No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:37 ESV
This verse expresses both our love for Yeshua and his for us. It is through his love for us that we are able to withstand the onslaughts of the enemy and maintain our love for him in our obedience and faithfulness. See Revelation 2:26, 7:14, and related passages saying that those who persevere to the end will be saved.
On this date in history, 12/05/1787: Federalist No 17 on the insufficiencies of the old Confederation (part 3) is published in the Independent Journal. #otd #tdih #federalistpapers https://www.historycarper.com/....1787/12/05/federalis
Are the holidays we celebrate in the winter nothing more than the traditions of man? find out in tonight’s podcast. Mark 7:8, “You have stopped following the commands of God. Now you only follow the teachings of men.”
Donald Trump recently said that he wants Canada to be the 51st State. What do I think?
I think that Canada should be part of the United States. It would be better to have a stronger U.S. dollar. It would be better for Canadians to be part of a larger and more powerful country. It would be good for the U.S. because they would have more natural resources to tap into. We would have an economy larger than the European Union and be the first largest country in the world in land mass.
As far as different cultures are concerned, there are still regional differences within the U.S. So that wouldn't affect Canada that much either.
Sooner or later, this is going to eventually happen. Canada is too reliant on the U.S. to be independent.
Thought for Today: Thursday December 05
To desire the Kingdom of YHVH unconditionally, at all times and under all circumstances --- this is the Kingdom of Elohiym inside of you.
"And out of his mouth went a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the heathen: for he shall rule them with a rod of iron, for he it is that treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
Re 19
FIRST MACCABEES
CHAPTER 16
Yochanan then went up from Gazara and told his father Shimon what Cendebeus was doing. Shimon called his two oldest sons, Yehudah and Yochanan, and said to them: “I and my brothers and my father’s house have fought the wars of Yisrael from our youth until today, and many times we succeeded in saving Yisrael. I have now grown old, but you, by the mercy of Heaven, have come to maturity. Take my place and my brother’s, and go out and fight for our nation; and may the help of Heaven be with you!”
Yochanan then mustered in the land twenty thousand warriors and cavalry. Setting out against Cendebeus, they spent the night at Modein, rose early, and marched into the plain. There, facing them, was an immense army of foot soldiers and cavalry, and between the two armies was a wadi. Yochanan and his people took their position against the enemy. Seeing that his people were afraid to cross the wadi, Yochanan crossed first. When his men saw this, they crossed over after him. Then he divided his infantry and put his cavalry in the center, for the enemy’s cavalry were very numerous. They blew the trumpets, and Cendebeus and his army were routed; many of them fell wounded, and the rest fled toward the stronghold. It was then that Yochanan’s brother Yehudah fell wounded; but Yochanan pursued them until Cendebeus reached Qidron, which he had fortified. Some took refuge in the towers on the plain of Azotus, but Yochanan set fire to these, and about two thousand of the enemy perished. He then returned to Yehudah in peace.
Ptolemy, son of Abubus, had been appointed governor of the plain of Yericho, and he had much silver and gold, being the son-in-law of the Koheyn Gadol. But his heart became proud and he was determined to get control of the country. So he made treacherous plans to do away with Shimon and his sons. As Shimon was inspecting the cities of the country and providing for their needs, he and his sons Mattithyahu and Yehudah went down to Yericho in the one hundred and seventy-seventh year, in the eleventh month (that is, the month Shebat). The son of Abubus gave them a deceitful welcome in the little stronghold called Dok which he had built. He served them a sumptuous banquet, but he had his men hidden there. Then, when Shimon and his sons were drunk, Ptolemy and his men sprang up, weapons in hand, rushed upon Shimon in the banquet hall, and killed him, his two sons, and some of his servants. By this vicious act of treachery he repaid excellence with evil.
Then Ptolemy wrote a report and sent it to the king, asking him to send troops to help him and to turn over to him their country and its cities. He sent other men to Gazara to do away with Yochanan. To the army officers he sent letters inviting them to come to him so that he might present them with silver, gold, and gifts. He also sent others to seize Yerushalayim and the Temple mount. But someone ran ahead and brought word to Yochanan at Gazara that his father and his brothers had perished, and “Ptolemy has sent men to kill you also.” On hearing this, Yochanan was utterly astounded. When the men came to kill him, he seized them and put them to death, for he knew that they sought to kill him.
Now the rest of the acts of Yochanan, his wars and the brave deeds he performed, his rebuilding of the walls, and all his achievements - these are recorded in the chronicle of his Kehunnah, from the time that he succeeded his father as Koheyn Gadol.
FIRST MACCABEES
CHAPTER 15
Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent a letter from the islands of the sea to Shimon, the koheyn and ethnarch of the Yehudym, and to all the nation, which read as follows:
“King Antiochus sends greetings to Shimon, the Koheyn Gadol and ethnarch, and to the Yehudy nation. Whereas certain villains have gained control of the kingdom of our ancestors, I intend to reclaim it, that I may restore it to its former state. I have recruited a large number of mercenary troops and equipped warships. I intend to make a landing in the country so that I may take revenge on those who have ruined our country and laid waste many cities in my kingdom.
“Now, therefore, I confirm to you all the tax exemptions that the kings before me granted you and whatever other privileges they conceded to you. I authorize you to coin your own money, as legal tender in your country. Yerushalayim and its sanctuary shall be free. All the weapons you have prepared and all the strongholds you have built and now occupy shall remain in your possession. All debts, present or future, due to the royal treasury shall be canceled for you, now and for all time. When we establish our kingdom, we will greatly honor you and your nation and the Temple, so that your esteem will be manifest in all the earth.”
In the one hundred and seventy-fourth year Antiochus invaded the land of his ancestors, and all the troops rallied to him, so that few were left with Trypho. Pursued by Antiochus, Trypho fled to Dor, by the sea, realizing what troubles had come upon him now that his soldiers had deserted him. Antiochus encamped before Dor with a hundred and twenty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry. While he surrounded the city, his ships closed from the sea, so that he pressed it hard by land and sea and let no one go in or out.
Meanwhile, Numenius and his companions came from Rome with letters containing this message to various kings and countries: “Lucius, Consul of the Romans, sends greetings to King Ptolemy. Ambassadors of the Yehudym, our friends and allies, have come to us to renew their earlier friendship and alliance. They had been sent by Shimon the Koheyn Gadol and the Yehudy people, and they brought with them a gold shield of a thousand minas. Therefore we have decided to write to various kings and countries, that they are not to venture to harm them, or wage war against them or their cities or their country, and are not to assist those who fight against them. We have also decided to accept the shield from them. If, then, any troublemakers from their country take refuge with you, hand them over to Shimon the Koheyn Gadol, so that he may punish them according to their law.”
The consul sent identical letters to Kings Demetrius, Attalus, Ariarthes and Arsaces; to all the countries—Sampsames, the Spartans, Delos, Myndos, Sicyon, Caria, Samos, Pamphylia, Lycia, Halicarnassus, Rhodes, Phaselis, Cos, Side, Aradus, Gortyna, Cnidus, Cyprus, and Cyrene. A copy of the letter was also sent to Shimon the Koheyn Gadol.
When King Antiochus encamped before Dor, he assaulted it continuously both with troops and with the siege engines he had made. He blockaded Trypho by preventing anyone from going in or out. Shimon sent to Antiochus’ support two thousand elite troops, together with silver and gold and much equipment. But he refused to accept the aid; in fact, he broke all the agreements he had previously made with Shimon and became hostile toward him.
He sent Athenobius, one of his friends, to confer with Shimon and say: “You are occupying Yapha and Gazara and the citadel of Yerushalayim; these are cities of my kingdom. You have laid waste their territories, done great harm to the land, and taken possession of many districts in my kingdom. Now, therefore, give up the cities you have seized and the tribute money of the districts you control outside the territory of Yehudah; or instead, pay me five hundred talents of silver for the devastation you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of the cities. If you do not do this, we will come and make war on you.”
So Athenobius, the king’s Friend, came to Yerushalayim and on seeing the splendor of Shimon’s court, the gold and silver plate on the sideboard, and his rich display, he was amazed. When he gave him the king’s message, Shimon said to him in reply: “It is not foreign land we have taken nor have we seized the property of others, but only our ancestral heritage which for a time had been unjustly held by our enemies. Now that we have the opportunity, we are holding on to the heritage of our ancestors. As for Yapha and Gazara, which you demand, those cities were doing great harm to our people and our country. For these we will give you a hundred talents.” Athenobius made no reply, but returned to the king in anger. When he told him of Shimon’s words, of his splendor, and of all he had seen, the king fell into a violent rage.
Trypho had boarded a ship and escaped to Orthosia. Then the king appointed Cendebeus commander-in-chief of the seacoast, and gave him infantry and cavalry forces. He ordered him to encamp against Yehudah and to fortify Qidron and strengthen its gates, so that he could wage war on the people. Meanwhile the king went in pursuit of Trypho. When Cendebeus came to Yamnia, he began to harass the people and to make incursions into Yehudah, where he took people captive and massacred them. As the king ordered, he fortified Qidron and stationed cavalry and infantry there, so that they could go out and patrol the roads of Yehudah.
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