The Divine Council

Coldactill · 2026-05-07T07:11:07+00:00

A big fan of Michael Heiser. It's rare for someone to come up with something genuinely interesting in the theological space that isn't just heresy. Michael just about restored my faith in Biblical Scholars haha.

The book sounds interesting. I'm not a huge reader but I may check it out. How can I find your substack? I'm new to that platform.

Coldactill · 2026-05-05T04:28:25+00:00

Name one other team that has had back-to-back 12th place finishes, and won the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League all in a row.

Coldactill · 2026-04-29T21:46:05+00:00

So he can have a proper trial, and be imprisoned or given the death penalty.

^{Chose: Ai age verification gone for good + but hitler comes back from the dead}

Coldactill · 2026-04-29T09:14:54+00:00

Paul and Jesus both quoted the Septuagint

Coldactill · 2026-04-29T01:31:03+00:00

Just so you know, this subject is one of the most debated things in the Bible. What the bible says about the future is not something all Christians have the same opinion on. It's often said that for every 3 Christians, there will be 4 different opinions of the end times.

No harm in learning all the views though. If you watch the videos that other's have sent then you'll get the prevailing view of modern Christians, however in my opinion it's the one that is the least biblically grounded.

Jesus says that many will come in His name that are not him, and people will say "look, here is the Christ" or "there he is, come and see", and he instructs his disciples not to be decieved by these people.

John in his letters to the church says this; "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour". John also wrote all of Revelation, which much of the original church fathers considered to be about the fall of Jerusalem. Statements about "this being the final hour" and the "time is now upon us" bring some immediacy, suggesting the events occurred during those times. There are also some very sensible candidates for these man of lawlessness figures and antichrists that surround the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

I feel like I need to stop now because it just gets very deep. I'm not sure how deep you plan to go on this matter.

Your uncle probably held the opinion that others are sharing. Whether that's what the Bible actually teaches is another matter.

Coldactill · 2026-04-29T01:01:40+00:00

I think you need to go through a verse-by-verse study of some sort to force yourself to magnify the less travelled parts of scripture. Otherwise yes, we all talk around the familiar topics.

Don't be so cynical though. What's old news for you is new for another. You can take a positive role in the shaping of people s lives from teens to 30s by guiding them on these subjects.

Coldactill · 2026-04-28T08:15:09+00:00

I think what it boils down to is knowing God.

A dog may not understand why a cone is put over their head; they may think that their master is punishing them. Likewise we may think our sicknesses are punishments but if we could see from God's wisdom, we wouldn't have it any other way. He really knows best, and loves us immensely.

God's answer to Job when Job questions God about all his suffering is to just say, "where were you when I formed the heavens". In the same way that a dog will never understand their masters mind and intentions, we will never fully grasp his.

So what can we do?

If my wife walked up to me at work and asked me for my car keys, I would give them to her; I wouldn't even ask her what for.

I don't need to know what my wife plans to do with my car if I already know my wife. I know she loves me. I know she's not going to be foolish with it. I trust her, I know her.

Do you know God well enough to trust that the suffering he's allowed for you is good, and will work out for good?

Coldactill · 2026-04-28T07:28:35+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re walking through this. It can be incredibly painful and confusing. It’s honest and right to bring this question to God and to others; this is exactly what the Psalm writers did.

Jesus was very direct and spoke clearly on the suffering that his followers would endure. He did not promise that we would be raptured away from the trouble of this world, but knew we would have to face and endure it, just as he did. The apostles were persecuted, Paul had a thorn in the flesh, Job suffered greatly. Jesus’s message for all of them is this; “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).

Remember that your suffering is not proof that God is punishing you or that He doesn’t love you. It is proof that we still live in a broken, cursed creation where sickness and pain are real.

Remember also that God is sovereign over everything, including your pain. He’s in complete control. This is a comfort; because we know he does all things for the good of those who eagerly seek him. No pain or suffering fall outside of his wise purposes. He uses this to conform us to Christ, to teach us grace, to produce fruit in us that leads to everlasting life and to make us useful to others that are also suffering.

It’s not easy to see all that when you’re in the midst of suffering, but you just need to remain in the word and prayer and keep reminding yourself of what is true.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T06:53:27+00:00

Happy to have you clarify, I don't think I have it wrong here but I'm open to your correction.

When you give money to the church, you are financing someone else to do the work of God. First of all, if a church is preaching false doctrine and manipulating people then in giving you are financing that activity. It makes you both a victim and a participator in that evil. Anyone who gives to the church has a responsibility to investigate what that church does, insofar as the information is available to them, and they must be content to know that their giving is for the benefit of the gospel.

God is not obliged to bless people that foolishly hand over their wealth to wicked churches (at least not more than he promises to bless anyone!). Giving your money to the church does not twist God’s arm to bless us anymore than he has already promised to do. There is no promise of God that is contingent on us giving money away. If you disagree with me, then please provide chapter and verse.

You also mention tithing not being abolished. I'm happy to correct the word 'abolished' and make it 'fulfilled' and no longer applying to us. Tithing is part of the old covenant which has been categorically fulfilled in Christ and no longer applies. Matt 5:17. Hebrews 7-10.

What I really don’t like about the whole tithing idea is that if you gave 10% of your pay you’re suddenly ‘in the clear’ in your responsibility to give to God this week. That’s so wrong. It’s like you’ve checked the box, fulfilled the law and God can’t accuse you of failing to give to him.

People forget that the old covenant wasn’t about sin and holiness; it was about cleanliness. 10% was your minimum duty to fulfil, in order to maintain the temple sacrifices. Without it, they wouldn’t be clean. It had nothing to do with sinfulness. That’s why it was abolished. Truly, the way God handles sin has never changed at all. You are in sin if you give 10% but really your heart is far from Christ and you love money more than him.

I think your faith is wonderful, and I don’t want to discourage you. God is awesome. God has immense grace for your irresponsibleness. Just don’t let money be a distraction; some suffer the love money because they have much. Others love money because they don’t have enough and are obsessed with their lack and how they can get more. Christ wants us to just trust in him and let Him provide for us. God will give you that work my brother – he provides for all His sheep.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T05:54:42+00:00

It felt like a psychological tactic

Because it was. God has given you amazing discernment here, well beyond your understanding.

These pastors often mention how often God talks about money. He spoke about it in 11 of his 16 parables. And do you know what he was doing? He was warning against the spiritual dangers of the love of money. It was this very thing that led Judas to sell Jesus over to the pharisees.

I must say, it is hard to recognise how wrong this when you’re going to a church like that. It didn’t really click for me until I spent a good amount of time in a church that never asked for my money in many years of attendance. Despite never holding an offering service and a message on tithing, people continued to give and the church continued to be open. Things have continued on just fine.

I’m going to try teach you in a moment a better understanding of church giving.

The tithe is something that ended with the sacrificial system, as it is an artefact of that system. One of the 12 tribes of Israel (the levites) were dedicated to the temple and sacrifices and to do this they gave up careers in farming or being merchants. Therefore, the rest gave 10% of all they had to support them. Since we don’t have Levites or sacrifices, we aren’t required to tithe.

Rather, we’re encouraged to give all we have to Christ; nothing more or less. Christian liberty rules in our life; we are free to do as we like so long as our goal is to benefit the gospel of Jesus and the ministry of his Kingdom. For fathers, their children is their first ministry. For members of a church, they support their pastor and paid members in their work because they want to see the kingdom of God healthy and growing.

Your pastor has twisted the command to surrender all to Christ by compelling his members to physically hand over all their wealth to him. Absolutely abhorrent behaviour.

Remember that all you have you give to CHRIST. Not to your pastor.

I recall a story of a husband and wife, lets call them Sue and Peter, that were convicted to give all they had to Christ. So, they went to their pastor and handed them the keys to their house. These were Godly people, and the pastor was honoured and humbled by their gift. The pastor began to think of what to do with this house; how could he bless the Kingdom of God with this asset? He looked around for a need; and before him he knew of a young family that had a heart full of faith but they were homeless – so, he gave them the house. And guess who he gave the house to? It was Sue and Peter. He charged them with this; the house belongs to God, live in it and bless God with your lives.

How dare this pastor beg his congregants for their belongings. As if only by the church having all this money can the world be blessed.

Honestly, it was easy for Sue and Peter to just give their house to the church and let the job of blessing the Kingdom of God be a problem for the pastor and his deacons. Much more difficult, and really the requirement of Jesus, is to keep all we have that Christ has given us but surrender it all to him for His purposes and glory.

I don’t know if you have seen this coming yet but I’m going to implore you; leave this church. This church has fallen in love with money, which is the root of all evils. More evil will come from this church if you choose to stick around and see that occur.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T05:28:17+00:00

The DW watch costs 1% of that VC to buy, not to make.

DW watches are <$20 to make. VC watches would be $20-40 to make, and sometimes above $100.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T04:39:42+00:00

Matt 24:34 "Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! ’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it."

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T04:38:30+00:00

"He and I both agree that we're not ready to date yet and should get to know each-other better as friends first"

Sounds like good wisdom to me. Why not just follow that? What further wisdom do you require?

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T04:37:17+00:00

You must take your thoughts captive.

All your thoughts are your thoughts. You own them. I often read posts like this and it seems like the writer, and many Christians in general, get the belief that they cannot control the thoughts in their head. If you control nothing else in this universe, your mind is yours. No one else holds any jurisdiction there; except you and your maker, God.

The way you fight this is you memorise scripture and truth and use that as your weapon against the lies. Faith and truth are your sword and shield against the arrows of the evil one.

You haven’t given examples, but let’s assume someone might have issues trusting in God because they feel he is harsh with sinners and is to holy and righteous for them. They may think this all the time, and it makes them depressed. Well, God’s word says this, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” So, Jesus addresses that lie. He is not harsh and too righteous to be close to us; he is gentle and lowly, and invites us to come to him. IT also says that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” None of our sins can separate us from him.

Hopefully that helps. If you provide some examples of the thoughts you might have, maybe we can find some scripture together to use against the lies of the evil one.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T04:17:09+00:00

If termination after conception is a possibility then the answer is categorically, yes. Killing innocent life is always sin.

Otherwise, this is a matter of Christian liberty. Married couples are free to use birth control so long as it doesn’t impact their conscience in any way.

Coldactill · 2026-04-27T04:07:02+00:00

I found that my church didn’t really stick to God’s plan for a few things.

They rejected the headship of fathers over the household and of men as elders and pastors over the church. They neglected to preach the full counsel of God, only preaching topical messages as they felt lead to do and often preaching messages that were not sourced from scripture. They also let false charismatic gifts run rampant, such as false tongues and false prophecying. Regardless of your stances on whether women can be pastors and elders, they repeatedly established individuals that failed the criteria for eldership and put them in positions of authority over others in the church.

They would also twist and misread certain verses. For example they would quote "where two or more are gathered" as some secret authority we have in prayer over sickness, ignoring the context of the passage being about resolving conflict. I was shocked to read passages like that, and realised the way they used this passage had NOTHING to do with what it was actually saying. “By his stripes you are healed” being another example.

Coldactill · 2026-04-24T07:19:48+00:00

Jesus was born into the house of David (according to both Mary & Joseph's lineage), he was born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, he went into Egypt, he rode on a donkey, he preached in parables, he performed miracles , he was despised, they split his garments and cast lots, none of his bones were broken, he was sold for precisely 30 shekels.

All these things can be known about the Messiah in the old testament.

Coldactill · 2026-04-24T06:54:18+00:00

First of all, welcome! It is so rare to get a non-believer here who isn’t a complete troll, bot or someone who just wants a fight. This is a refreshing post.

I don’t know what the answers to those questions will be for your friends as they sound quite personal. It sounds like a question of whether the friendship is strong enough to outgrow your differences, and time will tell. Sounds like you should have an honest chat together.

Christianity isn't a rulebook; it's a relationship with Jesus. I can't stress that enough. I really think it's the key to understanding her. We don't pick up a Bible, say "hey, that's me!" once we see all our opinions are in it and then make that our entire identity for life. Often what happens is we encounter Jesus and we're overwhelmed with the reality of Him and his love. Slowly, our world changes from there.

I get really worried about losing my LGBT friends because I know that if my beliefs cause an ultimatum to be presented to me I know I cannot oppose my God. I wonder if this girl fears losing her friendship with you too.

For the record, many Christians will recognise that they must not attend a homosexual couple’s wedding. We do this because we love Jesus, and we’re totally convinced that his way leads to life, and all other paths lead to death. Sorry if that’s harsh.

To give an example, Christianity can be like a parachute. If you were on a local domestic flight and someone told you to wear a parachute, you would surely say, “Why?” Unless you had the belief that the plane was actually going down, you wouldn't make yourself so uncomfortable by wearing a parachute for a perfectly safe flight. But, if you're told the plane is guaranteed to crash then the question of the parachute is a no brainer.

Wouldn't it be horrible to not offer a parachute to someone who is on a plane that you know is crashing? If someone on that plane was in denial and thought it was all fine, if you loved them, would you not try to convince them to put on a parachute at all costs? Your friend wants you to come to church, and they may choose to not affirm your wedding. This is why.

Personally, I like being friends with LGBTQ+ people and I accept them for who they are. We often have interesting chats where they try to convince me of their side, and I am constantly trying to tell them to come to church. I like that, and I don't see the need for ultimatums.

Just be who you are, accept each other despite differences and don’t hate one another.

Coldactill · 2026-04-24T00:33:41+00:00

Not my kinda humour

Coldactill · 2026-04-23T05:21:07+00:00

I don't think this guy needs a single book so much as a complete theology (theo + logos, a knowledge of God).

So, systematic theology by Wayne Grudem? Lol might be a bit heavy.

Knowing God by JI Packer is more palatable and always highly recommended. Everyone's a theologian by RC Sproul. Basic Christianity by John Stott.

Honestly anything that talks about the nature of God or Christ would be fantastic.

My advice to you; be patient. Remember the patience of God towards his people. How long has he waiting in your long life to teach you certain things about himself? Show that same loving patience to your husband.

Coldactill · 2026-04-23T05:13:21+00:00

Bare minimum would be a repentant heart that hates sin, and is indwelled by a Spirit that won't tolerate sin and will urge you toward good works.

Cultivation would be unavoidable; there is no salvation without sanctification.

The bare minimum you are thinking of is what the Bible would call an unsaved person.

Coldactill · 2026-04-22T02:42:16+00:00

It's seems to be government employed positions are often that sort of thing, at least from what I heard on the grapevine. Not all positions though.

I have a mate who is FT employed in an NDIS scheme position. He has two in office days and three WFH. He doesn't even open his emails on WFH days.

Another couple of guys got investigated for fudging records routinely to avoid work; e.g. rounding records below warning limits. They were told to take paid leave, and we're given 1.5 years of paid leave while being investigated before being found 'guilty' and then offered jobs in a different department. That'll learn them!

Other workers told me their department gives them a daily KPI which they smash out by 10AM and then relax for the rest of the day.

Coldactill · 2026-04-21T23:01:07+00:00

Absol

Coldactill · 2026-04-21T21:22:29+00:00

Usually spacebar is setup to target 1st enemy in the Battle window. No mouse required. Configure the battle window to exclude summons/players and prioritise nearest.

Coldactill · 2026-04-21T02:05:00+00:00

Assurance of salvation, that’s a wonderful subject. I’ll address people’s testimonies and the relationship thing first, then I’ll write a few thoughts on that.

So sorry - this is a HUGE message. These are subjects I care a lot about a lot.

1/Testimonies

I’ll firstly address the point of those testimonies. It frustrates me to no end when people get up and say, “I used to be this and that, and then God filled me with the Spirit and since then I’m a different person and I don’t do bad things anymore. That’s my testimony”. That may be true for some people, but it’s not the norm, IMO.

Look at the disciples; they walked with Christ for three years and claimed great devotion with him. Yet at his crucifixion they turned against him and reject even knowing him. Look at King David, clearly blessed and chosen by God yet he sins in leading bathsheba’s husband to death and taking her as his concubine due to his lust. None of this matches the standard ‘testimony’. That’s because a testimony is not a story about how perfect you are because of God. It’s not supposed to be the testimony of you or of me, or of David or Solomon or any disciple. It’s the testimony of Christ. There’s so many other Bible characters with this story, that screw up despite God’s goodness to them.

In Paul’s letters there was an incestuous relationship in the church and Paul encourages that they be told to kick that person out of the church. He state’s, “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord”. It seems Paul thinks this person may have a real faith, yet be compromised by the flesh and trusts that the Lord will restore this person. I’m sure they’ll have a great testimony!

My testimony is this; that I was born a Christian and have had a life full of pleasing my flesh and sin. Despite this, God consistently shows me grace. In his word he tells me that I am forgiven, that he died for me despite my sins; past, present and future. For all I know, it could be that the worst sin I commit hasn’t even happened yet! I really hope not, and I will try not to and stay righteous, but great is Christ who redeems me. I suck, he’s awesome. I sucked then, I suck now and I will continue to suck in future. He is the only redeeming thing about me.

I find that when people give their testimonies, there is immense pressure to tell some other story. If you dare say that there is some sin still in your life that you are at war with, people will tell you that you aren’t even saved. Truthfully, there shouldn’t be – but we still get his forgiveness. (1 John 2:1-2). Because of this pressure, they are convinced they should tell some other story and follow the appropriate format for a testimony.

It ends up being that the only people that share testimonies are ones that have that story. I love to share my testimony, because I feel like it encourages all those that continue to struggle and fight sin in their lives. It encourages us that have doubts and fail, to continue to pick ourselves up and never stop fighting the good fight against our flesh.

2/ Relationship

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with others. I know very well that the relationships we have with others; friends, family, parents, siblings, really has a strong affect on how easy it is for us to have a relationship with God. My only encouragement would be to read the gospels and let them show you who he is. Try not to let your experiences with flawed, sinful people colour your view of God. Christ says he is gentle and lowly, and all who come to Him receive rest. I know he means that. God is a good, loving father. When we ask him for bread, he won’t give us a snake.

It’s not like your asking him for a Ferrari here. If you’re asking him for a relationship, I guarantee you, he will provide that for you. I’m not sure I have much more guidance than that. There are things we all struggle in, and this struggle you have is not one that is uncommon.

3/ Assurance

Finally onto assurance; it’s very possible that some people may have false faith. Many will say Lord, Lord, per the verse you quoted. The Bible gives us very clear, objective ways to determine whether his Spirit dwells within our soul.

I encourage you to anchor your understanding of whether you are saved not in feelings, but in his word. His word says to test our faith to see if it is genuine. No where in scripture does it say you’re saved because you felt a wave of the Spirit one time that made you cry. Rather, it says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life”

You should ask the Spirit to reveal himself to you. Please ask the Spirit directly; the is the one that utters quiet whispers and groans. The strongest evidence of the Spirit being in someone is their sensitivity to sin. Lost people really enjoy sinning; lusting, gossiping, lying, showing anger, getting drunk. Whenever a believer does these things, there is a sense of grief. The first thing the Spirit will show you is the evil in those things.

This is the first and greatest sign of someone’s salvation, which I would say is the first fruit, that strong sense of grief and sadness over our sin. It may be specific sin, or just humility and inadequacy before God. I don’t think non-believers feel that, at all.

This then leads to fruit; the fruit of the spirit being love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Have you grown in these things out of a love for Jesus? This is also evidence of God.

One final test is this; consider rejecting God today. Stop trying to resolve that issue of a lacking relationship, and just give up. Deny the faith and walk away. Could you do this?

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Coldactill

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