Hebrews 1 -- Let's learn from the best

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Hebrews 13 -- Keep on loving one another


1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

There has been a concerted effort for the last few years to divide Americans. They teach that people who support one candidate are “deplorable”, “irredeemable”, “chumps”, “racists”, “fascists”, etc. The basic strategy is to “divide and conquer”. The Lord’s strategy is to “keep on loving one another”.

2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

I am in Washington DC right now. The mayor has been inhospitable. Prior to the rallies the mayor shut down the city with all kinds of threats and concerns about the pandemic. Much of this is an illogical response. There have been numerous studies that show that viral load is critical in determining how sick people get. The reason people get sick and get the flu in the winter is because they go indoors. When you are indoors it is much easier to get a higher viral load. The Bikers whose event was called a superspreader event was traced back to a bar. Those bikers caught it while sitting in a bar. We have had rallies and protests for months and months and none of them have been superspreader events. These events are human based experiments and support this theory that viral load is much less outside than inside. If people feel they are in a category of most susceptible to the pandemic they aren’t going to come to DC. The rallies take place outside. If these rallies were superspreader events as they pretend then tens of thousands of Trump supporters would be in the hospital as he had massive rallies all over the country prior to the election. If you are outside and there is even a small breeze the virus gets dispersed in a huge volume of air known as our atmosphere. Yes, you can still be exposed to the virus but being exposed with a very small viral load does not make you sick, it makes you immune. It is the exact same concept as why we give people a vaccine. I was at the first rally in Washington DC with over a hundred thousand people. I was at Atlanta, I was at Harrisburg, and I was at the second rally in Washington DC. Almost everyone at these rallies has been to several rallies. Yes it is anecdotal evidence, but anecdotal evidence for hundreds of thousands of people. That is the same thing as experimental evidence. That is scientific evidence.

The mayor has also been pushing privately to have the national guard arrest the protesters for “unlawful assembly”. The national guard has refused. I was stunned at all the boarded up businesses here clearly trying to protect themselves from BLM (they put up signs on the boards saying they support BLM). I learned that homicides skyrocketed by 40% her first year as mayor and I also learned that Blacks have been hurt more by covid in Washington DC than any other city in the US due to her missteps. Still others complain that the schools are a mess with cronyism and elitism allowing preferential treatment for the rich and well connected. On the flip side she is a black woman. This is known as “identity politics” rather than looking at a person’s resume. When I was at the rally one speaker asked who was there from someplace other than DC and it seemed that all the hands shot up. There will be a million or more visitors who will come to this city this week and see her incompetence.

3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

The way they have treated people who were whistle blowers concerning the election fraud is horrendous. They dox them, they threaten them, they attack them and yes, they even imprison them. The US has not yet become Communist China, we are not treated as bad as people in China, at least not yet. However, the politicians that sold us out, sold us out to China, the Great Red Dragon.

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

The US has become Sodom and Gomorrah. Epstein’s pedophile island has revealed how extensive and widespread this is among the elites, the rich and the powerful. This is one way that they are able to “own” these politicians and judges. One way is simply buy them off, the other way is to have compromising information about them. Suppose a judge went to pedophile island, if that information became public they would be ruined. Therefore they don’t dare go against those that blackmail them with that.

5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[a] 6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]

There are many who choose to do the right thing and have had their careers destroyed as a result. There are news outlets that were on Youtube but Youtube censored and banned them. They have gone to Parler and Rumble at great financial loss. There is a price to pay to take this path and the Lord has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Just pray, the Lord is my helper.
 
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

The Black Robed Regiment is just one example. It is wonderful to study the “biblical history” of the US. By that I mean the words of faith that impacted the course of this nation. Martin Luther King Jr., is a leader you can consider, Nelson Mandela is another, the apostle Paul, Peter, John and James are others. They suffered injustice, they were imprisoned unrighteously, they were slandered, stoned and many were martyred but despite all that they never turned to violence.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Look at the context of this verse. The things we are going through today are the same as they were a few years ago, a few decades ago, a few centuries ago, and even a few millennia ago. Likewise those who were one with Jesus in these trials were also the same.

9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.

Strange teachings would definitely be teachings that are not in the Bible.

It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.

The teaching that the bread and wine that we eat during the Lord’s table is magically transformed into the body and blood of Jesus is a strange teaching. Grace will strengthen your hearts, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It is faith that strengthens your heart. Courage is the expression of faith, love and hope.

10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

Remember our altar, the Lord’s table, who gave his body and blood for us. He has made a covenant with us and that gives us a right to eat from that table.
 
Bear the disgrace that Jesus bore

11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

If you are following the Lord, if you are bearing your cross and following Him, then surely you will have to go outside the camp and bear the disgrace He bore. This is not about the city we have but rather we are looking for the city to come. Our testimony is that this world is satanic, evil and corrupt. Why would you be surprised that they in turn attack and insult you?

15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

This is a great test, can you openly profess His name and give a sacrifice of praise? If you are involved in doing something shameful you can’t, if you are doing something that the Lord prohibits you can’t.

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Regardless of the situation you can always do good. While being crucified the Lord told one of the thieves that he would be with Him that day in paradise. He saw His mother and told the disciple “behold your mother”, even while dying He is taking care of others and doing good.

17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

Every leader has authority. Your boss at work has authority over you. They don’t have authority over your worship but they do have authority over the work you do in that job. The same is true of government leaders, they have authority over the city, state and federal government. They have the right to issue laws for your good. They don’t have the right to violate the laws of God. Ever since Noah human government has had a covenant with God to deal with murderers and provide a safe environment for us to live in. Rosa Parks refused to submit to a law that violated God’s law, Mahatma Gandhi also refused to submit to laws that violated God’s law. So then, if the law is according to the covenant that God made with Noah you need to submit, if the law violates God’s covenant then you can imitate the people of faith who have gone before us.

18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

The apostles were slandered and lied about, but the testimony is that they had a clear conscience and desired to live honorably in every way. We should imitate them and we should also pray for those on the front lines, they are taking the brunt of Satan’s attack.

19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

This is why I think this was Paul. This appears to be written primarily by one person but because the major revelation in this book appears to be something that both Paul and James discovered he may not have felt comfortable attributing this book as from him. There may have actually been many saints who saw bits and pieces that Paul has compiled here.

20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This is our prayer, that the Lord’s will would be done. We have been fully equipped, by saying “we” I am referring to the Body of Christ.

22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

Again, this appears to be referring to both Paul and Timothy and it also seems they were both imprisoned.

24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. 25 Grace be with you all.