On this date in history, 06/25/1876: Major General George Armstrong Custer is killed by Sioux warrior White Bull at the ill-conceived Battle of Little Bighorn in southern Montana. #otd #tdih #nativeamericanhistory

What is your view of the Godhead?

Trinitarian: One God in three persons. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Binitarian: The Father and Son are Divine beings. Holy Spirit is the Father's power.

Biblical Unitarian: Only the Father is divine. Yeshus is the son of God, but not divine and fully human. Holy Spirit is the Father's power.

God Family: Taught by the late Herbert W. Armstrong and various offshoots. Godhead is currently composed of the Father and Son, but will also include resurrected human beings in the future.

I did my best to difine the terms, but if you feel they are not accurate, then pick the one that is closest to what you believe. Thanks.

We laid down some bass guitar tracks today for the new song. ?

Now we need to do the drums.

Thought for Today: Sunday June 25:

Always be in a state of expectancy and see that you leave room for YHVH to come in as and when He likes

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 19

SERIES S --- THE SON OF YHVH

CAESAR OR YHVH?

PARABLE OF A VINEYARD

From Matthew 21:19-22:22; Mark 11:19-12:17; Luke 20:1-26; 21:37, 38

That evening Yeshua and His disciples returned to Bethany. On the following morning as they went toward Jerusalem again, the disciples noticed that the fig tree had withered from the roots up. Peter mentioned this to Yeshua, [Teacher, look at the fig tree which You cursed. It has withered.] [Have faith in YHVH!] Yeshua said. [If you have enough faith, you can command this mountain to rise up and be thrown into the sea, and it will happen. When you ask for something in prayer, sincerely believe that you have received it, and you will. But when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, for then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.] When Yeshua arrived in the temple, the chief priests and elders demanded, [By what authority are You doing the things You do, and who gave You this authority?] [Answer My question and I will answer yours,] Yeshua replied. [Where did John the Baptist receive his authority to baptize? From YHVH or from men?] The leaders began to whisper among themselves. [If we say ‘from heaven,’ He will say, ‘why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say ‘from men,’ the people will be angry, for they believe that John was a prophet.] [We don’t know,] they replied to Yeshua. [Then I will not answer your question,] said Yeshua. Then Yeshua told this parable. [A man asked one of his two sons to work in his vineyard one day, and the son said, ‘I will.’ But he did not. Then he asked the second of his two sons the same, and this son said, ‘I will not,’ but he did, for he was later sorry that he had said that to his father. Which of the two was truly obeying his father?] [The second,] the chief priests and elders answered. Then Yeshua told the meaning of the parable. [John the Baptist came with a message to repent and obey the Father in heaven. You say you obey Him, but you don’t. The tax collectors and harlots do not claim to be religious, but some repented and turned toward YHVH, and now obey Him. I tell you that these tax collectors and harlots will enter the Kingdom of YHVH before you, for you not only refuse to obey, but you even feel no remorse for your disobedience.] Yeshua then told another parable. [A man who owned some land planted a vineyard with a hedge around it, built a wine press and watchtower, and rented it to some men while he travelled to another country. When the harvest was ready, he sent slaves to get his share of it, but the vineyard keepers beat one, killed another and stoned a third. He sent another group of slaves, larger than the first, but they did the same to them. ‘Now whom shall I send?’ the owner wondered. ‘I will send my beloved son, for surely they will reverence him.’ [But the vineyard keepers threw the son from the vineyard and murdered him. When the owner of the vineyard comes, what do you think he will do to those vineyard keepers?] The leaders answered, [He will utterly destroy those wicked men and rent the vineyard to some others, who will share the man’s rightful part with him.] Then Yeshua told them, [Have you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has now become the chief cornerstone. This was from Adonai and it is marvellous in our eyes.’ Now I want to tell you the meaning, for the Kingdom of YHVH is about to be taken from you and will be given to others who will produce fruit. Whoever stumbles on this will be broken, but those upon whom it falls will be crushed.] When the chief priests and other religious leaders saw that He was comparing them to the wicked vineyard keepers, they wanted to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd of people who thought of Him as a prophet. Yeshua told another parable. [The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his slaves to inform the invited guests that it was ready, but the invited guests refused to come. He sent some more slaves with instructions that the dinner was ready and the oxen and fattened animals were butchered and cooking, and that they should hurry to the wedding feast. But these people still ignored him. One went to a farm, another to his business, and the others abused the slaves whom the host had sent, and even killed them. The king who had prepared the wedding feast was angry and sent his army, which destroyed the murderers, and set their city on fire. He then gave his slaves new instructions. ‘The wedding is prepared, but those I invited were not worthy. Go out where the ordinary people are and invite them to the feast.’ The slaves obeyed and went out among the ordinary people and found those who were both good and bad and filled the wedding hall with them. When the king arrived, he saw one man who had refused to put on the wedding robe, provided for the guests. ‘What are you doing here without the wedding robe?’ the king asked. But the man had no answer. The king then ordered his servants to bind the disrespectful man and throw him out into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.] The Pharisees tried again to think of some way to trap Yeshua so that they might have Him arrested. They sent some of their own, along with some Herodians, to ask Him a question. [Teacher, we realize that You teach the truth no matter what others think,] they said. [Tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?] Yeshua realized that they were trying to trap Him, so He said, [You hypocrites, are you trying to trap Me with your questions? Show Me a coin.] They showed Him a denarius. [Whose picture and name are on this coin?] He asked. [Caesar’s,] they answered. [Then give Caesar what is his,] said Yeshua. [And give YHVH what is His.] When they heard this, they were amazed and went away.

COMMENTARY

CAESARS

During the years when the events of the New Testament were unfolding, Rome controlled most of the ancient world. All of the land around the Mediterranean Sea and much of Europe formed a single large empire ruled by one man. That man wielded more power from his Roman palace than any other person in the ancient world. Not only did he command armies and fleets of ships, but he also had the power of life and death over every person in the entire Roman Empire. Today the nations of the world are governed by presidents, prime ministers and kings, but in ancient Rome the ruler was called a {Caesar.} Originally {Caesar} was the family name inherited by Augustus from Julius, who had adopted him. But in honour of the strong government of Rome’s first emperor, his family name became a title reserved only for the highest Roman ruler. Augustus Caesar ruled the Empire for over forty years. His reign marked a period of peace Rome had not known for a very long time. Today his rule is remembered as a time of order in an age of great confusion. But more important, the reign of Augustus was marked by the birth of a baby in a faraway corner of the Roman Empire. Caesar’s decree that {all the world should be taxed} fulfilled the ancient prophecy that the Moshiach would be born in Bethlehem. Augustus Caesar died when Yeshua was still a young teenager. He did not live to see the birth of the first believer’s church. The emperors who came after him were the ones guilty of persecuting the early believers. But in spite of everything the Roman rulers tried, they could not stop the rapid spread of the godly message throughout the Empire.

"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

Ps 58

Even if I never forget for a moment that God is, and that he sees all that I and we do or think, and that he rewards them that do good, even if I never forget these things for a moment, if I ever do not do 100% of what I can, if I ever do not fully realise and appreciate these things by my actions, to the same degree, small or large, I have been as a fool, who says in his heart there is no God.

#sabbathposts 2023/06/24

9Let love be without hypocrisy. Shrink from what is wicked, cling to what is good. 10In brotherly love, tenderly loving towards one another, in appreciation, giving preference to each other; 11not idle in duty, ardent in spirit, serving the Master; 12rejoicing in the expectancy, enduring under pressure, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13imparting to the needs of the set-apart ones, pursuing kindness towards strangers. 14Bless those who persecute you – bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be proud in mind, but go along with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, on your part, be at peace with all men. 19 Beloved, do not revenge yourselves, but give place to the wrath, for it has been written, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay,” says יְהֹוָה.
20 “Instead, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink, for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romiyim (Romans) 12:9‭-‬21 TS2009

BIBLE STUDY LESSON 18

SERIES S --- THE SON OF YHVH

THE RIGHT OF RULE

THE BARREN FIG TREE

From Matthew 21:12, 13, 18, 19; Mark 11:12-18; Luke 19:45-48; John 12:20-50

As Yeshua came from Bethany toward Jerusalem the next morning, He was hungry. At a distance was a fig tree filled with leaves, so He took His disciples there to see if there were also figs. But there was nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [No one will eat fruit from you again,] He spoke to the fig tree. When they arrived in Jerusalem later, Yeshua entered the temple and began to throw out the merchants from their places, and to upset the tables of the moneychangers, as well as the seats of the dove merchants. He would not even let a person carry a vessel through the temple. Then Yeshua told the people, [Doesn’t YHVH say in the Scriptures that His house is a house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves.] The chief priests and scribes heard this and tried to think of some way to destroy Him, but they could not, for they feared Him. They recognized what the people might do, for they listened intently to every word He said. Some Greeks who were at the Passover came to Philip, from Bethsaida, and said, [Sir, we want to see Yeshua.] The suggestion was that they wanted to become His disciples. Philip told Andrew, who went with Philip to tell Yeshua. Yeshua answered, [The time has come for Me to enter into the glory of sacrificial death. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. If you love your life so that you cling to it, you will lose life forever; but if you recognize your earthly life as something of far less value than your heavenly life, you may give it up in exchange for life everlasting. [Whoever serves Me must follow Me, so that wherever I am, My servant will be also. The Father will honour anyone who serves Me. My soul is deeply troubled as I enter into this agony, but should I ask My Father to save Me from it? For this purpose, I came to earth. Father, honour Your Name through this.] A voice came from heaven and said, [I have honoured My Name and will honour it again.] The crowds heard the voice but some thought it was thunder. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him. [The voice was not for My sake, but for yours,] Yeshua told the people. [The time of judgment has come, when Satan will be defeated. When I am lifted up to die on the cross, I will draw all people to Myself.] He said this to show how He would die. People in the crowd asked, [We thought the Law of Moses teaches that the Moshiach will live forever. How then can You say that You will he crucified? Are You really this Moshiach?] [The Light I bring will shine on you for a little while longer,] Yeshua said. [Walk in My Light while it is here, for it will be snuffed out shortly and you will not know which way you are walking. While the Light is with you, believe in Him, so that you may become the sons of light, taking it to others.] After Yeshua said these things, He left and hid from the people. Even though the people had seen Him do many wonderful miracles, many still would not believe that He was the Moshiach. Isaiah the prophet had predicted this when he said, [Who will believe what we say, Adonai, even though Your mighty works have been revealed to them?] Isaiah also predicted this unbelief when he said, [Adonai has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they may not perceive what they see or understand what they know, and be converted to Adonai Who would heal them.] Isaiah was speaking of Yeshua in these prophecies, for YHVH had shown him the glory of the Moshiach Who would come. Many of the religious leaders were now believing in Yeshua, but few were confessing Him publicly, for they were afraid they would be expelled from the synagogues. They still loved the praise of men more than YHVH’s approval. Yeshua cried out for all to hear, [Whoever believes in Me believes in Him Who sent Me. Whoever sees Me sees the One Who sent Me. I have come into this world as a Light, so that whoever believes in Me will not live in darkness. Whoever hears what I say, but rejects it, will be judged on the Day of Judgment by the very truths I have spoken, not by Me, for I have come to save the world rather than judge it. I tell you these things because they are from My Father, and not just from Me. He has told Me what to say to you, and I say it, for I am certain that His Words will bring you eternal life.]

COMMENTARY

BANKERS AND MONEY-CHANGERS

In Bible times, there were no public bank buildings like those today. Bankers usually sat at tables in the marketplace and competed with the merchants for the attention of passersby. It was not uncommon to find the banker’s table standing between the baker’s loaves of bread and the fish vendor’s catch. Bankers in Yeshua’ time offered simplified versions of the same services offered by banks in the modern world. They paid interest on money deposited in their care. They also lent money for mortgages and large purchases, and made personal loans as well. Jewish bankers were forbidden to charge other Jews interest on these loans, but in practice they did, often getting extremely high interest from both Jews and Gentiles. Bankers of the time even offered an early version of traveller’s checks. Money paid to a banker in one city could be reclaimed from a banker in another city by presenting a receipt. That made it possible to travel without carrying large amounts of money, which might easily be lost or stolen. Most bankers preferred not to involve themselves in the business of changing coins. This was left to the professional moneychangers. Money-changers conducted their business both in the marketplace and in the temple court. For a fee, they would change large coins for smaller ones, foreign coins for local ones. But their major business was in the temple courtyard. It was forbidden to make a donation to the temple or to pay the yearly temple tax in anything other than Jewish coins. Jews coming to the temple from other countries would be carrying foreign coins. These were exchanged for acceptable Jewish money at the money-changers’ tables in the temple court.

What if we began to treat our Bibles the way we treat our cell phones?