I’m rich!..oh wait…those are fiat dollar pay outs.
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Yes
which is why a TRUE goldler
would hold out until gold is fairly priced!
(hopefully in our lifetimes… 
)
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This is why you can’t and ought not to take parables literally. The parables almost always are a polemic against Israel, because they aren’t paying attention to the arrival of the Messiah. The point, I think in that group of parables, is that you don’t get “in” because you are a “Jew”. Context is Matthew 25. It follows with the parable of talents and then separation of sheep and goats. Recall Matt. 3:9 where the Jews were proudly stating “they had Abraham as their father.” Jesus replies that he can raise up children of Abraham “from these stones.” In short, your genetics don’t give you a free ride.
Well I look down on their youthfulness. /sarc
For sure, support for your family is first. But what we see in the first couple of centuries of Christianity is that it was the Christian community who took care of the poor, went out of their way to find and adopt discarded babies, and in general took more responsibility, even though it costs them. Thank God that Jesus didn’t have the attitude of those young pastors – sorry folks, not my responsibility.
I struggle with how much I am to do as well. My gut says that it will probably be more than I am comfortable with. That’s where spiritual growth exists.
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Sorry, I totally disagree with the whole framing.
I have NEVER in my life heard this parable to mean anything about jews vs. non-jews (gentiles). EVER.
Reading jews vs. gentiles into the parables shows that one is a racist, and sees everything through that lens. I reject that kind of framing.
Edit: btw, goats vs. sheep to mean anything about “jews” as a race doesn’t make any logical sense. Jesus was talking to jews, almost exclusively. Goat vs. sheep has nothing to do with where you came from (race, being a jew), and all about your decision to believe in Jesus the Messiah. Almost all people that believed in the Jesus the Messiah were born jews. To make this about race is just plain nonsense.
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I would also encourage you to look into what the numbers will look like for you and those you might expect to show up “in need”. I will tell you, anyone that I tried to help before, but shows up after looking for a hand out, I have prepared enough to take care of their children, but give most of them the option for a merciful way out.
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We wont see that until the world reserve currency is again put back on some level of gold or silver standard.
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I had to reread this a few times to ensure I didn’t misunderstand you. Am I correct in understanding that your entire paragraph here is to convey a single meaning: Jewishness is not the measurement by which salvation is dispensed?
If so, I agree. Perhaps it’s just that text doesn’t convey tone/timing well, but I almost read the top part as being a Jew worked against someone.
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The cardinal rule of “being slightly better off than the unprepared” is operational security (OPSEC). You can try to wake people up, but at some point you have to fall silent, prepare as best you can, and be ready to turn people away when they show up, hat in hand, demanding that you “share.” I’ve got two in-laws that I prep for because my husband wouldn’t turn them away, even though they are idiots. And then I have a friend who I set a bit of extra aside for because, despite their best efforts and wise use of resources, they can’t afford to put as much aside as I think they are going to need. I want this person in my “survival group” because they are honest, reliable, and have practical skills, and they are like family to my kids, so I set aside a bit of extra. And of course I prepare for my spouse, kids, and grandchildren. Everyone else will be treated as “stranger danger” if the balloon goes up.
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It does not surprise me. Most churches have pretty poor theological teaching. And the last 50 years has been a huge boom for first-century Jewish studies, following the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948. It opened up the first century to us and allows us to better understand what both Jesus and Paul were saying.
I would suggest perhaps reading some of the great scholars of the first century Christian/Jewish literature – James D.G. Dunn, N.T. Wright, E.P. Sanders, Darrell Bock, etc. I’ve blogged my way through N.T. Wright’s first two Christian Origins series.
Matthew is written primarily to the Jews. I would note that Matthew’s genealogy starts at Abraham (Mt. 1). This is not accidental. Matthew’s purpose is to present Jesus as the Messiah to the Jewish people. Matthew is divided into 5 teaching blocks separated by story/miracles. The story/miracles “validate” what was said in the earlier teaching section.
Jesus is constantly in conflict with the Jewish leaders, because they refuse to recognize him. They refuse both John’s baptism and Jesus’ calling that the kingdom of heaven has arrived through him. This is why the Matt 3:9 verse is so critical – note how early it is in Jesus’ ministry – it is setting the stage for the conflict. No, being a “Jew” won’t ‘save’ you; having the temple won’t ‘save’ you, honoring the Sabbath won’t ‘save’ you. The people of God are being “redefined” by those who follow Jesus!
So you get a sequence of events – miracles, confrontations, and teachings – that provide this message. Jesus is greater than the Sabbath. He is greater than the – indeed, the new – temple. He reshapes Passover – the central Jewish festival – around himself in the celebration of the Lord’s supper, instituting a new celebration!
In short, the first century Jewish view was that the people of God were defined and secured by their genetic heritage, their temple, and their cultural practices. That was correct, but in Jesus, a new thing was beginning. God was bringing them back to what He had promised through Abraham – that through them, He would bless the entire world. That the people of God were now to be defined as those who – later, Paul will note this – are In Christ.
So yes, the parables are very much about Jesus “subverting” the Jewish first-century self-centered view of themselves to call them to the greater blessing to all the nations. Sadly, they refused. They were the “unprepared virgins” in the story. They were the people who buried their talent in the ground, instead of investing and making more for the kingdom. They were the vine keepers of the vineyard, killing the servants, and finally, the son, who was sent by the owner.
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You read correctly. I apologize for not being clear – sometimes my “stream of consciousness” is not so conscious for others 
I would adjust the statement slightly, leaning into how N.T. Wright phrases it. The people of God are no longer defined by one’s genealogy, temple, or praxis. Paul picks this up in at least two places to say… “no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female – you are all one in Christ.” In other words, it is “in-Christ-ness” that defines the people of God now.
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Trust me I don’t go around telling everyone that I’ve been trying to get 100k of calories stored away. I understand preparing for family members that you can’t convince. I wouldn’t even mind putting away some extra for friends who are too poor to afford to prepare very much. The people I can’t stand are the ones who could prepare, but they need to have their McMansion in the burbs, and they’re buying a new Denali Suburban, and Power Wagon every few years on credit. When you look at the giant lines of cars at food banks there are hardly any old cars. I’d guess well over 2/3rds of these cars have a loan against them. I see a few old Blazers, a 90s minivan, an econoline, and astrovan that are probably paid off. People are sacrificing their future wealth by paying interest for the convenience of not having to work on an old car to keep it reliable, and then they end up begging for food when things get a little rough.
I’m not trying to convince people to be Scrooge McDuck, that turns away hungry orphans that never had a chance to prepare. The people I’m not that interested in helping are the ones who could have prepared, and refused to live a smaller life in the here and now to put away some security for potential hard times.
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Due to high demand, and limited inventory, we are not currently accepting new orders.
i went to the website of a local NH coin shop to check the spot gold price and in lieu of the expected feed from KITCO the above statement was posted.
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My cryptic post did not do their true concern for the preparedness situation justice. They help people all the time and i expect always will BUT i do not think they intend to leave their families hungry in the dark because others spent their time at the beach during the growing season. They and i believe God expects us to prepare… He did not make us hungry and in the dark - those who failed to prepare chose to be hungry and unprepared.
We have stored some can food to share with others who we expect to send on their way.
I am not articulate on the heart we have to be a blessing to others BUT i have a heart that holds others accountable thus that is why i invested so my family is taken care of. Engaging with PP tribe is one of those investments
Vs knowing MSM /gov’t lies but continuing to watch and support them narritve. My thinking-sorry have no sympathy for “your” bad choices as i need to get back to work ACTION ACTION ACTION on creating and investing in means of production.
Noone is coming to save us.
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Huh, i have always thought that because the Holy Spirit is often symbolized by oil. The lack of oil indicated not believing in Jesus (no Holy Spirit). No matter which race you were.
It was confusing to me before this belief (the oil being the Holy Spirit) because when i was a kid in the Catholic Church it was told as a warning not to have mortal sins on your soul when Jesus came. That freaked me out.
Two excellent reads, although somewhat technical, are N.T. Wright’s first two Christian Origins books: The New Testament and the People of God and Jesus and the Victory of God. I linked to the beginning of my substack series for each book. It will open your eyes to the New Testament in ways you haven’t seen before. In short, I had read the NT with a Gentile focus. Doh… It’s not!
I have begun my way through his third in the series, The Resurrection of the Son of God.
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So I guess big money did have plenty warning of Iran attack of Isreal and Russia backing Iran in the case of U.S. retaliation. Gold to the moon…we all knew something was up, now we know what it was/is.