Gabriel Jesus Quotes

Nick smiled. “I kind of like the irony.” “Jesus, you are such a nerd.” Gabriel flung the lighter at him. “Stop using big words.” “Five letters is a big word?

Scars might heal and we might forget about them in time, but they're permanent. Not even Jesus lost his scars.

Jesus, I could shake the crap out of you.' Gabriel shoved him in the shoulder. 'When you're going to do awesome stuff, let me in on it.

So yesterday,' said Gabriel. 'Remember when I flipped your tray?' 'No. I forgot all about it.' 'Totally didn't know you'd have soup on there. Jesus, I didn't even know the cafeteria sold -

Julia closed her eyes and concentrated on the words to Lacrimosa, sung loudly and hauntingly by the multi-voice choir in Latin… Day of Weeping,on which will rise from ashes guilty man for judgment. So have mercy, O Lord, on this man. Compassionate Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Amen. What is wrong with Gabriel that he listens to this over and over again? And what does it say about me that I can’t help but feel close to him when I listen to it? All I’ve done is replace his photograph with his cd — I’m just not sleeping with it under my pillow. I am one sick puppy.

When Silas said Gabriel was a priest, I assumed he meant to a real congregation, not the caretaker of an empty building threatening to send the entire street of people to meet Jesus literally at any moment, and not just emotionally.

87. And indeed, We gave Moosa (Moses) the Book and followed him up with a succession of Messengers. And We gave 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Rooh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)].

Some books about the Holocaust are more difficult to read than others. Some books about the Holocaust are nearly impossible to read. Not because one does not understand the language and concepts in the books, not because they are gory or graphic, but because such books are confrontational. They compel us to “think again,” or to think for the first time, about issues and questions we might rather avoid. Gabriel Wilensky’s book, Six Million Crucifixions: How Christian Antisemitism Paved the Road to the Holocaust is one book I found difficult, almost impossible to read. Why? Because I had to confront the terrible underside of Christian theology, an underside that contributed in no small part to the beliefs and attitudes too many Christians – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox – had imbibed throughout centuries of anti-Jewish preaching and teaching that “paved the road to the Holocaust.” I cannot say that I “liked” Gabriel Wilensky’s book, Six Million Crucifixions: How Christian Antisemitism Paved the Road to the Holocaust. I didn’t, but I can say it was instructive and forced me to think again about that Jew from Nazareth, Jesus, and about his message of universal love and service – “What you do for the least of my brothers [and sisters], you do for me” (Matthew 25: 40). As Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, the Holocaust did not begin with Auschwitz. The Holocaust began with words. And too many of those hate-filled words had their origin in the Christian Scriptures and were uttered by Christian preachers and teachers, by Christians generally, for nearly two millennia. Is it any wonder so many Christians stood by, even participated in, the destruction of the European Jews during the Nazi era and World War II? I recommend Six Million Crucifixions: How Christian Antisemitism Paved the Road to the Holocaust because all of us Christians – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox – must think again, or think for the first time, about how to teach and preach the Christian Scriptures – the “New Testament” writings – in such a way that the words we utter, the attitudes we encourage, do not demean, disrespect, or disregard our Jewish brothers and sisters, that our words do not demean, disrespect, or disregard Judaism. I hope the challenge is not an impossible one.

The same subversion of power by truth is evident in the way in which Luke begins his account of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke is at pains to put his readers on notice that this is no ordinary history. He has an angel anticipate cousin John by saying, “with the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him” (1:17). He has Gabriel declare that “nothing will be impossible with God” (1:37). He offers us an alternative genealogy that refuses the royal recital of Matthew and provides a list of the uncredentialed, rather like Roots by Alex Haley that traces a genealogy that the plantation masters never suspected (Luke 3:23–38).6 In the midst of this playful subversion, Luke has John go public in the empire. He does so by locating the reader amid all the recognized totems of power:

Is that why you had to pin her wrists to the floor? Haven’t I taught you better on how to treat a lady? You can’t hold them against their will.” She turned to me, her lips broadening her smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Really. I thought... well...don’t mind me.” She stepped closer, her eyes raking over my body. “But I can see why he did. Holy shit.” She looked me in the face again. “You are a girl, right? God, please say yes.” “Pam, this is Sang Sorenson. Sang, this is my stepmom, Pam. And yes, she’s a fucking girl.” “Thank the lord,” she said, and she stepped around Gabriel and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. “Thank you, thank you.” She smelled heavily of cigarettes and perfume that got caught in my throat, but her hug felt genuine. “Jesus H. Christ,” Gabriel breathed out, pressing a hand to his forehead.

I didn't need anyone now I had him. He saved me-like Jesus. Maybe that's what the painting is about. Gabriel is my whole world and has been since the day we met. I'll love him no matter what he does, or what happens- no matter how much he upsets me-no matter how untidy or messy he is how thoughtless, how selfish. I'll take him just as he is. Until death do us part.

But finally my own version of God came to me in a dream, complete with a name: Corambe. He was a warm and compassionate being with a tender and unwavering regard for me. He had the humanity of Jesus and the radiant beauty of the angel Gabriel. He was graceful and poetic and ever attentive to my feelings. And though he was a male, he nonetheless dressed oftentimes in women’s clothes.

Christ is all in the entire work of salvation. Let me just take you back to the period before this world was made. There was a time when this great world, the sun, the moon, the stars, and all which now exist throughout the whole of the vast universe, lay in the mind of God, like unborn forests in an acorn cup. There was a time when the Great Creator lived alone, and yet he could foresee that he would make a world, and that men would be born to people it; and in that vast eternity a great scheme was devised, whereby he might save a fallen race. Do you know who devised it? God planned it from first to last. Neither Gabriel nor any of the holy angels had anything to do with it. I question whether they were even told how God might be just, and yet save the transgressors. God was all in the drawing up of the scheme, and Christ was all in carrying it out. There was a dark and doleful night! Jesus was in the garden, sweating great drops of blood, which fell to the ground; nobody then came to bear the load that had been laid upon him. An angel stood there to strengthen him, but not to bear the sentence. The cup was put into his hands, and Jesus said, "Father, must I drink it?" and his Father replied, "If thou dost not drink, sinners cannot be saved"; and he took the cup and drained it to its very dregs. No man helped him. And when he hung upon that accursed tree of Calvary, when his precious hands were pierced, when: "From his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flowed mingled down," there was nobody to help him. He was "all" in the work of salvation. And, my friends, if any of you shall be saved, it must be by Christ alone. There must be no patchwork; Christ did it all, and will not be helped in the matter. Christ will not allow you, as some say, to do what you can, and leave him to make up the rest. What can you do that is not sinful? Christ has done all for us; the work of redemption is all finished. Christ planned it all, and worked out all; and we, therefore, preach a full salvation through Jesus Christ.

We gotta get together on this, that school sucks!” Ailes said to him. “What’s your problem with it?” Stewart said. “There’s no Christ child on the lawn at Christmastime!” Ailes said. “They have all this fucking Kwanzaa stuff, they have this Hanukkah shit, and you can’t even get Jesus! They think it’s illegal. You can’t show any flags. So I’m not sending our kid there.” As Stewart turned to leave, Ailes told him to stay in touch. “Call me,” he said.

within a few short years of the Crucifixion, the Jesus movement was in grave danger of being reabsorbed by Judaism. If there was a future, it lay with the gentiles living under Roman rule. The evangelists and the Church Fathers had to make the new faith acceptable to the Empire. There was nothing they could do to change the fact that Jesus died a Roman death at the hands of Roman troops. But if they could suggest that the Jews had forced Pilate’s hand . . .

If each man — apart from his religion, his culture, his epoch, and any other circumstance — has loved his neighbor, he has also loved the Lord Jesus in person. Any rapport with our brothers and sisters in any locality, any age, or any situation is, all in all, a rapport with Jesus Christ in person. Each human creature who achieves fulfillment in his human relationships is, at the same time, relating to God. For this reason, the love of neighbor is the fundamental precept of life.

1:315-316 WHITE-BIRD SENTENCES In my dream large white birds, larger than geese, were flying. As they flew, they were praising. I understood the bird-language. One was saying, I praise you in all circumstances, and another was saying the same in other words, and another in yet other phrasing, but I could not remember what I should say. I interpret this dream to be telling me to be continuously grateful, no matter what, in my waking life, and also to remember that there are a hundred thousand ways to praise. These white-bird sentences begin in nonexistence, where creation makes entity from nonentity. What flows through us as praise comes from where Moses and Jesus are standing with the other friends of God. Another night in the state between waking and sleep I saw a gazelle coming toward me with an open mouth. It put my whole head in its mouth and turned its lips in arcs around my forehead and chin and the sides of my head. The gazelle-maw got larger and larger. It could have swallowed my whole body. About to lose consciousness, I began to chant, No power but yours, no power but yours.... The strange malevolence that was trying to devour me went away. Peace came. Now I know how epileptics feel. In another dream I was eating salty food. My gums became brackish. I woke with a salt taste in my mouth. Events happen here that no one records. Universes overlap. We are led in ways we will never understand. It should not surprise anyone when the angel Gabriel comes and take Muhammad away in an instant. Someone asked, If the commands of God are preeminent, then what choice do we really have in life? Between the words preeminent and commands lies a great mystery. The divine essence is not like anything, nor can we examine it or its effects. Try to trace to a source just one thing that has ever come to you. Now imagine you are blind from birth and that you have never seen this world or recognized any of its meanings.

It is said by some Sûfîs that there is another great secret regarding Fatima. These Sûfîs say that she was a Prophet from the time of her father's death until the time of her death. After the Prophet's death, Fatima lived seventy-five days. During this time the Archangel Gabriel came to her and consoled her by telling her what her father was doing in the spiritual worlds, what his status was, and what would come about in the Islamic community after her death. Imam 'Ali wrote down what Fatima dictated to him. Her words were collected into what is known as the Mushaf.

Shetani anaogopa viumbe saba tu hapa duniani na huko mbinguni ukimwondoa Mungu, ambaye anaogopwa na kila kiumbe: Malaika Mikaeli, Malaika Gabrieli, Malaika Rafaeli, Malaika Urieli, Malaika Selafieli, Malaika Ragueli, na Malaika Barakieli, ambao ni malaika wakuu; na tukio ambalo Shetani analiogopa zaidi ni tukio la kurudi kwa Yesu kwa mara ya pili ambalo limekaribia sana, na atafanya kila atakachoweza kabla ya tukio hilo kuchukua roho zetu. Lengo la Shetani ni kuua kila mtu duniani kumkomoa Mungu na malaika wakuu na kutupeleka kuzimu. Lakini atashindwa kwa jina la Yesu.

Christ’s centrality in the plan of creation, and its restoration through redemption, is fundamental to understanding God’s plan and the end of the world. Angels and men received an intelligent and free nature. When I am told (by those who confuse predestination with God’s providence) that God already knows who will be saved and who will be damned, and therefore anything we do is useless, I usually answer with four truths that the Bible spells out for us: God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation.

I couldn't stop picturing you naked and wet." "If you knew the things you've done in my imagination..." "I touched myself while thinking of you." He groaned against her lips. "Jesus Christ, that's one of them." She whimpered in protest as his fingers withdrew from her body. He slid his hands to her bottom and lifted her off her feet, carrying her across the room, to where a floor-length mirror in a thick gilded frame stood propped against the wall. It must have been too heavy to move. He spun her to face it, positioning himself behind her. Their gazes locked in the mirrored reflection. His eyes were dark, fierce, demanding. "Show me." He yanked her skirts to her waist- frock, petticoat, chemise, and all- exposing her completely. "Show me how you touched yourself." Penny's heartbeat stalled. The gruff command both scandalized and excited her. With a rough flex of his arms, he hauled her to him. His erection throbbed against the small of her back. "Show me." Penny stared into the mirror. A bolder, naughtier version of herself gazed back. She placed a hand on her belly and eased it downward, until her fingertips disappeared into a thatch of amber curls. She hesitated, holding her breath. "More," he demanded. "I want to see you." His gruffness aroused her, but she wasn't intimidated. With him, she knew she was safe. She raised her free arm above her head, clasping his neck for balance and resting her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm about her torso, holding her tight and pinning her lifted skirts at the waist. Her joints softened, and her thighs fell slightly apart. "That's it. Spread yourself for me. Let me see." The woman in the mirror did as she was told, sending her fingers downward to part the pink, swollen folds of her sex. A single fingertip settled over the sensitive bud at the crest, circling gently. His ragged breath warmed her ear. "God, you're beautiful." She stared at the reflection, transfixed by the eroticism of the image within. She felt like a woman in a boudoir painting, flushed with desire and unashamed of her body's curves and shadows. Aware of the power she held, even in her vulnerable, naked state. As her excitement mounted, she strummed faster. She was panting, arching her back.

Here’s where Mathew and Luke concur and differ in the nativity story. Both place Jesus’ birth during the rule of Herod the Great, the king who ruled Jesus’ homeland from 37 to 4 B.C. They agree that Mary’s conception was by the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus was the child of Mary and Joseph, born in Bethlehem, and that the family lived in Nazareth after the birth. Luke identifies the sign in the sky as an angel. For Mathew the sign is a star. Shepherds visited Luke’s Holy Family, and magi visited Mathew’s. They differ on certain points of the story. Matthew: Herod’s massacre of the innocents, and the family’s flight to Egypt, and Luke: the annunciation by the angel Gabriel to Mary, followed by her visit to Elizabeth, the visit of the shepherds, and the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem.

tortured, unashamedly reproachful. They seemed to burn right through me. I peered at the picture more closely – at the incongruous item strapped to Gabriel’s torso. A rifle. ‘That’s the gun that killed him?’ Jean-Felix nodded. ‘Yes. It belonged to him, I think.’ ‘And this was painted before his murder?’ ‘A month or so before. It shows you what was on Alicia’s mind, doesn’t it?’ Jean-Felix moved on to the third picture. It was a larger canvas than the others. ‘This one’s the best. Stand back to get a better look.’ I did as he said and took a few paces back. Then I turned and looked. The moment I saw the painting, I let out an involuntary laugh. The subject was Alicia’s aunt, Lydia Rose. And it was obvious why she had been so upset by it. Lydia was nude, reclining on a tiny bed. The bed was buckling under her weight. She was enormously, monstrously fat – an explosion of flesh spilling over the bed and hitting the floor and spreading across the room, rippling and folding like waves of grey custard. ‘Jesus,’ I said. ‘That’s cruel.’ ‘I think it’s quite lovely.’ Jean-Felix looked at me with interest. ‘You know Lydia?’ ‘Yes, I went to visit her.’ ‘I see,’ he said with a smile. ‘You have been doing your homework. I never met Lydia. Alicia hated her, you know.’ ‘Yes,’ I said, staring at the painting. ‘Yes, I can see that.’ Jean-Felix began carefully wrapping up the pictures again. ‘And the Alcestis?’ I said. ‘Can I see it?’ ‘Of course. Follow me.’ Jean-Felix led me along the narrow passage to the end of the gallery. There the Alcestis occupied a wall to itself. It was just as beautiful and mysterious as I remembered it. Alicia naked in the studio, in front of a blank

But it was never actually that big a deal. Jenkins didn't really disbelieve in the Resurrection: he merely questioned the historical veracity of the New Testament narratives. It was mildly interesting: one side saying "I really believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and that the Bible gives a journalistically accurate account of the circumstances surrounding his birth," and the other saying "I also really believe that Jesus was the Son of God, but I think that the story of Mary and Gabriel may be a legend." A real disagreement, an important one, but not a fundamental fault line along which a church can split. The people who think that the stone really was rolled away, and the people who think that it was rolled away in a very real sense are clearly part of the same religion. But it is hard to see how people who think that it doesn't particularly matter whether or not the stone was rolled away, provided we live in the way that Jesus would have wanted us to, are part of the same religion; or, indeed, of any religion at all. I think that this is what some evangelicals think some liberals think. I think they may be right.

His message delivered, Gabriel departed, leaving the chosen Virgin of Nazareth to ponder over her wondrous experience. Mary's promised Son was to be "The Only Begotten" of the Father in the flesh; so it had been both positively and abundantly predicted. True, the event was unprecedented; true also it has never been paralleled; but that the virgin birth would be unique was as truly essential to the fulfilment of prophecy as that it should occur at all. That Child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim, the Eternal Father, not in violation of natural law but in accordance with a higher manifestation thereof; and, the offspring from that association of supreme sanctity, celestial Sireship, and pure though mortal maternity, was of right to be called the "Son of the Highest." In His nature would be combined the powers of Godhood with the capacity and possibilities of mortality; and this through the ordinary operation of the fundamental law of heredity, declared of God, demonstrated by science, and admitted by philosophy, that living beings shall propagate—after their kind. The Child Jesus was to inherit the physical, mental, and spiritual traits, tendencies, and powers that characterized His parents—one immortal and glorified—God, the other human—woman.

What, then, is Jihad? Dr. Gabriel was an Imam of a mosque in Gaza, Egypt, and a respected professor at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, before he became a follower of Jesus Christ, and changed his name for his personal security. He writes that a major motivator for his leaving Islam was its emphasis on Jihad. Dr. Gabriel was troubled by Muhammad’s command, labeled as the “verse of the sword,” known to be the final development of Jihad in Islam, found in Surah 9:5:          “Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)…

Tuesday, January 27 Nothing Is Impossible with God For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. LUKE 1:37 AMP Gabriel, the archangel tasked with telling Mary that she would be the mother of the promised Messiah, spoke these words to her when she asked how such a thing could happen when she wasn’t married. She responded with humility and submitted to the Lord’s will. Two other times in scripture an angel announces a birth to couples who in human years were too old for such a thing to happen. When the angel told Abraham that Sarah would conceive and have a son within the year, Sarah laughed. When the angel asked why she laughed, she denied it at first and then said she was too old. The angel responded that nothing was too hard for God. And it happened as God said it would. Then Sarah’s laughter of unbelief turned into joy. Several months before Gabriel appeared to Mary, he showed up in the temple where a priest named Zechariah was sacrificing the daily offering. Gabriel told him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son in their old age. The child would be the forerunner to the promised Messiah. Zechariah’s unbelief led to losing his voice for the next nine months until his son was born and he gave him the name the angel had said. God delights in doing the impossible, waiting until the perfect time to fulfill His Word. Father, give me faith to believe Your Word as Mary received the news of Jesus’ birth, knowing that nothing is too hard for You.

Now Yeshua spent forty days with His disciples, and in that time a disciple asked, “Lord is this the time that You are returning to claim Israel?” “You are not permitted to know the times or the period by which the Father has committed to by His own authority. But you will receive power when Pnuemagios comes upon you and you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the farthest reaches of Gar, but for now stay in Jerusalem for Pnuemagios, Whom the Father has promised and I have told you about; not many days from now.” When Yeshua had finish saying these things, while we were still watching, Yeshua was lifted up until a cloud hid him from our sight and Gabriel and Raphael came up behind us saying, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go, from heaven.

Muslims believe that every single word of the Quran was dictated verbatim by Allah, through the Archangel Gabriel, to Muhammad. The Quran is therefore not only inspired at the level of meaning but at the deeper level of the words themselves. For this reason, Muslims do not consider the Quran translatable. If it is rendered in any language other than Arabic, it is not Quran but rather an interpretation of the Quran. A book can be a true Quran only if written in Arabic. This is why it is such an important belief for Muslims that the Quran has always been exactly the same — word for word, dot for dot.

Gabriel Simeon: “Our life is very short; beauty is a cozenage; money is false and fugitive; empire is adious, and hated by them that have it not, and uneasy to them that have; victory is always uncertain, and peace, most commonly, is but a fraudulent bargain; old age is miserable, death is the period, and is a happy one, if it be not sorrowed by the sins of our life: but nothing continues but the effects of that wisdom which employs the present time in the acts of a holy religion and a peaceable conscience.” For they make us to live even beyond our funerals, embalmed in the spices and odours of a good name, and entombed in the grave of the holy Jesus, where we shall be dressed for a blessed resurrection to the state of angels and beatified spirits.

Mary, too, has an angel come and promise her a miraculous conception (cf. also 3:23). Gabriel addresses her as “highly favored” (Gk. kecharitōmenē, lit. “having been given grace” or “having been treated graciously” in v. 28). The later Latin mistranslation of this verb by the expression “full of grace” (gratia plena) led to the traditional Roman Catholic conception of Mary as somehow uniquely meritorious or deserving of this honor.

A lot of people are fans of John 3:16, but they’re not such fans of the verse that comes 20 verses later: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). It’s not merely enough that you know that Jesus Christ died for your sins. You must follow him. Remember, John 3:16 also says “whoever believes in him” will have eternal life. Believing in Christ means more than simply acknowledging that he is the Son of God. Even the demons do that (Mark 5:7). Believing in Jesus also means that you believe the words that he said and you obey them. Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you abide in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and abide in his love” (John 15:10).

But what about mankind’s physical body? How did God conjure up the physical features of a human being? Friend, He patterned us after himself!!! “And God said, Let US make man…after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). The original Hebrew word translated “likeness” is “demût”, meaning: likeness, figure, image, form. In a nutshell, we were fashioned to look like God! Thus, the physical concept of a human being having legs to walk, arms to hold, torso to twist, eyes to see, mouth to taste, nose to smell, and ears to hear was not the product of millions of years of random, evolutionary chance: It was God making us “like Him”! It is insanity to believe mindless spontaneity created the physical features of a human being, yet macro-evolutionary theory proposes such a ridiculous idea. Scientists, if you want to know where the ear and the eye came from, study the Scriptures: “Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will you be wise? He (God) that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He (God) that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psalms 94:8, 9). Scientists are still trying to understand “light”, for it is an extremely complex phenomenon, having the properties of both waves and particles. Yet, macro-evolutionists want us to believe good-old random “nothingness” knew exactly what light is, designing an eye to “capture it”, optic

Galatians 4:4 says that Jesus died in “the fullness of the time.”  Jesus was appointed to die at a specific time. In Daniel 9:25–26, the angel Gabriel told Daniel, “From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off.” This refers to His death.  As we noted when we looked at 1:2, Daniel was speaking of seven-year periods of time. If we add seven and sixty-two, we have sixty-nine seven-year periods of time, or 493 years. The command to rebuild Jerusalem was given by King Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC, and if we count 493 years from that date, we come to April 6, AD 32. This is exactly the day that Jesus Christ fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy with His triumphant entry (see Matt. 21:1–11; Luke 19:28–42). One week later, at the end of Passion Week, Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary. Jesus died in due time.

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Gabriel appears to Zacharias Lk1:5-25 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

She did as asked and then felt Marie's hands come up to cradle her face. Marie said softly, 'Jesus, no one understands a heavy load better than you. No one has ever borne heavier. Bear up under this one with Ann, so she will know her only purpose here is to help others, love expansively, and be your hands and feet, your words of advice and wisdom when opportunities present themselves for her to help Grace and Karen. And yes, Josh and Will and Gabriel. Do whatever is necessary for Ann's success in the days ahead. Show your love to my friend and comfort her by your Spirit. Amen.

So how did an entire generation of billions of people today come to universally accept planet Earth as being 4.6 billion years old? The answer is simple: It is because most people just believe what they are told, and errant scientists have crammed their guesswork down their throats. Today, we are inundated daily with newspapers, magazines, newscasters, and schoolteachers regurgitating scientist’s theories. But, friend, let us call a spade a spade; a theory is a guess! Therefore, the theory of macroevolution and the big bang theory are nothing more than speculation. And these two theories demand a very old Earth and universe to be true, so scientist — without definitive evidence — falsely assume they are! And, unfortunately, their guesses are being taught as truth to our children in schools. Thus, we have the perfect storm for festering evil: A generation of Biblically illiterate kids are growing up believing whatever their teachers teach them in school, which contradicts the Bible trueness! Friend, the great “end time” deception is in full force! Paul wrote about it: “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of … And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures” (II Timothy 3:13-15). As a 3 year Chemistry/Biochemistry majored collegiate student with a 3.84 GPA, let me assure you there is not a single test a scientist can perform to absolutely, positively verify the age of something! The tests all involve assumptions — including radiometric dating — and therein lay the error. Are you really going to throw away hard, cold, ancient, Biblical “end times” prophetic evidence, including the 7 day Creation story’s amazing prophetic verbiage, all of which support the truth of a 6,000 year old Earth, to believe in mankind’s scientific guesses? Allow me to tell you first HOW the world was created, for the answer is in Scripture! Then we will investigate how the great “end-time” deceptive theories like macroevolution & the big bang arrived, claiming a very old universe. Friend, the method God used to create the world is blatantly flaunted in a miracle Jesus performed twice. I want you to seriously consider the miracle, for it appears God wanted the miracle to be remembered above ALL other miracles, because it is the ONLY one contained in ALL 4 Gospels. And rightly so, for it should be contemplated by all: The

So how did an entire generation of billions of people today come to universally accept planet Earth as being 4.6 billion years old? The answer is simple: It is because most people just believe what they are told, and errant scientists have crammed their guesswork down their throats. Today, we are inundated daily with newspapers, magazines, newscasters, and schoolteachers regurgitating scientist’s theories. But, friend, let us call a spade a spade; a theory is a guess! Therefore, the theory of macroevolution and the big bang theory are nothing more than speculation. And these two theories demand a very old Earth and universe to be true, so scientist — without definitive evidence — falsely assume they are! And, unfortunately, their guesses are being taught as truth to our children in schools. Thus, we have the perfect storm for festering evil: A generation of Biblically illiterate kids are growing up believing whatever their teachers teach them in school, which contradicts the Bible trueness!

So should the one inflamed with anger not pray at all? By no means! But instead of reaching for what is unattainable and even dangerous on account of his passionate condition, he should resort to those “short and intense” invocations of Christ, mentioned everywhere in the early monastic literature: those “short prayers” (as Augustine calls them), out of which the well-known “Jesus Prayer” developed. If you want to put the enemy to flight, pray without ceasing. These “concise,” “terse,” “repeated,” indeed “ceaseless” short prayers are the daily bread of whoever is tempted—even of him who is tempted directly by the demon of anger.

But scholars believe Matthew expanded on the work of his predecessor with the help of the Q source, a theoretical collection of the sayings of Jesus. His work reflects the sharp divide between Jewish Christians who accepted Jesus as the messiah and Jews who did not. The depiction of Jesus’ appearance before Pilate is similar to Mark’s, with one critical addition.

How Does the Mission-Heart of God Touch You? What Luke said in (Lk 1:26-27): “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.” My Comments on this verse: “1:27 (1) Note that Luke, a Gentile does not try to hide the fact that Jesus was a true Jew born into a Jewish family… Some Africans I have known have been openly offended that Jesus was a Jew; and they therefore wrongly assumed that they could dismiss Jesus as irrelevant since he was not an African. Likewise, some artists in past centuries have made Jesus appear to be Chinese or Indian or African in an apparent attempt to make him “their own Jesus.” (As an example of this, I have a wooden crucifix in my office made by an African artist. He made the cross out of pale wood, but Jesus he carved out of ebony.) I have no doubt that Luke would say that, while these artists may be devout, they are wrong both historically and also theologically. He would say that “Jesus is “my Jesus” because he was a Jew; he had to be a Jew so that he could fulfill all righteousness for me and for all nations” (19:10; Lev 18:5).” Dr. Bruns

Kusudi mimba itungwe lazima kuwepo na kromosomu X na kromosomu Y. Kromosomu ni nyuzinyuzi katika kiini cha seli zenye jeni au DNA, ambazo hubeba taarifa kuhusu sifa za kimaumbile zinazorithishwa kwa kiumbe hai kutoka kwa mama na baba wa kiumbe hicho. Kwa upande wa Yesu Kristo, katika hali ya kawaida, kromosomu X ilitoka kwa Maria Magdalena na kromosomu Y ilitoka kwa malaika Gabrieli. Yesu alikuwa Myahudi lakini Kristo ni Mungu. Yesu Kristo alikuwa binadamu kama sisi, lakini alikuwa na utukufu na alikuwa na damu ya Mungu iliyotakasika. Damu kama hiyo ndiyo inayotiririka katika miili ya kila mmojawetu ijapokuwa ni damu ya Adamu, ambayo bado haijatakaswa. Damu ya Yesu si kitu kidogo. Ilipomwagika msalabani ilifunika dunia nzima. Ndiyo maana tukasamehewa. Bila damu hiyo, bila utukufu huo wa Mungu, hakuna binadamu atakayeokolewa, hakuna pepo atakayeondolewa.

Thanksgiving is a full-on assault against worry. Anxiety cannot thrive when we have thankful hearts. There’s not a letter Paul did not write without expressing or calling for some form of thanksgiving. It is the will of God in Christ Jesus for each of us to give thanks in all circumstances. It is the expression of a heart that is satisfied in its Creator and Savior for all things. If

In the whole history of theological exegesis and interpretation I know of nothing so utterly faulty, illogical and wholly unscriptural as that exegesis which teaches the angel song at Bethlehem to be the announcement of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace and that as such He should establish it among the nations after His ascension to heaven and during His absence from the world. The angels sang glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to “men of good will.” The angel who spoke to the shepherds keeping the temple sheep for the morning and the evening sacrifice was testifying to them that there was no longer need to keep the sheep for such a purpose. The day of animal sacrifices had passed, the living God had provided the true sacrifice, He who was born beneath the chaplet of heaven’s music, the Lamb of God ordained before the foundation of the world. He had been born into the world that He might make peace by the blood of His cross, not between man and man, not between nation and nation, but between man and God. He had been born to die and by His death reconcile a rebel world to God; on the basis of this sacrifice yet to be and when He should have risen from the dead as witness of the efficacy of His death He would bring peace to every soul that should be of good will—every soul that should surrender to the will of God by believing on Him, offering Him by faith as a sacrifice and claiming Him as a substitute. Every such soul should be at peace with, and have the peace of, God. This was the meaning of that natal hour at Bethlehem. The angels were not singing over Him as the Prince of Peace who had come to abolish war among the nations, but as the ordained sacrifice who should bring peace between the individual man and his God. And yet—He is to be the Prince of Peace and reign and rule as such over the earth, putting an end to war and establishing perfect peace among the nations. The promise of His reign and rule as the Prince of Peace is clearly set forth in Scripture; as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his peace and government there shall be no end.” But when? Where? Listen: “Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it.” And hear what Gabriel says to Mary when he comes to announce to her that she has been chosen of Almighty God to give birth to the Messiah of Israel. The angel says: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus . . . He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” He is to be the Prince of Peace when He sits upon the throne of united Israel in their own land and not before.

His name is Juan García, but he goes by Juanga, which is the nickname of Juan Gabriel, Mexico’s most beloved singer, who is flaming but has never officially come out of the closet. How can he compare himself to him? I mean, it’s like calling yourself Jesus Christ or Joan of Arc.

YOU ARE GOD’S PLAN In the early 1980s I read a powerful book called Lifestyle Evangelism by Joe Aldrich. It is still one of the best books written on relational evangelism, and I recommend it highly.16 Aldrich writes a fictional account of Jesus and his return to glory after his life on this earth: Even in heaven Jesus bore the marks of His earthly pilgrimage with its cruel cross and shameful death. The angel Gabriel approached Him and said, “Master, you must have suffered terribly while down there.” “I did,” He said. “And,” continued Gabriel, “do they know all about how you loved them and what you did for them?” “Oh, no,” said Jesus, “not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know.” Gabriel was perplexed. “Then, what have you done,” he asked, “to let everyone know about your love for them?” Jesus said, “I’ve asked Peter, James, John, and a few more friends to tell other people about Me. Those who are told will in turn tell still other people about Me, and My story will be spread to the farthest reaches of the globe. Ultimately, all people will have heard about My life and what I have done.” Gabriel frowned and looked rather skeptical. . . . “Yes, but what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down in the twenty-first century, people just don’t tell others about you? Haven’t you made any other plans?” And Jesus answered, “I haven’t made any other plans. I’m counting on them.”17

Bart D. Ehrman, the distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, contends they are riddled with “discrepancies, embellishments, made-up stories, and historical problems” that mean “they cannot be taken at face value as giving us historically accurate accounts of what really happened.” The Gospels’ depiction of Jesus’ arrest and

It was then that the touching vision of a forehead, of certain eyes, of a face began to haunt and pursue me, forming my desires. That face lingered for many days and many nights before taking shape. The truth is: I had the burning desire to be a saint. I vehemently wished for the face to be God’s or that of the infant Jesus. In church, in etchings, in books, and in medallions I searched for that adorable face: I didn’t want to find it anywhere else, didn’t want it to be human, or contemporary, or true. I don’t think anyone has ever had so much trouble recognizing the danger signs of love. How I gave in to my adolescent tears! Only now can I remember the light yet penetrating aroma of the roses Gabriel gave me, while gazing into my eyes, as we left school. That prescience would have lasted a whole lifetime.

Jesus, no one understands a heavy load better than you. No one has ever borne heavier. Bear up under this one with Ann, so she will know her only purpose here is to help others, love expansively, and be your hands and feet, your words of advice and wisdom when opportunities present themselves for her to help Grace and Karen. And yes, Josh and Will and Gabriel. Do whatever is necessary for Ann’s success in the days ahead. Show your love to my friend and comfort her by your Spirit. Amen.

Don't focus on the number of fish with you now, let your eyes be on the One who can multiply them

Christ’s centrality tells us that we can be saved only in his name. It is only in his name that we can win and free ourselves from the enemy of our salvation, Satan. At the end of the most difficult exorcisms, when I am confronted with total demonic possession, I pray the christological hymn of the Letter of Paul to the Philippians (2:6-11). When I speak the words “so that all beings in the heavens, on earth, and in the underworld should bend the knee at the name of Jesus”, I kneel, everyone present kneels, and always the one possessed by the demons is also compelled to kneel. It is a moving and powerful moment. I always feel that all the legions of the angels are surrounding us, kneeling at the name of Jesus.

In Say Anything he falls in love with this rich girl, who is avoiding him, and at dawn he stands outside her house, in a raincoat, holding a ghetto blaster high above his head. He's playing In Your Eyes, the Peter Gabriel song, to get her attention. One day I'd like to meet someone I felt so strongly about that I would get up at dawn to play them a love song. Not to worry about what the neighbours said, what his parents will say. I can't sing so it will be my own form of serenade. Then not only will I look like John Cusack, I'll be like John Cusack. Jesus, I'd love to serenade John Cusack. (Loaded)

The angel Gabriel told Daniel that, after the command of Artaxerxes was issued, a period of first seven, and then sixty-two, of those seven-year “weeks” (a total of 483 years) would end just before the Messiah would be “cut off.” In counting 483 years from 445 BC to the date of the crucifixion of Christ, allowance must be made for a four-year error in the date of Christ’s birth; Jesus would have actually been born in 4 BC on the Gregorian calendar, not AD 1. Allowance must also be made for the fact that the ancient Hebrews used a 360-day calendar. A period of indeterminate length would then intervene before the seventieth or final “week” (seven years). During that unfixed period of time, the city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and the Jews would endure wars and desolations until the end.

In other words, there would be no difference between Jewish and Gentile Christians, even if the latter purified their hearts through faith. They could be saved by the grace of Jesus, so they needed not any additional yoke placed upon them. Peter had taken the side of Paul. Before this authoritative decision, there were no cries of “we must follow tradition, not Peter.” On the contrary, the Bible says, once again, that those present “held their peace.”365F[367] On that day, Petrine authority was heeded, starting a venerable tradition that would become a constant throughout history and throughout this book.

So, when Judaizers and Marcionists told the Church: “you have to choose,” the Church said: “I choose both the New Testament and the Old. I will part with neither.” The Church chose tension, to the scandal of both Greeks and Jews. In the same way, when Arians and Monophysites told the Church: “you have to choose,” the Church said: “Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

decided I could be both a Christian and a Jew. After all, Jesus was a Jew. So were the twelve apostles whose statues stand guard over the portico of the basilica. Twelve apostles,” he repeated. “One each for the twelve tribes of Israel. The original Christians didn’t see themselves as founders of a new

Lucifer

People often say that a lack of faith is what causes fear.  As human beings, there is no one element that might cause us to be fearful.  Many of the greatest victories in the bible were accomplished through people who exhibited fear.  Fear gripped Mary when the angel Michael came upon her.  Joseph struggled through fear when he saw the angel Gabriel.  The disciples were constantly fearful, even in Jesus’ presence.  In each example, lack of faith did not cause fear, but a lack of knowledge.  A simple phrase for a lack of knowledge is The Unknown.

There is every indication that the ancient Egyptians wanted to draw our attention to the Sphinx. They wanted us to understand that it is an astronomical clock whose dial was the four steady reference points, the Four Guardians. The Four Guardians, or as they came to be known in the Christian Era of Pisces, was also called the Four Royal Stars, or the Archangel Stars. ❖ Michael - Aldebaran – the guardian of the eastern sky as it predates the vernal equinox. ❖ Raphael - Regulus (in Leo) – the guardian of the northern sky, as it pre-announces the summer solstice. ❖ Uriel - Antares (in Scorpio) – the guardian of the western sky, as it predates the autumn equinox ❖ Gabriel - Fomalhaut – the guardian of the southern sky, as it pre-announces the winter solstice.

So Jewish texts speak of the great angels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. These are divine powers far above humans, though far below God as well.

The story goes on to say that six months later, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to bare a son by the Spirit of YHWH. Luke says, just as Gabriel promised, Mary bore a son and they called him Yeshua, which in Hebrew means ‘Salvation of YAH.’” Jacob looked over at Zane and said, “Sorry, Zane, but ‘Jesus’ just doesn’t convey the same meaning to me. I hope you know I mean no disrespect?

Muslims believe that every single word of the Quran was dictated verbatim by Allah, through the Archangel Gabriel, to Muhammad. The Quran is therefore not only inspired at the level of meaning but at the deeper level of the words themselves. For this reason, Muslims do not consider the Quran translatable. If it is rendered in any language other than Arabic, it is not Quran but rather an interpretation of the Quran. A book can be a true Quran only if written in Arabic.

The angels heard a noise and turned. Behind them stood two eight foot tall gods, Ba’al and Pan. The warriors moved to shield Jesus, who remained kneeling beside the quivering Ob. Ba’al carried his mace, and Pan, a dagger in each hand. Ba’al said, “We meet again, godlickers.” Uriel quipped, “But no running like a chicken this time, Lord Lettucehead.” Ba’al was the god of storm and vegetation. The insult was Uriel’s witty way of getting under the deity’s scaly skin. “And no Asherah to give up, either,” added Gabriel. “Does the goat here know how you betray your allies?” Pan gave a surprised glance at Ba’al. Ba’al said, “We cannot touch the Son of God. But our human puppets can.” The angels glanced behind them. The dozen nymphs approached Jesus, with their eyes black as the Abyss and serpentine fangs ready to bite. Mikael and Raphael stepped in front of them to protect Jesus.

Uriel faltered at the noise. He was off guard. Ba’al’s mace hit him broadside in the head, crushing his skull and launching him to the side in a heap. Angels could not die, they were heavenly flesh, that healed supernaturally. But even heavenly flesh could feel pain and be temporarily impaired. Uriel was out of commission for the moment. “Big mistake, god of broccoli,” yelled Gabriel. “Nobody hurts my little buddy without paying my price!” It was heartfelt if not a bit condescending toward his comrade angel. Gabriel launched into his own relentless fury of strokes, driving Ba’al back. Remiel joined him. Pan used his blades lightning fast to block and attack the swords of the other two angels.   Mikael hacked off the head of one nymph, and Raphael impaled another before the ten others leapt onto the two archons in a demonic pile up.

The angels came up to Jesus carrying Gabriel and Uriel. Raphael said, “Mikael is on his way to Tartarus with Ba’al.” Saraqael and Raguel approached from out of the black. Saraqael said, “Pan got away. He is a slippery scoundrel, that one.” Mary smiled broadly. “I know where he went.” They looked to her for more. She said, “He went to Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess.” Gabriel said, “Well, isn’t that convenient. That old gnarly tree was next on our list. We can kill two gods with one battle axe.” He still had his wit through his wounds. Uriel croaked through his migraine headache. “Wrong, Gabriel. Three gods.” They all remembered that the Earth Goddess carried within her tangled roots of evil another demoness long worthy of punishment. Gabriel gave a lighthearted laugh, “Well, Uriel, I do defer. You have bested me verbally while suffering a worse handicap.” They both looked to Jesus for approval and they got it in the form of a very subtle smirk of acceptance. Uriel was not done. “Jesus, would you say that ‘little buddy’ remark from Gabriel constituted a putdown?” “That was a term of affection,” complained Gabriel. Jesus broke into a broad smile. “Do not start again, or I won’t bring you to find Gaia.” The two angels groaned simultaneously through their pains. Uriel said, “Our tongues will heal as quick as our wounds.” Jesus smiled. Mary said to Jesus, “I know where she hides.

That didn’t make sense to me. That he would die and raise from the dead in three days.” “It is the Messianic secret, kept hidden from the principalities and the powers. And yet it was in plain sight all along.” “What do you mean?” “Jesus told us that no sign shall be given this generation of ours except the sign of Jonah. He said that just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. I remember reading a revelation from the angel Gabriel that was recorded on stone and stored in the library at Qumran.

What did it say?” He quoted it by heart. He could never forget it. “By three days you shall know that, thus said Yahweh of Hosts, the god of Israel, the evil has been broken by righteousness… Behold, all the nations gather against Jerusalem… In just a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth… My servant David, ask of Ephraim for a sign… By three days, live, I Gabriel, command you, prince of princes. “It fits together with the prophet Daniel. The breaking of evil by righteousness is Daniel’s Messiah Prince ending sin through atonement and bringing in everlasting righteousness. The shaking of the heavens and earth is the establishment of a new covenant. ‘My servant David’ is a reference to Messiah, whose sign of power is resurrection after three days. He is the Lord of lords and the Prince of princes.

Uriel, Gabriel, Remiel, Saraqael and Raguel faced the gods. Ba’al gave a war cry and launched into the three angels nearest him with furious swinging. They blocked with their weapons. But he was strong, very strong. He pushed them off balance.   Behind them, The Ob vomited a stream of black bile. The third entity left her. She became drenched in sweat as if being roasted in flames. Another scream pierced everyone’s ears, as the fourth left its host.

The Ob now flopped around like a piranha out of water gasping for life as another spirit was exorcised. A howl announced the sixth entity to leave her. Jesus continued praying on his knees.   Pan saw an opening. He ran from the two angels on him, crossed behind the two fighting Ba’al. As he ran past, he slashed the backs of those angels. Gabriel dropped to his hands and knees. The blow stunned Remiel. Ba’al’s mace pummeled Remiel into the ground. Ba’al turned to face the two others.   Mikael and Raphael, burst their way out of the vampiric nymphs and cut them to pieces.   Jesus laid his hands in prayer on the Ob to wrest the final spirit from her body. She choked and gagged. She couldn’t breathe. Her neck tilted back inhumanly. The demon, in the form of a black python, slithered out of her mouth, and away into the darkness. Jesus collapsed to the floor, drenched in sweat.

Within minutes, the other angels followed the sound of the collapsed tunnel and found Mikael’s location. They were able to dislodge enough of the rock and pull his broken body from the rubble. He had been severely crushed. Gabriel held him. “I can bring him back to the surface to heal.” Raphael said, “That leaves five. We can split up and try to surround the mole. He can’t hide here forever.” They heard the sound of a howl. “Dire wolves,” said Uriel. “We can’t chase him here forever.” Dire wolves were vicious, fanged black hounds of hell almost as tall as a man. Raphael said, “He must have bred them down here. There could be dozens.” “Or hundreds,” said Uriel. The angels could kill dozens of the wolves. But hundreds was another matter altogether. Several of them had almost been overwhelmed by a hundred dire wolves in the days of the giant King Arba, while rescuing Abraham and Sarah from the clutches of the Anakim in Kiriath-arba. They were rescued by a hundred archers. But they didn’t have a hundred archers down in this dungeon of dread darkness. “Take Mikael to safety,” said Uriel. “The rest of you draw the wolves back up to the surface.” They looked at Uriel with fear. Gabriel said, “No, Uriel. We can do this together.” Uriel grasped the leather harness of the special weapon strapped to his back. “I must do this alone.” They all knew what it meant. Uriel had the most sensitive senses. He was the best tracker of all of them. Gabriel protested more, “I will not let you.” “You have no choice.” They heard the sound of wolves getting closer. “And I have no time to quibble with you, Gabriel. Leave — all of you. Draw them after you.” Gabriel teared up. What Uriel was going to do was akin to suicide for humans. Raphael said, “He’s right.” They agreed silently. Gabriel went and grasped his friend in a bear hug that he didn’t seem to want to let go. “My brother.” “Stop your pouting, Gabriel. It’s only until the judgment.” Gabriel pulled away with an angry look in his face. It softened, and he said with a smirk, “You will finally outdo me, little friend.” Uriel gave him a dirty look. Little friend. There was still time to tease. “I outdid you a long time ago,” said Uriel with a grin. Gabriel added, “But there is still Armageddon. You don’t know what I might be capable of.” Uriel said, “Go. We’ll have all eternity to debate that.” They turned to leave. But their delay had lost them time. The underworld dire wolves were upon them. Fifty glowing eyes locked on them, approaching slowly, ready to pounce. There was only enough room to fight against one or two wolves at a time through the narrow passages. Gabriel stood at the back, carrying the broken form of Mikael, who was starting to heal, but not able to fight yet. The other four approached the wolves in single file.

Mikael, the largest and best groomed of the three, was the guardian prince of Israel, and tended to be protective of his ward. He offered a wineskin to Jesus, who took it and gulped with gratitude. After a moment of silence, Jesus wiped his beard of the wine and said, “You need a better sense of humor, Gabriel.” Gabriel pouted with frustration at being ganged up on. Uriel, his perpetual nemesis was one thing. But being teased by the Master was quite another. Jesus said, “And Uriel, you had better deliver on that bread you promised.” Uriel smiled again and held out a loaf of Mary’s best bread. “Baked two hours ago by your mother.” Jesus grabbed it. Mikael said, “Remember, do not eat too quickly. It is bad for your digestion after fasting.” “Thank you for your ministering spirits,” said Jesus, and took a big hungry bite out of the loaf. Uriel muttered, “Your mother should open a bakery. Can I have a bite?” Mikael was not so lighthearted. He knew that the challenge had been declared. The road to war had begun.

Warned by Gabriel, the Magi never returned to Herod and Jesus’s parents escaped to Egypt until after Herod died. By the time Herod, that son of a serpent, murdered all the young male children of Bethlehem, Jesus was already gone. Jesus knew that Herodian mass murder was a mere portent of the battle he had in his future. And this monster before him was the heavenly architect of his earthly opposition. Jesus swayed in his stance. He reached down and with a grunt picked up his staff to hold himself up.

The heavenly principalities and powers cannot touch you. But the earthly humans over which we rule can.” Though they had no authority to touch Yahweh’s anointed, they might do so through their human vessels. Jesus trembled with the weight of responsibility that now overwhelmed him. But the pain was lessened when he heard the familiar sound of his favorite angel echo in his mind. Jesus, be strong and courageous. “Jesus, be strong and courageous.” It wasn’t in his mind, it was being spoken to him from behind. “Sound familiar?” Jesus turned. He looked up into the smiling face of Uriel the smallest of three angels now standing before him. Uriel finished his thought, “The words you spoke to Joshua at the threshold of the Promised Land. Funny how it all comes full circle.” Gabriel, the second angel, and Uriel’s constant bickering companion, responded, “Uriel, I think your humor is once again in incredibly poor taste considering his suffering. Where is your compassion?” “Nonsense,” said Uriel. “Jesus has done it. Victory is a cause for celebration, not sadness. He made it forty days without food, which is more than I can say for you, chubby.” Uriel patted Gabriel’s stomach. Gabriel moved away annoyed at the jab. Sure, he was heavier than the lightweight Uriel, but he certainly didn’t see himself as “chubby.” Mikael, the largest and best groomed of the three, was the guardian prince of Israel, and tended to be protective of his ward. He offered a wineskin to Jesus, who took it and gulped with gratitude. After a moment of silence, Jesus wiped his beard of the wine and said, “You need a better sense of humor, Gabriel.” Gabriel pouted with frustration at being ganged up on. Uriel, his perpetual nemesis was one thing. But being teased by the Master was quite another. Jesus said, “And Uriel, you had better deliver on that bread you promised.” Uriel smiled again and held out a loaf of Mary’s best bread. “Baked two hours ago by your mother.” Jesus grabbed it. Mikael said, “Remember, do not eat too quickly. It is bad for your digestion after fasting.” “Thank you for your ministering spirits,” said Jesus, and took a big hungry bite out of the loaf. Uriel muttered, “Your mother should open a bakery. Can I have a bite?” Mikael was not so lighthearted. He knew that the challenge had been declared. The road to war had begun.

Thaddeus noticed the archangels had their own personal rooms with name tags showing which office belongs to whom. Gabriel. Michael. Charles. Lucifer. “Lucifer?” Thaddeus stopped. “Yea. It’s empty. Been empty for years.” “Why didn’t doesn’t God use it for something else?” Thaddeus had to know. “I don’t know. Maybe He wanted to keep it as a reminder or something. Maybe He’s hoping His old friend will come back home. I’m not sure,” Jesus answered with a sad look on His face.

Amanda said that Indian religion listens to the drum, to the heartbeat of Mother Earth. That's pagan, Gabriel, savages do that kind of thing. How can you listen to people like--? Christianity asks people to eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood-shit, Jeremiah, eating human flesh, that's cannibalism. What could be more savage-? Jesus wasn't a man. He was the Son of God. Hah! Do you wonder why the world is so filled with blood and war and hate when it has, as its central symbol, an instrument of torture? The crucifix is a symbol of ope, for God's sake, Amanda, I mean Gabriel! It's an instrument of love! Sure. An instrument of love. If you're into whips and chains and pain. Where do you think them priests get their jollies?

And she can lay in the dirt for 21 years, not because she feels the need to earn God’s love, but because that’s where she sees Jesus the most.

He was the leader of the Prophet David’s army,’ said the Sheikh. ‘David had him killed so that he could marry Nebi Uri’s beautiful wife. Two angels, Mikhail and Jibrael, appeared and asked David why he needed an extra wife when he already had ninety-nine others. You know this story?’ ‘Yes. I think we Christians know Nebi Uri as Uriah the Hittite.’ It was an unlikely tangle of tales: a medieval Muslim saint buried in a much older Byzantine tomb tower had somehow been confused with the Biblical and Koranic Uriah; perhaps the saint’s name was Uriah, and over the passage of time his identity had been merged with that of his scriptural namesake. More intriguing still was the fact that in this city, long famed for the shrines of its Christian saints, the Muslim Sufi tradition had directly carried on from where Theodoret’s Christian holy men had left off. Just as the Muslim form of prayer, with its bowings and prostrations, appears to derive from the older Syriac Christian tradition that I had seen performed at Mar Gabriel, and just as the architecture of the earliest minarets unmistakably derives from the square late-antique Syrian church towers, so the roots of Islamic mysticism and Sufism lie with the Byzantine holy men and desert fathers who preceded them across the Near East. Today the West often views Islam as a civilisation very different from and indeed innately hostile to Christianity. Only when you travel in Christianity’s Eastern homelands do you realise how closely the two religions are really linked. For the former grew directly out of the latter and still, to this day, embodies many aspects and practices of the early Christian world now lost in Christianity’s modern Western incarnation. When the early Byzantines were first confronted by the Prophet’s armies, they assumed that Islam was merely a heretical form of Christianity, and in many ways they were not so far wrong: Islam accepts much of the Old and New Testaments, and venerates both Jesus and the ancient Jewish prophets. Certainly if John Moschos were to come back today it is likely that he would find much more that was familiar in the practices of a modern Muslim Sufi than he would with those of, say, a contemporary American Evangelical. Yet this simple truth has been lost by our tendency to think of Christianity as a Western religion rather than the Oriental faith it actually is. Moreover the modern demonisation of Islam in the West, and the recent growth of Muslim fundamentalism (itself in many ways a reaction to the West’s repeated humiliation of the Muslim world), have led to an atmosphere where few are aware of, or indeed wish to be aware of, the profound kinship of Christianity and Islam.

The purpose of staying on the lookout for languages like these is to prevent them from becoming uncontested parts of the Christian worldview. Every time I run into one of them hard enough to hurt, I turn around and look in the opposite direction, where there is almost always a counternarrative in scripture just waiting for someone to notice it. When I run into a hard corner of Christian thinking about the subordination of women, I remember that the angel Gabriel did not ask Mary’s father if it would be all right for her to bear a son out of wedlock; Gabriel asked her. When I am walloped by Christian condescension toward those who are not Christian, I remember how many religious strangers played lead roles in Jesus’s life: the Canaanite woman who expanded his sense of agency, the Samaritan leper who showed him what true gratitude looked like, the Roman centurion in whom he saw more faith than he had ever seen in one of his own tribe.