Kjv psalm 91

We're looking for a name like this, most likely to be used as a middle name. We're open to Biblical names or looser connections. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if anything comes to mind then thank you!
Examples -
Evangeline - bringer of good news
Micah - who is like God, also a person in the old testament (traditionally a male name I think, but I still like it)
Sky - reminds me of Psalm 91 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

The entire universe was made from 9 notes of vibration. 528 hz is known as "The God frequency" although u will see a ton of different opinions on which one it is. I've settled on this. When I started aa, even though I was an opiate addict for 20 yrs. I noticed in order to be like this guy I saw in a meeting who owned a succesful business, had a beautiful wife, put 5 kids through school, and was the most peaceful and serene human being I had ever met. (Picture a late forties white guy monk) I had to hit a meeting a day, I had to call him once a day. And I had to start the steps. STEP 1-came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity Okay thats a problem for me.
The first book of the Bible was passed on orally for 100 yrs before ever written down. And christ introduced the idea that he was not only a powerful son of God but "we were too" and they crucified him for it, because heaven is a monarchy. There will not be a democracy in heaven. It would be dangerous for the catholic church to approve of this. And the jews had a monotheistic religion as well. So the church kicked jesus upstairs." OK ur the one. But that's it. Just you" Psalms 88 was referred to by Jesus when he answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye (or you too) are gods.... john 10:35 Just 2 verses later he refers to himself as "a" son of God. Do not be fooled by the italics, it does not mean emphasis, it means this word was subject to the interpretor. The original Greek word was "A" the church at the council of niccea changed it to "THE" son of God. So here a man was speaking of a beautiful Christianity that taught us the divine sonship in all of us. And then it was destroyed. By the pedestoolization of christ. Institutionalizing guilt as a virtue. And man with ego, creating a God with "ego"
So although I love church and I am (quick to see where religious ppl are right) I could not invest in this school of thought. So I continued...the Torah, uppanishads, Vedas, Quran, countless others. And then I went to science. Quantum theory, sacred geometry, conciousness science. , even stoicism.THERE WAS ONE SINGLE THEME IN EVERY SINGLE THING I RESEARCHED!!! AND THAT WAS THESE 2 WORDS "LET GO"
Then I realized. Religion is simply a vehicle. Just like a.a. was my vehicle to my higher power. And that when I did what nicoli tesla said by thinking in termz of "frequency and vibration." Then I found at amen comes from sankrit "om" which is the vibration or sound that rules all things in the Hindu religion. I started to realize for me, "higher power" meant just that. And I need not intellectualism my aa instructions, or the ppl that attend meetings, or the boring Ness of their shares, or the level of hot girls ar the meeting. I was simply there to charge UP! calling other folks who were either in a relationship with this power, or in a pursuit of this power recharged me. And the simple act of just being amongst them, just listening. I was of service to that circle and therefore myself.
Because I also learned from physics that "seperation" is an illusion. And if we removed the 99.9 % dead space from all of our atoms. We could fit the entire 8 billion man population inside a single sugar cube. Therefore I am you, and you are me. When I help u, it helps me. When I lead with love instead of fear. All these interesting things start to happen.
Then I learned self talk or prayer and meditation releases gamma oscillators in the brain. Off the chart amounts. And I read about hemi sync from a leaked program called the "gateway process" on CIA.GOV where Robert Monroe found a way to equalize our brain hemispheres, and change our heart rates to create a ....get this....."MATCHING VIBRATION TO OUR EARTH" or also known as....wait for it....(remember the 1st paragraph??) 528 HZ!!!!!!!
So now it all made sense, our bodies are 86% water. So that we can conduct electricity. 91% of DNA activity comes from light and sound, or vibration. So once I figured out we are all just antennas, and my q2 step program was a way for me to tune into the God channel. I understood why I should follow their suggestions, and engulf myself w folks with like minded energy. The program became my power source until I could provide my own with my change in moral psychology. And then I practiced meditation everyday for 2 weeks. And I'm not gonna go into it. But let's say I had no idea, that I could look God right in the face and speak to him, feel him.
I've had several very real physical spiritual experiences since my sobriety. And if you want know what I've found to be true. The entire aa book, and na book is " let go" application of these 2 words into every single situation in your life "besides driving" and you will be on your way to not only sobriety. But true real peace, happiness, serenity, and the loneliness will leave. My God experience, my current state of mind can be defined by pg 63 in the big book.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn." If u liked this, I just started a group last week on reddit I memory of my baby sister, my girlfriend, and my bestfriend who all died of a fet overdose. My goal is to talk to everybody. Connect sober folks and their path w ppl trying to get sober. Talk about what helps. And aid in any possible, discussing addiction science, health, and answering any and all qs. All religions n addictions n forms of sobriety welcome. I hope to someday b able to positively effect and charge up as many sos as this fentanyl recovery group has.. My group is called sobrietynothercoolsht

The entire universe was made from 9 notes of vibration. 528 hz is known as "The God frequency" although u will see a ton of different opinions on which one it is. I've settled on this. When I started aa, even though I was an opiate addict for 20 yrs. I noticed in order to be like this guy I saw in a meeting who owned a succesful business, had a beautiful wife, put 5 kids through school, and was the most peaceful and serene human being I had ever met. (Picture a late forties white guy monk) I had to hit a meeting a day, I had to call him once a day. And I had to start the steps. STEP 1-came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity Okay thats a problem for me.
The first book of the Bible was passed on orally for 100 yrs before ever written down. And christ introduced the idea that he was not only a powerful son of God but "we were too" and they crucified him for it, because heaven is a monarchy. There will not be a democracy in heaven. It would be dangerous for the catholic church to approve of this. And the jews had a monotheistic religion as well. So the church kicked jesus upstairs." OK ur the one. But that's it. Just you" Psalms 88 was referred to by Jesus when he answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye (or you too) are gods.... john 10:35 Just 2 verses later he refers to himself as "a" son of God. Do not be fooled by the italics, it does not mean emphasis, it means this word was subject to the interpretor. The original Greek word was "A" the church at the council of niccea changed it to "THE" son of God. So here a man was speaking of a beautiful Christianity that taught us the divine sonship in all of us. And then it was destroyed. By the pedestoolization of christ. Institutionalizing guilt as a virtue. And man with ego, creating a God with "ego"
So although I love church and I am (quick to see where religious ppl are right) I could not invest in this school of thought. So I continued...the Torah, uppanishads, Vedas, Quran, countless others. And then I went to science. Quantum theory, sacred geometry, conciousness science. , even stoicism.THERE WAS ONE SINGLE THEME IN EVERY SINGLE THING I RESEARCHED!!! AND THAT WAS THESE 2 WORDS "LET GO"
Then I realized. Religion is simply a vehicle. Just like a.a. was my vehicle to my higher power. And that when I did what nicoli tesla said by thinking in termz of "frequency and vibration." Then I found at amen comes from sankrit "om" which is the vibration or sound that rules all things in the Hindu religion. I started to realize for me, "higher power" meant just that. And I need not intellectualism my aa instructions, or the ppl that attend meetings, or the boring Ness of their shares, or the level of hot girls ar the meeting. I was simply there to charge UP! calling other folks who were either in a relationship with this power, or in a pursuit of this power recharged me. And the simple act of just being amongst them, just listening. I was of service to that circle and therefore myself.
Because I also learned from physics that "seperation" is an illusion. And if we removed the 99.9 % dead space from all of our atoms. We could fit the entire 8 billion man population inside a single sugar cube. Therefore I am you, and you are me. When I help u, it helps me. When I lead with love instead of fear. All these interesting things start to happen.
Then I learned self talk or prayer and meditation releases gamma oscillators in the brain. Off the chart amounts. And I read about hemi sync from a leaked program called the "gateway process" on CIA.GOV where Robert Monroe found a way to equalize our brain hemispheres, and change our heart rates to create a ....get this....."MATCHING VIBRATION TO OUR EARTH" or also known as....wait for it....(remember the 1st paragraph??) 528 HZ!!!!!!!
So now it all made sense, our bodies are 86% water. So that we can conduct electricity. 91% of DNA activity comes from light and sound, or vibration. So once I figured out we are all just antennas, and my q2 step program was a way for me to tune into the God channel. I understood why I should follow their suggestions, and engulf myself w folks with like minded energy. The program became my power source until I could provide my own with my change in moral psychology. And then I practiced meditation everyday for 2 weeks. And I'm not gonna go into it. But let's say I had no idea, that I could look God right in the face and speak to him, feel him.
I've had several very real physical spiritual experiences since my sobriety. And if you want know what I've found to be true. The entire aa book, and na book is " let go" application of these 2 words into every single situation in your life "besides driving" and you will be on your way to not only sobriety. But true real peace, happiness, serenity, and the loneliness will leave. My God experience, my current state of mind can be defined by pg 63 in the big book.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn." If u found this interesting. I started a group in memory of my baby sister who died of an overdose 3 yrs ago to this disease. I made it I her memory to try n help addicts. Connecting sober ppl with ppl trying to get sober. And educating and sharing....all religions n addictions welcome Thnx. The group is sobrietynothercoolsht

The entire universe was made from 9 notes of vibration. 528 hz is known as "The God frequency" although u will see a ton of different opinions on which one it is. I've settled on this. When I started aa, even though I was an opiate addict for 20 yrs. I noticed in order to be like this guy I saw in a meeting who owned a succesful business, had a beautiful wife, put 5 kids through school, and was the most peaceful and serene human being I had ever met. (Picture a late forties white guy monk) I had to hit a meeting a day, I had to call him once a day. And I had to start the steps. STEP 1-came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity Okay thats a problem for me.
The first book of the Bible was passed on orally for 100 yrs before ever written down. And christ introduced the idea that he was not only a powerful son of God but "we were too" and they crucified him for it, because heaven is a monarchy. There will not be a democracy in heaven. It would be dangerous for the catholic church to approve of this. And the jews had a monotheistic religion as well. So the church kicked jesus upstairs." OK ur the one. But that's it. Just you" Psalms 88 was referred to by Jesus when he answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye (or you too) are gods.... john 10:35 Just 2 verses later he refers to himself as "a" son of God. Do not be fooled by the italics, it does not mean emphasis, it means this word was subject to the interpretor. The original Greek word was "A" the church at the council of niccea changed it to "THE" son of God. So here a man was speaking of a beautiful Christianity that taught us the divine sonship in all of us. And then it was destroyed. By the pedestoolization of christ. Institutionalizing guilt as a virtue. And man with ego, creating a God with "ego"
So although I love church and I am (quick to see where religious ppl are right) I could not invest in this school of thought. So I continued...the Torah, uppanishads, Vedas, Quran, countless others. And then I went to science. Quantum theory, sacred geometry, conciousness science. , even stoicism.THERE WAS ONE SINGLE THEME IN EVERY SINGLE THING I RESEARCHED!!! AND THAT WAS THESE 2 WORDS "LET GO"
Then I realized. Religion is simply a vehicle. Just like a.a. was my vehicle to my higher power. And that when I did what nicoli tesla said by thinking in termz of "frequency and vibration." Then I found at amen comes from sankrit "om" which is the vibration or sound that rules all things in the Hindu religion. I started to realize for me, "higher power" meant just that. And I need not intellectualism my aa instructions, or the ppl that attend meetings, or the boring Ness of their shares, or the level of hot girls ar the meeting. I was simply there to charge UP! calling other folks who were either in a relationship with this power, or in a pursuit of this power recharged me. And the simple act of just being amongst them, just listening. I was of service to that circle and therefore myself.
Because I also learned from physics that "seperation" is an illusion. And if we removed the 99.9 % dead space from all of our atoms. We could fit the entire 8 billion man population inside a single sugar cube. Therefore I am you, and you are me. When I help u, it helps me. When I lead with love instead of fear. All these interesting things start to happen.
Then I learned self talk or prayer and meditation releases gamma oscillators in the brain. Off the chart amounts. And I read about hemi sync from a leaked program called the "gateway process" on CIA.GOV where Robert Monroe found a way to equalize our brain hemispheres, and change our heart rates to create a ....get this....."MATCHING VIBRATION TO OUR EARTH" or also known as....wait for it....(remember the 1st paragraph??) 528 HZ!!!!!!!
So now it all made sense, our bodies are 86% water. So that we can conduct electricity. 91% of DNA activity comes from light and sound, or vibration. So once I figured out we are all just antennas, and my q2 step program was a way for me to tune into the God channel. I understood why I should follow their suggestions, and engulf myself w folks with like minded energy. The program became my power source until I could provide my own with my change in moral psychology. And then I practiced meditation everyday for 2 weeks. And I'm not gonna go into it. But let's say I had no idea, that I could look God right in the face and speak to him, feel him.
I've had several very real physical spiritual experiences since my sobriety. And if you want know what I've found to be true. The entire aa book, and na book is " let go" application of these 2 words into every single situation in your life "besides driving" and you will be on your way to not only sobriety. But true real peace, happiness, serenity, and the loneliness will leave. My God experience, my current state of mind can be defined by pg 63 in the big book.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn." If u liked this, pls join my new group sobrietynothercoolsht to share ur experience n link w folks who r clean or trying to get clean. Trying to positively effect others n form a strong community in memory of my baby sister, who passed away 3 yrs ago from fentanyl. Thanks

The entire universe was made from 9 notes of vibration. 528 hz is known as "The God frequency" although u will see a ton of different opinions on which one it is. I've settled on this. When I started aa, even though I was an opiate addict for 20 yrs. I noticed in order to be like this guy I saw in a meeting who owned a succesful business, had a beautiful wife, put 5 kids through school, and was the most peaceful and serene human being I had ever met. (Picture a late forties white guy monk) I had to hit a meeting a day, I had to call him once a day. And I had to start the steps. STEP 1-came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity Okay thats a problem for me.
The first book of the Bible was passed on orally for 100 yrs before ever written down. And christ introduced the idea that he was not only a powerful son of God but "we were too" and they crucified him for it, because heaven is a monarchy. There will not be a democracy in heaven. It would be dangerous for the catholic church to approve of this. And the jews had a monotheistic religion as well. So the church kicked jesus upstairs." OK ur the one. But that's it. Just you" Psalms 88 was referred to by Jesus when he answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye (or you too) are gods.... john 10:35 Just 2 verses later he refers to himself as "a" son of God. Do not be fooled by the italics, it does not mean emphasis, it means this word was subject to the interpretor. The original Greek word was "A" the church at the council of niccea changed it to "THE" son of God. So here a man was speaking of a beautiful Christianity that taught us the divine sonship in all of us. And then it was destroyed. By the pedestoolization of christ. Institutionalizing guilt as a virtue. And man with ego, creating a God with "ego"
So although I love church and I am (quick to see where religious ppl are right) I could not invest in this school of thought. So I continued...the Torah, uppanishads, Vedas, Quran, countless others. And then I went to science. Quantum theory, sacred geometry, conciousness science. , even stoicism.THERE WAS ONE SINGLE THEME IN EVERY SINGLE THING I RESEARCHED!!! AND THAT WAS THESE 2 WORDS "LET GO"
Then I realized. Religion is simply a vehicle. Just like a.a. was my vehicle to my higher power. And that when I did what nicoli tesla said by thinking in termz of "frequency and vibration." Then I found at amen comes from sankrit "om" which is the vibration or sound that rules all things in the Hindu religion. I started to realize for me, "higher power" meant just that. And I need not intellectualism my aa instructions, or the ppl that attend meetings, or the boring Ness of their shares, or the level of hot girls ar the meeting. I was simply there to charge UP! calling other folks who were either in a relationship with this power, or in a pursuit of this power recharged me. And the simple act of just being amongst them, just listening. I was of service to that circle and therefore myself.
Because I also learned from physics that "seperation" is an illusion. And if we removed the 99.9 % dead space from all of our atoms. We could fit the entire 8 billion man population inside a single sugar cube. Therefore I am you, and you are me. When I help u, it helps me. When I lead with love instead of fear. All these interesting things start to happen.
Then I learned self talk or prayer and meditation releases gamma oscillators in the brain. Off the chart amounts. And I read about hemi sync from a leaked program called the "gateway process" on CIA.GOV where Robert Monroe found a way to equalize our brain hemispheres, and change our heart rates to create a ....get this....."MATCHING VIBRATION TO OUR EARTH" or also known as....wait for it....(remember the 1st paragraph??) 528 HZ!!!!!!!
So now it all made sense, our bodies are 86% water. So that we can conduct electricity. 91% of DNA activity comes from light and sound, or vibration. So once I figured out we are all just antennas, and my q2 step program was a way for me to tune into the God channel. I understood why I should follow their suggestions, and engulf myself w folks with like minded energy. The program became my power source until I could provide my own with my change in moral psychology. And then I practiced meditation everyday for 2 weeks. And I'm not gonna go into it. But let's say I had no idea, that I could look God right in the face and speak to him, feel him.
I've had several very real physical spiritual experiences since my sobriety. And if you want know what I've found to be true. The entire aa book, and na book is " let go" application of these 2 words into every single situation in your life "besides driving" and you will be on your way to not only sobriety. But true real peace, happiness, serenity, and the loneliness will leave. My God experience, my current state of mind can be defined by pg 63 in the big book.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn." If this was interesting. Pls join my reddit group I just started to honor my sister who passed from fentanyl. And share your experience strength n hope. Or share your pain and ask questions. I plan to post a lot and connect w everyone on there. It's sobrietynothercoolsht

The entire universe was made from 9 notes of vibration. 528 hz is known as "The God frequency" although u will see a ton of different opinions on which one it is. I've settled on this. When I started aa, even though I was an opiate addict for 20 yrs. I noticed in order to be like this guy I saw in a meeting who owned a succesful business, had a beautiful wife, put 5 kids through school, and was the most peaceful and serene human being I had ever met. (Picture a late forties white guy monk) I had to hit a meeting a day, I had to call him once a day. And I had to start the steps. STEP 1-came to believe a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity Okay thats a problem for me.
The first book of the Bible was passed on orally for 100 yrs before ever written down. And christ introduced the idea that he was not only a powerful son of God but "we were too" and they crucified him for it, because heaven is a monarchy. There will not be a democracy in heaven. It would be dangerous for the catholic church to approve of this. And the jews had a monotheistic religion as well. So the church kicked jesus upstairs." OK ur the one. But that's it. Just you" Psalms 88 was referred to by Jesus when he answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye (or you too) are gods.... john 10:35 Just 2 verses later he refers to himself as "a" son of God. Do not be fooled by the italics, it does not mean emphasis, it means this word was subject to the interpretor. The original Greek word was "A" the church at the council of niccea changed it to "THE" son of God. So here a man was speaking of a beautiful Christianity that taught us the divine sonship in all of us. And then it was destroyed. By the pedestoolization of christ. Institutionalizing guilt as a virtue. And man with ego, creating a God with "ego"
So although I love church and I am (quick to see where religious ppl are right) I could not invest in this school of thought. So I continued...the Torah, uppanishads, Vedas, Quran, countless others. And then I went to science. Quantum theory, sacred geometry, conciousness science. , even stoicism.THERE WAS ONE SINGLE THEME IN EVERY SINGLE THING I RESEARCHED!!! AND THAT WAS THESE 2 WORDS "LET GO"
Then I realized. Religion is simply a vehicle. Just like a.a. was my vehicle to my higher power. And that when I did what nicoli tesla said by thinking in termz of "frequency and vibration." Then I found at amen comes from sankrit "om" which is the vibration or sound that rules all things in the Hindu religion. I started to realize for me, "higher power" meant just that. And I need not intellectualism my aa instructions, or the ppl that attend meetings, or the boring Ness of their shares, or the level of hot girls ar the meeting. I was simply there to charge UP! calling other folks who were either in a relationship with this power, or in a pursuit of this power recharged me. And the simple act of just being amongst them, just listening. I was of service to that circle and therefore myself.
Because I also learned from physics that "seperation" is an illusion. And if we removed the 99.9 % dead space from all of our atoms. We could fit the entire 8 billion man population inside a single sugar cube. Therefore I am you, and you are me. When I help u, it helps me. When I lead with love instead of fear. All these interesting things start to happen.
Then I learned self talk or prayer and meditation releases gamma oscillators in the brain. Off the chart amounts. And I read about hemi sync from a leaked program called the "gateway process" on CIA.GOV where Robert Monroe found a way to equalize our brain hemispheres, and change our heart rates to create a ....get this....."MATCHING VIBRATION TO OUR EARTH" or also known as....wait for it....(remember the 1st paragraph??) 528 HZ!!!!!!!
So now it all made sense, our bodies are 86% water. So that we can conduct electricity. 91% of DNA activity comes from light and sound, or vibration. So once I figured out we are all just antennas, and my q2 step program was a way for me to tune into the God channel. I understood why I should follow their suggestions, and engulf myself w folks with like minded energy. The program became my power source until I could provide my own with my change in moral psychology. And then I practiced meditation everyday for 2 weeks. And I'm not gonna go into it. But let's say I had no idea, that I could look God right in the face and speak to him, feel him.
I've had several very real physical spiritual experiences since my sobriety. And if you want know what I've found to be true. The entire aa book, and na book is " let go" application of these 2 words into every single situation in your life "besides driving" and you will be on your way to not only sobriety. But true real peace, happiness, serenity, and the loneliness will leave. My God experience, my current state of mind can be defined by pg 63 in the big book.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn."

• Context: Psalm 51 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What does it mean that God will not despise a broken spirit and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17)? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 51 The Spurgeon Archive
• Geocoding: Places in Psalm 51 OpenBible.info

• Context: Psalm 50 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What does it mean that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 50 The Spurgeon Archive
• Geocoding: Places in Psalm 50 OpenBible.info

The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah multiplies The reward even more’ to whoever He wills. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing. 2:261

This verse praises the act of sincere charity with the metaphor of a corn crop which multiplies by ears and grains of corn. There are multiple interpretations for this metaphor. Some say it refers to the multiplicity/infinity of the heavenly rewards and the power that charity has or that of a simple charity act being multiplied in good deeds and significance. Another view is that it describes the ripple effect and power that a small act of charity can have that multiplies and benefits much more people that can be intended. An example of donating a water well which could benefit tons of people for years yet seems such a small act. And some see this verse as karmic to say that charity multiples and will benefit the giver materially as well. There are some nde stories in which a person is shown a small charitable act (watering a plant or feeding a bird) which we would consider insignificant yet this act is praised and loved by all beings in the realms for the love that goes into it.

And by the soul and ˹the One˺ Who fashioned it, then with ˹the knowledge of˺ right and wrong inspired it! Successful indeed is the one who purifies their soul 91:7-9

This verse speaks to the concept of objective morality and human intuition towards right and wrong. The successful are those who hone their intuition towards the good. To purify the soul is to develop virtue and cleanse the ego. To control the lower self of its demons like extravagance, greed, arrogance etc . These are very difficult and take years to control. I am also reminded about the levels of being in sufism and opening of chakras.

Worship God; join nothing with Him. Be good to your parents, to relatives, to orphans, to the needy, to neighbours near and far, to travellers in need, and to your slaves. God does not like arrogant, boastful people 4:36

This verse I like as it envisions warmth, hospitality and altruism to all beings, whether you know them or not. It envisions the famous African philosophy of Ubuntu which says "I am as you are" In its ideal form you would offer strangers and travellers food and stay, you would help others if you had the means as if they are your own family, going out of your way for them. To do this you need to humble and quiet the ego as the more arrogant are more likely to disregard kindness to strangers.

I did not create jinn and humans except to worship me. I seek no provision from them, nor do I need them to feed Me. 51:56-57

This verse is often criticized as being egotistic but the next verse to it forces us to think deeper about what this service to God really is. If God has no need for human worship. In fact verse 56 and 57 seem to oppose each other as a paradox. Some attempt to solve this by appealing to the concept of ibadah (service/worship) as being a multi level concept where worship is not merely a state of singing hymms and prayers all day long but as seeing all types of good deeds and deeds that fit into the attributes of God. For example the good, the true and the beautiful. For example charity, prayer, seeking wisdom, knowledge, creating art, providing for others etc are all thus acts manifesting the attributes of God.

That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity 5:32

The sacredness of human life and intrinsic value is highlighted here as the verse shows the greatness of saving a life of somebody as well as the consequences of taking someones life without a just cause. To save a life through whatever means such as taking a bullet, defending people, donating an organ etc are all very noble acts reminiscent of a martyr and are in some metaphysical sense the worth of saving the world.

The Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. except to him who will come to God with a sound heart. 26:89

A sound heart is the sincere heart free of hypocrisy. Something we all fall prey to.

This worldly life is no more than play and amusement. But the Hereafter is indeed the real life, if only they knew. 29:64

From the higher world perspective this world is seen as simply a simulation, a dream or game which people take so seriously as if it is the only world there is. From the human POV this world is all we ever know and is thus the most important & real thing to pay attention to. The material achievements of this world are seen as most important. However this verse reverses the human view in stating that the hereafter is the real life worth much more which we cannot conceive of. Imagine if we had access to this hereafter life and witnessed for ourselves the joy this life has to offer. How would this impact the way we see this life. This is food for thought.

Know that this worldly life is no more than play, amusement, luxury, mutual boasting, and competition in wealth and children. This is like rain that causes plants to grow, to the delight of the planters. But later the plants dry up and you see them wither, then they are reduced to chaff. And in the Hereafter there will be either severe punishment or forgiveness and pleasure of Allah, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment. 57:20

This verse sums up the nature of the world as capitalistic societies that endlessly run like a perpetual motor through time. We often live pretence filled lives in endlessly competing with each other in money, prestige and importance. At the social level between families and individuals and at the macro level of politics and organisations. This ego pumping competition is good for a while but it cannot give us peace. There is something very illusory and pretentious about this false world of materialism that takes a spiritual awakening to perceive. The verse conveys a Buddhist vibe of the material desires as illusory.

And give them a parable of this worldly life. ˹It is˺ like the plants of the earth, thriving when sustained by the rain We send down from the sky. Then they ˹soon˺ turn into chaff scattered by the wind. And Allah is fully capable of ˹doing˺ all things. 18:45

This parable speaks alot to the nature of earthly happiness. It speaks of the diminishing law of returns whereby most things that we consider good eventually loses its appeal. Anticipation of the thing is always greater than the gaining of a thing. There are many examples in psychological studies that show pain in life overwhelm lifes pleasures for example, losses in life hurt more than gains feel good, losing a friend hurts more than gaining a new friend. Bad life events impact us emotionally more than good life events do. We judge people more on their bad than their good. Many more examples.

He will ask 'them', “How many years did you remain on earth?” They will reply, “We remained 'only' a day or part of a day. But ask those who kept count.” . He will say, “You only remained for a little while, if only you knew. Did you then think that We had created you without purpose, and that you would never be returned to Us?” 23:112-115

The nature of this world as waking up from a dream is fascinating to behold. From our perspective this world has so much power on us and we perceive time so strongly. To perceive a whole lifetime as simply a day blip is incredible to behold. Time is a force which has so much power on us. We are always stuck in the present moment unable to access the past and our perception of time can be warped by many factors. This passage makes the world and this life seem so irrelevant

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His lights is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from 'the oil of’ a blessed olive tree, 'located' neither to the east nor the westj7^] whose oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire. Light upon light! Allah guides whoever He wills to His light. And Allah sets forth parables for humanity. For Allah has 'perfect’ knowledge of all things. 24:35

Another very mystical verse with multiple interpretations each one as interesting as the next. Light is a attribute of God, literally and metaphorically. It represents the idea of enlightenment and inner aliveness. One view sees the parable of light as a spiritual light within a persons heart. God as light is the source of truth and and the locus which brings out the good. Each object here represents layers of light. Light in all aspects of the soul conveys the ideal of perfection. The light of morality, intellect, heart, vision, knowledge, wisdom etc.

So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own 'creation I breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.” 15:29

This verse reminds me of the eastern concept of cosmic consciousness and humans as being a drop returning to the ocean. In some sense a divine aspect has been given from god to humanity. Some translators try to avoid translating it as breathed into adam of MY spirit to avoid similarities to pantheism and panentheism.

They ask you 'O Prophet’ about the spirit. Say, “Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you 'O humanity’ have been given but little knowledge.” 17:85

Consiousness remains an elusive mystery, one which baffles all people.

Remember' when your Lord said to the angels, “I am going to place a successive 'human' authority on earth.” They asked 'Allah', “Will You place in it someone who will spread corruption there and shed blood while we glorify Your praises and proclaim Your holiness?” Allah responded, “I know what you do not know.” He taught Adam the names of all things, then He presented them to the angels and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if what you say is true? 2:30

This verse is famous for implying adam as being some successor to previous beings on the earth and is famous for demonstrating the Angel's shock at the evil in the world something we humans can relate to greatly. It also speaks to the origin of language. If such high pure beings such as angels can become appalled at the evil of the world, how much more appalled and troubled are we mere mortals.

Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they 'all' declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it, 'for' they are truly wrongful 'to themselves' and ignorant 'of the consequences' 33:72 & 41:12

This verse is unique when comparing to the Bible & rings similar to a concept found in some ndes of people choosing to incarnate on earth for some spiritual growth or to gain the reward. It also gives an impression of the cosmos being sentient something also found in the Psalms & in NDE anecdotes. In some anecdotes people report feeling the happiness of the plants and sensing the environment as being alive.

Never take those killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, well-provided rejoicing in Allah’s bounties and being delighted for those yet to join them. There will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve. 3:169-170

This verse is interesting and speaks to some conscious state after death whereby these martyrs are happy and thriving. It is often asked what happens after death to people. Are they simply asleep waiting to resurrect or are they conscious in some other realm. This verse would also correspond to NDEs in which dead people are conscious in some realm where space-time works differently.

God takes the souls of the dead and the souls of the living while they sleep- He keeps hold of those whose death He has ordained and sends the others back until their appointed time- there truly are signs in this for those who reflect. 39:42

This suggests some soul journey, in other words at sleep the consciousness of a person travels to some other realm. Its interesting that some believe that certain dreams are unconsious astral travelling to other realms & lucid dreaming is part of the astral realm. Dreams & the subconscious still remain a mystery.

Exalted in Rank, Lord of the Throne: He causes the spirit to descend on whomsoever of His servants He pleases so as to warn them of the Day of Encounter 40:15

I am often reminded by this verse of Christians who say they are filled with the holy spirit. It signifies some sort of spiritual awakening. In this verse a similar idea exists. Some interpret this spirit to be the holy spirit ie Gabriel but others see it as the spirit of inspiration or revelation.

Whoever does good, it is to their own benefit. And whoever does evil, it is to their own loss. Then to your Lord you will 'all' be returned. 45:15

These are very karmic thinking with all good leading to good karma and bad leading to bad karma. In some nde stories people have life reviews in which they can feel the good done to others and the bad done to others as if it's their own.

The seven heavens, the earth, and all those in them glorify Him. There is not a single thing that does not glorify His praises—but you ˹simply˺ cannot comprehend their glorification. He is indeed Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving. 17:44

This speaks to some sort of metaphysical glorification whereby everything of nature and the cosmos is a manifestation of divine spirit. The animals, the oceans, land and celestial bodies all are in their natural path each with their own system resonating a mystical awe of the creator.

Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have certainly seen it humbled and torn apart in awe of Allah. We set forth such comparisons for people, ˹so˺ perhaps they may reflect 59:21

This metaphor is an intriguing way of describing the majestic nature of what would be called the speech of the creator. It conveys the awesomeness of the divine speech.

Say, 'O Prophet,’ “If the ocean were ink for 'writing’ the Words of my Lord, it would certainly run out before the Words of my Lord were finished, even if We refilled it with its equal.” 18:109

This metaphor uses the imagery of oceans to illustrate the omniscience and omnipotence of God. If we were to take this verse literally it would of course imply that the creators power is limited to an ocean or two. The ocean is thus used as an image to show that the knowledge of God cannot be contained in a finite book. Some food for thought are the concepts of omni knowledge & power. Its is inconceivable for finite beings like ourselves to fathom what it could mean to be an omnibeing. Would the creator have knowledge of a finite or infinite amount of things. Would he be able to create an infinite amount of different colors, foods or sounds. These are mysteries of the infinite which we cannot comprehend.

This is truly a glorious Quran. ˹recorded˺ in a Preserved Tablet. 85:21-22
No! Indeed, the record of the righteous is in ʿilliyyūn. And what can make you know what is ʿilliyyūn? A written record, witnessed by those nearest ˹to Allah˺. 83:18-21
Each person has guardian angels before him and behind, watching over him by God’s command 13:11

Who these beings are, where are they with you and what purpose do they serve are indeed good questions. Do they literally guard or is this a metaphor for guidance

Indeed, Allah is the Knower of the unseen of the heavens and the earth. He surely knows best what is ˹hidden˺ in the heart. 35 38

To best know what is in the heart is to have the capacity to experience the consciousness of another in perfect empathy. This concept of omni subjectivity is considered a necessity of omniscience. To be able to not only know the suffering a person goes through but to actually be able to experience it as they do. To be able to feel the grief of losing someone, of being depressed, of cramps, of every teardrop.

But the Lord of Mercy will give love to those who believe and do righteous deeds 19:96

Love is a complex idea that occurs in multiple forms. The love of unity, of attachment, of compassion, passion, friendship, romantic etc. Divine love could be considered the combination of all these forms. Some beautiful descriptions exist in nde anecdotes. One person reports a feeling of waves and waves of cleansing white love soaking them as if they were under a waterfall. Another describes feeling as if they were the last and most important baby to exist. Another describes the feeling of being touched by something amazing, a piece of music for example and the feeling being multiplied millions of times.

And He is the Most-Forgiving, the Most-Loving, 85:14
But My mercy encompasses all things 7:156
Indeed, We granted David a ˹great˺ privilege from Us, ˹commanding:˺ “O mountains! Echo his hymns! And the birds as well.” We made iron mouldable for him. 34:10

Music & poetry is the one thing on earth that has the ability to convey subtle & complex emotions that language has no words for. It can inspire & invigorate. The sound of birds singing remind us of a peaceful melodious state in nature. Certain music pieces can bring about feelings of spiritual awe, feeding the soul taking you beyond the mundane into a mystical state. A good melody can illuminate and a good harmony of melodies transports you to other realms. Likewise the melodic singing of the creators word can inspire feelings of awe.

No soul can imagine what joys are kept in store for them as a reward for what they used to do

32:17 - This verse speaks to the heavenly realms having happiness that is unable to be put in words and unable to be conceived by people in their normal waking life. It may refer to pleasures that are beyond what the physical world can offer or to the intensity of joy which cannot be imagined and quantified. It's also interesting to note that in some ndes people report hearing music that no earthly music could compare to and to seeing colors that dont exist in this world at all. What other surprises could exist in such a realm is a mystery to be very curious of.

We are your supporters in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. There you will have whatever your souls desire, and there you will have whatever you ask for. An accommodation from the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful 'Lord’.” 41:31

This one in particular is interesting as it seems repetitive but it is mentioning two different things ie having all the desires you ask for but also all the subconscious hidden desires of the soul that remain buried deep within us we dont even know it. There are different types of desires. There are desires by word (can be put into words), desire by mind (can imagine but hard to put into words), desire by heart (have an intuition but is hard to put in words and to imagine) and desire by unseen (those only an omniscient being could know of). Cognitive science talks of the self, the ego and persona which are separated by filters which filter out subconscious feelings.

The description of the Paradise promised to the righteous is that in it are rivers of fresh water, rivers of milk that never changes in taste, rivers of wine delicious to drink, and rivers of pure honey. There they will ˹also˺ have all kinds of fruit, and forgiveness from their Lord. 47:15

This is often seen as a reason to consider the hell and heaven descriptions as mainly metaphors over being literal. One sufi view sees these four drinks as symbols for differing things. The water signifies divine clarity and purity which refreshes & cleanses the soul with vitality, the milk signifies the strength, knowledge ,enlightenment and growth that nourishes the soul. The wine signifies divine bliss and a state of ecstasy. The honey signifies the sweetness of divine love which is the golden essence of mystical union. The fruits signify all the attributes of God.

Enter it in peace. This is the Day of eternal life!” There they will have whatever they desire, and with Us is ˹even˺ more. 50:34-35

This verse represents the hidden desires of the unseen which the limited brain of the material world cannot comprehend. Some interpret this as the beatific vision and others as things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has imagined.

And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a paradise as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous 3:133

This verse conveys the grandeur and sheer size of the paradisal realms. Of course space and time could work completely differently in another realm and the concept of more space would be a meaningless concept. The verse should rather be taken as a metaphor to mean that an abundance of space is always available as needed.

And whoever will come to Him as believer, having done righteous deeds, for such people there are the highest ranks. The Gardens of Eternity, under which rivers flow, where they will stay forever. That is the reward of those who purify themselves. 20:75-76

Water is the source of life, soothing and purification. It signifies the feeling of peace through the sound, texture and coolness of water. Forests, waterfalls, gardens and fountains are universal symbols of peace & symbolize the primordial connection to nature a time when man is able to feel awe much more than a mechanised industrialised world. In Celtic culture and inspired stories such as the Lord of the Rings we see places like Rivendell a lofty dwelling upon a mountain with waterfalls and streams and the Shire a place of gardens & lush vegetation, places people would love to see one day.

And if you looked around, you would see ˹indescribable˺ bliss and a magnificent kingdom 76:20

One view is that this bliss is comparable to a heavenly ambience, one which is of an intoxicating nature in which a persons consiousness vibrates at a higher level of being becoming one with the place. Certain drugs aim to to mimic this intoxicating, peaceful and loving ambience such as cannabis and ecstacy. In some ndes people will report feeling the vibration of the place, the plants, the water. They feel it as if they are one with the textures and it is in them. Another view is that the kingdom of heaven is a vast realm aesthetically pleasing in which one sees all types of blissful things. Poetic verses such as these propel the mind to envision otherworldly realms.

The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the unbeliever.” Sahih Muslim 2956

This is an interesting parable with the world being compared to a prison. A prison stifles you, limits you and does not make you feel at home. Some struggle to see the world as a prison but the awakened one sees the world for what it is. They see how limited we are by time, how we cannot access the past, change it or go back to a good time. We are boxed into this world and dealt the cards we got. The world stifles you in being unable to reach your full potential or acheive self actualization. It restricts your passions and achievements and leaves you questioning the meaning behind this life. The awakened one sees how limited happiness is for we can never grasp it. They see that surely there must be more to the world than this mundane life.

And indeed, We adorned the lowest heaven with ˹stars like˺ lamps, and made them ˹as missiles˺ for stoning ˹eavesdropping˺ devils, for whom We have also prepared the torment of the Blaze. 67:5

The idea of the seven heavens is an interesting one with many trying to decipher it. Some have said it refers to atmosphere layers due to 71:15 and 67:3 saying layers whilst some associate it with 7 celestial objects of the moon, sun and solar system planets. One specific person says the lowest heaven is the solar system and the 7th heaven being the multiverse. The lowest heaven has stars or planets which some say is the cosmos as we know it full of stars and planets. Lowest Heaven (Samaa Ad Dunya) may also refer to the worldly life (physical material realm). Some also say the seven heavens are a metaphor for multiple heavens. What these 2nd, 3rd, 7th etc heavens are remain a mystery. There are much similarities with Sumerian & Babylonian cosmology.

Indeed, We have adorned the lowest heaven with the stars for decoration and made them a safeguard against every rebellious devil, they cannot eavesdrop on the Higher Assembly––pelted from every side. Repelled; and for them is a constant punishment. But whoever manages to stealthily eavesdrop is ˹instantly˺ pursued by a piercing flare. 37:6-10

This connects to 67:5 and 41:12. It deals with the concept of the lowest heaven and further it mentions some sort of higher realm or meeting. Where exactly this higher assembly is remains ambiguous. It does hint that beyond the first heaven into the 2nd heaven which may imply the heavens are mystical realms rather than cosmological. This passage has always been controversial with some calling it unscientific whilst others say its supernatural not scientific. Some interpret this pelting of devils as solar flares from stars, rather than shooting stars.

You were heedless of this. Now We have removed your veil from you; so your sight today is sharp. 50:22

This often reminds me of the filter theory of consciousness. The idea that our brain filters out anything supernatural or mystical and focuses on the material. It seems to say that humanity cannot perceive much of the unseen but on that day all filters will be removed and people perceive with absolute clarity the divine realms as real. Reduced brain activity in NDEs and psychedelic experiences is also associated with higher states of conscious awareness.

Taught to him by one intense in strength. One of great perfection. And he rose to his true form, while on the highest point above the horizon. Then he approached and descended. And was at a distance of two bow lengths or nearer. Then Allah revealed to His servant what He revealed ˹through Gabriel˺.The ˹Prophet’s˺ heart did not doubt what he saw. So will you dispute with him over what he saw? And he certainly saw him in another descent. At the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary Near it is the Garden of Refuge while the Lote Tree was overwhelmed with ˹heavenly˺ splendours. The ˹Prophet’s˺ sight never wandered, nor did it overreach. And he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. 53:5-18 He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and His Throne was upon the waters—in order to test which of you is best in deeds. 11:7

The throne is said to be beyond the seven heavens encompassing it in scale. In one hadith tradition it compares each heaven to being a ring in a desert. Beyond the seven heavens lies the lore tree boundary and beyond this is said to be one of the paradise realms. The paradise realm/s is itself considered to be as big or bigger than the heavens and the throne is said to be beyond these paradise realms. The throne is said to be upon the waters. This concept exists in Psalm 148 which speaks of some sort of waters above the heavens. In Sumerian cosmology there is also a similair concept of a primordial cosmic ocean that lies beyond the heavens.

It is not granted to any mortal that God should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He will: He is exalted and wise. 42:51

This verse ends with calling God wise. Perhaps this verse conveys the grandeur of the essence which the limited human brain cannot perceive or it portrays the destruction that the essence can create burning everything into oblivion.

To Allah belong the east and the west; wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah. For Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing. 2:115

Direction and location is irrelevant to the divine as this divine being transcends space and time. Wherever one is, the divine is there and one can communicate with God as if he is face to face with you. The face is the thing with which we identify a person and turn our attention to. Wherever we turn the we can turn to God for the divine knows all that can be known and encompasses all in his presence and knowledge. In another interpretation everything natural is like a manifestation of the divine which the divine encompasses as part of his being. Its common for people to feel spiritual awe and a desire to communicate with the divine when one gazes upon the oceans, mountains, volcanos, valleys & galaxies. All of these convey grandeur.

Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives all vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted. 6:103

The divine cannot be reduced to light and sound waves for vision cannot perceive such grandeur of the divine. Abrahamic Theology has always spoken of the divine attributes and of the divine essence. To be subtle is to be nuanced, to see details that others dont see. It is to also be interacting in the world in ways we dont perceive. It is to be manifest in the world that cannot be seen.

When Moses came at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he asked, “My Lord! Reveal Yourself to me so I may see You.” Allah answered, “You cannot see Me! But look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, only then will you see Me.” When his Lord appeared to the mountain, He levelled it to dust and Moses collapsed unconscious. When he recovered, he cried, “Glory be to You! I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers.” 7:143, 2:253

These verses are fascinating to the sufi and mystic minded who are curious as to the actual essence of God and what it actually would be like to speak with God directly or witness the beatific vision. The verse highlights Moses burning desire to witness the creator in all their majesty. The mystery of the essence remains. It has been a topic discussed by great thinkers such as Al Ghazali, Ibn Sina & Thomas Aquinas. Its interesting in Exodus that Moses is shown the back of God but cannot bear to see the face of God.

He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, the Almighty, Most Forgiving. 38:66

A phrase which makes the curious person contemplate on the mysteries of existence. Are these other realms, dimensions, universes, realities, worlds. Are these spatial, temporal. Are they connected to the heavens.

He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is All-Knowing about every thing. 57:3

God is the first cause of reality, the source of all being and existence, the source from where all attributes comes from ie goodness, beauty, truth etc. He is the eternal mind not being caused or created in time nor does he end. The manifest and hidden or outward and inward represent a paradox. Perhaps God is manifest by the attributes that manifest through the world such as in nature, music and art. Perhaps this may explain the transcendental mystic feelings people may feel through certain music, art, psychedelics, meditation and other spiritual experiences. But on the other hand God is the subtle, hidden, one whose essence is unknown.

I will approach them from their front, their back, their right, their left, and then You will find most of them ungrateful.” 7:17

A good film that acts as a commentary to this verse is the film A devils advocate. This verse essentially speaks to the nature of cunning that this being uses to tempt men to corrupt their souls. This being can use multiple paths and strategies. From inciting the human ego, to using religious fanaticism, making injustice seem normal, using extremism & every other negative ism that can be used to manipulate humanity.

God said, ‘Iblis, what prevents you from bowing down to the man I have made with My own hands? Are you too high and mighty?’ 38:75

This verse has commonly been used by creationists to suggest that Adam was the first human created by God personally. You can imagine a humanoid figure being molded and formed. Interestingly another part of the quran says that God has created cattle with his own hands which goes against this creationist version. Non literalists and mystics often see human anthromorphisms to be metaphors used by God. The eye of god suggests God watching over and guarding. The face of god suggests the locus to which we identify God. The hands of God can refer to power, protection, guidance & specific interventions that other creations have not been given.

Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth and sincerity, a prophet: And We raised him to an exalted place. 19:56-57

Idris here is associated with Enoch & Hermes Trismegistus. He represents the mystic seeker, the learned , wise and knowledgable. He is often associated with the study of philosophy, astronomy & mysticism. Enoch is said to have travelled through the 10 heavens.

What will explain to you what the Crusher is?It is God’s Fire, made to blaze, which rises over people’s hearts. It closes in on them in towering columns. 104:5-9

This passage fits the interpretation of hell as a purification process that may be painful, such as the use of mouthwash or antiseptic which burns a cleansed wound. The towering columns convey the idea of some sort of penance chamber.

From the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of mankind 114:4-5

A good example in pop culture is the one ring from the lord of the rings. It whispers and entices the inner temptations of the heart to corrupt them. The gollum represents a creature that has become overwhelmed by the rings influence such that he becomes subhuman looking. Another example is the black suit spiderman. The black suit influences and draws out the inner dark side of Spiderman making him arrogant, aggressive & violent. As a wise person once said we never lose our demons. We only learn to live above them.

• Context: Psalm 49 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: How should a Christian view wealth? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 49 The Spurgeon Archive

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.23.4.KJV

I’ve been asked what the scholarly response would be to a lengthy blog post called “Responding to EVERY verse cited by infernalists and annihilationists,” which to my understanding has become fairly popular in certain universalist circles. Universalism is the theological view that all people without exception will eventually be saved through Christ at the eschaton. This contrasts with the view that some — or many — will ultimately be damned: condemned either to eternal torment or to annihilation. The debate here is naturally over the extent to which these ideas and frameworks are represented in the Biblical texts themselves.
On my initial read-through of the post, my first thought is that it’s quite difficult to take the whole thing very seriously from an academic perspective. It itself has no pretense of engaging with modern scholarship, being completely absent of any academic references. While this doesn’t always have to be a problem, it is when its lack of familiarity with scholarly methods and insights leads to any number of tangible misrepresentations and misunderstandings.
However, even though it’s pretty clear that the original post itself veers into non-scholarly theological territory, there are still more than enough purely exegetical claims to critique it without delving into any theological or ethical issues.
A number of times throughout the post, the Bible is treated as a single unified text, as if different books from entirely different milieus and perspectives are addressing the exact same topics in the same way. For example, a somewhat obscure passage about Sodom’s “restoration” in Ezekiel 16:53 is used to mitigate Jude 7’s statement about Sodom’s perpetual burning being a prefiguration of the fate of the wicked — despite the hundreds of years between the texts, and their entirely different contexts and worldviews. This is all the more egregious when all the author did to argue for their symbiotic interpretation in the first place was to just quote Ezekiel 16:53 and Jude next to each other, with no further analysis of each. By contrast, here are probably seven to eight paragraphs that try to parse the original context of Ezekiel 16:53 and related verses with reference to the current scholarly literature, and how it’s distinguished from the eschatological context of the New Testament.
There are also sections where the post puts forth wild and anachronistic interpretations in order to harmonize material that’s potentially discordant with the author’s preferred perspective. For example, common language of the wicked being subject to eschatological destruction is explained almost exclusively by reference to the death of the "old self" in Romans 6:6-7:

There are numerous places where God promises to “destroy” all the wicked. Annihilationists/conditionalists (people who believe God completely annihilates the consciousness of the damned instead of torturing them forever) take these as evidence for their beliefs.
Paul explains what this means. The destruction is of the “Old Self”, the sinful shell around our God-breathed spirit: “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom 6:5-6; cf. also Eph 4:22, Col 3:9).

But is there any Pauline scholar who's understood this language and concept in Romans 6:6-7, which clearly refers to the spiritual status of practising Christian believers, as some arch-principle that applies to all humans and which can be correlated with New Testament passages that pertain to eschatological judgment? I consulted a number of commentaries on Romans here — those of Jewett, Hultgren, Fitzmyer, Dunn, Longenecker, Moo — and found absolutely nothing on this. In fact, up until now I’ve been unable to find a single scholarly source that makes the connection between eschatological destruction and Romans 6:6-7 and/or the death of the old self, no matter how broadly I’ve searched. This is because the rhetorical and conceptual contexts could hardly be more different. In fact, you can barely even find verbal resonances between the two traditions, e.g. having to strain to connect ἀποθνῄσκω in Roman’s 6:7 with passages discussing eschatological death.
Here's another example similar to the above:

Another thing worthy of observation is that when Paul uses the phrase “aionion destruction” (2 Thes 1:9), the Greek behind it is “ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον”. Where else does the word ὄλεθρον appear? 1 Corinthians 5:5: “you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction [ὄλεθρον] of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” This is further proof that the destruction is not a vengeful annihilation, but a benevolent chastisement for the sinner’s own benefit.

How is the use of ὄλεθρος in 1 Corinthians "proof" of what the term means in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 means? 1 Corinthians 5 offers a unique, highly unusual situation in which a man who's clearly part of the Corinthian church is living in sexual sin, and who Paul curses to some sort of destruction (plausibly physical death, in my view; cf. David Smith’s monograph on the verse) because of this. Some commentators, e.g. Liselotte Mattern, explain that the reason this punishment can be said to "save" his spirit is that it's so grievous that it was intended to once-and-for-all curb any further fall into sin for the man, thereby ensuring the man kept the salvation that he had merited up until that point. Whatever the case, it's clearly addressing a spiritual "insider" in the church; and Paul will in fact explicitly raise the insideoutsider distinction shortly after this.
By contrast, in 2 Thessalonians 1, destruction and salvation aren't two potential modes for the same individual, but something that's sharply differentiated between believers and nonbelievers, the obedient and disobedient, respectively. Here's how NRSVue translates the relevant passages from 2 Thessalonians 1:

7... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in a fiery flame, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

This closely parallels the language and imagery of eschatological judgment and punishment in other Second Temple Jewish texts (cf. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 428); and like these, it too doesn’t even begin to hint at the possibility of any positive function or restoration beyond these.
The author continues:

If you need even more evidence, look at the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7. When Jesus refers to the “lost” sheep, the Greek word he uses is ἀπολέσας. This word can also mean “destroyed”, and it is used that way in Matthew 10:28: “fear him who can destroy [ἀπολέσαι] both soul and body”. But look at Matthew 16:25: “those who lose [ἀπολέσῃ] their life for my sake will find it.” The destruction being referred to is of the ‘Old Self’ so that the ‘New Self’ can sprout in its place.

One would think that if 1 Corinthians 5 so clearly differentiates the flesh of the man which is to be destroyed so his spirit can be saved, the fact that Matthew 10:28 plainly entails the destruction of both physical and metaphysical “self” is evidence that the specific soteriological tradition in 1 Corinthians 5 shouldn’t be generalized. For that matter, the contexts in which various ἀπόλλυμι-based terminology is used to refer to destruction versus something being lost are usually quite clear. The saying in Matthew 16:25 may refer to a self-surrender of livelihood or life, but in an idiomatic ascetic context that hardly corresponds to the same metaphysical destruction of self as in Romans 6:6. (Though the broader context of Matthew 16:25 and parallels also uses cross imagery similar to that in Romans.)
Elsewhere throughout the post, there are walls of texts that are just prooftext after prooftext, but with no attempt at any further analysis, and of course no mention of any texts that might contradict the sentiment being defended:

God does not submit us into trials out of vengeance or cruelty, but for our own good: “How happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal” (Job 5:17-18); “let us return to the Lᴏʀᴅ; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him” (Hos 6:1-2); “the Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them” (Jdt 8:27), “the Lord will not reject forever. Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone” (Lam 3:31-33); “The Lᴏʀᴅ will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the Lᴏʀᴅ, and he will listen to their supplications and heal them” (Is 19:22); etc.

This is where the failure to synthesize the Biblical texts from a more thorough and critical perspective is most transparent. In plenty of other passages, the wicked are subject to unmitigated death and destruction; and the exact same terminology used in the quoted passage from Lamentations to say that God will not reject לעולם — forever — is elsewhere used to describe the forever-destruction of Israel’s enemies and the unrighteous. For that matter, if we were to take other early perspectives of the Hebrew Bible as programmatic, we could just easily use these to portray death as something that was thought to be an irreversible fate: "as a cloud is dispersed and then disappears, so the one who goes down to the grave does not come up again" (Job 7:9).
Here are some other quotes from the post:

Although Christian cultures have grown accustomed to viewing Scriptural references to “fire” as indicating punitive judgment or vengeance, the truth is that the coupling of “fire and brimstone” analogically refers to the metallurgical process of removing impurities from metal. . . . The goal of removing impurities is, of course, to make the metal more valuable, not to trash it.

I’m not sure exactly what they mean by “analogically refers to the metallurgical process.” However, I think Biblically literate readers will pretty much immediately recognize the most well-known narrative where “fire and sulfur” comes from: the destruction of Sodom. David Aune notes, for example, that "[t]he motif of judgment of a city or a land by fire and brimstone is a fixed notion in the Old Testament and early Judaism for which the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone narrated in Genesis 19:24 is prototypical (Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalm 11:6; Ezekiel 38:22; Isaiah 30:33; 34:9; Sib. Or. 3.53-61, 689-92; Luke 17:29; 1 Clem. 11:1)" (Revelation 6-16, 541). Here fire and sulfur are simply agents of destruction; and nothing in the concept entails any subsequent restoration, without e.g. the quasi-fundamentalist harmonization of Jude 7 and Ezekiel.

The fact that “the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched” (Mk 9:42-48) for those cast into Gehenna sounds scary, but it is important to understand that neither of these mean that the people in Gehenna will be there forever as well. How do I know? Because the very next verse in Mark 9, v. 49, says: “For everyone will be salted with fire.” If the worm and fire Jesus was referring to meant eternal punishment, that would mean everyone is damned and unsalvable.

Mark 9:49 has been the subject of quite a bit of scholarly discussion. Adela Y. Collins thinks it means that "each follower of Jesus will be tested by fire" (454; and similarly France, 384). However, opinions are now coalescing around the idea that this draws on and refers to “the similar expectation in several apocalyptic texts and their Zoroastrian antecedents that both the wicked and the repentant would face the selfsame baptism in the eschatological river of fire,” as Daniel Frayer-Griggs puts it — wherein "the eschatological fire will punish the wicked but refine the righteous," as Joel Marcus words it. This universal judgment by fire leading to separate fates is poignantly imagined in the 13th chapter of the early Christianized Testament of Abraham.

Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-29: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
Although these passages are often interpreted to mean that this sin will never be forgiven into eternity, what Jesus actually says is “whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age [αἰῶνι] or in the age to come”, i.e. the punishment lasts for two aions. He delimits the punishment into a quantified amount of time.

This language of what Jesus “actually says” is extremely misleading. The quote that follows this is specifically the version that appears in Matthew. While I’ll get back to that in a second, the version in Mark says “whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin” (NRSVue). This is a perfectly adequate rendering of the Greek: including the clause εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, which is an idiomatic Semitism that means “forever” or “into perpetuity,” and when negated such as is it here means “not ever,” viz. never. The version of the saying in Matthew employs the same noun αἰών as Mark does, but now in a quite different sense and formulation. While αἰών denoted perpetuity in the version in Mark, in Matthew’s idiomatic phrase it’s used to denote “age,” in a formulation that divided cosmic time into the present (“this”) age in which the author lived versus the eschatological age to come — the only two eras that were imagined in early Jewish and Christian literature.
The exact literary relationship between the two passages isn’t certain. However, what is clear is that semantically speaking, Matthew’s formulation functions identically to Mark’s. “Not in this age, nor in the age to come” is simply a more elaborate, “rabbinic style” (Davies and Allison, 347) idiomatic formulation for “never” like Mark’s οὐ … εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; and the exact formulation as a total negation occurs a number of times in later Jewish literature, too, as לא בעולם הזה ולא בעולם הבא: in b. Berakhot 64a; Hekhalot Zutarti §336; and in the abbreviated form לא בעה"ז ולא בעה"ב, e.g. in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. Particularly instructive is b. Menachot 53b: ישראל אין להם בטילה עולמית לא בעוה"ז ולא בעולם הבא, "Israel(ites) will never undergo extinction — neither in this age, nor the age to come." Here the idiom is brought into direct conjunction with “never” and serves to poetically explain it.
The post also offers this bit of interpretation of the story of the rich man and Lazarus:

If it is perpetually true that “no one can cross from” Hades to Heaven, then this passage is contradictory to other parts of the New Testament. Peter says that Christ brought the Gospel to those who were dead in Hades: “He [Christ] was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water” (1 Pt 3:18-20). And later, in 1 Peter 4:6: “For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.” Why is the Gospel being preached to the dead if their ultimate fate is already permanently locked-in?

There are several problematic things here. In the wake of the recognition of the fundamentally Enochic imagery and phraseology of 1 Peter 3:19, the idea that this is a positive proclamation of the gospel to the otherworldly imprisoned has been all but abandoned in modern scholarship. Instead, this “proclamation” is understood analogously to Enoch's own proclamation to the fallen watchers in 1 Enoch: one of their impending destruction (cf. 1 Enoch 12:3-6). This is explored at length in studies like Chad T. Pierce's Spirits and the Proclamation of Christ: 1 Peter 3:18-22 in Light of Sin and Punishment Traditions in Early Jewish and Christian Literature and Dalton’s Christ's Proclamation to the Spirits: A Study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6.
As for a further connection with 1 Peter 4:6, Karen Jobes notes that "[m]ost contemporary interpreters no longer claim an association between 4:6 and 3:19 (Achtemeier 1996: 291; Bandstra 2003: 123; Dalton 1965: 42–51; Dalton 1979; Davids 1990: 154; J. H. Elliott 2000:730–31; Hillyer 1992: 122; Kistemaker 1987: 163–64; Michaels 1988: 237–38)" (272). Despite 1 Peter 4:6’s superficial appearance of an underworld proclamation, νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη is by far more plausibly understood as a reference to the original proclamation of the gospel to Christians who had subsequently died before the author’s present time, as exhaustively demonstrated in J. H. Elliott’s commentary (730-740), paralleled by a theodical passage in 1 Enoch, and adopted by other commentators (Achtemeier, 290-91).
Moving on, the post discusses

Hebrews 6:1-12: “impossible to restore again to repentance”
This passage is carefully worded, and it is important to understand precisely what is being said. The Greek word for “they are crucifying again” is “ἀνασταυροῦντας”, which is in the present active sense, meaning this whole passage is talking about people who are currently, actively defecting from God’s light.

This description misconstrues a scholarly minority position as one that’s obvious and uncontested. While this is indeed a known scholarly proposal (J. K. Elliott, “Is Post-Baptismal Sin Forgivable?”) and is even represented in some marginal translations, the vast majority of commentators on Hebrews explicitly reject it. The present participle ἀνασταυροῦντας is not the only Greek verb in the passage, nor even the focal point; thus it's incorrect to use this to say that "this whole passage is talking about people who are currently, actively defecting from God’s light." ἀνασταυροῦντας instead descriptively elaborates on the prior verb παραπεσόντας, which is an aorist describing those who have "fallen away." Lane argues the aorist here conveys a "decisive moment of commitment to apostasy" (though David deSilva cautions against over-interpreting this) and that the subsequent participles expand on this as the "consequences of the decision to spurn the gifts of God" (142). That is, figuratively crucifying Christ (again) is a further description of their already-decisive apostasy, and not an ongoing act.
To be sure, Ellingworth correctly notes that "the logical links between the main clause and the following participles ... are not specified" (323). But virtually all commentators raise several serious objections to the idea that ἀνασταυροῦντας and the other participle only suggest that it’s impossible to restore these persons while they (currently) "crucify" Jesus. F. F. Bruce, Gareth Cockerill, Koester, and Ellingworth all reject this reading as reducing what’s said to an inane truism. Cockerill further states that “[t]he entire context has the urgency of finality" (276 n. 41), and Attridge that this interpretation is "difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile with the other warning passages, 10:26-31 and esp. 12:17" (172 n. 68). DeSilva's commentary is especially insightful in contextualizing the severe perspective of Hebrews as a religious reflex of the ancient understanding of the patron-client relationship — specifically, the gift of salvation and the affront to the patron's honor represented by any spurned reciprocity: “After defecting from the relationship, the ungrateful clients could not expect to be able to begin that journey to God's promised inheritances again” (228). He illustrates the divine revoking of the gift by analogizing this to the actions of other spurned actors from the Greco-Roman world, e.g. one who "refuses to have dealings twice with a dishonest merchant, or to entrust a second deposit to someone who has lost the first one" (226).

In v. 7-8, the author of Hebrews makes this comparison: “Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over.” Remember that, as explained above, the purpose of fire in Scripture is not to torment, but to purify.

Again, however, this claim is only possible through a selective representation of the scriptural function and purpose of fire.

Revelation 14:10-11, 19:2-3, 19:20, and 20:10: the Beast and his followers
These verses mention an “eternal” punishment, but the wording here is different: it lasts εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων or αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, roughly “to the ages of ages”. The fact that this distinction exists is proof that αἰώνων by itself must be a lesser descriptor of time and thus finite

The distinction to which they refer must mean the repeated or doubled of αἰών/αἰῶνες. However, this is no evidence of it being a “lesser” or finite descriptor than the presence of “and ever” in the English phrase “forever and ever” implies that “forever” must be limited. We have any number of perfectly parallel examples of doubled Hebrew intensifiers that corroborate this, too: see Isaiah 34:10, לנצח נצחים; Exodus 3:15, לדר דר; Psalm 72:5, דור דורים; Proverbs 12:19, לעד ועד. Hypothetically, phrases like these could be hyperbolic. But this itself plays against overly literal interpretations that try to parse these idiomatic phrases as references to finite or more specific “ages.” Overall, the most well-supported conclusion is that these phrases idiomatically denote "forever" or otherwise convey finality. They’re also used frequently in reference to phenomena or entities that were genuinely and uncontestedly expected to be everlasting, like God himself.

So it is perfectly reasonable to conclude that those in Gehenna/the lake of fire will have their names added to the book of life once their cleansing is complete. How can we be sure? Because this punishment is referred to as the “second death” (Rv 20:6, 20:14, 21:8), but we know it was prophesied that God “will swallow up death forever” (Is 25:8), which, according to Paul, will be accomplished at the final resurrection: “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory'” (1 Cor 15:54). If some are in the “second death” for eternity, then these prophesies will never be accomplished.

This is an intolerable understanding of the final chapters of Revelation, even on a surface-level reading. The tradition of the final defeat of death as seen from Isaiah 25:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:54 is indeed also represented in these chapters of Revelation, to be sure. But the idea that the “second death” must eventually be destroyed as part of this destruction of death is precisely reversed from what we find there. Rather, the second death is actually the agent of death’s destruction, insofar as death is destroyed by being thrown into the lake of fire — itself explicitly identified as the second death (20:14). Above all, the defeat of death represents the dawn of immortality for the righteous who are to inherit the new earth; and besides this the second death represents the annihilation of the wicked. Perhaps it could be implicitly surmised that the lake of fire and second death will be unnecessary in the ultimate eschaton. But, again, this is only because they’ve already served their purpose in annihilating death and the wicked. (I mention this only to illustrate the diversity of Jewish tradition here, but in the Talmud — specifically b. Rosh Hashanah 17a — there’s the enigmatic line that for the most egregious of sinners, גיהנם כלה והן אינן כלין: Gehenna could/will come to an end, and yet they still won’t: they’ll continue in torment even after Gehenna’s end.)

Only the elect will be saved in the first resurrection, for the universal reconciliation of all souls will happen later, after the un-elect have spent a time of purification in Gehenna. This is why the elect are referred to as the “first fruits” in several places like Romans 8:23, James 1:18, and Revelation 14:4; being the “first” fruit implies that there’s an entire harvest that comes after.

This is a clear abuse of the intended sense of first-fruits in these passages. In some of these passages resurrection isn’t the topic, and in others first-fruits aren’t even persons at all!
Finally: this has been covered in other recent posts, and briefly above, too, but there's linguistic analysis that doesn't go much beyond what an amateur might glean from things like Strong's Concordance. Its whole section on the denotation of αἰώνιος, “perpetual, permanent,” makes no attempt to parse or even mention the traditions that influenced the New Testament’s employment of this term in eschatological contexts, e.g. used to describe the immortality of the righteous and the perdition of the wicked. Instead, what it does is find rather arbitrary Biblical texts which use this or related terminology, and juxtaposes these with other Biblical texts — usually from another book entirely — which seems to imply the non-permanence of the same phenomenon or entity. The juxtaposition of Sodom’s perpetual burning in Jude with Sodom’s apparent restoration in Ezekiel was an example of this. But even more generally speaking, use of αἰώνιος terminology in other contexts (often mundane or arbitrary) is obviously of significantly less relevance for how we should understood its use in eschatological texts. This is demonstrated simply by noting that these two uses often represent a shift from the mundane to the manifestly supernatural; and that in the ancient mind, the latter obviously wouldn’t have the same “rules” as the former, temporal or otherwise. All this and more is elaborated on at much greater length in this post, which exhaustively covers misconceptions about αἰώνιος and related terminology.
This covers a lot of the pro-“infernalist” or annihilationist passages that the author sought to address, in keeping with the title. The rest of the post addresses the opposite: “the numerous places where the universal salvation is promised and proclaimed.” This would need an entirely separate response.

28.03.23: Strength Practice
5 ROUNDS. NO REST BETWEEN EXERCISE. 120s BETWEEN ROUNDS.
Total Training Time: 53:42
Single Arm KB Complex ⬇️ +28kg Bell
12 Single Arm KB Clean & Strict Press
12 Single Arm KB Jerks
12 Single Arm KB Front Squats
6 Single Arm KB Bent Press
X5 - 210 total reps
Finisher: ⬇️ +2x32kg Kettlebells
2 Cleans
1 Strict Press
3 Front Squats
X4 EMOM - 24 reps
➕
5 Cleans, 5 Press, 5 Front Squats - 15 reps
39 total reps
2 Pump Burpees - Bodyweight
100 Burpees, 200 Pushups
Ring Rows - Bodyweight - Strict with control
56 minutes total
Jump Rope - 1/2 pound rope - High Intensity
6:04 minutes total
Verses for today:
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; And in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, As a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; And fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: They shall praise the LORD that seek him: Your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD's: And he is the governor among the nations.
Psalm 22:1‭-‬15‭, ‬23‭-‬28 KJV
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us, not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory. Forever and ever. In Jesus Christ's Holy name I pray.
Amen.
Father, help me put on the Full Armor of God & protect me & my family from the wiles of the evil one.
Halleluyah!

• Context: Psalm 48 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What is Zion? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 48 The Spurgeon Archive
• Geocoding: Places in Psalm 48 OpenBible.info

• Context: Psalm 47 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What does it mean to praise the Lord? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 47 The Spurgeon Archive
• Worship: Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow London Philharmonic Choir

I'm almost done reading the whole Bible. And after all the analyzing and hearing God's voice, I'm starting to believe conditionalism and soul sleep more and more.
Here are some verse:
Thessalonians 4:13-18
13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 says tells us what happens when a person dies. It says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.” In other words, when a person dies, his or her spirit goes back to God, the body returns to dust and the soul of that person is no longer is alive. That is why Job 27:3 says, “All the while my breathe is in me, and the spirit of God is my nostrils.” The soul is the actual person. The Spirit is the life of the person.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know not any thing.” What ascended into heaven. His body has turned to dust and his spirit is back with God and his soul no longer exist. If this is true for David, then it is also true for everybody else.
Daniel 12:1-3
12 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;[a] and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Matthew 12:36
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Here's a little extra:
We (Christians) will even help judge angels.
1 Corinthians 6:3
"Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life."
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 2:12
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Psalm 37:20
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
John 6:40 ESV
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Revelation 20:4-6
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Psalm 37:20
20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
1 Corinthians 15:53
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:1-587
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;[e] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall[f] also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Mystery and Victory
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain
Job 14:11‭-‬15 KJV As the waters fail from the sea, And the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, Till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

We're starting the New Testament with Matthew in two weeks on Easter Sunday. It's a great time to join in! Here are our upcoming readings:
Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach - Apr 2 - SexyAcanthocephala
Interpretation of Dreams - Wednesday, Apr 5 - me
Matthew - Apr 9 - taken
Mark - Apr 16 - Public-Cap-1452
Luke - Apr 23 - me
John - Apr 30 - SexyAcanthocephala
Acts - May 7 - Public-Cap-1452
Romans & Philippians - May 14 - me
Revelations - May 21 - SexyAcanthocephala
This week and next, we're reading from the Apocrypha. Though some believe these two works were written alongside King Solomon from I Kings, historians believe they were written in Hebrew and Greek around the first or second century B.C. That would put them around 500 years after the other Wisdom books we've read: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. Wisdom of Solomon and SIrach are not part of Jewish or Protestant canon, but are included in Greek and Catholic bibles.
We have already seen wisdom as a discrete entity in Ecclesiastes, for example 7:19, "Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city." In Solomon, wisdom is given an even more concrete feminine form.

[6:25] Receive therefore instruction through my words, and it shall do you good. [7:22] For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit holy, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good, [7:25] For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her.

As with the prophets, we get a lot of poetic imagery of beasts, creatures, even a dragon. And also many nautical metaphors. In KJV, the phrase "Kingdom of God" only starts to appear in the New Testament. Wisdom of Solomon 10:10 "When the righteous fled from his brother's wrath she guided him in right paths, shewed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of holy things, made him rich in his travels, and multiplied the fruit of his labours."
As we might expect, idol worship was an even greater problem outside of the land of Canaan. 14:27 "For the worshipping of idols not to be named is the beginning, the cause, and the end, of all evil."
This book read and alluded to less often than the other books we will cover. So I wonder, what did you think? Does it hold up against what we've read before? What stood out?

• Context: Psalm 46 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What does it mean that God is our refuge and strength and an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 46 The Spurgeon Archive
• Worship: A Mighty Fortress is our God Martin Luther

• Context: Psalm 45 Blue Letter Bible
• Article: What is the kingdom of God? Got Questions
• Commentary: The Treasury of David: Psalm 45 The Spurgeon Archive
• Geocoding: Places in Psalm 45 OpenBible.info