What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

One in nine people on death row ends up being cleared due to DNA evidence. I don't know about you, but quite frankly, for me, executing the right person 89 percent of the time is not good enough. That's just my view.

And my two cents is this capital punishment based on scripture is part of God's design for human society. However, if we want to apply God's standard of capital punishment, then we also need to apply his standard to things like due process, witness statements and the consequences of bearing false witness in a legal proceeding.

We have to apply all of it, because if we don't, if we just apply the capital punishment part, people are going to lie and that's not justice.

So in my opinion, you can't be in favor of only capital punishment and say because it's what the Bible says, you have to be in favor of God's entire judicial process if you want to be in favor of capital punishment.

And if we haven't implemented that, might I suggest that killing the right guy nine out of 10 times is not good enough for something called the justice system? Just my two cents.

Now, getting back to verse 12, we talked about this when we studied the Ten Commandments. The Sixth Commandment is you shall not murder.

And at New Hope, when we went through the Ten Commandments, we talked about the difference between murder and killing. If your Bible says you shall not kill. That is a mistranslation of the original Hebrew. It's you shall not murder because there is a difference between murder and killing. And we're going to see the same distinction made here in the Book of the Covenant. Verse 8 12 addresses murder, what we would call homicide. Verse 13 and 14 are going to address something else.

Let's see if we can identify the difference. Verse 8 13. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

Now, to make a long story short, when it says if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand. It's referring to a situation where a life is unintentionally taken. Two people get into a heated argument. There's some pushing.

Somebody trips, falls back, hits their head and dies. We're talking about a scenario like that which we today would term manslaughter.

Now, when God says I will appoint for you a place where he may flee, he's referring to this biblical concept called Cities of Refuge, which God is going to designate in the future in Joshua 20.

It would traditionally at this time be the duty of next of kin to avenge their relatives blood, even if it was an accident.

You kill my brother now I got to go and kill you because family honor and stuff like that.

And so as a solution, God in the future would create these cities of refuge all over Israel, three on either side of the Jordan where a person could flee and find sanctuary from the avenging relatives as long as they stayed in the city of refuge. And there's a whole procedure behind that we can't get sidetracked into right now. And just to be clear, they would still be a trial. And then and in order for a person to flee to a city of refuge, the judge or judges would have to rule that the taking of life was accidental as opposed to intentional.

If it was accidental, they were like, yes, you may flee for your life to a city of refuge.

So what was the dividing line between murder and manslaughter? What determined whether you received the death penalty or had the opportunity to flee to a city of refuge?

God tells us in verse fourteen, I'm going to have you underline a couple of words here in your Bibles. But if a man acts with premeditation, would you underline premeditation against his neighbor to kill him? And then underlined by treachery, you shall take him from my alter that he may die.

It's murder when it was planned, its murder, when it was orchestrated, when it was intentional.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Because God is the author of life, he alone has the right to determine when life begins and ends. Which means we are playing God when we decide that we will step into that role and decide when life begins and ends.

And so the emerging concept here early on in the Book of the Covenant, the emerging concept is that life itself is the possession of God.

Life belongs to God.

Jesus said I'm the way, the truth and the what. The life, the life, life itself is the possession of God, this concept that human beings are image bearers of God is famously known in the Latin as Imago Day.

It's why human life is so sacred. No matter your ethnicity, your age, your s*xual preference, your gender identity, your religion, your past, no matter what the Bible teaches, that your life is sacred and the blood of Jesus on the cross teaches that your soul is priceless. I'm not saying everyone is saved. I'm saying that everyone has inherent value because whether they are a Christian or not, they are Imago Day.

They are made in the image of God. And this is why is Bible believing Christians.

We are not lying when we tell people we love them. Even though we may believe, their lifestyle is sinful in the eyes of God. This is what the world struggles to understand, how can you say you love me if you don't agree with me while? Because even though you're not doing with it what you were designed to do, you are Imago Day. Your life is sacred. It has infinite value.

And the value of your life was established at the cross with the blood of Jesus. So I believe your life is priceless.

Even though you may not love the Lord right now.

We believe that about all life, we love everyone because Jesus loved us while we were dead in our sins. And we hold human life to be sacred because all humans are imago day. All humans are made in the image of God. We grieve the loss of life under practically any circumstance, unless it's to fulfill the law of God.

God is fully entitled to institute the standard of capital punishment because God is the author of life.

And as the creator, he has full rights over his creation and he has declared that human life is sacred because we are Imago Day were created in the image of God.

Now, regarding our present day reality and capital punishment, as you dig further into God's laws, you'll find that he had legal standards to ensure a person's guilt. For example, I love this one. If you testified or presented evidence in courts and it was later discovered to be false evidence, false testimony, you would then receive the same punishment that would have been assigned to the person on trial were they found guilty.

That's good, right? That is really, really good if you gave false testimony that led to someone getting the death penalty and it was found out later that you lied. Guess what's happening to you? The death penalty, if it's discovered before the death penalty is assigned to them. Do you know what you're getting? You're getting the death penalty and they're being found innocent. You play this out in your mind and you think, man, this would really open up our justice systems.

And I feel like 99 percent of cases would no longer be clogging up the courts.

No more frivolous accusations, no more attempts of character assassination that are baseless.

How many lawyers, how many attorneys, how many justices would need to dramatically change their approach if intentionally concealing the truth or intentionally misleading the court would result in being punished like that?

Do you know what would happen? There wouldn't be lawyers to take the cases of those who were clearly guilty because they would say, I'm not going to lie for you. You're guilty. You're on your own. You're on your own. I'm not dying with you. Now, in contrast, in our day in the justice system in America, we learned this recently. Unbelievable.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

But there are all kinds of situations that come up in life that require lots of prayer, that require lots of seeking.

God in the whole of word requires the counsel of mature believers and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead. And if you've been walking with Jesus for a while, then you figure that out. Not every single situation is covered in scripture. You've got to pray about some stuff. You've got to walk with the Holy Spirit through some stuff. And so my hope is to share some broad principles that I believe the word teaches clearly. But where I can't touch on every situation, that's what the Holy Spirit is for.

That's what the church is for. That's what prayer is for. So keep that in mind.

And if you can come up with one hypothetical impossible situation, don't then just ignore everything I say and stop listening while I've managed to think of this one in 10 million chance situations so I can. Just ignore what you're saying, their main principles here that we need to start with, so in verses 12 through 17, we find for crimes that in God's eyes demand the death penalty, starting with verse 12, where we read he who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

So first big take away God is in favor of capital punishment. The Bible is absolutely clear. And I think that leads to the first logical question, why is God in favor of capital punishment? Why is he in favor of the death penalty? The answer is found in Genesis nine six, which I put on your outlines, where God gives a command to Noah and his sons. Now, please note the timing of this command, it's given to Noah and his sons.

And this command is going to prove that capital punishment predates the law, the command to not murder and the death penalty as a punishment for murder were given by God centuries before the law was given up Mount Sinai.

And that is one of the reasons we believe the death penalty for murder to be a timeless law rather than part of the law that has been fulfilled by Jesus that no longer applies to us.

This command and capital punishment predate the law by centuries.

In Genesis nine six, the Lord says whoever sheds a man's blood by man, his blood shall be shed. Now, why does God care so much about human life?

What makes taking it such a grievous offense? Here's the answer. Don't miss it.

This is the answer for in the image of God he made, man. Men and women are unique, we are special, we are, by God's definition, sacred.

Because we alone among all of creation are image bearers of God himself. And God tells us here that human life is so sacred that anyone who takes it is to have their life ended because they're not fit to live on the earth.

Among other human beings, at this point, some may disagree and say, well, that offends my sensibilities, Jeff, or I think animals are just as important or well, I don't I don't think man is all that special at all.

And here's the reality of the situation. I want to put this very tactfully. Your opinion doesn't matter.

And the reason your opinion doesn't matter is for one simple reason. You are the creation. You are not the creator, you are the creation, you are not the creator, you are the work of art.

You are not the artist, the creator, the artist. The inventor has full rights over his creation, his work, his invention. He decides how it is to function, and he has every right to do with it as he pleases. God alone has the authority to determine the value of a human life because he is the one who created it. He's the one who created it. If you created yourself, you have full rights over yourself. But you didn't.

You created by God.

You were ordained by God, by a creator. So write this down. God is the author of life because God is the author of life. He alone has the right to determine when life begins and ends.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

The second thing we need to remember when we come across a punishment that seems overly harsh to us in our 21st century context is we need to remember that these punishments were intended. I know this is a crazy concept for a legal system, but they were intended to create genuine deterrence that would discourage crime and all but eliminate serial offenders. And that's a bonkers concept to write laws that way. But that's what God was doing. Do you know that the overwhelming and when I say overwhelming, I mean overwhelming, like in the high 90s, the overwhelming percentage of crime is committed by repeat offenders.

I know cops. I'm not joking.

I know cops from my gym who police all over Greater Vancouver, who deal with people on the regular, who they've arrested hundreds of times, not dozens, hundreds of times.

And that's because the punishments in our legal system are simply not harsh enough to deter criminals. We've actually made the risk worth the reward, especially when it comes to crimes like theft. If you saw this week there was a brewery in Pocho who had ordered two of these massive distillers, these giant metal drums that are like 15 feet high, they're huge. They're worth forty thousand dollars each.

They just had them arrived and they left them outside the back of their brewery.

Because your logically thinking, who's going to steal this? Right. And lo and behold, somebody came with a truck that had a crane on it and stole both of them. And here's what blew my mind. So you've got this. You got to think how are you going to get rid of this thing? They didn't have a crooked inside guy. They just went to a random scrap yard. And we're like here we'd like to sell the scrap metal.

That's like showing up to a scrap yard with a space shuttle on the back of your truck. You're like, I have a suspicion that this wasn't just something you owned previously.

And you're like, oh, I don't need this giant distiller any more for my recreational private brewery.

And so the guy who owned the scrap yard had seen the story and he called the police and they managed to recover them. And so you're thinking, why would these guys take a risk? I mean, this isn't even a clever crime. It's just so lazy. It's a low quality crime. There's no real effort. But why would they feel emboldened to be so reckless? It it's really, really simple.

It's because the theft laws in British Columbia are an absolute joke. These guys are not going to go to jail for this. They're not going to be fined in any way for this. They're almost certainly going to be let go on probation. That's what's going to happen. So for them, the risk is absolutely worth the potential reward.

If we get caught, nothing's really going to happen to us. If we don't get caught, we're all going to Mexico on vacation. So what are we going to do? And that sort of thing that didn't happen under God's laws for Israel. And as we read through these laws in Exodus, I think you will agree that if implemented, they would significantly cut down on the number of repeat offenders. For example, it has been statistically proven that 100 percent of people who received the death penalty never again committed a crime.

This is absolutely amazing, incredible how well it works, etc.. So lastly, before we really get into the text, I want you to know that I'm going to be speaking broadly today and broadly next week. And there are all kinds of unique situations that come up related to these issues in real life that require nuance. There are all kinds of situations that come up that are not as black and white as I may make them sound as I teach today.

I simply can't cover every hypothetical situation.

But there are all kinds of situations that come up in life that require lots of prayer, that require lots of seeking.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Building a Godly Society (Part 1)
Date:10/25/20

Series: Exodus

Passage: Exodus 21:12-17

Speaker: Jeff Thompson

As the Book of the Covenant moves to deal with 4 capital offenses, we gain some profound insights into things God cares deeply about. In this study, we'll examine the value of human life, how we are to relate to our parents, and why God has ordained certain offices of authority that may or may not be occupied by godly people.

Today's study finds us in a portion of the Book of Exodus that is known as the Book of the Covenant, a collection of civil laws given by God to his people, the Israelites, to help them build a society after being freed from slavery in Egypt.

And the goal was not simply to build a society, but to build a society that reflected Israel's status as the people of God by reflecting the values of God in the way that they lived out their everyday lives.

The Book of the Covenant takes the timeless values of the Ten Commandments and applies them to the very specific historical and geographical context of the Israelites in the century following their release from Egypt.

And so what we are interested in is the heart of God, the values of God that are revealed in these commands. We're not really concerned with how to live well in the ancient Near East. That's not what we're looking for here.

We're not looking for guidance on how to properly manage our oxen, OK? We're concerned with learning more of the heart of God and how then we can apply that heart to our everyday lives.

Last week, BJ walks us through the issue of slavery and verse is one through 11. And so we're going to pick things up in verse 12 of Exodus 21 in just a minute. I know that we shared that we were going to touch on the sensitive subject of abortion this week. But as I was studying, I realized this really needs to be a two part study. And I think you're going to see why as we get into this.

So today's message is going to lay the foundation for some of the main discussions surrounding the subject of abortion, which will take place next week. But they're going to tie together and we just want to approach the issue as best we can as graciously and as biblically as we can. And the last thing that we want to do is be rushed through it and risk being insensitive on something so important. So this week's going to be part one and the next week is going to be part two.

As always, have your heart and mind open to the Lord today.

So if I go through something and the Holy Spirit nudges you, just says, hey, you need to look into that further, make a note on your outline, say I got to study this more this week because the Holy Spirit is drawing your attention to something and God has something he wants to show you now as we work through the Book of the Covenant.

This collection of civil laws, one of the contextual issues to always keep in mind is that there were no jails under God's laws. There were no prisons. Issues were brought before judges. If a punishment was required, it was administered immediately and the issue was done with. So when we come across punishments in the Book of the Covenant or the whole Old Testament, that might seem severe to us or harsh to us, there are two things that we need to keep in mind, and I put them on your outline.

The first thing we need to recognize is that it could be revealing how seriously God views the issue.

Do you realize there are things that we don't take very seriously today, but God takes very seriously and we're going to talk about why God takes some of these things so seriously as we make our way through the text.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

I am not condemning all public-school teachers. There are some godly teachers who have a unique calling to work in the public school. However, they are fighting a battle they can’t possibly win. And they are deceiving parents who say, “Mrs. Jones is a good Christian woman and she teaches at the public school. It must be OK.” It’s not. Mrs. Jones does not write the curriculum and she is surrounded by a multitude of teachers who have been indoctrinated in state teachers’ colleges.

Joe Biden is a firm believer in “transgender rights” and recently condemned “conversion therapy,” yet he and his supporters think “Drag Queen Story Hours” in the local public library are harmless. Fortunately, an increasing number of parents are protesting. They don’t want their boys and girls groomed for the gay lifestyle.

Yeonmi Park, a young woman who defected from North Korea, told a Fox News reporter that she is worried freedoms are being lost in America amid what she describes as “the left-wing indoctrination in K-12 schools.” “This is exactly the dictator’s handbook,” Park said. “It’s Hitler’s youth. Mao’s youth and Kim Il-Sung’s youth. They always go for young children because they have not lived their life long enough to have critical thinking skills. Their brains are very plastic, very malleable, and easy to absorb information and believe it and they are innocent. And big killers who want to seize power from the people, they always mobilize the youth.”

Yes, kids are young and innocent. But what excuse can adult parents give for surrendering their kids to the devil?

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Christians resisting woke cultural shift
Larry Spargimino
September 27, 2022
America is in the process of destroying itself. In 1940 the top leading problems in schools were talking out of turn, chewing gum, making noise, running in the halls, cutting in line, dress-code violations and littering. Today it is alcohol and drug abuse, pregnancy, suicide, rape, robbery and violent assault.

We have gone from public schools which taught moral principles and good citizenship with high scholastic achievement, to schools that have disrespect for authority, murderous rage, low SAT scores and an avoidance of anything Christian.

John Adams, second President of the United States, gave a speech to the military in 1798. In it he warned, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by religion and morality.” He was right. “Righteousness exalted a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34).

I’ve pastored in Tennessee, and now in Oklahoma. In both states, i high school students drove to school during hunting season with a shotgun or rifle in the gun rack, very visible for everyone to see. Today, such a scene would bring out the SWAT team. What has happened to us?

After her daughter was born, pop star Madonna said, “I want her to read the Bible, but I will explain to her that these are stories that people made up to teach people … It’s not the rule.” That’s what happened to America.

Yet, Christians are impacting the culture. The number of sanctuary cities for the unborn has grown exponentially, and many parents are now taking an active part in speaking out at school board meetings. Parents are now realizing the dangers of woke ideology and the cancel culture. Though our president calls it “domestic terrorism,” it hasn’t deterred parents who disagree that “the school owns your child.”

There is one thing, in particular, that is especially encouraging to me: More students who are coming to America to study from countries hostile to Christianity are experiencing new life in Christ. I know some of them personally.

The hour is late and the time is short, but don’t forget the opening words of our program: “God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things.”

Anti-God schools, society mobilizing our youth

Tyrants know that tyranny is not generally popular. Nobody wants an elitist snob ruling over them. Hence tyrants have to resort to indoctrination. People who are indoctrinated will tolerate what they would not tolerate before their minds were indoctrinated.

Are our children being indoctrinated? Is that why we are losing more and more of our constitutional freedoms and large segments of our population don’t seem to mind? Is that why China and Russia are raising soldiers who will win wars and we are raising gay pride flags that will make us look like fools?

Why are more and more American men and women no longer joining the military? Why don’t we have pride in our history and a wholesome love for our country? Statistics reveal trends and certain trends are alarming. Eighty percent of our kids who were raised in church no longer attend church or live a consistently Christian life. The No. 1 reason they have repeatedly given, “The church’s values are not our values.”

That’s no surprise. A good Bible-believing church has not changed its biblically based values but the public schools in America, and some so-called “Christian” schools, have.

As our society and public schools become increasingly more corrupt and anti-God those who attend anti-God schools will find they are increasingly uncomfortable with their church’s values. Parents have raised their kids on the best of diets, brought them to the best of doctors, and then turned them over to the TV and the public school.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

At the end of the meeting, Choco told them plainly, without raising his voice (in the interviews I did with him he is very soft-spoken), “For thirty years, you have fought for tolerance. You’ve insisted that people accept your lifestyle as equally valid as traditional marriage, but tonight, you’ve been intolerant of me and my faith. You’ve called me a hypocrite, but tonight, you’ve been hypocritical” (pp. 127–131).

How Far Are You Willing To Be Stretched?
For those of us who have daughters, here is a challenging question, though the same principles are relevant for those who have sons. What do you do if your sixteen-year-old daughter gets pregnant out wedlock? Multiple choice:

Beat up your daughter and lock her in a room for a month
Shoot her boyfriend
Blame your wife
Love your daughter, keep channels of communication open, and seek a godly home for the baby soon to be born.
We must stand for righteousness as Jesus did. Never forget that. But we must love them anyway.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

“Does two plus two always equal four?” One individual statement said, “‘two plus two always equals four’ is not an objective fact, but a cultural notion resulting from Western imperialism and colonization.”

As Christians walking in the footsteps of Jesus, what are we to do with people like this? Are we to hate them? Ignore them? Start a conversation by warning them they are going to Hell?

Many Christians feel we are being pushed into a corner and losing the culture war. We are outraged because gay marriage is the law of the land. Abortion rights are considered healthcare. Prayer has been taken out of the schools. Some school districts are mandating that LGBTQ history is taught in elementary school. When we are motivated by fear and anger we become defensive. We clench our fists and get ready to fight. But it’s hard to show love and even experience genuine love when you are defensive. Real love has to go on the offensive—as God did when He sent His Son. Being a Christian and knowing that the absence of biblical morality is causing our nation to implode doesn’t give us the right to voice our Christian convictions with anger and venom in our voices. Fear and anger are not sustaining emotions for the Christian.

Let’s be realistic. We have no guarantee that if we love people the way Jesus loved people they will follow Jesus and commit to Him. But persistent and tenacious love provides the best chance we have. We Christians must ask ourselves: Have we become so closely aligned with a particular party that we are more interested in winning an election and winning an argument than in loving the way Jesus loved?

As I read emails, articles, and conservative materials, it seems that too many Christians are living in fear. They believe that the ship of faith is sinking. “Should I surrender?” “Should I build a bunker and hide?” “Is it all over?” Such fear puts us in a protective mode. Such fear paralyzes, divides, and plants seeds of suspicion that quickly grow. Love requires vulnerability, but fear puts us in a defensive mode. That’s exactly what happened to the Pharisees. They struggled to maintain their exalted status despite the Roman occupation. The more Jesus’ popularity grew, the more defensive they became. Jesus’ miracles and healings made them outraged. They were losing their authority.

What About Basic Christian Convictions
Loving the way Jesus loved doesn’t mean we cast Christian convictions to the wind and forget there is a right and there is a wrong. Pastor Choco De Jesus grew up in Humboldt Park, a Puerto Rican community in Chicago. On June 4, 1977, vicious gang warfare erupted between the Latin Kings and the Spanish Cobras. When the police arrived, they opened fire. At the time, the department was almost entirely white. Choco grew up in a bad environment, but was saved and came to pastor New Life Covenant Church. Under his leadership it grew to a membership of 17,000. He tells his story in the book Love Them Anyway: Finding Hope in a Divided World Gone Crazy (Charisma). He asks, “If you say you follow Jesus but are not loving like Him, then what’s the point?”

Choco became very influential in the inner city. He had the opportunity to become alderman, but had a storm of opposition from the LGBTQ community. He invited their leaders to a meeting. For an hour, people asked questions. He was also bombarded with insults. Someone asked, “Would you be willing to change what’s on your church’s website about homosexuality?” The church’s website states that homosexuality isn’t God’s design for marriage and, in fact, it’s a sin. “No,” Choco said, “we aren’t going to change the website.” Another asked, “Well, then, are you willing to make a public statement that you accept the freedom for people to choose a homosexual lifestyle?” Choco answered, “Everybody knows I don’t accept the homosexual lifestyle, so it’s already public.”

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Loving the Way Jesus Loved
Larry Spargimino
August 24, 2022
“Jesus beholding him loved him”

—Mark 10:21

The Bible has the amazing ability to help people who are walking with Jesus to walk a little closer to Him. I am sure most of my readers know what I am talking about. You are walking with Jesus but you are not completely satisfied. You certainly don’t blame the Lord. You need renewal. How does the Word of God function in this kind of a situation?

Second Timothy 3:16–17 tells us that the Bible has been given by divine inspiration. It is literally “God-breathed”—theopnuestos—“inspired.” That doesn’t mean that the Bible is inspiring—though it is. But the point of this scripture is that the Word of God is “profitable” because it is the very breath of God. In His goodness God has given us His Word and that Word is “profitable … for reproof, for correction. …” It helps us fine-tune our thinking and living.

God’s Word is profitable for those who are on-course, but perhaps drifting off-course, and need to make correction— which is a valid need for every Christian, even the most faithful and the most mature. In fact, the most faithful and mature would be the first to admit “I need to rethink this issue.”

Many Christians felt that 2020 was the worst year they can remember. Many are suffering from “election burnout,” which has left them feeling betrayed by candidates, misled by the media, and groaning from what they are sure was election fraud. But has all of the confusion and disappointment led us away from loving like Jesus loved? Has our zeal for righteousness led us far away from the example our Lord and Savior set for us?

This brings me to fundamental focus of this article: “Do I love the way Jesus loved?” “Do I need a course correction? “Has my animosity against radicals who are seeking to destroy everything I hold dear taken something from me that I must regain?”

In Mark 10:17–22 we read of the rich young ruler. He thought pretty highly of himself. He was not like the penitent publican who said “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13) and was commended by Jesus. The rich young ruler asked, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life>?” This man had a respectful attitude. He ran to Jesus and he kneeled before him. He also addressed Jesus respectfully with the words “Good Master.” Immediately, however, Jesus stopped the man in his tracks. “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.” Cultists like to use this statement to teach that Jesus was denying His deity. Not at all. This man had not yet confessed Jesus as God, so Jesus was responding to him on his level of understanding. The man did not need a theology lesson. He needed a change in his priorities and he needed to be humbled. The ruler doesn’t have a clue. He asks, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He thinks he is the master of his destiny. Just tell him what to do and he will do it. Then God will be in debt to him. God will owe him eternal life.

I want you to notice how Jesus handled the situation. He was painfully honest. In verse 21 we read: “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” Now this is not the way to be saved, but it is the way to be broken and humbled. Jesus was quite frank. He told the rich young ruler exactly what he needed to hear. However, let’s not neglect the motive that moved Jesus in this interchange. At the beginning of verse 21 we read, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him.”

A Course Adjustment for the Conservative Movement?

It is obvious that we are living in times of severe intellectual and moral upheaval. Simple, basic logic seems to be a solitary stranger in the land. As a matter of fact, the statement “two plus two always equals four” is being contested.

RE: Is Europe going to War soon?

North Korea is getting ready for war this was just now on our TV
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

The Roman occupation of Israel in biblical times was very grievous to Jews. The Romans were polytheists who did not really understand Jewish religious sensibilities. They did not get along well, but Jews did not have much of a choice. Rome had a mighty army and they were calling the shots.

It was Roman practice that a Roman soldier on a journey could command a Jewish civilian to carry his weapons and his rucksack a mile. This was a case of the oppressor oppressing the oppressed and doing it with joy. Jews were insulted by this practice, but here comes Jesus with what might seem like outrageous advice: “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him the second mile.” I can imagine a Jew saying to Jesus, “You want me to carry the oppressor’s weapons and rucksack a second mile?” “That’s right,” Jesus would say, “Go a second mile.”

A very serious trend in our society—one that is also becoming more evident even among Christians—is that people are insisting on their own rights. Yet, Jesus Christ is the supreme example for all of us. He did not demand His personal rights. In fact, this is supposed to be our attitude. “Let this mind be in you,” we read in Philippians 2:5, “which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” In other words, Jesus surrendered the prerogatives of deity.

When Scripture says, “Let this mind be in you,” it doesn’t mean brain surgery or a brain transplant. Rather, God is telling us that this is how we ought to think. This is how we ought to deal with personality issues in church, in marriage, and in the office.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Jesus said we are to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13–16). Salt resists putrefaction; light resists darkness. We certainly see this in Paul’s ministry. In Acts 26 Paul is telling King Agrippa about his dramatic meeting with Jesus on the Damascus Road and about God’s calling on is life. The apostle was called by Jesus to do what? Verse 18 tells us: “To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

In fact, we must all resist evil. The Apostle Paul described the Christian life as a wrestling match (Eph. 6:12). Paul wrote to Titus that a bishop must “hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (1:9). This involves resisting evil with sound doctrine and teaching.

We all have a duty to resist evil. But the evil that Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 5:39 is “petty” evil. A slap in the face equals an insult. We all face those every day. Careless words from others. A complaining spirit. Don’t even give it a second thought. It means nothing. Let that person slap you on the other cheek. Insults of this sort need to slide off your soul like water slides off a duck’s back. In his Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 1, p. 281, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that …

It means that we must rid ourselves of the spirit of retaliation, of the desire to defend ourselves and to avenge ourselves for any injury or wrong that is done to us. Our Lord starts on the physical level. He imagines a man coming along, and, without any provocation, striking us on the right cheek. Immediately, the instinct is to hit back and punish him and to have vengeance. The moment I am hit, I want to retaliate.

Indeed, to be struck in the face is humiliating and insulting. Insults, however, can come in many forms. Especially for people who are easily insulted, insults are everywhere. A word, or even a look can be perceived as a slap in the face. Jesus has words for all of us: Let it pass. Don’t retaliate.

A slap in the face is not a major issue and you don’t have to fight back and win. This is good advice from Jesus. I can testify to that. There are some dear saints in churches who major in minors. There is some little insignificant thing that troubles them. That’s the slap in the face. They take it very seriously. They won’t let it go. It becomes a BIG issue with them.

“Let Him Have Thy Cloak Also”

In Matthew 5:40, Jesus follows with, “And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” This sounds something like “turn the other cheek.”

Jewish law permitted an opponent to sue for possession of an offender’s inner garment, a “coat,” which is similar to a long-sleeved shirt. It was typically a sleeved tunic that extended to the ankles and was made of wool or linen. The outer garment was a robe or a wrap (KJV “cloak”). It was much more essential since it provided necessary warmth and was also used by the poor as a blanket.

Based on texts such as Exodus 22:26–27 and Deuteronomy 24:12–13, texts that mandated returning a neighbor’s garment taken as a pledge before sundown when the temperature lowered, Jewish law stated that the outer garment was exempt from seizure by the courts, because that was too severe a punishment and could lead to extreme misery, or even the death of the one from whom this coat was taken. Here Jesus is saying, if someone sues you and wants your shirt, give him your coat as well.

Going the Extra Mile

One of the most “troublesome” Scriptures in Jesus’ sermon is Matthew 5:41: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain,” or “go with him two.”

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

When Winning Is Not Enough—Part II
Larry Spargimino
November 15, 2022

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5).
These words from the Father are His endorsement of the Son’s words. The scene presents Moses and Elijah, who were key instruments of divine revelation in the Old Testament. The Father’s words, however, tell us whose words really count.

The Sermon on the Mount consists of three whole chapters—Matthew 5–7—of Jesus’ teaching. Though many have shied away from these chapters because they seem to present some interpretive problems, I believe they provide some important secrets that, once understood, will help those living in the shadow of the Rapture live a God-honoring and effective life. As usual, the Lord Jesus Christ shares some amazing insights into human nature, plus insights that will help us deal with some issues in human relations.

“Agree with Thine Adversary Quickly”

Social scientists have often commented that we are living in “the age of litigation.” Get into an argument and before you know it, the other party says, “I’ll see you in court.” Issues that could have been settled in a friendly matter now turn into a lawsuit. Why? Because people are insisting they are right and they want what’s due them, no matter how long it takes.

Jesus has a different idea. “Agree with thine adversary quickly,” we read in Matthew 5:25, “whiles thou art in 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.” The emphasis in these words is not on proving that you are right, but on resolving the issue quickly. Make solving your disagreement quickly your goal. If you don’t, you could end up in jail.

We’ve all seen arbitration-based reality court shows like “Judge Judy” who adjudicates real-life, small-claims disputes. As each party makes appeal to the judge, her eyes begin to gleam. She soon has an insight that no one had ever seen. Before you know it, the party who thought he was sure to win ends up looking like a criminal.

Surprise. This is what Jesus is talking about. Try to win and you may lose. Jesus is giving good advice. The website says a person can often pay a smaller penalty for their offense by seeking an out-of-court settlement rather than seeking to win by bringing the issue to court. Such settlements are time and money-savers because they halt the dispute process. For the average person the mere prospect of going to court can be intimidating.

Turn the Other Cheek

We live in a fight-back, talk-back, cuss-back world. Today it is even shoot back. I am a strong supporter of our Second Amendment, but guns are for self-defense of life, limb, and property. On all too many occasions, even a road rage incident ends up with someone shot. The Second Amendment was not intended to help us resolve petty squabbles.

In Matthew 5:39 Jesus taught the people and said, “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.”

First, let’s look at the words “that ye resist not evil.” Certainly this is not an absolute prohibition, calling us to total non-resistance and total pacifism. Jesus’ whole ministry on earth was one of resisting evil. He said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Jesus was resisting demons, Pharisaical legalism, spiritual ignorance, and darkness. He condemned the Jews for their shallowness (Matt. 23) and forcibly threw the moneychangers out of the Temple (John 2:14–17).

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Barking Dogs and Toxic People
Noah Hutchings, who led Southwest Radio Church for more than half a century, came from southeast Oklahoma. He had several sayings that would make you chuckle. One that fits the purpose of this article: “Don’t throw stones at every barking dog.” I ride a bicycle and meet a lot of barking dogs. If I stopped to throw stones, I wouldn’t do much riding.

Jesus was not like some of our modern preacher-boy heroes who are good at barnstorming and advance bill their meetings, who skillfully craft amazing stories that tell of their victories. It’s amazing to me how many times Jesus dealt with difficult situations by just walking away. Just to cite one example, Mathew 12:14–15: “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence.”

The Pharisees were a good example of toxic people. Jesus was in ministry for about three years. I’ve been in ministry for more than fifty. I learn so much from Him. We both have met many toxic people.

You and I will always meet toxic people. Should we go to war over every comment they make? Should we call them out from the pulpit, in the Sunday school classroom, and in the parking lot?

If you are not careful, toxic people will bait you, challenge you, drive you to the edge—but only if you let them. There are certain people who drain us, demean us, and distract us. Long after they are gone we are still struggling with them in our minds, and trying to flush their words from our hearts. They can keep us awake, steal our joy, and shatter our peace. If we let them, they can make us weaker spiritually, and fill us with feelings of guilt. We even end up feeling that we have been failures. Their shadows invade our private times of prayer, and even our times of public praise and worship.

Yes, the world is on the brink of disaster. We’ve had the COVID pandemic. The global warming alarmists tell us the polar ice caps are melting and coastal cities will soon be underwater. Daddy Kim in North Korea will nuke us, and so on. But, perhaps, more likely for many, your neighbor will sue you, you will face a church split, your spouse might walk out on you, and your teenager will end up in jail—or perhaps you will ride the golden street of success. Whatever happens, we need to remember that winning is not enough.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

The war in Ukraine has been very costly for Russia. Russia is not doing well. Mr. Putin is desperate. He sees himself as the “Savior of Mother Russia” protecting the homeland from Western degeneracy and sweeping radical changes like same-sex “marriage” and transgender “rights,” all coming from America and our NATO allies.

When Putin became president, Boris Yeltsin said, “Vladimir, take care of Mother Russia.” But Vladimir is not taking very good care of Mother Russia. Thousands of Russian soldiers have died. Their parents are unhappy. The economic sanctions imposed on Russia are affecting everyone. Why is Russia suffering one setback after another? Because of the weapons and military technology that the West has been sending to the Ukrainians. The war is looking more and more like a military conflict between Russia and the United States.

Putin and some of his generals believe that Russia must not lose face. They are not doing very well on the ground. Their tanks are being devastated. Their military trucks are equipped with tires that should have been retired long ago. Russia has one last hope: It’s impressive nuclear arsenal and delivery systems that are the best in the world. Putin needs to read Jesus. He would learn that winning is not enough.

Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7)
Jesus did not give the Sermon on the Mount to heads of states and top military strategists in warring nations. He gave it to people like you and me. Even in human relationships—between husbands and wives, employers and employees, Democrats and Republicans—the lesson is still the same. We all face situations in which winning is not enough.

There are some Christians—perhaps many more who won’t admit it—who believe that the Sermon on the Mount is not for us today. What Jesus teaches is for a future time of relative peace on earth. “Turning the other cheek,” they say, “will certainly not work in a rough and tumble world.”

But is Jesus giving instructions for living in an ideal world? What about Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”? Obviously, the Lord is speaking about times like today. And what about the words, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matt. 5:11)?

Personally, I have trouble agreeing with some of the brethren that the words of Jesus in three whole, marvelous chapters are not really for me, nor for saints living today. Are we missing something in the Sermon on the Mount? Are we being convicted by the Spirit of God and quenching His blessed work because we think the standards that Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, are above and beyond us?

The Same Jesus
Christians are sometimes confused by the Sermon on the Mount. Can anyone follow its teachings in a dog-eat-dog world?

Remember—the same Jesus who said that we are to “turn the other cheek” also said go and buy a sword (Luke 22:36). The same Jesus who said He was “gentle” (Matt. 11:29) drove the money changers out of the temple on two separate occasions (John 2:15; Matt. 21:12–3).

Jesus warned that calling someone a fool puts that person in jeopardy of hellfire, but in Matthew 23:17 Jesus called Israel’s religious leaders “blind fools.” Jesus spoke about gouging out your eye rather than harboring lust in your heart, but we can’t miss the fact that no one in the New Testament took Him literally. It never became a practice in the early church. No comments were made about it in the epistles. It was seen as a metaphor of sin’s seriousness, not a directive to follow.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

When Winning Is Not Enough—Part I
Larry Spargimino
October 13, 2022
Matthew chapters 5–7 provide us with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Can we learn anything about living in the modern world from the Sermon on the Mount? Could it be that our best advice for living in these desperate days with confidence and joy is embedded in the secret of the Sermon on the Mount? I believe the answer to these important questions is a resounding “yes.” We live in a day when winning is not enough. Jesus built His famous ethical teaching on that truth. I think that is why the Sermon on the Mount is so controversial. Some Christians don’t even believe it is for today. Everybody wants to win.

Global Nuclear War in October of 1962?
There have been several studies on the effects of a global nuclear war. Why have there been such studies? Because there is a high likelihood that nuclear war will happen. I hope we are all aware of that. It’s part of winning, at least that’s what some misguided individuals think.

October 27, 1962 was perhaps the most dangerous day in human history. That morning a U2-F reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by the Soviets over Cuba. Everyone was on edge. What was next?

That very afternoon a Soviet sub, the B-59, was detected trying to break the blockade that the U.S. Navy had established around Cuba. The destroyer, USS Beale, dropped practice depth charges in an attempt to make the sub surface. The captain, Valentin Savitsky, thought his submarine was under attack and gave orders to prepare the sub’s nuclear torpedo for launch at the USS Randolph, an American aircraft carrier. By Soviet protocol, all three officers aboard the B-59 had to agree to a launch. Vasili Arkhipov, the sub’s second-in-command, disagreed with the two other officers. He convinced the captain to surface and to await further orders from Moscow. Officer Arkhipov knew that winning is not enough

About ten years later, I pastored a church in the Florida Keys, located about 90 miles from Havana. People in the congregation remembered the Cuban missile crisis. They saw the military conveys head south on Highway 1 to Key West. They saw the trucks loaded with soldiers and missiles. Everyone was nervous. Two years earlier, in October 1960, Nikita Khrushchev had angrily taken his shoe off and pounded on the table at the U.N. People remembered: “We don’t even have basements. What will happen to us?” One old saint of God told me later that she thought this was Armageddon.

Global Nuclear War in 2022?
And now there is a new bully on the block: China. Four times in the last 13 months Biden has made a public pledge to defend Taiwan, breaking with four decades of “strategic ambiguity” regarding our military stance in the defense of Taiwan. China has taken note of that and has recently rattled its nuclear sabers.

All the studies report that the effects of a nuclear war would far exceed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A nuclear detonation in the atmosphere produces intense heat. Homes, forests, farms, and people would be incinerated. Radiation would alter the human genome. There would be a nuclear winter. No one would be talking about global warming. There would be severe global cooling caused by the ashes, dust, and soot blocking out the sun’s rays. In addition to all the other effects, there would be worldwide famine. Nothing would grow in this nuclear winter. So, who would instigate a nuclear war? Is anyone a likely candidate?

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Matthew 24:14 says, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.”

Friends, this is happening right now. The Gospel is being preached all over the world—even in very hostile places. It is absolutely amazing. Hostile governments are trying to hinder and stop the growth of the Gospel. But listen—at the present time there are an estimated 150 million Christians in China, making them China’s largest religious minority. They are severely persecuted for their faith, but in spite of that their numbers continue to grow—and that’s under the anti-Christian, godless tyranny of President Xi Jin Ping.

In their book, A Star In the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, Rodney Stark and Xinua Wang ask an important question: “Why is there such phenomenal growth of Christianity in China?” They believe the growth of the church includes the better educated who are experiencing “cultural incongruity” between traditional Asian culture and industrial-technological modernity, which results in spiritual deprivation, which Christianity alone is able to answer.

Millions of Chinese are well-educated, think very carefully about lots of important things, and are diligent students of what they want to learn and study.

Stark and Wang explain that Eastern religions like Taoism and Confucianism are all “anti-progress” and proclaim the world is going downhill from a glorious past and that we should look backwards not forwards. For millions of Chinese, the question is “What does life mean and how do we live in the modern world?” The answers that the Bible provides explains why it is the most educated Chinese who are the most apt to join.

The rapid growth of Christianity across China terrifies the Chinese Communist to the point that drastic measures are taken to stamp out Christianity. Marx called for making government “god”—the provider, sustainer, protector and supreme lawgiver—and Marxism the state religion. Millions of Chinese are not being fooled.

As we close, I want to remind our listeners of the story of Noah and the Ark. It is a wonderful story of Almighty God, and His love. It also reminds us that judgment is coming, perhaps very quickly. We can learn two lessons. The first one: Don’t miss the boat. Those who did perished in the great flood.

Jesus is our ark of safety and salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Don’t miss the boat.

There is another lesson in the account of the Ark—and it is this: For those who are faithfully serving the Lord and doing His will, there is always a rainbow at the end of the story.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Don’t miss the boat
Larry Spargimino
December 28, 2022
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4

The astronomer and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, who died in 1727, was a Christian. He loved Bible prophecy. Newton commented on Daniel 12, 4. He said, “Near the time of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ there will be an increase in knowledge. Men will travel at a rapid rate of speed, maybe even 40 or 50 miles an hour.

Voltaire, the hard-hearted infidel mocked Newton and said, “See, Christianity makes people who are normally brilliant turn into fools”. Doesn’t Newton know that if a man travels at 40 or 50 miles an hour, he would not be able to breathe and would suffocate? “Daniel was correct. “Knowledge shall be increased.” … Friends, as we look at the news, we should not just be gathering facts. We should be getting ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our first item focuses on George Soros. Does anyone know who George Soros is? He is the billionaire who hates Christianity and hates America. He thinks American sovereignty, freedom, belief in human dignity, marriage and the home are bad. Soros would like to see all the things that Christians believe and promote be abolished. So, what’s his political affiliation? In case you can’t figure it out, the answer is Democrat.

Newsweek, for 1979, quoted Soros: “I’ve made my life’s mission to destroy the United States. I hate this country and I hate all the people in it.” Soros believes that the United States is the main obstacle to a stable and just world.”

Just look at some of the candidates that Soros supports. He provided a second million dollars to boost Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial run. Abrams, former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, has supported left-wing candidates like Beto O’Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer.

The Epoch Times, for November 7, 2022, announced Soros tops list of biggest Donors This Midterm Season, gave $128 million dollars to elect Democrats. So, you are voting for candidates who are being supported by George Soros, whose great goal in life is to destroy America? If Soros succeeds, where will you move? They say the winters in Pyongyang aren’t too bad, but the temperature in your home or apartment will be regulated by the government. Don’t forget to bring your insulated underwear.

Moving on to another item of interest – Dr. Peter McCullough, world renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist—with 677 scientific publications to his credit—is facing loss of his board certification in cardiology and internal medicine because of his outspoken criticism 0f the COVID vaccine protocols.

In my book, Needless Death: COVID, Corruption, Control I cite Dr. McCullough several times. He raises a number of objections to the COVID vaccines, and also has a number of medical professionals who agree with him.

McCullough was recently interviewed regarding the charge that he is spreading “misinformation.” He said, “I can tell you this is unprecedented. We’ve never had a federal board like this, recommend that a doctor become decertified because of political reasons”.

After launching an initiative on COVID “misinformation” in September 2021, the American Board of Internal Medicine targeted statements McCullough made to the Texas Senate the previous March on media. In May of 2022 the board sent a letter to McCullough accusing him of spreading misinformation. McCullough crafted a 20-page response, citing the evidence for each statement he made, and requested that he be allowed to attend the meeting about his case. The board denied the request and sent him a letter informing him that the meeting had taken place and the board had decided to remove his credentials.

There is some good news, and that focuses on the growth of Christianity in Communist China.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

But does “all” ever refer to something that is timeless and above the human situation? Indeed, yes. Consider Isaiah 40:17: “All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing.” “All” cannot mean “some.” “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Acts 1:8 gives us the scope of “all nations”: “… 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.” This clearly defines “all nations” in Matthew 28:19.

Did John Calvin and Noted Calvinists Believe in Limited Atonement?
While the five points of Calvinism by their very name, are associated with John Calvin, John Calvin made some statements that suggest he believed in a universal atonement, or at least a universal benevolence to all men. David L. Allen in his detailed 800-page book, The Extent of the Atonement: A Historical and Critical Review, gives several quotations from Calvin on pages 48ff. We don’t have space to cite them all, but Calvin’s comment on John 3:16 makes the point: “Such is also the significance of the term ‘world’ which He had used before. For although there is nothing in the world deserving of God’s favor, He nevertheless shows He is favorable to the whole world when He calls all without exception to the faith in Christ, which is indeed an entry into life.”

In his sermon, “Compel Them To Come In,” Spurgeon, loved by Calvinists, appeals to unbelievers in the congregation: “Come, I beseech you, on Calvary’s mount, and see the cross. Behold the Son of God, He who made the heavens and the earth, dying for your sins. Look at His face so full of pity. Is there not love in His heart to prove Him willing to save? Sure, sinner, the sight of Christ will help thee to believe.” In my new book, Calvinism on Trial: This Tulip Has Thorns, shortly to be released, there are a plethora of quotes from other Calvinists who believed in a universal atonement.

At all times, and especially in these days of the Lord’s imminent return for His church, we must stand for doctrinal fidelity. To that end I will remind my readers that Luke gives us some unique insights into the Savior’s heart in the hours before His death. “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Who is included in the “you”? “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table” (22:20–21; also 2 Pet. 2:1).

It’s time to let this unbiblical and injurious notion of limited atonement die once and for all.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Core Beliefs Control the Narrative
Core beliefs, that are assumed to be true, control the outcome of one’s thinking. When I was a Reformed Presbyterian pastor, my core belief was Covenant Theology. I believed that infant baptism is scriptural because of my core belief. I used to run with Calvinists, both Presbyterian and Baptist. Then, a Reformed Baptist friend challenged me and said, “Larry, forget Covenant Theology. Just read the New Testament and take it at face value. Don’t let your Covenant Theology bleed over into your thinking. And then tell me who are the proper subjects for baptism.”

I couldn’t escape the fact that there are absolutely no examples in the New Testament of an infant being baptized. Without the presuppositional bias of Covenant Theology, there is absolutely no justification for infant baptism. Baptism is for believers. This, of course, doesn’t mean that we hate babies. It simply means we don’t sprinkle them and call it “baptism.”

In the same way TULIP—Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints—is based on a core definition of the sovereignty of God that is unique to Calvinism. Let’s face it, every Christian believes that God is sovereign, not just Calvinists. The sovereignty of God is that attribute of God by which His is the highest authority and does not need to get approval from any higher authority before He makes a decision. God exercises His prerogative to do whatever He pleases.

For the Calvinist, however, God can only be considered sovereign if He controls everything and if He maintains continuous and absolute Lordship over everything. But let’s be honest—if God is really sovereign, He is free to make man free. He is even free to give man the privilege and responsibility of choosing his own destiny.

For Calvinists, this is the depth of impiety. The Calvinist view of divine sovereignty leads him to argue that if man has the freedom of choice, then God is not sovereign. And if God is sovereign, then man is not free. But those are not the only alternatives.

Calvinists take this one more step into absurdity. They will argue that preaching Calvinism is preaching the Gospel, and those who are not Five-Point Calvinists don’t believe in grace. They will hold that because I don’t support Five-Point Calvinism I am an Arminian! I am neither an Arminian nor a Calvinist. There is a vast canyon of possibilities between Calvinism and Arminianism.

Insulated Against Truth
In 1 Timothy 2 we read, “Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth … Who gave himself a ransom for all” (vss. 4, 6). Second Corinthians 5:14–15 is similar: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

There are many, many scriptures that argue against Calvinism, and yet they don’t seem to register with Calvinists. Universal terms are often reinterpreted. I often think, “What more could God say to describe the extent of His love that He hasn’t already said?” The answer is, “Nothing.” Nothing will convince the Calvinist. Core beliefs control the narrative.

What is the meaning of the word “all”? Calvinists love to appeal to Luke 2:1 where we read that a decree went out that “all the world should be taxed.” All the world like China, Afghanistan, and Borneo? Of course not. In biblical times, “all the world” means “all the known world, mainly the Roman Empire.” It is true that in certain contexts that speak about geopolitical issues, “all” doesn’t mean “all” without exception.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Does It Matter For Whom Christ Died?
Larry Spargimino
January 26, 2023
In Vacation Bible School and in summer camps teachers and kids alike love to sing, “Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World.” But did you know that there is a growing number of Christians who have come to believe that those words are biblically incorrect? Jesus does not love all the children of the world—at least not enough to desire their eternal salvation.

Does It Matter?

I believe it matters. Does it matter that God only loves some kids, or loves all kids? Does it matter when you look at a bunch of squirming kids in your VBS class—many of whom are just there because mom wants a break from kids and free childcare is a blessing—to think that God loves every one of them and wants every one of them to have eternal life? If that’s true, then you can pray for them, love them, and put up with their dirty hands, dirty feet and continual chatter. You love them all, and you know that God loves them all. You are working with God and doing His will. Does that matter? Yes, theology matters. Immensely.

One young Christian and his wife, who came to faith through Harvest Crusades led by Greg Laurie, were amazingly transformed by their coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Their lives were radically changed. The love they expressed for each other and the way they raised their kids was, indeed, a marvel of God’s work in their hearts. But most marvelous of all was the burden they had for their lost family members, friends, and neighbors. They became true soul-winners.

So, in an attempt at creative witnessing and low-key outreach, they started having Saturday afternoon parties at their home. They had free time, then a dinner, and after that they showed an evangelistic movie. They would tell people, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Several people were saved with this informal, non-churchy approach.

The husband began sharing his faith at work. One of his co-workers was a Reformed Baptist—a Five-Point Calvinist all the way. He told the husband, “‘God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life’ is not scriptural.” The co-worker gave the husband some Calvinistic literature. One of the booklets was titled, “For Whom Did Christ Die?” The booklet was pushing limited atonement—Christ only died for some, the elect.

The husband read the booklet and found it quite believable. Yes, there were those scriptures. “All” and “world” mean something different than what he had been taught they mean. So, the husband took the booklet to his pastor. The pastor said he did not agree with the booklet but frankly admitted the arguments in the booklet did appeal to Scripture. The pastor read in the booklet that the words “God is not willing that any should perish,” mean “God is not willing that any of the elect should perish.”

To make a long story short, this couple’s evangelistic zeal died a sure and certain death. Were they doing the right thing in trying to win the lost?

Were they dishonoring God in saying to lost people “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”? Gone were the Saturday fellowship dinners. Gone was the effort to get people to come to faith in Jesus Christ. What will be will be, so what’s the use? As far as I’m concerned this was a horrible disaster. A theology that is becoming more popular is sapping the lifeblood out of evangelism. Yes, theology matters. Immensely. Especially today.

We are seeing an amazing convergence of end-time signs that are leading right-minded individuals to pray, to witness, and to work. Jesus could return at any moment, perhaps before you finish reading this Prophetic Observer. However, for many Calvinists that doesn’t matter. They are either partial preterists or full preterists and think Bible prophecy is all a lot of end-times hype.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Millennial Temple Veiled in Mystery...Larry Spargimino....March 30, 2023

There have been a number of Bible commentators who have come up with elaborate ideas allegedly proving that Ezekiel’s Temple, described in chapters 40–48 of his book, is not a real temple. They claim these chapters are an allegorical description of something else, whatever that may be.

Significance of the Final Temple

The language of these chapters provides a great amount of specific details regarding this temple. It is like an architect’s blueprint. If it is not speaking about a literal structure, why the details?

It is important to remember that Ezekiel was a Jewish priest living during the years of the Babylonian captivity. The existence of Solomon’s Temple was, for the Jews of old, proof that God was on their side. The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, therefore, was more than the destruction of a building. It was a theological crisis.

The promise of a literal temple was proof to Israel that God will forgive their sin and cleanse them of all iniquity. It was a convincing sign to Israel that God was still faithful to His covenant. All the wonderful Millennial promises would be literally fulfilled, and the presence of a literal temple was the most wonderful promise of all for the people of God. If it were not a literal temple it would be like inviting a starving man to a turkey dinner, only to find nothing more than a pile of feathers. In the words of Dr. Charles Dyer, “The climax of Israel’s restoration as a nation will come when God’s glory re-enters the new temple in Jerusalem. …”

The new temple will become the visible reminder of Israel’s relationship with God. Since God gave detailed instructions for building the tabernacle to accompany His inauguration of the Mosaic covenant (Exodus 25–40), it is not unusual that He would also supply detailed plans for His new center of worship, to accompany the implementation of the new covenant. This temple will be the focal point for the visible manifestation of Israel’s new relationship with her God.

Why the Doubt?
Why, then, do so many commentators argue that Ezekiel’s Temple is not a literal temple? The answer: Because of the animal sacrifices. People argue and say, “We don’t need animal sacrifices because Jesus Christ has made a perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin. No additional sacrifices are needed. The sacrificial system has been surpassed. Therefore, we are not to take Ezekiel 40–48 literally.”

That is a common argument. Why do we need priests? Why do we need sacrifices? All valid questions. But let’s focus our thinking. Let’s think this thing through.

First of all, animal sacrifices never took away sin. Only the sacrifice of the Son of God could do that, as explained in Hebrews 10:1–4, 10. The animal sacrifices were acts of obedience to God, and showed submission to the divinely-revealed idea of the shedding of blood for the remission of sin.

Secondly, even after the resurrection of Christ, Jewish believers in Christ still took part in temple worship (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:2). They even took part in the offering of sacrifices, according to Acts 21:26. They saw these sacrifices as looking back to the sacrifice of Christ, even as is true in the Lord’s Supper, “for as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he came” (1 Cor. 11:26). The sacrifices of the Old Testament had no real efficacy, but they gave worshipers an opportunity to respond to God with humble obedience.

Not Solomon’s Temple

According to Dr. Dwight Pentecost in his classic work on Bible prophecy, Things To Come, pages 521–522, several of the items that were in Solomon’s Temple are missing, or modified in the Millennial Temple.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Ministering At Home To ‘The Captives’
Larry Spargimino......May 5, 2023

Jesus came to set the captives free. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

People in America are fed up with the rampant crime. As a culture, we have abandoned the Bible. We are reaping the consequences.

On one of my trips to speak at a conference, I was visiting with another airline passenger. I told the person about Southwest Radio Church and mentioned our prison outreach ministry. His response was: “Those people in prison belong in prison. They are criminals. Why do you have a ministry to them?”

I explained that we are not seeking to exonerate criminals, nor are we soft on crime. However, I am reminded that Jesus died for criminals, as well as for their victims.

In fact, some people have been raised in very confusing, soul-destroying circumstances. None of that excuses a criminal from incarceration, but it does help explain why people behave the way they do. And I shared with this airline passenger an important thought that has personally helped me behave in a way that demonstrates the grace of God: “People need love the most when they deserve it the least.”

Jesus spoke to the penitent malefactor and said, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

But there is another reason for our prison ministry. Many of the men and women who are incarcerated have relatives and loved ones. Some have mothers and fathers. Some have wives and husbands and children. These loved ones are grieved that their family member is in prison. “What is going to happen to my son in prison? Will he be bitter? Will she become a hardened criminal?”

Brother Noah Hutchings had the idea to minister to those in prison after receiving letters from prisoners who had heard us on the radio. He called it the “Onesimus Project,” referring to the story of fugitive slave Onesimus in Paul’s letter to Philemon. While Paul was in jail in Rome, he led Onesimus to the Lord. This is the heart of our prison ministry.

Prisoners need encouragement. I used to serve as a volunteer chaplain with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. American prisons are the best in the world, but I can tell you, being in prison is confinement.

“We receive letters weekly from inmates who ask us to pray for them because they are lonely,” says SWRC Staff Evangelist Josh Davis, who is SWRC’s main liaison with inmates. “Some are battling depression and struggling with isolation. We hear stories from inmates who have no family or friends to contact. They tell us this ministry helps them trust Jesus through the dark valleys they are facing.”

Southwest Radio Church receives and answers prayer requests from inmates. We send prisoners a Bible and the book, A Christian’s Guide to Prison Survival. We also send our newsletter and include other resources to prisoners – all free of charge, and of course, we pay the postage.

If you would like to be part of this mission, please send your gifts to Onesimus Prison Ministry, SWRC, P.O. Box 76834, Oklahoma City, OK 73147 or email josh@swrc.com with questions about Onesimus.

Onesimus Prison Project

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Pastor Larry’s Prayer for Grace Charity School
Larry Spargimino...October 16, 2023

Our dear Heavenly Father, Father of all mercies and love, we come to you in the Worthy name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I pray for the safety of the teachers and the students. I remember pastor Victor and his family and their faithfulness in serving the students and their families. Please, Lord, erect a hedge of protection around every student, teacher, and person who serves you at Grace Charity School.

We thank you that by studying science, all the students can learn more about the wonderful world that you have made. And that by studying health and hygiene the students can learn how to take care of their bodies, because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you that the students can learn how to use computers and other equipment that is necessary to be successful in the modern world.

Thank you, dear Lord, that they are learning their language, Urdu, as well as English.

Thank you that the students are learning the Bible and how the Bible teaches us how to live with wisdom, and with respect for all people.

We also pray for all the people of Pakistan. Grant to them understanding and a willing heart to know you and your great love for all humanity.

There is so much suffering and tragedy in the world. We know that man’s way is the way of war, but your way is the way of peace and joy.

Dear Lord, there is much fear in many hearts. Please replace that fear with confidence and trust in you.

And I know that there is much anger and misunderstanding in many hearts as well. Please replace that with joy, and with a willingness to listen to others and to be friends and not enemies.

Dear Lord, we know that you are the true and living God and that you have given us your Word to guide us and lead us.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 3 you reveal to the world much about your love–

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank you for touching the hearts of many people in America who have helped to fund and support Grace Charity School. Many in America believe that education is the answer to many of our problems.

We all want the students of Grace Charity School to be a great blessing to Pakistan. May the students grow in skill so that they can become doctors and nurses, teachers, and scientists.

In Jesus’ wonderful Name we pray,

Amen

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Putting It All Together
As we look at our contemporary world, we see much that is evil and tragic. It seems that the dam holding back evil has collapsed and we are being buried alive in a tidal wave of depravity. The peddlers of this depravity want to destroy every manifestation of decency and the core beliefs that once made America great.

However, there is another group, growing in number and notoriety. It includes a group of perceptive thinkers and high-profile figures, like Ayaan Hirsi Ali—and also others like the “Son of Hamas,” Mossab Hassan Yousef, the son of the founder of Hamas. These are people who have found that Christianity has a slant on life that is truly appealing in its power to transform and to provide intellectually coherent answers to the big questions of human existence.

New York Times bestselling author Joel Rosenberg carefully details the amazing work of God in his 2009 book Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World. In the book Final Fire: Is the Next Great Awakening Around the Corner, a book which I co-authored with Tom Horn and Donna Howell, we document the rising wave of revival fires around the world.

Though at present the world is focused on the Middle East, we must not forget the work of God in Communist China. Though illegal, the unlicensed Underground Church is seeing a harvest of souls, as is documented in the book China and End-Time Prophecy: How God Is Using the Red Dragon To Fulfill His Ultimate Purposes. Author, Eugene Bach (a pseudonym), ministers with the Underground Church. The back cover states that this volume “will show you why the completion of the Great Commission is inevitable and the return of Christ is unstoppable.” This New Year would be a good time to commit (or re-commit) our lives to world evangelism.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Ali seems to anticipate some evangelical critics who might say she is approaching the Christian faith as a theoretician or philosopher. However, I think it is significant that she writes: “I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realization that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable—indeed, very nearly self-destructive.”

For Ali, her faith has personal elements to it, like it does for all of us. But I heartily approve of the conviction that her faith is not just limited to a “friendship with Jesus.” Yes, Peter did say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). I don’t want to trample underfoot the individual’s personal relationships with the Son of God. But I also believe one of the weaknesses of much evangelicalism in America is that many Christians have not developed a consistent, Christian-theistic worldview. Whether or not we admit it, we are battling ideologies and systems of erroneous thinking. We are to be pulling down “strong holds … and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4–5).

Not a Passive Faith

In a day of societal confusion, one of the most important passages in Scripture reminding us of our identity and purpose on Earth is Genesis 1:26–28. We were made in God’s image to create, to produce, to invent. We were made to be creative and productive, yes, even to be the Lord’s entrepreneurs! This is not a passive faith but a faith that propels us into every nook and cranny of culture and human existence. While we all love John 3:16, there are many more verses, thoughts, and ideas in Scripture.

Ali writes, “We can’t withstand China, Russia, and Iran if we can’t explain to our populations why it matters that we do. We can’t fight woke … and we can’t counter Islamism with purely secular tools.”

Where shall we look for a unifying principle of life that gives life the meaning that we need? Ali writes, “And fortunately, there is no need to look for some new-age concoction of medication and mindfulness. Christianity has it all.”

While Ali admits that she has “a great deal to learn about Christianity,” she indicates that she understands that it is “a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

For those of my readers who would like to learn more about Ali and her penetrating analysis of contemporary issues that divide humanity, I would suggest the YouTube video titled, “What do wokeness and Islam have in common?” In short, Ali answers that they are both totalitarian. Her statements and courageous beliefs like this have led Brandeis University to deny her an honorary degree. She is also critical of Black Lives Matter and says that the group has raised a lot of money after the George Floyd murder, but BLM has used the funds on themselves. Ali has the right enemies.

I would also suggest that my readers pray for Ali that she would grow in grace and the knowledge of Scripture. What she reads about the Bible and those who mentor her are all critical to her grounding in the faith.

Ali faces danger from Islam, and is a target, along with her Scottish husband, Niall Ferguson, an author and historian.

Ali is also enraging the ProgressiveLeft, a group that finds her views “outrageous and divisive.” In addition, after being in ministry in a variety of formats for more than fifty years, I am concerned that she also faces harsh criticism from the extreme Christian Right. Fault may be found in her testimony because it does not have the usual evangelical buzzwords, or because she doesn’t use the correct translation of the Bible, or a dozen other issues. New Christians are tender. Please don’t crush them under heel.

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

Signs of the Final Harvest
Larry Spargimino
January 1, 2024

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has publicly stated that she is a Christian. Born in Somalia, Ali was a Muslim, but became a strong critic of Islam and later became a central figure in the New Atheism. She became disenchanted with atheism and has now professed adherence to the teachings of Jesus. Her journey has been long. Her thoughtful essay on UnHerd online media site explains much of her thinking.

Leaving Islam is considered a serious offense. In 2004 Ali collaborated on a short film with Theo Van Gogh titled Submission. It was a frank depiction of the oppression of women under Shariah law. The release of the film quickly yielded death threats.

Van Gogh was brutally murdered on an Amsterdam street on November 2, 2004. The attacker, Mohammed Bouyeri, shot Van Gogh once from a distance, and then at short range as the director lay wounded on the ground. He was already dead when Bouyeri cut his throat with a large knife and tried to decapitate him. Bouyeri left a letter pinned to Van Gogh’s body with a small knife. The letter was a death threat to Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

From Islam To Atheism
Several factors caused Ali to leave Islam. The 9/11 attack on America was one thing. Ali felt it was wrong and something she could not support. Islam’s oppression of women and a deep-seated disdain for non-Muslims, especially Jews, created more repugnance in her heart for Islam. In her essay, she expresses the thought that the West continues in denial about the dangers of radical Islam and the possibility of a religious war. “We have seen a similar tendency in the past five weeks, as millions of people sympathetic to the plight of Gazans seeking to rationalize the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks as a justified response to the policies of the Israeli government.”

“Why I Am Not a Christian”
In 2002, Ali discovered Bertrand Russell’s 1927 lecture titled “Why I Am Not a Christian.” Russell asserts that religion is based primarily on fear—something that resonated with Ali, who came from a strict Islamic background. Ali confessed that she was struggling with a deep-seated fear of being punished in the afterlife. Russell’s assertion brought peace: “When I die, I shall rot.”

Yet Ali did not have the peace that she sought. “The ‘God hole’ left in the human heart has not gone away, but rather has been filled by a jumble of irrational, quasi-religious dogma. The result is a world where modern cults prey on the dislocated masses, offering them spurious reasons for being and action—mostly by engaging in virtue.” Ali asserts that the virtue that is heralded is fighting for “a victimized minority or our supposedly doomed planet.”

Ali relates that the high-profile atheists that she met with, like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, were clever and fun to be with. However, as she looked at the news and followed the collapse of society and the rise of authoritarian regimes like those in Russia and China, plus the rise of worldwide Islam and the “viral spread” of “woke” ideology, the benefits of atheism seemed inadequate to combat the destructive beliefs of modern civilization.

She writes, “We endeavor to fend off these threats with modern, secular tools: military, economic, diplomatic and technological efforts to defeat, bribe, persuade, appease or surveil. And yet, with every round of conflict, we find ourselves losing ground.”

I think my readers can identify with that. We have supposedly improved the quality of life through technology, psychology, sociology, and several other grand schemes that will make life more livable, but despite our best efforts, the headlines become more ominous.

Evidence that Scripture is Divine

Always happy to meet another sister in the Lord.
We want a large family don't we?
You all come, there is room for many more"......................handshake wave

What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............

The war in the Ukraine has persuaded many people that we need a “New World Order.” Nations with weapons—especially nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons—pose definite risks to the human race. No matter how the war in Ukraine turns out, Putin’s attack on a small nation gave the world a time and motive to put aside differences and stand united against the Russian bully. That sounds noble, but those who know the dangers of globalism know that world unity is a harbinger of a world government, a world economy, and a world church. Bad news, but it is coming! In Riga, Latvia, on the road in front of the Russian Embassy, there is a sign: “Putin: The Hague is waiting for you.”
The wanton destruction of Ukrainian lives and property by Russian troops is indeed morally wrong and must be condemned. However, Putin’s fears that Russia will be grievously harmed by the destruction of moral and religious values that are the bedrock of civilization are certainly justified. America has a serious problem that Russia doesn’t want. The Blaze News for March 8, 2022, announced: “Biden requests $2.6 billion from Congress to fund global gender equity programs.” Do we have $2.6 billion to spend for a fabricated cause when the threat of World War III is hanging over our head like Damocles’ sword? And the madness continues. U.S. troops are being brought back from their posts to be schooled in sensitivity training and the proper use of pronouns for those who have transitioned. Putin looks at stuff like this and he is horrified. So are many Americans! We should all be horrified. This is madness.
Vladimir Putin wants to leave a noble legacy. This desire may have been strengthened by the fact that he may be suffering from cancer. Putin has been seen with Dr. Yevgeny Selivanov, who specializes in thyroid cancer. If he is leaving this world, Putin first wants to do something noble to earn God’s love so his sins will be forgiven; second, he identifies faithfulness to God with faithfulness to Russia. He sees patriotism and godly behavior as a faithful “Russian Orthodox Christian” as part of the same package. This is a warning to conservative Christians in America. We love America and know that it is more than a place; it is also an idea. But we must never equate love for God, with love for our America. We should never feel that God has let us down if, in the next presidential election, a God-hating, America-hating candidate wins! It could happen. Despite the low scores Joe Biden is getting in the polls, America may have come so far in the wrong direction that a large number of Americans may still vote for a Joe Biden kind of a leader. I see Donald Trump as having accomplished much good despite the continual media thrashing he received, but let’s not make him a patron saint. I believe that there will be worldwide revival, but I do not believe that it will be centered in America.
Now is the time to heed Romans 12:1–2. It is the will of God to have the Spirit of God use the Word of God to make the children of God more like the Son of God.
Amen

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