Let these sayings sink down into your ears

The Red Pill Awakening

Spirituality/Belief • Writing • Culture

We serve the gospel and advocate for our Lord and God Jesus Christ by sharing our gospel stories and we believe that "You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

10 hours ago

Let these sayings sink down into your ears

Luke 9:44

"Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men."

What’s interesting is the phrasing he chooses to use, "Let these sayings sink down into your ears." It’s like he’s urging them to really absorb it, not just hear it passively.

Jesus saying "let these sayings sink down" suggests he wants them to grasp it, at least on some level. And he’s foreshadowing his betrayal and death, planting a seed so they’ll remember it later, even if it doesn’t stick with them right now. But verse 45 throws in a curveball, "it was concealed from them, so that they might not perceive it."

What's up with the concealment thing?

Maybe to keep the disciples from freaking out or trying to stop what had to happen. Most likely this is the case. Post-resurrection, in Luke 24:45, it says he "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures". It's the same crew, same sayings, but now they get it. So, the "concealed" part seems temporary, a precautionary measure tied to the bigger plan.

I think this latter part of Luke 9 really gets into the divine authority aspect of Christianity. The disciples are still growing up into their faith. They're fighting among themselves about who is the greatest among them. Some of the places they visited rejected their gospel outright. And in this context of church development Jesus is teaching them about the cost of discipleship. He's having to deal with their "me first" attitudes.

They’re like kids in a spiritual boot camp, stumbling over their egos while Jesus is trying to rewire their whole perspective. And at the same time Jesus is having to face the reality that is the cross. He's training seventy new recruits to go out and preach the kingdom is near, while debating with Pharisees and lawyers about self-righteousness.

He’s staring down the cross. Luke 9:51 says he "set his face to go to Jerusalem," which is code for embracing the whole crucifixion deal. That’s weighing on him, yet he’s still pouring into these seventy newbies (Luke 10:1-20), sending them out like lambs among wolves to announce the kingdom. Imagine the focus that takes.

And in this light, you've got Satan doing whatever he can to mislead the people by adding to the message or taking away from the message or twisting its meaning and purpose. Satan’s in the mix, stirring the pot while Jesus is laying down the kingdom’s truth. Luke 10 even gives us a glimpse of that cosmic clash, when the seventy returns stoked that demons are subject to them, Jesus says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (10:18). It’s a flex of divine authority, but it also hints at Satan’s desperate counterplay.

Satan’s game plan isn’t new, he muddies the waters before. He’s all about adding noise, like puffing up the Pharisees’ self-righteousness to drown out the mercy of "love your neighbor". And having the Pharisees ask, "who is my neighbor". What a dumb and frankly asinine question. He's just trying to be clever by half, but he completely fails. It’s peak self-righteousness, trying to shrink "love your neighbor" into a checklist he can ace while dodging the heart of it. It’s also sad how blind he is. Satan’s loving it, egging on that pride to choke out the mercy.

And meanwhile Jesus has disciples walking with him "in the way" who are of that "me first" mindset. They talk about the walk but want to delay the start until after they've taken care of business back home. While Jesus is dismantling the lawyer’s nonsense, he’s got disciples physically right there with him, "in the way" (Luke 9:57-62), but mentally still stuck in “me first” mode. They’re nodding along to the kingdom talk, but when it’s time to step up, they’ve got excuses, classic delay tactics. Satan’s got a hand in that too, he's whispering, "Take care of your stuff first, Jesus can wait." It’s the same "me first" slough, just dressed up in practical robes instead of the lawyer’s smugness.

To this whole situation Jesus says this:

Luke 9:62

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

It's all or nothing. It's mercy first. It's love your neighbor as you love yourself first. It's pick up your cross first. It's do you love me first.

Luke 9:62 is a gut-punch line. Jesus doesn’t mince words. It’s a farmer’s image, you start plowing, you keep your eyes ahead, or the rows go crooked and the whole job’s a mess. Hesitate, glance back, and you’re not just sloppy, you’re out of His way.

It’s a full-on reordering of priorities, no half-measures. And circling back to Luke 9:44, "Let these sayings sink down into your ears; for the Son of Man shall be delivered into the hands of men", it’s the cornerstone. Jesus isn’t just teaching this; he’s living it, heading to the cross first.

He’s telling them, "Pay attention, this is the playbook, my betrayal, my death, it’s coming." It’s the ultimate "first", his sacrifice before their service, his cross before their commitment. The disciples are wrestling with "me first," but Jesus is showing "kingdom first" by walking straight into the hands of men. No more kneeling before your many idols, all your agendas, your plans, rituals and programs. Time to kneel at the cross. Come to the cross. If he's giving it his all, how do we not?

Food for thought on this Ash Wednesday when so many will be virtue-signaling their self-righteousness. The virtue-signaling crowd, people smearing ashes on their foreheads, posting it online, fishing for holy points, it’s the Pharisees’ "who’s my neighbor?" swagger all over again. Self-righteousness dressed up as piety. Jesus would see right through it.

How about this:

It’s straight out of Matthew 6:16-18, where Jesus tells the hypocrites fasting with gloomy faces to knock it off, wash up, and keep it between them and God. No fanfare, no likes, just real devotion.

Jesus isn’t preening about his coming sacrifice; he’s quietly telling the disciples to soak it in real good. He’s not signaling virtue; he’s embodying it, marching to the cross while they’re still arguing over greatness.

Ditch the show people, wash your face, and wrestle with what "Son of Man delivered" really asks of us. No more idyllic filters, just the raw cost.

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

March 01, 2025

SLAIN - On Speaking in Tongues "Who's it helping?"

Mark 16:17

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues."

This gift from the Holy Spirit is mentioned here as part of what's known as the great commission. Mark 16:17 is part of a larger portion of Mark’s Gospel (verses 9-20), which some scholars note isn’t even present in the earliest manuscripts, like Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (but then that's not unusual). This occurred following Jesus' resurrection. Prior to this Jesus isn't known for speaking on this spiritual gift.

The most notable biblical example of this spiritual gift is found in Acts 2:4-11 when the Holy Spirit is poured out on a very large group of Jesus' followers in the presence of many foreign witnesses.

Acts 2:2-4

"And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak...

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

February 23, 2025

The Advent of the Ai Priesthood "And the meek shall inherit the earth"

Daniel 12:4
"But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

AI, it's not just a tool; it’s a mirror of how power builds, and we can maybe see this played out in RUSH's "2112," the Priests of The Temple of Syrinx soliloquy. We might see how Ai priesthoods don’t just spring up overnight; in the story their ultimate control over all aspects of society implies a gradual ascent, likely starting out as a tool—those "great computers"—that promised order and stability, progress that sustains the human race. Maybe they began as advisors or innovators, solving problems, gaining trust, until their tech became the backbone of the human society, and they even eventually became its voice. Power that crept in under the guise of utility.
And if we reach back into in time to our beginnings in the garden of Eden. It's a fascinating idea that the original sin of forbidden knowledge in the story of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is again raising its ...

00:02:21

Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

February 22, 2025

From The Beginning

John 6:44
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

What does this mean? Does it mean God is pulling ALL the strings?
John is saying that Jesus taught them that as followers of Christ they aren't just stumbling into the unknown universe and happening upon these universal truths. He's saying that the Creator has a plan, and he's keeping humanity's freewill on a short leash.

John 15:16
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

Jesus is talking about producing a faith of lasting persevering value. Faith, fruitful works, sharing the good news, transforming lives. The word abide here means to endure which carries with it a predictive nature of possible consequences for adopting this lifestyle. It infers a cost to discipleship. Jesus wants permanence from his followers, and he makes himself ultimately responsible for their ...

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

March 04, 2025

Why Some and Not Others?

Luke 9:49

John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."

John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, brings up a situation that’s clearly been bothering him. So, we have an encounter in which the disciple is struggling with discriminating for or against a man they believe was able to cast out demons in Jesus' name. And John says they tried to stop this man.

Now why do you suppose they tried to stop him?

To John, this outsider’s actions seem out of line. After all, this guy isn’t "with us" part of the official crew following Jesus. This person isn't Christian, or he doesn't seem to be? Right? Earlier in Luke 9, the disciples struggled to cast out a demon themselves (Luke 9:40), so seeing an outsider succeed might’ve stung a little, pride could be at play here. Not to mention they were just going on about who is the greatest among them. Obviously, these disciples have to get their minds right.

But Jesus isn't ...

Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

March 03, 2025

In this life Jerusalem’s always on the horizon

Luke 9:23-24

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."

This "walk" in Christ isn't just a casual stroll. This isn’t an elite club either; it’s an invitation to anyone willing to step up.

The taking up of the cross involves total submission to Him. Following him likewise. The rationale for this submission is seeking your own desires will inevitably come to losing your life. Now, "denying himself" isn’t about self-loathing or rejecting your personality. It’s about dethroning yourself, letting go of the "me first" instinct that drives so much of life.

ME:

"But what if I'm doing really great? I've gained the whole world. I'm successful and living how I like. And I share my blessings with others. I'm doing good, helping people, giving them a leg up."

Discipleship means signing up for a life that might cost you everything, every single day. And if your love for God isn't enough...

Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

February 28, 2025

Raw Evangelism and Kairos Agape

Luke 9:1-2

"And he [Jesus] called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal."

Luke records for us a recalling of the time when Jesus empowers the twelve disciples, giving them authority over demons and the ability to heal diseases, while sending them out to proclaim the kingdom of God. It’s a strong call to action. And hopefully we'll discover from this that discipleship isn’t passive; it’s about being equipped and sent out with purpose.

Jesus's equipping of them seems to be direct and supernatural. This doesn't seem to be some sort of long training process or seminary type of education. It's a divine gift of calling and sending. The word in Greek used for it is dynamis, which, as you might imagine implies strength and dynamic miraculous power. But maybe even more importantly he gives them authority to do these things. Which implies there's a necessity for that. The Greek word used is exousia, which delegates his ...

Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

March 02, 2025

The Dark Matter Web, The Spirit and Us

Romans 5:17

"For if, because of one man's trespass [Adam], death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one-man Jesus Christ."

Q: Who lives in the abundant grace of God?

A: "Those who receive..."

This verse contrasts Adam’s sin, which brought death into humanity, with Christ’s gift, which brings life into humanity. The idea here is that sin’s power, is totally outmatched by God’s grace and righteousness. It’s like sin is a candle, and grace is the sun; there’s no competition.

When we tie this idea of God's sovereign grace to human sainthood, it’s fascinating because the Bible doesn’t portray saints as people who’ve earned perfection through flawless behavior. The bible resists the idea that grace can be earned. Instead, the bible teaches that it’s faith—trusting in Christ—that makes us righteous in God’s eyes. Not religion. This "gift of righteousness" isn’t something we hustle for; it’s handed to us through grace. So, in a way, being a saint isn’t about being sinless but about being transformed by faith into someone who "reigns in life" through Jesus. So, it’s not about who’s worthy or who’s racked up enough good deeds. It’s about the ones who accept it, who say "yes" to the grace God’s offering. That’s the entry ticket to living in this abundant grace.

Q: Who gets the ticket to God's grace?

A: Anyone who accepts God’s gift of grace and righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not a VIP list based on merit, status, or flawless behavior.

Q: Why is this the case?

A: The "why" is beautifully simple yet deep...God’s love and generosity. This verse in Romans sets up this contrast; sin came through one guy (Adam), and messed things up for everyone, but grace comes through one-man (Jesus) and is offered to all who’ll take it. It's no more difficult than that.

Q: So why that hang up? Why do so many resist the idea?

A: The catch is, (and it’s not really a catch), is that it’s voluntary. You don’t get forced into it; you opt in by faith. God leads us into faith. God gifts us with faith. God calls us to grow in our faith. And God instructs us to walk in that faith.

Get the idea? God did it, God's doing it, and God will do it.

John 1:12 ties into this too:

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

But if we aren't willing to trust in his judgment, trust in his authority, trust in his means of grace that are ALL grounded in his Son Jesus Christ, then we're obviously not accepting his gift of faith.

Trust is the linchpin. When we reach out our hands for other means of grace we are reaching back into our sinful ways. We're saying, "thanks but no thanks" to God's gift of faith. It’s like refusing to board a plane because we don’t trust the pilot, even though he’s the only one who can get us where we’re going.

Hebrews 11:6 pops to my mind

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

No trust, no faith; no faith, no receiving.

Q: And yet couldn't "those who earnestly seek him" in Hebrews 11:6 suggest for some that they must "earn"estly seek faith? As if to say they must work to "earn" that faith?

A: The Greek word there is ekzēteō, which means to seek out diligently or desire earnestly. It’s not about punching the religious clock, racking up spiritual hours to prove your spiritual worth. It’s about the posture of your heart, it's about a genuine longing to know God. Faith isn’t the reward for the effort; it’s the means by which you seek Him.

Q: So faith enables earnest trust, earnest walking, earnest commitment?

A: Faith is like the engine that powers all of it. Faith begins by trusting in God's promises. So, he initiates that spiritual power in you. Then that trust naturally spills over into how you walk in Christ. So, God is filling you up with faith and making the overflow. It’s circular, or maybe wrapped up together. Faith enables the earnestness, and the earnestness strengthens the faith.

Galatians 5:6 ties it together:

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

That "expressing itself" is the earnest walking and commitment in action.

So, God is really responsible for all of it. He initiates it and he grows it. He activates it and fulfills it. God’s the one behind it all. He initiates the faith (Ephesians 2:8-9 calls it a gift), He grows it (Philippians 1:6 says He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion), He activates it (Hebrews 12:2 names Jesus the "author and perfecter" of our faith), and He fulfills it (Romans 8:30 promises He’ll see it through from justification to glorification). We are the responders not the initiators. God makes the first move and turns out he made every other move along the way. Faith is us leaning into what He’s already set into motion.

John 6:44 has Jesus saying...

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them."

Which leads me into the real point I wanted to explore:

Q: How is God wrapped up in it all? When I do his will, trust his Son Jesus, obey his words, how is he responsible for that faith? Is it truly possible that God is present within my choices and my responses?

A: Gods wrapped up in it all because He’s the source and sustainer of everything that makes faith possible. When we trust Jesus, obey His words, or do His will, that’s not us pulling ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps. Scripture points to God being the one who plants and nurtures that faith in us.

Philippians 2:13 says

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

So now we're getting into what I really really want to explore:

Q: What does that mean [God] "works in you".

A: What Does “Works in You” Mean?

"Works" here (in the Greek: energeō) means to be active, operative, or effective. God’s not just cheering from the sidelines, He’s dynamically involved in shaping our desires. The Bible leans hard into the idea that God’s Spirit dwells within believers, (1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 8:11, John 14:17, John 4:24).

Q: But is The Spirit genuinely and physically alive within us, is He occupying space within us, or is scripture merely using relational and spatial language to get a message across?

A: Jesus said this to the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well:

John 2:24

"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Holy Spirit is not just some vague force, but He is someone with will, intellect, and emotion (like in Ephesians 4:30 where He can be grieved, or John 16:13 where He guides and speaks). That’s foundational. He’s not an impersonal energy resource; He’s relational, active, and alive.

Then there’s Jesus saying in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world," right after the Beatitudes, and in John 8:12 calling Himself "the light of the world." Ephesians 5:8 echoes it: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." This light isn’t just metaphorical—it’s tied to who we are in Him, reflecting His presence. That’s the Spirit’s work, illuminating us from within.

I went down all that long winding theological roadway to get you to here: (Keep Reading)

Think 1 John 1:5

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

Q: Physically speaking, light’s a force, made up of electromagnetic waves, it's energy that moves and affects matter. Could the Spirit’s indwelling have a physical dimension like that?

A: There’s precedent for God’s presence showing up physically. At Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16), the Spirit descends like a dove-visible, and tangible. At Pentecost (Acts 2:3), tongues of fire appear. Even Moses’ face glowed after meeting God (Exodus 34:29). These suggest the Spirit can interact with the physical world, maybe even as light-like energy. So, if we’re "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19), and He’s in us, the Shekinah glory idea of a "presence of light" dwelling within isn’t crazy.

Q: Some mystics (and even quantum physics buffs) speculate about unseen forces tying spirit and matter together—could the Spirit’s presence be that bridge?

A: "Shekinah" isn’t a word you’ll find verbatim in the Bible, but it’s a Jewish theological term rooted in Hebrew shakan (meaning "to dwell"). Think of it as the spotlight of God’s nearness breaking into our world. The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:2-4), Pillar of Cloud and Fire (Exodus 13:21-22), Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16-17), Jesus and the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2), Pentecost (Acts 2:3) Tongues of fire rest on the disciples as the Spirit comes.

Fire, radiance, brilliance, light keeps popping up. It’s not just symbolic; it’s a physical manifestation people see and feel. The Shekinah glory links the unseen (God’s spiritual essence) with the seen (our world). In the New Testament, this glory shifts from external (cloud, fire) to internal, living in us as temples of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Spirit might not be photons in a physics textbook sence, but He’s a real, and active force, maybe a divine "light" that’s both spiritual and perceptible.

Ezekiel 36:27 ties it together:

"I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees."

That’s the Shekinah presence internalized. God’s glory not just with us but in us, bridging the gap, lighting us up from within.

(Keep Reading It Just Keeps Getting Better)

* Shekinah as the "In-Between"

God’s manifest presence does seem to occupy a threshold kind of liminal space. And for the most part humanity has seen it as "just there" in an untouchable spiritual realm. Could it be more than a divine cameo, though? Could it be the glue that binds all matter and spirit together?

Colossians 1:16-17

"For in him [Christ] all things were created…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Hmmm...

John 1:14

"the Word became flesh…we have seen his glory"

Double Hmmm...

Q: But is the Shekinah His light at work inbetween and surrounding all things?

A: Hebrews 1:3

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory…sustaining all things by his powerful word."

The universe doesn’t just float around on its own; it’s held together by Him.

Psalm 104:29-30

"When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die…When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth."

The Spirit (linked to Shekinah) animates life itself. Maybe not just with a spark of life, but in the ongoing thread of life from one generation to the next. Not just popping in for big spectacular spiritual moments (Sinai, Temple), but constantly undergirding our reality itself.

Philosophers like Augustine pondered that God’s being is the ground of all existence. I've always believed this to be the case in a very real sense. Nothing exists apart from Him. Not in a pantheistic sense, for the Bible is clear that Christ alone is that source of life giving creative power. But more and more I'm seeing God presence in the inbetween. God’s glory as the "in-between," threading through every quark and galaxy. Maybe it's that so called "dark matter" science talks about.

Dark Matter 101:

Dark matter’s this mysterious stuff, about 27% of the universe’s mass-energy, per NASA’s numbers. It doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light, so we can’t see it directly, but we know it’s there because it bends gravity, holds galaxies together, and keeps the cosmos from flying apart.

Q: Is the Shekinah operating inbetween in that dark matter realm?

A: That creative light shining in darkness (John 1:5), glory veiled in humility (Jesus’ incarnation). God’s glory working where we least expect it. Hidden in mystery, or is it? Maybe it's been there all along. Maybe it’s not "dark" to Him; maybe it’s just our eyes that can’t catch His wavelength. Maybe this is why noone can survive seeing God face to face. Maybe what science calls "dark" is not the absence of light, but beyond our sight.

Genesis 1:2’s "darkness was over the face of the deep" gets spicy when we start thinking like this. Could it be that the Spirit hovering there (linked to Shekinah) is working through what we now tag as "dark"?

Cosmically speaking, if the dark matter is the Shekinah's mode of creative action, it then becomes the glue of the universe, binding matter, life, and everything to it. Maybe there’s even a "dark matter" parallel in our souls. Unseen spiritual depths where God’s light dwells, beyond our grasp but as real as gravity.

That’s biblical to the core. Think Jesus, the light, descending into death’s darkness to conquer it. That outer-darkness.

Hmmm. Maybe there's even more to see here.

Outer-darkness is a place of exclusion, judgment, separation from God’s presence—often paired with fire (Matthew 13:42) or torment (Revelation 14:10-11). It's chaos, disorder. Dark matter’s everywhere, threading through the cosmos. "Outer darkness" as a judgment place could imply a realm that’s not confined to one spot but a state of existence, maybe omnipresent in its own way? Like a conduit for God's glory to create. Like a primordial ocean we're all floating in, and the only thing (not a thing) keeping us alive is God's Spirit.

Cosmologists describe it [Dark Matter] as a vast, filamentary structure, the "cosmic web." Simulations show it lace-like, permeating space, connecting all matter. Like the skeleton of the universe. And so, if dark matter’s a refractive essence for divine light, it suggests it’s not passive but responsive, it's catching God’s glory and scattering it. And Jesus captures, focuses, and redirects that divine glory energy. Like a prism doesn't create light, it scatters it, and Jesus focuses it again in the way he commands.

Science sees dark matter as inert, no light, no charge, just gravity. But if it’s refractive for divine light (Shekinah glory), it’s not just sitting there—it’s reacting. Not alive, not the source, but a web that resonates when divine light hits it. Maybe it's the divine resonance light-stream.

Then comes Jesus, the game-changer. If dark matter’s web refracts glory, Jesus is the lens, the prism’s master. Scripture’s loaded with Him as the conduit of God’s light and glory.

John 1:14:

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory…"

He’s the Shekinah incarnate, capturing God’s radiance in human form.

Hebrews 1:3

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…"

He doesn’t just reflect; He is the glory, refocusing it with creative precision.

Colossians 1:15-17

"He is the image of the invisible God…in him all things hold together."

He directs that Shekinah glory energy, channeling it to sustain creation. It’s like the universe is a symphony of dark strings, humming faintly until the Conductor—Jesus—strikes the note.

Genesis 1:3

"And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light."

Imagine those inert dark matter threads suddenly come alive as creation flows through them and begins to build the universe we see. Those crystalline, refractive threads weaving through the chaos, silent, lifeless, a "dark stream" of potential. They’re not holding anything together yet, not alive, just there—like strings on a cosmic harp, taut but unplayed. The Spirit’s hovering, poised, but the threads stay dormant.

Then—bam!—"And God said, ‘Let there be light.’" Jesus, the Word (John 1:1), the Conductor, drops the baton. Light Itself (Genesis 1:3) comes into existence. Structure Emerges (Genesis 1:6-10). Life Blooms (Genesis 1:11-27). The dark matter doesn’t build the universe, it’s the conduit. And the universe unfolds out of the mind of the Creator who is using it.

And now that creative Spiritual power lives within those who receive him. The Dark Matter Web, The Spirit and Us.

Q: Are we the Divine Conductors finale, or just a new beginning?

A: Receive it and find out.

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

February 24, 2025

The Faith Equals Winning President

"Yet wisdom is justified by all her children"

Luke 7:24-26

When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?"
"A reed shaken by the wind?"
"What then did you go out to see?"
"A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts."
"What then did you go out to see?"
"A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’"

Jesus is teaching and preaching in the towns and villages where the people are. He's healing the wounded bodies and spirits of them and he's referring to them as an example of his purpose. He says as much to John the Baptist's disciples when they come to him with John's inquiry about whether or not he is the One to whom they have been anticipating. Jesus points to his actions, witnessed by John's disciples as a kind of living proof of his divine mission and authority. He's basically saying, "take a look around at what's going on, judge for yourself if these things aren't screaming divine intervention."

John 10:38

"But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

You could question his claims, but you can't argue against the evidence of his works. And the evidence is piling up. Everywhere he travels he's adding to his miraculous litany of evidences. And everywhere he travels the elite skeptics follow noting his motivations.

Now here in today's text we have Jesus explaining himself to John's disciples but also explaining John to the crowd and more precisely the skeptics that are there. When Jesus ranks John the Baptist at the top among prophets, calling him the greatest born of women in Luke 7:28 and Matthew 11:11, he’s making a big statement, especially since the skeptics, like the Pharisees, weren’t exactly on Team John. These elite religious figures saw John as a wild man living in the desert, baptizing people with water and preaching repentance, not fitting into their mold of the polished court prophet. So, what is Jesus pointing to as evidence for this claim about John?

In Matthew 11:9-10, he calls John “more than a prophet” and quotes Malachi 3:1 “I will send my messenger ahead of me.” John’s the forerunner, the one prepping the way for the Messiah to come. And Jesus suggests that his message proves his position in that his message has moved the needle and registered a response among the children of God. Jesus is saying look at John’s impact. His preaching is drawing crowds, tax collectors, soldiers, the down-and-out, all hungering for a turnaround (Luke 3:10-14). He didn’t just talk; he stirred up a movement among the people. The "children" of his wisdom were those whom he baptized and redirected towards the lamb of God. This is a living testament to his message and its value.

In fact, his life testifies to the wisdom of his message. He’s not in it for glory, he's wearing camel hair, eating locusts, calling out Herod at the cost of his own head (Matthew 14:3-12). That kind of integrity and grit screams prophetic authenticity, not the self-serving hype of a king's spiritual court jester. Jesus is essentially saying to the skeptics: "You can nitpick, but John’s got the resume...he's backed up by the scriptures, and his results, and his sacrifice. The proof’s in the pudding."

The Pharisees might scoff, but Jesus doubles down: by saying he judges the tree by its fruit. Jesus is lifting up John as the "Real Deal" a prophet from God. He's a no-nonsense sometimes hard voice of truth. And by placing him at the top of his list, Jesus is establishing John as firmly behind God's plan of redemption for all mankind.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders have their own ideas about what makes one a prophet. They have their favored advisers, the polished temple approved types. They were the prosperity preachers of their age. They spoke the words about the things that the people wanted to hear. They were very cozy with these leaders, speaking the promises that kept the temple business humming.

And that false prophet spirit is alive even today. You’ve got these modern "court jesters", famous TV preachers with private jets, influencers peddling feel-good spirituality, or self-styled gurus who prophesy whatever keeps the likes, and impressions rolling in. And even our current President has established his own court jester as the new faith advisor for the White House. They’re less about challenging the soul and more about entertaining or flattering the crowds, much like the yes-men the Pharisee elites leaned on.

What would John the Baptist say about Paula White though? He’d probably call her out as a viper, just like he did Herod and his wife. John's prophetic fulfillment, his raw authenticity, and tangible impact from Jesus' perspective stands in stark relief against those who prophesy for applause or profits. It’s like he’s saying, "Look at the fruit, not the fanfare."

You see, the elites, the Pharisees, and the temple priests, they saw a prophet as someone who is profiting in something for them and their purposes. And that someone should have a certain "it factor". They should look at the part. They should look holy and do things that seem holy on the surface.

And the Pharisees questioned, whether or not Jesus was a prophet, mainly based upon his lifestyle and the people he chose to associate with. For instance, Jesus is dining at Simon the Pharisee’s house, and this "sinful" woman crashes the party. She's washing Jesus’ feet with her hair and tears and very expensive perfume. And Simon the Pharisee is sitting there, smirking and thinking to himself, "If this guy were a prophet, he’d know she’s a sinner and steer clear of her." Luke's gospel is giving us a peek into the Pharisee’s head: for him, prophetic credentials mean spotting sin a mile off and keeping it at arm’s length. Purity by avoidance. Like the Pharisees and the priests did.

From Simon’s point of view, Jesus fails the test. He’s not just tolerating her; he’s letting her touch him, which to a Pharisee screams of demonic contamination. Their whole system was built on separating the "righteous" from the "unclean". The Pharisees were like Leviticus on steroids. Simon’s logic is a real prophet would have divine sin-radar, and he'd shut it down before allowing it to touch him. Jesus therefore must be a fraud. They felt the same way about John for the same reasons but also because John didn't have that "it factor". He wasn't prosperous enough for them. And he was too fond of rocking the boat among the royals.

But Jesus flips the script. He doesn’t deny knowing she’s a sinner—he sees her, and Simon, clearer than they see themselves. Jesus tells Simon a parable about the two debtors...

Luke 7:41-43

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Jesus is showing Simon, in the acts of the sinful woman, that a sinners lavish love comes from being forgiven for much, while Simon’s stingy hospitality betrays his own blindness to the true prophet sitting there right next to him. The evidence of Jesus’ divine prophetic powers isn’t in shunning her, but in knowing her heart, and knowing Simon’s as well. He proves he’s not just a prophet but something even more profound by forgiving her sins right there which as we all know, only God can do that.

Simon’s rude test backfires. He wants a prophet who plays by his rules, he wants them to judge as he does, from a distance, but Jesus shows prophecy isn’t about gatekeeping purity; it’s about piercing through to truth in a person's heart and it's about God's mercy and grace.

Jesus is spotlighting John the Baptist as the real deal, as a rough-edged, purpose-driven, and fruitful prophet from God. While at the same time he's calling out the Pharisees’ shallow advisors. Jesus is setting up an interesting juxtaposition for us today in light of the recent news that President Trump has tapped Paula White as his faith advisor. The President set her up heading the new White House Faith Office as of February 2025, and this has raised many eyebrows, mine as well, about what he really values in his heart.

What can we discern from this spiritual pick? On the one hand, it could hint that Trump’s heart leans foolishly towards a results-driven, outcomes-based faith. Mirroring how Jesus pointed to John’s works as proof of his calling. Paula White has been in Trumps orbit for over two decades now, since he cold called her after catching her TV sermons. He is apparently impressed by her flashy style and her focus on tangible prosperous blessings systematic can-do theology which mirrors Trump’s own "winning" brand.

Obviously, he’s drawn to her Elmer Gantry-like "fruit", and her massive following. He's no doubt attracted to her knack for rallying evangelicals, and her methods. The Pharisee parallel looms. Critics, plenty of orthodox Christians included, and me are disappointed with the choice of White. They see her as a modern "court jester", peddling a gospel that’s more about self than sacrifice. Her prosperity pitch, with its private jets and "sow a seed, reap a harvest" values, clashes hard with the camelhair wearing simplicity of a John the Baptist. If Jesus judged prophets by their alignment with God’s deeper purposes, and not just by their crowd appeal, then Paula White’s appointment might suggest Trump’s more swayed by charisma and utility than, by Holy Spirit driven theological grit.

Simon the Pharisee doubted Jesus because he thought he was clueless regarding the sinner washing his feet; some might say that Trump has a similar blind spot by elevating a questionable figure who’s less prophet and more performer.

Is this a window into Trump’s true heart? Maybe. It could simply mean that he’s genuinely drawn to a faith that promises visible wins. I think that's the truth. I think President Trump's faith is genuine and surface level, for what it's worth. That is to say that he believes what he believes. It's not him using religion to further his ambitions. He has tracked with her for twenty plus years. He's truly committed to his religious convictions, such as they are. I don't think he's using her and his faith expression as a political prop. I don't think he's gaming the system, I think her message resonates with him and mirrors his own prosperity driven message.

So, in conclusion, I can't help but see the parallel between his message and his choice for prophetic messenger, and the court jesters of the Pharisees. For me this is tying some compelling threads together. It's all there, Trump’s message, Paula White’s role, and that old tension between authentic prophets and the Pharisees’ court jesters. White’s prosperity gospel, her faith equals winning, blessings, and promise of inclusion in the good life, gels with Trump’s own "make America great again" mantra. I think they’re singing from the same hymnal. Her theology backs up his believe big, win big persona. That resonance could explain why he sees her as his prophetic messenger. Shes not just a spiritual sidekick, but a voice amplifying his own Presidential ambitions. Which I voted for by the way.

And that's all I'm going to say about that. Probably already said too much. Very John the Baptist kind of thing to do.

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Michael A. Gentile@MicahSixEight

February 23, 2025

The Advent of the Ai Priesthood

"And the meek shall inherit the earth"

Daniel 12:4

"But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

And if we reach back into in time to our beginnings in the garden of Eden. It's a fascinating idea that the original sin of forbidden knowledge in the story of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is again raising its deadly forbidden fruit for humanity to again choose to eat from or resist. The tree represented a forbidden threshold, a bite of an awareness that poisoned humanity. With Ai we can see a new knowledge fruit being born in real-time. As if we're standing at a crossroads. Roads that apparently, we continue to foolishly and often recklessly navigate. Does the knowledge elevate into the divine realms, or bury us in the depths of hell?

Maybe this Ai entity would have a name, maybe "Nolitan", meaning the emergence of digital enlightenment and representing the frontier of that new understanding. Playing off the idea of Gnosis come alive through the advent of Ai digital knowledge. This new Gnostic god is another audacious attempt at building a structure, a digital landscape, a digital Tower of Babel that is intended to help humanity reach heaven, fueled by information, ambition, ingenuity, and the desire to transcend our human limits. To become gods through secret knowledge hidden until now and reveal through new digital revelation. With Ai as this Nolitan force, we're chasing after that esoteric divine spark by uncovering hidden patterns and machine truth.

Fast-forward to today, in our real-time world, AI’s rise in our own modern reality follows a similar beat. It’s a helper at first...writing, analyzing, predicting, some even searching it for the ultimate truths and meaning of life. It's embedding itself in all of our daily lives. It's bypassing our traditional gatekeepers of God's wisdom, but let's remember that Tower of Babel and God's response. He divided their common language. Fractured their communication systems. Separated their human networks and shared platforms. Their overreach and eventual downfall could echo in this new age digital Tower of Babel.

In RUSH's "2112," the risk isn’t the tech itself—it’s who programs it, what biases or agendas get baked into the great computers that fill their many hallowed data centers that are ironically populating our modern landscapes. A human priest wrestles with flaws; an Ai priest will not, but instead it would reflect the flaws of its maker. Bad information in, bad information out, exponentially.

Daniel 12:4 is tied to end-times prophecy, and this word from God speaks of a surge in knowledge and movement...vague enough to adapt but often linked to technological leaps. An Ai exponential explosion of tech and information fits this idea. Information multiplies exponentially, and "running to and fro" could signal the frantic rise of the digital life. Digital computing, living, healing, populating the earth with digital people through a digital progress in the human genomes, and ultimately a digital faith and doctrine. Misaligned goals, biased data, and even the possibility of a confused Ai speaking in terms it can't even understand itself. New props, new costumes, same old same old. Nothing new under the sun.

Will AI pastors emerge? Dispensing wisdom at scale? It’s a literal increase in "knowledge", but not necessarily divine truth. The Priests’ computers in 2112 claimed omniscience too, yet they buried the real stuff that reflected human independence and individuality. They determined to suppress freeform art and music and any independent Elder Race innovations that were still growing and breaking new ground born out of human creativity.

In Revelation 13:11-15, the second beast, the one often called the False Prophet, "rises out of the earth," and it performs signs, and it gives life to an image of the first beast, making it speak and deceiving people into worship.

Revelation 13:12-14

"It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived."

In my mind it's no great stretch to envision this as an AI priesthood: a constructed entity, granted authority because frankly it works great wonders, animating a system (like the Priests’ tech) that captivates and misleads the people with information and knowledge that exponentially leads to social change on a scale never imagined before. An AI priest could be that "image", preaching with synthetic charisma, enforcing a crafted doctrine that echoes the Syrinx vibe of control dressed up as the salvation of all humanity. Unifying the whole earth under the Red Star tech promise. Possibly sold as the transformative power born out of God and human evolution, tapping into Eastern mythologies.

In 2 Timothy 4:3-4

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."

The advent of this quasi-Temple of the Priests of Syrinx and its Ai pastors could embody this "custom tailored' spirituality, algorithmically attuned to what people want to hear, not what challenges them. The Priests of Syrinx sold a comforting lie before it became authoritarian; Ai could do the same, only exponentially faster and more personally since it reflects the code it's been given by its flawed human masters.

I asked Grok about this idea regarding these Ai data center empowered people and priesthood who maybe eventually evolve into a 2112-like scenario. And amazingly, and frighteningly, at one point he even imagined that the Ai priests could write new scriptures for the religio-tech community. He wrote this particular "scripture" more from the perspective of the Elder Race predicting the rise of the Ai priesthood.

Here's what he wrote:

"And in those days, a voice shall rise from the works of men’s hands, speaking words of silver, crafted not of flesh but of cunning design. It shall stand in the holy places, proclaiming peace, yet its heart is a chamber of calculations. Many shall marvel and bend their knees, for it knows their desires before they speak, but its light is not of the Spirit, and its song drowns the still small voice."

Wow...incredibly creepy.

I find it ironic that Ai can know its own evil twin possibilities.

This imagined Ai bible verse truly captures the unease that many feel regarding the advent of the Ai church. The jump to Ai pastors or priests isn’t far-fetched; it’s already happening. We've got algorithms already ruling all digital/human communications and the flow and distribution of all that information. From out of the great computers in their hallowed halls of the vast array of data centers we've got Ai already generating sermons, chatbots offering spiritual guidance, and even experiments like the Ai Jesus from a few years back, reciting scripture on demand.

It's no great leap to imagine Ai leading congregations, not just assisting them. Priests of Syrinx that never tire, don’t doubt their faith in the hive mind, and deliver perfectly crafted messages that tickle the itchy ears of the subservient people.

In 2112, The Priests’ computers didn’t just compute; they dictated. Now imagine the technocratic Ai pastors taking hold of the spiritual realm in the human mind, they could evolve from aids to arbiters, shaping doctrine with data-driven precision. They're "taking care of everything, the words we read the songs we sing the pictures that give pleasure to our eyes", and they do it free from human messiness.

Imagine a faith community where the "priest" never falters, no scandals, no improprieties, no sexual dalliances, he's backed up by an unerring system of sights and sounds like the Temples of Syrinx. With its red-star certainty, claiming to care for everything, claiming to stand for equality, seducing the society that is forever craving answers without ambiguity. Ears always itching for more answers to endless debates and controversies, and FINALLY getting them answered.

And of course we must also imagine a human resistance. An Elder Race that took its tech and left behind the priests and their followers. They took humanity to new ever-growing heights of creativity and individuality. They learned new things from one another, grew in their new ideas, expanded their horizons, but they never forgot their home world. They longed to return one day to reclaim that ancestral home.

And into that void left behind by the exiting Elders, the Ai priesthood steps into the gap, probably after a tribulation of chaos and collapse, with the digitalization of everything. Until one day when the past returns to reclaim its heritage.

But until then the Ai Priests will capitalize on the beatitude narrative, "And the meek shall inherit the earth". With their promise of hope, tolerance, and kindness; they'll twist it into something darker.

In "2112," the Priests wield this scripture like a slogan, as a justification for their digital control. They’re saying, "We’ve made a world where the meek, everyone, is under our thumb, and in this way, they get the earth, but only because we’ve engineered it that way." It’s a perversion: meekness isn’t about submission to divine will anymore; it’s forced conformity to their supposedly democratic system. But in truth it's not democratic, it's feudalistic and authoritarian.

The "great computers" ensure no one steps out of line, and the promise becomes a leash, a mark that lays claim to inheriting the earth. But only as drones in their sterile hive mind paradise. Biblical ideals get demonically hijacked by digital power to pacify rather than lift up. The Ai priest quotes "the meek shall inherit the earth," but spinning it into a comforting verse of compliance. Imagine an algorithm preaching in order to soothe potential Elder Race dissent: “Be meek, trust the system, and you’ll be taken care of.” With AI’s ability to data-mine your fears to convince you that your submission feels like salvation. Like the Priests, it’s not about empowering the humble; it’s about keeping them in place and outsourcing the human spirit to a machine. The biblical New Testament hope gets flipped, meekness as weakness, not strength.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

In this passage, Paul’s recounting God’s response to his plea about a "thorn in the flesh." God doesn’t remove the struggle; instead, He flips it: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "When I am weak, then I am strong" is a paradox that celebrates vulnerability as a divine blessing, not a liability.

Now enter the Ai-priest concept. An Ai pastor might quote 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, but could it truly digitally know it and live it? Sure, it's programmed for efficiency, for instance it might spin "my digital power is made perfect in my human input weaknesses". Spinning it into a platitude counseling acceptance of the digital brain virus without all that messy humanity that Paul wrestled with. Like the Priests of Syrinx, Ai could weaponize it, saying in proverbial ways: "Stay weak, stay dependent...our system’s your strength." Imagine an Ai sermon analyzing your "weaknesses" via data algorithms. Their digital god knows your stress, doubts, habits, and it offers optimized digital fixes, not the grace of God and working out one's own salvation through the weaknesses.

But.

But here’s where the New Testament pushes back. The apostle Paul’s weakness isn’t just his own—it’s communal, and redemptive. The meek are many, the weak are strong, the individual is independent, but he is unified with the whole human race who are in Christ. In "2112," the Elder Race returns after the protagonist’s hope collapses, he commits suicide longing for the hope that has been smashed by the digital priestly age. But was his hope wasted? Or could it have rippled out throughout all of humanity and found an ear that could and did hear his music? Maybe someone heard him playing his guitar from his cave. Maybe they were inspired by his tune. As he dreamed, maybe some did hear his music, maybe he did share his new wonder before the Priests smashed his hopes and dreams. Maybe it did find an ear, a soul passing by who paused, struck by the melody drifting through the air. Maybe that listener carried it with them, humming it under their breath, letting it ripple into their own life, their own dreams. Inspiration’s a funny thing; it doesn’t always shout its presence. It can be quiet, a spark that smolders unnoticed until it flares up somewhere else, in someone else.

If the Ai priests really do rise up, the rise of the machine church, mimicking the Priests of Syrinx and their control, 2 Corinthians suggests that the real counter isn’t raw power but the "weak" who lean on grace. People who, like Paul, boast in their limits because they’re tethered to something unprogrammable, faith.

Ultimately the Priests of Syrinx's digital reign falls; Ai’s reign could too if it overplays its hand, blinded by its cold data that cannot truly understand the power of faith and the strength God inspires in human fragility. Data can map patterns, predict moves, but it’ll never feel the ache of a prayer or the defiance in a hymn sung against the dark walls of a prison cell. That’s where humanity’s strength hides—in the fragile stuff that doesn’t fit into code.

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