Random ramblings from an amateur rock-n-roll historian and critic,self-professed bourbon aficionado, blackberry growin', jam makin', sometime tie-die shirt makin', ex hippie wannabe, turned punk rock lovein', blues festival going, middle aged pudgy bald white guy who loves to wear Hawaiian shirts in the summertime and happens to be more Stax than Motown, more Alman Brothers than Skynard, more Stones than Beatles, more NASCAR than Baseball, more freeware than license keys...
"In response to the American designation of HTS as a terrorist organisation; Abu Muhammad al-Julani, distancing himself from past involvement with Al-Qaeda, stated in a 2021 interview to PBS Frontline:
"Our message to them is brief. We here do not pose any threat to you, so there is no need for you to classify people as terrorists and announce rewards for killing them. And also, all that does not affect the Syrian revolution negatively. This is the most important message. The second message is that the American policies in the region, and in Syria in particular, are incorrect policies that require huge amendments... What we might have in common would be putting an end to the humanitarian crisis and suffering that is going on in the region, and putting an end to the masses of refugees that flee to Turkey or to Europe and create huge issues, either for the Syrian people, who are being displaced all over Europe, or for the Europeans themselves.. This is the issue that we can cooperate the most on, by helping people stay here, by providing them with a dignified life here, in the region, or by liberating the lands of these people so that they can return to their homes, instead of having Russia or the Iranian militias push them to flee abroad.[183]"
"On 18 June 2019, HTS released a statement offering condolences to Egypt's former president Muhammad Morsi upon his death in Egyptian custody.[182] In an interview given to the PBS Frontline documentarian Martin Smith, Abu Mohammad al-Julani stated regarding the religious doctrines and political goals of Tahrir al-Sham:[183]
"To limit the description of the HTS to only being a Salafist or jihadist, I believe, needs a long discussion. And I don't want to comment on that now, because it would take a lot of research and study. We are trying today to talk about Islam in its real concept, the Islam that seeks to spread justice and aspires for building and for progress, and to protect women and preserve their rights, and for education as well. So if we agree that there's an Islamic rule in the liberated areas, we say that there are universities, by Allah's grace, full of students, two-thirds being female students. There are more than 450,000 to 500,000 students enrolled in schools. There are fully functioning hospitals in the liberated areas, and there are people working to build towns and pave roads. Others are trying to establish an economic system for people to live securely and peacefully. And there's a judicial system that seeks to give people back their rights and not only to punish the wrongdoers in the way some people would think, when they hear it is an Islamic or a Salafi group."
"Over the weekend, he (Abu Mohammed al-Jolani)also became the first Syrian leader to shoot some hoops with the U.S. military. Video shared Saturday by the Syrian foreign ministry shows him nailing a three-pointer as he plays with a U.S. admiral and a brigadier general at an undisclosed location in the U.S."
"And I can not find anywhere, where Daniel 7:24 "he will subdue three kings" is referenced to Revelation 16:19 "the great city was divided into three parts". Not any of the reference bibles we have here, nor Biblehub.com, nowhere, welcome to my world cause this is what I live in 24/7..."
Daniel 7:24
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Revelation 16:19
19 And the great city was divided into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell:
and great Babylon came in remembrance before God,
to give unto her the cup of the wine
of the fierceness of his wrath.)
"The imagery of fire is often used in Scripture
to symbolize purification and testing
(Malachi 3:2-3
But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
(Of which doing what you know
he wants you to do
is a form of:
righteousness.
gotta figure out what it is first.)
"In ancient metallurgy, fire was used to purify metals, removing impurities. This process is analogous to God's refining of His people, indicating a period of trial meant to purify and strengthen their faith."
"Refining silver and testing gold were common practices in ancient times, involving intense heat to separate precious metals from impurities.
(The impurities don't get refined,
they get removed
big difference.)
"This metaphor illustrates God's intention
to purify His people, removing sin and idolatry.
(As honey says:
Buttercoating it much?
The people that dont belong get removed
by: "intense heat to separate precious
...from impurities."
"The process is not only about judgmentbut also about restoration and sanctification. This theme is echoed in passages like Isaiah 48:10 and 1 Peter 1:7, where
trials are seen as a means
to prove and improve faith."
(If you aint willing to prove it?
Then what good are ya?
Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver;
I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
(You should be thankful to go through it.
NOT trying to avoid it.
WTF is wrong with people?)
1 Peter 1:7
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
"They will call on My name, and I will answer them.
Calling on God's name signifies a relationship and reliance on Him. This promise of answered prayer reflects a restored relationship between God and His people, reminiscent of the covenant relationship described in passages like Jeremiah 33:3. It underscores the faithfulness of God to respond to those who earnestly seek Him, as seen in Psalm 91:15.
Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Psalm 91:15
He shall call upon me,
and I will answer him:
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him.
"I will say, ‘They are My people,’
This declaration reaffirms the covenant relationship between God and His people, echoing the covenant language found in Exodus 6:7 and Hosea 2:23. It signifies acceptance and ownership, indicating that despite past unfaithfulness, God restores His people to their rightful place as His own.
Exodus 6:7
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Hosea 2:23
And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.
(Echos The two Brothers Parable:
Mathew 21:31
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
"and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
"This response from the people signifies
acknowledgment and acceptance of God’s sovereignty and lordship.
(Call me crazy
Just seems to me like
if you accept Gods
"sovereignty and lordship."
Then you would accept his:
"refining and testing."
"It is a consistent theme throughout
the entire book.")
"It reflects a mutual relationship where the people recognize and submit to God as their ruler and protector. This echoes the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, where the declaration of God’s oneness and the call to love Him with all one's heart is central to the faith of Israel.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
(Yeah just dont test or purify me though,
other than that we are all good.
Sarcasm BTW.)
"Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel,
who is actively involved in refining and purifying His people.
(Dross and chaff gotta go yo.)
2. The Third
A remnant of the people
who are preserved and refined through trials,
symbolizing those
who remain faithful to God.
(No matter what!)
"3. Fire
A metaphor for
trials and purification,
representing
the process
through which God purifies
His people.
"4. Silver and Gold
Precious metals that require refining
to remove impurities,
symbolizing the spiritual purification of God's people.
(Impurities don't get refined
they get removed.)
5. The People of God
Those who, after being refined,
recognize and affirm their relationship with God,
declaring Him as their Lord.
(Owner, as in, of your soul.
Ezekiel 18:4: "Behold, all souls are mine...")
Teaching Points
The Purpose of Trials
Trials are not meant to destroy
but to purify and strengthen our faith,
much like the refining of precious metals.
God's Faithfulness in Refinement
Even in the midst of trials, God remains faithful.
He promises to answer those who call on His name,
affirming His relationship with them.
(He will only answer if you honestly mean it.
God knows intent.
Aint no faking this.
In or out whats it gonna be?)
"The Value of Being Refined
Just as refined silver and gold
are more valuable,
so is a faith that has been
tested and purified.
Embrace the refining process
as a means to grow closer to God.
(Nothing will get you through it
any quicker than that right there:
"Embrace the refining process
as a means to grow closer to God."
The sooner you embrace it and mean it?
The quicker the mercy comes.
Directly proportional relationship.
If you wanna
"ace in the hole"
so to speak?
There it is right there.
Trust me. Know a lil something about it.)
"Identity as God's People"
The ultimate goal of refinement
is to solidify our identity as God's people,
who recognize Him as our Lord and Savior.
Calling on God's Name
In times of trial,
we are encouraged to call on God's name,
trusting that He will respond and affirm His covenant with us.
Thats not quite sounding like the magic carpet ride
away from trouble now is it?
"In times of trial,
we are encouraged to call on God's name..."
What Does Zechariah 13:9 Mean?
This third I will bring through the fire
Zechariah has just relayed that two-thirds of the people will be cut off, but “this third” will be preserved. The wording points to a literal, divinely protected remnant.
"The book of Revelation does not explicitly mention two-thirds, but the fraction "a third" is used repeatedly as a symbol of partial, catastrophic judgment. For instance, a third of the earth, trees, and seas are destroyed during the trumpet judgments, and a third of mankind is killed by plagues. Some theologians connect this to the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 13:8, which states that two-thirds of the people in the land will be struck down, while one-third will survive and be refined."
(Exactly where I was going...)
• God Himself directs the process.
(If you love him so much?
Seems like you'd trust him
and his plans.)
Nothing random is happening;
the LORD “brings” them."
• The fire is not destructive but purifying. Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,”
• In prophetic scope the verse looks ahead to Israel’s future refinement during intense tribulation (cf. Zechariah 12:10; Revelation 12:6). Yet the principle extends to every believer who passes through God-ordained trials (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Revelation 12:6
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
(Dont really think it fits personally but Ive listed all the others so I felt inclined to list it.)
Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Take a guess what the Scofield Reference Bible
says in its notes on Peter 4:12-13?
Oh im sorry...there aren't any notes on those verses!
This is the guy that popularized the pretribulation rapture
and thats like 6 verese that directly contradict his view
• Malachi 3:2-3 uses the same picture of the LORD sitting
“as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
• The process is deliberate and controlled; excessive heat would destroy silver. Likewise, God knows the exact pressure each heart needs
(1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, (Give sincere thanks for the hardship, thats your ticket to mercy, thats your escape pod so to speak.) that ye may be able to bear it.).
• The goal is moral and spiritual purity,
not mere survival
(Psalm 66:10
For thou, O God, hast proved us:
thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.).
"and test them like gold"
Testing proves Authenticity.
(And thats why people don't want it.
Thats why they convince themselves
they get a magic carpet ride
out of the tribulation,
people just do not
wanna to have to prove:
Authenticity.
WHY?
WHAT IS YOUR
BIG PROBLEM WITH IT?
• Job 23:10: “When He has tested me,
I will come forth as gold.”
• 1 Peter 1:6-7 compares the genuineness of faith to gold refined by fire, showing that
God values tested faith
above priceless metal.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
(Send me I'll go!)
• The remnant’s
faith moves from profession
to proven reality,
silencing doubt
and revealing God’s craftsmanship.
(That just might have something to do with
why the ecclesiastical authorities hate us so much...
"So soon we will find out
who is
the real revolutionaries
~
RNM")
"They will call on My name
Refined hearts respond in dependent prayer.
• Joel 2:32 and Romans 10:13 both affirm, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved,” underscoring the link between calling and deliverance.
(Only if it is done sincerely)
• Trials strip away false supports, driving the remnant—and any believer—toward wholehearted reliance on God alone
(Yet again, something else people just don't think they are gonna have to do, or that they shouldn't have to do it. Opps.)
(Psalm 50:15
and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”).
"and I will answer them"
A covenant promise: God hears and responds.
(How you gonna call out to him
If you are not even here to be tested?)
• Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things.”
• Psalm 91:15 shows the relational dynamic: “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.”
• The fire that refines also clears communication lines,
leading to intimate fellowship.
"I will say, ‘They are My people,’
God reaffirms ownership.
• Hosea 2:23 foretells the same declaration. Paul quotes it in Romans 9:25 to highlight God’s faithfulness to both Jew and Gentile believers.
Hosea 2:23
I will plant her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[a]’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[b]’ ‘You are my people’;
and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”
Footnotes
Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)
Romans 9:25
As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[a]
• Revelation 21:3 culminates the promise:
“They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them.”
• Identity is bestowed, not earned;
it flows from grace, secured by covenant.
"and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’
The remnant responds
with allegiance and worship.
• Jeremiah 24:7 predicts this heart change:
“I will give them a heart to know Me…
for they will return to Me with all their heart.”
• Hebrews 8:10 shows the new-covenant fulfillment:
God’s law written on hearts,
resulting in mutual belonging.
Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
• The reciprocal declarations complete the covenant circle—
God claims His people,
and His people claim their God.
Summary
Zechariah 13:9
paints a vivid, literal portrait
of God preserving a remnant,
purifying them through divinely regulated trials,
(Oh you mean like the tribulation period?
Gotcha...)
"proving their faith, drawing them into earnest prayer, answering them, and sealing an unbreakable covenant relationship. The verse assures every believer that
"Because of the sin of the Jews in rejecting and crucifying Christ, and in opposing his gospel, the Romans would destroy the greater part. But a remnant would be saved. And if we are his people, we shall be refined as gold; he will be God, and the end of all our trials and sufferings will be praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Well, there's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
"Never trust a cheeseburger you can't take the bun off of."
"Never trust a rock-n-roll band that can't play at least five Chuck Berry songs."
"Satisfying more desperate housewives than the spin cycle."
"she's not drunk, she's just mean!"
"swampadelic!!!"
"We self medicate the depression that is a direct result of the obsessive compulsiveness"
"what's crackalackin?"
"Your curse is my blessing"
Quotes from the 09 WC Handy Blues Fest
"We're an army and we're growing"
"Thats award winnin strutin' right there"
"That's shakin' it like the pros do"
"It's just Jimi passin' by"
"I walked in the door and saw hubert and my old lady doing the funky chicken right down in the middle of the floor"
"I spent $500 to save you $300, thats almost half off"
"I hate loud music, blues music and Heat"
"I don't know, that might be Jimi and Stevie"
"I don't buy enough shit to try and talk people down to start with"
"as long as you don't have that 38 it's all cool!"
People Of The WC Handy Blues fest
Ol' Dancin' Couple
Freaky Lookin' Dude
Mother and Daughter
Purple Hat Lady
Old Soldier
Got Grey Hair Now Duse
Subnet.com People
T- Shirt Guy
Quotes from "Porch Night Out"
"...are there any ding dongs left?..."
"...are those the Cheetos?...
"...can a brother get a lil ananimity?..."
"What was I supposed to be writing?..."
"YEAH!!......I'm sorry what?..."
"...there aint no dope on Bowling Green..."
"...somebodys got to drive my fat ass to Philpot..."
"...snapper shit..."
"...18 to 80, blind, crippled, or crazy..."
"...higher than a hippie on a helicopter ride..."
"...Whiskey Dicked..."
Quotes from Bowling Green Trip
Andrew, "Look a trailer with Christmas lights on it". "Thats not a trailer, thats a school bus!, and it doesn't have Christmas lights on it", Dave
Andrew, "Is the computer on?". "No you have to turn it on for it to be on", NA
"Well, it is getting toward wintertime", NA on Big breasted women.
"She wont get horny, she'll just get pissed off", BC
"Now do you want to smoke paper or do you want to smoke...", NA
"I'm squinting, everything s blurry..."Andrew
"I might just gateway across the spectrum", Dave
Overheard in Hancocok County
Criminal Girl, "oh shit, that wasn't the ash can!, that was my purse!!, Preacher Man, "If you go messing around with a skunk, you ought naught be surprised when you end up a little smelly.""If your clean, you aint eating it right", guy eating barbq.Country Boy, "I think those jerks on first shift were trying to poison us."Country Boys' Date, "Well, you didn't have to eat it now did you?"Country Boy, "But it was pizza". Big Guy to Clerk: "look at me, does it look like I want cheese sauce?"Overheard from phone: "Why the hell are you watching that?" Reply "Because it's on." Country Boy, "She got fired for doing some guy in the parking lot. Typical Tell City Chick..." Country Boy, "It done dried!"
Overheard at Work
"Has anybody seen the hemostats?"
"How are you?" "I'm doing well. It's early."
"I aint in any hurry."
"I am the queen of 8:15"
"I don't care if she takes over a Russian satalite with it..."
"I don't know anything, I'm just a suit"
"I plan on being reasonably functional for most of the day"
"I tried to reformat it, but it takes a frigin' act of congress or somethin'..."
"I'm like a brownie at a weight watchers meeting, I'm gone..."
"I'm not their boss, and I'm not their moma..."
"It would help to have your mouse over the link, yes..."
"It's a vortex of evil down there"
"It's not that I'm not listening to you, it's that I am having trouble comprehending you"
"Just click it with your mouth."
"Man, it's fried", "Like chicken..."
"The only thing I'm handy with is a doughnut"
"Why don't you go troubleshoot a Network Printer or something?"
"You are starting to scare me with your new found caffinefreeness..."
"You might not want to mess with me, I have a bladder infection"
Great Music Quotes
"If they wanted to name rock-n-roll something else, they could have called it Chuck Berry", John Lennon."Tune low and play hard", Stevie Ray Vaughn "What do I want a pick for, I got five of them on my hand." Gatemouth Brown "The Grateful Dead should be sponsored by the government -- a public service." Jerry Garcia "Rhythm is something you either have or you don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over." Elvis Presley "Free your mind and your ass will follow." George Clinton
Great Guitarists
Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Tab Benoit, SRV, Pete Townshend, Eddie Van Halen, Pete Anderson, Steve Cropper, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, James Burton, Ron Wood, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Freddie King, Albert King, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, Prince, The Edge, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Slash, Joe Walsh, Joe Lewis Walker, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Kim Thayil, Albert Collins, Lonnie Mack, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Rait, "Gatemouth" Brown, Johnny Winter, Tinsley Ellis, Lightnin Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Tommy Castro, Hubert Sumlin, Tom Morello, Elmore James, Brian Jones, Jeff Beck, Mike Campbell, Steve Via...
Great Keyboardists
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Little Richard,
Johnie Johnson,
Booker T. Jones,
Ray charles,
Billy Preston,
Fats Domino,
Roy Bittan,
Pinetop Perkins,
Bernie Worrell,
Benmont Tench,
Sly Stone
Great Bass Players
Duck Dunn, Jaco Pastorius, John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Bill Wyman, Jack Bruce, Robbie Shakespear,
Bootsy Collins, Tony Levine, Willie Dixon, Les Claypool, Noel Redding, Flea, Adam Clayton
2 Turtles, (1 released, I think it was a she and she was preggers) 4 Frogs (1 of them a Tree Frog, 1 of them about as big as thr tip of my index finger), 2 salamanders, countless worms and lightning bugs, 1 big ugly lookin' thing with wings on it...
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