¹⁵ but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them.’ And I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Jeremiah 23:7–8

⁷ “Therefore, behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that they shall no more say, ‘The Lord liveth who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

⁸ but, ‘the Lord liveth who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”

The children of Israel went out of Egypt as a unified group in the first exodus, since they all lived in the land of Goshen in Egypt.

However, in the second exodus of the last days, scattered Israel, by virtue of the fact that they have been scattered around the world, will not return to Israel as a single unified group. They will likely return in waves at various times from various places. Many from Judah have already returned to the land of Israel.

Remember, the first exodus involved the ancient Israelites coming out of Egypt. The Bible prophesies that the second exodus will involve the last days’ descendants of those ancient Israelites who have been scattered to the four corners of the globe returning to the land of Israel.

Perhaps, an organization such as B’ney Yosef North America could lead the way:

“The founders of B’ney Yosef North America took inspiration from the early Zionists. Like them, we recognized the times and resolved to take action to bring the promises of God into reality. Those promises, like the promises the Jewish pioneers took to heart, concern the restoration of the entire nation of Israel.

“The restoration of the Jewish state in 1948 was the fulfillment of the first half of those promises, but BYNA’s founders realized that much more was to happen before all was fulfilled. Isaiah recorded much about that process, such as this passage from a prominent chapter about the Messianic Kingdom:

Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim. (Isaiah 11:11-13)

“We had seen in the days of our parents and grandparents the gathering of Judah (the Jewish people) from the four corners of the earth. Who, then, were the people of Ephraim?”

For more on (1) “Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by J H Allen

(2) Ephraim / The United States; (3) Ephraim and Manasseh

(4) Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar? (5) The Ox without the Unicorn

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Posted in Israel, US, Zionism

“Beware of False Prophets!”

•October 19, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Numbers 12:6

And He said, “Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

Jeremiah 5:30-31

An astonishing and horrible thing is committed in the land:

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so. And what will ye do in the end thereof?

“Beware of False Prophets!” For they are wolves among sheep!

Jeremiah 14:14

Then the Lord said unto me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them. They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 23:11-12

“For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in My house have I found their wickedness,” saith the Lord.

“Therefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation,” saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:16

Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:20-22

The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.

Jeremiah 23:26

How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.

Jeremiah 23:31-32

Behold, I am against the prophets,” saith the Lord, “that use their tongues and say, ‘He saith.’

Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams,” saith the Lord, “and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit this people at all,” saith the Lord.

Ezekiel 13:3-4

Thus saith the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

Ezekiel 13:6

They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, “The Lord saith,” but the Lord hath not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

Jeremiah 29:8-9

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets and your diviners who are in the midst of you deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

For they prophesy falsely unto you in My name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.

Revelation 2:2

I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil; and how thou hast tried them that say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars;

Three Great Deceptions promoted by False Prophets:

(a) Easters, a celebration of the Queen of heaven: Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols; and to those who actually think eggs and bunnies have something to do with the resurrection; Jeremiah 7:18 the women knead their dough to make cakes to the Queen of heaven; in Egypt, Jeremiah 44:17-19, 25, this is Ishtar: pronounced ‘Easter.’

(b) Christmas; Ezekiel 8:16 five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple; their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east; Christmas, which honor Mithraism, birthday on December 25th – a form of nature worship based on the Sun-Goddess Mithra who on the darkest night of the year (December 20/21), gives birth to “Light” causing each day thereafter to grow longer until the Summer solstice;

(c) Sundays; her sabbaths which is Sundays, where the original Sun-worshippers were the Samaritans, brought from Assyria: And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof, II Kings 17:24.

— today, more than 98.5 percent of Pretenders are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. Ezekiel 8:16 They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:3-5 – ’till they die.

— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!

If false shepherd couldn’t get their basic doctrines right, how could they advance to understand the more sophisticated and complex prophecies of the future right?

If false prophets couldn’t know who Ephraim (mentioned 60 times in the prophetic books of the OT) is today, how could they pretend to understand how the end will play out?

The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He has executed and till He has performed the thoughts of His heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings. Jeremiah 23:20-22

Posted in Miscellaneous, Scriptures Studies

US’s 2nd aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean

•October 18, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US to send 2nd aircraft carrier to eastern Mediterranean; USS Eisenhower will join the USS Ford off the coast of Israel

ABC News by Martha Raddatz and Luis Martinez • October 15, 2023

The Pentagon has ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean near Israel to deter Iran or Hezbollah from joining the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to US officials.

A senior US official and a US official told ABC News that the USS Eisenhower carrier strike group will be ordered to the eastern Mediterranean to join the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group that arrived there earlier this week and is in international waters off of Israel.

A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately have a comment on the development.

Senior US officials have said publicly this week that the presence of the USS Ford carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean and the addition of more US Air Force fighter jets to the region was intended to show the US commitment to Israel and to serve as a deterrent to Iran and Hezbollah not to get involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“These posture increases were intended to serve as an unequivocal demonstration in deed and not only in words of US support for Israel’s defense and serve as a deterrent signal to Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and any other proxy across the region who might be considering exploiting the current situation to escalate conflict,” a senior US defense official said Monday. “Those adversaries should think twice.”

Having the Eisenhower joining the Ford will increase the show of force enhancing that message of deterrence.

The Eisenhower strike group left Norfolk, Virginia, earlier on Saturday bound for a previously scheduled deployment that would take it to the Middle East via the Mediterranean Sea where it was to participate in previously-scheduled exercises in the US European Command area of responsibility.

Its pending deployment led to speculation that it might be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to join the USS Ford, but a Pentagon statement would only say that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would “continue to review both the Eisenhower and Ford’s deployment plans as he considers the appropriate balance of maritime capability across theaters in support of national security priorities.”

The Eisenhower strike group includes the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), and the guided missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG-58), USS Mason (DDG-87) and USS Gravely (DDG-107).

The USS Ford strike group arrived in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday and in addition to the carrier includes the cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), as well as destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS Carney (DDG 64), and USS Roosevelt (DDG 80).

“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which is on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” Isaiah 28:1

For more, see

“Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright” by JH Allen

More on (1) Ephraim / The United States; (2) Ephraim and Manasseh

(3) Who is Ephraim, a Chronic Liar? (4) The Ox without the Unicorn

Posted in Islamic, Israel, US

Europe made a ‘grave mistake’ on immigration

•October 17, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Europe made a ‘grave mistake’ on immigration – Kissinger

RT News • October 12, 2023 // Yahoo News

Hamas-cheering protesters pose a threat to Europeans, the former US secretary of state has suggested

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has said that nations in Europe were wrong to take in many people who are now supporting Hamas’ actions against Israel. Unless the militant group is punished for its hostage-taking, Europeans risk being targeted similarly, he warned.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Mathias Dopfner, the CEO of German media group Axel Springer, asked the veteran statesman about “Arabs celebrating” in the streets of Berlin after Hamas’ incursion into southern Israel last week.

Kissinger, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, said he found such gestures of support for criminal acts “painful.”

“It was a grave mistake to let in so many people of totally different cultural and religious concepts because it creates a pressure group inside each country that does that,” he noted.

Asked what Germany and the EU should do in the current situation, Kissinger said he expected “unconditional” political support for Israel – as well as military suppor if needed.

“There has to be some penalty; there has to be some serious limitation on their capability of taking this kind of action,” he said of Hamas tactics.

“I would say that every European nation has the same interest because the same attitude might erupt in the direction of Europe,” he warned.

Washington’s former top diplomat recalled peace talks that resolved the Yom Kippur War five decades ago, saying that Western nations and Israel were lucky to have an Arab leader “with a vision of the future” in Anwar Sadat, the former president of Egypt.

“I don’t think it is possible to find leaders among the Hamas group [with a similar vision],” he said, “I think Hamas should be excluded from a political role.”

Pro-Palestinian rallies were held in multiple European cities amid the escalation in the Middle East. In Berlin, police broke down a spontaneous demonstration on Saturday, which was associated with the NGO Samidoun. The German law enforcement said the protesters posed an “immediate threat to public safety” due to “anti-Israel” chants “glorifying violence.”

The German government was at the forefront of welcoming asylum-seekers during the 2015 influx, when some 1.3 million people arrived on the continent in just one year. Anti-migrant sentiments surged in many nations during the crisis, with some Eastern European members of the EU adopting policies to curb immigration.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Posted in Europe, Germany, UK

A Study Index of the Life of Jesus

•October 16, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Jesus’ Life (a)

— pre-existence of the Messiah, the Son of God
— Isaiah 9 “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace”
— Isaiah 7 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son”
— “In the beginning was the Word
— and the Word was the Son of God”
— Proverbs 8 he might be “brought forth” the way Eve was

Jesus’ Life (b)

— ministers of the word; “word” means the gospel
— Luke’s letter addresses to “most excellent Theophilus”
— the lot on duty was the priest, Zacharias; he was “blameless”
— his wife, Elizabeth, barren, and both stricken in years
— the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias and Elizabeth
— “For with God nothing shall be impossible”

Jesus’ Life (c)

— the angel Gabriel brought good news to Mary
— “Blessed art thou among women
— and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”
— “He that is mighty hath done to me great things”
— “He hath put down the mighty from their seats
— and exalted them of low degree”

Jesus’ Life (d)

— the angel Gabriel appears to Joseph
— a virgin shall bring forth a child as spoken by Isaiah
— the birth and circumcision of John the Baptist
— Zacharias’ mouth opens and he prophesied
— “to give light to them that sit in darkness
— and guide our feet into the way of peace”

Jesus’ Life (e)

— the birth of Jesus Christ
— a visit from the Shepherds
— circumcision and purification at the Temple
— the blessing of Simon
— “a light to lighten the Gentiles
— and the glory of thy people Israel”

Jesus’ Life (f)

— the genealogy of Jesus Christ
— Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch,
— Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah,
— Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham,
— Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Aram, Amminadab,
— Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David, Nathan,
— Mattatha, Menan, Melea, Eliakim, Jonan, Joseph, Judah,
— Simeon, Levi, Matthat, Jorim, Eliezer, Jose, Er,
— Elmodam, Cosam, Addi, Melchi, Neri, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel,
— Rhesa, Joanna, Juda, Joseph, Semei, Mattathias, Maath,
— Naggai, Esli, Nahum, Amos, Mattathias, Joseph, Janna,
— Melchi, Levi, Matthat, Heli, Joseph, Jesus

Jesus’ Life (g)

— the blessing of prophetess Anna
— the visit of the wise men, offering gifts
— escape into Egypt before the slaughter by Herold
— return to Nazareth after being told in a dream
— at twelve kept the Passover in Jerusalem

Jesus’ Life (h)

— John baptizing in the wilderness of Judea
— a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins
— from Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
— ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’”
— John had his raiment of camel’s hair
— and a leather girdle about his loins
— and his meat was locusts and wild honey

Jesus’ Life (i)

— Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan River
— calling of his disciples
— “Behold the Lamb of God!”
— Andrew and Peter; Philip and Nathanael
— first miracle: turning water into wine
— fasting, no food nor water; and tempted after forty days

Jesus’ Life (j)

— Jesus went up to Jerusalem to keep the Jews’ Passover
— and he drove them all those trading out of the Temple
— “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
— Nicodemus, a Pharisees, came at Night at see him
— Jesus and his disciples baptized others
— encounters with the Samaritan woman and her kinsmen

Jesus’ Life (k)

— Jesus back in Galilee and Nazareth
— “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”
— in Capernaum, he healed a man with an unclean spirit
— “Thou art Christ the Son of God”
— miracle of a big catch by the Lake of Gennesaret

Jesus’ Life (l)

— the Sermon on the Mount
— “Ye are the light and salt of the earth”
— how to pray and how to fast
— “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”
— “Thrive through the Narrow Gate”
— “Beware of False Prophets”

Jesus’ Life (m)

— “If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean”
— “Son, thy sins are forgiven thee”
— “the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath”
— he ordained the twelve that they should go forth to preach
— and have power to heal sicknesses and cast out devils
— a woman in the city, brought an alabaster box of ointment
— and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment

Jesus’ Life (n)

— healing on the Sabbath near a pool called Bethesda
— “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work”
— and he spoke many things unto them in parables
— Why Speaking in Parables? so that seeing, they see not
— and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand
— Jesus rebukes the Storm; even the winds of the sea obey Him!
— healing of Jairus’ Daughter and a woman with hemorrhage

Jesus’ Life (o)

— and from the twelve he send them forth two by two
— and them power over unclean spirits and cast out devils
— not Gentiles, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel
— to preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’
— “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth
— I came not to send peace, but a sword”
— feeding the 5000, walking on water and the Tranfiguration

Jesus’ Life (p)

— a woman caught in adultery; “Go and sin no more”
— Ye of Abraham’s Seed;
— “Verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am!”
— the Pharisees: “Are we blind also?”
— the true Shepherd; one that giveth his life for the sheep
— Offending the Little Ones; trangressions among brothers
— sending out two by two of the Seventy into every city
— the Good Samaritans; Martha and Mary; Power of Beelzebub?
— sign of Jonah; “I Come to Cast Fire” on the fig tree

Jesus’ Life (q)

— confronting the Pharisees; prepare to bear the Cross
— the lost sheep; the prodical son; serving two masters
— Lazarus and the rich man; only one gave thanks
— as in the Days of Noah; they ate, they drank,
— they married and were given in marriage
— raising of Lazarus; plotting his death; and to be betrayed
— Zacchaeus; and parable of the pounds

Jesus’ Life (r)

— anointed by Mary before entering Jerusalem
— he weeps for the Holy City; a Voice from Heaven
— more parables: a landlord afar; a wedding for his son
— a man not with the right garment
— the Sadducees, who do not believe life after death

Jesus’ Life (s)

— “the Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat”
— “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
— Ye fools and blind! Blind Guides
— “Tell us, when shall be the sign of thy coming
— and of the end of the world?”
— “All these are the beginning of sorrows”
— the ten virgins; the ten talents
— the Sheep on his right and the Goats on the left

Jesus’ Life (t)

— two days before the Passover; anointed in Bethany
— 30 pieces of silver; preparing for the Passover
— when evening had come, he sat down with the twelve
— when supper being ended
— the devil entered into the heart of Judas Iscariot
— “If ye love Me, keep My commandments”
— they sang a hymn and left

Jesus’ Life (u)

— “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman
— Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you”
— in Gethsemene to pray; praying for three hours
— “I have given them thy Word, and the world hath hated them
— because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”
— Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth

Jesus’ Life (v)

— and Judas also, who betrayed Him, led the way
— now the chief priests and elders and all the council
— sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to death
— and as soon as it was day, the elders, the chief priests
— and scribes came together and led him to their council
— then the whole multitude arose and led him unto Pilate
— then said Pilate to them, “I find no fault in this man”

Jesus’ Life (vv)

— but Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him
— and they cried out, saying, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
— at sixth hour, Pilate said unto them, “Behold your king!”
— they cried out, “Away with him! Crucify him!”
— the next morning, Simon bears the cross for him
— the at the third hour they crucified him on the cross
— at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
— saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is
— “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
— after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus,
— besought Pilate that he might take away the body for burial

Jesus’ Life (x)

— the next day, a High Sabbath, the day after Preparation
— the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate
— as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week
— Mary and the other ladies came to see the sepulcher
— “Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father”
— two of them were going to a village called Emmaus

Jesus’ Life (y)

— Peter said to other disciples, “I am going fishing”
— Jesus appeared to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias
— the net caught great fishes, a hundred and fifty three
— and He said unto Peter, “Feed My sheep”
— to them He showed Himself by them forty days
— when He had spoken these things, while they beheld
— He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight

Caveat:

Many verses in the NT have words changed, altering their meanings!

What is the Best Bible Translation? Changing the Word

Total Onslaught, Episode 13 by Walter Veith

Dublin Review refers to: Dublin Review (Catholic), published in London 1836–1969

Posted in Gospel

Will the US Be the Next Israel?

•October 15, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Will the United States Be the Next Israel?

Politico by Daniel DREZNER • October 12, 2023

War in the Middle East is a warning of what can happen when politicians put their own ends above national security. Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on October 13, 2023. (Atia Mohammed/Flash90)

Americans are watching the Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing war with horror, mourning the death of innocent civilians, thinking about their family and friends, and worrying that the violence in Gaza will trigger an even more violent conflagration in the Greater Middle East.

There’s another reason Americans should be worried.

What’s happening in Israel now is a disturbing example of what can happen when elected officials use partisan and personal motivations to warp national security. For years, Republicans in Congress have attempted to sabotage what they call the “Deep State.”

This includes placing holds on political nominees and castigating diplomats, officers and analysts employed in the government as captives to “Big Woke.” They might see it as political theater, necessary to boosting profiles and fundraising. But as this week shows, there can be a price.

Reporting suggests that the hardline elements of Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition were openly hostile to warnings from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and security agency Shin Bet that settler violence would increase the security threat to Israel.

One Likud member of parliament complained: “The ideology of the left has reached the top echelons of the Shin Bet. The deep state has infiltrated the leadership of the Shin Bet and the IDF.” Another Netanyahu coalition member stated, “We see there is confusion as to who is an enemy.”

Hamas’ surprise attack has highlighted further national security dysfunction within the Netanyahu government. There are confirmed reports that Egyptian intelligence directly warned Netanyahu that “something fierce will happen from Gaza.”

Allegedly, Netanyahu was indifferent to the warning, explaining that the IDF was “swamped” with terrorism threats in the West Bank. Israeli critics have stated that his coalition repeatedly ignored earlier warnings from Arab allies regarding rising levels of Palestinian frustration.

Haaretz editorialized this week that, “a prime minister indicted in three corruption cases cannot look after state affairs, as national interests will necessarily be subordinate to extricating him from a possible conviction and jail time.”

Israel is paying a steep price for its national security dysfunction right now in the form of hundreds dead, a planned siege of Gaza and an imminent ground invasion involving hundreds of thousands of Israeli soldiers that may accomplish little more than producing more bloodshed and grievance.

Here’s my question: Is Israel a harbinger for the United States? Are we getting a sneak preview of what will happen if Republicans succeed in their effort to exercise more control over the national security bureaucracy?

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire. Ezekiel 23:25

Posted in Armageddon, Islamic, Israel, US

A Psalm 83 Prophecy?

•October 15, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Psalm 83 tells us the Ishmaelites, Edom, Ammon, Amalek, Hagarenes, Tyre, Gebal and the Philistines wanting to attack Israel; for they have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.”

The most important question facing this Study is whether Psalm 83 is a prophecy of the past or is it one yet to come.

There are three possibilities: (1) of the Past, during David’s time; (2) of a “limited” prophecy, during the fall of the Ten tribes and carried away by the Assyrians; (3) of the future, still yet in the endtime future.

(1) If it was of the past that could had happened during the captivity of the northern Kingdom of Israel, when they were carried into captivity by the Assyrians. Psalm 83 fits perfectly with I Chronicles 18-19 where David’s army was in a major war with a large alliance that included Mesopotamians, Aramaeans, Ammonites and others.

The dominant power of Mesopotamia at that time was Assyria, or Asshur. All these nations are named in Psalm 83 as being in a war against David which wanted to wipe out the Israelites. Proponents further says there is no reference to (a) a latter day; (b) endtime or any time frame further into the future. Nothing in Psalm 83 identifies it as a latter day prophecy.

(2) Perhaps it might have being a “limited” prophecy: that is, it was a prophecy some two hundred years later when phases of the Ten Tribes were exiled, carried away by the Assyrians, the last, by Sennaherib, was in 721 BC. These Ten Tribes are the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Manasseh and Ephraim.

The scriptural basis for the idea of the Lost Tribes is II Kings 17:6: “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away unto Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”

(3) If this is of the future, this may be another rise of a group of Israel enemies at the endtime. Some assert that it might have an unstated latter day application because some true latter-day prophecies mention the number “ten” (as in Daniel 2’s mention of ten toes and the “seven heads and ten horns” of Revelation 17).

They claim that the ancient warlike Assyrians migrated into Europe along with many other Semitic peoples when the Parthian Empire fell and ultimately became the warlike Prussians. Prussia ceased to exist after World War II but dispersed and scattered westward throughout Germany to escape the Russian armies that occupied the former lands occupied by Prussia.

A strong case in their favor is found in Isaiah 10:

⁵ “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand is Mine indignation! ⁶ I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. ⁷ Yet he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Isaiah 10:5-7

Psalm 83:1 Keep Thou not silence, O God; hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God.

² For lo, Thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head.

³ They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones.

⁴ They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.”

Today, a country like Iran (or its proxies: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houties) would have said this, to drive the state of Israel into the sea; but “the head of the snake” Iran, or Persia or Elam by its ancient name, is conspiciously not listed among these nations wanting to to put an end to Israel.

Its absence speaks volumn! Nevertheless this could be a type that could re-emerge, in the form of “Gog and Magog” in Ezekiel 38-39 and again in Revelation 20:8.

⁵ For they have consulted together with one accord; they are confederate against Thee:

⁶ the tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarites, — the posterity of Edom is a long and complex subject. Needless to say, they migrated to Spain and then into the New World, and are further analysed in (1) Obadiah; and (2) A Sword from the South!

— second, the tent of Edom; this prophecy of Edom in Psalm 83 in the Old World could occur at the same time as the Sword and Fire emerge from the South in the New World: A Sword from the South!; that is, these two prophecies could run parallel to each other;

— the Moabites shouldn’t be distressed but when they pledged “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance,” they themselves lost the right to their name and land; see God’s earlier commitment till they lost it:

“And the Lord said unto me, ‘Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give thee of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.’ Deuteronomy 2:8-9

And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the Wilderness of Moab;

— many obervers believe the brown Semites of Saudi Arabia spring from lshmael; and Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Abraham’s wife Sarai (as an interesting aside, Hagar means flight; the flight of Muhammed to Medina is known as the Hagira); they are descended from the Mizraimites (Genesis 16:1-4, 15).

— the Ishmaelites, the Moabites and the Hagarite remained where they were, but the posterity of Esau or the Edomites later moved to Spain (except, perhaps, some of the Amalekites, who could have remained there and intermarried with the local inhabitants, especially the Philistines, over the centuries to be known as the Palestianians we come to know today), and many then spread over to Mexico and South America where they are today; for more about the posterity of Esau or the Edomites, see more in Obadiah

⁷ Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre. — the inhabitants of Tyre; this parallels the destruction of Damascus in Isaiah 17; as commented above, some of the Amalekites could have remained there and intermarried with the the Philistines, and over the centuries became known as the Palestianians today.

⁸ Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot. Selah — the Assyrians are listed among them, and therefore are not likely the Germans as some believe;

⁹ Do unto them as unto the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Jabin at the Brook of Kishon,

— the ancient tribes and countries mentioned in Psalm 83 are:

— notice that these tribes and countries mentioned above are largely the land bound by “between the rivers” that is, within the bound of God’s given land allocated from God to Abraham and then to the full House of Jacob (Genesis 15); this could be considered as the Inner Ring (in contrast to “Gog and Magog” known as the Outer Ring);

of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarites (verse 6); Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre (verse 7); Assyria also has joined with them; they have helped the children of Lot (verse 8); the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Jabin at the Brook of Kishon (verse 9); their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, yea, all their princes as Zebah and as Zalmunna (verse 11);

¹⁰ who perished at Endor; they became as dung for the earth.

¹¹ Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, yea, all their princes as Zebah and as Zalmunna,

¹² who said, “Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.”

Iran (or Persia or Elam) is not anywhere mentioned in Psalm 83 and is not bound “between the two great rivers,” but its proxies are

¹³O my God, make them like a wheel, as the stubble before the wind.

¹⁴ As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire,

¹⁵ so persecute them with Thy tempest, and make them afraid with Thy storm.

¹⁶ Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Thy name, O Lord.

¹⁷ Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame and perish,

¹⁸ that men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.

Overall, a strong case could be for the “limited” prophecy. Foremost is that Iran “the head of the snake,” is not in the picture, which is inconceivable in today’s political environment; though many of its proxies (Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah and other militias in Syria and Iraq) are there within the Inner Ring.

Second, no one could be cetain who the Assyrians are; some claim they are the Germans, but Germany hasn’t displayed any ambition to conquer Jerusalem; unless they change dramatically.

And finally, the book of Psalms, unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel or Daniel, is not known to be a prophetic book for the endtime. Notwithstanding, this prophecy could be a type in the form of “Gog and Magog” to re-emerge again and again at the endtime.

Posted in Esau, Ezekiel Timeline, Iran, Israel, Minor Prophets

Prophet Elon Musk: ‘Civil War’ in Europe

•October 14, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Prophet Musk predicts ‘civil war’ in Europe!

RT News • October 11, 2023

The billionaire seer has endorsed the notion that EU immigration policy is suicidal

Prophet Elon Musk has suggested that the European Union may face the prospect of civil war due to its immigrant-welcoming policies. Two weeks ago, he visited the US southern border, wading into the bitter debate over immigration in his adopted home country.

“If current trends continue, civil war in Europe is inevitable,” he claimed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

Clashes at banned pro-Palestinian during protest in Paris

Musk was responding to a thread by Moscow-born British satirist and political commentator Konstantin Kisin. He denounced what he called “people celebrating rape and murder by a proscribed terrorist organisation as the police stand and watch in major European cities.”

Kisin was referring to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the wake of the deadly incursion by Hamas into southern Israel last week. Some residents of European nations focused on condemning Israel for mistreatment of people in the West Bank and Gaza rather than condemning the killings and kidnappings of Israelis by the Palestinian militant movement.

Demonstrators holding flags of Palestine during a rally in Berlin

“We import more people who think this way every day,” Kisin noted, decrying the lack of “a sensible immigration policy” screening for people with “cultural values that match our own.”

He was presumably referring to the EU rather than the UK, where Conservative governments have ramped up immigration controls since Brexit.

A pro-Palestinian demonstration in Milan, Italy, on October 10, 2023

Kisin concluded that British author Douglas Murray was correct when he argued that European civilization was committing suicide in his 2017 book ‘The Strange Death of Europe’.

Immigration is a hot-button issue in the US as well, as critics of the administration of President Joe Biden accuse him of turning a blind eye to illegal border crossings for the sake of ideological and political goals. Musk weighed in on the debate in late September, when he visited the border city of Eagle Pass in Texas.

Pro-Palestinian supporters marched through downtown Sydney on Monday evening to the city’s iconic Opera House

The US should “smooth out legal immigration and stop a flow of people that is of such magnitude that we’re leading to a collapse of social services,” Musk urged at the time. He declared himself “extremely pro-immigrant,” citing his own status as a naturalized citizen.

And right on cue to what Prophet Elon Musk has said, the Palestinian Hamas terror group known as Hamas has called on Muslims worldwide to stage a “Day of Jihad,” or holy war, on Friday, October 13th — coincidentally, a date that resonates with horror movies and the upcoming Halloween holiday.

Hamas Calls for Global ‘Day of Jihad’ on Friday: October 13, 2023

“We declare next Friday, ‘The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood,’ as a day of general mobilization in our Arab and Islamic world and among the free people of the world. It is a day to rally support, offer aid, and participate actively.

“It is a day to expose the crimes of the occupation, isolate it, and foil all its aggressive schemes. It is a day to demonstrate our love for Palestine, Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa.

“It is a day for sacrifice, heroism, and dedication, and to earn the honor of defending the first Qibla of Muslims, the third holiest mosque, and the ascension of the trusted Messenger.”

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by fire. Ezekiel 23:25

Posted in Armageddon, Australia, Europe

5784 – Timeline of Jewish History

•October 14, 2023 • Leave a Comment

This Hebrew year starts September 16th 2023. A Hebrew year is 355 days long. On this day, September 16, 2023, using God’s lunar calendar, the Biblical year 5784 begins.

On the race toward the beginning of the seventh millenium, the Western calendar is already off by 24 years whereas the Jewish Calendar has still 216 years to run. Thus giving rise to a difference of 240 year! The Question is, where are the discrepancies?

And this year, according to the Jews, is 5784.

Creation of Heaven and Earth, and Adam and Eve

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-3760	1	Creation of Adam and Eve
-3631	130	Seth (son of Adam) was born
-3526	235	Enosh (son of Seth) was born
-3436	325	Keynan (son of Enosh) was born
-3366	395	Mehalalel (son of Keynan) was born
-3301	460	Yered (son of Mehalalel) was born
-3139	622	Chanoch (son of Yered) was born
-3074	687	Metushelach (son of Chanoch) was born
-2887	874	Lemech II (son of Metushelach) was born
-2831	930	Adam died
-2705	1056	Noah (son of Lemech II) was born
-2225	1536	Noah began the construction of the ark
-2205	1556	Yaphet (son of Noah) was born
-2204	1557	Cham (son of Noah) was born
-2203	1558	Shem (son of Noah) was born
-2105	1656	Metushelach died
-2105	1656	The Great Flood covered the earth
-2103	1658	Arpachshad (son of Shem) was born
-2068	1693	Shelach (son of Arpachshad) born
-2038	1723	Eber (son of Shelach) was born
-2004	1757	Peleg (son of Eber) was born
-1974	1787	Re’u (son of Peleg) was born
-1942	1819	Serug (son of Re’u) was born
-1912	1849	Nachor I (son of Serug) was born
-1883	1878	Terah (son of Nachor I) was born

The Forefathers

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-1813	1948	Abraham (son of Terah) was born
-1803	1958	Sarah (daughter of Haran) was born
-1788	1973	Abraham married Sarah
-1765	1996	Dispersion from Babel after building the tower
-1761	2000	Terah left Ur Kasdim with his family
-1755	2006	Noah died
-1743	2018	The covenant (Brit Bein Habetarim) with Abraham
-1738	2023	Abraham settled in Canaan
-1727	2034	Ishmael (son of Abraham) was born
-1713	2048	Abraham circumcised himself and Ishmael
-1713	2048	Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed
-1713	2048	Isaac (son of Abraham) was born
-1677	2084	The Akeda: Isaac brought on the altar by Abraham
-1677	2084	Sarah died
-1653	2108	Jacob and Esau were born
-1638	2123	Abraham died
-1603	2158	Shem (son of Noah) died
-1590	2171	Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau
-1576	2185	Jacob went to Haran
-1574	2187	Eber (great-grandson of Shem) died
-1569	2192	Jacob married Leah and Rachel
-1566	2195	Levi (son of Jacob and Leah) was born
-1562	2199	Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, was born
-1556	2205	Jacob left Haran
-1553	2208	Benjamin was born
-1545	2216	Joseph was sold
-1533	2228	Isaac died
-1532	2229	Joseph became viceroy of Egypt
-1526	2235	Kehot (son of Levi) was born
-1523	2238	Jacob (and his family) went to Egypt

Living in Egypt

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-1506	2255	Jacob died
-1429	2332	After Levi died, the enslavement in Egypt began
-1393	2368	Moses was born
-1355	2406	Joshua was born
-1314	2447	Moses encountered the burning bush
-1313	2448	The Jewish nation left Egypt

Traveling Through the Desert

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-1313	2448	The Jewish nation crossed the Red Sea
-1313	2448	At Mount Sinai and the giving of the Torah
-1313	2448	Moses broke the Tablets
-1312	2449	Moshe came down Mount Sinai with the second Tablets
-1312	2449	The Tabernacle was erected
-1312	2449	The spies returned from Canaan with bad news
-1274	2487	Aharon and Miriam died
-1273	2488	Moses died

Judges and Early Prophets

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-1273	2488	The Jews crossed the Jordan into Canaan
-1258	2503	The partition of the Land of Israel completed
-1245	2516	Joshua died
-1228	2533	Rule of Judges began with Othniel ben Kenaz
-1188	2573	Ehud ben Gerah became leader
-1107	2654	Shamgar ben Anath died
-1107	2654	Deborah became leader
-1067	2694	Gideon became leader
-1027	2734	Abimelech, son of Gideon, became leader
-1024	2737	Tola, son of Pua, became leader
-1003	2758	Jair, the Gileadite, became leader
-982	2779	Jephtah (HaGil’adi) became leader
-969	2792	Elon (HaZevuloni) became leader
-959	2802	Abdon ben Hillel became leader
-951	2810	Samson became leader
-931	2830	Eli the Kohen became leader
-907	2854	David was born
-890	2871	Samuel became leader

Kings and the First Holy Temple

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-879	2882	Saul was appointed king
-877	2884	David became king of Judah in Hebron
-869	2892	David became king of Israel in Jerusalem
-837	2924	Solomon became king
-833	2928	The building of the first Beit Hamikdash commenced
-827	2935	The first Beit Hamikdash was completed
-797	2964	Solomon died and his kingdom was divided
-797	2964	Rehabeam (son of Solomon) became king of Judah
-797	2964	Jeroboam ben Nevat became king over Israel
-718	3043	Elijah went up in a chariot of fire
-677	3084	Joash renovated the Beit Hamikdash
-619	3142	Isaiah began his prophecies
-574	3187	The first two of the Ten Tribes were exiled
-566	3195	Another two of the Ten Tribes were exiled
-562	3199	Hezekiah became king of Judah
-556	3205	The last of the Ten Tribes were exiled
-548	3213	Sennacherib invaded the Land of Judah and retreated
-533	3228	Menasseh (son of Hezekiah) became king of Judah
-463	3298	Jeremiah began his prophecies
-458	3303	Josiah renovated the Beit Hamikdash
-442	3319	Jerusalem conquered and Joiakim (Yehoyakim) exiled
-440	3321	Joiakim burned the Book of Lamentations by Jeremiah
-434	3327	Jerusalem conquered again and Jehoiachin exiled
-430	3331	Jeremiah persisted in prophesying calamity
-429	3332	Ezekiel prophesied in exile
-425	3336	The final Babylonian siege of Jerusalem
-423	3338	The walls of Jerusalem were penetrated
-423	3338	The sacrifices ceased in the Beit Hamikdash
-423	3338	The first Beit Hamikdash was destroyed

Exile in Babylon

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-423	3339	Gedalyah ben Achikam was killed
-421	3340	Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar dream
-410	3352	Ezekiel prophesied the future Beit Hamikdash
-372	3389	Daniel read the writing on the wall
-372	3389	Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den
-371	3390	Zerubabel led the return to the Land of Israel
-370	3391	Building of Second Beit Hamikdash commenced
-366	3395	Achashverosh II made his great banquet
-362	3399	Esther was taken to the palace
-357	3404	Esther took action against Haman’s decree
-355	3406	Mordechai proclaimed the celebration of Purim
-353	3408	Building of the second Beit Hamikdash resumed
-349	3412	The second Beit Hamikdash was completed

Building of the Second Holy Temple

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-348	3413	Ezra led the second return to the Land of Israel
-335	3426	Nehemiah returned to rebuild walls of Jerusalem
-313	3448	Ezra died
-313	3448	Simon the Tzaddik met Alexander the Great
-313	3449	The Minyan Shtarot began

Greek Cultural Domination

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-273	3488	Simon the Tzaddik died
-246	3515	72 Elders translated the Torah into Greek (Septuagint)
-140	3621	The revolt of Mattityahu the Chashmona’i

Kingdom of Judea: Dynasty of the Chashmona’im

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-139	3622	Judah the Maccabee ruled
-139	3622	The Second Beit Hamikdash was re-dedicated
-138	3623	Hannukah was declared a festival
-133	3628	Judah the Maccabee was killed in battle
-133	3628	Yonatan (son of Mattityahu) ruled
-127	3634	Shimon (son of Mattityahu) ruled
-119	3642	Yohanan Hyrkanos (son of Shimon) ruled
-93	3668	Judah Aristoblus (son of Yochanan Hyrkanos) ruled
-91	3670	Alexander Yannai (son of Yochanan Hyrkanos) ruled
-73	3688	Salome Alexandra, wife of Alexander Yannai, ruled
-65	3696	Aristoblus II (son of Alexander Yannai) ruled
-61	3700	The Romans gained control of Judea
-61	3700	Hyrkanos II (son of Alexander Yannai) ruled
-40	3721	Antigonus (son of Aristoblus II) ruled

Roman Client Kings and Rulers: The Herodian Dynasty

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
-36	3725	Herod I ruled, killing all the Chashmona’im
-33	3728	Hillel became the leader of the Torah scholars
-19	3742	Herod I rebuilding the second Beit Hamikdash
-11	3750	Renovation of second Beit Hamikdash completed
1	3761	Archelaus (son of Herod I) ruled
8	3768	Hillel died
10	3770	Archelaus was deposed by the Roman Emperor
21	3781	Agrippa I (grandson of Herod I) ruled
28	3788	Sanhedrin moved from the second Beit Hamikdash
44	3804	Agrippa II (son of Agrippa I) ruled
50	3810	Rabban Gamliel I, grandson of Hillel, died
66	3826	Vespasian arrived in Judea to reassert Roman rule
69	3829	The second Beit Hamikdash was destroyed

The Talmudic Era: The Mishnah

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
74	3834	R Yohanan ben Zakkai died
86	3846	Sanhedrin moved from place to place, R Gamliel II
133	3893	Betar fell and Bar Kochba revolt ended in tragedy
134	3894	Judaism was banned, and R Akiva was imprisoned
189	3949	R Judah Hanassi completed the Mishnah

The Talmudic Era: The Gemara

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
219	3979	Rav left the Land of Israel and settled in Bablyonia
247	4007	Shmuel was the Talmudic authority in Bablyonia
254	4014	R Yohanan was the leading Talmudic authority
290	4050	R Huna was the leading Talmudic authority
298	4058	R Yehudah was the leading Talmudic authority
300	4060	R Chisda was the leading Talmudic authority
309	4069	Rabbah was the leading Talmudic authority
321	4081	R Yosef was the leading Talmudic authority
325	4085	Abayey was the leading Talmudic authority
338	4098	Rava was the leading Talmudic authority
359	4119	Hillel II (the calendar) became Nassi
392	4152	R Ashi was the leading Talmudic authority
427	4187	R Ashi died after the compilation of the Gemara
475	4235	The Talmud was complete when Ravina II died

The Rabbanan

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
551	4311	Mar Zutra proclaimed Jewish self-rule in Babylonia

The Geonim

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
589	4349	The talmudic academy of Pumpedita was reconstituted
609	4369	The talmudic academy of Sura was reconstituted
614	4374	The Persians conquered the Land of Israel
614	4374	The Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem
629	4389	The Byzantine Empire reconquered the Land of Israel
636	4396	R Yitzchak was the last gaon of Neharde’a
637	4397	The Arabs conquered the Land of Israel
645	4405	One of the “Takkkanot Hage’onim” enacted at this time
755	4515	R Achai Gaon left Iraq for the Land of Israel
759	4519	R Yehuda became gaon of Sura
759	4519	The Halachot Gedolot (BaHag) was written at this time
788	4548	Another of “Takkanot Hage’onim” enacted at this time
858	4618	R Amram (who wrote the Siddur) became gaon of Sura
928	4688	Rabbeinu Saadya was appointed gaon of Sura
955	4715	“Four Captives” were ransomed at around this time
968	4728	R Sherira became gaon of Pumpedita
997	4757	R Hai became (the last) gaon of Pumpedita
1038	4798	R Hai died, and the academies of Babylon declined

The Early Rishonim: The Crusade Massacres

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1040	4800	Rabbeinu Gersom Me’or Hagola died
1088	4848	The Rif arrived in Spain from Morocco
1096	4856	The Crusaders destroyed Jewish communities
1099	4859	Jerusalem was captured by the Crusaders
1103	4863	The Rif died
1105	4865	Rashi died, and the era of the Tosaphot began
1135	4895	The Rambam (Maimonides) was born
1144	4904	The first (recorded) blood libel took place
1147	4907	The Crusaders attacked Jewish communities
1147	4907	Rabbeinu Tam was captured by the Crusaders
1148	4908	The Rambam’s and the Radak’s families left Cordova
1165	4925	The Rambam visited the Land of Israel
1171	4931	Rabbeinu Tam died
1175	4935	The Rashbam died
1184	4944	The young son of the Ri was killed
1187	4948	Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem
1189	4949	R Yaakov D’Orleans was killed in London
1190	4950	Jews were massacred in England in the third Crusade
1191	4951	Rabbi David Kimchi, or “Radak” wrote his commentary
1194	4954	The Ramban (Nachmanides) was born
1198	4959	The Ra’avad died
1204	4965	The Rambam died
1236	4996	Rampaging mobs massacred Jews in France
1242	5002	A massive burning of the Talmud took place in Paris
1244	5004	Jerusalem was sacked by Egyptians and Turks
1252	5012	The Inquisition began to use torture
1267	5027	The Ramban left Spain and settled in the Land of Israel
1270	5030	The Ramban died
1286	5046	The Maharam MeRothenburg was imprisoned
1290	5050	New works advanced the study of Kabbalah
1290	5050	The era of the Tosaphot concluded at around this time

Later Rishonim: Persecutions and Expulsions

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1290	5050	All Jews were expelled from England
1293	5053	The Maharam MeRothenburg died in prison
1298	5058	The Rindfleisch massacres began
1298	5058	Author of ‘Mordechai’ and Maimoniyot killed
1305	5065	The Rashba placed a limited ban on philosophy
1305	5065	The Rosh and his son, the Tur, arrived in Spain
1306	5066	All Jews were expelled from France
1310	5070	The Rashba died
1320	5080	Jews were massacred by the Pastoureaux Crusaders
1327	5088	The Rosh died
1336	5096	German Jews were massacred by the Armleder bands
1338	5098	The Ralbag wrote his commentary on the Bible
1349	5109	The Black Death massacres swept across Europe
1367	5127	Ran, Rivash, and other scholars in Spain imprisoned
1391	5151	Spainish Jews massacred — many forced to convert
1391	5151	The Rivash and Rashbatz left Spain
1394	5155	The Final expulsion of Jews from France
1413	5173	R Yosef Albo was in a forced debate with Christians
1421	5181	Jews in Austria were massacred in the Wiener Gezera
1475	5235	The invention of printing was used for Jewish books
1481	5241	The Inquisition was established in Spain
1488	5248	R Ovadiah De Bertinoro settled in Jerusalem
1491	5251	Columbus consulted R. Avraham Zacuto for his travels
1492	5252	All Jews were expelled from Spain and Sicily

The Great Scholars of the Shulchan Aruch and Torah Consolidation

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1493	5253	R Yitzchak Abarbanel arrived in Naples, from Spain
1496	5257	All Jews were expelled from Portugal
1516	5276	The Ein Yaakov was printed
1516	5276	The Turks (Ottoman Empire) conquered Eretz Yisrael
1525	5285	R Yosef Yoselman saved many Jews during Peasants’ War
1553	5314	A mass burning of Jewish books took place in Rome
1563	5323	The Shulchan Aruch was completed by R Yosef Karo
1570	5330	Shulchan Aruch with supplements was published
1572	5332	The Arizal died in Tzfat
1573	5333	The Maharal came to Prague
1573	5334	The Maharshal died
1575	5335	R Yosef Karo died in Tzefat
1599	5359	The Maharal returned to Prague again
1614	5374	The Maharsha became rabbi in Lublin
1616	5377	The Tosaphot Yom Tov commentary was concluded
1621	5382	The Shaloh arrived in the Land of Israel
1629	5389	R Yom Tov Lipman Heller was imprisoned in Prague
1640	5400	R Yoel Sirkes, the Bach, died
1646	5406	The Shach and Taz (on Shulchan Aruch) were printed
1648	5408	Jews were massacred by Chmielnicki’s forces

Early Acharonim and East European Massacres

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1654	5414	The first Jews settled in New Amsterdam (New York)
1655	5415	Jews killed in Russian and Swedish invasions of Poland
1656	5416	Jews were permitted to live in England
1656	5416	Baruch Spinoza was excommunicated
1673	5433	The Magen Avraham (on Shulchan Aruch) was completed
1676	5437	Shabtai Tzvi died as a Muslim
1689	5449	The Beit Shmuel (on the Shulchan Aruch) was printed
1698	5458	The Baal Shem Tov was born
1702	5463	The Pnei Yehoshua’s family was killed in an explosion
1712	5472	The Siftei Chachamim was arrested
1724	5484	R Yaakov Culi (Me’am Lo’ez) arrived in Constantinople
1727	5487	The Mishneh LeMelech died
1734	5494	Jews were massacred by the Haidamack bands

Acharonim and Early Chassidim

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1741	5501	The Or HaChayim arrived in the Land of Israel
1747	5507	R Moshe Chaim Luzzatto died in Acco (Acre)
1750	5510	R Jonathan Eybeschutz became Rabbi in Hamburg
1754	5515	R Yechezkel Landau became Rabbi in Prague
1757	5518	The Frankists instigated mass burnings of the Talmud
1759	5519	Frankists supported blood libel charges in a ‘debate’
1760	5520	The Baal Shem Tov died
1764	5524	The Council of Four Lands was discontinued
1768	5528	Despite resistance, Haidamacks massacre thousands
1772	5532	The Maggid of Mezeritsch died
1782	5542	R Adler and Chatam Sofer visited the Noda BiYehuda
1786	5546	R Elimelech of Lizensk died
1791	5551	The Pale of Settlement was established in Russia
1793	5553	Jews suffered in reign of terror of French Revolution
1797	5558	The Vilna Gaon died
1798	5559	Ba’al HaTanya was released from first imprisonment
1799	5559	Napoleon led an army through the Land of Israel
1806	5566	The Chida (R Chaim Yosef David Azulai) died
1806	5566	The Chatam Sofer became rabbi in Pressburg
1809	5570	R Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev died
1810	5571	R Nachman of Breslov died
1814	5574	R Akiva Eger became rabbi in Posen
1814	5575	Kozhnitzer Maggid and Yehudi of Peshischa, died
1815	5575	Chozeh of Lublin and R. Mendel of Rymanov, died
1819	5579	Anti Jewish riots spread throughout Germany
1827	5587	Russia began conscripting Jewish children to the army
1840	5600	R Yisrael of Ruzhin was released from imprisonment

Later Acharonim and the Changing Society

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1843	5603	Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch was arrested in Russia
1846	5606	Sir Moshe Montefiore visited Russia to help local Jews
1848	5609	R Yisrael Salanter left Vilna
1851	5611	R Shimshon Hirsch became rabbi in Frankfort am Main
1859	5619	R Menachem Mendel of Kotzk died
1864	5624	Malbim imprisoned, and then expelled from Rumania
1866	5626	Chidushei HaRim, Tzemach Tzedek, died
1873	5633	The Chafetz Chaim was published
1874	5634	The Minchat Chinuch died
1878	5638	Petah Tikvah agricultural settlement was established
1881	5641	Jews began leaving Russia after a wave of pogroms
1886	5646	R Shlomo Ganzfried died
1892	5652	R Chaim (Brisker) became Rabbi in Brisk
1905	5665	The Sfat Emet died
1905	5665	Many Jews were killed in (official) Russian pogroms
1911	5671	Chazon Ish was published
1914	5674	Over 500,000 Jewish soldiers fought in World War I
1918	5678	Over 60,000 Jews killed during the Russian Revolution
1923	5684	The Daf HaYomi study cycle commenced
1927	5687	Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe released from Soviet prison
1938	5699	Jews were attacked in the Kristallnacht (Germany)

The Holocaust

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1939	5699	Germany started World War II, and mass killing of Jews
1941	5701	Nazi Germany unexpectedly invaded Russia
1941	5701	200,000 Jews were killed at Babi Yar and Ponary
1942	5702	400,000 Jews of Warsaw were sent to death camps
1943	5703	Nazis’ massive losses in the battle of Stalingrad
1943	5703	Remaining Jews in Warsaw staged a massive uprising
1943	5703	Jewish uprisings at Treblinka, Sobibor, and Bialystock
1943	5703	The Danish quietly rescued 93% of their Jews to safety
1944	5704	300,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in 3 months
1944	5705	Uprising in Auschwitz death camp just before freedom
1945	5705	Nazi Germany was conquered, and World War II ended
1945	5705	6,000,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis during the war

The Modern State of Israel

SECULAR YEAR	JEWISH YEAR	EVENT IN HISTORY
1947	5707	Publication of the Talmud Encyclopedia was commenced
1947	5708	The United Nations divided Israel
1947	5708	Arabs attacked Israel to gain territory
1948	5708	The State of Israel was established
1948	5708	Israel was invaded by many Arab countries
1949	5709	The “War of Independence” in Israel ended
1950	5710	All Jews left the ancient Jewish community of Iraq
1950	5710	Almost all Jews of Yemen emigrated to Israel
1951	5711	The Lubavitcher Rebbe accepts the mantle of leadership
1956	5717	Jewish forces invaded Egypt and conquered the Sinai Desert
1967	5727	The Lubavitcher Rebbe established the Tefillin Campaign
1967	5727	Jerusalem re-united under Jewish rule in the Six Day War
1973	5734	2,500 Jewish soldiers were killed in the Yom Kippur War
1974	5734	Lubavitcher Rebbe established the Shabbat Candle Campaign
1982	5742	Massive enemy arsenals were discovered in Lebanon
1987	5746	First international conference of Chabad Lubavitch emissaries
1993	5753	A secret agreement signed in Oslo
1994	5754	The Lubavitcher Rebbe passed away
2008	5767	Deadly attack at Chabad House in Mumbai, India, kills six
2020	5780	Israel signed “Abraham Accords,” normalizing relations with UAE and Bahrain, soon followed by Sudan and Morocco.

Posted in Ezekiel Timeline, Judiasm

A “Greater Israel” Zionist Plan?

•October 13, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

~~~~

A “Greater Israel” the Zionist Plan for the Middle East?

Global Research by Israel Shahak and Prof Michel Chossudovsky • October 11, 2023

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” which was led by its Military Chief Mohammed Deif. On that same day, Netanyahu confirmed a so-called “State of Readiness For War.”

Israel has now (October 7, 2023) officially declared a new stage of its long war against the people of Palestine. Military operations are invariably planned well in advance (See Netanyahu’s January 2023 statement below). Was “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” a “surprise attack” ?

US intelligence say they weren’t aware of an impending Hamas attack.

Did Netanyahu and his vast military and intelligence apparatus (Mossad et al) have foreknowledge of the Hamas attack which has resulted in countless deaths of Israelis and Palestinians.

Was a carefully formulated Israeli plan to wage an all out war against Palestinians envisaged prior to the launching by Hamas of “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”? This was not a failure of Israeli Intelligence, as conveyed by the media. Quite the opposite.

Evidence and testimonies suggest that the Netanyahu government had foreknowledge of the actions of Hamas which have resulted in hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian deaths. And “They Let it Happen”:

“Hamas fired between 2-5 thousand rockets at Israel and hundreds of Israeli are dead, while dozens of Israelis were captured as prisoners of war. In the ensuing air response by Israel, hundreds of Palestinians were killed in Gaza.” (Stephen Sahiounie)

Following the Al Aqsa Storm Operation on October 7, Israel‘s defence minister described Palestinians as “human animals” and vowed to “act accordingly,” as fighter jets unleashed a massive bombing of the Gaza Strip” (Middle East Eye).

A complete blockade of the Gaza Strip was initiated on October 9, 2023 consisting in preventing and obstructing the importation of food, water, fuel, and essential commodities to 2.3 million Palestinians. It’s an outright crime against humanity.

Was “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” a “surprise attack”? Did Netanyahu and his vast military and intelligence apparatus (Mossad et al) have foreknowledge of the Hamas attack? Was it a false flag?

Netanyahu’s “New Stage” of “The Long War” against Palestine

Netanyahu’s stated objective, which constitutes a new stage in the 75 year old war (since Nakba, 1948) against the people of Palestine is no longer predicated on “Apartheid” or “Separation.” This new stage –which is also directed against Israelis who want peace– consists in “total appropriation” as well as the outright exclusion of the Palestinian people from their homeland.

The current Netanyahu government is committed to the “Greater Israel” and the “Promised Land,” namely the biblical homeland of the Jews.

Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing ahead to formalize “Israel’s colonial project,” namely the appropriation of all Palestinian Lands.

His position defined below several months prior to the October 7, 2023 “State of Readiness For War” consists in total appropriation as well as the outright exclusion of the Palestinian people from their homeland:

“These are the basic lines of the national government headed by me: The Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel — in the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan, Judea and Samaria.” (January 2023)

History: The Relationship between Mossad and Hamas
“Operation Al Acqsa Storm” (OAAS): Was Hamas acting on behalf of the People of Palestine?

What is the relationship between Mossad and Hamas? Is Hamas an “intelligence asset”? There is a long history.

Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya) (Islamic Resistance Movement), was founded in 1987 by Sheik Ahmed Yassin. It was supported at the outset by Israeli intelligence as a means to weaken the Palestinian Authority:

“Thanks to Mossad, (Israel’s “Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks”), Hamas was allowed to reinforce its presence in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, Arafat’s Fatah Movement for National Liberation as well as the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression and intimidation.

Let us not forget that it was Israel, which in fact created Hamas. According to Zeev Sternell, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, “Israel thought that it was a smart ploy to push the Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).” (L’Humanité, translated from French)

The links of Hamas to Mossad and US intelligence have been acknowledged by Rep Ron Paul in a statement to the US Congress: “Hamas Was Started by Israel”?

“You know Hamas, if you look at the history, you’ll find out that Hamas was encouraged and really started by Israel because they wanted Hamas to counteract Yasser Arafat… (Rep Ron Paul, 2011)

What this statement entails is that Hamas is and remains “an intelligence asset,” namely “an “asset” which serves the interests of intelligence agencies.

See also the WSJ (January 24, 2009) “How Israel helped to Spawn Hamas.”

Instead of trying to curb Gaza’s Islamists from the outset, says Mr Cohen, Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. (WSJ, emphasis added)

The Zionist Plan for the Middle East?

According to the founding father of Zionism Theodore Herzl, “the area of the Jewish State stretches: “From the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates.” According to Rabbi Fischmann, “The Promised Land extends from the River of Egypt up to the Euphrates, it includes parts of Syria and Lebanon.”

When viewed in the current context, including the siege on Gaza, the Zionist Plan for the Middle East bears an intimate relationship to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing wars on Syria, Iraq and Yemen, not to mention the political crisis in Saudi Arabia.

The “Greater Israel” project consists in weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of a US-Israeli expansionist project, with the support of NATO and Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the Saudi-Israeli rapprochement is from Netanyahu’s viewpoint a means to expanding Israel’s spheres of influence in the Middle East as well as confronting Iran. Needless to day, the “Greater Israel” project is consistent with America’s imperial design.

“Greater Israel” consists in an area extending from the Nile Valley to the Euphrates. According to Stephen Lendman,

“A near-century ago, the World Zionist Organization’s plan for a Jewish state included:

historic Palestine;
South Lebanon up to Sidon and the Litani River;
Syria’s Golan Heights, Hauran Plain and Deraa; and
control of the Hijaz Railway from Deraa to Amman, Jordan as well as the Gulf of Aqaba.

Some Zionists wanted more – land from the Nile in the West to the Euphrates in the East, comprising Palestine, Lebanon, Western Syria and Southern Turkey.”

“As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto them marvelous things” Micah 7:15

The Zionist project has supported the Jewish settlement movement. More broadly it involves a policy of excluding Palestinians from Palestine leading to the annexation of both the West Bank and Gaza to the State of Israel.

The Project of “Greater Israel” is to create a number of proxy States, which could include parts of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Sinai, as well as parts of Iraq and Saudi Arabia. (See map).

According to Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya in a 2011 Global Research article, The Yinon Plan was a continuation of Britain’s colonial design in the Middle East:

“[The Yinon plan] is an Israeli strategic plan to ensure Israeli regional superiority. It insists and stipulates that Israel must reconfigure its geo-political environment through the balkanization of the surrounding Arab states into smaller and weaker states.

Israeli strategists viewed Iraq as their biggest strategic challenge from an Arab state. This is why Iraq was outlined as the centerpiece to the balkanization of the Middle East and the Arab World.

In Iraq, on the basis of the concepts of the Yinon Plan, Israeli strategists have called for the division of Iraq into a Kurdish state and two Arab states, one for Shiite Muslims and the other for Sunni Muslims. The first step towards establishing this was a war between Iraq and Iran, which the Yinon Plan discusses.

The Atlantic, in 2008, and the US military’s Armed Forces Journal, in 2006, both published widely circulated maps that closely followed the outline of the Yinon Plan. Aside from a divided Iraq, which the Biden Plan also calls for, the Yinon Plan calls for a divided Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria.

The partitioning of Iran, Turkey, Somalia, and Pakistan also all fall into line with these views. The Yinon Plan also calls for dissolution in North Africa and forecasts it as starting from Egypt and then spilling over into Sudan, Libya, and the rest of the region.

“Greater Israel” would require the breaking up of the existing Arab states into small states.

“The plan operates on two essential premises. To survive, Israel must

1) become an imperial regional power, and

2) must effect the division of the whole area into small states by the dissolution of all existing Arab states.

Small here will depend on the ethnic or sectarian composition of each state. Consequently, the Zionist hope is that sectarian-based states become Israel’s satellites and, ironically, its source of moral legitimation…

This is not a new idea, nor does it surface for the first time in Zionist strategic thinking. Indeed, fragmenting all Arab states into smaller units has been a recurrent theme.” (Yinon Plan)

Viewed in this context, the US-NATO led wars on Syria and Iraq are part of the process of Israeli territorial expansion.

In this regard, the defeat of US sponsored terrorists (ISIS, Al Nusra) by Syrian Forces with the support of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah constitute a significant setback for Israel.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Posted in Israel, Zionism

Jesus’ Life (y)

•October 13, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee onto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

John 21

¹After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way showed He Himself:

²There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples.

Back to Fishing

³Simon Peter said unto them, “I am going fishing.” They said unto him, “We also go with thee.” They went forth and entered into a boat immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

⁴But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

⁵Then Jesus said unto them, “Children, have ye any meat?” And they answered Him, “No.”

⁶And He said unto them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find.” They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fishes.

⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girded his fisher’s coat unto him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea.

⁸And the other disciples came in a little boat (for they were not far from land, but, as it were, two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fishes.

⁹As soon then as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon and bread.

¹⁰Jesus said unto them, “Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.”

153 Fishes

¹¹Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty three; and though there were so many, yet the net was not broken.

— broken into smaller numbers 3 X 3 X 17 = 153; or adding the numbers from 1 + 2 + 3 + 17 = 153;

¹²Jesus said unto them, “Come and dine.” And none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who art Thou?” knowing that it was the Lord.

¹³Jesus then came and took bread and gave it to them, and fish likewise.

¹⁴This is now the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was risen from the dead.

¹⁵So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou Me more than these?” He said unto Him, “Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee.” He said unto him, “Feed My lambs.”

¹⁶He said to him again the second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou Me?” He said unto Him, “Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee.” He said unto him, “Feed My sheep.”

¹⁷He said unto him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou Me?” Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, “Lovest thou Me?” And he said unto Him, “Lord, Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love Thee.” Jesus said unto him, “Feed My sheep.

¹⁸Verily, verily I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girded thyself and walked whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.”

¹⁹This spoke He, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said unto him, “Follow Me.”

²⁰Then Peter, turning about, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at supper, and said, “Lord, who is he that betrayeth Thee?”

²¹Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, and what shall this man do?”

²²Jesus said unto him, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.”

²³Then this saying went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. Yet Jesus had not said unto him, “He shall not die,” but, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”

²⁴This is the disciple who testifieth of these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Mark 16:15And He said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.

¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Acts 1:3To these also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen by them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

⁴And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, “which,” saith He, “ye have heard from Me;

⁵for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

⁶When they therefore had come together, they asked of Him, saying, “Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷And He said unto them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power.

⁸But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

⁹And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

¹⁰And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

¹¹who also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.”

¹²Then they returned unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day’s journey.

Mark 16:19So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat at the right hand of God.

²⁰And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen.

John 21

²⁵And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Posted in Gospel

Nature Index Top 100 Institutions

•October 12, 2023 • Leave a Comment

2023 tables: Institutions – natural sciences – academic

The 2023 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. Nature Index is generally based on output, whereas most other ranking are based on reputation and establishment.

Hence old established institutions, like Oxford, ranks highly in Times Higher Education or QS University Rankings, but not in Nature Index Top 100 which is based on outputs, such as patents, publications and citations. Thus British institutions are relatively high in Times and OS rankings, but the country produces nothing worthy of mention in today’s tech race.

Nature Index Top 100

Institution Share 2021 Share 2022 Count 2022

1 Harvard University, United States
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
3 University of Science and Technology of China, China
4 Nanjing University, China

5 Stanford University, United States
6 Peking University, China
7 Tsinghua University, China
8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
9 Zhejiang University, China
10 Sun Yat-sen University, China
11 University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
12 Fudan University, China
13 Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
14 The University of Tokyo, Japan
15 University of Oxford, United Kingdom
16 Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland
17 University of California, Berkeley, United States
18 Nankai University, China
19 Yale University, United States
20 Sichuan University, China

2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

21 University of California, San Diego, United States
22 University of Pennsylvania, United States
23 University of California, Los Angeles, United States
24 Southern University of Science and Technology, China
25 Columbia University in the City, United States
26 University of Michigan, United States
27 Cornell University, United States
28 Wuhan University, China
29 Northwestern University, United States
30 Shandong University, China
31 Xiamen University, China
32 Johns Hopkins University, United States
33 Princeton University, United States
34 University of Toronto, Canada
35 Tianjin University, China
36 University of Washington, United States
37 Jilin University, China
38 Soochow University, China
39 Kyoto University, Japan
40 California Institute of Technology, United States
41 National University of Singapore, Singapore
42 The University of Texas at Austin, United States
43 The University of Chicago, United States
44 Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Switzerland
45 Imperial College London, United Kingdom
46 Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
47 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States
48 University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
49 Washington University in St. Louis, United States
50 New York University, United States
51 South China University of Technology, China
52 Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
53 University of California, San Francisco, United States
54 Hunan University, China
55 Tongji University, China

11 University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

56 University College London, United Kingdom
57 Technical University of Munich, Germany
58 The Pennsylvania State University, United States
59 University of Minnesota, United States
60 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
61 Central South University, China
62 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea
63 Lanzhou University, China
64 University of California, Santa Barbara, United States
65 Seoul National University, South Korea
66 Osaka University, Japan
67 Duke University, United States
68 Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
69 Dalian University of Technology, China
70 Beijing Institute of Technology, China
71 Zhengzhou University, China
72 University of Copenhagen, Denmark
73 Harbin Institute of Technology, China
74 University of California, Irvine, United States
75 McGill University, Canada
76 The Ohio State University, United States
77 University of Colorado Boulder, United States
78 The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
79 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
80 Tohoku University, Japan

3 University of Science and Technology of China, China

81 The University of British Columbia, Canada
82 Texas A&M University, United States
83 Chongqing University, China
84 East China University of Science and Technology, China
85 Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China
86 Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany
87 East China Normal University, China
88 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States
89 Beijing Normal University, China
90 University of Zurich, Switzerland
91 The University of Hong Kong, China
92 University of Pittsburgh, United States
93 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
94 Rice University, United States
95 Purdue University, United States
96 Shenzhen University, China

96 Shenzhen University, China (established only 40 years ago, in 1983)

97 University of Maryland, College Park, United States
98 University of Southern California, United States
99 The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
100 The University of Queensland, Australia

United States 38; China 37; United Kingdom 5; Japan 4; Canada 3; Germany 3; Switzerland 3; Singapore 2; South Korea 2; Australia 1; Denmark 1; Israel 1.

Notable absence are Institutions and Universities from: Spanish & Latin American Institutions, French Institutions, Russian Institutions, Indian Institutions, African and Islamic Institutions.

Posted in China, Tech Race, UK, US

Israel: 260 Ravers Massacred

•October 11, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3:6

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I, the Lord, do all these things. Isaiah 45:7

~~~~

Hamas terrorists pile up bodies of 260 young ravers after horrific massacre in Israel

The Expressed October 9, 2023

Hamas terrorists have killed 260 young ravers at a music event as the militant group goes on a bloody rampage in southern Israel.

“And I will turn your feasts into mourning.”

Videos on social media showed men flying into the country via parachutes while 3,000-4,000 people attended the event.

Israeli authorities have estimated that 260 people were killed at the event. Overall, Hamas’ attacks have reportedly killed more than 700 people.

As of Sunday night, it is also believed that Hamas is holding more than 100 hostages.

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword” Matthew 10:34

“And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day” Amos 8:10

Posted in Israel

Jesus’ Life (x)

•October 11, 2023 • Leave a Comment

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword” Matthew 10:34

“And I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day” Amos 8:10

~~~

Matthew 27:62Now the next day, that following the Day of the Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

The Next day, a High Sabbath — 15th Nisan, Thursday (9:00 AM) — 3rd hour

⁶³saying, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

⁶⁴Command therefore that the sepulcher be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ so that the last error shall be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵Pilate said unto them, “Ye have a watch. Go your way, make it as secure as ye can.”

⁶⁶So they went and made the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone and setting up a watch.

Another Day Passed — 16th Nisan, Friday (6:00 AM)

Mark 16:1 And when the [annual] Sabbath [First Day of Unleavened Bread] was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.

Luke 23:56 And they returned and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the [weekly] Sabbath day according to the commandment.

Weekly Sabbath Passed — 17th Nisan, Saturday (6:00 PM)

Matthew 28:21 At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. — in Hebrew reckoning, dawn of a new day begins at sunset, around 6 PM.

Sunday Morning — 17th Nisan, Sunday (5:00 AM)

²And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. — Mary and the other ladies could have slept near the sepulcher over the night.

³His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.

⁴And for fear of him the guards shook and became as dead men.

John 20

¹ On the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher and saw the stone taken away from the sepulcher.

Sunday Morning — 17th Nisan, Sunday (5:00 AM)

Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?”

⁴And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very large.

⁵And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were frightened.

— this “young man” is most likely the risen Jesus, appearing as the Son of Man, but they couldn’t recognize Him.

⁶And he said unto them, “Be not afraid. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him.

⁷But go your way. Tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see Him, as He said unto you.”

Luke 24:8 And they remembered His words, ⁹ and returned from the sepulcher and told all these things unto the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and other women who were with them

⁸And they went out quickly and fled from the sepulcher, for they trembled and were amazed; neither said they any thing to any man, for they were afraid.

² Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said unto them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him!”

³Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.

⁴And they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came first to the sepulcher.

⁵And stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he went not in.

⁶Then came Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher and saw the linen cloths as they lay

⁷and the napkin that had been about His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

⁸Then the other disciple, who came first to the sepulcher, went in also; and he saw, and believed.

⁹For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

¹⁰Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

¹¹But Mary stood outside at the sepulcher weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher,

¹²and saw two angels in white, sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

¹³And they said unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She said unto them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.”

¹⁴And when she had thus said, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. — appearing as man, as the Son of Man;

¹⁵Jesus said unto her, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said unto Him, “Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

¹⁶Jesus said unto her, “Mary!” She turned herself and said unto Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, “Master”).

“Touch Me not.”

¹⁷Jesus said unto her, “Touch Me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say unto them, ‘I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”

— “touch” represents a Greek word which means to “cling to,” to “fasten on,” to “grasp” an object. The tense is present, and the prohibition is, therefore, not of an individual act, but of a continuance of the act, of the habit, “Do not continue clinging to Me.”

¹⁸Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

Matthew 28:11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the city and reported unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

¹²And when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money unto the soldiers,

¹³saying, “Say ye, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.’

¹⁴And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and secure you.”

¹⁵So they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this account is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Luke 24:13 And behold, two of them were going that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about seven miles.

¹⁴And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

¹⁵And it came to pass that while they communed and reasoned together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were held, that they should not know Him.

¹⁷And He said unto them, “What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another as ye walk and are sad?”

¹⁸And one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto Him, “Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which have come to pass there in these days?”

¹⁹And He said unto them, “What things?” And they said unto Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people;

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and have crucified Him.

²¹But we trusted that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done.

²²Yea, and certain women also of our company, who were early at the sepulcher, made us astonished.

²³And when they found not His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive.

²⁴And certain of those who were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said, but Him they saw not.”

²⁵Then He said unto them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

²⁸And they drew nigh unto the village whither they were going, and He made as though He would have gone further.

²⁹But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” And He went in to tarry with them.

³⁰And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread and blessed it, and broke and gave it to them.

³¹And their eyes were opened and they knew Him. And He vanished out of their sight.

³²And they said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the way and while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

³³And they rose up that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,

³⁴saying, “The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon!”

³⁵And they told what things were done on the way, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Mark 16:12After that, He appeared in another form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country.

¹³And they went and told it unto the rest, but neither did they believe them.

John 20

¹⁹Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in their midst and said unto them, “Peace be unto you.”

²⁰And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.

²¹Then said Jesus to them again, “Peace be unto you. As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.”

²²And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

²³Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

²⁵The other disciples therefore said unto him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said unto them, “Unless I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Luke 24:44And He said unto them, “These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.”

⁴⁵Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures,

⁴⁶and said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

⁴⁸And ye are witnesses of these things.

John 20

²⁶And after eight days the disciples were again within, and Thomas was with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be unto you.”

²⁷Then said He to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹Jesus said unto him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

³¹But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, ye might have life through His name.

Posted in Gospel

Crimes Committed By US Presidents

•October 10, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Let’s Examine Some Real Crimes Committed By US Presidents

MisesInstitute by Connor O’Keeffe

Former president Donald Trump is facing ninety-one criminal charges as he seeks to win back the White House in 2024. The indictments are the latest battle in a roughly six-year crusade against Trump that first sought to remove him from power through the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, then with espionage charges and impeachments, and that now aims to block him from becoming president again. The mantra we hear from those in politics and media who support these efforts is that nobody is above the law.

Let’s Examine Some Real Crimes Committed By Presidents

But there’s an entire class of people above the law. Or who at least act like they’re above the law—the political class. The hypocrisies of their effort to convict Trump and block him from holding office again reveal that the motivations are purely political—not born of some commitment to a higher moral or legal principle.

Two broad schools of thought make up Western legal philosophy. They are natural law theory and legal positivism. Natural law theory says that law exists regardless of the dictates of states. That justice is derived from nature and common to all humans. Simply put, natural law theorists argue that a crime is a crime regardless of what the state says. That makes killing another human with malice aforethought murder, for example, even when it’s done with the blessings of government officials.

Many libertarians, such as Murray Rothbard, ground their moral opposition to state power in appeals to natural law. There is no special status that someone can attain that allows them to commit crimes.

The idea that nobody, not even the president, is above the law is right in line with this view. But, taken to its logical Rothbardian conclusion, equality under the law is a denial of political authority. So, it’s bizarre to hear the political class use this slogan as a rallying cry when all their wealth, power, and status is built on political privilege. And they can’t rightfully go after Trump for how he used his political authority because that’s not unique to Trump.

The political class prefers legal positivism, which separates law from morality. According to legal positivists, law is what the sovereign political authority says it is. There may be just laws and unjust laws. But they are all valid laws in this view. Legal positivism enshrines the political class’s privileged legal status above the rest of us.

Therefore, the way to get Trump is not to show he did anything immoral or wrong but to prove he technically broke some rule made up by members of an earlier political class. That way he can be driven out of public life without threatening the regime’s authority. But the problem hasn’t been finding crimes committed by Trump but finding crimes unique to Trump. Because all recent presidents have broken the law.

President George H. W. Bush launched a war on Iraq without congressional authorization. That is illegal according to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, the set of rules Bush swore an oath to uphold. President Bill Clinton did the same, overseeing illegal military operations in Somalia, Serbia, and Iraq.

President George W. Bush conducted warrantless surveillance on American citizens, which is illegal according to the Fourth Amendment, and committed torture, which is prohibited by Section 2340A of Title 18 of the United States Code. His administration also launched undeclared, and therefore illegal, wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq.

President Barack Obama conducted more illegal wars in Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Mali, and Yemen. In many of those wars, Obama expanded George W. Bush’s policy of giving support to al-Qaeda, which is treason according to Article 3, Section 3 of the Constitution. Obama also ordered the assassination of an American citizen in Yemen who had not been tried or even convicted of a crime. The Sixth Amendment makes that illegal.

Combined, these illegal wars have killed millions of people. They are appalling crimes of which Trump is also guilty. His administration continued the wars in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen despite his running on a more isolationist foreign policy. Yet he’s not being charged for any of that. The crimes he’s facing charges for are far less serious, but they are more unique to Trump.

In New York, Trump is charged with mislabeling some business expenses during the 2016 election. In Georgia, he’s charged with conspiring to overturn an election prosecutors claim he knew he’d lost. Federally, he’s charged with claiming to have won an election he allegedly knew he’d lost, which prosecutors say incited the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He’s also charged with keeping classified documents after leaving office and conducting a “scheme to conceal” them from the federal government.

By refusing to bring charges against Trump that could also be brought against the presidents they like, the political class has shown that its aims are political. If they were committed to the rules that they swore an oath to uphold, they’d have to indict many of their own. And if they genuinely believed that nobody exists above the law, they’d have to give up a whole lot more.

“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10

“For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him” Hosea 5:14

Posted in Global South, US

A ‘Pearl Harbor’ Attack!

•October 9, 2023 • Leave a Comment

A ‘Pearl Harbor’ attack: Why didn’t Israel’s sophisticated border security anticipate Saturday’s attack?

Map showing the Hamas attack at multiple sites in Israel

HAMAS launched an all-out attack on Israel despite the country’s $1 billion Iron Dome defences in what experts are calling an “embarrassing intelligence failure.”

A day that began with air raid sirens blaring out in the early morning had by lunchtime turned into one of the most terrifying attacks Israel has known in the 75 years of its existence.

Assailants from Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the impoverished and densely populated Gaza Strip, had by nightfall killed hundreds of people and wounded hundreds more.

Gunmen chased young Israelis across the desert, shooting and snatching people to take back to Gaza as hostages.

Netanyahu says Israel is ‘at war’ as Hamas launches surprise air and ground attack from Gaza. Though Israel is no stranger to terrorist attacks, Saturday’s assault was unprecedented – not least because of the lack of warning.

Israel’s military on Saturday found itself caught off-guard, despite decades in which the country became a technology powerhouse that boasts one of the world’s most impressive armed forces and a premier intelligence agency

‘Butchered in cold blood’: nightmare at Israel music festival

The questions for Israeli authorities are legion. It has been more than 17 years since an Israeli soldier was taken as a prisoner of war in an assault on Israeli territory. And Israel has not seen this kind of infiltration of military bases, towns and kibbutzim since town-by-town fighting in the 1948 war of independence. How could a terror group from one of the world’s poorest enclaves manage to launch such a devastating attack?

“The entire system failed. It’s not just one component. It’s the entire defense architecture that evidently failed to provide the necessary defense for Israeli civilians,” said Jonathan Conricus, a former international spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces.

“This is a Pearl Harbor-type of moment for Israel, where there was reality up until today, and then there will be reality after today.”

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country will “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known,” while the top official in charge of activities in the Palestinian territories, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, said that Hamas had “opened the gates of hell.”

Conricus, the former IDF spokesman, said Saturday’s events will force Israel to back up that rhetoric and respond “in a way that it has never responded before.”

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. All who burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” Zechariah 12:3

Gill: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces; all that attempt to unsettle and remove it shall be pressed down with the weight of it, and be utterly destroyed: or, “shall be torn to pieces” as men’s hands are cut and torn with rough and heavy stones.

Posted in Armageddon, Jerusalem, US

Jesus’ Life (w)

•October 9, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John 19

¹Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged Him.

²And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe

³and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they smote Him with their hands.

⁴Pilate therefore went forth again and said unto them, “Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.”

⁵Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said unto them, “Behold the man!”

“Crucify him! Crucify him!” — 13th Nisan, Tuesday, (12 NOON) — 6th hour

⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said unto them, “Ye take him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.”

⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

⁸When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.

⁹And he went again into the judgment hall and said unto Jesus, “From whence art thou?” But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰Then said Pilate unto Him, “Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin.”

¹²And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend. Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.”

¹³When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

“Behold your king!” the sixth hour — 13th Nisan, Tuesday, (12 NOON) — 6th hour

¹⁴And it was the Preparation of the Passover and about the sixth hour, and Pilate said unto the Jews, “Behold your king!”

— this sixth hour would be the same sixth hour where Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman at the well, established to be at NOON, when Jesus was wearied and needed a drink (John 4:6). To think that John suddenly popped up Roman time to suit a belief is just trying to be fanciful.

¹⁵But they cried out, “Away with him, away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said unto them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

¹⁶Then he delivered Him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him away.

Pilate’s Soldiers Tortued Him — 13th Nisan, Tuesday, (1:00 PM) — 7th hour

Matthew 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole detachment of soldiers.

²⁸And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet robe.

²⁹And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head and a reed in His right hand, and they bowed their knees before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

³⁰And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and smote Him on the head.

³¹And after they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

For more on the missing 16-18 hours of Christ, see THE MISSING HOURS OF CHRIST

Simon bears the Cross — 14th Nisan, Wednesday, (6:00 AM) — 0 hour

Luke 23:26[The next Day] And as they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women who also bewailed and lamented Him.

²⁸But Jesus, turning unto them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

²⁹For behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts which never gave suck.’

³⁰Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’

³¹For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”

Matthew 27:34they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall. And when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink.

John 19

²³Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also His coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour (9 AM) when they crucified Him.

²⁴They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith, “They parted My raiment among them, and for My vesture did they cast lots.” These things therefore the soldiers did.

The Third hour — 14th Nisan, Wednesday (9:00 AM) — 3rd hour

²⁵ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶When Jesus therefore saw His mother and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He said unto His mother, “Woman, behold thy son!”

²⁷Then said He to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home.

The Sixth hour — 14th Nisan, Wednesday (12 NOON) — 6th hour

Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour (12 NOON) had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (3 PM).

Luke 23:44 And it was about the sixth hour (12 NOON), and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3 PM).

John 19

³¹The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, and so that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was a high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour (3 PM) Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

Luke 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

Matthew 27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked and the rocks rent.

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who slept arose,

53 and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the Holy City and appeared unto many.

54 Now when the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

The Ninth hour — 14th Nisan, Wednesday (3:00 PM) — 9th hour

³²Then came the soldiers and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs,

³⁴but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith there came out blood and water.

³⁵And he that saw it bore record, and his record is true, and he knoweth that he saith truly, that ye might believe.

³⁶For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled: “A bone of Him shall not be broken.”

³⁷And again another Scripture saith, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Matthew 27:55And many women were there beholding afar off, who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him,

⁵⁶among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

John 19

³⁸And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus.

The Eleventh hour — 14th Nisan, Wednesday (5:00 PM) — 11th hour

³⁹And there came also Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds in weight.

⁴⁰Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the manner of the Jews for burial.

⁴¹Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulcher wherein was never man yet laid.

⁴²There they laid Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the sepulcher was nigh at hand.

Matthew 27:60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he [Joseph of Arimathea] had hewn out in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed.

⁶¹And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the sepulcher.

(For a more detailed Study, see THAT NIGHT COULDN’T BE THE FOURTEENTH!)

Posted in Gospel

US Sanctions Have Failed

•October 8, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China AI & Semiconductors Rise: US Sanctions Have Failed

Semianalysis.com • September 12, 2023

As we approach the 1-year anniversary on the October 7^th China sanctions, it is abundantly clear that the export controls are failing. The Biden Administration’s stated aim was to limit Chinese firms’ ability to manufacture the highest end chips including those in AI and other technologies that could be used for nefarious purposes by the Chinese Communist Party. See the US justification below.

The PRC is rapidly developing Exascale supercomputing capabilities and has announced its intent to become the world leader in AI by 2030.

These systems are being used by the PRC for its military modernization efforts to improve the speed and accuracy of its military decision making, planning, and logistics, as well as of its autonomous military systems, such as those used for cognitive electronic warfare, radar, signals intelligence, and jamming.

Furthermore, these advanced computing items and “supercomputers” are being used by the PRC to improve calculations in weapons design and testing including for WMD, such as nuclear weapons, hypersonics and other advanced missile systems, and to analyze battlefield effects.

In addition, advanced AI surveillance tools, enabled by efficient processing of huge amounts of data, are being used by the PRC without regard for basic human rights to monitor, track, and surveil citizens, among other purposes.

to limit the PRC’s ability to obtain advanced computing chips or further develop AI and “supercomputer” capabilities for uses that are contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

US October 2022 Restrictions

However, the release of Huawei’s new flagship chip on SMIC’s N+2 (7nm) process, Chinese companies’ continued importation of billions of dollars of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and acquisition of hundreds of thousands of powerful NVIDIA H800 & A800 chips, it is abundantly clear that the Commerce Department’s standards were set at a level that will not ultimately inhibit China from breaking through the barriers set last fall.

In this report we’ll explore what the Huawei chip crystallizes about the trajectory of Chinese domestic semiconductor manufacturing and AI capabilities. We will be covering:

Huawei’s chip and its competitiveness with foreign chips.
The market share/ASP/revenue impact to Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek from Huawei’s insourcing of silicon.
SMIC’s N+2 (7nm) process technology, current capacity, and expansions plans
The lithography tools they use and why current restrictions are flimsy.
The potential of a future SMIC 5nm process node.
Domestic AI capabilities using externally produced chips from Nvidia
AI chips using domestic manufacturing
RF capabilities for drones and detecting F35’s
And finally, if the US and its allies are uncomfortable with this overall trajectory, a package of potential western responses to China related to front end equipment, chemicals, advanced packaging, and IP licensing that would totally shut out the CCP.

Huawei Kirin 9000S

Let’s jump right in with the talk of the town, Huawei’s Kirin 9000S produced by SMIC. The chip uses a custom Armv9 core, and a custom GPU architecture designed by Huawei. The ability to design leading architecture in China is a big deal.

While the US has stopped AMD and Intel from various CPU deals with China in the past, it has not done been able to do so with Arm. Partially this is due to the joint venture Arm has in China, which is not under their direct control.

Another reason is that the Armv9 instruction set is from Arm Cambridge. Additionally, they utilize Arm’s licensed A510 cores. The A510 core is designed in Arm’s Sophia France R&D center + Cambridge.

The chip is technically incredible. The performance and power consumption profile in a variety of tests bring it on par with 1 to 2-year-old Qualcomm chips (S888 & S8G1). The RF side of the chip is amazing, using an integrated modem that is on par with Qualcomm’s current best.

This is not surprising given Huawei was a bit ahead of Qualcomm before they were banned from using TSMC. The most important point is that the RF Front End chips are also domestically produced, which was a capability many thought China lacked.

The most shocking finding is that when direct comparisons are done on identical IP, the Arm A510 for Huawei’s Kirin 9000S built on SMIC’s N+2 (7nm) and 2022 Qualcomm’s S8G1 built on Samsung’s 4LPX process.

The performance and power consumption of the Arm A510 cores are effectively on par with each other despite the process technology gap, indicating SMIC N+2 is better than most in the west realize. Part of the reason these chips are so close to each other is Samsung’s poor yield and SMIC’s good yield.

Put simply, Kirin 9000S is a better designed chip than the West realizes. It has solid power and performance. Even with the lackluster export controls, this is a leading edge chip that would be near the front of the pack in 2021, yet was done with no access to EUV, no access to cutting edge US IP, and intentionally hampered. We cannot overstate how scary this is.

MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Apple Impact

Quantifying the impact to Apple is quite easy. They gained between ~35 to ~45 million units of iPhone sales as a direct result from the Huawei’s ban in late 2019. This is easily over $20B of annual revenue for Apple that could evaporate if Huawei is able to regain its old footing. That is just smartphones, the impact to tablets, smartwatches, and laptops will be even larger for Apple.

The impact for MediaTek and Qualcomm is even worse. Qualcomm and MediaTek were the main beneficiaries of the 190 million annual Huawei SoC units that evaporated from the market following their ban. From 2020 to now, this share shifted to other Chinese vendors such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. If Huawei regains its form, we calculate as much as $7.6B of revenue impact to MediaTek and Qualcomm.

This of course was in a 1.4 billion unit smartphone market, the current run rate is under 1.2 billion units. A much more nuanced analysis of the above as well as the RFFE impact to Skyworks, Qorvo, Murata, Qualcomm, and others is available for our clients.

The ability of Huawei to regain form hinges primarily on SMIC’s manufacturing capabilities, which we believe are very strong.

SMIC N+2, A True 7nm, Good Yields

The process is a true 7nm process in terms of density. While the engineering decisions on specific pitches are different from TSMC’s 2018 7nm, it should be considered a similar process technology, and SMIC is at worst only a handful years behind TSMC.

One could argue that SMIC is at most only a few years behind Intel and Samsung despite restrictions. As SMIC is replicating what has been done elsewhere, the gap could be even narrower due to their excellent engineering pool from mainland China as well as many courted immigrants from Taiwan that were formerly employed by TSMC.

As mentioned earlier it is on par with Samsung’s 4LPX in performance and power. The big questions are yield and volume. While some pundits claim the yield is only 10%, we don’t believe that. In fact, we believe that SMIC’s process has good yield. There’s no definitive number here, but there are some data points that indicate this.

Why? We’ve heard a few soft remarks from our sources in China that yield is good. Allegedly their D0 is currently about ~0.14. For reference, TSMC’s N5 and N6 nodes are about half that. TSMC of course is the gold standard, and Samsung/Intel “7nm” are closer although still ahead of what SMIC has achieved.

For more, see

Nature Index: China Surpassed US in Science Research

37/44: China leads US in emerging technology

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Jesus’ Life (v)

•October 8, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Matthew 26

Judas’s betrayal — 13th Nisan, Tuesday Early Morning (2:00 AM)

⁴⁵Then came He to His disciples and said unto them, “Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

⁴⁶Rise, let us be going. Behold, he is at hand that doth betray Me.”

John 18

¹ When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where was a garden into which He entered with His disciples.

Judas Iscariot

²And Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place, for Jesus oftentimes resorted thither with His disciples.

³Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

⁴Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth and said unto them, “Whom seek ye?”

⁵They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said unto them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them.

⁶As soon then as He had said unto them, “I am He,” they went backward and fell to the ground.

⁷Then asked He them again, “Whom seek ye?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁸Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. If therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way,”

⁹that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those that Thou gavest Me, have I lost none.”

Simon used a Sword — 13th Nisan, Tuesday Early Morning (2:30 AM)

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and smote the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

¹¹Then said Jesus unto Peter, “Put up thy sword into the sheath. The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”

¹²Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound Him,

Annas first then Caiaphas — 13th Nisan, Tuesday Morning (4:00 AM)

¹³and led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that same year.

¹⁴Now it was Caiaphas who gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁵And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.

¹⁶But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known unto the high priest, went out and spoke unto her who kept the door, and brought in Peter.

¹⁷Then the damsel who kept the door said unto Peter, “Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.”

¹⁸And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals, for it was cold and they warmed themselves. And Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

¹⁹The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and about His doctrine.

²⁰Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue and in the temple whither the Jews always resort, and in secret have I said nothing.

²¹Why askest thou Me? Ask them that heard Me what I have said unto them. Behold, they know what I said.”

²²And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Answerest thou the high priest so?”

²³Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?”

²⁴Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest.

Matthew 26:59Now the chief priests and elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus to put Him to death,

⁶⁰but found none. Yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

⁶¹and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’”

⁶²And the high priest arose and said unto Him, “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witnesses say against thee?”

⁶³But Jesus held His peace. And the high priest answered and said unto Him, “I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast said; nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, “He hath spoken blasphemy! What further need have we of witnesses? Behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy!

⁶⁶What think ye?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death!”

⁶⁷Then they spit in His face and buffeted Him, and others smote Him with the palms of their hands,

⁶⁸saying, “Prophesy unto us, thou Christ! Who is he that smote thee?”

Peter denied Jesus three times — 13th Nisan, Tuesday Morning (5:00 AM)

⁶⁹Now Peter sat outside in the palace, and a damsel came unto him, saying, “Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.”

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all, saying, “I know not what thou sayest.”

⁷¹And when he had gone out onto the porch, another maid saw him and said unto those who were there, “This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷²And again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the man!”

⁷³And after a while came unto him those who stood by, and said to Peter, “Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee.”

⁷⁴Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I know not the man!” And immediately the cock crowed.

⁷⁵And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, when He said unto him, “Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

The Hall of Judgment, the Praetorium

Sanhedrin condemned Him — 13th Nisan, Tuesday, Dawn (6:00 AM)

Luke 22:66And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led Him into their council, saying, — “it was day“ — “it was daybreak.“ Day and daybreak mean the time is at least 6 AM in today’s reckoning!

The Scripture here is screaming! “John 19:14 couldn’t be the same time as in Luke 22:66!” — THIS IS DAYBREAK! 6AM! DAWN! THE SIXTH HOUR IN JOHN 19:14 COULDN’T BE ROMAN TIME! “Jesus couldn’t be with the Sanhedrin here and inside the praetorium at the same time!” THIS IS DAYBREAK! THIS IS ALREADY 6AM!

⁶⁷“Art thou the Christ? Tell us.” And He said unto them, “If I tell you, ye will not believe.

⁶⁸And if I also ask you, ye will not answer Me nor let Me go.

⁶⁹Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

⁷⁰Then said they all, “Art thou then the Son of God?” And He said unto them, “Ye say that I am.”

⁷¹And they said, “What need we any further witness? For we ourselves have heard it from his own mouth.”

Luke 23:1 And the whole multitude of them arose and led Him unto Pilate.

²And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

³And Pilate asked Him, saying, “Art thou the king of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “Thou sayest it.”

⁴Then said Pilate to the chief priests and the people, “I find no fault in this man.”

⁵And they became the more fierce, saying, “He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”

⁶When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the Man were a Galilean.

⁷And as soon as he learned that He belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

⁸And when Herod saw Jesus he was exceedingly glad, for he had been desirous to see Him for a long time, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.

⁹Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.

¹⁰And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.

¹¹And Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him again to Pilate.

¹²And on the same day, Pilate and Herod were made friends together, for before that there was enmity between them.

¹³And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

¹⁴said unto them, “Ye have brought this man unto me as one who perverteth the people. And behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man concerning those things whereof ye accuse him.

¹⁵No, nor yet Herod; for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

John 18

³¹Then said Pilate unto them, “Take ye him and judge him according to your law.” The Jews therefore said unto him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death,”

³²that the saying which Jesus had spoken, signifying what death He should die, might be fulfilled.

³³Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus and said unto Him, “Art thou the King of the Jews?”

³⁴Jesus answered him, “Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?”

³⁵Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me. What hast thou done?”

³⁶Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is My Kingdom not from hence.”

³⁷Pilate therefore said unto Him, “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.”

³⁸Pilate said unto Him, “What is truth?” And when he said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and said unto them, “I find in him no fault at all.

³⁹But ye have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Passover. Will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?”

⁴⁰Then cried they all again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Matthew 27

Barabbas or Jesus

¹⁷Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, “Whom will ye that I release unto you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

¹⁸For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him.

¹⁹When he had sat down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, “Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.”

²⁰But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.

²¹The governor answered and said unto them, “Which of the two will ye that I release unto you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

²²Pilate said unto them, “What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said unto him, “Let him be crucified!”

²³And the governor said, “Why, what evil hath he done?” But they cried out the more, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

²⁴When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but rather that a tumult was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person. See ye to it.”

²⁵Then answered all the people and said, “His blood be on us, and on our children!”

²⁶Then released he Barabbas unto them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Pilate released Him to be crucified — 13th Nisan, Tuesday, (12 NOON) — 6th hour

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole detachment of soldiers.

²⁸And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet robe.

²⁹And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head and a reed in His right hand, and they bowed their knees before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

³⁰And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and smote Him on the head.

³¹And after they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

(For a more detailed Study, see THAT NIGHT COULDN’T BE THE FOURTEENTH!)

Posted in Gospel

UC Berkeley-educated Chip Wizard Liang

•October 7, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Amazing Liang Mong Song help SMIC surpasses TSMC, driving China’s Tech Ambitions

When Asian makers make dramatic advances, there’s often a common semiconductor element: University of California Berkeley-educated Liang Mong Song.

After the US passed the Chip Act, US media began to dig into the reasons for the rapid progress of SMIC’s process, and reported Liang Mong Song in depth, saying that Liang is often behind all the great advances made by Asian semiconductor manufacturers.

Five years ago, Liang Mong Song began to serve as CEO of SMIC. In 2015, when South Korea’s Samsung Electronics announced that the company had successfully developed the world’s most advanced 14-nanometer process, it caused a shock in the technology world.

And this summer, China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation made a splash in the same space, as news broke that the company had also made a huge leap.

TechInsights Inc, an industry analyst firm, said SMIC made chips on a 7-nanometer process for a bitcoin mining company. Both incidents involved a man named Liang Mong Song. He was a legendary engineer in the chip industry, but little known to the outside world.

UC Berkeley-educated and ex-TSMC Chip Wizard Liang at TSMC award ceremony in 2003

Liang Mong Song, 70, was the head of Samsung Electronics’ chip development business when it made a breakthrough, and now he is in charge of SMIC’s technology business in Shanghai. Earlier in his career, he was also one of the stars behind the rise of TSMC.

In 2003, TSMC successfully developed a 130-nanometer copper process a year earlier than IBM, ranking first in the world. TSMC listed Liang as the second engineer in charge at the press conference, after his then-boss Jiang Shangyi.

Liang Mong Song is a chip wizard with boundless mana, and he always has the magic to let the laggards win the championship. In today’s video, let’s get closer to the legendary life of TSMC’s Renegade Genius- Liang Mong Song.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Korea, Taiwan, US

Jesus’ Life (u)

•October 7, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John 15

The True Vine — 13th Nisan, Monday Night (10:30 PM)

¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.

²Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

³Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.

⁴“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, no more can ye, unless ye abide in Me.

⁵“I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me ye can do nothing.

⁶If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.

⁹“As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in My love.

¹⁰If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.

¹¹These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

¹²“This is My commandment: that ye love one another, as I have loved you.

¹³Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Ye are My friends

¹⁴Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.

¹⁵Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you.

¹⁶Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.

¹⁷These things I command you, that ye love one another.

¹⁸“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.

¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

²⁰Remember the word that I said unto you: ‘The servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.

²¹But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me.

²²If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would not have sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin.

²³He that hateth Me hateth My Father also.

²⁴If I had not done among them the works which no other man did, they would not have had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father.

²⁵But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law: ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

²⁶“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth who proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.

²⁷And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning.

John 16

¹ “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not lose faith.

²They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

³And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.

⁴But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. “And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵But now I go My way to Him that sent Me, and none of you asketh Me, ‘Whither goest Thou?’

⁶But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

The Truth

⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.

⁸And when He is come, He will reprove the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment:

⁹concerning sin, because they believe not in Me;

¹⁰concerning righteousness, because I go to My Father and ye see Me no more;

¹¹concerning judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

¹²“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

¹³However when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come.

¹⁴He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.

¹⁵All things that the Father hath are Mine; therefore I said that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.

¹⁶A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father.”

¹⁷Then said some of His disciples among themselves, “What is this that He saith unto us, ‘A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me,’ and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”

¹⁸They said therefore, “What is this that He saith, ‘A little while’? We cannot tell what He saith.”

¹⁹Now Jesus knew that they were desirous of asking Him, and said unto them, “Do ye inquire among yourselves of what I said, ‘A little while, and ye shall not see Me; and again a little while, and ye shall see Me’?

²⁰Verily, verily I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

²¹A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world.

²²And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

²³And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you.

²⁴Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name. Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

²⁵“These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father.

²⁶In that day ye shall ask in My name, and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you;

²⁷for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God.

²⁸I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

²⁹His disciples said unto Him, “Lo, now speakest Thou plainly and speakest no proverb.

³⁰Now are we sure that Thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask Thee. By this we believe that Thou camest forth from God.”

³¹Jesus answered them, “Do ye now believe?

³²Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 26

In Gethsemene to pray — 13th Nisan, Monday Night (11:00 PM)

³⁶Then Jesus came with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and said unto the disciples, “Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder.”

³⁷And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

³⁸Then He said unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch with Me.”

³⁹And He went a little farther, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”

⁴⁰And He came unto the disciples and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, “What, could ye not watch with Me one hour?

⁴¹Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴²He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, unless I drink it, Thy will be done.”

⁴³And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

⁴⁴And He left them and went away again, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

Jesus prayed for 3 hours — 13th Nisan, Tuesday Morning (1:00 AM)

John 17

¹ These words spoke Jesus and lifted up His eyes to Heaven and said, “Father, the hour is come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee,

²as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.

³And this is life eternal: that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

⁴I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.

⁵And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

⁶“I have manifested Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy Word.

⁷Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are of Thee.

⁸For I have given unto them the Words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me.

⁹I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine.

¹⁰And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

¹¹And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.

I kept them in Thy Name

¹²While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name. Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³“And now come I to Thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

¹⁴I have given them Thy Word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁵I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

¹⁷Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.

¹⁸As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

²⁰“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe in Me through their word,

²¹that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.

²²And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them, that they may be one, even as We are one:

²³I in them and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.

²⁴“Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me; for Thou loved Me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵“O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me.

²⁶And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

(For a more detailed Study, see THAT NIGHT COULDN’T BE THE FOURTEENTH!)

Posted in Gospel

A Divided US needs an ‘ENEMY’

•October 6, 2023 • Leave a Comment

A divided US needs an ‘enemy’ like Beijing more than it ever did

Pearls and Irritations by Alex Lo • October 5, 2023

When something becomes too complicated, psychologists say we go for ‘rules of thumb’. In Washington today, that rule is ‘the China threat.’

America’s political elite are worried that domestic polarisation is undermining its ability to counter an “existential threat” like China, or as they prefer to call it nowadays, the Chinese Communist Party. They needn’t worry; they have got things – cause and effect – reversed.

Why China is not a threat: Sinophobia Unites Americans

By contrast, Beijing has steadfastly refused to publicly label the United States as a mortal threat, an enemy or a pacing challenge, even though it clearly is; there lies their fundamental political difference.

The more fractured American body politic becomes, the more it needs an enemy like China. The more stable and shared its political-social norms were – now a distant memory unlikely to return – the less America had needs for a common threat.

That’s why a polarised US on the verge of civil war will be more dangerous to the world than ever. It’s analogous to the last financial meltdown in the US, beginning with its real estate market collapse, which led to the global financial crisis.

It’s perhaps not by accident that two current articles in Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs both address the same topic. Writing in Foreign Affairs, former secretary of defence Robert Gates argues that paralysis and infighting in Washington could not have come at a worse time.

As examples, he cites the just avoided government shutdown, a partisan impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden, and multiple felony charges across four criminal cases against Donald Trump, whose presidential election campaign will likely further fracture US politics.

There are longer-term problems he didn’t mention: race relations, gun violence, the migration crisis, the fentanyl and other drugs crises, the rise of the basically fascist alt-right.

Arguing in a similar vein in Foreign Policy, Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote that “the US cannot afford to lose a soft-power race with China.” Krishnamoorthi is a Democratic congressman and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

A divided US needs an ‘enemy’ like Beijing more than it ever did

Note the committee’s ridiculously provocative title. These days, you don’t say China in Washington; always say the CCP. Watch the congressional hearing from last week on China’s “bullying with laser guns and water cannons” in the South China Sea; there was barely a sentence uttered without mentioning the CCP.

The state of the American Union is not well.

The more divided, confused and insecure people feel, the more having a common powerful enemy helps. Paradoxically, people retain a greater sense of certainty and control that way. That has been borne out by recent studies in social and political psychology.

By bombarding people with constantly threatening news about a powerful enemy such as al-Qaeda and now China, people’s sense of control is actually boosted as they think they understand the world around them.

The danger of misperception is obvious.

It’s hard for people to admit bad things happen for reasons too complicated to understand without serious study; far better is to train the public to blame it all on easy targets, whether they are Muslim extremists, Mexican cartels or Chinese communists.

Also, psychologists have confirmed what we all know from primary school: people are more likely to bond over a shared dislike than a common fondness of a third party. Denigrating or demonising an enemy can boost self-esteem, and a sense of common mission, by exaggerating your group’s goodness and virtue, or in America, freedom and democracy!

Meanwhile, the friend vs foe distinction is as old as Plato and Sun Tzu. When you have many formal allies, you must have many formal enemies to match. China has few formal allies and therefore prefers to have no formal enemies.

The opportunities and challenges presented by China are so multifaceted and complex they are well beyond the intellectually challenged state of US politics to handle. When things get too complicated, psychologists say we go for “rules of thumb.” Sadly in Washington today, that rule of thumb is “the China threat.”

Why China is not a threat: Sinophobia Unites Americans

Posted in China, US

Jesus’ Life (t)

•October 6, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Matthew 26

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said unto His disciples,

Two days before the Passover — the 12th of Nisan; Sunday

²“Ye know that after two days is the Feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.” — the date in Hebrew reckoning would be the 12th of Nisan.

³Then the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled together unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

⁴and consulted that they might take Jesus by stealth and kill Him.

⁵But they said, “Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Anointed In Bethany

⁶Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,

⁷there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He sat at meat.

⁸But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “To what purpose is this waste?

⁹For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

¹⁰When Jesus perceived this, He said unto them, “Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon Me.

¹¹For ye have the poor always with you, but Me ye have not always.

¹²For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial.

¹³Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, which this woman hath done, be told as a memorial of her.”

30 pieces of silver

¹⁴Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests

¹⁵and said unto them, “What will ye give me if I will deliver Him unto you?” And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

¹⁶And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Preparing for the Passover

¹⁷Now on the first day (G4413 protos) of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, “Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the Passover?”

— the natural reading of this verse seems to suggest the disciples asked Jesus where to keep the Passover when Passover was already over. But G4413 protos in the Greek could be translated as ‘a time before’ as in John 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before G4413 me.

Thus Matthew 26:17 should be translated as:

“Now before the Days of Unleavened Bread have arrived, the disciples came to Jesus, asking, Where shall we prepare for thee to eat the Passover?”

— the intention to eat the Passover was there, but the actual eating was yet to occur.

¹⁸And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say unto him, ‘The Master saith, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples.”’”

The Last Supper — 13th Nisan, Monday, Even (6:00 PM)

¹⁹And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them, and they made ready the Passover.

²⁰Now when the evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.

John 13

John 13

2 And supper being ended, and the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him,

³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God,

⁴rose from supper and laid aside His garments, and took a towel and girded Himself.

⁵After that He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.

⁶Then came He to Simon Peter, and Peter said unto Him, “Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus answered and said unto him, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.”

⁸Peter said unto Him, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.”

⁹Simon Peter said unto Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”

¹⁰Jesus said to him, “He that is washed needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And ye are clean, but not all.”

¹¹(For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “Ye are not all clean.”)

¹²So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments and had sat down again, He said unto them, “Know ye what I have done to you?

¹³Ye call Me Master and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am.

¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

¹⁵For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

¹⁶Verily, verily I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

¹⁷If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

²¹And as they ate, He said, “Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me.”

²²And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, “Lord, is it I?”

Judas Iscariot

²³And He answered and said, “He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me.

²⁴The Son of Man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”

²⁵Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered and said, “Master, is it I?” He said unto him, “Thou hast said.”

John 13:24Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom He spoke.

²⁵He then, leaning on Jesus’ breast, said unto Him, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶Jesus answered, “He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it.” And when He had dipped the sop, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

²⁷And after the sop, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said unto him, “What thou doest, do quickly.”

²⁸Now no man at the table knew with what intent He spoke this unto him.

²⁹For some of them thought, because Judas had the money bag, that Jesus had said unto him, “Buy those things that we have need of for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

³⁰Judas then, having received the sop, went immediately out. And it was night.

³¹Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.

³²If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²⁷ And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink ye all of it;

²⁸for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

²⁹But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.”

Luke 22:22 And truly the Son of Man goeth as it was determined; but woe unto that man by whom He is betrayed!”

²³And they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing.

²⁴And there was also a contention among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

²⁵And He said unto them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’

²⁶But ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

²⁷For who is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth? Is it not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as He that serveth.

²⁸“Ye are they that have continued with Me in My temptations.

²⁹And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me,

³¹Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.

³²If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.

³⁰that ye may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

³³Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me; and as I said unto the Jews, ‘Whither I go ye cannot come,’ so now say I to you.

³⁴A new commandment I give unto you: that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 14

1 “Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God; believe also in Me.

²In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.

⁴And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

⁵Thomas said unto Him, “Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?”

⁶Jesus said unto him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

⁷If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also; and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him.”

⁸Philip said unto Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”

⁹Jesus said unto him, “Have I been so long a time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, ‘Show us the Father’?

¹⁰Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.

¹¹Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’ sake.

¹²Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father.

¹³And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

¹⁴If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.

¹⁵“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.

¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever”

¹⁷even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. But ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

¹⁸“I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.

¹⁹Yet a little while and the world seeth Me no more, but ye see Me. Because I live, ye shall live also.

²⁰At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

²¹He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.”

²²Judas (not Iscariot) said unto Him, “Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?”

²³Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him and make Our abode with him.

²⁴He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings. And the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

²⁵“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

²⁶But the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

²⁷“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

²⁸Ye have heard how I said unto you, ‘I go away and come again unto you.’ If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I said, ‘I go unto the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

²⁹And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

³⁰“Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.

³¹But that the world may know that I love the Father, as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Luke 22:35 And He said unto them, “When I sent you without purse and pack and shoes, lacked ye anything?” And they said, “Nothing.”

³⁶Then said He unto them, “But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it and likewise his pack; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

³⁷For I say unto you that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was reckoned among the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.”

³⁸And they said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.” And He said unto them, “It is enough.”

They sang a hymn and left — 13th Nisan, Monday Night (9:30 PM)

Matthew 26:30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the Mount of Olives.

— if that night had been the Passover night, Jesus would had broken one of the ordinances according to Numbers 9:12:

“They shall leave none of it [food remains] unto the morning (boqer), nor break any bone of it. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.”

— No, they left early and if Jesus had broken any of the ordinances, the destiny of all humanity would have been flushed down the toilet.

— Second, if they had killed the lamb at sunset at 6 PM as the CoG and Samaritan Communities believe, it would be a miracle if they could have the lamb roasted and meal ready before 10 PM, but for this exercise, let’s start at 6 PM when supper was served, because that night could only be the thirteenth.

(For a more detailed Study, see THAT NIGHT COULDN’T BE THE FOURTEENTH!)

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (s)

•October 5, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Matthew 23

¹ Then spoke Jesus to the multitude and to His disciples,

Scribes and Pharisees

²saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

³All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do ye not according to their works; for they say, and do not.

⁴For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

⁵But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

⁶and love the uppermost places at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues,

⁷and greetings in the markets, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

⁸But be not ye called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

⁹“And call no man your father upon earth, for One is your Father, who is in Heaven.

¹⁰Neither be ye called masters, for One is your Master, even Christ.

¹¹But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

¹²And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees

¹³“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

¹⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

¹⁵“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

¹⁶“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’

¹⁷Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

¹⁸And ye say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is liable.’

Fools and Blind

¹⁹Ye fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

²⁰Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon.

²¹And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it and by Him that dwelleth therein.

²²And he that shall swear by Heaven, sweareth by the throne of God and by Him that sitteth thereon.

²³“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone.

Blind Guides

²⁴Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

²⁶Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

²⁷“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.

²⁸Even so, ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

²⁹“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,

³⁰and say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

³¹Therefore ye are witnesses against yourselves, that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets.

³²Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers.

³³“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! How can ye escape the damnation of hell?

³⁴Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city,

³⁵that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

³⁶Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

³⁷“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

³⁸Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

³⁹For I say unto you, ye shall not see Me henceforth till ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!’”

Luke 21:1 And He looked up and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury,

²and He saw also a certain poor widow casting therein two mites.

³And He said, “In truth I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all.

⁴For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God, but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”

Matthew 24

¹ And Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple.

²And Jesus said unto them, “See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

At the Mount of Olives

³And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?”

⁴And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you;

⁵for many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and shall deceive many.

⁶And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

⁷For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places.

⁸All these are the beginning of sorrows.

⁹Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

¹⁰And then shall many lose faith and shall betray one another and shall hate one another.

¹¹And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.

¹²And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

¹³But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

¹⁴And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.

¹⁵“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand),

¹⁶then let them that be in Judea flee unto the mountains.

¹⁷Let him that is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house;

¹⁸neither let him that is in the field return back to take his clothes.

¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day.

A Great Tribulation

²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

²²And unless those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.

²³Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, here is Christ,’ or ‘there,’ believe it not.

²⁴For there shall arise false christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

²⁵Behold, I have told you before.

²⁶Therefore, if they shall say unto you, ‘Behold, He is in the desert!’ go not forth; or ‘Behold, He is in the secret chambers!’ believe it not.

²⁷For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

²⁸For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

²⁹“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken,

³⁰and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and with great glory.

³¹And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³²“Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

³³So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

³⁴Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.

My Words shall not Pass Away

³⁵Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.

³⁶But of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.

³⁷But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

³⁸For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark

³⁹and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

⁴⁰Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left.

⁴¹Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.

⁴²“Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken into.

⁴⁴Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.

⁴⁵“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.

⁴⁷Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

⁴⁸But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming,’

⁴⁹and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken,

⁵⁰the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

⁵¹and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25

The Ten Virgins

¹ “Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

³They that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

⁴but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶And at midnight there was a cry made: ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’

⁷Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

⁸And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.’

⁹But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’

¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.

¹¹Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us!’

¹²But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.’

¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.

The Ten Talents

¹⁴“For the Kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods.

¹⁵And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several ability, and straightway tookhis journey.

¹⁶Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them another five talents.

¹⁷And likewise he that had received two, he also gained another two.

¹⁸But he that had received one went and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s money.

¹⁹After a long time the lord of those servants came and reckoned with them.

²⁰And so he that had received five talents came and brought the other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents. Behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’

²¹His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

²²“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’

²³His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

²⁴“Then he that had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed.

²⁵And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. Lo, there thou hast what is thine.’

²⁶His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed.

²⁷Thou ought therefore to have placed my money with the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with interest.

²⁸Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath ten talents.

²⁹For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath.

³⁰And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

³¹“When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.

The Sheep and the Goats

³²And before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

³³And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

³⁵For I hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in;

³⁶naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.’

³⁷Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we Thee hungering and fed Thee, or thirsty and gave Thee drink?

³⁸When saw we Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and clothed Thee?

³⁹Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?’

⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’

⁴¹“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴²For I hungered, and ye gave Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink;

⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in; naked, and ye clothed Me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited Me not.’

⁴⁴Then shall they also answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when saw we Thee hungering or athirst or a stranger, or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?’

⁴⁵Then shall He answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.’

⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (r)

•October 4, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John 11

⁵⁵And the Jews’ Passover was nigh at hand, and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.

⁵⁶Then they sought for Jesus and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, saying, “What think ye — that he will not come to the feast?”

⁵⁷Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command that if any man knew where He was, he should report it, that they might take Him.

John 12

¹ Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, who had been dead and whom He had raised from the dead. — 6 days before Passover;

²There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.

Anointed by Mary

³Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.

⁴Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son who was to betray Him, said,

⁵“Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?”

⁶This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money bag and took what was put therein.

⁷Then Jesus said, “Let her alone; against the day of My burying hath she kept this.

⁸For the poor always ye have with you, but Me ye have not always.”

⁹Many people of the Jews therefore knew that He was there. And they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom He had raised from the dead.

¹⁰But the chief priests consulted, that they might put Lazarus also to death,

¹¹because by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

Entry into Jerusalem

¹²On the next day many people who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, — 4 days before the Passover, the tenth of Nisan;

¹³took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him and cried, “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord!”

¹⁴And Jesus, when He had found a young ass, sat thereon, as it is written:

¹⁵“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.”

¹⁶These things His disciples understood not at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things unto Him.

¹⁷The people therefore who were with Him, when He called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the dead, bore record.

¹⁸For this cause the people also met Him, for they heard that He had done this miracle.

¹⁹The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Perceive ye how ye prevail not at all? Behold, the world has gone after him!”

Luke 19

³⁷And when He had come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

³⁸saying, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

³⁹And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, “Master, rebuke thy disciples.”

⁴⁰And He answered and said unto them, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”

He Weeps for Jerusalem

⁴¹And when He had come near, He beheld the city and wept over it,

⁴²saying, “If thou had known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which must be for thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.

⁴³For the days shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee around, and keep thee in on every side.

⁴⁴And they shall lay thee even with the ground and thy children within thee; and they shalt not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

Mark 11

¹¹ And Jesus entered into Jerusalem and into the temple. And when He had looked round about upon all things, as now the eventide had come, He went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

The Fig Tree

¹²And on the morrow, when they had come from Bethany, He was hungry;

¹³and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He might find any thing thereon. But when He came to it He found nothing but leaves, for the time for figs was not yet.

¹⁴And Jesus spoke and said unto it, “Let no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.” And His disciples heard it.

¹⁵And they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves.

¹⁶And He would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

¹⁷And He taught, saying unto them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called for all nations the house of prayer’? But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

¹⁸And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine.

¹⁹And when evening had come, He went out of the city.

²⁰And in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

²¹And Peter, calling to remembrance, said unto Him, “Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursed is withered away.”

²²And Jesus answering, said unto them, “Have faith in God.

²³For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea,’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.

²⁴Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

²⁵And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any, that your Father also who is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

²⁶But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”

John 12

²⁰And there were certain Greeks among them, who came up to worship at the feast.

²¹They came therefore to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

²²Philip went and told Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

²⁴Verily, verily I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

²⁵He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

²⁶If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.

²⁷“Now is My soul troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this cause came I unto this hour.

A Voice from Heaven

²⁸Father, glorify Thy name.” Then there came a voice from Heaven, saying, “I Have Both Glorified It, And Will Glorify It Again.”

²⁹The people therefore who stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, “An angel spoke to him.”

³⁰Jesus answered and said, “This voice came not because of Me, but for your sakes.

³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

³²And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.”

³³This He said, signifying what death He should die.

The Light

³⁴The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that Christ abideth for ever; and how sayest thou, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this son of man?”

³⁵Then Jesus said unto them, “Yet a little while is the Light with you. Walk while ye have the Light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

³⁶While ye have Light, believe in the Light, that ye may be the children of Light.” These things spoke Jesus, and departed and hid Himself from them.

Quoting from Isaiah

³⁷But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not in Him,

³⁸that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹Therefore they could not believe, because as Isaiah said again:

⁴⁰“He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”

⁴¹These things said Isaiah when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Mark 11

²⁷And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests and the scribes and the elders,

²⁸and said unto Him, “By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority to do these things?”

²⁹And Jesus answered and said unto them, “I will also ask of you one question; answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

³⁰The baptism of John: was it from Heaven, or of men? Answer Me.”

³¹And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we shall say ‘From Heaven,’ he will say ‘Why then did ye not believe him?’

³²But if we shall say ‘Of men’” — they feared the people, for all men counted John that he was a prophet indeed.

³³And they answered and said unto Jesus, “We cannot tell.” And Jesus answering, said unto them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Matthew 21

²⁸“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons. And he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’

²⁹He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he repented and went.

³⁰And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ and went not.

³¹Which of those two did the will of his father?” They said unto Him, “The first.” Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and harlots believed him. And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

A Landlord Afar

³³“Hear another parable: There was a certain householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country.

³⁴And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

³⁵And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one and killed another and stoned another.

³⁶Again, he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did unto them likewise.

³⁷But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’

³⁸But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’

³⁹And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him.

⁴⁰When therefore the lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?”

⁴¹They said unto Him, “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴²Jesus said unto them, “Did ye never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³Therefore say I unto you, the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

⁴⁴And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

⁴⁵And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard His parables, they perceived that He spoke of them.

⁴⁶But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him for a prophet.

John 12

Many Believe in Him

⁴²Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also, many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

⁴³for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

⁴⁴Jesus cried out and said, “He that believeth in Me, believeth not in Me, but in Him that sent Me.

⁴⁵And he that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me.

⁴⁶I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in Me should not abide in darkness.

⁴⁷And if any man hear My words and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

⁴⁸He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the Last Day.

⁴⁹For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father who sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak.

⁵⁰And I know that His commandment is life everlasting. Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.”

Matthew 22

A Wedding for his Son

1 And Jesus answered and spoke unto them again in parables and said,

²“The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, who made a marriage for his son.

³And he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come.

⁴Again he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them that are bidden, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage.”’

⁵But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise,

⁶and the remnant took his servants and treated them spitefully and slew them.

⁷But when the king heard thereof he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.

⁸Then said he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.

⁹Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’

¹⁰So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered all together as many as they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests.

A Man not with Garment

¹¹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who did not have on a wedding garment.

¹²And he said unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

¹³Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk.

Taxes to Caesar?

¹⁶And they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Master, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth; neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men.

¹⁷Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?”

¹⁸But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, “Why tempt ye Me, ye hypocrites?

¹⁹Show Me the tribute money.” And they brought unto Him a penny.

²⁰And He said unto them, “Whose is this image and superscription?”

²¹And they said unto Him, “Caesar’s.” Then said He unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

²²When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

The Sadducees

²³The same day the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,

²⁴saying, “Master, Moses said, ‘If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto his brother.’

²⁵Now there were with us seven brethren. And the first, when he had married a wife, died; and having no issue, he left his wife unto his brother.

²⁶Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

²⁷And last of all, the woman died also.

²⁸Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her.”

²⁹Jesus answered and said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven.

³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

³²‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

³³And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine.

³⁴But when the Pharisees had heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

A Lawyer

³⁵Then one of them, who was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him and saying,

³⁶“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”

³⁷Jesus said unto him, “‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’

³⁸This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹And the second is like unto it: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’

⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Pharisees

⁴¹While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

⁴²saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said unto Him, “The son of David.”

⁴³He said unto them, “How then doth David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁴‘The Lord said unto my Lord, “Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool”’?

⁴⁵If David then call Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”

⁴⁶And no man was able to answer Him a word; neither dared any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions.

Luke 20

45 Then in the audience of all the people, He said unto His disciples,

⁴⁶“Beware of the scribes who desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

⁴⁷who devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. The same shall receive greater damnation.”

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (q)

•October 3, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Luke 14

1 And it came to pass, as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched Him.

²And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had the dropsy.

Confronting the Pharisees

³And Jesus answering, spoke unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?”

⁴But they held their peace. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.

⁵And He answered them, saying, “Which of you shall have an ox or an ass fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

⁶And again they could not answer Him concerning these things.

⁷And He put forth a parable to those who were bidden, when He marked how they chose out the chief places, saying unto them,

⁸“When thou art bidden by any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest place, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden by him,

⁹and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, ‘Give this man thy place,’ and thou begin with shame to take the lowest place.

¹⁰But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place, that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then shalt thou have honor in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

¹¹For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

Feast for the Poor

¹²Then said He also to him who bade Him, “When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again and a recompense be made to thee.

¹³But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind,

¹⁴and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee. For thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”

¹⁵And when one of those who sat at meat with Him heard these things, he said unto Him, “Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.”

¹⁶Then Jesus said unto him, “A certain man made a great supper and bade many.

¹⁷And he sent his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

¹⁸And they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said unto him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I need to go and see it. I pray thee have me excused.’

¹⁹And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to test them. I pray thee have me excused.’

²⁰And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

²¹So that servant came and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind.’

²²And the servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.’

²³And the lord said unto the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

²⁴For I say unto you that none of those men who were bidden shall taste of my supper.’”

²⁵And there went great multitudes with Him, and He turned and said unto them,

Prepare to bear the Cross

²⁶“If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

²⁷And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

²⁹Lest it may happen, after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who behold it begin to mock him,

³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

³¹Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

³²Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an envoy and desireth conditions of peace.

³³So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.

³⁴“Salt is good; but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

³⁵It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him

Luke 15

1 Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners to hear Him.

²And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.”

The Lost Sheep

³And He spoke this parable unto them, saying,

⁴“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he find it?

⁵And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’

⁷I say unto you that likewise more joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance.

⁸“Or what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently until she find it?

⁹And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost!’

¹⁰Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

The Prodical Son

¹¹And He said, “A certain man had two sons.

¹²And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.’ And he divided unto them his estate.

¹³And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

¹⁴And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

¹⁵And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine.

¹⁶And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate, and no man gave unto him.

¹⁷And when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

¹⁸I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee,

¹⁹and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants.”’

²⁰And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

²¹And the son said unto him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.’

²²But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.

²³And bring hither the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

²⁴for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

²⁵“Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

²⁷And he said unto him, ‘Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.’

²⁸And he was angry and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.

²⁹And he answering said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years have I served thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.

³⁰But as soon as this thy son was come who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.’

³¹And he said unto him, ‘Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

³²It was meet that we should make merry and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.’”

Luke 16

A Rich Man with a Steward

1 And He said also unto His disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

²And he called him and said unto him, ‘How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward.’

³Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

⁴I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’

⁵So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, ‘How much owest thou unto my lord?’

⁶And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take thy bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

⁷Then said he to another, ‘And how much owest thou?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said unto him, ‘Take thy bill and write fourscore.’

⁸And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

⁹And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

¹⁰He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much.

¹¹If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

¹²And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Serving Two Masters

¹³No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

¹⁴And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided Him.

¹⁵And He said unto them, “Ye are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

¹⁶“The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

¹⁷And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than one tittle of the law to fail.

¹⁸“Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

Lazarus and the Rich Man

¹⁹“There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores

²¹and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.

²³And in hell, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴And he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and thou art tormented.

²⁶And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from there.’

²⁷Then he said, ‘I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house,

²⁸for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment.’

²⁹Abraham said unto him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’

³⁰And he said, ‘Nay, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.’

³¹And Abraham said unto him, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.’”

Luke 17

¹ Then said He unto His disciples, “It is impossible but that offenses will come, but woe unto him through whom they come!

²It were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall.

³“Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

⁴And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, ‘I repent,’ thou shalt forgive him.”

Increase our Faith

⁵And the apostles said unto the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

⁶And the Lord said, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, ‘Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea,’ and it should obey you.

⁷But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by when he is come from the field, ‘Go and sit down to meat’?

⁸But will you not rather say unto him, ‘Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk, and afterward thou shalt eat and drink’?

⁹Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not!

¹⁰So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do.’”

Going to Jerusalem

¹¹And it came to pass as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

¹²And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.

¹³And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

¹⁴And when He saw them, He said unto them, “Go, show yourselves unto the priests.” And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵And one of them when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God,

¹⁶and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.

Only One Gave Thanks

¹⁷And Jesus answering said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?

¹⁸There are none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

¹⁹And He said unto him, “Arise; go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

²⁰And when the Pharisees had demanded of Him when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The Kingdom of God cometh not with outward show.

²¹Neither shall they say, ‘Lo, it is here!’ or ‘Lo, it is there!’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”

²²And He said unto the disciples, “The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not see it.

²³And they shall say to you, ‘See, here!’ or ‘See, there!’ Go not after them, nor follow them.

²⁴For as the lightning that lighteneth one part under heaven shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son of Man be in His day.

²⁵But first must He suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

As in the Days of Noah

²⁶And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man:

²⁷They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

²⁹but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰“Even thus shall it be in the Day when the Son of Man is revealed.

³¹In that Day, he that shall be upon the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

³²Remember Lot’s wife.

³³Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

³⁴I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

³⁵Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

³⁶Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

³⁷And they answered and said unto Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said unto them, “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

Luke 18

¹ And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint,

²saying, “There was in a city a judge who feared not God, neither regarded man.

³And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, ‘Avenge me on mine adversary.’

⁴And for a while he would not, but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I fear not God nor regard man,

⁵yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

⁶And the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge saith.

⁷And shall not God avenge His own elect, who cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?

⁸I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?”

⁹And He spoke this parable unto certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

¹⁰“Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican.

¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

¹²I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’

¹³And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

John 11

¹ Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

²(It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

³Therefore his sisters sent unto Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick.”

⁴When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Raising of Lazarus

⁶When He heard therefore that Lazarus was sick, He stayed two days still in the same place where He was.

⁷Then after that He said to His disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”

⁸His disciples said unto Him, “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither again?”

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

¹⁰But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth because there is no light in him.”

¹¹These things said He, and after that He said unto them, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

¹²Then said His disciples, “Lord, if he sleep he shall do well.”

¹³However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He had spoken of the taking of rest in sleep.

¹⁴Then Jesus said unto them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent that ye may believe. Nevertheless let us go unto him.”

¹⁶Then Thomas, who was called Didymus, said unto his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

¹⁷Then when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

¹⁸Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about two miles away,

¹⁹and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him; but Mary sat still in the house.

²¹Then Martha said unto Jesus, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.

²²But I know that even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.”

²³Jesus said unto her, “Thy brother shall rise again.”

²⁴Martha said unto Him, “I know that he shall rise again at the resurrection on the Last Day.”

²⁵Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection and the Life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;

²⁶and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

²⁷She said unto Him, “Yea, Lord, I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into the world.”

²⁸And when she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, “The Master has come, and calleth for thee.”

²⁹As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came unto Him.

³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met Him.

³¹The Jews then, who were with her in the house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, “She goeth unto the grave to weep there.”

³²Then when Mary had come where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled,

³⁴and said, “Where have ye laid him?” They said unto Him, “Lord, come and see.”

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then said the Jews, “Behold, how he loved him!”

³⁷And some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?”

³⁸Jesus therefore again, groaning in Himself, came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

³⁹Jesus said, “Take ye away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he hath been dead four days.”

⁴⁰Jesus said unto her, “Said I not unto thee that if thou would believe, thou should see the glory of God?”

⁴¹Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me.

⁴²And I knew that Thou hearest Me always, but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.”

⁴³And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

⁴⁴And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

⁴⁵Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed in Him.

Plotting His Death

⁴⁶But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

⁴⁷Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council and said, “What shall we do? For this man doeth many miracles.

⁴⁸If we let him thus alone, all men will believe in him, and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.”

⁴⁹And one of them named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, “Ye know nothing at all,

⁵⁰nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.”

⁵¹And he spoke this not of himself, but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

⁵²and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

⁵³So from that day forth, they took counsel together to put Him to death.

⁵⁴Jesus therefore walked no longer openly among the Jews, but went thence unto a region near the wilderness into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples.

Matthew 19

¹ And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

²And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.

Divorce?

³The Pharisees also came unto Him, testing Him and saying unto Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”

⁴And He answered and said unto them, “Have ye not read, that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female,

⁵and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh’?

⁶Therefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

⁷They said unto Him, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?”

⁸He said unto them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

⁹And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her who is put away doth commit adultery.”

¹⁰His disciples said unto Him, “If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.”

¹¹But He said unto them, “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.

¹²For there are some eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”

Little Children

¹³Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them,

¹⁴but Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto Me,for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

¹⁵And He laid His hands on them and departed thence.

A Rich Man

¹⁶And behold, one came and said unto Him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

¹⁷And He said unto him, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God. But if thou wilt enter into Life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸He said unto Him, “Which?” Jesus said, “‘Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness;

¹⁹honor thy father and thy mother; and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’”

²⁰The young man said unto Him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?”

²¹Jesus said unto him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come and follow Me.”

²²But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³Then said Jesus unto His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

²⁴And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

²⁵When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷Then Peter answered and said unto Him, “Behold, we have forsaken all and followed Thee. What shall we have therefore?”

²⁸And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that ye that have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹And everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life.

³⁰But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Matthew 20

A Vineyard

¹ “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.

²And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

⁴and said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.’ And they went their way.

⁵Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise.

⁶And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, ‘Why stand ye here all the day idle?’

⁷They said unto him, ‘Because no man hath hired us.’ He said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.’

⁸So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.’

⁹And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

¹⁰But when the first came, they supposed they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

¹¹And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house,

¹²saying, ‘These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

¹³But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst thou not agree with me for a penny?

¹⁴Take that which is thine and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

¹⁵Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?’

¹⁶So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

¹⁷And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart on the way and said unto them,

The Son of Man to be Betrayed

¹⁸“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death,

¹⁹and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify Him. And the third day, He shall rise again.”

²⁰Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping Him and desiring a certain thing of Him.

²¹And He said unto her, “What wilt thou?” She said unto Him, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on the left in Thy Kingdom.”

²²But Jesus answered and said, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said unto Him, “We are able.”

²³And He said unto them, “Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

²⁴And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

²⁵But Jesus called them unto Him and said, “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

²⁶But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

²⁷and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant,

²⁸even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 18

A Blind Man

³⁵And it came to pass that as He was coming nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging.

³⁶And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

³⁷And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

³⁸And he cried, saying, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹And those who went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace, but he cried out all the more, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰And Jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,

⁴¹saying, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” And he said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

⁴²And Jesus said unto him, “Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee.”

⁴³And immediately he received his sight and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Luke19

Zacchaeus

¹ And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

²And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

³And he sought to see Jesus, who He was, but could not for the press of the crowd, because he was short in stature.

⁴And he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way.

⁵And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said unto him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house.”

⁶And he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.

⁷And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying that He had gone to be the guest of a man who was a sinner.

⁸And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore to him fourfold.”

⁹And Jesus said unto him, “This day is salvation come to this house, in that he also is a son of Abraham.

¹⁰For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Matthew 20:29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.

Two Blind Men

³⁰ And behold, two blind men were sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus was passing by, and they cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!”

³¹ And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace; but they cried out the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!”

³² And Jesus stood still, and called them and said, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?”

³³ They said unto Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

³⁴ So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

Luke 19

Parable of the Pounds

¹¹ And as they heard these things, He added and spoke a parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear.

¹²He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

¹³And he called his ten servants and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, ‘Make use of it till I come.’

¹⁴But his citizens hated him and sent a message after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵And it came to pass that when he had returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

¹⁶Then came the first, saying, ‘Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.’

¹⁷And he said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.’

¹⁹And he said likewise to him, ‘Be thou also over five cities.’

²⁰And another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid away in a napkin.

²¹For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up what thou layest not down, and reapest what thou did not sow.’

²²And he said unto him, ‘Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down and reaping what I did not sow.

²³Why then gavest not thou my money unto the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with interest?’

²⁴And he said unto them that stood by, ‘Take from him the pound and give it to him that hath ten pounds.’

²⁵(And they said unto him, ‘Lord, he hath ten pounds!’)

²⁶‘For I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him.

²⁷But those mine enemies, who would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither and slay them before me.’”

²⁸And when Jesus had thus spoken, He went ahead, ascending up to Jerusalem.

Posted in Gospel

China: the US is the true ’empire of lies’

•October 2, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The US is not only an ’empire of lies’ but also a house of deceit!

“Ephraim surrounds me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,” Hosea 11:12a

Evidence are below:

A 500-million-dollar America’s state-sponsored anti-China propaganda

Congress Proposes $500 Million for Negative News Coverage of China

RT News September 30, 2023 // Reuters

BEIJING has labeled Washington the “true empire of lies” as it dismissed allegations contained in a new report by the US State Department, which accused China of “global information manipulation.”

“Some in the US may think that they can prevail in the information war as long as they produce enough lies.

But the people of the world are not blind,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. It added that “more and more people in the world” are seeing through America’s “ugly attempt to perpetuate its supremacy” with lies.

The US has a long history of manipulation and disinformation campaigns, the ministry continued, citing a number of examples spanning from the early Cold War period to the present day.

“From Operation Mockingbird, which bribed and manipulated news media for propaganda purposes in the Cold War era, to a vial of white powder and a staged video of the ‘White Helmets’ cited as evidence to wage wars of aggression in Iraq and Syria earlier this century, and then to the enormous lie made up to smear China’s Xinjiang policy, facts have proven time and again that the US is an ‘empire of lies’ through and through,” it stated.

“The US Department of State report is in itself disinformation, as it misrepresents facts and truth.”

The report in question was released by the State Department’s Global Engagement Center on Thursday. It alleged that Beijing has been spending billions each year to wage an elaborate misinformation campaign worldwide, while using “deceptive and coercive methods” to shape the global information agenda.

“Beijing uses false or biased information to promote positive views of the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At the same time, the PRC suppresses critical information that contradicts its desired narratives on issues such as Taiwan, its human rights practices, the South China Sea, its domestic economy, and international economic engagement,” according to the report.

However, Beijing’s alleged efforts have had only a limited impact worldwide, and China has experienced “major setbacks” while trying to target “democratic” countries, it claims. It attributed the purported failure of the alleged misinformation efforts to civil society and local media, which it said were well-developed in the “democratic” countries that were targeted.

“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled,” Hosea 6:10

“Ephraim surrounds me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,” Hosea 11:12a

“Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be” Hosea 5:9

Posted in China, US

Jesus’ Life (p)

•October 2, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John 8

¹ Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.

² And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them.

A Woman caught in Adultery

³ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

⁴ they said unto Him, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned but what sayest thou?”

⁶ This they said testing Him, that they might have cause to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not.

⁷ So when they continued asking Him, He lifted Himself up and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Go and sin no more

⁹ And they who heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the eldest even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted Himself up and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?”

¹¹ She said, “No man, Lord.” And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.”

¹² Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

¹³ The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, “Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered and said unto them, “Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true, for I know whence I came and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come and whither I go.

¹⁵ Ye judge according to the flesh; I judge no man.

¹⁶ And yet if I judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me.

¹⁷ It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.

¹⁸ I am One that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me.”

¹⁹ Then they said unto Him, “Where is thy father?” Jesus answered, “Ye neither know Me, nor My Father. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.”

²⁰ These words spoke Jesus in the treasury as He taught in the temple, and no man laid hands on Him, for His hour was not yet come.

²¹ Then Jesus said again unto them, “I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins. Whither I go, ye cannot come.”

²² Then said the Jews, “Will he kill himself, because he saith, ‘Whither I go ye cannot come’?”

²³ And He said unto them, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above. Ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

²⁴ I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins; for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.”

²⁵ Then they said unto Him, “Who art thou?” And Jesus said unto them, “Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge of you, but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.”

²⁷ They understood not that He spoke to them of the Father.

²⁸ Then said Jesus unto them, “When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things.

²⁹ And He that sent Me is with Me. The Father hath not left Me alone, for I do always those things that please Him.”

³⁰ As He spoke those words, many believed in Him.

³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed in Him, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.

The Truth shall make you Free

³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

³³ They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou, ‘Ye shall be made free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

³⁵ And the servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the Son abideth ever.

³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Ye of Abraham’s Seed

³⁷ I know that ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill Me, because My Word hath no place in you.

³⁸ I speak that which I have seen with My Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.”

³⁹ They answered and said unto Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said unto them, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

⁴⁰ But now ye seek to kill Me, a Man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard from God: this did not Abraham.

⁴¹ Ye do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.”

⁴² Jesus said unto them, “If God were your Father, ye would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.

⁴³ Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My Word!

⁴⁴ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.

⁴⁵ And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not.

They took up stones to cast at Him

⁴⁶ Which of you convicteth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?

⁴⁷ He that is of God heareth God’s words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”

⁴⁸ Then the Jews answered and said unto Him, “Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil?”

⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I have not a devil, but I honor My Father, and ye do dishonor Me.

⁵⁰ And I seek not Mine own glory; there is One that seeketh and judgeth.

⁵¹ Verily, verily I say unto you, if a man keep My saying, he shall never see death.”

⁵² Then said the Jews unto Him, “Now we know that thou hast a devil! Abraham is dead and the prophets; and thou sayest, ‘If a man keep my saying he shall never taste of death.’

⁵³ Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom makest thou thyself?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father that honoreth Me, of whom ye say that He is your God.

⁵⁵ Yet ye have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I should say, ‘I know Him not,’ I shall be a liar like unto you. But I know Him and keep His saying.

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and He saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ Then said the Jews unto Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”

⁵⁸ Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am!”

⁵⁹ Then they took up stones to cast at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 9

¹ And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from his birth.

² And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

⁴ I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work.

⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

⁶ When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay

⁷ and said unto him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which interpreted means, “Sent”). He went his way therefore and washed, and came back seeing.

⁸ The neighbors therefore, and those who before had seen that he was blind, said, “Is not this he that sat and begged?”

⁹ Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” But he said, “I am he!”

¹⁰ Therefore they said unto him, “How were thine eyes opened?”

¹¹ He answered and said, “A man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went and washed, and I received sight.”

¹² Then they said unto him, “Where is he?” He said, “I know not.”

The Pharisees

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees him that beforehand was blind.

¹⁴ And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.

¹⁵ Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, “He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed and do see.”

¹⁶ Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such miracles?” And there was a division among them.

¹⁷ They said unto the blind man again, “What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ But the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

¹⁹ And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see?”

²⁰ His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind;

²¹ but by what means he now seeth we know not, or who hath opened his eyes we know not. He is of age; ask him. He shall speak for himself.”

²² These words spoke his parents, because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had agreed already that if any man confessed that He was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.

²³ Therefore said his parents, “He is of age; ask him.”

“Are we blind also?”

²⁴ Then they again called the man who was blind and said unto him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He answered and said, “Whether he be a sinner or not, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

²⁶ Then said they to him again, “What did he do to thee? How opened he thine eyes?”

²⁷ He answered them, “I have told you already, and ye did not hear. Why would ye hear it again? Will ye also be his disciples?”

²⁸ Then they reviled him and said, “Thou art his disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.

²⁹ We know that God spoke unto Moses. As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.”

³⁰ The man answered and said unto them, “Why, herein is a marvelous thing: that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

³¹ Now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshiper of God and doeth His will, him He heareth.

³² Since the world began it was not heard that any man opened the eyes of one who was born blind.

³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ They answered and said unto him, “Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?” And they cast him out.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when He had found him, He said unto him, “Dost thou believe in the Son of God?”

³⁶ He answered and said, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him?”

³⁷ And Jesus said unto him, “Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.”

³⁸ And he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

³⁹ And Jesus said, “For judgment I am come into this world, that they that see not might see, and that they that see might be made blind.”

⁴⁰ And some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, “Are we blind also?”

⁴¹ Jesus said unto them, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin; but now ye say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remaineth.

John 10

¹ “Verily, verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

³ To him the doorkeeper openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out.

⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.”

⁶ This parable Jesus spoke unto them, but they understood not what things they were which He spoke unto them.

The True Shepherd

⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, “Verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

⁸ All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

⁹ I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ The thief cometh not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

¹¹ I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.

¹² But he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep.

¹³ The hireling fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep and am known by Mine.

¹⁵ As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

¹⁶ And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.

¹⁷ Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.

¹⁸ No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from My Father.”

¹⁹ There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

²⁰ And many of them said, “He hath a devil and is mad. Why hear ye him?”

²¹ Others said, “These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?”

Matthew 17:24 And when they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the tribute money came to Peter and said, “Doth not your master pay tribute?”

²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus preceded him, saying, “What thinkest thou, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their own children, or from strangers?”

²⁶ Peter said unto Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said unto him, “Then are the children free.

²⁷ Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up. And when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. That take, and give unto them for Me and thee.”

Matthew 18

¹ At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

² And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them,

³ and said, “Verily I say unto you, unless ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴ Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁵ And whoso shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me.

Mark 9:38 And John answered Him, saying, “Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, but he followeth us not, so we forbad him because he followeth not us.”

³⁹ But Jesus said, “Forbid him not, for there is no man who shall do a miracle in My name that can lightly speak evil of Me.

⁴⁰ For he that is not against us is on our side.

⁴¹ For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

Offending the Little Ones

⁶ But whoso shall cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to fall, it were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷ “Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must happen that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.

⁸ Therefore if thy hand or thy foot cause thee to fall, cut them off and cast them from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.

⁹ And if thine eye cause thee to fall, pluck it out and cast it from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

¹⁰ “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven.

¹¹ “For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost.

¹² How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone astray?

¹³ And if it so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more over that sheep than over the ninety and nine which went not astray.

¹⁴ Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Trangressions among Brothers

¹⁵ “Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

¹⁶But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that ‘in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’

¹⁷ And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.

¹⁸ Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and so whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.

¹⁹ “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth concerning anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in Heaven.

²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

²² And Jesus said unto him, “I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.

²³ “Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened unto a certain king who would settle accounts with his servants.

²⁴And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents.

²⁵ But inasmuch as he could not pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

²⁶ The servant therefore fell down and did homage to him, saying,‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’

²⁷ Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him and forgave him the debt.

²⁸ But the same servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence. And he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what thou owest.’

²⁹ And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.’

³⁰ And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt.

³¹ So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

³² Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, ‘O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me.

³³ Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?’

³⁴ And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him.

³⁵ So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother’s trespasses.”

Luke 9

Through Samaria to Judea

⁵¹And it came to pass, when the time had come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

⁵²and He sent messengers before His face. And they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Him.

⁵³But they did not receive Him, because His face was set as though He would go to Jerusalem.

⁵⁴And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?”

⁵⁵But He turned and rebuked them and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

⁵⁶For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went to another village.

⁵⁷And it came to pass that, as they went along the way, a certain man said unto Him, “Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.”

⁵⁸And Jesus said unto him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay His head.”

⁵⁹And He said unto another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰Jesus said unto him, “Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God.”

⁶¹And another also said, “Lord, I will follow Thee, but let me first go bid those farewell who are at home at my house.”

⁶²And Jesus said unto him, “No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 10

Two by Two of the Seventy

¹ After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two ahead of Him into every city and place whither He Himself would come.

²Therefore He said unto them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.

³Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves,

⁴carrying neither purse, nor pack, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way.

⁵And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’

⁶And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall return to you again.

⁷And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

⁸And into whatsoever city ye enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.

⁹And heal the sick that are therein and say unto them, ‘The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.’

¹⁰But into whatsoever city ye enter and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same and say,

¹¹‘Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you. Notwithstanding, be ye sure of this: that the Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.’

¹²But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

¹³“Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they would have a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

¹⁴But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment than for you.

¹⁵And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell.

¹⁶He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me, and he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me.”

The Demons are Fallen

¹⁷And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name.”

¹⁸And He said unto them, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

¹⁹Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

²⁰Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.”

²¹In that hour Jesus rejoiced in Spirit and said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.

²²All things are delivered to Me by My Father, and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal Him.”

²³And He turned unto His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see.

²⁴For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”

The Good Samaritans

²⁵And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶He said unto him, “What is written in the law? How readest thou?”

²⁷And he answering said, “‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.’”

²⁸And He said unto him, “Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live.”

²⁹But he, wanting to justify himself, said unto Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰And Jesus answering said, “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his raiment and wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.

³¹And by chance there came down a certain priest that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³²And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him and passed by on the other side.

³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. And when he saw him he had compassion on him,

³⁴and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

³⁵And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host and said unto him, ‘Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee.’

³⁶Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?”

³⁷And he said, “He that showed mercy on him.” Then said Jesus unto him, “Go and do thou likewise.”

Martha and Mary

³⁸Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house.

³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word.

⁴⁰But Martha was encumbered with much serving, and came to Him and said, “Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.”

⁴¹And Jesus answered and said unto her, “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things.

⁴²But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 11

¹ And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.”

²And He said unto them, “When ye pray, say: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth.

³Give us day by day our daily bread.

⁴And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

⁵And He said unto them, “Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

⁶for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him’;

⁷and he from within shall answer and say, ‘Trouble me not; the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed, and I cannot rise and give to thee’?

⁸I say unto you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

⁹And I say unto you: ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

¹⁰For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

¹¹“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

¹²Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

¹³If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”

Power of Beelzebub?

¹⁴And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass when the devil had gone out, the dumb one spoke; and the people wondered.

¹⁵But some of them said, “He casteth out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils.”

¹⁶And others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from Heaven.

¹⁷But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

¹⁸If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand — because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub?

¹⁹And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.

²⁰But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, doubt not the Kingdom of God is come upon you.

²¹When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.

²²But when one stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

²³He that is not with Me, is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth.

Seven Times Worse

²⁴“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, ‘I will return unto my house whence I came out.’

²⁵And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

²⁶Then he goeth and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

²⁷And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore Thee and the breasts which Thou hast sucked.”

²⁸But He said, “Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it.”

²⁹And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. They seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

Sign of Jonah

³⁰For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation.

³¹The queen of the south shall rise up in the Judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

³²The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the Judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

³³“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they that come in may see the light.

³⁴The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light. But when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.

³⁵Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

³⁶If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”

Dine with a Pharisee

³⁷And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee besought Him to dine with him. And He went in and sat down to meat.

³⁸And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

³⁹And the Lord said unto him, “Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

⁴⁰Ye fools! Did not He that made that which is without, make that which is within also?

⁴¹But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are clean unto you.

⁴²“But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God. These ought ye to have done, and not left the other undone.

⁴³Woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets.

⁴⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.”

⁴⁵Then answered one of the lawyers and said unto Him, “Master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also.”

⁴⁶And He said, “Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye laden men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

⁴⁷Woe unto you! For ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

⁴⁸Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers.

⁴⁹“Therefore also said the wisdom of God: ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute,’

⁵⁰that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,

⁵¹from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple. Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation.

⁵²Woe unto you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge. Ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in, ye hindered.”

⁵³And as He said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press Him vehemently and to provoke Him to speak of many things,

⁵⁴lying in wait for Him and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him.

Luke 12

¹ In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trod one upon another, He began to say unto His disciples first of all, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known.

³Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

⁴“And I say unto you, My friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

To Fear God

⁵But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him that, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear Him!

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

⁷But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸“Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God.

⁹But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven.

¹¹“And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say.

¹²For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.”

¹³And one of the company said unto Him, “Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴And He said unto him, “Man, who made Me a judge or a divider over you?”

¹⁵And He said unto them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

¹⁶And He spoke a parable unto them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.

¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, because I have no room to store my fruits?’

¹⁸And he said, ‘This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I store all my fruits and my goods.

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’

²⁰But God said unto him, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’

²¹So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Seek the Kingdom First

²²And He said unto His disciples, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap, they neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are ye better than the fowls?

²⁵And which of you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

²⁶If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?

²⁹“And seek ye not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubting mind.

³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

³¹But rather seek ye the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

³²“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

³³Sell what ye have, and give alms. Provide yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵“Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning;

Be Watchful

³⁶and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

³⁸And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants.

³⁹And this know, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”

⁴¹Then Peter said unto Him, “Lord, speakest Thou this parable unto us, or even to all?”

⁴²And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing.

⁴⁴In truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

⁴⁵But if that servant say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming,’ and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink and be drunken,

⁴⁶the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him asunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷And that servant, who knew his lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

⁴⁸But he that knew not and committed things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

I Come to Cast Fire

⁴⁹“I am come to send fire on the earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled?

⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am straitened till it be accomplished!

⁵¹Suppose ye that I have come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay, but rather division.

⁵²For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided: three against two, and two against three.

⁵³The father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴And He said also to the people, “When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, ‘There cometh a shower’; and so it is.

⁵⁵And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, ‘There will be heat’; and it cometh to pass.

⁵⁶Ye hypocrites! Ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

⁵⁷“Yea, and why even for yourselves judge ye not what is right?

⁵⁸When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art on the way, be diligent that thou mayest be delivered from him, lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

⁵⁹I tell thee, thou shall not depart thence till thou hast paid the very last mite.”

Luke 13

¹ There were present at that season some who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

²And Jesus answering said unto them, “Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

³I tell you, nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

⁴Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all other men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

⁵I tell you, nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

The Fig Tree

⁶He spoke also this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

⁷Then said he unto the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Behold, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why cumbereth it the ground?’

⁸And he answering said unto him, ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig around it and dung it.

⁹And if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.’”

¹⁰And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

¹¹And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bowed down and could in no way lift herself up.

¹²And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said unto her, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.”

¹³And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

¹⁴But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, “There are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵The Lord then answered him and said, “Thou hypocrite! Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead him away to watering?

¹⁶And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷And when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

The Mustard Seed

¹⁸Then said He, “Unto what is the Kingdom of God like? And unto what shall I compare it?

¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden; and it grew and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.”

²⁰And again He said, “Unto what shall I liken the Kingdom of God?

²¹It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal until the whole was leavened.”

Towards Jerusalem

²²And He went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

²³Then said one unto Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said unto them,

²⁴“Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.

²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open unto us,’ and He shall answer and say unto you, ‘I know you not from whence ye are,’

²⁶then shall ye begin to say, ‘We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets.’

²⁷But He shall say, ‘I tell you, I know you not from whence ye are. Depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity.’

²⁸There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

²⁹And they shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.

³⁰And behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.”

³¹The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto Him, “Get thee out and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee.”

³²And He said unto them, “Go ye and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out devils and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’

³³Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

³⁴O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

³⁵Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see Me until the time come when ye shall say, ‘Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.’”

John 10

²²And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter.

²³And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s Porch.

²⁴Then came the Jews round about Him and said unto Him, “How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵Jesus answered them, “I told you, and ye believed not. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.

²⁶But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.

My Sheep hear My Voice

²⁷My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me.

²⁸And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.

²⁹My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.

³⁰I and My Father are one.”

³¹Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

³²Jesus answered them, “Many good works have I shown you from My Father. For which of those works do ye stone Me?”

³³The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy and because thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said “Ye are gods”’?

³⁵If He called them gods unto whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

³⁶do ye say of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, ‘Thou blasphemest,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

³⁷If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not.

³⁸But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

³⁹Therefore they sought again to take Him, but He escaped out of their hand,

⁴⁰and went away again beyond the Jordan into the place where John had first baptized; and there He abode.

⁴¹And many resorted unto Him and said that John did no miracle, but all things that John spoke of this Man were true.

⁴²And many believed in Him there.

Posted in Gospel

Nature Index: China Surpassed US in Research

•October 1, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China had Surpassed the United States in High-Quality Natural-Science Research in 2022

Global Research by John V Walsh • September 29, 2023

“For the first time, China has overtaken the United States as the number one ranked country or territory for contributions to research articles published in the Nature Index of high-quality natural-science journals,” reported the journal Nature on findings for the year 2022.

Needless to say, such an assessment has profound implications in the face of American efforts to stifle Chinese scientific and technical development and to “decouple” Chinese from American science.

The contest over microchips is now in the limelight, but that is only a single skirmish in a larger competition. In the long term the achievements of Chinese science and the foundations on which it is built will determine how China fares.

China had Surpassed the US in Science Research

The Nature Index

The journal Nature, founded in 1869 and based in London is regarded by many as the world’s leading multidisciplinary journal of scientific research and is one of the most read, most cited and most respected.

Nature and Science, the journal of the AAAS (American Association of the Advancement of Science), are arguably the world’s two most prestigious multidisciplinary science journals. In a recent supplement to its weekly issues, Nature reported in detail on China’s top ranking for 2022.

The journal’s annual rating of a country’s standing in the natural sciences is based on all publications appearing in 82 of the most outstanding peer-reviewed scientific journals in the fields of biological sciences, chemistry, physical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences.

The very selective choice of the highest quality journals made by a panel of leading scientists is designed to give a measure of the amount of high-quality research. The assessment is not simply a measure of quantity. China overtook the US by that simple metric, the total number of science publications in 2017, according to the US National Science Foundation.

Using all the articles that appear in these 82 journals each calendar year, Nature computes its signature metric called the “Share.” The contribution of a country or an institution to all of these articles is the “Share.” The open database containing all the information used in this process is called the Nature Index.

Typically, at least two peer reviewers and an editor decide the fate of each of tens of thousands of articles in the Nature Index each year. In this way, a veritable international army of the best scientists are making judgements that contribute to the Share metric.

Consciously, they are judging the quality of each submission they examine for publication, but the sum of their judgements underlies the Share metric. It is a metric based not on citations but on acceptances resulting from highly demanding peer reviews. It amounts to an international self-evaluation by the scientists themselves to determine the overall quality and quantity of each nation and institution.

China’s Meteoric Rise in the Sciences

What are the Shares for each nation in the natural sciences for calendar year 2022?

China: 19,373
United States: 17,610

This finding is reinforced by another measure of high-quality science, the contribution to papers in the top 1% of most cited publications. Here too China surpassed the US in 2022 according to Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology.

China’s has risen with breathtaking rapidity. The earliest Share ratings are for 2016, and there the standings of the US and China were reversed to a remarkable degree, with China’s Share only 37% that of the US.

For 2016 the Share was:

United States: 20,767
China: 7,676

But there is more to the story. From 2021 to 2022, China’s Share adjusted for overall global total grew by 21% whereas the US’s fell by 7%! This pattern of a US decline and a Chinese rise has held each year since it was first tracked in 2016.

At this point it is worth noting that the 82 journals in the Nature Index are published in the West! Given that fact, it is unlikely, to say the least, that a pro-China bias is at work in the calculations of Share.

Finally, China’s science is often stereotyped as imitative and unoriginal. However, the journals listed in the Nature Index strive to publish original, ground breaking research.

China’s high standing in the Shares rating is not consistent with the stereotype. This conclusion is bolstered by a study quoted in the Nature supplement which counted an article’s references to journals in other fields. This count of work crossing disciplinary lines is taken as an index of creativity.

Articles with at least one Chinese co-author were found to have more such references that span disciplines than other articles.

The Rise of Chinese Universities

A Share rating was also calculated by Nature Index for 500 Universities worldwide in 2022. Of the top ten, 7 were Chinese and 3 American. They are:

Harvard University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
University of Science and Technology of China
Nanjing University
Stanford University
Peking University
Tsinghua University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Zhejiang University
Sun Yat-sen University

Of the top 20, 11 were Chinese; 4 were American. The Share of the 11 Chinese had all risen since 2021; the others had all declined. [Or, 134 out of the top 500]

11. University of Cambridge
12. Fudan University
13. Shanghai Jiao Tong University
14. University of Tokyo
15. University of Oxford
16. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
17. University of California, Berkeley
18. Nankai University
19. Yale University
20. Sichuan University

Chinese Universities in 2019 produced 49,498 STEM PhD’s as compared with 33,759 for the US. By 2025 it is projected that China will produce 77,179 STEM PhD’s, nearly double those of the US’s 39,959 then.

These PhDs constitute the human capital on which a sustainable, growing science endeavor depends. In turn the ability to turn out high quality PhD students depends on an educational system that develops students for University. And here too China does not disappoint.

In the OECD’s (Organization for Cooperation and Development) triennial test across 79 countries involving 600,000 15-year-olds, Chinese students “far out-stripped peers in every other country in a survey of reading, math and science ability” as Forbes reported.

This led Forbes to headline its coverage with “China’s Schoolkids Are Now Officially the Smartest in the World.”

The R&D Budgets of the US and China

Sustaining first rate R&D requires substantial expenditures as well as well-educated human talent. In 2022 the US R&D budget was $679.4 billion and China’s was $439 billion (3.08 trillion yuan). But this dollar value for China’s expenditures is calculated using the exchange rate.

If we translate this into Purchasing Power Parity by a correction factor, which I calculate to be 1.7 (i.e., the ratio of GDP-PPP/Nominal GDP for China) China’s expenditure is $746 billion. (For the US, PPP-GDP and GDP are the same; the ratio is 1.)

Additionally, the US R&D budget grew 5.5% from 2021 to 2022 whereas China’s growth rate was 10.4% and has exceeded 10% for seven consecutive years.

US Efforts to Decouple May Backfire

Beginning in 2011 with the “Pivot to Asia,” the US has sought to weaken China and to slow or reverse its development, the euphemism for which is “containment.”

The US effort is military as shown by the continuing buildup of US forces in the Western Pacific; economic as illustrated by US sanctions, tariffs and export restrictions; and scientific, most recently in the Chip sanctions and most notoriously in the China Initiative targeting Chinese American scientists which continues despite having had its name expunged for cosmetic purposes.

Most recently the Biden Administration moved to terminate the 43-year old US-China United States-China Protocol on Scientific and Technological Cooperation which drew a letter of protest to the President from two Stanford physicists signed by 1000 scientists.

This has been felt in the number of Chinese-American research collaborations which fell 15% from 2020 to 2022, coinciding with the first years of the Biden administration. On top of that, the strategy does not seem to be working since China’s collaborations with other leading research nations continue to grow.

Finally, given China’s leading role in research, it remains to be seen whether China or the US will suffer more damage from this competition which really ought to be a collaboration.

Clearly, the US motive is to hold back China by isolating it from the West, but it is a sad commentary on the US that it is willing to damage science, which benefits all of humanity, to advance its goal of global domination.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Jesus’ Life (o)

•October 1, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Mark 6

¹ And He went out from thence and came into His own country, and His disciples followed Him.

² And when the Sabbath day had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

³ Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses, and of Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him.

⁴ But Jesus said unto them, “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”

⁵ And He could do no mighty works there, except that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages teaching.

Two by Two Experience

⁷ And He called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits,

⁸ and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only — no wallet, no bread, and no money in their purse,

⁹ but be shod with sandals, and not put on two coats.

¹⁰ And He said unto them, “In whatever place ye enter into a house, there abide until ye depart from that place.

¹¹ And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city.”

¹² And they went out and preached that men should repent.

¹³ And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Matthew 10

¹ And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: the first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

⁴ Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not.

To the Lost Sheep of Israel

⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The term or word “Israel” has five (or even six) possible meanings:

(1) Israel in place of Jacob, since the angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel;

(2) Jacob said, “and let my name be named on them” Genesis 48:16; that is, the name “Israel” is to be installed to the children of Joseph: Ephraim and Manasseh;

(3) the children of Israel, or all the house of Israel as in Ezekiel 20:40 in the sense of all the progeny of Jacob, all twelve tribes; sometimes expressed as the “whole house of Israel;”

(4) the “two houses of Israel” in Isaiah 8:14 or “both houses of Israel” would mean the ‘first’ house of Israel as the house of 10-tribes Israel; and the ‘second’ house of Israel as the 2-tribes house of Judah;

(5) the ‘second’ house of Israel as the 2-tribes house of Judah; this happened during Rehoboam reign when the kingdom was broken into the house of Israel (north) and the house of Judah (south); in this context, the house of Israel could be the 2-tribes Israel as in Ezekiel 8:6,11,12 and Matthew 15:24;

(6) Israel, the modern state of Israel, established in 1917 by the Balfour declaration and gained independence in 1948.

⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’

⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely ye have received; freely give.

⁹ Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses,

¹⁰ nor pack for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves; for the workman is worthy of his meat.

¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence.

¹² And when ye come into a house, salute it,

¹³ and if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city.

¹⁶ “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues,

¹⁸ and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaketh in you.

²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.

²² And ye shall be hated by all men for My name’s sake, but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come.

²⁴ “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household!

²⁶ Fear them not therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known.

²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

Fear God, Not Man

²⁸ And fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁹ “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

³¹ Fear ye not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.

³² “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in Heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in Heaven.

“Not Peace, but a Sword”

³⁴ “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.

³⁵ For I am come to ‘set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’

³⁶ And ‘a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.’

³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.

³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.

³⁹ He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake, shall find it.

⁴⁰ “He that receiveth you, receiveth Me; and he that receiveth Me, receiveth Him that sent Me.

⁴¹ He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

⁴² And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

Mark 6

¹⁴ And King Herod heard of Him, for His name was spread abroad. And he said, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore these mighty works show forth themselves in him.”

¹⁵ Others said, “It is Elijah,” and others said, “It is a prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “It is John, whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead.”

John the Batist Beheaded

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and had bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her.

¹⁸ For John had said unto Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias had an inward grudge against him and would have killed him, but she could not;

²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and holy, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

²¹ And when a convenient day had come, when Herod on his birthday gave a supper for his lords, high officers, and chief officials of Galilee,

²² and when the daughter of the said Herodias came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, “Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it to thee.”

²³ And he swore unto her, “Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it to thee, unto the half of my kingdom.”

²⁴ And she went forth and said unto her mother, “What shall I ask?” And Herodias said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

²⁵ And she came back straightway with haste unto the king and asked, saying, “I will that thou give me at once on a charger the head of John the Baptist.”

²⁶ And the king was exceedingly sorry, yet for his oath’s sake and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not reject her.

²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded John’s head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,

²⁸ and brought his head on a charger and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother.

²⁹ And when John’s disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Feeding the 5000

³⁰ And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.

³¹ And He said unto them, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure, even so much as to eat.

³² And they departed into a desert place by boat privately.

³³ And the people saw them departing, and many recognized Him and ran thither on foot out of all the cities and outdistanced them, and came together unto Him.

³⁴ And Jesus, when He came out, saw many people and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

³⁵ And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto Him and said, “This is a desert place, and now the day is far spent.

³⁶ Send them away, that they may go into the country round about and into the villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.”

³⁷ He answered and said unto them, “Give ye them to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread and give them to eat?”

³⁸ He said unto them, “How many loaves have ye? Go and see.” And when they knew, they said, “Five, and two fishes.”

³⁹ And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

⁴⁰ And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.

⁴¹ And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He looked up to Heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and He divided the two fishes among them all.

⁴² And they all ate and were filled.

⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes.

⁴⁴ And those who ate of the loaves were about five thousand men.

⁴⁵ And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the boat, and go to the other side before Him unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people.

Up the Mountain to Pray

⁴⁶ And when He had sent them away, He departed onto a mountain to pray.

⁴⁷ And when evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea; and He was alone on the land.

Walking on Water

⁴⁸ And He saw them toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, He came unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

⁴⁹ But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it was a spirit and cried out,

⁵⁰ for they all saw Him and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and said unto them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; be not afraid.”

⁵¹ And He went up unto them and into the boat, and the wind ceased. And they were sore amazed within themselves beyond measure and wondered,

⁵² for they had considered not the miracle of the loaves, as their hearts were hardened.

⁵³ And when they had crossed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.

⁵⁴And when they had come out of the boat, straightway the people recognized Him,

⁵⁵ and ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry on beds those who were sick to where they heard He was.

⁵⁶ And whithersoever He entered, into villages or cities or the country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch even the border of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made whole.

John 6

²² The day following, when the people who stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save the one into which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not gone with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone

²³ (however there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they had eaten bread after the Lord had given thanks)”

²⁴ when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took boats and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

²⁵ And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, “Rabbi, when camest thou hither?”

The Bread of Life

²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye ate of the loaves and were filled.

²⁷ Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you; for on Him hath God the Father set His seal.”

²⁸ Then said they unto Him, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”

²⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God: that ye believe in Him whom He hath sent.”

³⁰ They said therefore unto Him, “What sign showest thou then, that we may see and believe thee? What works dost thou do?

³¹ Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

³² Then Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from Heaven, but My Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven.

³³ For the bread of God is He that cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world.”

³⁴ Then they said unto Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.”

³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, “I am the Bread of Life. He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst.

³⁶ But I said unto you that ye also have seen Me, and believe not.

³⁷ All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.

³⁸ For I came down from Heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.

³⁹ And this is the Father’s will who hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the Last Day.

⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him that sent Me: that every one who seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day.”

The True Bread

⁴¹ The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, “I am the Bread which came down from Heaven.”

⁴² And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, ‘I came down from Heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, “Murmur not among yourselves.

⁴⁴ No man can come to Me unless the Father who hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the Last Day.

⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned from the Father cometh unto Me.

⁴⁶ Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He that is of God; He hath seen the Father.

⁴⁷ Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth in Me hath everlasting life.

⁴⁸ I am that Bread of Life.

⁴⁹ Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

⁵⁰ This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.

⁵¹ I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Then Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.

⁵⁴ Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day.

⁵⁵ For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

⁵⁶ He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him.

⁵⁷ As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.

⁵⁸ This is that Bread which came down from Heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and are dead; he that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever.”

⁵⁹ These things said He in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Many Disciple Left Him

⁶⁰ Many of His disciples therefore, when they had heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, He said unto them, “Doth this offend you?

⁶² What if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?

⁶³ It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

⁶⁴ But there are some of you that believe not.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who believed not and who should betray Him.

⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto Me, unless it were given unto him by My Father.”

⁶⁶ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.

⁶⁷ Then Jesus said unto the twelve, “Will ye also go away?”

⁶⁸ Then Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life,

⁶⁹ and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

⁷¹ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was who should betray Him, being one of the twelve.

John 7:1 After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for He would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

Mark 7

¹ Then came together unto Him the Pharisees and certain of the scribes, who came from Jerusalem.

² And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled (that is to say, unwashed) hands, they found fault.

³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat, unless they wash their hands oft, holding to the tradition of the elders.

⁴ And when they come from the market, they eat not unless they wash; and there are many other customs which they have received and hold to, as the washing of cups, pots, brazen vessels and of tables.

⁵ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said unto them, “Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

⁷ Therefore, in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold to the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups, and many other like things ye do.”

⁹ And He said unto them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother,’ and, ‘Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death.’

¹¹ But ye say that if a man shall say to his father or mother, ‘It is Corban’ (that is to say, a gift of whatsoever thou mightest have profited from me), he shall be freed;

¹² and ye suffer him no more to do aught for his father or his mother,

¹³ thus making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered. And many like things do ye.”

Washing of Hands

¹⁴ And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, “Hearken unto Me every one of you, and understand:

¹⁵ There is nothing from outside a man that, entering into him, can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

¹⁶ If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁷ And when He had entered into the house away from the people, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.

¹⁸ And He said unto them, “Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from outside entereth into a man, it cannot defile him,

¹⁹ because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly and goeth out into the drain, thereby purging all meats?”

²⁰ And He said, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

²² thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

²³ all these evil things come from within and defile the man.”

²⁴ And from thence He arose and went into the region of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into a house, and would have no man know about it; but He could not be hid.

²⁵ For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell at His feet.

²⁶ The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by nation, and she besought Him that He would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

²⁷ But Jesus said unto her, “Let the children first be filled, for it is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it unto the dogs.”

²⁸ And she answered and said unto Him, “Yes, Lord, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.”

²⁹ And He said unto her, “For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”

³⁰ And when she had come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

³¹ And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, He came unto the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the region of Decapolis.

³² And they brought unto Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they besought Him to put His hand upon him.

³³ And He took him aside from the multitude and put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.

³⁴ And looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said unto him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

³⁵ And straightway his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly.

³⁶ And He charged them that they should tell no man. But the more He charged them, the more widely they proclaimed it

³⁷ and were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak.”

Matthew 15:29 And Jesus departed from thence and came nigh unto the Sea of Galilee, and went up onto a mountain and sat down there.

³⁰ And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those who were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them,

³¹ insomuch that the multitude wondered when they saw the dumb to speak, and the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Mark 8

¹ In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples unto Him and said unto them,

² “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.

³ And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way; for divers of them came from afar.”

⁴ And His disciples answered Him, “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”

⁵ And He asked them, “How many loaves have ye?” And they said, “Seven.”

⁶And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks and broke, and gave to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people.

⁷ And they had a few small fishes, and He blessed them and commanded to set them also before them.

⁸ So they ate and were filled; and they took up of the broken meat that was left, seven baskets.

⁹ And those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away.

Demanding Signs

¹⁰ And straightway He entered into a boat with His disciples and came into the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ And the Pharisees came forth and began to question with Him, seeking from Him a sign from Heaven, testing Him.

¹² And He sighed deeply in His spirit and said, “Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, there shall no sign be given unto this generation.”

¹³ And He left them and, entering into the boat again, departed to the other side.

¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the boat with them more than one loaf.

¹⁵ And He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.”

¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ And when Jesus knew it, He said unto them, “Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Do ye not yet perceive, nor understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened?

¹⁸ Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?

¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?” They said unto Him, “Twelve.”

²⁰ “And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?” And they said, “Seven.”

²¹ And He said unto them, “How is it that ye do not understand?”

Healing of Another Blind Man

²² And He came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him.

²³ And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands upon him, He asked him if he saw anything.

²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men as trees, walking.”

²⁵ After that He put His hands again upon his eyes and made him look up; and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

²⁶ And He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.”

²⁷ And Jesus went out with His disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, “Who do men say that I am?”

²⁸ And they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say Elijah, and others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ And He said unto them, “But whom say ye that I am?” And Peter answered and said unto Him, “Thou art the Christ.”

³⁰ And He charged them that they should tell no man of Him.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.”

²⁰ Then He charged His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.

³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and by the chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Rebukes Peter

³² And He spoke that saying openly. And Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him.

³³ But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get thee behind Me, Satan; for thou savorest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.”

³⁴ And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

³⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it.

³⁶ For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

³⁷ Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

³⁸Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 9

¹And He said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that there are some of them that stand here who shall not taste of death till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.”

The Tranfiguration

² And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up onto a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

³ And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow, such as no fuller on earth could whiten them.

⁴ And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵ And Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah—”

⁶ for he knew not what to say, for they were sore afraid.

⁷ And there was a cloud that overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This Is My Beloved Son: Hear Him!”

⁸ And suddenly when they had looked round about, they saw no man anymore, save Jesus only with them.

⁹ And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man were risen from the dead.

¹⁰ And they kept that saying to themselves, questioning one another what “rising from the dead” should mean.

¹¹ And they asked Him, saying, “Why say the scribes that first Elijah must come?”

¹² And He answered and told them, “Elijah verily cometh first and restoreth all things, and how it is written of the Son of Man that He must suffer many things and be set at nought.

¹³ But I say unto you that Elijah has indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

A Deaf and Dumb

¹⁴ And when He came to His disciples, He saw a great multitude about them and the scribes questioning with them.

¹⁵ And straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were greatly amazed; and running to Him, they greeted Him.

¹⁶ And He asked the scribes, “What question ye with them?”

¹⁷ And one of the multitude answered and said, “Master, I have brought unto thee my son, who hath a dumb spirit.

¹⁸ And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him; and he foameth and gnasheth his teeth and pineth away. And I spoke to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not.”

¹⁹ Jesus answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto Me.”

²⁰ And they brought the boy unto Him. And when the spirit saw Him, straightway he tore the boy; and he fell on the ground and wallowed about foaming.

²¹ And He asked his father, “How long is it ago since this came unto him?” And he said, “From childhood.

²² And oftentimes it hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him; but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³ Jesus said unto him, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

²⁴ And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, “Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him and enter no more into him.”

²⁶ And the spirit cried, and rent the boy sorely and came out of him; and he was as one dead, insomuch that many said, “He is dead.”

²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could not we cast him out?”

Only by Prayer and Fasting

²⁹ And He said unto them, “This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting.”

³⁰ And they departed thence and passed through Galilee, and He would not that any man should know it.

³¹ For He taught His disciples and said unto them, “The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after He is killed, He shall rise the third day.”

³² But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

John 7

²Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. — in Jerusalem

³ His brethren therefore said unto Him, “Depart hence and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

⁴ For no man doeth anything in secret if he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.”

⁵ For neither did His brethren believe in Him.

⁶ Then Jesus said unto them, “My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready.

⁷ The world cannot hate you, but Me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil.

⁸ Go ye up unto this feast. I go not up yet unto this feast, for My time is not yet fully come.”

⁹ When He had said these words unto them, He remained still in Galilee.

¹⁰ But when His brethren had gone up, then He also went up unto the feast, not openly but, as it were, in secret.

¹¹ Then the Jews sought Him at the feast and said, “Where is he?”

¹² And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him. For some said, “He is a good man,” and others said, “Nay, for he deceiveth the people.”

¹³ Yet no man spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

During the Feast at the Temple

¹⁴ Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught.

¹⁵ And the Jews marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered them, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me.

¹⁷ If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be from God, or whether I speak from Myself.

¹⁸ He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory; but He that seeketh the glory of Him that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

¹⁹ Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?”

²⁰ The people answered and said, “Thou hast a devil. Who goeth about to kill thee?”

²¹ Jesus answered and said unto them, “I have done one work, and ye all marvel.

²² Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers), and ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man.

²³ If a man receive circumcision on the Sabbath day, that the Law of Moses should not be broken, are ye angry at Me because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day?

²⁴Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

²⁵ Then said some of them from Jerusalem, “Is not this he whom they seek to kill?

²⁶ But lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

²⁷ Yet we know from whence this man comes; but when Christ cometh, no man will know from whence He comes.”

²⁸ Then Jesus cried out in the temple as He taught, saying, “Ye both know Me, and ye know from whence I am. And I am not come of Myself, but He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not.

²⁹ But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He hath sent Me.”

³⁰ Then they sought to take Him; but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

³¹ And many of the people believed in Him and said, “When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles than these which this man hath done?”

³² The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.

The Jews Sought Jesus

³³ Then said Jesus unto them, “Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him that sent Me.

³⁴ Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find Me; and where I am, thither ye cannot come.”

³⁵ Then the Jews said among themselves, “Whither will he go that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?

³⁶ What manner of saying is this that he said, ‘Ye shall seek me and shall not find me; and where I am, thither ye cannot come’?”

The Last Great Day

³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.

³⁸ He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

³⁹ (But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

⁴⁰ Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, “In truth this is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

⁴² Hath not the Scripture said that Christ cometh out of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem where David was?”

⁴³ So there was a division among the people because of Him.

⁴⁴ And some of them would have taken Him, but no man laid hands on Him.

⁴⁵ Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said unto them, “Why have ye not brought him?”

⁴⁶ The officers answered, “Never did man speak like this man!”

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are ye also deceived?

⁴⁸ Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?

⁴⁹ But this people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus said unto them (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them),

⁵¹ “Doth our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he doeth?”

⁵² They answered and said unto him, “Art thou also from Galilee? Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

⁵³ And every man went unto his own house.

Posted in Gospel

Crossing the deadly Darien’s Gap

•September 30, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Panama: Record number of migrants cross deadly Darien’s Gap. Along the journey through the Darien Gap are wild animals, thick jungle, rivers and criminal gangs who demand money to guide them.

DW News • September 29, 2023

The number of migrants crossing the treacherous Darien Gap — a jungle region linking Panama and Columbia — has hit a record high of 402,300 people in the year to September, official data released by Panama showed.

It is not clear how many migrants die trying to cross the Darien’s Gap

That is 62% more than the number of people who accessed it in all of 2022.

The United Nations, in April, had estimated that the total number of crossings through the Darien Gap for the entire year would be 400,000.

What is the Darien Gap?

Once thought to be nearly impossible to pass through, the 165-mile (265-kilometer) Darien Gap is full of wild animals, rivers and criminal gangs who demand money to guide people through the jungle.

Most migrants crossing it aim to get through Panama into Costa Rica and eventually to Mexico, before crossing into the US.

The lawless wilderness borders between Colombia and Panama

What do we know about the migrants?
An estimated 4,000 migrants have been crossing the perilous stretch each day.

Most of the migrants come from Venezuela, as well as Ecuador and Haiti, and several others, Panama’s security ministry said on Thursday.

The majority of those attempting the crossing were children and babies, Panama’s Public Security Minister Juan Pino said in a statement on Thursday. He added that September alone saw an increase over August, with the number of people crossing increasing by a fifth.

The flow is so great that Panama has set up aid centers for migrants in different parts of the country. Even then, Panama is overwhelmed, Pino said.

Lured to a land of milk and honey, all hopes lie ahead!

“We are making a superhuman effort,” he said.

It is not clear how many migrants die trying to cross this region.

Policies to control the borders

Earlier this month, Panama announced measures to stem the increasing number of migrants. Part of this policy is to deport more people with criminal records and decrease the number of days tourists are allowed to stay in the country.

The measures came after a two-month program launched by the US, Panama and Columbia in April to tackle undocumented immigration.

Costa Rica, another transit country north of Panama, declared a state of emergency earlier this week.

“We all know that there is a migration crisis throughout the entire American continent. We are fundamentally a country of passage for migrants, people who come, who pass through Costa Rica largely trying to reach the United States,” Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves said.

In May, the US rolled out a new policy to dissuade illegal crossing. It involves deporting migrants and banning re-entry for five years.

While the policies initially led to a 70% drop in border crossings, the number of migrants arriving at the US border with Mexico has begun to increase once more.

Migrants resting near the Darien Gap on their way in hopes of reaching the US.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Deputy Director of Operations for the International Organization for Migration acknowledged the need for international coordination on the record levels of migration, in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday.

The Darién Gap is the only break in the 30,000-mile Pan American Highway

Speaking about the lack of funds to tackle the humanitarian needs, Ugochi Daniels said, “obviously, it’s not an issue that can be solved by any one country.”

“The unprecedented flows in the region require attention — international attention.”

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Posted in Esau, Global South, Latin Americas, Mexico, Southern Border, US

Jesus’ Life (n)

•September 30, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John 5 — Healing on the Sabbath

¹ After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

— John was very much aware there was or is another feast, a counterfeit feast, and that is the feast of the Samaritans, where they kept it at Mount Gerizim; hence he emphasizes “feast of the Jews!” where Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

³ In these lay a great multitude of invalid folk — blind, halt, withered — waiting for the moving of the water.

⁴ For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water. Whosoever then first stepped in, after the troubling of the water, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

⁵ And a certain man was there who had an infirmity for thirty and eight years.

⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been in that state a long time, He said unto him, “Wilt thou be made whole?”

⁷ The infirm man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”

⁸ Jesus said unto him, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”

⁹ And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.

¹⁰ The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, “It is the Sabbath day; it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.”

¹¹ He answered them, “He that made me whole said unto me, ‘Take up thy bed and walk.’”

¹² Then they asked him, “What man is that who said unto thee, ‘Take up thy bed and walk’?”

¹³ And he that was healed knew not who it was, for Jesus had removed Himself away, a multitude being in that place.

¹⁴ Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said unto him, “Behold, thou art made whole. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

¹⁵ The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole.

¹⁶ And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath day.

Given Power to Judge

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Then answered Jesus and said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

²⁰ For the Father loveth the Son and showeth Him all things that He Himself doeth; and He will show Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

²¹ For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.

²² For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son,

²³ that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father who hath sent Him.

²⁴ Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth My Word and believeth in Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.

²⁵ “Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.

²⁶ For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself,

²⁷ and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

²⁸ Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice

²⁹ and shall come forth — they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

³⁰ “I can of Mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent Me.

³¹ If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.

³² There is Another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true.

³³“Ye sent unto John, and he bore witness unto the truth.

³⁴ But I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say, that ye might be saved.

³⁵ He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

³⁶ But I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me.

³⁷ And the Father Himself, who hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.

³⁸ And ye have not His Word abiding in you; for Whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.

Search the Scriptures

³⁹ “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and it is they which testify of Me.

⁴⁰ And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life!

⁴¹ I receive not honor from men.

⁴² But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

⁴⁴ How can ye believe, who receive honor one from another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?

⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.

⁴⁶ For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me.

⁴⁷ But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?”

Luke 8

¹ And it came to pass afterward that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto Him from their substance.

Matthew 13

¹ The same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside.

² And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him, so that He went into a boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

³ And He spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow.

⁴ And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside; and the fowls came and devoured them up.

⁵ Some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth.

⁶ And when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

⁷ And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

⁸ But others fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

⁹ Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Why Speaking in Parables?

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said unto Him, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?”

¹¹ He answered and said unto them, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.

¹² For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.

¹³ Therefore speak I to them in parables, because seeing, they see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.

¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, ‘By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.

¹⁵ For this people’s heart has waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

¹⁷ For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Parable of the Sower

¹⁸ “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower:

¹⁹ When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he that received seed by the wayside.

²⁰ But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the Word and at once with joy receiveth it;

²¹ yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while. For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he loses faith.

²² He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the Word; and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becometh unfruitful.

²³ But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word and understandeth it; who also beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Mark 4:21 And He said unto them, “Is a candle brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, and not to be set on a candlestick?

²² For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should be revealed.

²³ If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

²⁴ And He said unto them, “Take heed what ye hear. With what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you; and unto you that hear shall more be given.

²⁵ For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.”

Matthew 13

²⁴ Another parable put He forth before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field;

²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

²⁶ But when the blades had sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

²⁷ So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, ‘Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath come the tares?’

²⁸ He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then have us go and gather them up?’

²⁹ But he said, ‘Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Mark 4:26 And He said, “So is the Kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground,

²⁷ and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how.

²⁸ For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

²⁹ But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.”

³⁰ And He said, “To what shall we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it?

³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth.

³² But when it is sown, it groweth up and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.”

Matthew 13

³³ Another parable spoke He unto them: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened.”

³⁴ All these things spoke Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spoke He not unto them,

³⁵ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house, and His disciples came unto Him, saying, “Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.”

³⁷ He answered and said unto them, “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man.

³⁸ The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the Kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one.

³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.

⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be at the end of this world.

⁴¹ The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity,

⁴² and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³ Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

⁴⁴ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field, which, when a man hath found, he hideth; and for the joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls,

⁴⁶ who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind,

⁴⁸ which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just,

⁵⁰ and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

⁵¹ Jesus said unto them, “Have ye understood all these things?” They said unto Him, “Yea, Lord.”

⁵² Then said He unto them, “Therefore every scribe who is instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

⁵³ And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.

Matthew 8

¹⁸ Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

¹⁹ And a certain scribe came and said unto Him, “Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.”

²⁰ And Jesus said unto him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay His head.”

²¹ And another of His disciples said unto Him, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus said unto him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

Jesus rebukes the Storm

²³ And when He had entered into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

²⁴ And behold, there arose a great tempest on the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves; but He was asleep.

²⁵ And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We perish!”

²⁶ And He said unto them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

²⁷ But the men marveled, saying, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Mark 5

Casting of the Legion

¹ And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

² And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him from out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

³ who had his dwelling among the tombs. And no man could bind him, no, not even with chains,

⁴ because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him and the fetters broken in pieces; neither could any man tame him.

⁵ And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

⁶ But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped Him,

⁷ and cried with a loud voice, and said, “What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure Thee by God that Thou torment me not!”

⁸ For He had said unto him, “Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.”

⁹ And Jesus asked him, “What is thy name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

¹⁰ And he besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.

¹¹ Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

¹² And all the devils besought Him, saying, “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.”

¹³ And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place and into the sea (they were about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.

¹⁴ And those who fed the swine fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And the people went out to see what it was that had been done.

¹⁵ And they came to Jesus, and saw him that had been possessed by the devil and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

¹⁶ And those who saw it told the people what had befallen him that was possessed by the devil, and also concerning the swine.

¹⁷ And they began to pray Him to depart from their borders.

¹⁸ And when He had gotten into the boat, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him.

¹⁹ But Jesus suffered him not, and said unto him, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He hath had compassion on thee.”

²⁰ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him. And all men marveled.

²¹ And when Jesus had passed over again by boat unto the other side, many people gathered unto Him; and He was nigh unto the sea.

Jairus’ Daughter

²² And behold, there came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw Him, he fell at His feet

²³ and besought Him greatly, saying, “My little daughter lieth at the point of death. I pray Thee, come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live.”

²⁴ And Jesus went with him, and many people followed Him and thronged Him.

A Woman with Hemorrhage

²⁵ And a certain woman who had an issue of blood twelve years,

²⁶ and had suffered many things under many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse,

²⁷ when she had heard of Jesus, came up behind Him in the press of the crowd and touched His garment;

²⁸ for she said, “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.”

²⁹ And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned about in the press of the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ And His disciples said unto Him, “Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou, ‘Who touched Me?’”

³² And He looked round about to see her who had done this thing.

³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell down before Him and told Him all the truth.

³⁴ And He said unto her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

Healing of Jairus’ Daughter

³⁵ While He yet spoke, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain ones who said, “Thy daughter is dead; why troublest thou the master any further?”

³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that had been spoken, He said unto the ruler of the synagogue, “Be not afraid; only believe.”

³⁷ And He suffered no man to follow Him, save Peter and James and John, the brother of James.

³⁸ And He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw the tumult and those who wept and wailed greatly.

³⁹ And when He had come in, He said unto them, “Why make ye this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”

⁴⁰ And they laughed Him to scorn. But when He had put them all out, He took the father and the mother of the damsel and those who were with Him, and entered in where the damsel was lying.

⁴¹ And He took the damsel by the hand and said unto her, “Talitha cumi,” which is, being interpreted, “Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.”

⁴² And straightway the damsel arose and walked, for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

⁴³ And He charged them strictly that no man should know about it, and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Matthew 9:27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on us!”

²⁸ And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said unto them, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” They said unto Him, “Yea, Lord.”

²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith, be it unto you.”

³⁰ And their eyes were opened, and Jesus strictly charged them, saying, “See that no man know it.”

³¹ But they, when they had departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country.

Dumb Man Healed

³² As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, dumb and possessed with a devil.

³³ And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spoke; and the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never so seen in Israel.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “He casteth out the devils through the prince of the devils.”

³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were faint and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

³⁷ Then said He unto His disciples, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.

³⁸ Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.”

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (m)

•September 29, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The US Ambassador to Canada says “the Five Eyes intelligence alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand supported Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim that Nijjar was targeted by Indian agents.”

Matthew 8:1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.

Mark 1

⁴⁰ And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him and kneeling down to Him and saying unto Him, “If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”

⁴¹ And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him, and said unto him, “I will; be thou clean.”

⁴² And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

⁴³ And He strictly charged him, and forthwith sent him away,

⁴⁴ saying unto him, “See that thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony unto them.”

⁴⁵ But he went out and began to proclaim it much and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, and was outside in desert places. And they came to Him from every quarter.

Mark 2

¹ And again He entered into Capernaum some days later, and it was reported that He was in the house.

² And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not even about the door; and He preached the Word unto them.

³ And they came unto Him, bringing one sick with the palsy, who was borne by four.

⁴ And when they could not come nigh unto Him because of the throng, they uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the one sick with the palsy lay.

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the one sick with the palsy, “Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

⁶ But there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,

⁷ “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?”

⁸ And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts:

⁹ whether it is easier to say to the sick with the palsy, ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed and walk’?

¹⁰ But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins—” He said to the one sick with the palsy,

¹¹ “I say unto thee, arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”

¹² And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw it in this fashion!”

Luke 5:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

¹³ And He went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them.

¹⁴ And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the custom booth, and said unto him, “Follow Me.” And he arose and followed Him.

¹⁵ And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat at Levi’s house, that many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

¹⁶ And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with publicans and sinners, they said unto His disciples, “How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said unto them, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

¹⁸ And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast; and they came and said unto Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?”

¹⁹ And Jesus said unto them, “Can the attendants of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

²⁰ But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

²¹ “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment, else the new piece that filled it up teareth away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

²² And no man putteth new wine into old wineskins, else the new wine doth burst the skins, and the wine is spilled and the skins will be marred. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Matthew 12:1 At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungry and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto Him, “Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day.”

³ But He said unto them, “Have ye not read what David did when he hungered and they that were with him:

⁴ how he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

⁵ Or have ye not read in the law how on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless?

⁶ But I say unto you, that in this place is One greater than the temple.

⁷ But if ye had known what this meaneth, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice,’ ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.”

⁹ And when He had departed thence, He went into their synagogue.

¹⁰ And behold, there was a man who had his hand withered. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?” — that they might accuse Him.

¹¹ And He said unto them, “What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will not lay hold on it and lift it out?

¹² How much then is a man better than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.”

¹³ Then He said to the man, “Stretch forth thine hand.” And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole like the other.

¹⁴ Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.

¹⁵ But when Jesus knew of it, He withdrew Himself from thence. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

¹⁶ And He charged them that they should not make Him known,

¹⁷ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ “Behold My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles.

¹⁹ He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets.

²⁰ A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench till He send forth judgment unto victory;

²¹ and in His name shall the Gentiles trust.”

²² Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; and He healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.

²³ And all the people were amazed and said, “Is not this the Son of David?”

Mark 3

¹³ And He went up onto a mountain, and called unto Him whom He would have, and they came unto Him.

¹⁴ And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach,

¹⁵ and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils:

¹⁶ Simon (He surnamed Peter);

¹⁷ and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (and He surnamed them Boanerges, which means The Sons of Thunder);

¹⁸ and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thadaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house;

Luke 6:17 And He came down with them and stood on the plain with the company of His disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases,

¹⁸ and those who were vexed with unclean spirits; and they were healed.

¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for there went virtue out of Him and healed them all.

Luke 7:2 And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick and ready to die.

³And when he heard of Jesus, he sent the elders of the Jews unto Him, beseeching Him that He would come and heal his servant.

⁴ And when they came to Jesus they besought Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was worthy,

⁵ “for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.”

⁶ And Jesus went with them. And when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying unto Him, “Lord, trouble not Thyself, for I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof.

⁷ Therefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto Thee. But say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

⁸ For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers. And I say unto one, ‘Go’, and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he cometh; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he doeth it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned about and said unto the people who followed Him, “I say unto you, I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel.”

¹⁰ And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole who had been sick.

Mark 3

²⁰ and the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.

²¹ And when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him; for they said, “He is beside himself.”

Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This fellow doth not cast out devils, except by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.”

²⁵ And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

²⁶ And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?

²⁷ And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

²⁸ But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you.

²⁹ Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house and despoil his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? And then he will despoil his house.

³⁰ “He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.

³¹ Therefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

³² And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

³³ Either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit.

³⁴ “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

³⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

³⁶ But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment.

³⁷ For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

³⁸ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, “Master, we would see a sign from thee.”

³⁹ But He answered and said unto them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.

⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹ The men of Nineveh shall rise in the Judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

⁴² The queen of the south shall rise up in the Judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³ “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

⁴⁴ Then he saith, ‘I will return into my house from whence I came out.’ And when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

⁴⁵ Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

⁴⁶ While He yet talked to the people, behold, His mother and His brethren stood outside, desiring to speak with Him.

⁴⁷ Then one said unto Him, “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand outside, desiring to speak with thee.”

⁴⁸ But He answered and said unto him that told Him, “Who is My mother? And who are My brethren?”

⁴⁹ And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples and said, “Behold, My mother and My brethren!

⁵⁰ For whosoever shall do the will of My Father who is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and many people.

¹² Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And many people of the city were with her.

¹³ And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said unto her, “Weep not.”

¹⁴ And He came and touched the bier, and those who bore him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.”

¹⁵ And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.

¹⁶ And there came a fear on all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet is risen up among us”; and, “God hath visited His people.”

¹⁷ And this report of Him went forth throughout all Judea and throughout all the region round about.

¹⁸ And the disciples of John told him of all these things.

¹⁹ And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus asking, “Art thou He that should come, or look we for another?”

²⁰ When the men had come unto Him, they said, “John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, asking, ‘Art thou He that should come, or look we for another?’”

²¹ And in that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues and of evil spirits, and unto many who were blind He gave sight.

²² Then Jesus answering said unto them, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached.

²³ And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me.”

²⁴ And when the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak unto the people concerning John: “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

²⁵ But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that are gorgeously appareled and live luxuriously are in kings’ courts.

²⁶ But what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

²⁷ This is he, of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.’

²⁸ For I say unto you, among those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ And all the people that heard Him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

³⁰ But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized by him.

³¹ And the Lord said, “Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like?

³² They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another and saying, ‘We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.’

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, ‘He hath a devil.’

³⁴ The Son of Man is come eating and drinking, and ye say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!’

³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Matthew 11:20 Then He began to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not.

²¹ “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

²² But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment than for you.

²³ And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

²⁴ But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for thee.”

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

²⁶ Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.

²⁷ “All things are delivered unto Me by My Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

²⁸ “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰ For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee’s house and sat down to meat.

³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and began to wash His feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had bidden Him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is who toucheth him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said unto him, “Simon, I have something to say unto thee.” And he said, “Master, say on.”

⁴¹ “There was a certain creditor that had two debtors. The one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

⁴² And when they had nothing to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?”

⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And He said unto him, “Thou hast rightly judged.”

⁴⁴ And He turned to the woman and said unto Simon, “Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house: Thou gavest Me no water for My feet, but she hath washed My feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

⁴⁵ Thou gavest Me no kiss, but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss My feet.

⁴⁶ My head with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed My feet with ointment.

⁴⁷ Therefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”

⁴⁸ And He said unto her, “Thy sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ And those who sat at meat with Him began to say within themselves, “Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

⁵⁰ And He said to the woman, “Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace.”

Posted in Gospel

Migrants have overwhelmed cities

•September 28, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Migrants coming to the US have overwhelmed cities, including Chicago, New York and El Paso.

Former President Donald Trump said that if re-elected, he would “immediately” invoke a federal law, the Alien Enemies Act, granting himself the unilateral power to detain and deport non-citizens from the United States. If so, could such an action trigger a civil war?

Terry Collins, USA TODAY • September 26, 2023

Excerpts

From Staten Island to Chicago to San Diego and other points in between, Americans are getting frustrated with migrants arriving in their neighborhoods with few shelter and assistance options for them. Many said they want the federal government and local officials to do more to provide help to those who need it and find a better solution for future migrants hoping to enter the US.

For more about a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

The concern has been building, with the US seeing high levels of illegal crossings in recent years after the COVID-19 pandemic kept many migrants from entering the country in 2020. The latest wave of migrants means more people arriving in cities across the US, looking for a place to sleep at bus stops, outside airports and city halls.

“It’s wildly frustrating,” said Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, noting that Chicago has received more than 13,000 migrant asylum seekers, and counting, since August 2022. “There seems to be no end in sight.”

In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has said the large influx of migrants since 2022, more than 110,000 and counting arriving from the US-Mexico border, will “destroy” his city. With more than 60,000 migrants still in the city’s care, according to the Department of Social Services, Adams blames a lack of federal aid and Republican Govs. Greg Abbott in Texas and Ron DeSantis in Florida, who’s also a GOP presidential candidate, for sending asylum seekers to northern states in recent months and causing a crisis.

For more about a prophecy of the South; Edom, see Obadiah

“It’s not just New York going through this,” said Desmond. “It’s chaos the way the federal government is just dropping off thousands of people in this county that is getting no coordinated help or aid.

“This is not just a Democrat issue, not just a Republican issue,” Desmond said. “This is a national issue.”

Lopez, the Chicago alderman, a Democrat, also wants to see fewer migrants arriving in his community. “Every week, the city of Chicago sees new arrivals by bus or by plane, it’s a slow and steady march with no real action from Washington,” Lopez said.

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans in the US as of July 31 to help ease a path to work authorization. That move is in addition to nearly 243,000 Venezuelans already qualified for the temporary status.

But that may do little help in Eagle Pass, Texas, where Mayor Rolando Salinas said about 2,000 migrants had crossed the border Thursday after officials shut down one of the city’s two international bridges to reroute agents elsewhere. About 9,000 asylum-seekers have crossed from Mexico within the last week.

The bridge shutdown in Eagle Pass came after the city declared an emergency declaration Tuesday because of a “severe undocumented immigrant surge.” The mayor said the order was issued to give the town “the ability to request financial resources to provide the additional services caused by the influx of the undocumented immigrants,” Salinas said in a press release.

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

The following day, Abbott, the Texas governor, declared an “invasion” at the state’s border with Mexico.

Salinas said he fears more large migrant groups were going to arrive over the weekend. On Thursday, the Eagle Pass mayor told CNN that Biden should take some blame for the surge of migrants into his town.

“I will be honest with you. I believe 100% he does bear some responsibility for this crisis,” Salinas said. “I haven’t heard from anybody in the administration. The president hasn’t put out a statement, the vice president, I haven’t heard from anybody.”

Meanwhile in El Paso, Texas, about seven hours to the east of Eagle Pass, the city is entering its “fourth wave” of migrant surges since 2018, according to Laura Cruz-Acosta, an El Paso city spokeswoman.

The city has received more than 1,800 migrants a day crossing the border in the past week, the first major surge since the expiration in May of Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic policy that allowed the US to cite fears of spreading the virus as a reason to expel migrants.

“It’s putting a strain on our city,” Acosta-Cruz said. “It is concerning that we’re seeing this ramp up very quickly.”

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser told reporters on Saturday “We have come to what we look at (as) a breaking point right now.”

Acosta-Cruz said what’s occurring in El Paso mirrors other border cities. Arrests at the US-Mexico border increased in July and August after an initial sharp decline in May and June after the Biden administration launched a new policy requiring migrants heading to the US border to first seek protection in Mexico. Biden adopted the rule after Title 42’s expiration.

But many migrants, many arriving from Venezuela, aren’t waiting for various reasons. “The type of migrant we see now are those who are leaving their communities they call home for humanitarian reasons, because of violence, poverty, political reasons economic and to try escaping human trafficking,” Acosta-Cruz said.

Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens told ABC News in an interview that aired Sunday the Mexican drug cartels are flooding the US border with illegal immigrants in part as a distraction so they can smuggle drugs, criminals and weapons into the country.

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

“In terms of flow and the threats that we’re seeing with fentanyl and with the criminal organizations that are our adversary, it’s about as bad as I’ve ever seen it,” Owens said. “This isn’t sustainable. This is up-and-down the system, everybody is overwhelmed. Even the government of Mexico, which have been great partners for us, the US Border Patrol, a lot of times our facilities are already over capacity.”

On Friday, Mexican officials pledged to set up checkpoints to “depressurize” migrants from hopping freight trains from its northern cities which border El Paso, San Diego and Eagle Pass.

Acosta-Cruz, the El Paso city official, adds from what she’s seen, a lot of migrants are being “misled by the cartels so really it’s a lot of misinformation being shared with the migrants. They have this understanding they can just come in and flow through, but that’s not the case.”

There are currently about 1,000 migrants in nine hotels around town, with a recreation center ready to use, Acosta-Cruz said. Because El Paso handles its fair share of migrants, some of whom stay anywhere from 24- to 72 hours before moving on, the city and El Paso County receive FEMA funding and work collaboratively with nonprofits, churches and other local businesses to handle matters.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: see Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Posted in Esau, Latin Americas, Mexico, Southern Border, US

Jesus’ Life (l)

•September 28, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Matthew 5

¹And seeing the multitudes, He went up onto a mountain; and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him.

The Sermon on the Mount

² And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁴ Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.

¹² Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

Luke 624 “But woe unto you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation.

²⁵ Woe unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

The Salt and Light of the Earth

¹³ “Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.

¹⁴ “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

To Magnify and Fulfill the Law

¹⁷ “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.

¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

²⁰ For I say unto you that unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

²¹ “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ and ‘Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.’

²² But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,

²⁴ leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

²⁵ “Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art on the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

²⁶ Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

²⁷ “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’

²⁸ But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

²⁹ And if thy right eye cause thee to fall, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³⁰ And if thy right hand cause thee to fall, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³¹ “It hath been said, ‘Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.’

³² But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

³³ “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old times, ‘Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.’

³⁴ But I say unto you, swear not at all: neither by Heaven, for it is God’s throne;

³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶ Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

³⁷ But let your communication be ‘yea, yea’ or ‘nay, nay’; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

³⁸ “Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

³⁹ But I say unto you that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

⁴⁰ And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

⁴¹ And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two.

⁴² Give to him that asketh thee; and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away.

Love Your Enemies

⁴³ “Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.’

⁴⁴ But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you,

⁴⁵ that ye may be the children of your Father who is in Heaven. For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

⁴⁶ For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?

Luke 6:34 And if ye lend to them from whom ye hope to receive, what thanks have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

⁴⁷ And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?

⁴⁸ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in Heaven is perfect.

Matthew 6

¹ “Take heed that ye do not your almsgiving before men, to be seen by them; otherwise ye have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven.

² Therefore when thou givest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

³ But when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,

⁴ that thine almsgiving may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, Himself shall reward thee openly.

How to Pray

⁵ “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

⁷ But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

⁸ Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him.

The Lord’s Prayer

⁹ In this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

¹⁰ Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.

¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.

¹⁴ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵ But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

How to Fast

¹⁶ “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.

¹⁷ But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy face,

¹⁸ that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

¹⁹ “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal;

²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The Eye

²² “The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

²³ But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

²⁵ “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

²⁷ “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin,

²⁹ and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

³⁰ Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

³¹ Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Wherewith shall we be clothed?’

³² (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

³³ But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

³⁴ “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matthew 7

Be of Good Judgement

¹ “Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:37b Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.

³⁸ Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, therewith it shall be measured to you again.”

³⁹ And He spoke a parable unto them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?

⁴⁰ The disciple is not above his master, but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

³ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ‘Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye,’ and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

⁶ “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

⁷ “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

⁸ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

⁹ “Or what man is there among you whom, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone?

¹⁰ Or if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?

¹¹ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?

¹² Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Thrive through the Narrow Gate

¹³ “Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat.

¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Beware of False Prophets

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

²⁰ Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

²¹ “Not every one that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven.

²² Many will say to Me in that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’

²³ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.’

²⁴ “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.

²⁵ And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶ And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand;

²⁷ and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

²⁸ And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine;

²⁹ for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Posted in Gospel

Threats to other Sikhs

•September 27, 2023 • Leave a Comment

FBI warned prominent Sikhs of threats after murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Others at risks: (1) Pritpal Singh, 69 (2) Amarjit Singh (70) of NY; (3) Moninder Singh.

“Citing a security video that captured the murder, the Washington Post reported that at least six masked gunmen in two vehicles were involved in Nijjar’s killing.”

Yahoo News • September 26, 2023 // The Guardian

The FBI warned at least three Americans active in the Sikh community that their lives were in danger in the immediate aftermath of the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada last June.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has blamed the apparent assassination on the Indian government, as assessment that has reportedly been backed by Canadian and US intelligence sources and has created a rupture in Ottawa’s relationship with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The shocking accusation that India carried out an extrajudicial murder on Canadian soil – an allegation that has been denied by India – has prompted a re-examination of threats against Sikh separatists around the world, as well as Sikh activists’ claims of suspicious deaths in the UK and Pakistan in the weeks before the murder.

Pritpal Singh, a 69-year-old US citizen who serves as a coordinator for the American Sikh Caucus Committee, confirmed to the Guardian that he and two other associates were called by the FBI just days after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian citizen who was ambushed on 18 June just outside his place of worship in Surrey, British Columbia.

The FBI, which must warn citizens if they learn that their lives are in danger under a legal protection known as a “duty to warn,” initially told Singh that it believed his life was under threat because of unspecified intelligence. A few days later, the FBI offered Singh more specific safety instructions. The Intercept first reported the case.

“Such intimidation of Americans is a form of transnational repression by the Indian government,” Singh said in a statement to the Guardian. “Transnational repression not only threatens individuals but also undermines our democratic institutions, curtails individual rights and freedoms, and challenges the national security and sovereignty of the United States.”

The FBI also warned another American named Amarjit Singh, a 70-year-old New York-based journalist and commentator who said he was first alerted of a possible threat against his life on 22 June.

Singh told the Guardian that he was contacted by the FBI as he was returning from a protest against Modi in Washington, during a state visit in which US president Joe Biden hailed the US-India relationship as “stronger, closer, and more dynamic than at any time in history.”

In an interview in which he publicly revealed details of the threat for the first time, Amarjit Singh said the initial call from the FBI was followed up a few weeks later by a longer in-person meeting, at which point he said it was obvious that authorities were warning against a possible threat on his life by India.

“It was a warning. They said no travel, just keep yourself safe,” he said. Amarjit Singh said he only decided to go public with his account after Trudeau revealed Canada’s conclusion about Nijjar’s murder.

New details emerged on Monday about the killing of Nijjar. Citing a security video that captured the murder, the Washington Post reported that at least six men and two vehicles were involved in Nijjar’s killing, in what the newspaper said was a larger and more organised assassination plot than has previously been reported. The assailants fired about 50 bullets, and 34 hit Nijjar.

Nijjar, who was 45, was a leader in the Khalistan movement in Canada, which has called for the creation of an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region of India. The movement has been outlawed in India in the wake of allegations of that supporters of the separatist movement are terrorists.

Media attention has focused largely on Trudeau’s accusation that India was behind the murder. But Canadian authorities are also facing questions about why more was not done to protect Nijjar.

Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, was one of five people – including Nijjar – who was warned by Canadian authorities in 2022 that their lives were at imminent risk.

“We were never told what the risk was or where it was coming from. But we assumed it was India, because of our activism and outspokenness,” he said. “We expect them to attack us in the media, or character assassination, so this was shocking.”

While he was told to leave his home to protect his young family, Moninder Singh said none of them were offered special protection. Weeks later, Singh was told that the threat against him had dissipated, but the threat against Nijjar – a close friend and mentor – remained.

“There was no other information shared,” Singh said. “While there is an appreciation of Trudeau’s statement, it’s a bit late.”

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your dealings will return upon your own head” Obadiah 1:15

Posted in Canada, India, US

Jesus’ Life (k)

•September 27, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Jesus in Galilee

Luke 4

¹⁴ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Jesus Back in Nazareth

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

¹⁷ And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁰ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹ And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

²² And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?

²³ And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

²⁴ And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

²⁵ But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

²⁶ But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

²⁷ And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

²⁸ And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

²⁹ And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

³⁰ But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

In Capernaum, a Man with an unclean Spirit

³¹ And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.

Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁵ “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness saw a great Light; and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has sprung up.”

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

³² And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

³³ And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

³⁴ Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

³⁵ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

³⁶ And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

³⁷ And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.

³⁸ And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

³⁹ And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

⁴⁰ Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

⁴¹ And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.

⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

³⁶ And Simon and those who were with Him followed after Him.

³⁷ And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, “All men seek for Thee.”

³⁸ And He said unto them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for therefore came I forth.”

⁴³ And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.

⁴⁴ And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

Miracle of a Big Catch

Luke 5

1 And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret

2 and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.

3 And He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 Now when He was through speaking, He said unto Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.”

5 And Simon answering said unto Him, “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.”

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net began to break.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, who were in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

9 For he was astonished, and all those who were with him, at the draft of the fishes which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, “Fear not. From henceforth thou shalt catch men.”

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (j)

•September 26, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Begins His Ministry

John 2

¹³ And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

— if this had been the Samaritan’s passover, they would have gone to Mount Gerizim.

¹⁴ And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

¹⁵ And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

¹⁶ And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

¹⁷ And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

¹⁸ Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

¹⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

²⁰ Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

²¹ But he spake of the temple of his body.

²² When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

²⁴ But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

²⁵ And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Nicodemus Came at Night

John 3

¹ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The Son of Man

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Jesus (and His Disciples) Baptized

²² After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

²³ And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

²⁴ For John was not yet cast into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

²⁶ And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

²⁷ John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

²⁸ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

²⁹ He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹ He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

³² And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

³³ He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

³⁴ For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

³⁵ The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The Pharisees

John 4

¹ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John

² (though Jesus Himself baptized not, but His disciples),

³ He left Judea and departed again into Galilee,

Encounters with the Samaritans

⁴ and He needed to go through Samaria.

⁵ Then came He to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

⁶ Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus by the well; and it was about the sixth hour.

⁷ There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, “Give Me to drink.”

⁸ (For His disciples had gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

⁹ Then said the woman of Samaria unto Him, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest a drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria?” For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto her, “If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, ‘Give Me to drink,’ thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.”

¹¹ The woman said unto Him, “Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water?

¹² Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof himself, and his children and his cattle?”

¹³ Jesus answered and said unto her, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again,

¹⁴ but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

¹⁵ The woman said unto Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

¹⁶ Jesus said unto her, “Go, call thy husband, and come hither.”

¹⁷ The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said unto her, “Thou hast well said, ‘I have no husband’;

¹⁸ for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. In that thou saidst truly.”

¹⁹ The woman said unto Him, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

²⁰ Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and ye say that Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

²¹ Jesus said unto her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither on this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

²² Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

²³ But the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.

²⁴ God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

²⁵ The woman said unto Him, “I know that Messiah cometh, who is called Christ. When He has come, He will tell us all things.”

²⁶ Jesus said unto her, “I that speak unto thee am He.”

²⁷ And upon this came His disciples and marveled that He talked with the woman; yet no man said, “What seekest Thou?” or, “Why talkest Thou with her?”

²⁸ The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city and said to the men,

²⁹ “Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?”

³⁰ Then they went out of the city and came unto Him.

³¹ Meanwhile His disciples entreated Him, saying, “Master, eat.”

³² But He said unto them, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.”

³³ Therefore the disciples said one to another, “Hath any man brought Him aught to eat?”

³⁴ Jesus said unto them, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.

³⁵ Say not ye, ‘There are yet four months and then cometh the harvest’? Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.

³⁶ And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

³⁷ And herein is that saying true, ‘One soweth and another reapeth.’

³⁸ I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor; other men labored, and ye have entered into their labors.”

³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the saying of the woman who testified, “He told me all that ever I did.”

⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans had come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them; and He abode there two days.

⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word,

⁴² and said unto the woman, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

John Casts into Prison

Luke 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

²⁰Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

Jesus Returns to Galilee

⁴³ Now after two days He departed thence and went into Galilee.

⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.

⁴⁵ Then when He had come into Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did at Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

⁴⁶ So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.

⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto Him and besought Him that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said unto him, “Unless ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”

⁴⁹ The nobleman said unto Him, “Sir, come down ere my child die!”

⁵⁰ Jesus said unto him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

⁵¹ And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Thy son liveth!”

⁵² Then he inquired of them the hour when he began to be healed. And they said unto him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”

⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus had said unto him, “Thy son liveth.” And he himself believed, and his whole house.

⁵⁴ This is again the second miracle that Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (i)

•September 25, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Jesus’ Baptism at the Jordan River

John 1

²⁸ These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world!

³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me cometh a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

³¹ And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore have I come baptizing with water.”

³² And John bore record, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and It abode upon Him.

³³ And I knew Him not. But He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the Same is He that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’

³⁴ And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.”

Matthew 3:13 Then came Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John to be baptized by him.

¹⁴ But John forbad Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?”

¹⁵ And Jesus answering said unto him, “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John suffered Him.

¹⁶ And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him.

¹⁷ And lo, a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This Is My Beloved Son, In Whom I Am Well Pleased.”

Andrew and Peter

³⁵ Again the next day John stood with two of his disciples,

³⁶ and looking upon Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

³⁸ Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and said unto them, “What seek ye?” They said unto Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, “Master”), “where dwellest Thou?”

³⁹ He said unto them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He dwelt and stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said unto him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is, being interpreted, “the Christ”).

⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, “Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, “a stone”).

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and found Philip and said unto him, “Follow Me.”

⁴⁴ Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said unto him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶ And Nathanael said unto him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said unto him, “Come and see.”

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

⁴⁸ Nathanael said unto Him, “How knowest Thou me?” Jesus answered and said unto him, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and said unto Him, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel.”

⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, “Because I said unto thee, ‘I saw thee under the fig tree,’ believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.”

⁵¹ And He said unto him, “Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Turning Water into Wine

John 2

¹ And on the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;

² and both Jesus and His disciples were called to the marriage.

³ And when they lacked wine, the mother of Jesus said unto Him, “They have no wine.”

⁴ Jesus said unto her, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said unto the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.”

⁶ And there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, holding twenty to thirty gallons apiece.

⁷ Jesus said unto them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

⁸ And He said unto them, “Draw some out now, and bear it unto the governor of the feast.” And they took it.

⁹ When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, not knowing from whence it had come (but the servants who drew the water knew), the governor of the feast called the bridegroom

¹⁰ and said unto him, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have drunk well, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”

¹¹ This beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brethren and His disciples; and they continued there a few days.

Tempted for Forty Days

Luke 4

¹ And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

² Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

³ And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

⁴ And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

⁵ And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

⁶ And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

⁷ If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

⁸ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

⁹ And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

¹⁰ For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

¹¹ And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹² And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

¹³ And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

Posted in Gospel

NATO admits to Ukraine war

•September 24, 2023 • Leave a Comment

NATO admits that Ukraine war is a war of NATO expansion

Pearls and Irritations by Jeffrey D. Sachs • September 22, 2023

During the disastrous Vietnam War, it was said that the US government treated the public like a mushroom farm: keeping it in the dark and feeding it with manure. The heroic Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers documenting the unrelenting US government lying about the war in order to protect politicians who would be embarrassed by the truth. A half century later, during the Ukraine War, the manure is piled even higher.

According to the US Government and the ever-obsequious New York Times, the Ukraine war was “unprovoked,” the New York Times’ favourite adjective to describe the war. Putin, allegedly mistaking himself for Peter the Great, invaded Ukraine to recreate the Russian Empire. Yet last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg committed a Washington gaffe, meaning that he accidentally blurted out the truth.

In testimony to the European Union Parliament, Stoltenberg made clear that it was America’s relentless push to enlarge NATO to Ukraine that was the real cause of the war and why it continues today. Here are Stoltenberg’s revealing words:

“The background was that President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent us. And was a pre-condition for not invade Ukraine. Of course, we didn’t sign that.

The opposite happened. He wanted us to sign that promise, never to enlarge NATO. He wanted us to remove our military infrastructure in all Allies that have joined NATO since 1997, meaning half of NATO, all the Central and Eastern Europe, we should remove NATO from that part of our Alliance, introducing some kind of B, or second-class membership. We rejected that.

So, he went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to his borders. He has got the exact opposite.”

To repeat, he [Putin] went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to his borders.

When Prof. John Mearsheimer, I, and others have said the same, we’ve been attacked as Putin apologists. The same critics also choose to hide or flatly ignore the dire warnings against NATO enlargement to Ukraine long articulated by many of America’s leading diplomats, including the great scholar-statesman George Kennan, and the former US Ambassadors to Russia Jack Matlock and William Burns.

Is Now the Time to Consider Expanding NATO?

Burns, now CIA Director, was US Ambassador to Russia in 2008, and author of a memo entitled “Nyet means Nyet.” In that memo, Burns explained to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the entire Russian political class, not just Putin, was dead-set against NATO enlargement. We know about the memo only because it was leaked. Otherwise, we’d be in the dark about it.

Why does Russia oppose NATO enlargement? For the simple reason that Russia does not accept the US military on its 2,300 km border with Ukraine in the Black Sea region. Russia does not appreciate the US placement of Aegis missiles in Poland and Romania after the US unilaterally abandoned the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Russia also does not welcome the fact that the US engaged in no fewer than 70 regime change operations during the Cold War (1947-1989), and countless more since, including in Serbia, Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, and Ukraine. Nor does Russia like the fact that many leading US politicians actively advocate the destruction of Russia under the banner of “Decolonizing Russia.” That would be like Russia calling for the removal of Texas, California, Hawaii, the conquered Indian lands, and much else, from the US.

Even Zelensky’s team knew that the quest for NATO enlargement meant imminent war with Russia. Oleksiy Arestovych, former Advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine under Zelensky, declared that “with a 99.9% probability, our price for joining NATO is a big war with Russia.”

Arestovych claimed that even without NATO enlargement, Russia would eventually try to take Ukraine, just many years later. Yet history belies that. Russia respected Finland’s and Austria’s neutrality for decades, with no dire threats, much less invasions. Moreover, from Ukraine’s independence in 1991 until the US-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government in 2014, Russia didn’t show any interest in taking Ukrainian territory. It was only when the US installed a staunchly anti-Russian, pro-NATO regime in February 2014 that Russia took back Crimea, concerned that its Black Sea naval base in Crimea (since 1783) would fall into NATO’s hands.

Even then, Russia didn’t demand other territory from Ukraine, only fulfilment of the UN-backed Minsk II Agreement, which called for autonomy of the ethnic-Russian Donbas, not a Russian claim on the territory. Yet instead of diplomacy, the US armed, trained, and helped to organise a huge Ukrainian army to make NATO enlargement a fait accompli.

Putin made one last attempt at diplomacy at the end of 2021, tabling a draft US-NATO Security Agreement to forestall war. The core of the draft agreement was an end of NATO enlargement and removal of US missiles near Russia. Russia’s security concerns were valid and the basis for negotiations. Yet Biden flatly rejected negotiations out of a combination of arrogance, hawkishness, and profound miscalculation. NATO maintained its position that NATO would not negotiate with Russia regarding NATO enlargement, that in effect, NATO enlargement was none of Russia’s business.

The continuing US obsession with NATO enlargement is profoundly irresponsible and hypocritical. The US would object—by means of war, if needed—to being encircled by Russian or Chinese military bases in the Western Hemisphere, a point the US has made since the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. Yet the US is blind and deaf to the legitimate security concerns of other countries.

So, yes, Putin went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to Russia’s border. Ukraine is being destroyed by US arrogance, proving again Henry Kissinger’s adage that to be America’s enemy is dangerous, while to be its friend is fatal. The Ukraine War will end when the US acknowledges a simple truth: NATO enlargement to Ukraine means perpetual war and Ukraine’s destruction. Ukraine’s neutrality could have avoided the war, and remains the key to peace. The deeper truth is that European security depends on collective security as called for by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), not one-sided NATO demands.

“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.

“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25

Posted in NATO, Ukraine, US

Jesus’ Life (h)

•September 24, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John’s Testimony of Christ

John 1

⁵And the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷The same came as a witness to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

⁹That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.

¹¹He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

¹²But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name,

¹³who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.

¹⁵John bore witness of Him and cried, saying, “This was He of whom I spoke, ‘He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”

¹⁶And of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace.

¹⁷For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

¹⁸No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.

John in the Wilderness

Matthew 3

¹ In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

Luke 3:2 During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the Word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

³ And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,

² and saying, “Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

³ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’”

⁴ And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

⁵ Then there went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about the Jordan.

⁶ And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance,

⁹ and think not to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say unto you that God is able from these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

¹⁰ And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

¹² His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Luke 3:11 He answered and said unto them, “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none. And he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”

¹² Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, “Master, what shall we do?”

¹³ And he said unto them, “Exact no more than that which is appointed you.”

¹⁴ And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said unto them, “Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who art thou?”

20 And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Art thou Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Art thou that Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

²² Then said they unto him, “Who art thou, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?”

²³ He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as said the prophet Isaiah.”

²⁴ And those who were sent were of the Pharisees.

²⁵ And they asked him, and said unto him, “Why dost thou baptize then if thou art not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet?”

²⁶ John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there standeth One among you whom ye know not.

²⁷ He it is who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s strap I am not worthy to unloose.”

Luke 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts whether John was the Christ or not,

¹⁶ John answered, saying unto them all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable.”

¹⁸ And with many other exhortations he proclaimed the good news (gospel) unto the people.

Posted in Gospel

China to develop EUV lithographic ‘cannon’

•September 23, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China sets out to develop its own EUV lithographic ‘cannon’

Long-haul plan is to build steady-state microbunching accelerator to create extreme-ultraviolet light source

AsiaTimes by Jeff Pao • September 19, 2023

China is exploring the use of a new extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source in making its own lithography facility but technology experts said such an ambitious goal may take many years to achieve.

Over the past few days articles and videos have gone viral on the Internet in China claiming that Tsinghua University has made breakthroughs in steady-state microbunching (SSMB) technology, which can create an EUV light source with a power several times higher than that of ASML’s EUV lithography.

Stored electron bunches become ‘microbunched’ after one complete revolution in the storage ring and produce coherent radiation at its higher harmonics

They say the future launch of a SSMB accelerator, nicknamed “lithographic cannon,” will help China bypass the export controls of the United States and the Netherlands.

These came after Huawei Technologies on August 29 commenced the sale of its flagship smartphone Mate60 Pro, which used a 7 nanometer chip produced with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) N+2 processing technology and ASML deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography.

“We understand that it’s difficult to have more breakthroughs in chip-processing if we follow the current technological path,” a Chongqing-based writer says in an article published by the Huxiao Business Review on September 16. “It will be more feasible to walk on a new path.”

He says Tsinghua’s suggestion to use the SSMB technology in lithography can help China break the technological blockage of ASML.

He adds that what Tsinghua proposes is not a lithography machine but a huge factory that involves a lot of land and workers – resources that China does not lack.

Bu Xiaotong, a Henan-based columnist, says in an article published on Sunday that China might not be able to make a lithography machine but it could make a lithography factory.

“An article published by Acta Physica Sinica (a Chinese academic journal) has proposed to create SSMB-EUV lithography while Tsinghua’s research has already proved the feasibility of this idea,” he says.

A storage ring design for steady-state microbunching to generate EUV radiation

Citing news about China’s plan to build an SSMB facility in Xiongan New Area near Beijing, he says that with this project, if it’s successful, China can bypass the US sanctions.

Another writer says China should develop the SSMB technology because it can obtain neither the EUV lithography from ASML nor key parts needed such as lenses from German’s Zeiss and laser beam tools from the United States’ Cymer and German’s Trumpf.

How SSMB works

In 2010, Daniel Ratner and Alexander Chao, two scientists at Stanford University, first proposed the concept of SSMB. Their idea was that electrons circulating in a synchrotron are organized into small bunches that support the emission of coherent light.

In 2016, Chao and scientists from Tsinghua University and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin jointly started a project to do SSMB experiments at the Metrology Light Source, a synchrotron in Berlin owned by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt.

In February 2021, Tsinghua’s Deng Xiujie and Tang Chuanxiang, Chao and other physicists jointly published an article with the title “Experimental demonstration of the mechanism of steady-state microbuching” in Nature Physics, an academic journal.

Professor Tang in the Department of Engineering Physics at Tsinghua University

They said their experiment represents a milestone towards the implementation of an SSMB-based high-repetition, high-power photon source.

In March 2022, Tang and Deng co-wrote an article with the title “Steady-state micro-bunching accelerator light source” in Acta Physica Sinica, saying that SSMB can be used to create EUV light source for lithography.

“The realization of SSMB-EUV light source will help China’s EUV lithography achieve leapfrog development,” they say in the article. “It is expected that the SSMB accelerator light source will be used as a light source for the lithography industry and scientific research. Its performance will also continue to improve while its cost will gradually decrease.”

Currently, ASML’s EUV lithography is using a light source originating from a laser-produced plasma (LPP) source that has a maximum power of 500 watts. A ring-shaped SSMB accelerator can create an EUV light source with a power of about 1 kilowatt. Its circumference may range from 100 to 150 meters.

Another EUV light source comes from superconducting radio-frequency free electron laser (SRF-FEL), which can achieve maximum power of between 1 and 10 kW. Such a facility can stretch out for as long as 200 meters. More technological breakthroughs are needed to achieve this.

In general, the power of a laser beam should reach 250W for making 7nm chips, 350W for 5nm and 500W for 3nm. It needs 1kW to make 2nm chips.

37/44: China has a “stunning lead” over the US

Xiongan project

Last November, Pan Zhilong, a professor in the Department of Engineering Physics of Tsinghua University, said in a speech at the China Physics Society autumn meeting that the SSMB technology can be used in lithography.

On February 23 this year, Pan and some Hebei officials and academics held a forum to discuss SSMB-EUV. They looked for a site to build such a facility in Xiongan.

All these long-term developments have recently caught the attention of Chinese netizens, who wish to see China move on to making its own EUV lithography after the successful launch of Mate60 Pro.

However, some Chinese columnists say it’s too early to say that China can have its own EUV lithography.

A Shanghai-based writer says that, even if China has a SSMB accelerator, it still needs a lot of efforts in making lenses and work platforms for lithography. He says SSMB for the moment would better be used for research on high-energy particle collisions.

“The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand,
“a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old nor show favor to the young.
“And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle and the fruit of thy land until thou be destroyed; he also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy cattle, or flocks of thy sheep until he have destroyed thee.
“And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates until thy high and fortified walls come down wherein thou trusted, throughout all thy land; and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land which the Lord thy God hath given thee,” Deuteronomy 28:49-51

Posted in China, Tech Race

Jesus’ Life (g)

•September 23, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Blessing of Anna

Luke 2

³⁶ And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,

³⁷ and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years. She departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

³⁸ And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

The Visit of the Wise men

Matthew 2

¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem,

² saying, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

³ When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

⁵ And they said unto him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶‘And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”

⁹ When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star which they saw in the East went before them until it came and stood over where the young Child was.

¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The Wise Men offers Gifts

¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts: gold and frankincense and myrrh.

¹²And being warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Escape into Egypt

¹³ And when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed into Egypt,

¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.”

The Slaughter by Herold

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth and slew all the children who were in Bethlehem and in all the region thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

¹⁷ Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ “In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted, because they are no more.”

Return to Nazareth

¹⁹ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

²⁰ saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead who sought the young Child’s life.”

²¹ And he arose and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² But when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither. Notwithstanding, being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

²³ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

From Luke 2

³⁹ And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth.

⁴⁰ And the Child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

Jesus kept the Passover in Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

⁴² And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the Feast.

⁴³ And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of it.

⁴⁴ But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances.

⁴⁵ And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

⁴⁶ And it came to pass that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.

⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

⁴⁸ And when they saw Him they were amazed, and His mother said unto Him, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing.”

⁴⁹ And He said unto them, “How is it that ye sought Me? Knew ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?”

⁵⁰ And they understood not the saying which He spoke unto them.

⁵¹ And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. But His mother kept all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Posted in Gospel

China’s 232 greater capacities than US

•September 22, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Chinese shipbuilding capacity over 230 times greater than US, Navy intelligence says. “China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.”

Fox News by Michael Lee • September 14, 2023

A US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) slide that was leaked online highlights concerns over a rapidly expanding Chinese navy and the country’s continued capability to produce ships at a faster rate than the United States.

“The Chinese see this decade as a strategic opportunity,” Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology in the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “I don’t see any near-term bending of the curve where we actually start closing the gap with the Chinese.”

Sadler’s comments come after images of the unclassified Office of Naval Intelligence slide have been widely circulated around the internet. The image, which was picked up in a War Zone report, show China’s massive shipbuilding capacity as compared to the United States.

The slide’s authenticity was confirmed by a Navy spokesperson, who cautioned that it was not meant to be an in-depth analysis.

“The slide was developed by the Office of Naval Intelligence from multiple public sources as part of an overall brief on strategic competition,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The slide provides context and trends on China’s shipbuilding capacity. It is not intended as a deep-dive into the PRC (People’s Republic of China) commercial shipbuilding industry.”

The slide shows that Chinese shipyards have a capacity of about 23.2 million tons compared to less than 100,000 tons in the US, making Chinese shipbuilding capacity more than 232 times greater than that of the US.

The slide also shows the “battle force composition” of the countries’ two navies side-by-side, which includes “combatant ships, submarines, mine warfare ships, major amphibious ships, and large combat support auxiliary ships.” The ONI estimated that China had 355 such naval vessels in 2020 while the US had 296. The disparity is expected to continue to grow every five years until 2035, when China will have an estimated 475 naval ships compared to 305-317 US ships.

Another section of the slide provides an estimate on the percentage each country allocates to naval production in its shipyards, with China garnering roughly 70% of its shipbuilding revenue from naval production, compared to about 95% of American shipbuilding revenue.

However, that disparity is also concerning, Sadler said, who noted that China would gain a strategic advantage by having a robust commercial shipbuilding sector.

“Shipbuilding is a strategic industry, and they realized that a long time ago,” Sadler said of China. “The first part was build up your commercial shipbuilding sector … commercial shipbuilding really was the genesis for all of this massive capacity. It’s a lesson that you can’t have naval shipbuilding without a commercial shipbuilding sector and the Chinese have been doing that for 30 years.”

Because of China’s centrally planned economy, the country is able to control labor costs and provide subsidies to its shipbuilding infrastructure, allowing the Chinese to outbid most competitors around the world and dominate the commercial shipping industry, Sadler said.

On the military side, Sadler noted that the Chinese began to acquire technology from the Soviet Union, later Russia, and Ukraine, modeling many of their naval vessels after technology from those countries.

“Then you get more shipyard workers, and sometimes these commercial shipyards, one side’s building tankers, LNG ships and container ships, and right next door, they’re building cruisers and destroyers, sometimes with the same shipyard workers,” Sadler said.

Sadler argued that the US has not built a comparable shipbuilding infrastructure because builders only have the US government as a customer.

“The federal government is the sole customer … your biggest customer where you get your biggest margin of profit is building the big high-tech expensive naval ships,” Sadler said. “That’s the only show in town for us. And unfortunately, because that’s the case, no one’s looking to get competitive and building better container ships or the next generation commercial shipping vessel, which is what we really need to be doing.”

While much of the attention on China’s advantage in shipbuilding has been focused on the country’s naval capabilities, Sadler said that the Chinese advantage in commercial shipping also has large implications on US security and the economy.

“In peacetime, the everyday family is just trying to get diapers, baby formula, bottles of water, toilet paper, or during COVID, PPE, masks. A lot of that supply chain, the ships, the movement, the shippers, they’re tied to the Chinese market or they’re Chinese ships,” Sadler said.

“We had backlogs of containers in China because it was more profitable to hold cargo in China,” Sadler added. “It caused a backlog of supply. There were situations many people probably still recall of empty shelves. Part of the reason for that was an over reliance on this global supply chain overwhelmingly centered in China.”

That dominance in commercial shipping also plays out when it comes to a potential conflict, Sadler added, arguing that the over-reliance on Chinese shipping would allow China to “sanction us very effectively” in response to hypothetical US sanctions if they were to get more aggressive around Taiwan.

“The United States relies on 80,000-plus visits to keep its economy by foreign flag vessels, to keep the lights on … the stores and industries humming,” Sadler said. “So, if the Chinese basically deal themselves out of that market, we lose the ability to sustain our economy, and the shocks of that are really not fully appreciated.”

Reports this week by the South China Morning Post indicate that China may be closing in on building another giant warship, with online images showing workers at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard holding flags next to what appears to be a next-generation amphibious assault ship.

In a potential direct conflict with China, Sadler argued that the implications of shipbuilding disparity would be “even more dire,” pointing to possible rations similar to World War II. The consequences of the situation could also be felt in a battle at sea, where China would have the ability to produce, repair and replace naval vessels at a faster rate than the United States.

Despite the looming threat, Sadler said the US has not worked toward the goal of increasing the number of US naval vessels.

“Every budget for the last three years during the Biden administration … the long-range plans have all laid out a reduction in the size of the Navy when the danger is going in the other direction, it’s going up,” Sadler said.

According to an Association of the United States Navy report earlier this year, President Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget called for a reduction of 15 vessels from the Navy’s fleet. While the proposal allowed funding to build nine new vessels, it also proposed a decommission of 24 ships, leading to the overall reduction of the fleet.

Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget also called for an elimination of 11 ships, a plan that was criticized by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“We should rapidly work to expand our naval fleet,” Wicker said in a press release earlier this year. “As I said, China’s fleet size has eclipsed ours, and yet the Department of Defense proposes ship decommissionings. The Marine Corps was unable to assist victims of the earthquakes in Turkey just a few months ago because the Navy lacked enough amphibious ships.”

Wicker was at the center of a 2017 effort to set a goal of achieving a 355-ship naval fleet, a proposal that became law in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act after it was signed by former President Donald Trump.

But budget proposals in the years since have fallen short of meeting those expectations, including Biden’s 2024 proposal that called for the 11-ship reduction.

Speaking to reporters about the proposed reduction earlier this year, Rear Adm John Gumbleton said eight of the 11 ships were being eliminated before their “end-of-service-life” as a result of the ships’ “material condition, life remaining, cost and then time to upgrade.”

“These six vessels did not pass that ROI analysis. In addition to the time and money saved with this divestment, we will also free up over 1,500 sailors to support higher-priority efforts,” Gumbleton said.

Asked about the Navy’s fleet continuing to hover below 300 ships during the same briefing, Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven told reporters that “readiness, modernization … and capacity, in that order, are the priorities that … drive this budget.”

“We are constantly working with our industrial partners to make sure that we are not only funding but taking delivery of ships on time and in an efficient manner,” Raven said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.

According to Sadler, the failures of the US to adequately invest in its shipbuilding capacity have not been “a partisan issue.” He argued that “both parties’ political leaders have failed on this count.”

Sadler added that lawmakers need to “get serious about the threat” and “put plans and budgets that … grow the Navy.”

“We need consistency in the budgets,” Sadler said. “We need to find a way to regain a competitive edge so that there is a reason, a profitable market space for young Americans to want to join something that’s new, that’s exciting, and they can make a really good living in shipping in shipbuilding. Right now, that just doesn’t exist.”

“China is 232 times more than US”

Posted in China, US

Jesus’ Life (f)

•September 22, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1

¹ The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

² Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brethren.

³ And Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Aram,

⁴ and Aram begot Aminadab, and Aminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon,

⁵ and Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse begot David the king. And David the king begot Solomon by her that had been the wife of Uriah,

⁷ and Solomon begot Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa,

⁸ and Asa begot Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah,

⁹ and Uzziah begot Jotham, and Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah,

¹⁰ and Hezekiah begot Manasseh, and Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah,

¹¹ and Josiah begot Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begot Salathiel, and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel,

¹³ and Zerubbabel begot Abiud, and Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor,

¹⁴ and Azor begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud,

¹⁵ and Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob,

¹⁶ and Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Genealogy from Luke 3

²³ And Jesus Himself had become about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,

²⁴ who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,

²⁵ who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Nahum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Naggai,

²⁶ who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Juda,

²⁷ who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zerubbabel, who was the son of Shealtiel, who was the son of Neri,

²⁸ who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son of Er,

²⁹ who was the son of Jose, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,

³⁰ who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Judah, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,

³¹ who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menan, who was the son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,

³² who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz, who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Nahshon,

³³ who was the son of Amminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Hezron, who was the son of Perez, who was the son of Judah,

³⁴ who was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Terah, who was the son of Nahor,

³⁵ who was the son of Serug, who was the son of Reu, who was the son of Peleg, who was the son of Eber, who was the son of Shelah,

³⁶ who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Shem, who was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech,

³⁷ who was the son of Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Mahalaleel, who was the son of Cainan,

³⁸ who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.

Posted in Gospel

“US at Grave Risk” by David Goldman

•September 21, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US at grave risk of China tech war retaliation. The US dependence on Chinese components means defense industry and critical infrastructure could soon be in the line of fire.

AsiaTimes by David Goldman • September 16, 2023

NEW YORK – America doesn’t have the factories or skilled labor to replace Chinese imports that support defense contractors and basic infrastructure, leaving the US economy vulnerable to harm in the event of an all-out trade war with China, corporate and government officials told Asia Times.

That’s why Biden administration officials are unlikely to heed calls from China hawks to completely cut off China’s semiconductor sector from US technology.

A group of 10 prominent House Republicans wrote to the US Commerce Department on September 14 demanding a shutoff of US exports of chip technology to China, claiming that the export controls imposed in October 2022 were ineffective.

The Republicans’ letter cited “recent reports that Huawei Technologies Co. (Huawei) has developed a smartphone containing 7-nanometer (nm) chips, capable of supporting 5G, produced by the Chinese state-owned Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC).”

“We are extremely troubled and perplexed about the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) inability to effectively write and enforce export control rules against violators, especially China,” the letter added.

Semianalysis.com, a prominent chip industry website, declared, “US sanctions have failed. It called Huawei’s 7-nanometer chip “technically incredible,” and “a better designed chip than most in the West realize,” with capabilities similar to Nvidia’s and Qualcomm’s best AI processers. It noted the chip was produced with high yields, “with no access to cutting edge US intellectual property, and intentionally hampered.”

Nothing short of a complete export ban on every category of semiconductor equipment would halt China’s progress, the website concluded. “Half measures will not work, but a full-scale assault will make it so the cost of replicating the semiconductor supply chain domestically is neigh on impossible. While we aren’t advocating for any of these specifically, it is clear the west can still stop China’s rise if decisive action is taken,” it wrote.

The US can’t stop China from making high-end chips like the new Kirin 9000 processor unless it shuts down all semiconductor fabrication in China. That would entail massive disruption not only of the semiconductor industry but of dozens of industries that depend on it, with grave economic consequences.

It is far from clear that the US would be able to enlist allies like Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands. The Biden administration gave into Korean demands to maintain their existing chip fabs in China.

Holland’s ASML, the leading maker of chip-making lithography machines, won’t sell its most advanced equipment to China, but continues to sell the Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) devices that SMIC used to make the new Huawei chip.

37/44: China leads US in emerging technology

Even if the US could persuade other countries to join in a total boycott of chip-making equipment to China, the US is not the only country that can wage economic war. The disruptive impact on the world economy would be incalculable and one possible upshot would be paralysis in US critical infrastructure.

Public discussion about possible Chinese retaliation against additional US export controls has focused on a possible ban on the use of Apple handsets by Chinese government officials. However, American vulnerability is evident in the form of thousands of critical components used in critical infrastructure and the US defense industry.

The US imported US$33 billion in capital goods from China for electricity generation and distribution in 2022, items that are no longer manufactured in the US.

Substituting domestic production for these items would entail long lead times and exorbitant costs, industrial officials say. In the event of a full-scale trade war, a Chinese ban on critical components could cripple basic US infrastructure.

“The vulnerability of supply chains for critical infrastructure is acute and self-inflicted. The US and its allies have allowed themselves to become captive to Chinese cartels that control production of electronic components, high-powered magnets, printed circuit boards, computers, drones, rare earth metals, wind turbines, solar cells, cellular phones and lithium batteries… In fact, nearly every element of the technology-based digital smart grid is dependent on Chinese-made components,” Brien Sheahan, a former top US energy regulatory official, wrote in April.

US defense contractors also depend heavily on China. In a June 19 interview with the Financial Times, Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said his company had “several thousand suppliers in China and decoupling is impossible. We can de-risk but not decouple,” adding that he believed this to be the case “for everybody” in US manufacturing.

Raytheon CEO Hayes added, “Think about the $500 billion of trade that goes from China to the US every year. More than 95% of rare earth materials or metals come from, or are processed in, China. There is no alternative. If we had to pull out of China, it would take us many, many years to re-establish that capability either domestically or in other friendly countries.”

Raytheon makes Tomahawk cruise missiles, Maverick air-to-surface missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles and other mainstays of the American arsenal.

Bill Gates Says US Won’t Be Able to Limit China’s Microchip Industry

Meanwhile, American attempts at reducing dependence on foreign supply chains for critical goods have stalled. Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s top chip fabricator, accepted $15 billion in cash subsidies and tax credits from the Biden administration to build a fab in Arizona, but shortages of skilled labor have delayed the plant until 2025.

The same bottlenecks would hamper US efforts to replace Chinese components in critical infrastructure. The US faces an air pocket in skilled labor supply during the next two years.

“The fact is that 22% of existing skilled manufacturing workers will be retiring by the end of 2025. This could result in as many as 2 million to 3.5 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2025,” according to the consulting firm HBK.

America’s capital stock of manufacturing equipment has remained stagnant since 2000, according to Federal Reserve calculations.

US orders for manufacturing equipment have been steady at between $1.5 billion and $2 billion a month, roughly half the level before the 2008 recession.

It’s true that China still depends on the West for a wide variety of chip-making equipment, while the US depends on China for a vast number of capital goods inputs. Both are capable of hurting each other badly.

The question is whether they will. Biden administration officials are keenly aware of American vulnerabilities, and reluctant to push the tech war against China to the point of Chinese retaliation.

Even with an all-out mobilization, it would take the US several years to build out sufficient flexible manufacturing capacity to replace critical Chinese components.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Jesus’ Life (e)

•September 21, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Luke 2

¹ And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

² (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³ And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the City of David which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David)

⁵ to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child.

⁶ And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

A Visit from the Shepherds

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

¹⁶ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷ And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

¹⁸ And all those who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Circumcision and Purification at the Temple

²¹ And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, His name was called Jesus, who was so named by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord: “Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),

²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

The Blessing of Simon

²⁵ And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

²⁶ And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

²⁷ And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him after the custom of the law,

²⁸ then he took Him up in his arms, and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word;

³⁰ for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,

³¹ which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

³² a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.”

³³ And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against

³⁵ (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Posted in Gospel

China in Naval Competition with the US

•September 20, 2023 • Leave a Comment

China, innovation and competition with the US. “China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.”

Pearls and Irritations by Paul Malone • September 15, 2023

Typically we read of the failures under Mao’s communism and the explosion of growth with the supposed introduction of capitalism after the death of Mao and the rise of Deng Xiaoping. Before Deng we are reminded of the failures of the great leap forward and the disastrous cultural revolution. Little or no credit is given to, for example, the communists’ achievement in land reform, or educating the population, two essential ingredients in modernising an economy.

And Western commentators repeatedly tell us that the Chinese economy is about to collapse. (See for example: Gordon Chang’s 2001 book, The Coming Collapse of China; hedge fund manager, Jim Chanos’ 2010 description of China as being “on a treadmill to hell”; George Soros’ 2014 observation that China’s growth model had “run out of steam”; Morgan Stanley’s and Ruchir Sharma’s 2016 pronouncement that China now faces “the curse of debt”; and finance journalist Dinny McMahon’s 2018 observation that the economy was becoming “increasingly dysfunctional.”)

Now a new book, The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism by insider Keyu Jin provides real insights into how the Chinese economy actually works. Jin, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, was born in China and is the daughter of Jin Liqun, an economist who previously served as vice-minister of finance.

The growth of China challenges Western capitalism’s claim of economic superiority. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union it’s been an article of faith that the “free market” is superior to planned economic systems. American capitalism won the economic race that began in 1917 with the Russian revolution and the formation of the USSR in 1922. The race “proved” that capitalism generated innovation and faster economic growth, albeit with inequitable share of the spoils.

The Economist: Apple is only the latest casualty of the Sino-American tech war

But did it? Was it ever a fair race? Was it more a case of one competitor starting poor and crippled from the impact of war; having both legs broken along the way by a second war; and having post-war growth slowed by the burden of competing arms manufacture in its run to the finishing line?

In the next lane, the US started the race in the prime of its life; waited until the end of World War I before joining; suffered no World War II mainland invasion; and capitalised on the war’s destruction of Europe and Asia.

The end result was capitalists’ claim that “free markets” were superior to planned, or guided economies. Planned economies, it was said, simply could not compete.

The rise of China seriously challenges that claim. The bubble must surely be about to burst.

As the growth continues, Western commentators tell us that the Chinese system is oppressive and opaque: Xi Jinping and a small cabal of yes men dictate everything that happens in China.

Now Keyu Jin provide us with some insight into how the country actually works. She says the Politburo’s Standing Committee, which consists of the most important officials in the country, functions like a senior management team of a giant corporation. At the next level down, power splits into two branches, with the party on one side and the legislature and government on the other. Jin likens this structure to a double helix that converges at the top.

Municipal government has both a party secretary and a mayor, working closely together with the party secretary invariably ranking highest.

But unlike the centralised Soviet Union, local officials in China’s provinces and towns push their own agenda for local development and growth. The “Mayor Economy” has transformed fishing villages and backwaters into modern export hubs, manufacturing centres and high-tech economic zones. Local governments can give out licences, contracts, cheap land, and direct loans from local banks to firms they prefer. They can make new laws or sidestep the old and they can lobby the central government.

It is no accident that all three general secretaries of the Chinese Communist Party since Deng Xiaoping were once provincial leaders.

Since Deng’s reforms of the 1980s the structure of the economy has changed dramatically. Today the private sector employs around 80 per cent of the urban labour force.

Reforms initiated in the mid-nineties resulted in the shut-down, or privatisation of many state-owned firms and a consequent dramatic improvement in performance of those that survived. Large State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) became profitable and productive.

Today the SOEs play an important role in the economy, not only acting on their own behalf but also in collaboration with the private sector. In 2019, 63 of China’s 100 largest corporations were state players and most interestingly every single one of them had a joint venture with a private company.

In times of crisis, SOEs have also proved most useful. In the wake of the 2008-9 financial crisis they were called upon to salvage the economy.

Jin tells us that regions compete with each other and that at times local officials have bent, or even broken rules and traditions. In the 1980s, for example, when private sector companies might bear the stigma of being seen as “capitalist” they could be dressed up as collective enterprises.

But as the population and the central government came to see, ‘rule bending’ can go too far. In 2013 Xi launched a sweeping anti-graft campaign, resulting in 2.3 million officials being punished for violating party rules, or state laws. Among them was Zhao Zhengyong, the former party secretary of Shaanxi Province, who built expensive villas on protected land.

Unlike the USSR, China is not seeking to push an international ideological agenda. The government is seeking to maintain stability and lift the population’s standard of living.

But increasingly politicians in the United States – always in need of a barbarian to generate fear – have demonised China.

The US/China rivalry reached a peak with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Covid-19 was sneeringly called the China virus; US unemployment was due to unfair Chinese trading practices, requiring tariffs to protect American jobs; and US technology transfer must be stopped.

President Biden has followed Trump, imposing export controls to cut off China’s access to top AI chips made by US firms such as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel.

The real American terror is not that the Chinese economy will grow bigger than the American economy – if it is not already – but that the Chinese mixed economy model will prove superior to the rampant free-market, greed model US billionaires and peddlers promote.

Educated in China and the US, Jin appears to accept the argument that innovation requires a private sector generating huge financial rewards for innovators. She seems to be unaware that many of the “zero-to-one” early-stage discoveries in the West were made in government run, or funded, institutions.

The most obvious examples in the US are the Manhattan project and the NASA moon landing. Computers were not invented by Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates. The internet is not a Google or Meta creation. It emerged from action to enable government researchers to share information. Major breakthroughs in medicine, such the discovery of Penicillin, have come from salaried researchers, whose reward is the discovery itself and perhaps recognition of their achievement.

“If we are not able to manage differences, we will be destroyed,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in the East Asia Summit.

China now aims to achieve break-throughs in key technologies: the central government has outlined the plan and local governments have been called upon to deliver.

Jin says China is building a fully integrated incubation chain, linking key national labs, universities and high-tech parks. Researchers from abroad are returning to China.

It is not until the end of her book that Jin addresses the question of rising inequality. Around the world, labour’s share of national production is declining, while capital’s share is rising. With the world’s second-largest number of billionaires, China’s inequality is now approaching that of the United States.

Jin writes approvingly of China’s efforts to eliminate illicit income, but says that not all income inequality is unjust. The problem she avoids addressing is that of increasing wealth inequality. She disapproves of ideological solutions by which she really means Communist ideology, implicitly accepting American ideology.

At some point Socialism With Chinese Characteristics is going to have to tackle the inequity/billionaire problem. In time ‘legitimate’ billionaires and their heirs become as damaging as illegitimate billionaires, wielding undue influence, consuming excessive amounts of resources and, contrary to their own propaganda, proving no better at planning and distributing resources than salaried managers.

Around the world, over the years the extremely rich have shown no loyalty to their nations, shifting their wealth at the hint of any fair redistribution. Perhaps Chinese billionaires can be persuaded to voluntarily relinquish their billions; maybe effective gift and death duties can be introduced. But one way or another, this issue will have to be tackled.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

US curbs on ex-TSMC Chip Wizard Liang?

•September 19, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US sanctions on ex-TSMC engineer Liang ‘won’t hurt SMIC’

AsiaTimes by Jeff Pao • September 15, 2023

Whether a Taiwanese chip engineer who led Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to make 7 nanometer chips for Huawei’s Mate60 Pro will be sanctioned by the United States has become a hot issue in Taiwan and mainland China.

After the unexpected debut of the Kirin 9000s processor inside Mate60 Pro on August 29, Liang Mong-Song, managing director of SMIC and a former engineer at TSMC and Samsung, is now praised as a hero in the chip industry in China, alongside Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and SMIC founder Zhang Rujing.

After the US Commerce Department revealed on September 7 that it was gathering information on the Mate60 Pro’s purported 7nm chip, many Taiwanese news websites said Liang probably was being probed and would face sanctions. Scoop Taiwan News, a Taiwanese magazine, on Monday published an article with the title “The US is investigating Huawei’s new chip. A traitor of TSMC could be sanctioned.”

Ex-TSMC Chip Wizard Liang Mongsong at TSMC award ceremony in 2003

“Who led SMIC to make 7nm chips? Many people pointed fingers at Liang Mongsong, who had been accused by TSMC of leaking industrial secrets some years ago,” the article said. “People are interested to know whether he will be sanctioned by the US.”

“How can the US admit defeat now? It’s impossible,” former Taiwanese foreign policy planning chief Dale Jieh Wen-chieh told the media. “The US will definitely strengthen its sanctions against Huawei. This time it will focus on curbing SMIC.”

“The US may penalize Liang in accordance with federal law,” Jieh said. “If he does not visit the US, he won’t be affected. But if he has assets in the US, he will lose them.”

“Since he joined SMIC, Liang must have already prepared for the likelihood that one day he would become an enemy of the chip industry players in Taiwan and the US,” said Julian Kuo, a former member of the Legislative Yuan and a high-profile commentator.

“Liang knows clearly what he is chasing after in this life,” Kuo said. “His annual salary was only US$1.53 million in 2021, which is quite low in his ranking. Since 2021, he has donated his salary to his educational fund and spent a lot of time grooming young talent.”

Kuo expressed doubt that Liang has a large amount of assets in the US. Besides, he said SMIC gave Liang a 22.5 million yuan (US$3.1 million) apartment, which allows him not to worry about where to live.

“If Taiwan and the US think Liang is a villain because of the US-China technology war, mainland China calls him a hero,” he said.

Hero or villain?

A video praising Liang’s contributions to China’s semiconductor industry has been widely circulated by Chinese netizens this week.

An anchor says in the video that Liang will face sanctions if the US Commerce Department has evidence that he has personally violated the US export controls. The anchor says that, by sanctioning Liang, the US can send a signal to the world that whoever violates its export controls will suffer consequences.

Other commentators point out that if Liang is sanctioned, he will lose the income generated from the 500 patents he is holding. Besides, some foreign chip engineers will become hesitant to work for Chinese chipmakers.

Some mainland commentators say it’s unreasonable to sanction Liang as the US curbs only forbid US nationals, not Taiwanese, from working for Chinese chipmakers. They also note that Liang didn’t join SMIC until 2017, eight years after he left TSMC.

Born in 1953 in Taipei, Liang received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the National Cheng Kung University and continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Guided by American electrical engineer David Hodges, he received his doctoral degree in 1988.

He then joined AMD and participated in the development of K6 and K7 central processing units. In 1992, he returned to Taiwan and joined TSMC.

In 2000, Liang was dubbed as one of the “six knights” who helped TSMC develop a 130nm chip. In February 2009, he left TSMC after failing to get a promotion. After a two-year non-compete period expired, he joined Samsung with an annual salary of US$4 million.

He was then sued by TSMC for leaking industrial secrets to Samsung. An analytical report commissioned by TSMC showed that Samsung’s 45, 32 and 28nm chips had used similar technologies as TSMC’s. Liang lost the lawsuit in 2015 and joined SMIC in 2017 with an initial annual salary of US$200,000.

In late 2020, he announced his resignation but later changed his mind after SMIC raised his salary to US$1.53 million and granted him an apartment.

US sanctions on TSMC ex-engineer Liang ‘won’t hurt SMIC’

Future missions

Chip experts at Semianalysis.com write in an article published on Tuesday that SMIC made its 7nm chips by using a process similar to that used by TSMC in 2018. They say SMIC is “at worst only a handful” of years behind TSMC and “one could argue that SMIC is at most only a few years behind Intel and Samsung despite restrictions.”

They say the gap could prove to be even narrower as SMIC has an excellent engineering pool hired locally and from Taiwan.

“Liang had contributed to the technological breakthroughs in the chip industry in Taiwan, South Korea and mainland China,” a Guangdong-based columnist says in an article published on September 7. “ASML’s lithography and Liang are the two prerequisites for China to make 5G chips.”

The writer says Liang has spent at least three years to help SMIC achieve the 7nm technology but it will take much longer to make 5nm chips, which require the use of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

He says that, because the Dutch government banned the exports of ASML’s EUV lithography to China, Chinese chipmakers will have to wait for the launch of EUV lithography now being developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE).

SMEE’s most advanced lithography, SSA600/20, can make 90nm chips, according to the company’s website. Media reports say only one machine has so far been sold, for research use.

China’s Securities Times reported on July 26 that SMEE plans to deliver its first DUV lithography, which can make 28nm chips, by the end of this year.

In fact, Liang had already said in 2021 that China had to face the reality that it cannot make 5nm chips without EUV lithography. He said then that it would be unrealistic to hope that the country could close its technological gap with the West suddenly.

Some commentators say any US curbs against Liang won’t make him quit SMIC but, rather, will help him gain reputation on the mainland. They say Liang’s coming missions are to help SMIC boost the yield of 7nm chips produced with DUV lithography and to pass his skills to younger engineers.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Tech Race, US

Chinese ‘spy balloon’ wasn’t spying

•September 19, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Chinese ‘spy balloon’ wasn’t spying – admitted the US military chief

RT News • September 17, 2023 // CBS News

US intelligence agencies now believe that the mysterious craft really was blown off course, Mark Milley told ABC News

A so-called Chinese “spy balloon” shot down off the east coast of the US in February did not actually collect any intelligence, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told CBS News on Sunday. Beijing insisted from the outset that the balloon was not a surveillance craft.

“The intelligence community, their assessment – and it’s a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon,” Milley told the American broadcaster.

The balloon in question appeared in the sky over Alaska in January, before drifting south and crossing the US. Its high-altitude flight ultimately ended when it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina in early February. Throughout its journey and for months afterwards, US officials claimed that the balloon was sent across the US to gather intelligence for Beijing.

In April, anonymous officials told NBC News that the balloon made “multiple passes” over US military sites to intercept electronic communications, before it “increased its speed” in an attempt “to get it out of US airspace as quickly as possible.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Chinese government “both unacceptable and irresponsible” for flying the balloon over US territory, and called off a planned visit to Beijing in response. China maintained that the balloon was a civilian craft that had been blown off course, an explanation that Milley now admits was possible.

Chinese ‘spy balloon’ wasn’t spying – admitted US military chief, Gen. Mark Milley

“Those winds are very high,” Milley said, referring to the currents above Hawaii that steered the balloon east across the US. “The particular motor on that aircraft can’t go against those winds at that altitude.”

Despite revealing that the balloon did not collect intelligence, Milley told ABC News that it was equipped with the necessary sensors and transmitters to do so. “I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn’t transmit any intelligence back to China,” he said.

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. Hosea 13:12-13

Posted in China, US

Jesus’ Life (d)

•September 19, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The angel Gabriel appears to Joseph

Matthew 1

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: When His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

— was espoused to Joseph; betrothal, among the Jews was a formal ceremony, the usual symbolic act being, from patriarchal times, the gift of a ring and other jewels (Genesis 24:53).

¹⁹ And Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

— a public example; to expose her to public shame or infamy; adultery has always been considered a crime of a very heinous nature.

²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

— In a dream; the angel appeared to Mary while awake, because faith and consent were required in her that she might conceive by the Holy Ghost; but Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream, because that was sufficient in his case, and Joseph could be made to believe.

²¹ And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

— his name Jesus; the name Jesus is the same as Saviour, he shall save.

²² Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

— that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet; that is, the Prophet Isaiah, and referred to and spoken by the prophet Isaiah

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” Isaiah 7:14

²³ “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which being interpreted is, “God with us”).

— Emmanuel; as spoken by Isaiah, the name, like that of The Lord our Righteousness, applied by Jeremiah not only to the future Christ (Jeremiah 23:6), but to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 33:16),

²⁴ Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife,

— took unto him his wife; these few words cover a great deal; they imply the formal ratification of the betrothal before witnesses; before a priest; the marriage-feast; the moving from her home to that of Joseph.

²⁵ and knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

— his name Jesus; this was given by divine appointment, Matthew 1:21. It was conferred upon him on the eighth day, at the time of his circumcision, Luke 2:21.

The birth and circumcision of John the Baptist

Luke 1:57-80

⁵⁷ Now Elizabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son.

— the angel told Mary, Luke 1:36, that it was then the sixth month with her; after this Mary was with her about three months, which made up her full time; so she was delivered, and brought forth a son;

⁵⁸ And her neighbors and her kindred heard how the Lord had shown great mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her.

— and her neighbours and her cousins; that lived in Hebron, and the parts adjacent, whether of the house of Aaron or of the tribe of Judah; to both which she was related and who dwelt near her, the priests in the city of Hebron, and the children of Judah in the places about it;

⁵⁹ And it came to pass that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

— the law for circumcision, Genesis 17:12 Leviticus 12:3, was strictly to be performed the eighth day. We find nothing commanded in Scripture, either as to the person who was to perform the office of the circumciser or as to the place.

⁶⁰ But his mother answered and said, “Not so, but he shall be called John.”

— shall be called John; this was the name which the angel had said should be given to him, of which Zechariah had probably informed Elizabeth by writing.

⁶¹ And they said unto her, “There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.”

— there is none of thy kindred; the Jewish tribes and families were kept distinct. To do this, and to avoid confusion in their genealogical tables, they probably gave only those names which were found among their ancestors.

⁶² And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

— and they made signs to his father; who was deaf, as well as dumb; these signs were made by hands or head; for such used to be made to a dumb man.

⁶³ And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” And they marveled all.

— his name is John; there is something emphatic in the use of the present tense. It was not a question to be discussed; the name had already been given.

Zacharias’ mouth opens

⁶⁴ And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke and praised God.

— his mouth was opened; that is, he was enabled to speak. For nine months he had been mute, and it is probable that they supposed that he had been afflicted with a paralytic affection, and that he would not recover.

⁶⁵ And fear came on all who dwelt round about them; and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.

— and fear came; the word “fear” often denotes ‘religious reverence.’ The remarkable circumstances attending the birth of John, and the fact that Zechariah was suddenly restored to speech, convinced them that God was there and filled their minds with awe and veneration.

⁶⁶ And all those who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What manner of child shall this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

— what manner of child; such were the remarkable circumstances of his birth that they apprehended that he would be distinguished as a prophet, or that great events would result from his life;

— the word “hand” is used to denote “aid, protection, favor.” We stretch out the hand to aid those whom we wish to help. The expression here means that God “aided” him, “protected” him, or showed him favor.

Zacharias’ prophecy

⁶⁷ And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying,

— and prophesied saying; the following things, relating to the Messiah, his Coming and redemption by him; to the accomplishing of the covenant, oath, promise and mercy of God to his people; and to his son, the forerunner of the Messiah:

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed His people,

— Lord God of Israel; the ancient covenant God of the peculiar people; visited and redeemed his people; the word may be extended to all God’s deliverances of Israel, but it seemeth to be here more specially restrained by what followeth to the redemption by Christ.

⁶⁹ and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.

— horn of salvation; that is “strength of salvation,” or “mighty Salvation,” meaning the Saviour himself, whom Simeon calls “Thy Salvation” (Luke 2:30). The metaphor is taken from those animals whose strength is in their horns (Psalms 18:2; 75:10; 132:17).

⁷⁰ As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began,

— as he spoke, by the mouth of his holy prophets; which shows not only the veracity and faithfulness of God in his promises, but the early intimations that were given by him concerning the Messiah:

⁷¹ that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us,

— that we should be saved from our enemies; literally, salvation from our enemies, in apposition with “the horn of salvation” of Luke 1:69. The “enemies” present to the thoughts of Zacharias may have been the Roman conquerors of Judæa; the Idumæan house of Herod may have been among “those who hate.”

⁷² to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,

— his holy covenant; the covenant is clearly that made with Abraham in Genesis 15:18.

⁷³ the oath which He swore to our father Abraham:

— God first gave Abraham his word, Genesis 18:10, then he confirmed it by his oath, Genesis 22:16.

⁷⁴ that He would grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,

— might serve him; might obey, honor and worship him. This was regarded as a “favor.” This was what was promised, and for this Zechariah praised God;

— without fear; fear of death, of spiritual enemies, or of external foes. In the sure hope of God’s “eternal” favor beyond the grave.

⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

— in holiness and righteousness; “holiness” has special reference to man’s relations to God; “justice” to those which connect him with his fellow men; but, like all such words, they more or less overlap.

⁷⁶ And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,

— to prepare his ways; this is taken from Isaiah 40:3.

⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins,

— to give knowledge of salvation; knowledge of the “way” of salvation: that it was provided, and that the author of salvation was about to appear.

⁷⁸ through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us,

— whereby the dayspring; the word “dayspring” means the morning light, the aurora, the rising of the sun. It is called the dayspring “from on high” because the light of the gospel shines forth from heaven.

⁷⁹ to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

— to give light to them that sit in darkness; the Messiah at his coming would enlighten with the knowledge of salvation to the nations, who had long lived in ignorance and wickedness, the cause of death.

⁸⁰ And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his appearing unto Israel.

— and the child grew; the years of John’s infancy expiring, he grew daily in wisdom and stature; and was in the deserts; during the whole course of his private life, he continued in the deserts, or hill-country of Judea, Luke 1:39, till his ministry commenced, about the thirtieth year of his age.

Posted in Gospel

Mexico to a 81% increase in Military budget

•September 18, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador proposes an 81% increase to the Mexican Armed Forces’s budget

Mexico Daily Post • September 13, 2023

Mexico’s armed forces are set to see an 81% increase under the Finance Ministry’s proposed budget for 2024.

The largest increase will go to the Defense Ministry, with an allocation of 259.4 billion pesos ($15 billion) more than doubling the 111.9 billion pesos that was approved for 2023 for the department. Next up is the Navy, with a 72% increase to its budget that takes it to 71.8 billion pesos ($4.2 billion), according to a draft submitted Friday and that is pending congressional approval.

Mexico’s armed forces set for a 81% budget increase for 2024

The budget proposal is the latest indication of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s increasing reliance on armed forces to carry out large infrastructure works and also tasks that used to be run by civilians. The Defense Ministry’s proposed budget includes work on the Maya Train and operating Lopez Obrador’s new state-owned airline, Mexicana. It also includes operating the Felipe Angeles airport near Mexico City.

Republicans push for War with Mexico

Mexican Cartels designated as Terrorists

The Navy, now in charge of administering the country’s ports and customs, also operates Mexico City’s Benito Juarez airport. The National Guard, which is officially not part of the military but has been run by the Defense Ministry under this president, is set to receive 70.7 billion pesos ($4.1 billion), a 4.3% increase from the previous year. A large part of its budget has made its way to the Defense Ministry in past years.

“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37

“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25

Posted in Esau, Latin Americas, Mexico, US

CIA bribed to forge a different Covid-19 conclusion

•September 17, 2023 • Leave a Comment

CIA bribed analysts into Covid-19 conclusion – whistleblower

RT News • September 12, 2023

Congress is investigating claims that spies were paid to declare the outbreak was natural

Six CIA analysts on the Covid Discovery Team were “given a significant monetary incentive” to report that the 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus did not originate at a laboratory, two committees of the US House of Representatives said on Tuesday, citing a whistleblower from within the spy agency.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) have received “new and concerning whistleblower testimony” regarding the CIA’s investigation into the origins of the pandemic, from a person described as “a multi-decade, senior-level, current Agency officer.”

According to the whistleblower, six of the seven members of the team believed “the intelligence and science were sufficient to make a low confidence assessment” that the virus originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Only one believed the virus came from an animal, but he was the most senior, according to a letter the two committees sent to CIA Director William Burns.

The six analysts were offered money to change their position so that the agency could arrive at “the eventual public determination of uncertainty,” the whistleblower told the committee.

HPSCI chair Mike Turner and Coronavirus Subcommittee chair Brad Wenstrup, both Ohio Republicans, requested documents from Burns pertaining to the work of the team. They also asked the former CIA chief operating officer, Andrew Makridis, for a “voluntary interview” on September 26.

The US intelligence community said in June that its multiple agencies could not reach a consensus about where the pandemic originated, with four “elements” believing it was “most likely caused by natural exposure to an animal infected with it or a close progenitor virus,” while only one thought it was “a laboratory-associated incident.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said it judged the virus “was not developed as a biological weapon,” however.

The novel coronavirus, later dubbed SARS-CoV-2, was first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019. Its exact origin and how it came to affect humans remain unknown. The World Health Organization dubbed the disease caused by the virus Covid-19 and declared it a pandemic in March 2020. According to the WHO, there have been more than 770 million cases of Covid-19 and over 6.9 million deaths from the virus since then.

Both the Chinese government and the US health authorities, which were involved in funding the research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, categorically denied the possibility of a lab leak. Any mention of it was banned on most social media platforms as ‘misinformation’ until May 2021, when that policy was suddenly reversed.

“I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled” Hosea 6:10

“Ephraim compasseth me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit” Hosea 11:12

Posted in Covid-19, US

Jesus’ Life (c)

•September 17, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary

Luke 1:26-56

²⁶ And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

— unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth; a small city in the tribe of Zebulon, now reduced to a very low and contemptible condition, Matthew 2:23.

— Nazareth; the whole region of Galilee was mean and contemptible with the Jews: they observe, though through mistake, that no prophet arose out of it, John 7:52 and Nazareth particularly was exceeding despicable in their eye: hence those words of Nathanael, “can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46.

Life of Jesus Christ: Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth

²⁷ to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

— a virgin; this word properly means a girl, maiden, virgin, a young woman who is unmarried, virgins “being covered and unknown to men;” the meaning that it does not differ from that word as used by us today;

— and the virgin’s name was Mary; a name frequent among the Jews, and the same with Miriam; of which name was the sister of Moses and Aaron;

— a sign fulfilled in Isaish 7:14; a pledge; a token; an evidence of the fulfillment of what is predicted. The word does not, of necessity, denote a miracle, and if it is so applied miraculously, it gives more legitimacy to the sign;

— to conceive a child, who is presently expressly called, “the Child, the Son, Wonderful, the mighty God,”(Isaiah 9:6).

²⁸And the angel came in unto her and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.”

— the angel Gabriel assured Mary that she had found favour with God, and would become the mother of a son whose name she should call Jesus, the Son of the Highest, one in a nature and perfection with the Lord God.

²⁹ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast about in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

— troubled at his saying; disturbed or perplexed at what he said. It was so unexpected, so sudden, so extraordinary, and was so high an honor, that she was filled with anxious thoughts, and did not know what to make of it.

³⁰ And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.

— fear not, Mary; do not be alarmed at this appearance of an angel; he only comes to announce to you good tidings. Similar language was addressed by an angel to Joseph, Matthew 1:20.

³¹ And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus.

— and shalt call his name Jesus: the angel saith the same to Joseph, Matthew 1:21, and expounds it, adding, for he shall save his people from their sins; and thus the prophet expounds it, who saith, Isaiah 7:14, his name should be called Immanuel.

³² He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David,

— he shall be great. Isaiah had said, Isaiah 9:6, his name shall be called Wonderful, mighty both in words and deeds, Luke 24:19.

³³ and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.”

— over the house of Jacob; the house of Jacob means the same as the family of Jacob, or the twelve tribes of Israel, that is, all the posterity of Jacob.

³⁴ Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”

— Mary’s question shows that she understood the angel to speak of the birth as antecedent to her marriage, and she, accepting the words in faith, does not demand a sign, but reverently seeks to know the manner of their accomplishment.

³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that Holy Being who shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

— the Holy Ghost; who is also called here the power of the Highest, shall come upon thee;

³⁶ And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth: she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

— thy cousin Elizabeth; the case of Elizabeth is mentioned to inspire Mary with confidence, and to assure her that what was now promised would be fulfilled. It was almost as improbable that Elizabeth should have a child at her time of life, as it was that Mary should under the circumstances promised.

³⁷ For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

— he is the Almighty, “There is nothing too hard for thee,” Jeremiah 32:17; otherwise he wouldn’t be Omnipotent;

³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” And the angel departed from her.

— and Mary said, Behold the handmaid; this was an expression of resignation to the will of God, and of faith in the promise; to be the “handmaid of the Lord” is to be submissive and obedient and is the same as saying, “I fully credit all that is said, and am perfectly ready to obey all the commands of the Lord.”

Elisabeth, saluted by Mary, prophesieth

³⁹ And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah,

— the hill country, a city of Judah; the description is too vague to be identified with any certainty. The form of the proper noun is the same as that in “Bethlehem, of the land of Juda,” in Matthew 2:6.

⁴⁰ and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.

— entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth; no mention of Zacharias; either because he was not at home; or because he was deaf and dumb and could neither hear her salutation; or because it was not usual for women to salute men, nor men to salute women;

⁴¹ And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

— Elizabeth was filled with God’s spirits; the evidence of this seems to be that she was filled with joy; with a prophetic spirit or a knowledge of the character of the child that should be born of her. All these were produced by the spirit from God.

⁴² And she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

— blessed art thou among women; here Mary repeated nearly the words of the angel Gabriel to her, esteeming it to be the highest honor among mothers to be the mother of the Messiah;

⁴³ And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

— to be a mother of my Lord; the word “Lord” sometimes denotes “divinity,” and sometimes superior, master, teacher or governor.

— and whence such an honour is done to me, that besides being favoured with a child, the mother of my Lord should come to me?

⁴⁴ For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

— Mary, animated by Elisabeth’s address, and being also under the influence of the Holy Spirits, broke out into awe, joy and gratitude.

45 And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

— blessed is she that believed; that is, “Mary” who believed what the angel spoke to her. She was blessed not only in the act of believing, but because the thing promised would certainly be fulfilled.

Mary’s song of thanksgiving

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord,

— my soul doth magnify the Lord; to “magnify” means to “make great,” and then to “extol,” to “praise,” to “celebrate.”

⁴⁷ and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

— and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour; which may be understood, either of God the Father, who was her Saviour, both as the God of nature and providence; so renders it, “in God that gives me life” and who had supported, maintained and preserved her life;

⁴⁸ For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

— all generations shall call me blessed; the words have of course, been partly instrumental in bringing about their own fulfilment; but what a vision of the future they must have implied then on the part of the village maiden who uttered them! Not her kinsman only, but all generations should join in that beatitude.

⁴⁹ For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

— he that is mighty; beyond all our conceptions, even the Almighty God, to whom this strange event is not only possible, but easy; hath done to me great things — Miracles,

⁵⁰ And His mercy is on them that fear Him, from generation to generation.

— those that “feared God” were to be found not only among the children of Abraham, but also among “every nation.”

⁵¹ He hath shown strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

— they may have been the men of Jerusalem, who despised Galilee; or those of the other towns and villages of Galilee, who despised Nazareth; or though less probably, those of Nazareth itself, who despised the carpenter and his betrothed.

⁵² He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

— the mighty think to secure themselves by might in their seats, but he puts them down and overturns their seats; while, on the other hand, those of low degree, who despaired of ever advancing themselves, and thought of nothing else but being very low, are exalted.

⁵³ He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.

— he hath filled the hungry with good things; such as earnestly desired and longed after the coming of the Messiah, as old Simeon and Anna the prophetess; and those that looked for redemption in Israel;

⁵⁴ He hath helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,

— his servant Israel or his child Israel; he calleth Ephraim his dear son, his pleasant child, Jeremiah 31:20; but by Israel he meaneth believers, those of Abraham’s seed;

⁵⁵ as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.”

— as he spake to our fathers; that is, he has dealt mercifully with the children of Israel, according as he promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

⁵⁶ And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.

— this space of three months is a term of time fixed by the Jewish doctors to know whether a woman is with child or not, as in case of divorce or death;

— and returned to her own house at Nazareth in Galilee; and now it was, that Joseph, to whom she was betrothed, perceived she was with child; and suspecting evil, had a mind to put her away privately; but was informed by an angel of God, in a dream, of the whole matter; and was advised and encouraged to take her to wife, which he accordingly did; Matthew 1:18.

Posted in Gospel

ECOWAS: Africa’s NATO?

•September 16, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Africa’s NATO? How ECOWAS becomes a tool for Western imperism

MintPress News • August 11, 2023

Niger is shaping up to be the surprising frontline of the new Cold War. Yesterday, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered the “activation” and “deployment” of “standby” military forces to the country, an action that threatens to spark a major international war that could make Syria look minor by comparison.

ECOWAS MEMBERS

Benin Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Côte d’Ivoire The Gambia

Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Liberia Mali

Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo

In this venture, ECOWAS has been fully supported by the United States and Europe, leading many to suspect it is being used as an imperial vehicle to stamp out anti-colonial projects in West Africa.

On July 26, a group of Nigerien officers overthrew the corrupt government of Mohamed Bazoum. The move, which the junta presents as a patriotic uprising against a Western puppet, is widely popular in the country, and many of Niger’s neighbors have declared that any attack on it will be considered an attack on all their sovereignty. The United States and France are also considering military action, while many in Niger are calling for Russian aid.

Consequentially, the world waits to see if the region will be engulfed in a war that promises to pull in many of the major global powers.

But what is ECOWAS? And why do so many in Africa consider the organization a tool of Western neocolonialism?

Africa is preparing for war

Even before the dust settled in Niger, ECOWAS sprung into action, imposing a no-fly zone and tough economic sanctions, including freezing Nigerien national assets and halting all financial sanctions. Nigeria suspended electricity to its northern neighbor.

The regional bloc also immediately came to the defense of Bazoum, releasing an ominous statement declaring that it would “take all necessary measures,” including “the use of force,” to restore the constitutional order.

ECOWAS also gave the new military government a deadline to stand down or face the consequences. That deadline has already passed, and ECOWAS troops are preparing for action.

Member states of ECOWAS may therefore be obliged to send their troops into Niger. Yet many nations are balking at the prospect. Nevertheless, the bloc still seems adamant that military action could come at any time.

“We are determined to stop it, but ECOWAS is not going to tell the coup plotters when and where we are going to strike. That is an operational decision that will be taken by the heads of state,” explained Abdel-Fatau Musah, the group’s commissioner for political affairs, peace and security.

Despite not yet acting, the threat of an invasion is far from an idle one. Since 1990, ECOWAS has launched military interventions in seven West African countries, the most recent being in the Gambia in 2017.

This response has disappointed many onlookers. Journalist Eugene Puryear, for example, described the bloc as “part of a corrupt cabal that is directly linked to Western imperial powers to keep Africans poor.”

Those Western powers immediately lined up behind ECOWAS’ position. “The United States welcomes and commends the strong leadership of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to defend constitutional order in Niger, actions that respect the will of the Nigerien people and align with enshrined ECOWAS and African Union principles of ‘zero tolerance for unconstitutional change,’” read a State Department press release.

Deeming the coup “completely illegitimate,” the French government also said that it “supports with firmness and determination the efforts of ECOWAS to defeat this putsch attempt.” “The EU also associated itself with ECOWAS’ first response to the matter,” said Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, thereby greenlighting an intervention.

US Acting Deputy Secretary Victoria Nuland also strongly hinted that the United States is considering invading Niger itself. “It is not our desire to go there, but they [the new military junta] may push us to that point,” Nuland said about her recent trip to Niger, where, she said, she had an “extremely frank and at times quite difficult” meeting with the new leadership.

A measure of how close ECOWAS is to the United States is the constant support Washington gives to the organization. Throughout 2022, the State Department issued statements backing ECOWAS’s position on Mali (another country where the military deposed an unpopular, Western-backed government).

“The United States commends the strong actions taken by ECOWAS in defense of democracy and stability in Mali,” the State Department wrote. It has also issued similar memos reaffirming its unwavering support for ECOWAS’ actions against military coups in Guinea and Burkina Faso. This has led to many critics seeing ECOWAS as little more than a pawn of the United States.

While Washington has presented the situation as ECOWAS defending democracy against authoritarianism, the reality is more complex. Firstly, many of its member states’ governments have decidedly shaky democratic credentials.

President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D’Ivoire, for example, violated the country’s term limit law and was controversially sworn in for a third term last year. Protests against his power grab were suppressed, leaving dozens dead. Meanwhile, Senegalese President Macky Sall’s government has banned the main opposition party and imprisoned its leader.

ECOWAS imposes strict, Western-approved economic measures on its member states, forcing them to obey neoliberal economic laws that make escaping the circle of debt and underdevelopment harder and helped make peaceful, democratic change harder to achieve and, ironically, spurred a flurry of military insurrections across the region.

The coup in Niger follows similar actions in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso (two in 2022) and Guinea (2021). All have positioned themselves as progressive, patriotic, anti-imperialist uprisings against a Western-created economic order. All four nations are currently suspended from ECOWAS.

A host of states have pushed back against the West/ECOWAS’ position. “The authorities of the Republic of Guinea dissociate themselves from the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS,” wrote the Guinean government, describing them as “illegitimate and inhuman” and “urg[ed] ECOWAS to return to better thinking.”

The governments of Mali and Burkina Faso went much further. In a joint communiqué, those nations welcomed Bazoum’s ouster, describing the event as Niger “tak[ing] its destiny into its own hand and to be accountable in the face of history for complete sovereignty.” Together, they denounced “regional organizations” [i.e., ECOWAS] for imposing sanctions that “increase the populations’ suffering and imperil the spirit of Pan-Africanism.”

Perhaps most importantly, however, they bluntly stated that they would come to Niger’s aid militarily if ECOWAS invaded. “Any military intervention against Niger would mean a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali,” they wrote. Algeria, which shares a long border with Niger, has also warned that it would not stand idle if the West or its puppets attacked Niger.

Russia’s Role

While Russia is largely seen in the West as a nefarious, authoritarian regime that interferes in other nations, much of Africa views Moscow in a positive light. The Soviet Union generally supported African independence struggles, and the Russian Federation has not invaded any African nation.

Nearly every African state attended the Russia-Africa Summit in July, while only four African leaders participated in an official meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year. The same “Economist” poll asked Nigeriens which foreign power they trusted the most. 60% chose Russia. Only around 1 in 10 chose the U.S., even fewer chose France, and none at all chose Great Britain.

Countries that have Military Agreement with Russia

Russian flags are now a common sight in Niamey, with many hoping for some sort of help from Moscow. Ousted President Bazoum, however, took to the pages of “The Washington Post” to ask the US for help, warning that “the entire central Sahel region could fall to Russian influence via the Wagner Group.”

Wagner has indeed been invited in by various African governments, including Mali, who see the Russian mercenary force as a counterweight to Western troops. Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin recently spoke approvingly of the coup, although Moscow has been far more reluctant to take sides.

The great worry for many is that the strife in Niger will spark a wider war between West African nations that will no doubt ask for help from Europe and the United States. If this happens, the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will doubtless call for Russian aid, turning the situation into something resembling the Syrian Civil War but on a grander scale.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, France shut off energy imports from Russia, making Nigerien uranium for its aging nuclear power plants more crucial. Yet any attempt at regime change in Niger to restart the uranium supply will anger Algeria, with which it recently signed a natural gas importation agreement. Thus, the French position is fraught with contradictions and complications.

As Western power diminishes, a multipolar world is beginning to be born. As part of that birth, the people of Western Africa are dreaming of a different future. Time will tell if the military coups will prove to be a liberatory force or actions that do nothing to help the oppressed people of the region.

One thing is clear, however: the United States and France are unhappy with the changes going on and will fight to maintain their control over Africa. To this end, ECOWAS has proved an important tool at their disposal. Yet with so many conflicting interests and so many forces unwilling to compromise, the situation in Niger threatens to boil over into an international war that will bring global attention to one of the world’s most overlooked regions.

“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head” Obadiah 1:15

Posted in Africa, Russia, US

The Messiah: Prophecies and Fulfilments

•September 16, 2023 • Leave a Comment

1 Messiah would be born of a woman. Genesis 3:15 Matthew 1:20 Galatians 4:4
2 Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:1 Luke 2:4-6
3 Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:22-23 Luke 1:26-31
4 Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. Genesis 12:3 Genesis 22:18 Matthew 1:1 Romans 9:5
5 Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 17:19 Genesis 21:12 Luke 3:34
6 Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. Numbers 24:17 Matthew 1:2
7 Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10 Luke 3:33 Hebrews 7:14
8 Messiah would be heir to King David’s throne. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 Isaiah 9:7 Luke 1:32-33 Romans 1:3
9 Messiah’s throne will be anointed and eternal. Psalm 45:6-7 Daniel 2:44 Luke 1:33 Hebrews 1:8-12
10 Messiah would be called Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:23
11 Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. Hosea 11:1 Matthew 2:14-15
12 A massacre of children would happen at Messiah’s birthplace. Jeremiah 31:15 Matthew 2:16-18
13 A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah. Isaiah 40:3-5 Luke 3:3-6
14 Messiah would be preceded by a forerunner. Malachi 3:1 Matthew 11:10
15 Messiah would be rejected by his own people. Psalm 69:8 Isaiah 53:3 John 1:11 John 7:5
16 Messiah would be a prophet. Deuteronomy 18:15 Acts 3:20-22
17 Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. Malachi 4:5-6 Matthew 11:13-14
18 Messiah would be declared the Son of God. Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:16-17
19 Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Isaiah 11:1 Matthew 2:23
20 Messiah would bring light to Galilee. Isaiah 9:1-2 Matthew 4:13-16
21 Messiah would speak in parables. Psalm 78:2-4 Isaiah 6:9-10 Matthew 13:10-15, 34-35
22 Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. Isaiah 61:1-2 Luke 4:18-19
23 Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4 Hebrews 5:5-6
24 Messiah would be called King. Psalm 2:6 Zechariah 9:9 Matthew 27:37 Mark 11:7-11
25 Messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey. Zechariah 11:12 Matthew 21:4-5
26 Messiah would be praised by little children. Psalm 8:2 Matthew 21:16
27 Messiah would be betrayed. Psalm 41:9 Zechariah 11:12-13 Luke 22:47-48 Matthew 26:14-16
28 Messiah’s price money would be used to buy a potter’s field. Zechariah 11:12-13 Matthew 27:9-10
29 Messiah would be falsely accused. Psalm 35:11 Mark 14:57-58
30 Messiah would be silent before his accusers. Isaiah 53:7 Mark 15:4-5
31 Messiah would be spat upon and struck. Isaiah 50:6 Matthew 26:67
32 Messiah would be hated without cause. Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 John 15:24-25
33 Messiah would be crucified with criminals. Isaiah 53:12 Matthew 27:38 Mark 15:27-28
34 Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. Psalm 69:21 Matthew 27:34 John 19:28-30
35 Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced. Psalm 22:16 Zechariah 12:10 John 20:25-27
36 Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed. Psalm 22:7-8 Luke 23:35
37 Soldiers would gamble for Messiah’s garments. Psalm 22:18 Luke 23:34 Matthew 27:35-36
38 Messiah’s bones would not be broken. Exodus 12:46 Psalm 34:20 John 19:33-36
39 Messiah would be forsaken by God. Psalm 22:1 Matthew 27:46
40 Messiah would pray for his enemies. Psalm 109:4 Luke 23:34
41 Soldiers would pierce Messiah’s side. Zechariah 12:10 John 19:34
42 Messiah would be buried with the rich. Isaiah 53:9 Matthew 27:57-60
43 Messiah would resurrect from the dead. Psalm 16:10 Psalm 49:15 Matthew 28:2-7 Acts 2:22-32
44 Messiah would ascend to heaven. Psalm 24:7-10 Mark 16:19 Luke 24:51
45 Messiah would be seated at God’s right hand. Psalm 68:18 Psalm 110:1 Mark 16:19 Matthew 22:44
46 Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. Isaiah 53:5-12 Romans 5:6-8
47 Messiah would return a second time. Daniel 7:13-14 Revelation 19

Posted in Gospel

Jesus’ Life (b)

•September 15, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Jesus’ Life in the Gospels

An angel appeareth to Zacharias, and promises him a son in his old age

Luke 1:1-25

¹ Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,

— PHILLIPS

Dear Theophilus Many people have already written an account of the events which have happened among us, basing their work on the evidence of those whom we know were eye-witnesses as well as teachers of the message. I have therefore decided, since I have traced the course of these happenings carefully from the beginning, to set them down for you myself in their proper order, so that you may have reliable information about the matters in which you have already had instruction.

— MSG

So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.

² even as they were delivered unto us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word,

— ministers of the word; the term “word” here means the “gospel;” to indicate the second Being of the God family. These eye-witnesses and ministers refer, doubtless, to the seventy disciples, to the original disciples/apostles, and perhaps to other preachers who had gone forth to proclaim the message.

³ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

— most excellent Theophilus; who “Theophilus” was is unknown, but the word Theophilus means “a friend of God,” or a pious man; and it has been supposed by some that Luke did not refer to any particular “individual,” but to a specific man that feared God;

⁴ that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed.

— ensuring that you might know the certainty of the things which you have been told.

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly course of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

— there was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea; this was Herod, the son of Antipater, sometimes called Herod the Great, and is rightly here said to be the king of Judea;

⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

— they were righteous before God; their teachings were not polluted by the teachings of Sanballat and the influence of Tobiah, the Ammonite; nor Shemaiah, a self-prefessing prophet, nor Noadiah, a professed prophetess, in the house of God.

⁷ And they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

— were now well stricken in years; God chooseth this woman, now barren and aged also, to be the mother of John the Baptist, therein working a double miracle; and it is observable in holy writ, that when God denied to any women children for some long time,

— and then opened their wombs, they were the mothers of eminent persons, whom God made great use of. Thus it was with Sarah, Rachel, the wife of Manoah, Hannah, 1 Samuel 1:1-28, and this Elisabeth.

⁸ And it came to pass that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,

— in the order of his course; this was settled by rotation. Josephus tells us there were a thousand in a course in David’s time; but by the the of Christ, could be greatly reduced;

⁹ according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

— the altar stood just in front of the veil that divided the outer sanctuary from the Holy of Holies;

— the Jews tell us that there were three priests employed about the service of the incense; one who carried away the ashes left on the altar at the preceding service; another who brought a pan of burning coals from the altar of sacrifice and, having placed it on the golden altar, departed; a third, who went in with the incense, sprinkled it on the burning coals, and, while the smoke ascended, made intercession for the people.

¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense.

— this shows that a more than ordinary concourse of the people was in the Temple on this occasion, from which we may infer that it was a Sabbath, or some high festival; for often on ordinary week-days, few of the people were present at the morning and evening sacrifices.

¹¹ And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

— and there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord; his name is Gabriel, the same angel that had appeared to Daniel, about the time of the evening sacrifice, near five hundred years before and gave him an account of the time of the Messiah’s coming, Daniel 9:21.

¹² And when Zacharias saw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

— he was troubled, he was alone in the presence of God; the appearance of the angel was sudden, unexpected and therefore fearful.

¹³ But the angel said unto him, “Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

— his name John; the shortened form for Jehochanan, “the grace of Yehovah.”

¹⁴And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.

— and many shall rejoice at his birth; as the neighbours and cousins of his parents did; and not only they, but all others, who, afterwards had knowledge of him as prophet, and as the forerunner of the Messiah.

¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb.

— and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; the child now promised was to grow up as a Nazarite (Numbers 6:4), and to keep that vow all his life, as the representative of those “separated,” of a consecrated life.

¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

— his great work is to go before the Messiah, and to prepare Israel for its King.

¹⁷ And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

— in the spirit and power of Elias; not his miraculous power, for John did no miracle” but his power of “turning the heart,” or with like success in his ministry;

¹⁸ And Zacharias said unto the angel, “Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”

— for I am an old man; at least sixty years of age; for with the Jews, sixty years were reckoned, “for old age” and a man of these years, was accounted an old man.

¹⁹ And the angel answering said unto him, “I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee these glad tidings.

— I am Gabriel; we again shall meet with him again in Luke 1:26, six months after this, appearing to the virgin Mary, and telling her she should bring forth the Messiah;

— the Targum on Job 25:2 (“Dominion and fear are with Him; He maketh peace in His high places) paraphrases the words thus:

“Michael on the right hand, who is over fire; and Gabriel on the left hand, who is over water; and the holy creatures mingle fire and water, and by his dominion and fear, make peace in his heaven of heavens.

“Dominion” refers to Michael, and “fear” refers to Gabriel. Michael appears as the warrior of God. Gabriel, on the other hand, is the special messenger of good news.

— in the Book of Enoch we read of the names of the four great archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael.

²⁰ And behold, thou shalt be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words which shall be fulfilled in their season.”

— behold, thou shalt be dumb; the question was answered, the demand for a sign granted, but the demand had implied a lack of faith, and therefore the sign took the form of a penalty. The vision and the words of the angel, harmonising as they did with all Zechariah’s previous convictions, ought to have been enough for him.

²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

— marvelled, wondered; the priest, it is said, was not accustomed to remain in the Temple more than half an hour; having remained on this occasion a longer time, the people became apprehensive of his safety, and wondered what had happened to him.

²² And when he came out, he could not speak unto them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; for he beckoned unto them and remained speechless.

— a vision; the look of awe, the strange gestures, the unwonted silence, all showed that he had come under the influence of some supernatural power.

²³ And it came to pass that as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

— as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished; though he was both deaf and dumb, he was still able to burn incense, and perform the other duties of his office. He therefore continued at the temple till the time of his ministration was ended; when he returned to his house;

Zacharias’s wife Elisabeth conceives

²⁴ And after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

— hid herself; did not go forth into public, and concealed her condition. This might have been done that she might spend her time more entirely in giving praise to God for his mercies, and that she might have the fullest proof of the accomplishment of the promise before she appeared in public or spoke of the mercies of God.

²⁵ “Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

— to take away my reproach among men; the words express in almost their strongest form the Jewish feeling as to maternity. To have no children was more than a misfortune; it seemed to imply some secret sin which God was punishing with barrenness. So we have Rachel’s cry, “Give me children, or else I die” (Genesis 30:1); and Hannah’s “bitterness of soul” when “her adversary provoked her to make her fret” (1Samuel 1:6-10).

Posted in Gospel

LEAKED: CIA Color Revolution in Indonesia?

•September 14, 2023 • Leave a Comment

LEAKED: CIA FRONT PREPARING COLOR REVOLUTION IN INDONESIA

MintPress News • September 6, 2023

Documents passed anonymously to MintPress News reveal the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a notorious CIA front, is laying the foundations for a color revolution in Indonesia.

In February 2024, citizens will elect their President, Vice President, and both legislative chambers. Current maverick leader Joko Widodo, widely beloved by Indonesians, is ineligible for a third term, and NED is preparing to seize power in the wake of his departure.

This operation is conducted despite the leaks indicating Jakarta’s foremost intelligence agency has expressly warned US officials to stay put.

Documents reveal US Embassy staff had a direct hand in fomenting labor protests in a bid to undermine the Indonesia’s President

The paper trail is a stunning insight into how NED operates behind the scenes, from which obvious inferences can be drawn about its activities elsewhere, past and present. By the organization’s own reckoning, it operates in over 100 countries and disperses in excess of 2,000 grants every year.

In Indonesia, these sums have helped extend the Endowment’s tendrils into various NGOs, civil society groups, and, most crucially, political parties and candidates across the ideological spectrum.

This broad spread bet goes some way to ensuring US assets, one way or another, will emerge victorious next February. However, a veritable army of NED operatives on the ground is also primed to challenge, if not overturn, the results should the wrong people win.

Personal grants – in other words, bribes – from the Endowment have already secretly been distributed to Indonesians for staging anti-government protests.

What skullduggery NED has in store for election day isn’t certain, although sparks are assured to fly. At the very least, these documents amply reinforce what Endowment cofounder Allen Weinstein openly admitted in 1991:

“A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.”

“I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole,” former CIA director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on April 15, 2019 at a forum at Texas A&M University. “It was like – we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.”
Interestingly, a Christian religious news broadcaster that described Pompeo’s words with such precision as follows: “that’s not the resume of the Secretary of State… that’s the resume of Satan.”

One of the leak’s most tantalizing excerpts is in a briefing note from June 28 this year. It records how IRI representatives met with high-ranking members of the US Embassy in Jakarta, including its Political Officer, Ted Meinhover.

He “conveyed US concerns” about the 2024 elections, in particular how Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto’s “electability” had “increased dramatically,” meaning he “stood the highest according to the polls.” Meanwhile, former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan’s ratings were “on the decline.”

Meinhover lamented how Indonesian law restricts parties with less than 20% of seats in parliament from fielding Presidential candidates. If that “threshold” were removed, “there will be more candidates in the election, and the US will have more options,” he declared.

Still, Washington “needs to maintain friendly relations with all parties to safeguard US interests in Indonesia, no matter how the election plays out.”

Meinhover added the Embassy had “been active in outreaching” leaders of the local Labor party and Indonesia’s Trade Union Confederation “to know about their plans to protest” a law on job creation recently signed by Widodo. Fearing the legislation will “dampen foreign investor enthusiasm” in the country, “the US firmly supports activities opposed to it.”

Accordingly, the Embassy secretly suggested to Labor party chiefs they could exploit “the opportunity” of Indonesia’s Independence Day on August 17 “to launch protests” against the job creation law and Meinhover’s hated “Presidential Threshold.”

Strikingly, a US diplomatic apparatchik present mentioned Jakarta’s State Intelligence Agency (BIN) had “recently warned” the Embassy “not to interfere” in the 2024 elections.

Meinhover said this had motivated the Embassy to “continuously support” IRI’s cloak-and-dagger activities to “further implement US policies while avoiding Indonesian regulations.”

So it was, a July 8 – 14 briefing noted, the Institute contacted Labor party leaders and a welter of Indonesian labor organizations – to which IRI “continuously provide small grants” – and discussed “plans to organize protests” against the job creation and Presidential threshold laws “in late July or early August.”

From Washington’s perspective, the importance of ensuring a pliant government is installed in Indonesia cannot be understated.

With US military chiefs openly discussing war with China in the very near future, the region must be populated with client states that can aid and abet that world-threatening effort.

Similar initiatives are undoubtedly underway across the entire Asia Pacific. As such, it has never been more critical that NED’s activities everywhere are scrutinized, if not outright banned.

“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37

“For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him” Hosea 5:14

Posted in NATO-Pacific, US

US’s ATACMS missiles for Ukraine

•September 13, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Ensuring the US forever War, the Pentagon finds ‘surprise’ ATACMS missiles for Ukraine.

RT News • September 8, 2023 // Antiwar

Officials in Washington previously argued that sending these long-range weapons (up to 190 miles or 300 kilometers) to Kiev could provoke “a third world war!”

The US will likely provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles after finding a surplus in the Pentagon’s inventory, two anonymous officials told ABC News on Friday. Kiev has been demanding these missiles for more than a year, but the US has thus far held off for fear of instigating a wider conflict with Russia.

“They are coming,” one of the officials told ABC, while the other said that their transfer was still “on the table,” and would be subject to the final approval of US President Joe Biden.

Utilized by American forces in the Gulf and Iraq Wars, the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System has a range of up to 300 kilometers (190 miles) and can be fired from the M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS platforms, which the US and UK have already sent to Ukraine.

The ATACMS’ range would allow Ukrainian forces to strike targets deeper behind Russia’s borders, including in Crimea. For this reason, the US has turned down Ukrainian requests for the missiles since last year, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan telling reporters last July that “while a key goal of the United States is to… support and defend Ukraine, another key goal is to ensure that we do not end up in a circumstance where we are heading down the road towards a third world war.”

White House and Pentagon officials also claimed that the US had too few of the missiles in its stockpiles to spare.

However, both officials told ABC News that “the US has found it has more ATACMS in its inventory than originally assessed,” in the network’s words. ABC described this discovery as “surprising.” While the quantity and condition of these missiles is unclear, the White House has also reportedly accepted their use to target Crimea.

“I think specific targets in Crimea would be command and control, logistics hubs – especially ammunition facilities – and air bases,” former CIA officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Mick Mulroy told ABC.

However, Kiev has also used Western weapons to strike civilian targets in Crimea, including several bridges hit by British Storm Shadow cruise missiles this summer. The larger Crimean Bridge – which links the peninsula with the Russian mainland – has also been struck with a truck bomb and naval drones, with both attacks killing a combined five civilians.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that the West’s deliveries of more advanced weaponry to Ukraine could provoke a major escalation of hostilities. “Anything could happen. Nothing is ruled out amid such an intense proxy-standoff between NATO and Russia,” Moscow’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said on Friday.

“And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you,” Leviticus 26:17

“Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be” Hosea 5:9

I, the Lord, will punish and wipe out Israel. This is my solemn promise to every tribe of Israel. CEV Translation Hosea 5:9

Posted in Armageddon, Russia, Ukraine, US

Huawei: Number ONE Again!

•September 12, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Huawei’s Mate 60 Pro Phone Shows Huge Step Toward Made-In-China Magics

Yahoo News • September 6, 2023 // CNN and Wall Street Journal

(Bloomberg) — Huawei Technologies Co’s Mate 60 Pro smartphone employs an unusually high proportion of Chinese parts, in addition to its main processor, a sign of the country’s progress in developing domestic tech capabilities.

HUAWEI was number one, and it will be number one again

The Huawei phone is powered by a 7-nanometer Kirin processor that was designed and manufactured in China, a breakthrough for the nation’s chipmaking sector, Bloomberg News reported this week. Yet Huawei also tapped Chinese companies for many of the other components within the device, according to the latest round of analysis from TechInsights’ teardown of the device for Bloomberg.

The phone has a radio frequency front-end module from Beijing OnMicro Electronics Co and a satellite communications modem from Hwa Create Co. Its RF transceiver is by Guangzhou Runxin Information Technology Co, the analysis showed.

These unheralded companies contributed to assembling a device that relies on little tech from overseas: the teardown has so far identified only SK Hynix Inc’s memory as a component of foreign origin, although not all of the parts have been scrutinized yet, including the display.

Shenzhen-based Huawei, which used to outsource its chip fabrication to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, was cut off from the market for advanced chips and chipmaking by US sanctions in 2020. Since then, the company’s been researching alternative means to produce the processors and wireless chips that it designs in-house. Its latest phone features the Kirin 9000s processor, fabricated by Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.

“With a component lineup almost exclusively ‘Made in China’ – except for the SK Hynix LPDDR5 and NAND Flash memory — Huawei appears to have achieved the impossible, despite the adversities of the technological embargo,” said Radu Trandifir, a technical fellow at TechInsights.

Hard to-get-along Liang, the Chip Wizard at SMIC, Shanghai

Korean memory maker SK Hynix said in a statement on Thursday that it’s investigating how Huawei obtained its chips because it has not done business with the Chinese firm since US sanctions were imposed.

Before its blacklisting, Huawei relied on American suppliers, from Skyworks Solutions Inc to Qorvo Inc, for the most essential communications chips. The company kept its mobile business going over the past couple of years by releasing Qualcomm Inc-powered devices limited to 4G wireless speeds.

Now it has turned to domestic help, Huawei is relying on the likes of little-known chipmaker Runxin, based in China’s Guangdong province. The biggest shareholders of Runxin are backed by state capital, according to company registration database Tianyancha.

The Mate 60’s wireless speeds are on par with 5G devices, even while running on the locally made components. At the same time, the device isn’t draining its battery unusually soon, according to testing by Bloomberg News.

Another key feature touted by Huawei is the Mate 60 Pro’s ability to do calls via satellite, enabled by Beijing-based military equipment contractor Hwa Create. Hwa Create helps China develop technologies used in the Beidou satellite navigation system, radar systems and drones, according to a company filing.

Significant questions remain unanswered about Huawei’s new device, not least of which is whether its components can be produced at the volume and cost required for Huawei to compete with big names like Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co. Domestic rivals such as Xiaomi Corp and Oppo use Qualcomm 5G smartphone chips that are at least two generations ahead of Huawei’s latest and best.

The ongoing TechInsights teardown represents the most authoritative examination of the Mate 60 Pro since it was quietly introduced last week. In a highly unusual move, Huawei began selling the device without detailing key specifications, like the processor design or wireless connection speeds.

State media quickly trumpeted the company’s accomplishment, touting evidence that US efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced technologies had failed. The Mate debut came during a visit to China by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, whose agency imposed many of the key export controls on China.

SMIC’s headquarters in Shanghai where Chip Wizard Liang performs his Magic

Huawei Lets Controversial Phone Speak for Itself: Tech Daily

Jefferies analyst Edison Lee has estimated the device could cannibalize 38% of iPhone sales in China were Huawei to sell 5 million units. But supply could be constrained in the near term.

“Consensus now expects Huawei to ship anywhere from 10 million to 20 million units of Mate 60 series” over the rest of 2023 and 2024, UOB Kay Hian analyst Steven Leung said. “But we are unsure whether Huawei can overcome supply-side bottlenecks as N+2 process node should have a low production yield.”

It’s not yet clear how the US will react to Huawei’s efforts.

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, and thou shalt come down very low.

“He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him. He shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail” Deuteronomy 28:43-44

Posted in China, Huawei, Tech Race

America is a noose hung around China

•September 11, 2023 • Leave a Comment

John Pilger: “America has hung a noose around the neck of China”

Pearls and Irritations by Caitlin Johnstone • September 8, 2023

In March of 2016 the renowned Australian journalist and filmmaker John Pilger published an article titled “A world war has begun. Break the silence.” which urgently warned of the US empire’s aggressive escalations against Russia and China. Re-reading parts of it in 2023 is like watching someone placing flags next to recently planted seeds that would eventually grow into the towering problems our world now faces.

It’s like listening to a time traveller warning people from the past about a grave mistake they were about to make. Pilger points to US provocations in Ukraine, NATO militarism, and the encirclement of China and warns of the surging risk of nuclear war, noting that nuclear warhead spending “rose higher under Obama than under any American president.”

“The Invisible Empire” — US Military Bases in the Indo-Pacific

“In the last eighteen months, the greatest build-up of military forces since World War Two — led by the United States — is taking place along Russia’s western frontier,” Pilger wrote. “Not since Hitler invaded the Soviet Union have foreign troops presented such a demonstrable threat to Russia.”

“Ukraine — once part of the Soviet Union — has become a CIA theme park,” wrote Pilger. “Having orchestrated a coup in Kiev, Washington effectively controls a regime that is next door and hostile to Russia: a regime rotten with Nazis, literally. Prominent parliamentary figures in Ukraine are the political descendants of the notorious OUN and UPA fascists. They openly praise Hitler and call for the persecution and expulsion of the Russian speaking minority.”

“In Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — next door to Russia — the US military is deploying combat troops, tanks, heavy weapons,” Pilger said. “This extreme provocation of the world’s second nuclear power is met with silence in the West.”

“What makes the prospect of nuclear war even more dangerous is a parallel campaign against China,” Pilger continued. “The United States is encircling China with a network of bases, with ballistic missiles, battle groups, nuclear-armed bombers. This lethal arc extends from Australia to the islands of the Pacific, the Marianas and the Marshalls and Guam, to the Philippines, Thailand, Okinawa, Korea and across Eurasia to Afghanistan and India. America has hung a noose around the neck of China. This is not news. Silence by media; war by media.”

Pilger highlighted the way his home country Australia was being roped into Washington’s war preparations against China, a trend which has since grown much worse as the drums of war grow louder.

“In 2015, in high secrecy, the US and Australia staged the biggest single air-sea military exercise in recent history, known as Talisman Sabre,” he wrote. “Its aim was to rehearse an Air-Sea Battle Plan, blocking sea lanes, such as the Straits of Malacca and the Lombok Straits, that cut off China’s access to oil, gas and other vital raw materials from the Middle East and Africa.”

Pilger wrote all this while preparing to release his excellent film “The Coming War on China”, which would come out later that year. In it, he shows how the US has been surrounding China with war machinery in a way that would be considered an act of war if it was happening near American shorelines, and drives home the seriousness of the prospect of nuclear conflict.

Everything Pilger warned about turned out to be everything he said it was. A war in Ukraine has erupted from the spark of the US-backed coup in 2014 and Russia’s fear of an increasingly expansionist and militaristic NATO, while the US military encirclement of China has been rapidly increasing as hostilities between the two superpowers accelerate toward a breaking point, facilitated in no small part by the continent-sized military base known as Australia. What were only background stories in 2016 now dominate the headlines of today.

Chinese Military Base and Facilities Locations

I bring this up because I think it’s useful to show that we’ve been on this track toward global conflict between major powers for years, and it’s been unfolding in ways that some saw coming from miles away. Much of Pilger’s work could be called prophetic, but Pilger is no prophet — he’s just a journalist with an ear to the ground who’s been critically scrutinising the behaviour of the empire for decades. He was able to accurately mark the trajectory our world has been on earlier than most, and it has continued along that same trajectory with frightening speed ever since.

If you can see the trajectory that an object is on, you can determine where you need to stand in order to obstruct its path. The fact that we’ve been on a linear trajectory toward global conflict between nuclear-armed states all these years shows that opposing that trajectory is of existential importance for every living organism on this planet. And yet the media still want us focused on celebrity gossip and party politics and Donald Trump.

World war is still closing in on us. We still need to break the silence and oppose it. Our rulers have been steering us in this direction for a long time now, and they’re not going to turn away until we make them.

Posted in China, US

India verging towards Extremism

•September 10, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Turkey became Türkiye recently, now the media in India has decided that their country’s current name is an ‘abuse given to us by the British.’ This ancient civilization craves going back to its roots of extreme Hinduism.

RT News • September 5, 2023 // BBC

A formal G20 dinner invitation issued by President Droupadi Murmu that refers to her as the “President of Bharat” rather than India has increased speculation on Tuesday that the Asian country could begin the process of changing its name as early as this month, local media has reported.

The invite, which has been widely cicrulated on social media along with the hashtag #PresidentOfBharat, has been issued to various world leaders to compel them to attend a dinner on Saturday at Bharat Mandapam convention center in New Delhi, the venue for the G20 summit on September 9 and 10.

Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit word which many historians believe dates back to early Hindu texts. The word also means India in Hindi. The use of Bharat in a diplomatic invitation has sparked concern that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government plans to scrap the official use of the country’s English name.

Adding to this, the government called a five-day special session of parliament later this month to put forward a special resolution to give precedence to using the name Bharat.

“The word ‘India’ is an abuse given to us by the British whereas the word ‘Bharat’ is a symbol of our culture,” Harnath Singh Yadav of the Bharatiya Janata Party told the ANI news agency.

Cow piss drinking parties to ward off coronavirus

The speculation comes as India Today reported on Tuesday that a resolution to officially rename India as Bharat could be tabled by the government at a special parliamentary session scheduled for later this month. However, the agenda for the upcoming session has not yet been made public so it remains unclear if the proposal will be formally introduced.

The current language in its constitution refers to the country as “India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states…” Some political figures have endorsed switching names, including Mohan Bhagwat of the right-wing nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) political party, who has called on citizens to use the updated term.

The name Bharat is derived from Bharata; the name for India in several of the country’s languages, which itself comes from Hindu literature. Initially, Bharata referred to only a western region of the Gangetic Valley before it was more broadly used to describe the Indian subcontinent and the region of Greater India. The term Bharata was generally used interchangeably with ‘India.’

India is also sometimes known by a third name: Hindustan.

Indian doctors warn of health risks from using cow dung as COVID-19 cure

Other advocates for the switch have argued that the rumored constitutional change to a widely adopted, single indigenous name for the Asian country would bolster national pride, reinforce its heritage and distance itself from its history of colonial rule by Great Britain.

Critics, though, such as the Congress party leader Jairam Ramesh, have pushed back against the proposal, the saying that the move would in effect place India’s constitution “under assault.”

Posted in India

Jesus’ Life (a) Pre-Existence

•September 9, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Son of God or Jesus’ Life was prophecised in the Old Testament. Scattered across the Old Testament, there were reference to this second Being, the Son, yet Jesus says no one knows the Son except the Father.

And in the book of Proverbs the Father offers a challenge to any doubter as to the existence of the two Beings, asking,

“Who hath ascended up into heaven or hath descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Proverbs 30:4.

The Being here, the Son, is spoken of as a Person distinct from the Father, though his name remains as yet secret. In Isaiah 7:14, it reveals the name ‘Immanuel’ that someday God will be with us; and when he was born, the name ‘Jesus’ indicates how that would be accomplished when God is being with us through his teachings and plan of redemption.

The Son’s name in Hebrew is actuallty Yeshua, not Jesus; since the letter J wasn’t around until only after the sixteenth century. But for simplicity and familiarity sake, both the names Jesus and Yehsua will be used in these commentaries. Also, other names with a J beginning will be retained, like John, James, Jude; together with those in the OT like Josiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Jonah.

In Isaiah 9

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, ~~The Everlasting Father~~, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

— for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, the eternal Word being made flesh for us, not only in our stead, but for our benefit, for the eternal salvation of all believers; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, the absolute and unlimited power, the divine authority in its fullest sense, rests upon him, he is, from his birth, in complete possession of the eternal power and Godhead;

— a Question for Jews for Judiasm: if a Rod shall spring forth out of the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11), and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; why would he not start with as a child?

— and his name shall be called Wonderful, not only his birth, but his entire essence being a miracle, Counselor, for he not only knows the right and proper counsel in every difficulty of body and soul, he also carries out his plans for the benefit of men, the Mighty God, for the Messiah, true man as he is, is at the same time above all, God blessed forever, altogether identical with Yehovah;

— Orthodox Jews identify King Hezekiah as the Counselor, but from the record, King Hezekiah foolishly showed Merodach-baladan, the Babylonian king’s envoys to Hezekiah, of all his treasures and his armory, and Isaiah rebuked him for such foolishness, II Kings 20, Isaiah 39; which they came later and carry all to Babylon; from such record, how could Hezekiah be consider a wise king or a Counselor?

— the Everlasting Father, this description isn’t in the Septuagint nor in the Targum; so what could we make of this? The Messiah, the Son of God has never been described as the Father anywhere else in the Scriptures. Is this not the lying pen (ESV) of the scribes as described in Jeremiah 8:8? Is this another one of the self-deceptions of rabbinical Judaism to keep themselves blinded (who claim that King Hezekiah fulfilled this prophecy)?

— the Prince of Peace, the true Shiloh, Genesis 49:10, who has restored the right relation between God and man, making peace by abolishing in his flesh the enmity which existed since the fall of man, Ephesians 2:14-15.

— the full Targum says,

“The prophet said to the house of David, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and He has taken the law upon Himself to keep it. His name is called from eternity, Wonderful, The Mighty God, who liveth to eternity, The messiah, whose peace shall be great upon us in His days”

— yes, the Targum identifies this verse confirming the Messiah had been prophesised but nothing about ‘the Everlasting Father’ and he was to be born, the Son and he was from eternity to eternity;

Remember: the Targum is an indispensable source of understanding the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning Jews from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand the Sacred Text in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us today from the verses quoted.

In Isaiah 7

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin (5959 הָעַלְמָ֗ה hā·‘al·māh) shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

— in a significant revelation of His almighty power, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, cause a miracle to happen which would have abiding significance. Behold, an exclamation calling attention to the extraordinary prophecy now following, a virgin, literally, “the virgin,” that certain virgin whom the Lord had even now selected for this purpose, not merely an unwed woman of marriageable age as the Masoretic text says, but an undefiled maiden, Psalms 68:25; Matthew 1:25,

— Rabbinic Jews such as Jews for Judiasm and Rabbi Tovia Singer say this “virgin” is a young maiden as the above verse show;

— the Septuagint says,

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin (παρθένος parthenos) shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel.”

— although the Greek word παρθένος (parthenos) could be translated as a “virgin” or simply a young woman, the Targum confirms the Septuagint:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and she shall call His name Immanuel.”

— the Targum identifies the woman as a VIRGIN; reaffirms what the Septuagint says. The Targum is an indispensable source of understanding the Scriptures. Started by Ezra for those returning Jews from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand the Sacred Text in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us today from the Sacred Text.

— shall conceive, without the carnal knowledge of man, and bear a son, the event being represented as happening now, in the everlasting present of the eternal God, and shall call His name Immanuel, which is correctly interpreted by Matthew as meaning, “God with us.” This name characterizes the person, the essence, and the work of the Messiah. The son of a virgin, conceived and born a true human being, yet without sin, is at the same time true, almighty, eternal God. It is the great mystery of godliness: God manifest in the flesh, the Messiah, the true Savior, Creator, Protector and Redeemer of all men;

— a young woman giving birth to a child has barren meaning, only if she is a virgin would it has any significance; this is an example of the lying pen of the scribes in Jeremiah 8:8, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.’”

— together with Isaiah 9:6 (Everlastying Father) this could be another one of the 134 changes from “LORD (יְהוָ֨ה)” to Adonai listed by EW Bullinger in Appendix 32 of The Companion Bible; it should be “Virgin” as the Targum and the Septuagint say, (more at the end);

— to Rabbanic Jews and Rabbi Tovia Singer, this represents

“the two warring kings, Pekah and Rezin, will have been removed. In II Kings 15-16, it becomes clear that this prophecy was fulfilled contemporaneously, when both kings, Pekah and Retsin, were assassinated. It is clear from the context of Isaiah’s seventh chapter that the child born in Isaiah 7:14 is not Jesus or any future virgin birth. Rather, it is referring to the divine protection that King Ahaz and his people would enjoy during the Syro-Ephraimite War.”

— but the problem remains with Rabbi Tovia Singer as he nowhere identifies who the child in the days of Ahaz was. What is so great about this child? To define the child born as “the divine protection” would be too much of a stretch.

— this is an example of the lying pen of the scribes in Jeremiah 8:8, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.’”

~~~~

For further indepth Study, see Textual Criticism of the Greek New Testament

~~~~

Reference of the Son of God in the New Testament

~~~

John 1:1-5

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

— with God; these words express the co-existence, but at the same time the distinction of another Being, the Son of God. The obvious reason why the Son is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father’s mind to the world.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

— the same, that is, the Son of God; the Word who was also God, existed before any act of creation, and in that existence was a Divine Being distinct from God. This is spoken in allusion to the well-known passage in Proverbs, after a reference to Wisdom, where another Being is being introduced, in Proverbs 8, saying,

²² “The Lord possessed Me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old.
²³ I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
²⁴ When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water.
²⁵ Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth;

— he was “brought forth” whatever it means; some thought he was created; but it doesn’t say created;

— he might be “brought forth” the way Eve was brought forth out of Adam; but, again, this is a conjecture;

²⁶ while as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the first parts of dust of the world.
²⁷ When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He set a compass upon the face of the deep,
²⁸ when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
²⁹ when He gave to the sea His decree that the waters should not pass His commandment, when He appointed the foundations of the earth”
³⁰ then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him,
³¹ rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and My delights were with the sons of men. Proverbs 8:22-31

— some verses in Proverbs 8, refering to Wisdom, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and disclose knowledge of learned thought,” has the link to the one “brought forth” – the Son of God, for he was also “called Wonderful, Counselor,” Isaiah 9:6. No one could be a counselor if he lacks wisdom! Hence the Son, a “Wonderful Counselor,” fulfiled the designation of being called Wisdom!

³ All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

— all things that are in heaven and earth, visible and invisible; Moses calls, the heaven and the earth, Genesis 1:1, in the beginning, by Elohim (plural); two Beings, yet One Yehovah (more at the end);

— without him was not anything made that was made; nothing that was made, neither the heavens nor the earth, neither things visible nor invisible, were made without him.

⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the Light of men.

— in him was life; he was the Logos or “Word” the world was originally created. One part of that creation consisted “in breathing into man the breath of life,” Genesis 2:7. God is declared to be “life,” or the “living” God, because he is the source or fountain of life. This attribute is here ascribed to the Son of God. He not merely made the material worlds, but he also gave “life.”

⁵ And the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

— this eternal Word, this true Light shines, but the ignorant, the wretched, the deaf, the blind and the wicked couldn’t comprehend it. “To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with My Father on His throne,” Revelation 3:21.

~~~

More than One יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah?

Actually, there is only One יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah (and also one God; yet God is in a plural form, Elohim) and many Scriptures testify to this, and this One יְהוָ֨ה or One God principle is found in Exodus 23:

²⁰ Behold, I send an Angel (or messenger) before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

²¹ Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. Exodus 23:20-21

Hence the God (Elohim) in Isaiah 9:6 (or the LORDs mentioned in Psalm 110:5 and Genesis 18-19) were derivative. They were all carrying the message of the original God or יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah, “for my name is in him.”

Yeshua, the Son, testifies He came in His Father’s name: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not,” John 5:43.

Posted in Gospel

Taiwan’s Claim of China

•September 9, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Ukrainization of Taiwan by US and the Obstacles to Peaceful Reunification

The Unz Review • September 4, 2023

The one-China wording in the ROC Constitution

It is important to note that the content of the ROC Constitution is still the same today as before the Nationalist government lost the internal war to the Communist Party and escaped to Taiwan Province in 1949. It is also important to note that all the incoming Taiwan Presidents and MPs have to be sworn in under the Constitution of The ROC before taking office.

So, what does the ROC Constitution say about the relation between the mainland of China and Taiwan island? The full text of the ROC’s Constitution is on the current Taiwan (Province) government’s official website. The following points shown that the ROC Constitution includes the entire mainland of China as its sovereign territory:

Point 4 of the Constitution: The territory of ROC based on its inherent boundaries, cannot be changed without a resolution of the National Assembly.
Point 6 refers to the design of the ROC flag used since 1928 (which is still in use today across Taiwan Province by whoever is in power);
Point 26: Outline the number of Representatives based on the population in an area/region for the National Assembly (with special mention of the Mongolia and Tibet regional representatives).
Point 64: About the makeup of representatives for law-making: this point also mentioned the minority population representative with special mention of Mongolia and Tibet regions.
Point 91: About the makeup of representatives in the Government Supervisory Body: again, Mongolia and Tibet regions are mentioned.

If we search for a map of the ROC, one will notice that the ROC territory in the map includes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) controlled mainland. That means the territory outlined in the Constitution of both the PRC and ROC includes Taiwan province and the Mainland of China. Both documents are the legal foundation of one-China. So:

Any Western media wording that suggests Taiwan province is not a part of China is without any legal foundation under both the ROC and the PRC Constitutions.
The Western media and politicians’ ongoing warning that “China is going to invade Taiwan” is preposterous because what they are warning is that China is about to invade itself.
America named the war between the South and the North (12 April 1861 to 26 May 1865) as the American Civil War revealing the double standard regarding the use of the term “invasion” to describe a possible future China reunification process through military action.

Therefore, the dispute between the PRC and ROC is a yet-to-settled historical event. It is purely a domestic issue between the 2 governments. Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yao is right to point out in a recent interview that “China sees the Taiwan issue as a matter of historical justice;” he warns the Western powers about the danger of interfering in the reunification process.

Posted in China, Taiwan

Okinawa forced to allow new US military runways

•September 8, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Okinawa forced to allow new US military runways

RT News • September 4, 2023

A Tokyo court has ordered the prefecture to approve the new air strips despite public opposition

Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture will have to allow new US Marine Corps air strips to be built on its main island regardless of public opposition to Washington’s increasing military presence in the region, a Tokyo court has ruled.

The Japanese Supreme Court made its ruling against Okinawa on Monday, saying plans approved by the central government in Tokyo were valid. Construction of the new runways, which had been suspended during the legal dispute, must now be allowed to resume.

At issue is a plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from an urban area of the island to reclaimed land in Henoko, on the eastern coast. The central government began doing reclamation work in 2018, but plans had to be revised after most of the site was found to be on overly soft ground. The prefectural government rejected the new plans as insufficient, reflecting concerns that the project will damage the environment.

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki was re-elected last year after campaigning on a pledge to continue fighting the US military project. He has called for scrapping the plans in Henoko and immediately shutting down Air Station Futenma.

“The ruling is extremely disappointing because we had expected a fair and neutral judgment based on respect for the local government autonomy,” Tamaki told reporters on Monday. He said he was deeply concerned by the precedent of nullifying the local government’s independent decision and disregarding its constitutional right to autonomy.

US and Japanese officials agreed in 1996 to close the Futenma base and reduce Washington’s military presence in the prefecture by 21% amid public uproar over the rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl by two Marines and a US Navy seaman the previous year. Tokyo has brushed off demands by Okinawan leaders to relocate the base outside the prefecture.

Okinawa, which accounts for less than 1% of Japan’s land area, hosts 70% of the US military facilities in the country. As much as one-third of the prefecture’s population was killed during the April 1945 US invasion of Okinawa in World War II.

The area has taken on increased geopolitical significance as Sino-US relations deteriorate. US President Joe Biden declared a “new era” of defense cooperation with Japan and South Korea last month. Those ties will include expanded joint military exercises in the region. Chinese and North Korean officials have decried Washington’s previous joint exercises with Japan and South Korea as destabilizing provocations. Biden has vowed to work together with Japan to counter China’s “dangerous behavior in the South China Sea.”

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head” Obadiah 1:15

Posted in Japan, US

US eying Mongolian rare earths

•September 7, 2023 • Leave a Comment

US-Mongolia aviation pact as a rare earths hedge

AsiaTimes by Jeff Pao • August 8, 2023

China produced 210,000 tons of rare earths last year and remained the world’s largest exporter of the resources, according to Statista.com, with Chinese reserves amounting to about 44 million tons, followed by 22 million tons in Vietnam and 21 million tons each in China’s fellow BRICS members Brazil and Russia.

The US also has 2.3 million tons of rare earths but it has avoided exploring them due to environmental issues. This was thought to give Beijing some leverage in the current tech wars: Sanction China and we’ll whack your rare earths supply chain.

Mongolia has around 31 million tons of rare earths reserves, second to China

Enter Mongolia, the independent former Soviet-bloc country that borders China and Russia. A 2009 estimate by the US Geological Survey said Mongolia could have 31 million tons of rare earths reserves. The country has the potential to become a key rare earth exporter but it lacks the capital and equipment to explore them.

And now Mongolia has signed an “open skies” agreement with the United States. Predictably the move is being criticized by many Chinese commentators, who say it will hurt Beijing’s plan to use rare earths export control to retaliate against Washington’s technology sanctions.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Mongolia Road and Transport Development Minister Byambatsogt Sandag on August 4 signed an agreement that aims at “expanding options for travelers and shippers, and encouraging closer people-to-people ties” between the two countries.

Since the launch of its open skies policy in 1992, the US has liberalized international aviation markets with 132 foreign partners around the world. China and Russia are not on its list.

In an official visit to Washington, Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai met with US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on August 2.

Luvsannamsrai said Mongolia will strengthen its strategic “third neighbor” partnership with the US. Both countries agreed to explore the idea of mining Mongolia’s rare earths and critical minerals for use in US high-technology products.

Chinese pundits said Mongolia failed to take Beijing’s feelings into consideration as Luvsannamsrai arrived in the US on August 1, a day when China’s export restrictions of gallium and germanium compounds took effect.

Gallium and germanium are not defined as rare earths as they do not occur naturally in the earth’s crust but are created as byproducts from the aluminum and zinc refining streams, respectively. The restrictions were announced by China on July 3 to counteract the US curbs.

It was thought that rare earths could be next. Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the US, said last month that China would retaliate if Washington imposed more sanctions on China. Since then, some commentators have been saying that export control of rare earths could be an option.

“The US and other countries urgently need to find new suppliers” of rare earths, says Jiang Fuwei, a Hainan-based military columnist, in an article published on Monday. “In this case, Mongolia, with its rich rare earths resources, has entered the sights of the West.”

Rare Earths Reserves

China – 44 million tons
Mongolia – 31 million tons
Vietnam – 22 million tons
Russia – 21 million tons
Brazil – 21 million tons

United States – 2.3 million tons

He adds that “Washington is now sparing no effort to win over Mongolia, which is adjacent to China in the south and Russia in the north and has the potential to become a strategic point against its neighbors. It also wants to disrupt the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline and other projects that are crucial to China and Russia.”

Jiang gives his imagination full rein, saying that China and Russia should pay attention to whether the US will use non-government organizations to infiltrate Mongolia, incite social unrest in the country and disrupt Mongolia-China-Russia projects. He says if the US pushes forward a “color revolution” in Mongolia, such political risks could spill over to China and Russia and threaten their national security.

He adds that it is a top mission for China and Russia to ensure that Mongolia will not lean towards the US, whether by forming economic ties with or asserting influence over the mineral-rich nation.

Ahead of more US curbs

Originally the Mongolian prime minister was set to meet US President Joe Biden but the president was away from Washington on vacation. Biden is expected to sign an executive order to restrict US companies and funds from investing in China’s semiconductor, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing sectors later this month.

On August 4, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Luvsannamsrai signed the Economic Cooperation Roadmap for the strategic Third Neighbor Partnership between the Mongolian and the US governments. They said the roadmap will serve as the foundation for increased commercial and economic ties between the two countries in the coming years.

A Shanxi-based writer published an article with the title “US and Mongolia plan to bypass China and Russia to ship rare earths by flights. Should they seek China’s approval?”

“Civil airplanes usually fly at a height between six and 12 kilometres while the internationally-recognized territorial airspace is 100 kms above the sea level,” says the writer. “It means that Mongolia’s rare earths transported by the US will enter China’s airspace. According to China’s aviation rules, foreign flying vehicles must apply to China and get approval before entering its airspace.”

The writer says Mongolia has suggested that it rent a 10-hectare site in Tianjin Port for half a century but China may not agree as this will directly connect Mongolia and the US, especially when the Mongolian side has no plan to pay China any transit fees. He says Mongolia can ship its rare earths to South Korea but they will also pass through territories of China and Russia.

“China does not want to stop Mongolia from making money,” he says. “But at this time, a rare earth cooperation between the US and Mongolia is, in a sense, putting pressure on China. The US hopes to get rid of its dependence on China’s rare earth supply chain with the help of Mongolia.”

“In the period when the competition between China and the US is becoming increasingly fierce, Mongolia’s move does not take into account China’s feelings and positions,” he says, adding that those in the West may be issuing empty checks while they are not good enough to replace China and Russia as Mongolia’s good neighbors.

’New Cold War’

After the Qing government collapsed in 1911, Mongolia became independent from the Republic of China. It had been politically influenced by the Soviet Union during the Cold War between 1947 and 1991. It has walked on a democratic path since the 1990s but suffered from serious corruption problems.

In recent years, the country has stepped up its anti-corruption fight in a bid to attract more foreign investments.

Luvsannamsrai told the media in the US last week that countries like Mongolia would suffer if the conflicts between the US and China escalated in a so-called new Cold War.

“I fear that the new Cold War will be very different and more difficult from the first Cold War,” he said. “We cannot bear a new Cold War situation.”

He said Mongolia hopes to maintain good relations with both China and the US. He also described the US as Mongolia’s “guiding Polar Star for our democratic journey.”

He said major powers should be responsible and avoid drastic negative effects on many countries around the world.

Harris said the US and Mongolia will work together on global challenges, including the climate crisis, will uphold democracy and human rights and will address threats to the international rules-based order. She said both countries will work together to strengthen their space cooperation.

Last month, some Chinese commentators criticized Mongolia for adopting SpaceX’s Starlink internet services, which they said would pose a potential military threat against China and provide Chinese people a possible way to get around Beijing’s strict censorship regime on perceived “harmful” foreign websites.

“Mongolia is willing to become a ‘pawn’ of the West against China and Russia, but at the same time, it continues to gain economic benefits from China and Russia,” a Sichuan-based columnist says. “Mongolia’s moves really make China feel sad.”

While some Chinese pundits and netizens said Beijing and Russia should punish Mongolia, Yan Zeyang, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, says in an article that people should have confidence in Sino-Mongolian relations, which will not be changed by Luvsannamsrai’s single trip to the US.

Yan says there is a long way to go before Mongolia can really produce rare earths a the country will eventually have to rely on China’s refinery and logistics services. He says China is willing to deepen its strategic partnership with Mongolia but it hopes the nation’s politicians will stand on the right side on major issues.

“I will be unto Ephraim as a moth,” Hosea 5:12

Posted in China, Rare Earth & Critical Materials, US

The First Australian Voice

•September 6, 2023 • Leave a Comment

In Australia, the campaign for the referendum on the Voice is off and away.

ABC News • September 3, 2023

At issue in Australia is the inclusion in the constitution of 92 new words, which would recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as the first peoples of this nation, and install a new advisory body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Already, however, the public debate around those 92 words has grown like an invasive weed, generating ill-will and dispute over issues that are far removed from the question at hand. Here it is:

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

i. there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

ii. the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

iii. the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

The referendum on October 14 is a yes/no vote on the above 92 words. All other disputes should be shut out. Incendiary allegations of racism or poor faith are irrelevant.

It’s about inserting those 92 words. It’s nothing to do with the date of Australia Day or charging people to go to the beach or proving that Australia isn’t racist.

A girl for the historic treaty that granted Māori people rights in New Zealand

Institute of Public Affairs Australia • 15 February 2023

Later this year, Australians will be asked whether or not they support the establishment of an Indigenous-only Voice to Parliament.

As we emerge from the summer holidays, it is fair to say not many of us have engaged in the debate over its much-vaunted merits to date.

But even if you were so inclined to pay attention over the summer, you would be forgiven for not being able to find much, if any, authoritative advice on the proposed Voice’s effects and consequences.

In 2020, now Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated he wanted Australia to follow New Zealand’s lead on Indigenous reconciliation.

On February 6 2020, he posted to social media:

“We can learn a lot from our mates across the ditch about reconciliation with First Nations people. New Zealand has led the way. It’s time for Australia to follow.”

He concluded by saying: “It’s time to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart.”

The centrepiece of the Uluru Statement is having the proposed Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian constitution.

Therefore, it is critically important to consider what it will look like if we follow New Zealand’s lead as Mr Albanese desires.

The Institute of Public Affairs has undertaken a detailed analysis of New Zealand’s Maori Voice to Parliament, the Waitangi Tribunal, and how it might inform the operation of the proposed Voice to Parliament in Australia.

At the heart of New Zealand’s ‘reconciliation’ are the laws and rights built on the Treaty of Waitangi, an 1840 agreement establishing peace between New Zealand’s native Maori people and the British.

When the Waitangi Tribunal was established in 1975, its purpose was only to make recommendations to parliament about grievances arising from this treaty.

In other words, the Tribunal started as a Maori advisory body, something that proponents of the Australian Voice claim will also occur here.

However, in New Zealand’s equivalent to the Mabo case, the Lands Case of 1987, New Zealand’s highest court held that the Treaty of Waitangi was binding on the New Zealand government, in effect becoming New Zealand’s second constitution, although no New Zealand voter got a say in the matter.

The court held that: “If the Waitangi Tribunal finds merit in a claim and recommends redress, the Crown should grant at least some form of redress, unless there are grounds justifying … withholding it – which would be only in very special circumstances, if ever.”

Just like that, the advisory body was granted powers to interfere and demand changes in the law and public policy. Since then, the decisions of the Waitangi Tribunal have been driven by activists pushing race-based policies.

Some of the decisions of the Tribunal have included granting explicit Maori veto powers over legislation affecting land management and property rights.

The Waitangi Tribunal has even held that the government could not amend laws it had previously passed.

The scope of the Waitangi Tribunal has also greatly expanded over time. The Tribunal has involved itself in everything from international trade agreements to Covid-19 policies demanding Maoris get priority to vaccines rather than those who are in medical need, and to electoral laws allowing prisoners to vote to increase Maori electoral participation.

Some decisions have been downright dangerous and Orwellian. To reduce Maori incarceration rates, justice department officials must learn “Treaty-based thinking.”

There are serious lessons for Australia in the New Zealand experience. Some argue such outcomes are not possible here. The Prime Minister continues to assert, for example, that the Voice to Parliament would only be a source of advice, “not a third chamber, not a rolling veto, not a blank cheque.”

But the PM, and supporters of the Voice, simply cannot give these assurances. Once something is inserted into our constitution, it is the High Court that will determine its powers. All control is taken out of the hands of the Australian people.

Australia is no stranger to High Court judicial activism.

Former Australian High Court justice Ian Callinan has warned there could be a “decade or more of constitutional and administrative law litigation” as a result of a ‘yes’ vote for the Voice. The effect of which will be to stymie the already ineffective workings of Federal Government.

In an attempt to divert attention away from addressing critical questions about the proposed Voice to Parliament, supporters have stated its nothing more than a “modest request” in the name of reconciliation.

The great majority of Australians enthusiastically want a better life for our Indigenous communities, however, by refusing to be open and honest about the consequences of the Voice, its proponents may well end up being the biggest threat to reconciliation this century.

What the New Zealand experience shows is that the Voice to Parliament is not a modest request.

It is a dangerous demand which risks dividing our nation by race.

Posted in Australia

Brazil Displaces US As Corn-Exporter King

•September 5, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Brazil, a BRICS member, Displaces US As Corn-Exporter King As Trade Winds Shift; for more, see China expected to reduce US corn imports in favor of Brazil

ZeroHedge by Tyler Durden • September 2, 2023

It appears that a new world order is emerging, with BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization offering trade alternatives to the hegemonic West. The latest example of a multi-polar world is the US being displaced by BRICS country Brazil as the world’s top corn supplier.

The US held the crown for fifty years as the world’s top corn exporter. A new Bloomberg report, citing data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), shows the five-decade reign is over:

In the 2023 harvest year, the US will account for about 23% of global corn exports, well below Brazil’s nearly 32%, US Department of Agriculture data show. Brazil is seen holding onto its lead in the 2024 planting year that begins Sept. 1, too.

Only once in data going back to the Kennedy administration did America drop out of first place before: for a single year in 2013 following a devastating drought. The US corn-exporting industry has never before spent two back-to-back years in second place — until now.

It’s not only corn. Brazil has also displaced American farmers in both soybean and wheat exports. Bloomberg explained more:

Losing its lead in corn exports may feel familiar to American farmers, who in the last decade have also relinquished the top spot in both soybean and wheat exports. Soy was the first to go, with Brazil definitively taking the lead in 2013.

The next year, the US lost its wheat dominance, too, with the European Union, then Russia, beginning to elbow out American farmers in the global market.

The export market share slide is troubling news for the domestic industry that exported $200 billion in farm products in 2022. Sliding dominance may suggest that farmer incomes may slide in the years ahead.

Stephen Nicholson, global grains and oilseeds sector strategist with Rabobank, an agricultural lender, told Reuters:

“When we look at US corn demand long term, we wonder where new demand is coming from.

“Brazil is likely taking a bigger share of the global market, ethanol has likely peaked and animal protein is likely not going to grow fast enough.”

The reason for the shift is a rejiggering of China’s ag trade away from the US to Brazil. China signed a deal with Brazil last year to increase gain purchases.

“Brazil has the ability to ramp that planting area up to meet Chinese demand in a way that the United States doesn’t,” said Matthew Roberts, senior grain analyst with consultancy Terrain.

Plus, the Chinese are steering clear of US trade because lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been in a frenzy to weaponize the dollar and trade against Beijing.

“The US reminds me of the frog being slowly boiled,” Ann Berg, an independent consultant and veteran trader who started her career at Louis Dreyfus Co. in 1974, told Bloomberg.

Berg said, “It’s lost its dominance, but it took 40 years.”

Not only a frog being slowly boiled; but also a moth!

“I will be unto Ephraim as a moth,” Hosea 5:12

Clarke – I will consume them [Ephraim] little by little, as a moth frets a garment.
Gill – which eats garments, penetrates into them, feeds on them privately, secretly, without any noise, and gradually and slowly consumes them; but at last utterly, that they are of no use and profit

Posted in BRICS, Global South, US

A Study Index of Nehemiah

•September 4, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Chapter 1

— prayer of Nehemiah, the cup-bearer to the Persian king
— the remnant who are in Judea are in great affliction and reproach
— the wall of Jerusalem was broken down
— and the gates thereof are burnt with fire
— Remember, the word that Thou commanded Thy servant Moses
— saying, ‘If ye transgress, I will scatter you among the nations’

~ Chapter 2

— Nehemiah, seeking leave from the Persian court
— the king said unto him, “For what dost thou make request?”
— “If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors
— that they may convey me over until I come into Judah
— when Sanballat and Tobiah heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly
— that a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel
— and they despised and laughed at Nehemiah to scorn, and said,
— “What is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?”

A Study of Chapters 1 and 2 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 3

— Eliashib the Jewish high priest, works against Ezra and Nehemiah
— the Jewish community built various section of the walls and gates
— but their nobles “put not their necks to the work of their Lord”
— the constant mention and identity of priests, Levites and Nethinim
— indicates concern with the sacerdotal quarter and Temple service
— Nethinim are Temple assistants in ancient Jerusalem
— sheep gate, dung gate, fish gate, water gate, horse gate, east gate

~ Chapter 4

— Sanballat was wroth and felt great indignation toward the Jews
— “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves?
— Will they make sacrifice? Will they finish the sacrifice in a day?
— Will they revive the stones out of the rubbish which are burned?”
— and Tobiah added, “Indeed that which they build, if a fox go up
— even that fox could break down their stone wall”
— and Nehemiah prayed: “Hear, O our God, for we are despised

A Study of Chapters 3 and 4 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 5

— Nehemiah was very angry; hearing the people’s cry
— “We, our sons and our daughters are many
— therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live”
— “We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses
— that we might buy corn because of the dearth”
— and Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and the rulers
— and said unto them, “Ye exact usury, every one from his brother”
— “Restore, I pray you, to them even this day what is theirs”

~ Chapter 6

— Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem and the rest of their enemies, saying
— “Come, let us meet in one of the villages in the plain of Ono”
— and Shemaiah persisted, “Let us meet together in the house of God
— within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple”
— “My God, think Thou Tobiah and Sanballat according to their works
— prophetess Noadiah and other prophets who have put me in fear”

A Study of Chapters 5 and 6 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 7

— the wall was built and Nehemiah set up the doors
— and the gatekeepers, singers and Levites were appointed
— a register of genealogy of those nobles and rulers who came first
— the children of Tobiah; is this a case of the record being forged?
— some sought their genealogy among the priests
— but couldn’t be found; they couldn’t prove their ancestors as priests
— So the priests and the Levites, the gatekeepers and the singers
— and the Nethinim and all Israel, dwelt in their cities

~ Chapter 8

— the people gathered around the street before the Water Gate
— and Ezra brought out the Book of the Law of Moses to be read
— on a pulpit, Ezra read from morning until midday
— he blessed the Lord their God; and all the people responded, “Amen”
— and Ezra explained the Law of Moses before the congregation
— and the Levites caused the people to understand the Law in Aramaic
— this process of understanding of the Law gave rise to the Targum
— at first the Targum was remembered orally; later, it was written down

A Study of Chapters 7 and 8 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 9

— the re-establishment of the Feast of Tabernacles
— confessed their sins and iniquities of themselves and their fathers
— stood and read the Book of the Law for one fourth part of the day
— and another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God
— protection by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night
— revealed to them the holy Sabbath, its precepts, statutes and laws
— but they rebelled against Thee, cast Thy law down and do evil
— so God delivered them into their enemies; who vexed them

~ Chapter 10

— a register of genealogy in Judea and Jerusalem who were sealed
— and the rest of the people; perhaps those not sealed
— understood not signing by the laity, including priests and Levites
— sealed that we wouldn’t give their daughters unto the heathens
— nor take their daughters for our sons
— that they would not buy wares on the Sabbaths nor any Holy Festival
— continual burnt offering of the Sabbaths, new moons and the Feasts
— tithes and offerings of firstfruits, all manner of trees, wine and oil

A Study of Chapters 9 and 10 HERE ~ —— ~

Chapter 11

— surrounded by enemies, Jerusalem avoided by the returning Jews
— casting of lots to bring one in ten to dwell in the holy city
— the priests, Levites, Nethinim and the children of Solomon’s servants
— and the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves
— it was the king’s command that portion should be for the singers

~ Chapter 12

— a registry of priests and Levites who returned with Zerubbabel
— the name Ezra included, perhaps then he was at a very young age
— Seraiah; the high-priestly family name
— Eliashib included; he was of the priestly Seraiah line; betrayed Ezra
— name Shemaiah included; he was deemed a false prophet

~ Chapter 13

— they read in the Book of Moses; in the audience of the people
— Ammonite and Moabite shouldn’t come into the congregation of God
— but Eliashib, the high priest, was allied with Tobiah, an Ammonite
— Eliashib had prepared for Tobiah a great chamber in the house of God
— some sought their names among those reckoned as priests and Levites
— but their name were not found, deleted: forged from the priesthood
— Nehemiah asked: “What evil is this that ye profane the Sabbath day?
— Nehemiah purified the priests and Levites from anything forbidden

A Study of Chapters 11, 12 and 13 HERE ~ —— ~

Posted in Minor Prophets

Republicans push for War with Mexico

•September 3, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Republicans are now pushing for a Mexican-American war: Don’t rule it out!

“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head” Obadiah 1:15

Pearls And Irratations by Mike Scrafton • Aug 30, 2023 // Mexican Daily Post

Former US Defence Secretary Mark Esper claims Donald Trump asked him to draw up battle plans for attacking Mexico. Apparently Trump is still “asking policy advisers for a range of military options aimed at taking on Mexican drug cartels.”

Former President Trump, Senators Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, John Kennedy and JD Vance have all voiced support for US military operations in Mexico!

The Trump camp are apparently attracted to the Wage War On Transnational Drug Cartels policy document written by Ken Cuccinelli, a former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under Trump.

Trump now has plenty of company among Republicans. Senators Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, John Kennedy and JD Vance have all voiced support for US military operations in Mexico.

At the first Republican primary debate Ron DeSantis declared he would send special forces into Mexico to combat drug cartels “on day one” of his presidency. Republicans have already introduced legislation into the House to authorise military action against Mexico.

These are the nine Mexican cartels to be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations:

Sinaloa Cartel
Jalisco New Generation Cartel
Gulf Cartel
Los Zetas
Northeast Cartel
Juarez Cartel
Tijuana Cartel
Beltran Leyva Cartel
La Familia Michoacana

Although the presidential election is still a long way off, current polling has Trump equal with or just shading Joe Biden. DeSantis remains the second Republican in the polls. The US Electoral College system means that a shift in a few tens of thousands of votes from the previous election could mean a radical shift in America’s foreign policy.

Opioid addiction in America is a complex and multifaceted crisis. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency enough of the synthetic opioid fentanyl was seized in 2022 to kill all 330 million residents of the US. Of the 106,000 Americans who died from an overdose in 2021 fentanyl accounted for two thirds.

Smuggling from Mexico is challenging American immigration, police, and health authorities. The scale of the drug trade continues to grow and attempts to stop the smugglers have been unsuccessful.

While the couriers are overwhelmingly American citizens, the fentanyl is manufactured by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Mexican drug cartels. Policymakers in America are frustrated by the apparent intractability of the problem; and with the inability of the Mexican government to deal with the cartels and the escalating violence. This has led to calls for radical action on the part of the US.

Spanish Empire designates the territories that were conquered and ruled by SPAIN

Perhaps as President Trump or DeSantis might try to justify a military intervention into Mexico on the basis that the Mexicans are unable to pacify and eliminate the drug cartels, and this presents a clear and present security threat to Americans.

It would be a difficult case to make as the International Criminal Court’s statutes determine that the crime of aggression involves the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State and which by its character, gravity and scale, is inconsistent with or violates the Charter of the United Nations. Perhaps a Republican administration wouldn’t even bother to make a case in international law. They’ve shown no indication of doing so to date.

It goes without saying that an attack on the Mexican drug cartels would be resisted by Mexico and would severely damage America’s relations with its largest trading partner. But it would have wider consequences.

Military resources would be drawn away from the Asia-Pacific and Ukraine and the conflict might end in a cordon sanitaire, a semi-permanent militarised zone along their mutual border. America would be distracted from international affairs by the conflict. The implications for America’s force posture and the global balance of forces would be significant.

Among America’s allies there would be disarray and confusion. Maintaining the fiction that following America is about international law, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, would become a very difficult story to sell to their citizens.

Nations that have greatly strengthened military cooperation with the United States, like Japan, South Korea and Australia, would need to worry about the level of commitment and the priorities of a Republican Administration that had invaded Mexico. Confidence in America’s leadership would be eroded.

The developing nations would be troubled by the invasion of a democratic state. Any credibility America had in the global south would be gone and opportunities would open up for China and Russia to build anti-American coalitions in Africa and Latin America. Moreover, an attack on Mexico by America could be the last nail in the coffin of the UN and the Security Council. The international order might never recover.

Of course when confronted with the realities of office a Republican president might retreat from these bellicose threats and claim they were merely opening gambits for negotiating with Mexico. All of America’s allies are probably hoping so.

But as it stands, the leading Republicans, and much of their base, are supportive of military action against Mexico. If this were to occur, the already cooling support for Ukraine would probably collapse. Republican sentiment is already turning against involvement in Ukraine. The Europeans must be deeply concerned.

Australian governments have gambled heavily on the alliance with America. Curiously however, little attention has been given in the media or public discourse to the significant risks to the alliance, and to AUKUS, posed by the American election.

The Americans have colonised Northern Australia, occupied Australian military bases and ports, established resupply and armaments industries in country, and infiltrated policy and intelligence institutions. Now they might turn inward. The Prime Minister and Defence Minister must be holding their collective breaths and hoping the bottom doesn’t fall out of Australia’s foreign and defence policies.

For more about the South, a prophecy of Esau or Edom, see Obadiah

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

Posted in Esau, Latin Americas, Mexico, US

The Super Garuda Shield

•September 2, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Indonesian, US troops begin ‘Super Garuda Shield’ joint drills

The Jakarta Post • August 31, 2023 // The Star

Thousands of Indonesian and American troops began two weeks of joint exercises Thursday, joining allies from five countries in drills aimed at ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The US and its Asian allies have expressed growing concern about China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific, but Washington has said the drills are not aimed at any country. The annual exercises known as Super Garuda Shield kicked off in Baluran, East Java, with more than 2,000 American troops taking part.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) said it deployed 2,800 troops to join the drills, which were opened at a Thursday morning ceremony by the country’s military chief, Admiral Yudo Margono.

“Super Garuda Shield 2023 builds on last year’s tremendous success,” General Charles Flynn, commanding general of US Army Pacific, said in a statement.

JAKARTA: Soldiers from the US, Indonesia; Australia, Japan, Singapore, the UK and France began their annual Garuda Shield training exercises

This joint, multinational training exercise displays our collective commitment and like-minded unity, allowing for a stable, secure, and more peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The two-week exercise will be held at multiple training locations in East Java and is being joined by participants from Australia, Japan, Singapore, France and Britain.

Training will include expert academic exchanges and professional development workshops, a command and control simulation, an amphibious exercise, airborne operations, and a simulated airfield seizure.

There will also be a combined joint field training that culminates with a live-fire event, the US embassy said in a statement.

Last year’s exercises were held after Beijing staged unprecedented war games around Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory.

Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Korea, New Zealand, East Timor, Brunei and Papua New Guinea are participating in the exercise as observer nations.

“Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated. I will even gather them round about against thee and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness” Ezekiel 16:37

“And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with an assembly of people, who shall set against thee buckler and shield and helmet roundabout; and I will set judgement before them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgements.

“And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee. They shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword. They shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire” Ezekiel 23:24-25

Posted in China, NATO-Pacific, US

Nehemiah (Ch 11-13)

•September 2, 2023 • Leave a Comment

For their wickedness and subsequent punishment of interrupting the building of God’s Temple in Jerusalem, and schemeing against His servant, Nehemiah, the Samaritans and their accomplices have to face the prophet’s imprecation (cursing) against them:

“Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid” Nehemiah 6:14.

And thus here is what the Wikipedia says about the Samaritans (Community survival):

“There has been a history of genetic disorders within the group due to the small gene pool.”

Examples are such as high incidence of austisics and cripples within their community but of course they manage to deflect from admitting the consequence of God’s curses upon those who demonstrate hostilities to the rebuilding of the house of God in Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 11

¹ And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people also cast lots to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. — one man in ten;

— the rest of the people; the rulers being already in the capital, Nehemiah ordered that one man in ten should be chosen by lot to transfer his family to dwell in Jerusalem;

— Jerusalem the holy city; the “separation” that had taken place (Nehemiah 9), and the recent covenant (Nehemiah 10), we see the solemnity of this epithet, “Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and no strangers shall pass through her any more (Joel 3:17).

² And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.

— the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves; besides those who were chosen by lot, it seems there were some that voluntarily chose to go and live there, whom the people highly commended, beseeching God to bless and prosper them.

³ Now these are the chief of the province who dwelt in Jerusalem; but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit: Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon’s servants.

— Israel rather than Judah, partly because there were some of the other tribes now joined and incorporated with them; and partly because none of the tribes of Israel, except Judah and Benjamin, dwelt in Jerusalem, as appears from the sequel.

⁴ And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah,the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez;

— the heads in Jerusalem: as compared with 1 Chronicles 9, by no means complete. Judah and Benjamin are represented, with priests and Levites and porters.

⁵ and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. — to dwell in Jerusalem;

⁶ All the sons of Perez who dwelt at Jerusalem were four hundred threescore and eight valiant men.

⁷ And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jeshaiah.

⁸ And after him Gabbai and Sallai, nine hundred twenty and eight. — to dwell in Jerusalem;

⁹And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer; and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city. — writer of the book of Joel perhaps;

¹⁰ Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin. — even the priests had earlier avoided dwelling in Jerusalem;

¹¹ Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the ruler of the house of God.

— Seraiah; the high-priestly family name. Eliashib was the present occupant, who allowed Tobiah, an Ammonite and an ally of Sanballet, a Samaritan, to pollute the Sanctuary;

— Seraiah, or ‘Azariah the son of Meshullam.’ 1 Chronicles 9:11 – the same person may be intended? – the priesthood names corrupted or polluted? Nehemiah 7:64

— “And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah,” Nehemiah 13:4.

Q. Could such groundwork and corrupt alliance give rise to Samaritan’s seedings within the Jewish community that gave rise to the Sadducees’ teachings similar to the Samaritans’ a few decades later?

It seems very obvious!

¹² And their brethren who did the work of the house were eight hundred twenty and two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah,

¹³ and his brethren, chief of the fathers, were two hundred forty and two; and Amashai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer,

¹⁴ and their brethren, mighty men of valor, were a hundred twenty and eight; and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men.

¹⁵ Also of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni;

¹⁶ and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites, had the oversight of the outside business of the house of God.

¹⁷ And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer, and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

¹⁸ All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred fourscore and four.

¹⁹ Moreover the gatekeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who kept the gates, were a hundred seventy and two.

²⁰ And the residue of Israel, of the priests, and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance.

²¹ But the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel; and Ziha and Gishpa were over the Nethinim.

²² The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business of the house of God.

²³ For it was the king’s commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for every day.

²⁴ And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in all matters concerning the people.

²⁵ And for the villages with their fields, some of the children of Judah dwelt at Kirjatharba and in the villages thereof, and at Dibon and in the villages thereof, and at Jekabzeel and in the villages thereof,

²⁶ and at Jeshua, and at Moladah, and at Bethphelet,

²⁷ and at Hazarshual and at Beersheba and in the villages thereof,

²⁸ and at Ziklag and at Meconah and in the villages thereof;

²⁹ and at Enrimmon and at Zorah and at Jarmuth,

³⁰ Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages; at Lachish and the fields thereof, at Azekah and in the villages thereof. And they dwelt from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

³¹ The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at Michmash, and Aija and Bethel and in their villages,

³² and at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

³³ Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

³⁴Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

³⁵ Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.

³⁶ And of the Levites were divisions in Judah, and in Benjamin.

Nehemiah 12

¹ Now these are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

— the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel; Ezra: either this was another Ezra, or if it were the same mentioned Ezra 7, he lived to a great age;

— Seraiah; the high-priestly family name again? see Nehemiah 11:11.

² Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

³ Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,

⁴ Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah,

⁵ Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,

⁶Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, — the name Shemaiah included; one of the priests or Levites, 1 Chronicles 24:6; he became a false prophet.

⁷ Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.

⁸ Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was over the psalms of thanksgiving, he and his brethren.

⁹Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were opposite them in the watches.

¹⁰ And Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim also begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, — Eliashib??

¹¹ and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.

¹² And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; — Seraiah??

¹³ of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan;

¹⁴ of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph;

¹⁵ of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai;

¹⁶ of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

¹⁷ of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai;

¹⁸ of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan;

¹⁹ and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

²⁰ of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

²¹ of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.

²² The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded chief of the fathers; also the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian. — Eliashib; the high-priestly family name??

²³ The sons of Levi, the chief of the fathers, were written in the book of the Chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. — Eliashib; the high-priestly family name?

²⁴ And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, watch opposite watch.

²⁵ Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were porters keeping the watch at the thresholds of the gates.

²⁶ These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.

²⁷ And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

— they sought the Levites; the dedication was to be processional and musical, as well as sacrificial: after the pattern of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple.

²⁸ And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites,

²⁹ also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves villages round about Jerusalem.

³⁰ And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people and the gates and the wall.

³¹ Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of those who gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the Dung Gate;

³² and after them went Hoshaiah and half of the princes of Judah,

³³ and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, — ‘Azariah the son of Meshullam’ or of the priestly Seraiah line?

³⁴ Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

³⁵ and certain of the priests’ sons with trumpets, namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph;

³⁶ and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

³⁷ And at the Fountain Gate, which was opposite them, they went up by the stairs of the City of David, at the going up of the wall, above the house of David, even unto the Water Gate eastward.

³⁸ And the other company of those who gave thanks went opposite them, and I after them with half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the Tower of the Furnaces even unto the Broad Wall,

³⁹ and from above the Gate of Ephraim and above the Old Gate, and above the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananeel and the Tower of Meah, even unto the Sheep Gate; and they stood still at the Prison Gate.

⁴⁰ So stood the two companies of those who gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and half of the rulers with me;

⁴¹ and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets;

⁴² and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

⁴³ Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the wives also and the children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

⁴⁴ And at that time some were appointed over the chambers of the treasuries for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who waited.

⁴⁵ And both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the watch of their God and the watch of the purification, according to the commandment of David and of Solomon his son.

⁴⁶ For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

⁴⁷ And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, every day his portion; and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites, and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.

Nehemiah 13

¹ On that day they read in the Book of Moses in the audience of the people, and therein was found written that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God, ever,

— the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; that is, not be incorporated into the Israelitish kingdom, nor united in marriage relations with that people, Deuteronomy 23:3

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation.”

— but the Temple was corrupted as “And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah,” Nehemiah 13:4. Tobiah was a Ammonite; influenced by Sanballat, a Samaritan;

— not only the Temple was corrupted, but their teachings, too (for more, see the Samaritans at the end).

²because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them. However that be, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

³ Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

⁴ And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah.

— and before this; that is, before this separation was made; Eliashib the priest; “Eliashib the high priest” Nehemiah 3:1

— having the oversight of the chamber; of the chambers, (Nehemiah 13:9,) the high priest having the chief power over the house of God, and all the chambers belonging to it; was allied unto Tobiah, the Ammonite, and a violent enemy to God’s people;

— Tobiah had suffered his grandson to marry Sanballat’s daughter who was the fast friend of Tobiah and the great enemy of the Jews. This is mentioned as a great blot on Eliashib’s character and the cause of his other miscarriages, noticed Nehemiah 13:5. We read also in Ezra 10:18 that several of the priests had married strange wives; and among the rest some of the sons of the high priest;

— moreover, the fact that Eliashib’s leanings were towards the enemies of Nehemiah accounts for his disappearance from the history from Nehemiah 3:1 to Nehemiah 13:4. For such a hedious crime to take place right in the Temple, the name ‘Eliashib’ was probably wiped out from Jewish history;

— not only the Temple’s chambers were polutted but their heretic teachings, too (for more, see the Samaritan’s teachings at the end).

⁵ And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where previously they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense and the vessels and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers, and the offerings of the priests.

— “A great chamber,” perhaps made so by throwing several chambers into one, as older expositors have inferred from Nehemiah 13:9,

— according to which Nehemiah, after casting out the goods and belongs of Tobiah, had the chambers (plural) cleansed. The statement also in Nehemiah 13:5, that there (in this great chamber) were aforetime laid up not only the meat-offerings (i.e., oil and flour, the materials for them), the incense and the sacred vessels, but also the tithe of the corn, the new wine, and the oil and the heave-offerings of the priests, seems to confirm this view;

— this tenth or tithes is designated as הלויּם מצות, the command of the Levites, that is, what was apportioned to the Levites according to the law, the legal dues for which משׁפּט is elsewhere usual; comp. Deuteronomy 18:3; 1 Samuel 2:13. The heave-offering of the priest is the tenth of their tenth which the Levites had to contribute, Nehemiah 10:39;

— the frankincense; for frankincense was a necessary ingredient in the incense which was offered twice a day on the “altar of incense” in the holy place (Exodus 30:34). As a rare foreign product, it had necessarily to be kept in store;

— the vessels; sacred vessels, basins and the like, not needed except on occasion of great festival gatherings; the offerings of the priests. The portion of the offerings which belonged to the priests – “the tithe of the tithes.”

⁶ But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came unto the king, and after certain days I obtained leave from the king.

— but in all this time when Nehemiah was not at Jerusalem, this gave Eliashib and Tobiah the opportunity of scheming such abominations; for unless Nehemiah had been absent, Eliashib and Tobiah would not have dared to do them.

— and after certain days Nehemiah obtained leave of the king to return to Jerusalem.

⁷ And I came to Jerusalem and learned of the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

— the evil Eliashib did in preparing him a chamber; “Tobiah had insinuated himself into the good opinion of many of the people, and especially those of note, by his making two alliances with families of this sort:

— for (a) Johanan his son had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, (Nehemiah 6:18; Nehemiah 3:4,) who was one of the chief managers of the building of the wall of Jerusalem, and (b) Tobiah himself had married the daughter of Shechaniah, another great man among the Jews. By these means he had formed an alliance and was looked upon as a worthy man, though, being an Ammonite, he could not but bear a national hatred to all that were of the race of Israel;

— thus says Nehemiah 7:64 “These sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were as polluted, put from the priesthood.” — thus their register were polluted, put from the priesthood R.V. were they deemed polluted.

⁸ And it grieved me sore; therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. — it grieved me sore; the second time we read of Nehemiah’s deep emotion:

— first, because of the utter dissoluteness of which this was a token; and secondly, because it was a priestly desecration, having a stranger, an idolatrous Ammonite, and one of the worst of that people and that all this should be done by the permission and order of the high priest.

⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and thither I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.

— then Nehemiah commanded; and they cleansed the chambers which had been thus profaned and restored them to their former sanctity by the water of purification and such other means and rites as were then usual in such cases;

— and thither Nehemiah brought again the vessels of the house of God which had been cast out to make room for Tobiah; and commanded the chamber to be purified and the vessels of the house of God, the meat-offering and the frankincense and probably the tenths and heave-offerings also.

¹⁰ And I perceived that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled every one to his field.

— Nehemiah perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites … were fled; what he saw was that the Levites were absent and “the house of God forsaken” (verse 11). On inquiry, he found that the reason of their absence was the non-payment of the tithes.

¹¹ Then I contended with the rulers and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

— then Nehemiah contended with the rulers; he sharply reproved those priests to whom the management of those things was committed, for the neglect of their duty and breach of their late solemn promise;

— why is the house of God forsaken? – so that there are few or no Levites or priests to attend there. They have not only injured men, in withholding their dues but you have occasioned the neglect of God’s house and service, insomuch that little or no public worship is maintained;

— and Nehemiah gathered them together; to Jerusalem from their several country possessions. And set them in their place; restored them to the exercise of their office. “A Levite in his field is out of his station: God’s house is his place, and there let him be found.

¹² Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the storehouses.

— the Levites had their portions not been given; they were gone to get livelihoods for themselves and their families for their profession would not maintain them; the temple services had ceased; all religious duties had fallen into neglect;

— the people, disgusted with the malversations of Eliashib, or the lax and irregular performance of the sacred rites, withheld the tithes, so that they were compelled for their livelihood to withdraw to their patrimonial possessions in the country. The money put into the sacred treasury had been squandered in the entertainment of an Ammonite heathen, an open and contemptuous enemy of God and his people. The return of Nehemiah as governor put an end to these disgraceful and profane proceedings.

¹³ And I made treasurers over the storehouses: Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.

— and Nehemiah made treasurers over the treasuries; new ones, since the others appointed were either dead or unfaithful to their trust, Nehemiah 12:44,

— Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, who also was a priest, perhap the ‘judicial’ priest as contrast to Temple priest, as Ezra was both scribe and priest; one that besides his office as a priest was expert in the law, and capable of instructing others: this implies that Ezra was dead and that Zadok had succeeded to his office;

— and that of Eliashib the chief priest and Tobiah the Ammonite were tossed out; never to be heard again; nar, they were still around and eventually gave rise to a sect known as the Sadducees;

— so in the NT times, these Sadducees emerged with their heretic teachings who claimed they were carrying the mantle of the Zadok the priest and that their name “Sadducees” was derived from Zadok the priest (although there was another Zadok the priest during the reign of King David who moved the ark to Jerusalem), and were allied with the Herodians and the Boethusaians.

¹⁴ Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for the offices thereof.

— remember me, O my God, Or “Think upon me, my God,” as the same words are translated in Nehemiah 5:19. Wipe not out my good deeds.

¹⁵In those days I saw in Judah some treading of wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves and loading them on asses, as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I testified against them as to the day wherein they sold victuals.

— the desecration of the Sabbath is first brought into prominence among the sins of the Jewish people by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 17:21-27;

— it could have been hard to practise Sabbath keeping during the captivity when foreign masters were unlikely to have allowed the cessation of labor for one day in seven. On the return from the captivity, the sabbatical rest appears to have been one of the institutions most difficult to reestablish.

¹⁶There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, who brought fish and all manner of wares, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah and in Jerusalem.

— merchants of Tyre; they brought timber for the building of the Temple and received food in payment Ezra 3:7;

— now they seem to have established themselves as a colony, and supplied fish; these would be the salted and dried fish from the Mediterranean. But their offence was trading this “on the sabbath unto the children of Judah and in Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Then I contended with the nobles of Judah and said unto them, “What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day?

— then Nehemiah contended with the nobles, in the desecration of the sabbath and in the non-payment of tithes; remarking in addition, “and ye are bringing more wrath upon Israel, profaning the Sabbath,”

— the nobles were the chief offenders, being at once luxurious and latitudinarian. They desired the freshest food for their feasts, and encouraged both foreigners and natives to break the law for the gratification of their carnal appetites.

¹⁸ Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

— did not your fathers thus; profane the sabbath in like manner? and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon our city?

— suffered them to be carried captive into a strange land, and their city destroyed for their sins, and for this of sabbath breaking among the rest, see Jeremiah 17:21,

— yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath; additional judgements to those that had been already upon them for the same evil with others.

¹⁹ And it came to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded that the gates should be shut,and charged that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath; and some of my servants I set at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day.

— Nehemiah commanded that the gates should be shut. The gates would as a matter of course have been shut at sunset;

— Nehemiah required that the closing should take place some half-hour earlier, when the shadows were lengthening, and the day was drawing towards a close. He regarded it as a sort of desecration of the Sabbath to carry on secular work to the last allowable moment.

²⁰ So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

— the merchants lodged outside; the merchants could not leave their wares unguarded; and the wares not being admitted into the town, they were obliged to camp out.

²¹ Then I testified against them and said unto them, “Why lodge ye about the wall? If ye do so again, I will lay hands on you.” From that time forth they came no more on the Sabbath.

— why lodge ye about the wall? Nehemiah, in his capacity of governor, was able to put his foot down upon this evasion of his law. He threatened the traders that, if they hung about on the outskirts of the walls on the Sabbath, he would treat them as public enemies.

²² And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Thy mercy.

— and Nehemiah commanded the Levites; that they should come and keep the gates; assigning the duty to his servants was probably a temporary arrangement;

— the permanent charge was committed to the Levites, who had been intrusted with the duty when the gates were first set up (Nehemiah 7:1). They were to “cleanse,” or purify, themselves, because the charge was considered a sacred one.

²³ In those days also I saw Jews who had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab;

— of Ashdodite, Ammon and of Moab; they had married strangers, though not long before they had most solemnly promised not to do so, Nehemiah 10:30. So hard a thing it is perfectly to root out tares, which will be continually springing up again.

²⁴ and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.

— the speech of Ashdod is that of the Philistines which according to some experts belonged to the Indo-Germanic group. The languages, however, of the Moabites and Ammonites were undoubtedly Shemitic, but so dialectically different from the Hebrew that they might be regarded as foreign tongues.

²⁵ And I contended with them and cursed them, and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, “Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons or for yourselves.

— and cursed them; assuring them to be excommunicated and cast out of the society and privileges of God’s people; this and the following punishments were justly inflicted upon them,

— because this transgression was contrary both to a very plain and express law of God and also to their own late solemn covenants and promises would come upon them, unless they repent;

— smote certain of them; caused to be beaten with stripes, according to the law, Deuteroomy 25:2, those whose faults were most aggravated by their quality or other circumstances; to whom he added this punishment over and besides the former.

— plucked off their hair, or shaved them. The hair was an ornament and ensign of liberty among the eastern nations; and baldness was a disgrace and token of slavery and sorrow. See Isaiah 3:24 Isaiah 15:2 Jeremiah 48:37 Ezekiel 29:18.

²⁶ Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did women from other lands cause to sin.

— did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? – by marrying strange wives, by whom he was drawn into idolatry, 1 Kings 11:3,

— yet among many nations was there no king like him; as not for grandeur and riches, so not for wisdom and yet was ensnared by his idolatrous wives.

²⁷ Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying foreign wives?”

— shall we then hearken unto you? Shall we give way to you and adopt the practice which you recommend, thus transgressing against God and provoking him to destroy us? Surely not. Solomon’s example is enough to deter us.

High Priest on Duty

²⁸ And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; therefore I chased him from me.

— and one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest; a grandson of the high priest; for the high priest was Eliashib;

— son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; married a daughter of his, who was the avowed enemy of the Jewish nation; and earlier for whom, Sanballat obtained leave to build a temple on Mount Gerizim; but Eliashib seemed to have been tossed of as high priest, and now even his son Joiada, and much less Jaddua, a grandson of Joiada, still hang around trying other troubles:

— therefore Nehemiah chased and drove him from his court, suffered him not to come near at the altar nor the Temple; banished him from the city and even from the land of Jude;

— but nar, Tobiah and his family and their agents, through marriage and other alliances, were always around and penetrated the upper echelon of the Jewish judicial chambers, and years later, even the very high priesthood, namely Annas and his son-in-law, Caiaphas, clinging there like a leech!

²⁹ Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

— they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites; we look in vain for any distinct “covenant” which the priestly order broke by allying itself with the heathen, or indeed for any special law forbidding the priests to take foreign wives;

— and Nehemiah feels that this sin is worse in a priest than in one who is not a priest; that a priest who contracts a pollution “pollutes the priesthood;” and that there is a tacit covenant by which priests and Levites bind themselves to holiness of life more absolutely and definitely than others.

³⁰ So I purified them from everything foreign and assigned specific duties to each of the priests and Levites.

— thus Nehemiah cleansed them. Rather, “And I cleansed them.” The process of cleansing probably resembled the process adopted by Ezra (Ezra 10:5-17). And appointed the wards. that is “assigned their offices to the various priests and Levites” (Nehemiah 11:11-24; Nehemiah 12:44; Nehemiah 13:13).

³¹ and for the wood offering at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

— and for the wood offering, at times appointed; of which see Nehemiah 10:34. Levites were appointed to receive the wood that was brought at the times and by the persons fixed, and lay it up in its proper place, and carry it to the altar when wanted.

~~~

The Samaritans, whose heretic teachings were later adopted by the Sadducees and the Boethusians in the NT time. And today, such teaching are clinging to the Church of God like shit stuck to a shovel.

The Samaritans are adversaries to the returning Jews because of some teething differences:

(a) Samaritans consider Moses as the only prophet, and not recognising any of the other ‘Jewish’ Prophets of God, namely Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the twelve ‘minor’ prophets;

(b) nor recognising any of the Oral Laws, or traditional developments, as authentic; hence they reject all the other Texts except the Samaritan version of the Pentateuch;

(c) the three annual feasts are to be kept on Mount Gerizim as the sacred mountain for worship, whereas Jews have their feasts in Jerusalem as the place in which He chose to put His name;

(d) difference in defining what time at ben ha’arbayim when the Pascha lamb should be killed: the Jewish definition of ben ha’arbayim “between the two evenings” is “after noon and until nightfall,” whereas the Samaritans is sunset or dusk, around 6 pm in modern reckoning;

(e) when is omer, which translated to English is rendered “wave sheaf” offering to be made: the Samaritans has it the day after the weekly Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread; whereas the Jewish definition has it on the annual Sabbath after Pascha;

(f) after counting seven weeks after the omer, on what day Shavuot is to be kept: the Samaritans always have it on a weekly Sabbath; whereas the Jews have it on Sivan 6th;

(g) once in roughly three years, or seven times in a nineteen years cycle, the Samaritan calendar starts one month later than the Jewish calendar.

For the punishment of interrupting the building and service of God’s Temple in Jerusalem, and schemeing against His servant, Nehemiah, and the prophet’s imprecation (cursing) against the Samaritans and their accomplices: here is what the Wikipedia says about the Samaritans (Community survival):

“There has been a history of genetic disorders within the group due to the small gene pool.”

And this is because of close interbreeding and possible degeneracy of their community, resulting such as high incidence of austisics and cripples within their community; but of course they manage to deflect from mentioning the consequence of God’s curses upon those with hedious crime of showing hostilities to God’s laws and to the rebuilding and services of the house of God in Jerusalem.

Posted in Nehemiah

Nehemiah (Ch 9-10)

•September 1, 2023 • Leave a Comment

A summary of the prayers of the returning Jews led by the Levites (Nehemiah 9:4-38). When confessing their sins, they spoke as they were very moved by repentence, that they may be the more humbled and ashamed; and God responded with mercies and grace.

Let all remember that pride and obstinacy are sins which ruin the lives of humanity. Behold this sweet promise: a God ready to pardon! Instead of keeping away from God under a sense of unworthiness, let all come boldly to the throne of God, that all may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need; he is a God ready to pardon.

Nehemiah 9

¹ Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting and with sackcloth and earth upon them.

— now in the twenty and fourth day of the seventh month; the Feast of Tabernacles began on the fourteenth day, and ended on the twenty-second, all the time mourning had been forbidden as contrary to the nature of the feast, which was to be kept with joy.

— but now, on the twenty-fourth, the next day but one after the feast, their consciences having been fully awakened and their hearts filled with grief for their sins, which they were not allowed to express in that time of public joy, they resume their former thoughts and, recalling their sins to mind, set apart a day for solemn fasting and humiliation.

² And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

— the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers; it appears that the “strangers” are “the people of the lands,” or neighbouring heathen of whom there were at all times considerable numbers in Jerusalem; it was not fitting that these aliens should take part in a ceremony of which the main object was that the special people of God should renew their covenant with him;

— and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers: particularly their taking of strange wives, which their fathers had also done and set them a bad example which they had followed.

³ And they stood up in their place and read in the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

— one fourth part, namely, from midday to the time of the evening sacrifice; both day and night were divided into four parts;

— the reading occupied the morning and the worship the afternoon. It is the latter which is now made prominent, as the former had been prominent in the preceding chapter.

⁴Then stood up upon the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.

— upon the stairs, of the Levites; or upon an elevated platform or pulpits as the Levites used to stand upon when they taught the people;

— and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God; praying with great fervency, and making bitter lamentation for the sins of the people and their own.

⁵ Then the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said: “Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever! And blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise!

— then the Levites said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God; if this prayer was uttered by all these Levites in common, it must have been prepared and adopted beforehand, perhaps, by Ezra; but it may only embody the substance of the confession and thanksgiving.

⁶ Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein; and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipeth Thee.

— the host of heaven who worshipped God are the angels, as in Psalm 148:2; Psalm 103:21.

⁷ Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

— thou art the Lord who choose Abraham; here follows a compendious history of the Hebrews, which, it is likely composed by Ezra or Nehemiah in the form of a prayer, and delivered to the Levites, that they might pronounce it before the whole congregation;

⁸ and foundest his heart faithful before Thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites and the Girgashites—to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed Thy words, for Thou art righteous”

— Canaanites, etc; the nations driven out were actually seven (Deuteronomy 7:1), but it is a common figure of speech to put the part for the whole;

⁹ and didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea;

— and heard their cry by the Red sea; which was before them, and the rocks on both sides, with the host of Pharaoh behind, pressing upon them when he heard them trailing behind; but wrought salvation for them, Exodus 14:10,

¹⁰ and showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh and on all his servants and on all the people of his land. For Thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst Thou get Thee a name, as it is this day.

— this epitome of the history of the Plagues shows acquaintance with Deuteronomy 6:22, ‘And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house.’

¹¹ And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors Thou threwest into the deep, as a stone into the mighty waters.

— the fulfilment of this word by the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and their guidance through the wilderness to Canaan.

¹² Moreover Thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

— moreover, thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; the Israelites, to shelter them from the heat of the sun in a dry and barren wilderness:

— and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go; through a trackless desert, see Exodus 13:21.

¹³ Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai and spokest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgements and true laws, good statutes and commandments;

— and gavest them right judgements and true laws, good statutes and commandments; which were of excellent use to them in their civil and ecclesiastical polity; these were not spoken to Israel, but given to Moses on the mount, to be delivered to them.

¹⁴ and madest known unto them Thy holy Sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws by the hand of Moses Thy servant;

— and madest known thy Sabbath Cf. Ezekiel 20:12. Apparently referring to the fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11. Cf. Exodus 31:16); yearly Sabbaths; land Sabbaths and others;

— but it is to be noticed that the observance of the Sabbath is prescribed if not presupposed at the giving of the Manna (Exodus 16:23-30) before the arrival at Sinai. The stricter observance of the Sabbath (thy Sabbath) was a special feature of religious purity, reaffirmed by the teaching of Ezra and the Scribes, cf. Nehemiah 13:15 (Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 58:13).

¹⁵ and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst sworn to give them.

— water for them out of the rock; Cf. Exodus 17:6. But a closer resemblance is afforded by Numbers 20:8, ‘And thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock.’ Psalm 105:41, ‘He opened the rock, and waters gushed out.’

¹⁶ “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks and hearkened not to Thy commandments.

— dealt proudly; Cf. Nehemiah 9:10. In this verse and in Nehemiah 9:29 the word is used with reference to the children of Israel, as in Deuteronomy 1:43, ‘ye rebelled … and were presumptuous.’ Deuteronomy 17:13, ‘all the people shall hear and fear and do no more presumptuously.’

— hardened their necks R.V. neck. Cf. Nehemiah 9:17; Nehemiah 9:29. For the phrase ‘a stiff-necked people’ cf. Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6; Deuteronomy 9:13. ‘To stiffen’ or ‘harden the neck’ is found in Deuteronomy 10:16, ‘Be no more stiff-necked,’ II Kings 17:14, ‘they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers.’ Cf. Job 9:4.

¹⁷ And they refused to obey, neither were mindful of Thy wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. — reference to mercy and grace;

— in their rebellion they appointed a captain; based on Numbers 14:4, and perhaps representing a tradition that the words ‘And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt’ were partially carried into effect.

¹⁸ Yea, when they had made them a molten calf and said, ‘This is thy God who brought thee up out of Egypt,’ and had wrought great provocations,

— molten calf … Egypt; the language is based on Exodus 32:4, ‘… made it a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’

¹⁹ yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light and the way wherein they should go.

²⁰ Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

²¹ Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old and their feet swelled not.

²² Moreover Thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners; so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon and the land of Og, king of Bashan.

²³ Their children also did Thou multiply as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land which Thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

²⁴ So the children went in and possessed the land, and Thou did subdue before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

— so the children went in and possessed the land; not the fathers of the Israelites that came out of Egypt, they died in the wilderness, all excepting two, but their children.

²⁵ And they took strong cities and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells dug out, vineyards and olive yards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in Thy great goodness.

²⁶ “Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind their backs, and slew Thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to Thee; and they wrought great provocations.

— nevertheless they cast thy law behind their backs; they neglected and despised thy laws, would not regard nor observe them;

— whereas they ought to have had them continually before their eyes, to direct and govern them in all their ways. The good things they enjoyed in the land which God had given them, made them wanton and forgetful of God and his commandments.

— slew thy prophets: ‘Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord,’ 1 Kings 18:4. Not many instances are recorded. But cf. Zechariah (II Chronicles 24; II Chronicles 20-22), Uriah the son of Shemaiah (Jeremiah 26:20-23). The martyrdoms of Isaiah and Jeremiah belong to Jewish tradition.

²⁷ Therefore Thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them. And in the time of their trouble when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviors who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

²⁸ “But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee. Therefore leftest Thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from heaven. And many times didst Thou deliver them according to Thy mercies,

— MSG

But then they mutinied, rebelled against you, threw out your laws and killed your prophets, The very prophets who tried to get them back on your side— and then things went from bad to worse. You turned them over to their enemies, who made life rough for them.

But when they called out for help in their troubles you listened from heaven; And in keeping with your bottomless compassion you gave them saviors: Saviors who saved them from the cruel abuse of their enemies. But as soon as they had it easy again they were right back at it—more evil. So you turned away and left them again to their fate, to the enemies who came right back.

They cried out to you again; in your great compassion you heard and helped them again. This went on over and over and over. You warned them to return to your Revelation, they responded with haughty arrogance: They brushed off your commands, spurned your rules —the very words by which men and women live!

They set their jaws in defiance, they turned their backs on you and didn’t listen. You put up with them year after year and warned them by your spirit through your prophets; But when they refused to listen you abandoned them to foreigners. Still, because of your great compassion, you didn’t make a total end to them. You didn’t walk out and leave them for good; yes, you are a God of grace and compassion.

²⁹ and testifiedst against them, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy law. Yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto Thy commandments, but sinned against Thy judgements (which if a man do, he shall live in them), and withdrew the shoulder and hardened their neck and would not hear.

— which if a man do, he shall live in them; Quoted from Leviticus 18:5, as also in Ezekiel 20:11. Cf. Luke 10:28, ‘This do and thou shalt live.’

³⁰ “Yet many years didst Thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by Thy Spirit in Thy prophets. Yet would they not give ear; therefore gavest Thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.

— there was a continual succession of prophets from the time of Solomon to and through the captivity.

Q. but why were there no known prophets warning them of their impending Jerusalem inferno from AD 66 to 70?

³¹ Nevertheless for Thy great mercies’ sake Thou did not utterly consume them nor forsake them, for Thou art a gracious and merciful God.

— gracious and merciful; the same words in Heb. as Nehemiah 9:17 ‘gracious and full of compassion.’

³² “Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the fearsome God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before Thee that hath come upon us—on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

— our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God Cf. note on Nehemiah 1:5. See Deuteronomy 10:17, ‘the great God, the mighty and the terrible.’ Daniel 9:4.

³³ Nevertheless, Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.

— done right; R.V. dealt truly. Literally ‘truth’ that is, Thou hast fulfilled thy word both in blessing and punishment: but we have been unfaithful to the covenant;

— Cf. Daniel 9:14, ‘For the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, and we have not obeyed his voice.’ The pronoun ‘we’ is emphatic; the speakers pass from reference to their forefathers, in order to accept for themselves the responsibility of association with the nation’s guilt.

³⁴ Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers kept Thy law, nor hearkened unto Thy commandments and Thy testimonies, wherewith Thou didst testify against them.

— thou didst testify against them; concerning all that has befallen us; because their sins deserved punishment and God is only fulfilling His word upon the sinners. Here, it serves to emphasize the subject;

— in the enumeration of the different classes of the people, the prophets are here omitted, because, as God’s witnesses, they are not reckoned among these who had transgressed, though involved (Nehemiah 9:32) in the sufferings that have fallen on the nation.

³⁵ For they have not served Thee in their kingdom, and in Thy great goodness that Thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which Thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

— they have not served thee in their kingdom; “In their kingdom” means “while they had a kingdom of their own and were not subjects as now to a foreign power.”

— thy great goodness; the large and fat land. Compare Exodus 3:8. Although the limits of Palestine are narrow, yet the land which God flare to his people, extending as it did from the Euphrates to the river of Egypt (Genesis 15:18), might well he termed a “large” or “broad” land.

³⁶ Behold, we are servants this day; and for the land that Thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it.

— we are servants this day; that is, we have now no kingdom, we are slaves – the Persians are our masters;

— as we would not be God’s servants, we are handed over to him (comp. II Chronicles 12:8, where “the service of God” and “the service of the kingdoms of the countries” are contrasted).

³⁷ And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom Thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

— we are in great distress; we must remember that this language of complaint at the severity of the foreign rule and exactions showed that the effects of the foreign taxation upon the condition of the middle and lower classes were felt very acutely.

³⁸ “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests set their seal unto it.”

— and our princes, Levites and priests, seal unto it; thus they either appended signatures as witnesses, or made marks to endorse the document and to testify to their approval, thus they would become witnesses against themselves if they dealt deceitfully;

— but prophets were not mentioned above; they often were used to warn of their sins and God’s impending judgements.

Nehemiah 10

¹ Now those who sealed were: Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hachaliah, and Zedekiah (Zidkijah),

— sealed; Chabad: a treaty in writing on a scroll, and signed upon as a testimony;

— Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah; the governor of the Jews: and Zidkijah; who seems also to have been a prince, since, without, it could not be said it was sealed by their princes, Nehemiah 9:38;

— though some think both were priests, and then the princes must be supposed to be among the chief of the people, Nehemiah 10:14, from hence to the end of the twenty seventh their names follow;

— the names of the priests, Nehemiah 10:2, who were in all twenty one; no mention is made either of Eliashib the high priest, where some think he had not behaved well in his office; nor of Ezra the priest and scribe, who could have been either sick or returned to Babylon,

² Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,

— Seraiah; the family name of the high-priestly house to which Ezra and Eliashib belonged, one of whom—probably Ezra—affixed its seal.

³ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,

⁴ Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,

⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,

⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,

⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,

⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these were the priests. — Shemaiah: of the priestly line, 1 Chronicles 24:18

⁹ And the Levites: both Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel.

¹⁰ And their brethren: Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,

¹¹ Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah,

¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,

¹³ Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.

¹⁴ The chief of the people: Parosh, Pahathmoab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,

¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,

¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,

¹⁷ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,

¹⁸ Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai,

¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,

²¹ Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua,

²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,

²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,

²⁴ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

²⁶ and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,

²⁷ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

²⁸ And the rest of the people: the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, every one having knowledge and having understanding

— and the rest of the people; perhaps those not sealed; this may be understood to be the mass of the laity, as distinguished from their sealed priests and Levites, princes and elders, like ‘the people’ (Nehemiah 10:35), ‘the residue of Israel’ (Nehemiah 11:20), and ‘Israel’ (1 Chronicles 9:2);

²⁹ they cleaved to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His judgements and His statutes;

— and entered into a curse and into an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God; they bound themselves with an oath that they would keep the law of God, and added a curse or imprecation on themselves to it should they break it;

— and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our God, and his judgements and his statutes; all the laws, moral, ceremonial and judicial; this they engaged to do in general; some particulars follow.

³⁰ and that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons;

— this prohibition of intermarriage with the people of the land had been strenuously upheld by Ezra 9:2; the difficulty of enforcing it appears from Nehemiah 13:23-28. The words of the prohibition seem to be based on Deuteronomy 7:3

‘Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.’

³¹ and if the people of the land bring wares or any victuals on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it from them on the Sabbath or on the holy day; and that we would leave the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.

— that we would not buy it of them on the Sabbath, or on the holy day; any festival, as the feasts of the Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles:

— and that we would leave the seventh year: the ground untilled in that year, the vines unpruned, and the fruits of the earth, which sprung of themselves, for the poor to gather, Leviticus 25:4,

³² Also we made ordinances for us to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God:

— to charge ourselves; the origin of that annual rate for the general service of the Temple was lowered from half shekel, Exodus 30:13); due to the general poverty of the people, occasioned by war or captivity, this tribute was reduced to a third part of a shekel;

³³ for the showbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering of the Sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.

— to provide the showbread for the table; the shewbread consisted of 12 unleavened cakes of fine meal, which were laid fresh every Sabbath in two rows of six upon the table in the Holy Place;

— two lambs for the daily offerings, four for the Sabbaths and more costly sacrifices for other festivals, occasional sin-offerings, and meat offerings and drink-offerings for them all, the charge of which was great and constant.

³⁴ And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God according to the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law;

— we cast the lots, to determine the time and order among the priests and the Levites in which each of them should take the care of the business;

— for the wood offering; Nehemiah 13:31. The supply of wood for the enormous number of sacrifices offered at the Temple of Jerusalem must have represented a large annual sum. The difficulty of procuring wood must have been very great: (1) the area of territory occupied by the Jewish community was small, (2) the trees in the neighbourhood must have suffered during the Chaldean invasion and siege.

³⁵ and to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord;

— and to bring the firstfruits of our ground; not that they cast lots to do this, but they bound themselves with an oath to do it; this is the first of all the fruits of the earth, Exodus 23:19,

³⁶ also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle (as it is written in the law) and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests who minister in the house of our God;

— the firstborn of our sons; the firstborn of the children of Israel ‘from a month old’ were redeemed ‘for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.’ Numbers 18:16; cf. Exodus 13:13; Exodus 34:20;

— of our cattle, as it is written in the law; the firstlings of oxen, sheep and goats were not redeemed; they were holy; their fat was offered as a burnt offering; the flesh was the portion of the priests. See Numbers 18:17-19.

³⁷ and that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests to the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

— that the Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage; that is, the tithes of all the fruits of the ground belonging to our several cities;

³⁸ And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.

— and the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites; as the people gave the tithe of their land to the Levites, so the Levites gave a tithe of their tithes to the priests;

— and it is here ordered that when the people brought them to the Levites, one of the priests should be present to inspect them, and to see that they tithed the tithes, that is, set apart the tenth of the tithes they had received for the priests, which were brought to the chambers of the house of God, wherein they were deposited for their use.

³⁹ For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers where are the vessels of the sanctuary and the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.

— the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering; the priests were not to be troubled with the conveyance of any of the offerings; the firstfruits and other oblations of the people were to be brought to the Temple by the people themselves;

— and the “tithe of the tithe,’ which was the priests’ due, by the Levites. Thus the priests would not be drawn away from their duty of ministering in the Temple by secular employments and matters of mere worldly business;

— we will not forsake, or neglect, the house of our God. We will not suffer, that is, any interruption of the continual service of the Temple, we will not be parties to any neglect or slovenliness in the conduct of it.

— So far as we are concerned, everything shall be done to enable the priests and Levites to remain constantly at Jerusalem in full numbers, and to devote themselves wholly to their sacred duties in God’s house. With this emphatic declaration of their intentions the people concluded the engagements by which they voluntarily bound themselves.

Posted in Nehemiah

JAPAN: Brink of a Pacific Catastrophe

•August 31, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Brink of catastrophe: Japan as a Pacific toxic polluter!

In 2011, Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, roughly 250 kilometres north of Tokyo, was hit by a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami. Three reactors stopped immediately but the loss of electricity supply led in the days and months that followed to breakdown of the cooling system and to a series of hydrogen explosions and meltdowns of the cores of Reactors 1 to 3.

Pearls and Irritations by Gavan McCormack • August 30, 2023 // AsiaTimes

Prime Minster Kan Naoto feared for the worst. He faced the possible need to evacuate the whole Kanto region, including the Tokyo metropolitan area. Japan itself, its state and society, stood on the brink of catastrophe. That fate was only narrowly averted.

To this day the flow of water to cool the debris polluted with various forms of radioactivity has had to be maintained. Over the past twelve years some 1.34 million tons of water has accumulated and is being held in a vast array of over 1000 tanks along the coast of Fukushima prefecture.

Brink of a catastrophe: and a third part of the sea became blood!

Those tanks are about 98 per cent full, but the flow of contaminated water will have to be continued for at least the next three decades, or till such time as the site can be cleaned up. Nobody today can say with any confidence when that might be.

The polluted waters contain 64 radioactive elements, or radionuclides, of greatest concern being carbon-14, iodine-131, caesium-137, strontium-90, cobalt-60 and hydrogen-3, also known as tritium.

Some have short life and might already have ended, but others take longer to decay, with a half-life of more than 5,000 years in the case of carbon-14 (Nature, 29 June 2023).

Tritium, which focuses most attention, has a half-life of 12.3 years. Its concentrations may be low, but one hundred years will have to pass before its threat to humans and the ocean becomes truly negligible.

The government has yet to find additional sites for expansion, and each day it has to put about 90 tons of newly polluted water somewhere. And, while the people of Japan remain steadfast in opposing any return to the pre-2011 vision of a nuclear-powered, energy self-reliant, superpower Japan future, government and bureaucracy are increasingly open about their determination to pursue just such a goal.

In 2016, the Japanese government considered multiple methods of treating the water. Ruling out simple continuation of the status quo – more and more tanks along an already crowded sea-front – there seemed to be three options: ocean discharge, atmospheric discharge, and underground burial. The cost differential was estimated at 34.9 billion yen to release the problem materials as gas into the atmosphere, 24.3 billion to dig a deep hole and bury it, but just 3.4 billion to pour it out gradually into the sea.

The logic of such math was inescapable. The chosen option was the one that was cheaper by a factor of 7 or more. Time, and the recuperative, regenerative powers of the sea, would come to humanity’s rescue. The materials would be released into the ocean (channelled by giant pipes to a point about one kilometre offshore). That process began on 24 August 2023.

Each day Japan has to put another 90 tons of newly polluted water somewhere

Anxiety, alarm, and increasingly anger, spread, both within Japan (and especially in the Fukushima vicinity that bore the brunt of the initial 2011 disaster) and on the part of Japan’s Pacific neighbour states – China (including Hong Kong), Korea (north and south), Russia, Philippines, and the mini-states of the South Pacific (its 18 countries and regions).

In Japan just 44 per cent of people said they had “no worries” over the release, but about 75 per cent said the government had not properly explained what it was doing.

The Japanese government, having promised it would take no step without duly consulting all concerned parties, proceeded to ignore that principle both in regard to its own citizenry (especially those employed in its once vibrant fishing industry) and its Pacific neighbours, whose shores are washed by the same Pacific waters.

True, the IAEA (the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency) has provided helpful cover for the Government of Japan (and the TEPCO power company) by taking the view that the environmental impact of discharge of polluted (but “processed” to remove most of the major radio-active materials) cooling water would be “negligible.” That, however, is neither surprising nor decisive.

The IAEA, founded in 1957, is an organisation devoted to the propagation of “safe” civil nuclear energy; the state of Japan is its second largest source of its funds; and the future of the global nuclear industry depends on there being seen to be a “final solution” to the problems posed by Fukushima.

Though given little attention in media coverage of the problem, a small but significant body of scientific opinion has begun to express severe criticism of IAEA for its failure to apply its own fundamental principles, being in some important respects “at least 10,000 times in error,” neglecting to give proper consideration to the non-dumping solutions, “grossly over-stating” well known facts in its “eagerness to assure the public that harm will be ‘negligible’.”

In this view, the IAEA should, starting with Japan, provide assistance to nuclear-possessing countries to stop dumping so that the oceans that have been much abused in so many ways for so long can at least have a chance to begin recovering.

When then Prime Minster Abe Shinzo told the world in September 2013 that Fukushima was “under control,” he lied. Till 2018, all attempts to locate the missing reactor cores, let alone to place them “under control,” had failed. Only in 2021 did it become possible at least to locate the debris in one reactor.

But knowing the location is but the start. Now we know where it is, we are no closer to knowing how to deal with it. The recovery effort for two of the reactors will not commence until 2024. If they succeed in locating the debris, estimated to be about 880 tons, it will then have to be extracted, gram-by-gram. Meanwhile, as of 2023, between 4,000 and 5,000 workers are mobilised each day to perform various (high-risk) tasks in the disaster zone.

To the peoples of the small states of the Pacific, serial victims of waves of nuclear testing, first American, then French, the blow coming from nuclear-victim country Japan was especially bitter. To the shock and harm caused by the initial massive radioactivity release of 2011 has now to be added that of the deliberate, premeditated dumping of nuclear wastes from 2023.

The “great powers” in the past had given Island peoples repeated assurances that there would be no risk to health or environment from testing or dumping. Those peoples watch sadly now as nuclear victim country Japan does likewise, engaging in intense propaganda efforts to line up regional states to endorse its wastewater dumping campaign.

Japanese words today rings as hollow to Pacific Island peoples as did once American or French words. Even the Japanese people themselves, when it comes to Fukushima wastewater dumping “have little trust in TEPCO or the Japanese Government.”

Japanese governments far into the future are to be bound now by the decisions taken by the current administration and by the process launched on 24 August. The support given Japan’s ocean dumping by prominent Western industrial countries strikes Pacific Islanders as hypocritical (Kalinga Seneviratne, “To the Pacific islands, the West’s support for Japan’s Fukushima nuclear waste ocean dumping is hypocrisy,” South China Morning Post, 20 July 2023,)

Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, chief of the Turaga nation of Pentacost Island, Vanuatu, and activist of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement, puts it this way, “We are people of the ocean. We must stand up and protect it.” She went on,

“We need to remind Japan and other nuclear states of our Nuclear Free and independent Pacific movement slogan: if it is safe, dump it in Tokyo, test it in Paris, and store it in Washington, but keep our Pacific nuclear-free” (Guardian, 26 April 2023).

Brushing aside the pleas of neighbour states, especially those of the long-suffering peoples of the Pacific Islands, Japan has pressed ahead to dump its nuclear wastes into the ocean, ensuring that in due course a third wave of nuclear pollution will wash over Pacific shores.

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

“And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed;

“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter” Revelation 8:8-10.

Posted in Armageddon, Japan

Nehemiah (Ch 7-8)

•August 31, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Targum is an indispensable source of understanding the Bible, especially if certain text in the Masoretic are vague or uncertain. But why is the Targum indispensable?

Started by Ezra in ancient times for those returning Jews from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand the Sacred Text in Aramaic; the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them from the Sacred Text in Aramaic:

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements,” Ezra 7:10. “And the ears of all the people were directed to the law,” that is, the people listened attentively” Nehemiah 8:3.

This translation process gave birth to the Targum; initially only in oral form, but later written down in Aramaic; hence it is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us today from the Sacred Text in a language we can understand.

For more details about the Targum, why and how it started, see Nehemiah 8 below

Nehemiah 7

¹ Now it came to pass, when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,

— now it came to pass when the wall was built and I had set up the doors; which was not done when Sanballat sent his first letter, but now was, Nehemiah 6:1,

— and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed; not to attend the doors of the gates of the wall but to return to their service in the Temple who had been employed in one thing or another, while the wall and gates were building and repairing; see Nehemiah 3:17.

² that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God above many.

— that I, Nehemiah, gave my brother Hanani; who first brought him the melancholy account of the state of Jerusalem, Nehemiah 1:2,

— and Hananiah the ruler of the palace; the king’s palace, in which the viceroy of the king of Persia dwelt, and now Nehemiah; to these two men he gave charge over Jerusalem; committed it to their care during his absence, who may be supposed now to return to Persia, as he had promised, Nehemiah 2:6,

³ And I said unto them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors and bar them. And appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be opposite his house.”

— and Nehemiah said unto them, let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; or until the heat of the day, or near noon; and shone out clearly that if any enemies were near or lying in wait they might be discovered and the inhabitants also up and ready to defend themselves:

⁴ Now the city was large and great, but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built.

— now the city was large and great; the circumference of it, all within the wall; for that was built on its old foundation, and enclosed as much ground as ever it did:

— but the people were few therein; in comparison of the place; for though there were 42,360 that came up at first with Zerubbabel and many more with Ezra yet a great number chose to settle in the country; Jerusalem being in such a desolate condition: and the houses were not builded; some were but they were few, many still in ruins.

⁵ And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles and the rulers and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and found written therein:

— and God put into Nehemiah’s heart; every good motion in him and whatever he thought of that was conducive to the good and welfare of Jerusalem, he always ascribed it to God;

— to gather together the nobles and the rulers and the people that they might be reckoned by genealogy; that their number might be known and of what families they were and in what cities they formerly dwelt; and this was not only of use for the present purpose of Nehemiah, but was of service hereafter to show the pedigree of families and that it might be clearly known from whence the Messiah sprung:

⁶ these are the children of the province who went up out of the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city,

— these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity; who were of the province of Judea as it was now reduced and came up out of the captivity of Babylon through the edict of Cyrus; see Ezra 2:1, where the same preface is given to the list of names as here;

⁷ who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this:

— Jeshua, Nehemiah, etc; to the eleven names given by Ezra, Nehemiah adds one, “Nahamani,” the sixth. He gives the others in the same order as Ezra, but spells some of the names differently – e.g. “Azariah” for “Seraiah,” “Raamiah” for “Reelaiah,” “Mispereth” for “Mizpar,” and “Nehum” for “Rehum.”

⁸ the children of Parosh, two thousand a hundred seventy and two;

⁹ the children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two;

¹⁰ the children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two;

¹¹ the children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen;

¹² the children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four;

¹³ the children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five;

¹⁴ the children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore;

¹⁵ the children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight;

¹⁶ the children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight;

¹⁷ the children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two;

¹⁸ the children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven;

¹⁹ the children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven;

²⁰ the children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five;

²¹ the children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight;

²² the children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight;

²³ the children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four;

²⁴ the children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve;

²⁵ the children of Gibeon, ninety and five;

²⁶ the men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred fourscore and eight;

²⁷ the men of Anathoth, a hundred twenty and eight;

²⁸ the men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two;

²⁹ the men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three;

³⁰ the men of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty and one;

³¹ the men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty and two;

³² the men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred twenty and three;

³³ the men of the other Nebo, fifty and two;

³⁴ the children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four;

³⁵ the children of Harim, three hundred and twenty;

³⁶ the children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five;

³⁷ the children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one;

³⁸ the children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.

³⁹ The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three;

— the priests; it appears that only four of the courses of the priests returned from the captivity; and that the course of Abia (Lu 1:5) is not in the list. But it must be noticed that these four courses were afterwards divided into twenty-four, which retained the names of the original courses which David appointed.

⁴⁰ the children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two;

⁴¹ the children of Pashhur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven;

⁴² the children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.

⁴³ The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel and of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.

⁴⁴ The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred forty and eight.

⁴⁵ The gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, a hundred thirty and eight.

⁴⁶ The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁷ the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,

⁴⁸ the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai,

⁴⁹ the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,

⁵⁰ the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,

⁵¹ the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah,

⁵² the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,

⁵³ the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

⁵⁴ the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

⁵⁵ the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,

⁵⁶the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

⁵⁷ The children of Solomon’s servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,

— the children of Solomon’s servants; this section and the section which follows (verses 63-65) are nearly identical in Ezra and Nehemiah. A few names only are slightly different.

⁵⁸ the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

⁵⁹ the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.

⁶⁰ All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon’s servants were three hundred ninety and two.

⁶¹ And these were the ones who went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer [these were names of some cities in the Babylonish empire]; but they could not show their father’s house nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.

— “And these” the natural reading indicates the “these” is indented to mean the “children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda” in the following up verse;

— “they could not show their father’s house and their seed, whether they were of Israel.”

⁶² The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.

— contrast this with Ezra 2:60, “the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.” It might be that Ezra’s list was made in Babylon, some time before the final departure, and Nehemiah’s as made at Jerusalem, after the arrival of the exiles?

— Q. is this Tobiah different from one of the enemies of the Jews together with Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant the Ammonite Nehemiah 2:10?

— Or, is this a case of the record or registry being forged? The evidence is positively conclusive.

MSG

These are those who came from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. They weren’t able to prove their ancestry, whether they were true Israelites or not: The sons of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda, 642.

Likewise with these priestly families: the sons of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai, who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and took that name.

⁶³ And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, who took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite for a wife, and was called after their name.

⁶⁴ These sought their register among those who were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were as polluted, put from the priesthood.

— were they (the three families of the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai), as polluted, put from the priesthood R.V. were they deemed polluted and put, Heb. they were polluted from;

— Q1. Is the list polluated from the Samaritans? Were these names polluted or edited by Tobiah who had penatrated the Temple and altered the register? (for more see Tobiah in the Temple at the end)

— Q2. Did Tobiah entered his own posterity in verse 62 above as “the children of Tobiah?” The evidence is positively conclusive.

ERV

⁶¹Some people came to Jerusalem from these towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer. But these people could not prove that their families really came from the Israelites: ⁶²the descendants of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda 642;

⁶³From the family of priests there were the descendants of Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (If a man married a daughter of Barzillai from Gilead, he was counted as a descendant of Barzillai.)

⁶⁴These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. They could not prove that their ancestors were priests, so they could not serve as priests. Their names were not included in the list of priests.

⁶⁵ And the governor said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy things until there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.

— they consulted the Urim and Thummim, appealing for God to sort out the forgery, if any. So was “the children of Tobiah” in verse 62 above forged? The Scripture is evidently conclusive. It is unusual that the name of an Ammonite is being adopted by a Jewish family; or an Ammonite adopting a Jewish name?

⁶⁶ The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,

— the whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. It makes against the view that Ezra’s list was made in Babylon, some time before the final departure, and Nehemiah’s as made at Jerusalem, after the arrival of the exiles, that the sum total is in each case the same (see Ezra 2:64).

⁶⁷ besides their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven; and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.

⁶⁸ Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;

⁶⁹ their camels, four hundred thirty and five; six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses.

⁷⁰ And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The governor gave to the treasury a thousand drams of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests’ garments.

⁷¹ And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasury of the work twenty thousand drams of gold and two thousand and two hundred pounds of silver.

⁷² And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pounds of silver, and threescore and seven priests’ garments.

⁷³ So the priests, and the Levites, and the gatekeepers, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinim, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

Nehemiah 8

¹ And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the Water Gate; and they spoke unto Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

— and all the people spoke unto Ezra the scribe; also the priest and scribe of the law of God, written in Hebrew, and said to be a ready one, Ezra 7:6, who came to Jerusalem thirteen years before this time; but very probably returned to Babylon again, and was lately come from thence:

— to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel; to observe what was commanded in it, and which he had ordered to be read, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Deuteronomy 31:10 which was now drawing near; hence some have thought this year was the sabbatical year; see Nehemiah 5:11.

² And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all who could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

— and Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation; having a perfect copy of it, which the people knew, and therefore desired him to bring it; he brought it either out of his own case or chest, or out of the Temple where it was laid;

— upon the first day of the seventh month; as the seventh was the most important month in a religious sense, so the first day, the Feast of Trumpets, was the most important new moon (Leviticus 23:24).

³ And he read therein before the street that was before the Water Gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the Book of the Law.

— and he read therein; some passages in it, here and there, from early morning) till mid-day; therefore for about six hours daily;

— from Hebrew to Aramaic; which it was necessary the people should have understanding and knowledge of; for it can hardly be thought be began and read on just in the order in which it was: this he did, “And the ears of all the people were directed to the law,” that is, the people listened attentively;

— Ezra had others standing by to relieve him: the reading was also interrupted by exposition (verses 7 to 8). Hence this progress gave rise to the Targum translation.

⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah, and Urijah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah, and Hashum and Hashbadana, Zechariah and Meshullam.

— pulpit of wood; literally, a tower of wood; to raise him higher than the people; that he might be better seen and heard by them all. Thirteen persons (perhaps representing thirteen tribes), however, were on what is afterwards called a platform, or stair, by his side.

⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people), and when he opened it all the people stood up.

— and Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was above all the people); so plainly seen by them and what he did and the more easily heard for which purpose the pulpit was made for him to stand in:

— and, when he opened it, all the people stood up; that they might the better hear the law read as well as in honour and reverence of it; the Jews say (T. Bab. Megillah, fol. 21.1) that from the times of Moses to Rabban Gamaliel, they learned the law only standing;

— but after his death a disease came into the world, and they learned it sitting; and now it is a canon with them, that it is not necessary to stand at the reading of the law.

⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” while lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

— it is the custom with the Jews in their synagogues for the reader after he has opened the book and looked out the place he reads, to say this blessing,

“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hath chosen us out of all people, and hath given us his law; blessed art thou, O Lord, who hast given us the law; and all the people answer, Amen;”

— and all the people answered, Amen, Amen: repeating the word, to declare their hearty assent to what Ezra had expressed; the Jews have many rules concerning pronouncing the “Amen,” that it must not be too quick, curt, and short, nor with too high a voice:

— with lifting up their hands; a prayer gesture; and they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground; expressing hereby the awful sense they had of the Divine Being, and their profound adoration of him.

⁷ Also Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law; and the people stood in their place.

— the Levites caused the people to understand the law; as well the words, which, being Hebrew, needed to be translated into the Chaldee or Aramaic language, now the common language of the returnees;

— who, together with their religion had also in a great part lost their Hebrews; as also the meaning of them: they expounded the mind and will of God in what they read, and applied it to the people’s present condition;

— some think that Ezra read the law in pure Hebrew, while the Levites who assisted him translated it sentence by sentence into Chaldee, the vernacular dialect which the exiles spoke in Babylon. Others maintain that the duty of these Levites consisted in explaining to the people, many of whom had become very ignorant, what Ezra had read.

⁸ So they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly, and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading.

— distinctly; ‘or with an interpretation.’ On the word see note on Ezra 4:18. The rendering sometimes based on the supposition that the Jews had returned from Babylon speaking Chaldee or Aramaic and that in consequence the Hebrew of ‘the Law’ had to be ‘interpreted’ in the sense of ‘translated.’ This would have been necessary in Ezra’s time.

⁹And Nehemiah, who is the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people, said unto all the people, “This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

— said unto all the people, this day is holy unto the Lord your God; being both the new moon and the feast of blowing of trumpets:

— mourn not, nor weep; which was unsuitable to a festival, and especially such an one as this, in which trumpets were to be blown, and gladness to be shown, Numbers 10:10

— for all the people wept when they heard the words of the law; perceiving they had not kept it, but had broke it in many instances, and so liable to the wrath and judgment of God in case of disobedience.

¹⁰ Then he said unto them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy unto our Lord; neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

— notwithstanding the painful remembrances of their national sins which the reading of the law awakened, the people were exhorted to cherish the feelings of joy and thankfulness associated with a sacred festival;

— by sending portions of it to their poorer brethren (Deu 16:11, 14; Es 9:19), they would also enable them to participate in the public rejoicings.

¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.”

— so the Levites stilled all the people, made them quiet and easy, being backed by the governor: saying, hold your peace; refrain from weeping and mourning:

— for the day is holy; a festival, set apart for joy and gladness: neither be ye grieved; inwardly; as they were not to show any signs of sorrow outwardly, so they were not to cherish grief inwardly.

¹² And all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

¹³ And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.

— and on the second day were gathered together; the second day of the month and of the new year, the day after the Feast of blowing of Trumpets, and after the law had been read and explained:

— unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law; some things in it, which, upon reading the day before, they observed had some difficulty in them, and which they did not clearly understand before;

— and therefore Ezra, a scribe in the law, for better information might be deemed better able to teach the people; which was highly commendable in them.

¹⁴ And they found written in the law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;

— that the children of Israel should dwell in booths, in the feast of the seventh month: and this already past the second day of the same month; therefore the time was drawing near for keeping it; for it was to begin the fifteenth.

¹⁵ and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches, and palm branches and branches of thick trees to make booths, as it is written.”

— and they found written in the law that the Lord had commanded Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;

— and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying: “Go forth to the mount, and fetch olive branches, etc. to make booths, as it is written.”

¹⁶ So the people went forth, and brought them and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the Water Gate and in the street of the Gate of Ephraim.

— so the people went forth, and brought them; went out of Jerusalem to the mountains adjacent, and fetched in branches of the said trees, one or another:

— and made themselves booths, everyone upon the roof of his house; which were flat, Deuteronomy 22:8, and they might be made anywhere, so be it they were open to the air: and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God; the common people in the courtyards belonging to their houses, and the priests and Levites in the courts of the Temple, the yards or open places adjoining to them:

— and in the street of the watergate; which led to that, and seems to have been a very large street, in which many booths might be built, Nehemiah 3:26; and in the street of the gate of Ephraim; which led to the gate through which the road lay to the tribe of Ephraim, II Kings 14:13, none were erected without the walls of the city, for fear of the enemy.

¹⁷ And all the congregation of those who had come again out of the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

— and all the congregation of them that were come again out of captivity made booths; these came to Jerusalem, and made them booths there;

— and sat under the booths; there they dwelt during the seven days of it, in commemoration of their ancestors dwelling in booths in the wilderness, Leviticus 23:42

— for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so; Joshua observed it, when be had brought and settled the people of Israel in the land of Canaan; and it had been observed since, before this time, as appears from 1 Kings 8:2 Ezra 3:4; but not so, with such exactness,

— with such zeal and affection, with such a regard to the law of God, as to read it every day of the feast, as in the next verse, and with such joy and gladness; wherefore there is no reason to suspect a corruption in the text, as some learned men may say, who supposes that Joshua is put for Josiah:

— and there was very great gladness; that they were restored unto and settled in their land, had the book of the law and the knowledge of it and were directed and enabled to observe it.

¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

— also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God; that is, Ezra; this was done by him every day during the feast, whereas only the first and last days were the holy convocations on which it seems to have been read:

— and they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the manner; prescribed in Leviticus 23:39.

~~~

Tobiah in the Temple – Nehemiah 13:4-9

⁴ And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah.

⁵ And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where previously they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense and the vessels and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers, and the offerings of the priests.

⁶ But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came unto the king, and after certain days I obtained leave from the king.

⁷ And I came to Jerusalem and learned of the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

⁸ And it grieved me sore; therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.

⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and thither I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.

There are four things mentioned in particular that show the backsliding of the people: the presence Tobiah in the courts of the Temple; the failure to provide adequately for the Levites; the desecration of the Sabbath; and the return to mixed marriages.

When Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem he saw something that must have both grieved and angered him. He found that the priest Eliashib had entered into an agreement with one of the men who had been at the forefront of the opposition to the wall rebuilding.

Not only was Tobiah personally a proven enemy of the people of God, he was an Ammonite, a part of the ‘mixed multitude’ put out of the temple years before. In chapter 6, Tobiah was exerting his influence from outside, and maintaining contact with some of the nobles within by letter. But now he was right inside! It is not at all surprising that Nehemiah was upset!

(a) The Temple rooms that Tobiah was occupying were supposed to be used for the storage of tithes and offerings for the priests and for the service of God’s sanctuary. It was unthinkable that rooms set apart for a holy purpose should be used by a pagan opponent of the work of God.

(b) Eliashib had failed as the spiritual leader of the people and had neglected to maintain the purity of the house of God. He had not recognised the danger of having an alliance with such a man. Possibly Eliashib thought the regulations for ‘separation’ and ‘no mixing’ were far too strict and uncharitable, but we ignore God’s commands at our peril!

Nehemiah was not just grieved but determined to take radical measures to solve the problem: he threw Tobiah and all his possessions out of the Temple; he restored the Temple rooms to their proper function. No doubt some would see his action as being harsh but like the Lord Jesus when he cleansed the Temple Nehemiah had the wisdom not to confuse ‘love’ with ‘being nice’!

Posted in Nehemiah, Targum

Building BRICS by bricks

•August 30, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Resistance to Western geo-political order: building brick by BRICS. And “China has 13 naval shipyards, each with more capacity than all seven US naval shipyards combined.”

Pearls And Irratations by John Queripel • August 29, 2023

Excerpts

The Summit’s most momentous decision was the admission of six new nations to BRICS. The Bloc added Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and UAE while leaving the door upon to further expansion.

BRICS adding Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and UAE

‘We have consensus on the first phase of this expansion process and other phases will follow,’ Ramaphosa said at a media briefing.

The new members admitted include three of the world’s biggest oil producers: Saudi Arabia the UAE and Iran. This would appear to expand the influence of China and Russia in the Middle East. Recently China was able to bring to the table longstanding enemies, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Now they have both have been brought into BRICS.

BRICS adds Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and UAE

The new candidates will be formally admitted 1st January 2024. Together, the 11 countries have a population of some 3.7 billion, almost half the global populace.

The long list of other nations who have expressed interest in joining include:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Indonesia, Kazakstan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

That interest seems to arise from BRICS representing an alternative to the current Western led global order, something clearly these nations view as not being in their interest.

One day, BRICS+ will recast itself into a counter NATO Alliance, less so with G7

IMF figures show the US dollar still accounts for about 88 percent of all international transactions and 59 percent of global foreign exchange reserves.

The BRICS bank already lends in Chinese yuan, with this Summit extending that to South African and Brazilian currencies.

Change is rapid. BRICS is often compared to the G7. In 2002, the G7 countries accounted for 42 percent of global GDP, but 20 years later, they represent just 30 percent. During the same period, BRICS members’ share of global GDP increased from 19 percent to 31 percent.

Russia will assume chairing the group next year, including hosting a summit in Kazan during October 2024.

“‘And if ye will not for all this hearken unto Me, but walk contrary unto Me, then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins”

“And I will bring the land into desolation, and your enemies who dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

“And I will scatter you among the nations, and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be desolate and your cities waste“ Leviticus 26:27-28; 32-33

Posted in BRICS

Enemies of Ezra and Nehemiah

•August 30, 2023 • Leave a Comment

“My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear,” Nehemiah 6:14

Types of Enemies for Ezra and Nehemiah

(1) Sanballet: Who was Sanballat?

He was also called “the Horonite,” and was associated with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arabian (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:7). But his home was evidently at Samaria, from whatever “Horon” he may have come. Sanballat was one of the chief opponents of Nehemiah when he was building the walls of Jerusalem and carrying out his reforms among the Jews: as the Jewish community was facing enemies from the Samaritans, the Ammonites, and the Arabs.

Nehemiah 2:10When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

When Nehemiah actually disclosed his intention of building the walls of Jerusalem they laughed him to scorn (Neh 2:19), and said, “Will ye rebel against the king?”

Nehemiah 2:19But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

Nehemiah resented their insinuation, and gave them to understand that they had no right in Jerusalem, nor any interest in its affairs. As soon as Sanballat and his associates heard that Nehemiah and the Jews were actually building the walls, they were angry (Neh 4:1-3);

Nehemiah 4:1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

² And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?

³ Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox goes up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

And Sanballat addressed the army of Samaria with a contemptuous reference to “these feeble Jews.” Tobiah appeased him by saying that a jackal climbing on the wall they were building would break it down.

Nehemiah and his builders, the Jews, vigorously hurried the work, while Sanballat and his associates organized their forces to fight against Jerusalem (Neh 4:8). Nehemiah prepared to meet the opposition and continued the work on the walls. Five different times Sanballat and his confederates challenged Nehemiah and the Jews to meet them in battle in the plain of Ono (Neh 6:1-7).

(2) Tobiah, Who was Tobiah?

Tobiah was an Ammonite who had infiltrated into the house of Judah and its Temple in Jerusalem

Tobiah in the Temple – Nehemiah 13:4-9

⁴ And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah.

⁵ And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where previously they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense and the vessels and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which were commanded to be given to the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers, and the offerings of the priests.

⁶ But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came unto the king, and after certain days I obtained leave from the king.

⁷ And I came to Jerusalem and learned of the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.

⁸ And it grieved me sore; therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.

⁹Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers; and thither I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.

There are four things mentioned in particular that show the backsliding of the returning Jews: the presence Tobiah in the courts of the Temple; the failure to provide adequately for the Levites; the desecration of the Sabbath; and the return to mixed marriages.

Not only was Tobiah personally a proven enemy of the people of God, he was an Ammonite, a part of the ‘mixed multitude’ put out of the Temple years before. In chapter 6 Tobiah was exerting his influence from the outside, and maintaining contact with some of the nobles within by letter. But now he was right inside! It is not at all surprising that Nehemiah was upset!

(a) The Temple rooms that Tobiah was occupying were supposed to be used for the storage of tithes and offerings for the priests and for the service of God’s sanctuary. It was unthinkable that rooms set apart for a holy purpose should be used by a pagan opponent of the work of God.

(b) Eliashib had failed as the spiritual leader of the people and had neglected to maintain the purity of the house of God. He had not recognised the danger of having an alliance with such a man. Possibly Eliashib thought the regulations for ‘separation’ and ‘no mixing’ were far too strict and uncharitable, but we ignore God’s commands at his peril!

Nehemiah was not just grieved but determined to take radical measures to solve the problem: He threw Tobiah and all his possessions out of the Temple; He restored the Temple rooms to their proper function. No doubt some would see his action as being harsh but like the Lord Jesus when he cleansed the Temple Nehemiah had the wisdom not to confuse ‘love’ with ‘being nice’!

(3) Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah; who was Shemaiah?

Shemaiah was a self-prefessing prophet who prophecised against Nehemiah, he was probably one of the chief of the priests, 1 Chronicles 24:18; Ezra 2:60 (together with the forged record of the children of Tobiah?)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary; writing of Nehemiah:

10-14. Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah, &c.—This man was the son of a priest, who was an intimate and confidential friend of Nehemiah. The young man claimed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy.

Having been secretly bribed by Sanballat, he, in his pretended capacity of prophet, told Nehemiah that his enemies were that night to make an attempt upon his life. He advised him, at the same time, to consult his safety by concealing himself in the sanctuary, a crypt which, from its sanctity, was strong and secure.

But the noble-minded governor determined at all hazards to remain at his post, and not bring discredit on the cause of God and religion by his unworthy cowardice in leaving the temple and city unprotected.

This plot, together with a secret collusion between the enemy and the nobles of Judah who were favorably disposed towards the bad Samaritan in consequence of his Jewish connections (Ne 6:18), the undaunted courage and vigilance of Nehemiah were enabled, with the blessing of God, to defeat, and the erection of the walls thus built in troublous times (Da 9:25) was happily completed (Ne 6:15) in the brief space of fifty-two days.

So rapid execution, even supposing some parts of the old wall standing, cannot be sufficiently accounted for, except by the consideration that the builders labored with the ardor of religious zeal, as men employed in the work of God.

(4) Noadiah, a professed prophetess; but who was Noadiah?

Noadiah is mentioned only once in one of the prayers of Nehemiah. She was one that falsely pretended to possess the spirit of prophecy: to frighten Nehemiah with false prophecies.

The law of Moses enjoins the governors of the Jews to punish such as were proven to be false prophets; but because Nehemiah was prevented in a capacity to do so, as many rich and powerful Jews were protecting Noadish, he could only pray to God to remember and punish them.

Thus in his imprecation (cursing), Nehemiah said:

“Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid” (Nehemiah 6:14).

It appears from this and many other passages that there were many among the Jews that pretended to be prophets but who had no divine commission, and often drew aside and deceived the people, who ought to have done as Nehemiah had intended.

Similarly, the Jewish community should have considered the spirit of these prophets, whether they spoke that which were agreeable to the divine laws. Further, they should have tried these prophets; and because they did not do so, they were, instead, led to hearken to them, for which they were severely rebuked and most probably punished.

But Nehemiah, having many powerful enemies surrounding him, was unable to accomplish his duty. Hence, no judgement or punishment were executed, but with only cursings from him; thus Nehemiah could only pray that God would remember to curse them.

Posted in Ezra, Nehemiah, Sadducees, Samaritans

Three dead in US’s Ospreys crash

•August 29, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Three dead in US military helicopter Osprey — dubbed ‘the Widowmaker’ crashed in Australia

Five wounded American marines were taken to the hospital in serious condition, the local authorities have said

RT News • August 27, 2023 // Sydney Morning Herald

A US military helicopter with 23 American marines aboard has crashed off the coast of Australia, leaving at least three service members dead and all others injured, local officials said on Sunday.

In a statement on Sunday, the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin said the incident involved an MV-22B Osprey aircraft which went down on Melville Island in the northern part of the country at around 9:30am local time. The crash occurred during the Predators Run drill as the helicopter was “transporting troops during a routine training exercise,” the department said.

There had been 16 crashes with ‘the Widowmaker’ since 2012, one report says

“Three have been confirmed deceased while five others were transported to Royal Darwin Hospital in serious condition,” it noted, adding that the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

The Predators Run drill 2023 involves more than 2,500 troops from Australia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia, which began on August 21 and is slated to continue until September 8. It involves troops on land, in the sea and in the air.

In a statement quoted by Sky News, the Australian Defense Force said that preliminary data indicates that the incident involved only US troops. “At this critical early stage, our focus is on the incident response and ensuring the safety of those involved,” it added.

Later, the Northern Territory’s chief minister, Natasha Fyles, confirmed media reports that all those aboard were American service members, who she said sustained “a wide range of injuries.” ABC reported, citing local emergency services, that one of those who was injured is in critical condition.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as “regrettable,” adding that Canberra officials remain in touch with their American counterparts.

According to Sky News, the Predators Run exercise will be temporarily suspended in light of the crash.

The incident came after the US and Australia agreed last month to expand Washington’s military footprint on the continent in a bid to deter China in the Pacific. The deepened cooperation included longer visits by American submarines and a regular rotation of US Army watercraft.

At the time, the two nations also held major military drills – Talisman Sabre – involving more than 34,000 personnel. The games, incidentally, were paused after an Australian MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed off the country’s northern coast, killing four soldiers.

“Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be” Hosea 5:9

I, the Lord, will punish and wipe out Israel. This is my solemn promise to every tribe of Israel. CEV Translation Hosea 5:9

Posted in Australia, China, US

Nehemiah (Ch 5-6)

•August 29, 2023 • Leave a Comment

The Jewish community were surrounded on all sides: Sanballat and the Samaritans on the north, the Ammonites and the Moabites on the east, the Edomites and Arabians on the south, and the Philistines (Ashdodites) on the west.

“Our God shall fight for us,” the Jews reminded themselves, against foes superior in numbers and strength. Their God shall fight for them; Exodus 15:3-6, ‘The Lord is a man of war … Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy;’ Exodus 14:14, ‘The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace …’

Nehemiah 5

¹ And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

— there was a great cry of the people; of the poor against their rich brethren, who had oppressed them; for though the people in general were cured of their idolatry by their captivity,

— yet they were not cured of their other sins, but loved strange women, and were so covetous that they oppressed the poor and needy; and this at a time when their enemies threatened the destruction of them all.

² For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live.”

— for there were that said, we, our sons and our daughters, are many; not that they complained of the number of their children, for a numerous offspring was always reckoned a blessing with the Jews; but this they observed to show that their families, being large, required a considerable quantity of food to support them:

— therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat and live; that is, they were obliged to take it at an exorbitant price, which is the thing complained of; or otherwise they must starve, the rich taking the advantage of their poverty and present dearth.

³ There were some also who said, “We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn because of the dearth.”

— because of the dearth; not long before this, there had been a great scarcity of corn through want of rain, which God had withheld as a punishment for the people’s taking more care to build their own houses than his Temple, as in Haggai 1:9-11.

— and in this time of scarcity the rich had no compassion for their poor brethren, who were forced to part with all they had for bread. And this dearth was now increased, from the multitude of the people in and near Jerusalem.

⁴ There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

— we have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards; for though the priests, Levites, and Nethinims (Temple assistants in ancient Jerusalem), were exempted from it,

— yet not the people in common; and some of these were so poor, that they could not pay it without borrowing upon their estates, and paying large usury for it.

⁵ Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already; neither is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

— yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren; we are of the same nature, nation and religion: our children as their children; are circumcised as they, and have a right to the same privileges in church and state:

— and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already; sold to be servants as they might in case of the poverty of parents, Exodus 21:7, and some were sometimes taken to be bond in payment of their parents’ debts, II Kings 4:1

⁶ And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

— Nehemiah was very angry; his indignation was excited at the excessive usury, which his own brethren and servants required.

⁷ Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles and the rulers and said unto them, “Ye exact usury, every one from his brother.” And I set a great assembly against them.

— and Nehemiah seek his own counsel and rebuked the nobles and the rulers: you exact usury, every one of his brothers where the Deuteronomic law forbids interest upon loans advanced to fellow Israelites, but permits them only with foreigners, Deuteronomy 23:19-20.

— this law treats only of dealing with Israelites and prohibits all idea of making gain out of assistance rendered to brethren in distress, Leviticus 25:35-37.

⁸ And I said unto them, “We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews who were sold unto the heathen. And will ye even sell your brethren? Or shall they be sold unto us?” Then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer.

— in this assembly Nehemiah reproached them with the injustice of their behaviour. “We” (said he) “have, after our ability, redeemed our brethren the Jews which were sold unto the heathen; yet ye would sell your brethren.”

— We (that is, Nehemiah and the Jews living in exile, who were like-minded with him) have bought, in contrast to ye sell. God had redeemed their Jewish brethren from the Persians yet they were later sold to the heathen.

⁹ Also I said, “It is not good what ye do. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen, our enemies?

— it is not good that ye do; though you get money by it, you contract guilt, and expose yourselves to the displeasure of God; ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God?

— Certainly you ought, for you profess religion and relation to him; and if you do walk in his fear, you will neither be covetous of worldly gain, nor cruel toward your brethren. They that live in the fear of God will not dare to do an ill thing, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies;

— who are round about you and are enemies to us, our God and our religion. They observe all your actions and will reproach both you for such barbarous usage of your brethren and religion for your sakes.

¹⁰ I likewise, and my brethren and my servants, might exact from them money and corn; I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

— let us leave off this usury; Nehemiah invites his hearers to join with him in abandoning a custom which had been productive of such evil results. ‘This usury,’ that is, requiring of interest or of pledges.

¹¹ Restore, I pray you, to them even this day their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the corn, the wine, and the oil that ye exact from them.”

— restore, I pray you; Nehemiah demands immediate redress for the wrongs done to fellow-countrymen. He demands restoration of property and remission of interest on loans.

¹² Then said they, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. So will we do as thou sayest.” Then I called the priests and took an oath from them, that they should do according to this promise.

— so will we do as thou sayest; they approved of his proposal, and readily agreed to it: then Nehemiah called the priests, and took an oath of them that they should do according to this promise; both in that the priests were delinquents, they were charged with issues of this kind;

— and second, that the priests were called to administer the oath to the nobles and rulers and rich men to oblige them the more to keep their word; an oath being sacred, priests in an holy office were made to give solemn pledge to keep them.

¹³ Also I shook my lap, and said, “So God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out and emptied.” And all the congregation said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

— shook my lap; this symbolical act imprecated on every man who broke this covenant an appropriate penalty: that he be emptied of all his possessions, even as the fold of Nehemiah’s garment was emptied;

— shook it in the sight of all the people, so that anything which it might have before concealed would have been jerked violently from him. Even so, he says, may God cast forth from His protection and love, in home and work, the man who fails to abide by this oath.

¹⁴ Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king (that is, twelve years), I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

— have not eaten the bread of the governor; have not taken that allowance which, by the laws of God and nations, and of the king of Persia, the governors might require; that is, not living at the expense of the people under him.

¹⁵ But the former governors who had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yea, even their servants ruled over the people, but so did I not, because of the fear of God.

— the former governors that had been before me. Of these, two only are known to us, Zerubbabel and Ezra; were chargeable unto the people; the words should be rendered “had oppressed the people,“ had been heavy upon them;

— had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels. Rather, “had taken from them, for bread and wine, above forty shekels.” It could be forty shekels a day from the whole people, or forty shekels a year from each person as some explain;

— even their servants bare rule; the oppression exercised by the domestics and other servants of rulers is often worse than their own. This is especially the case in ancient times where eunuchs and other domestics have been the most fearful tyrants. Haman under Xerxes, Sejanus under Tiberius, Narcissus under Nero, are examples;

— so did not Nehemiah; he neither exacted money nor allowed his servants to bear rule. Because of the fear of God. Because Nehemiah felt that it would be wrong, either absolutely or under the circumstances.

¹⁶ Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land; and all my servants were gathered thither for the work.

— yea, also Nehemiah continued in the work: overseeing, directing and encouraging the workmen, which was his whole business; and this at his own cost;

— neither bought we any land; of his poor brethren, whose necessities gave abundant opportunities of enriching himself by good bargains. And all his servants were gathered unto the work and received no pay for their labour.

¹⁷ Moreover there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those who came unto us from among the heathen who are about us.

— a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers; the “hundred and fifty” were all “rulers.” Nehemiah means to say that he entertained continually at his table 150 of the Jewish chief men or “rulers” and also an indefinite number of foreign Jews, who came on short visits to Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days, a store of all sorts of wine; yet for all this I required not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

— once in ten clays store of all sorts of wine. Literally “all sorts of wine in abundance.” Wine was probably drunk every day, but laid in every ten days.

— yet for all this; or “with all this” notwithstanding this great expenditure, Nehemiah took no allowance as governor. Because the bondage was heavy upon this people. The bondage intended must be that under the Persian crown, since neither the labour at the wall nor the oppression of the creditors lasted during the twelve years that Nehemiah was governor.

¹⁹ Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

— think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that Nehemiah had done for this people, not expecting any recompence from the people, but from the Lord; and from him not in a way of merit, but of grace and good will, who forgets not what is done for his name’s sake.

Nehemiah 6

¹ Now it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left therein (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates),

— as established in Nehemiah 2-4, ”for their adversaries were surrounding the Jewish community on all sides: Sanballat and the Samaritans on the north, Tobiah and the Ammonites on the east, Geshem the chief among the Arabians on the south, and the Philistines (Ashdodites) on the west;”

— though at that time Nehemiah had not set up the doors upon the gates; not upon all of them, though some might by the particular builders of them; and they all of them might be ready made, though not as yet put upon the hinges.

² that Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me mischief.

— the wall-building was quite finished, but doors to the gates were as yet wanting to the complete fortification of the city. The enemies sent to Nehemiah, saying, Come, let us meet together (for a discussion) in the villages in the valley of Ono;

— in the plain of Ono; which was in the same tribe, 1 Chronicles 8:12, they might pretend a friendly meeting, to accommodate differences between them, or to converse together about the general interest of the king of Persia in those parts: but they thought to do me mischief; to kill him, or at least to confine him; this he either conjectured from their general character and behaviour, or he had intelligence of their design.

³ And I sent messengers unto them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?”

— I am doing a great work: he tells them one, but not the only, nor the principal, reason of his refusal, because his coming might cause the work to cease, not only by the neglect of it during his absence, but by his death, which they by this means might compass, though he thought it not fit to express so much to them.

⁴ Yet they sent unto me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same manner.

— and Nehemiah answered them after the same manner; every time as before, four times, he being as much bent on finishing the work as they were to divert him from it.

⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant unto me in like manner the fifth time with an open letter in his hand,

— the fifth time, an open letter in his hand, ‘open,’ not sealed. The object of this was intended that the contents of the letter should become public. The servant himself and the adherents of Sanballat within the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 6:17) would possess themselves of its contents long before it reached the hands of Nehemiah.

⁶ wherein was written: “It is reported among the heathen, and Geshem saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel; for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king according to these words.

— that thou and the Jews think to rebel; that they had formed a scheme and were taking measures to raise a rebellion against the king of Persia and revolt from him:

— for which cause thou buildest the wall; the wall of Jerusalem for their security against any force that might be sent to quell them: that thou mayest be their king, according to these words; written in this epistle and reported among the heathens.

⁷ And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, ‘There is a king in Judah!’ And now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.”

— and thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem; this he said to cover what he and Tobiah had been doing, tampering with, corrupting, and hiring the prophets to discourage him, and put him upon methods, whereby the work would cease:

— come now and let us take counsel together; if a false one, and to wipe off the reproach that is upon thee and may affect us; and thus partly terrifying him and partly pretending friendship to him, hoped to get him into his hands.

⁸ Then I sent unto him, saying, “There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.”

— Nehemiah, however, saw through his stratagem and sent word to him by a messenger: “There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart,” – to invent, to feign, especially evil things.

⁹ For they all made us afraid, saying, “Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done.” Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

— now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands; and let them not have what they will, and hope for;

— these words are directed to Sanballat, that if he was a friend, as he pretended, that instead of weakening, he would strengthen his hands by a sincere reconciliation.

¹⁰ Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple; for they will come to slay thee, yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.” — name not given, but of the house of Shemaiah;

— afterward Nehemiah came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; either in his own house, or in a chamber in the Temple, as if he had given himself up to meditation, fasting and prayer;

— or, as he might suggest to Nehemiah, for his safety; however he was a person Nehemiah had a good opinion of and came to him on the letters sent to him by his enemies to consult with him and the rest since they had suggested that he had appointed prophets to speak of him as a king;

— for they will come to slay thee; meaning his enemies, Sanballat and his companions: yea, in the night they will come to slay thee; that very night and therefore no time should be lost in providing for his safety.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: 10-14. Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah, &c.—This man was the son of a priest, who was an intimate and confidential friend of Nehemiah. The young man claimed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy.

Having been secretly bribed by Sanballat, he, in his pretended capacity of prophet, told Nehemiah that his enemies were that night to make an attempt upon his life. He advised him, at the same time, to consult his safety by concealing himself in the sanctuary, a crypt which, from its sanctity, was strong and secure.

But the noble-minded governor determined at all hazards to remain at his post, and not bring discredit on the cause of God and religion by his unworthy cowardice in leaving the temple and city unprotected.

This plot, together with a secret collusion between the enemy and the nobles of Judah who were favorably disposed towards the bad Samaritan in consequence of his Jewish connections (Ne 6:18), the undaunted courage and vigilance of Nehemiah were enabled, with the blessing of God, to defeat, and the erection of the walls thus built in troublous times (Da 9:25) was happily completed (Ne 6:15) in the brief space of fifty-two days.

So rapid execution, even supposing some parts of the old wall standing, cannot be sufficiently accounted for, except by the consideration that the builders labored with the ardor of religious zeal, as men employed in the work of God.

¹¹ And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.”

— Nehemiah was not to be alarmed, but exclaimed: Should such a man as I flee? and what man like me could go into the holy place and live?

— I will not go in. This word is ambiguous; it may mean to save his life, or and save his life; probably Nehemiah used it in the latter sense, having in mind the command, Numbers 18:7, that the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

¹² And lo, I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me; for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. — of the house of Shemaiah;

— the existence of a party among the Jews, a betrayal, who sided with Sanballat and lent themselves to his schemes, is here for the first time indicated;

— the house of Shemaiah; this man was the son of a priest (Shemaiah, the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, Neh 3:29), who was an intimate and confidential friend of Nehemiah. The young man claimed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy. Having been secretly bribed by Sanballat, he, in his pretended capacity of prophet, told Nehemiah that his enemies were that night to make an attempt upon his life.

¹³ Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

— an evil report; Nehemiah perceived that not God, but Shemaiah himself, had uttered the prophecy “against me,” and that he was hired to bring the governor into discredit as a violator of law.

¹⁴ My God, think Thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have put me in fear. — a prophetess Noadiah!

— my God, think thou on Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works; their wicked counsels and schemes, and not only confound and disappoint them but reward them as they deserve:

— the prophetess Noadiah; one that falsely pretended to have the Spirit of prophecy, to deceive and destroy Nehemiah. She has been supposed to have succumbed to a bribe, like Shemaiah; we only know that together with other prophets, she endeavoured to “put Nehemiah in fear.” It is clear that she was unsuccessful.

¹⁵ So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty and two days.

— Nehemiah built the wall, but earlier, Zerubbabel built the house of the Lord, the Temple (Ezra 3:8, 5:2).

¹⁶ And it came to pass that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen who were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was wrought by our God.

— our enemies; the Samaritans, the Ammonites, the Ashdodites and the Arabians under Geshem are the special “enemies” here spoken of.

— the Phoenicians, Syrians, Moabites, etc are the other “heathen round about” the Jews. Even these last were unfriendly and disliked any increase of Jewish power and prosperity; they perceived that this work was wrought of our God;

— they could not but recognise a special Providence as befriending and protecting the Jews, who, after having been utterly crushed and rooted out by Nebuchadnezzar, were now reestablished in a commanding position back in Judea, and allowed to make their city once more an almost impregnable fortress.

¹⁷ Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. — Tobiah, an infiltrator of Samaritan’s perversions into Jewish teaching;

— the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah; corresponding with him against Nehemiah, and against their own city and nation. So that, added to all the other wickedness of this people, there were false brethren among their great men, who favoured, aided, and abetted the designs of their enemies.

¹⁸For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.

— for there were many in Judah sworn unto him; to Tobiah, who not only in a private manner corresponded with him by letters, but bound themselves by an oath to him to be true to his interest, and do as he should advise them:

— because he was the son in law of Shechaniah, the son of Arah; of a family that came up with Zerubbabel from the captivity, Ezra 2:5 and very probably of considerable note:

¹⁹ Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.

— also they reported his good deeds before me; recommended him as a very worthy man, deserving of respect and notice by Nehemiah, and to be taken into his friendship, and admitted to conversation with him, whose counsel and advice might be of service:

— and uttered my words to him; reported both what he said and did; for the word used signifies both words and actions: and Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear; perceiving, by the intelligence of his friends, that Nehemiah would have nothing to say to him, nor to do with him, he threatened him.

Posted in Nehemiah