PSALM 118 - BETTER THAN HOT COCOA ;-)

I was settling in for the night when it was impressed upon my spirit to reach for my Bible and open it to the Psalms. The Psalms, like the Book of Job have gotten me through past tough patches – my Bible fell open to Psalm 118; a very good reminder to TRUST IN ADONAI YESHUA. For His mercies endure forever.

And I heard in the cafeteria earlier this evening that the demoncrats/libtards/socialists/communists/muslims/athiests/satanists/witches/other subterranean plebs are determined to take President Trump down now that they have the House in their pocket. Of course that is CNNs reporting with plenty of their pet biased senators, brainwashed political counselors, and just plain snarky Trump-hater-gossip-monger pals (which the TV is constantly broadcasting day and night here at OHSU) so I pretty much just let the {news; aka twisted gossip passing for news/fake news} go in 1 ear and out the other while I eat.

This passage in the Old Covenant Scriptures pretty much covers everything brought to us or that concerns us … from August forward (the verses that really spoke to me and our situation tonight are dark tinted:

Psalm 118 – “O give thanks unto Adonai; for He is good: because His mercy endures forever.

² Let Israel now say, that His mercy endures forever.

³ Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endures forever.

⁴ Let them now that fear Adonai say, that His mercy endures forever.

⁵ I called upon Adonai in distress: Adonai answered me, and set me in a large place.

⁶ Adonai is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

⁷ Adonai takes my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

⁸ It is better to trust in Adonai than to put confidence in man.

⁹ It is better to trust in Adonai than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰ All nations compassed me about: but in the name of Adonai will I destroy them.

¹¹ They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of Adonai I will destroy them.

¹² They compassed me about like bees: they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of Adonai I will destroy them.

¹³ Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but Adonai helped me.

¹⁴ Adonai is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

¹⁵ The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of Adonai does valiantly.

¹⁶ The right hand of Elohim is exalted: the right hand of Elohim does valiantly.

¹⁷ I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

¹⁸ Elohim hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise Elohei:

²⁰ This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.

²¹ I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

²² The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

²³ This is Elohim’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴ This is the day which Adonai hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

²⁵ Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Yeshua, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

²⁶ Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed You out of the house of Elohim.

²⁷ God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

²⁸ Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: thou art my God, I will exalt Thee.

²⁹ O give thanks unto Adonai Yeshua; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever.”

The promises and encouragements in Scripture will do more to help me sleep tonight than a cup of hot cocoa ;-)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ACTS ~ Chapter 25

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ACTS ~ Chapter 25

Three days after Festus had come into his province, he went from Caesarea to Jerusalem. The chief priests and chief men of the Jews brought charges against Paul with petitions. They asked as a special favor that he would summon Paul to Jerusalem, with the intention of lying in wait for him and killing him on the way. But Festus replied that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself was soon to go there. ‘But, he said, ‘if there is anything wicked about the man, let the men of authority among you go with me to bring a charge against him.’

When he had spent not more than 8 or 10 days there, he went back to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and gave orders that Paul should be brought in. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about him, charging him with many and serious offences, none of which they could prove.

In his defense, Paul said, “I have not sinned against any Law of the Jews, nor against the Temple, nor against the emperor.” Then Festus, in hope of winning the favor of the Jews, asked Paul, ‘Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and to stand trial before me there in regard to these things?’ Paul answered, “I am now being tried in the emperor’s court, the very place where I ought to be tried. I never did the Jews any wrong, as you know very well. Indeed, if I am guilty of wrongdoing and have done something deserving of death, I do not refuse to die; but if what they say against me is not true, I will let no man turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.” Then Festus, after having conferred with his council, answered, ‘You have appealed to the emperor – to the emperor you shall go.’

Some days later, king Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.

As they stayed there for several days, Festus related to the king the story of Paul. ‘There is a man here,’ he said, ‘who was left in prison by Felix. When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priest and elders of the Jews presented their case against him and demanded a judgment against him. I replied that it was not the Raman custom to give any man up to destruction before he had a chance to defend himself against their charges. So they came here with me, and without delay I took my seat in the courtroom and ordered the man to be brought in. But when his accusers took their stand, they brought forward no charge whatever of crimes such as I had in mind. Rather, their dispute with him was in regard to their system of religion and someone named Yeshua, Who was dead but Who was declared by Paul to be alive again. I was perplexed as to how to deal with these issues, so I asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried on these charges there. At this, Paul appealed to have his case reserved for the emperor’s decision, and so I gave orders that he should be kept in prison until I could send him to the emperor.’

Then Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I, too, would like to hear this man myself.’ He answered, ‘Tomorrow you will hear him.’

The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the courtroom, together with the army heads and principal men of the city. Festus then gave orders that Paul be brought in.

Then Festus said, ‘King Agrippa, and all the rest of you who are here with us, you see this man against whom all the Jews, both here and at Jerusalem, have been clamoring that he does not deserve to live any longer. As for myself, I have not noted anything in his record deserving of death; but since he, himself, has asked for a hearing before the emperor, I have decided to send him on to him. Yet when I write to the sovereign, I have nothing definite to say against him. It is for that reason that have brought him before you all, and before you especially, king Agrippa, in order that the examination may give me something definite to write about. To me it seems absurd to send a prisoner up for trial without stating what charges are made against him.’

**ACTS 24: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-gospel-according-to-acts-chapter-24.html

**********

==Porcius Festus was procurator of Judea from about AD 58 to 62, succeeding Antonius Felix. His exact time in office is not known. He inherited all of the problems of his predecessor in regard to the Roman practice of creating civic privileges for Jews. Only one other issue bedeviled his administration, the controversy between Agrippa II and the priests in Jerusalem regarding the wall erected at the temple to break the view of the new wing of Agrippa's palace.

During his administration, Jewish hostility to Rome was greatly inflamed by the civic privileges issue. Feelings were aroused which played an important part in the closely following Jewish War of AD 66.

In the New Covenant (New Testament), the Apostle Paul (Saul) had his final hearing before Festus. In Acts 25:12, Festus sought to induce Paul to go to Jerusalem for trial; Paul appealed to the Emperor. The appeal resulted in Paul being deported to Rome in the autumn of AD 58. Acts 25-26 http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=934

==King Agrippa, who comes to pay his respects to Festus was Marcus Julius Agrippa II (A.D. 27-100), son of Agrippa I (Acts 12:1-25) and great-grandson of Herod the Great (Mt 2:1-23). Brought up in Rome in the court of Claudius, he was a favorite of the emperor, though too young to immediately succeed his father at his death in A.D. 44. In A.D. 50, following the death of his uncle (Herod of Chalcis, A.D. 48) he was granted the petty kingdom of Chalcis, northeast of Judea. He later exchanged it for the tetrarchy of Philip, Abilene (or Abila), Trachonitis and Acra (the tetrarchy of Varus) in A.D. 53. In A.D. 56 Nero added to his kingdom the Galilean cities of Tarichea and Tiberias with their surrounding lands and the Perean city of Julias (or Betharamphta) with fourteen villages belonging to it (compare Josephus Jewish Wars 2.220-23, 247, 252; Jewish Antiquities 20.104, 138, 159; Longenecker 1981:547). He had supreme power in Jewish religious life, for the Romans gave him the right to appoint the high priest and custodianship of the temple treasure and the high priest's vestments (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 20.213, 222). He was the last of the Herodian line.

Accompanying him was his sister Bernice, a year younger than he. She had been engaged to Marcus, a nephew of the philosopher Philo of Alexandria. Then she married her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. At his death she returned to live with her brother Agrippa II and engaged in an incestuous relationship with him. This gained her notoriety both in Palestine and in Rome (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 20.145-46; Juvenal Satires 6.156-60). http://www.livius.org/articles/person/herod-agrippa-ii/

==Bernice was a law unto herself. Totally wicked and unrepentant. http://www.womeninthebible.net/women-bible-old-new-testaments/bernice-berenice/

Where Are You Christmas?

Streets are hung with holly and lights.

People are rushing to and fro, packing Malls and constantly on the go.

But for us, here at OHSU, it does not feel much like Christmas this year ...