BLOOMBERG
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency order that would temporarily stop a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant from having an abortion.
House Republicans on Monday proposed $81 billion in disaster relief for areas hit by hurricanes and wildfires, the largest standalone aid bill in recent years.
Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen rebels at the royal palace in the capital, Riyadh, an attack that threatens to edge the kingdom and its chief nemesis, Iran, closer to confrontation.
Japan’s cabinet approved the introduction of two Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense batteries, adding to its existing two-layered defense against North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear weapons threat.
The U.S. blamed North Korea for the WannaCry ransomware attack that affected hundreds of thousands of computers globally this year.
The final Republican tax bill set for a House vote Tuesday would add $448 billion to federal deficits over 10 years with economic growth factored in, the right-of-center Tax Foundation said.
Hedge fund professionals are expecting year-end bonuses to climb 39 percent at the end of this year, according to a survey of 500 buy-side investors. That view may be too optimistic, said a partner at the firm that did the polling. Respondents on average said they’re looking for bonuses rising to $562,000 from $405,000 a year earlier.
Groundbreaking on single-family homes proceeded in November at the strongest pace in a decade, driving U.S. housing starts to a faster-than-estimated rate, government figures showed Tuesday.
AP Top Stories
In a break with two decades of military planning, President Donald Trump has eliminated climate change from his administration’s list of threats to national security.
Vladimir Putin is cultivating Donald Trump as if the U.S. president is a Russian asset, according to former intelligence chief James Clapper. “[Putin] knows how to handle an asset, and that’s what he’s doing with the president,” Clapper said Monday on CNN. Clapper, who served as director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama, called the Russian president a “great case officer.”
Thousands of people packed into a sports stadium in southern China to watch 10 people being sentenced to death – moments before they were taken away and executed. The extraordinary public trial was held for 12 people who were reportedly accused of producing and trafficking drugs, murder and robbery. It is unclear what happened to the other two people.
Myanmar’s army said on Monday that security forces have discovered a mass grave on the edge of a village in Rakhine State, and have launched an investigation.
A South Korean cryptocurrency exchange said on Tuesday it is shutting down and is filing for bankruptcy after it was hacked for the second time this year, highlighting concerns about security as trade in bitcoin and other virtual currencies boom. The exchange, called Youbit, had been hacked once before in April when nearly 4,000 bitcoins were stolen in a cyber-attack that the country’s spy agency linked to North Korea
BBC
A US passenger train that derailed, killing three people, was travelling at 80mph on a curve with a speed limit of 30mph, data from the train’s rear engine indicates.
Hundreds of dead sharks have been found washed up on the shores of Iran’s Shif Island. Some fishermen catch the sharks for their fins, which are believed to have medicinal properties, officials said. After cutting off the fins, they throw the dead sharks in the sea because they fear they will be fined. The sharks end up washing up on the beach
Venezuela has awarded licenses to Russian energy giant Rosneft to develop two offshore gas fields. The deal allows its subsidiary, Grupo Rosneft, to export gas produced at the Patao and Mejillones fields in the Caribbean Sea for the next 30 years.
Gambling losses in Australia are at a record high after punters frittered away almost $18bn in a year, according to data compiled by the Queensland state government this month. More than half was lost on poker or slot machines at pubs and clubs.
China has condemned the “Cold War mentality” of the White House after the publication of a new US national security policy. The document labels China and Russia as “rival powers” and lays out a number of potential threats they pose. The new strategy said Beijing and other governments were determined to challenge American power.
Russia is to withdraw its military officers from a joint Russia-Ukraine center monitoring a fragile truce in the conflict-torn eastern Ukraine. Russia’s foreign ministry accused Ukraine of preventing the officers from carrying out their duties, saying they would leave on Tuesday.
The US has vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
WND
Loneliness can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. In fact, some studies suggest that the impacts of loneliness can be just as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. A recent report showed that 9 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from chronic loneliness.
The opioid epidemic is threatening to trigger a resurgence of HIV in Massachusetts, potentially undoing decades of work that had made the state a national leader in stopping the spread of the virus.
In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation.
News – 12/19/2017
Trump vetoes the world
Then, of the 14 nations that voted in favor of the resolution, she said this – “What happened today at the Security Council is an insult. It won’t be forgotten.” She wasn’t smiling…and neither was she saying, but it’s been noted, that the United States can stop funding the UN. Step two would get it out of New York and into Brussels, which serves as capital to the European Union. From Trump, through Haley at the UN, we find Israel and the United States in the same boat…two liberty-loving countries against the world…and it’s near Biblical.
Fossilized Antarctic Forest Stumps Scientists But Fuels Bible Flood Theories
The recent discovery of fossilized trees in Antarctica leaves researchers with unanswered questions which some Bible scholars think they can answer: a global flood that occurred precisely as described in Genesis.
Nikki Haley Slams UN for Resolution Denouncing Trump’s Jerusalem Proclamation
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, gave a powerful speech, slamming the UN Security Council when she invoked the US veto power to slap down a resolution that would have called for the US to rescind President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. (video)
Envoy: Russia Happy to Replace US as Peace Mediator
Russia is ready to take over as an unbiased mediator in the Israeli-PA peace talks, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov said on Monday at a UN Security Council meeting, TASS reported. Safronkov repeated Russia’s readiness to set up a meeting between the two leaders in the conflict: “We are ready to be unbiased mediators,” he said, adding, “Russia maintains trust-based and friendly relations with absolutely all Middle East nations: the Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs. Our ties are not marred by the negative legacy of the past.” Talk about revisionism… Today’s Russia and yesterday’s Soviet Union have been one of the primary drivers of discord and violence in the region since the early 1950s…
Trump Accuser Who Took Mortgage Payoff, Tried To Get Job As Trump’s Makeup Artist
A New York makeup artist who accused Donald Trump of groping her in the 1990’s – and whose mortgage was paid off by a donor arranged by Gloria Allred daughter Lisa Bloom, repeatedly solicited then-candidate Trump to become his campaign makeup artist so she could pitch her new line of men’s cosmetics, according to The Hill’s John Solomon. In an October 1, 2015 email – Trump accuser Jill Harth emailed the President’s New York Company headquarters, writing: “Hi Donald, you are doing a tremendous job of shaking things up in the United States. I am definitely on Team Trump as so many others are.”
2018 Global defense spending to hit post-Cold War high of $1.67 trillion
The annual Jane’s Defense Budgets Report released on Monday is forecasting that global defense spending will increase again in 2018 to hit a post-Cold War record of $1.67 trillion. The Jane’s Report was released by global information analyzer and distributor IHS Markit. According to Jane’s Report, defense spending will grow for the fifth consecutive year, overtaking the previous post-Cold War record of $1.63 trillion from 2010.
Pence delays trip to Israel, Egypt until mid-January
US Vice President Mike Pence has delayed his travel to the region until next month for a second time, citing an upcoming Senate vote on tax reform. Pence is scheduled to visit Israel and Egypt to meet with their political, religious and civic leadership. He plans to focus his meetings on issues such as the nuclear deal brokered with Iran in 2015, Arab-Israeli peace and the persecution of religious minorities, including local Christians.
Clashes as Argentina congress debates pensions
Argentina’s Congress has been debating pension reforms for the second time in a week amid more violent protests in the capital, Buenos Aires. The lower house was due to vote on the bill last Thursday but had to postpone the session because of the disturbances. The government says the reforms will help tackle the large fiscal deficit.
Robots and humans CAN make babies creating new hybrid species
Dr David Levy, a world leading artificial intelligence researcher, will explain how the genetic information of cells can be manipulated to create a baby with human and robot DNA in his key note speech at the Third International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots. Speaking at the conference in London on Wednesday, December 20, Dr Levy will explain how advancements in cell biology and bio robotics have led to his extraordinary conclusion.
Palestinians plan UN move to embarrass US over Jerusalem
The Palestinians plan on bringing to a vote at the UN General Assembly on Thursday a draft resolution calling on the US to revoke its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in an effort to embarrass the Trump administration. The same resolution, raised at the UN Security Council by Egypt, was vetoed by the Trump administration on Monday night. It received the support of the remaining 14 members of the council.
WOW! FBI Is Abusing ‘Secrecy Powers,’ Mueller & Rosenstein Hid ‘Explosive Information From Congress For Months’
With each passing day, it’s becoming clear there is more evidence to suggest both former President Barack Obama and failed candidate Hillary Clinton colluded with Russia than President Donald Trump. Yet, that hasn’t stopped both chambers of Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller from investigating ‘RussiaGate.’
Haley Vetoes Jerusalem Resolution; Slams Obama For Not Backing Israel a Year Ago
As U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley on Monday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution seeking to overturn President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, she also sharply criticized the Obama administration’s decision a year ago not to back Israel in the same forum, calling the implications of that move “a stain on America’s conscience.”
FCC Caught Using Dead People’s Social Media Accounts To Spread Propaganda
The Federal Communications Commission has voted to repeal neutrality and has been using dead people Facebook accounts to spread misinformation and anti-net neutrality propaganda.
PAPER: Obama Colluded With Russia To Free Leading Terrorist Responsible For Murdering Americans
Amid the endless Trump-Russia collusion hysteria propagated by the mainstream media comes a cold, hard truth Democrats surely won’t admit; Former President Obama colluded with Putin, not President Trump. POLITICO‘s Josh Meyer reports that Obama administration worked with Russia to allow a “suspected top Hezbollah operative,” responsible for murdering Americans go free.
PROJECT CASSANDRA: How Obama Protected Islamic Terror Group Hezbollah To Push Through Phony Iran Nuclear Deal
The taskforce, named Project Cassandra, worked for eight years out of a top-secret facility in Virginia with help from 30 American and foreign security agencies, unraveling the global crime syndicate that was funding Hezbollah’s Jihadi operations, the site reports.
Flashback: Antifa Admits Train Track Sabotage Near Tacoma to ‘Stop Fracking
Editor’s Note: This since-deleted article from It’s Going Down, an Antifa affiliate, reveals how leftist activists planned on derailing freight trains near Tacoma, Washington, by pouring concrete on tracks.
Deadly Train Derailment Likely Caused By Object “Placed On The Tracks”
Update: As we mentioned lower in the boss, Monday’s deadly Amtrak train derailment in Washington state appears to have been caused by an object on the railway, according to a government official briefed on the crash.
Donald Trump National Security Strategy
President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy is set to be released on Monday. A copy of the document obtained by The Daily Caller reveals a stark contrast between President Trump’s America First National Security Strategy and former President Barack Obama’s most recent national security strategy in 2015.
Catholic League: ‘Homosexuals Committed Most of the Abuse’
Commenting on an Australian commission report that recommends ending mandatory celibacy of priests in the Catholic Church to apparently curtail sexual abuse, Catholic League President Bill Donohue said this possibly is Australia’s way of saying there are too many homosexuals in the Catholic clergy, and he added that in the United States “homosexuals committed most of the abuse” in the church over the last 50 years.
We have never seen a better year for stocks in all of U.S. history. Just five days after Donald Trump entered the White House, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit the 20,000 mark for the first time ever. On Monday, the Dow closed at 24,792.20, and there doesn’t seem to be any end to the rally in sight. Overall, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than 5,000 points so far in 2017, and that absolutely shatters all of the old records. Previously, the most that the Dow had risen in a single year was 3,472 points in 2013. (Read More…)
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Headlines – 12/19/2017
US vetos ‘insulting’ UN vote over status of Jerusalem
US outnumbered 14 to 1 as it vetoes UN vote on status of Jerusalem
Despite failing, UN Jerusalem bid paints Israel, US as alone against the world
Palestinians slam ‘unacceptable’ US veto of Jerusalem UN resolution
Palestinians call for emergency meeting of UN General Assembly after US veto
Turkey says shocked by veto of UN resolution on Jerusalem
After UNSC vote, Russia offers to replace US as ‘honest’ Mideast mediator
Erdogan, May say international community should be active in solving Jerusalem issue
Amid Mideast Tension, Pence Again Postpones Planned Trip
Pence requests press conference at Western Wall, denied by Rabbi
Israeli jets ‘target Hamas training compound’ in northern Gaza
SDF accuses Assad of opening Syria to international terrorism
Syria’s Assad calls US-backed militias ‘traitors’
Yemen’s Houthis execute 30 fighters attempting to surrender near Saudi border
Western leaders told to stop ‘stoking the flames of war’ in Yemen
Iran demands right to examine missile parts exhibited by US diplomat
Unveiling security policy, Trump singles out Iran, North Korea as global threats
US blames North Korea for major ransomware attack
Trump Takes Hard Line Against Iran in Speech Unveiling ‘America First’ National Security Strategy
Atlanta Airport Blackout Sends Message to Terrorists: America Is Unprepared
Six people reported killed in ‘massive’ Amtrak derailment onto I-5 south of Seattle
Anarchists Bragged in April about Sabotaging Railroad Tracks to Block Fracking
Antifa, Al-Qaeda, or infrastructure: Far-right split on Amtrak derailment cause
Trump unveils national security strategy: ‘America is going to win’
Dow rises 5,000 points in a year for the first time ever
The government admits it studies UFOs. So about those Area 51 conspiracy theories…
On the Trail of a Secret Pentagon U.F.O. Program
Navy pilot describes 2004 encounter with UFO off San Diego coast
Drones becoming greatest threat to planes, says expert
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Nishinoomote, Japan
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Tadine, New Caledonia
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 25,000ft
Klyuchevskoy volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 21,000ft
Agung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 18,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 17,000ft
Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft
A Mysterious Blob of Hot Rock Is Building Up Under America’s Northeast
California fire: Resident says neighborhood looks like war zone
Costi Hinn – Did a False Teacher Heal You?
Dallas Pastor Found Dead in Motel Room
Muslim Choir Praises Allah in Anglican Cathedral
God bless you, Father!’ Parishioners support pastor who reveals he is gay
Pennsylvania ‘Pro-Life’ Bill Would Have Allowed Dismemberment of Unborn if Baby Killed First
Geologist Says Unusual Discovery in Antarctica Confirms Biblical Flood Account
| Mysterious Blob of Hot Rock Building Up Under Northeast…
Posted: 18 Dec 2017 02:19 PM PST
“The upwelling we detected is like a hot air balloon, and we infer that something is rising up through the deeper part of our planet under New England,” says geophysicist Vadim Levin from Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Since New England doesn’t have any active volcanoes, the huge build-up is thought to be a geologically recent phenomenon, although in this case that means it could have slowly but steadily been growing for tens of millions of years. READ MORE |
| U.S. vetoes U.N. Jerusalem resolution, designed to reverse Trump recognition
Posted: 18 Dec 2017 12:45 PM PST
resolutions lightly and that this was her first veto — that it stood for “American sovereignty” and its role in the Middle East peace process. Haley told the Security Council that she has hope the peace process is not dead. “Our hand remains extended to both parties … We call on all countries that share this commitment to learn the hard lessons of the past and work to bring Israel and the Palestinian people in good faith to the peace table,” she said. READ MORE
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| Amtrak train derails in Washington state, Multiple fatalities’ reported
Posted: 18 Dec 2017 10:42 AM PST
Tacoma station, Pierce County Sheriff’s Spokesman Ed Troyer said. He did not specify the number of people killed. The train was traveling southbound from Seattle when it derailed. Police previously said several cars were struck by the Amtrak train cars, injuring multiple drivers on the highway. No motorists’ deaths were reported, according to Pierce County officials. READ MORE |
| Atlanta Airport Blackout Sends Grim Message to Terrorists
Posted: 18 Dec 2017 07:15 AM PST
Just imagine this is a classic plan for phase one of a terrorist attack: Render the target blind. None of the defenses are operational. Thousands of people are trapped in restricted space without directions about how they can find an exit. As chaos spreads nobody knows who turn to for information. The communications blackout is as complete as the power blackout. Given this situation, a small band of suicide bombers could roam freely and commit mayhem and massacre on an unprecedented scale. READ MORE
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| Chick-fil-A steps up and feeds thousands stranded during airport blackout
Posted: 18 Dec 2017 07:11 AM PST
Truett Cathy’s devout Christian beliefs. The policy remains the same at the Chick-fil-A in the newly opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Its main tenant, the Atlanta Falcons, will only play one regular season game that doesn’t fall on a Sunday. As of 11:30 p.m. EST, there were 2,000 meals served to passengers, according to Atlanta’s mayor Kasim Reed. See, this is how bad it has to get for Chick-Fil-A to open on a Sunday. READ MORE |
| Israel bombs Gaza strip in retaliation to ‘red siren’ attack
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 08:13 PM PST
“We expect and demand that the security forces will respond strongly and make it clear to the terrorist that the state of Israel is determined not to allow such firing of rockets to continue.” He added: “We are not prepared that an emergency situation will become our daily routine.” A third rocket is said to have been launched but failed to reach Israel, reports claim. READ MORE |
| Suicide bombers attack Pakistan church, killing at least 9
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 08:00 PM PST
home minister for the southwestern Baluchistan province. The gunman — who didn’t gain access to the main building — opened fire at the churchgoers before detonating his explosive vest. “There were nearly 400 people inside the church, but the attackers couldn’t get inside the services,” provincial police chief Moazzam Jah told Reuters. “We killed one of them, and the other one exploded himself after police wounded him,” he said. READ MORE |
| Erdogan says Turkey aims to open embassy in East Jerusalem
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 07:55 PM PST
The Muslim nation summit was a response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. His move broke with decades of U.S. policy and international consensus that the city’s status must be left to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Erdogan said in a speech to members of his AK Party in the southern province of Karaman that Turkey’s consulate general in Jerusalem was already represented by an ambassador. READ MORE |
| College Professor Says “Jingle Bells” is Racist
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 07:09 PM PST
professor wrote a research paper titled “’The story I must tell’: ‘Jingle Bells’ in the Minstrel Repertoire” in which she says Although ‘One Horse Open Sleigh,’ for most of its singers and listeners, may have eluded its racialized past and taken its place in the seemingly unproblematic romanticization of a normal ‘white’ Christmas, attention to the circumstances of its performance history enables reflection on its problematic role in the construction of blackness and whiteness in the United States. READ MORE |
| Iran seeks ‘new world order’ on ‘ruins’ of West
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 07:00 PM PST
East Media Research Institute, which monitors and analyzes media in the region. The writer cited a list of principles that provide the foundation for the Islamic revolution’s objectives. “Identifying the enemy; believing in the need for fighting the enemy; a revolutionary discourse; a fighting strategy; persistence in fighting, with no hiatus; jihadi spirit; a plan for the fighting; tirelessness; making it a people’s war and leveraging all the human potential in the country.” READ MORE
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| Feds Shut Down Christian Health-Care Provider
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 06:48 PM PST
claiming it might violate a governmental order – without any customer complaints or any evidence of harm. The consequences could be dire. As Jim Feijo noted, the rationale behind the government’s action could open practically every American to the charge of “practicing medicine” for sharing or utilizing folk remedies, with fines and punishments to follow. Now, Patricia Feijo is sharing her story in the new book “Called To Stand,” from World Ahead Press. She recently discussed her family’s experiences and their implications for all Americans in a conversation with Rabbi Eric Walker on “Revealing The Truth.” READ MORE
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| California wildfire continues to grow as strong shifting winds bring new dangers…
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 06:00 PM PST
The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory in the region. As of Sunday morning, the fire was at 269,000 acres and 40% contained. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said 18,000 structures were threatened. Fire crews were expected to shift their focus from Santa Barbara to Ventura County, where the northern edge of the fire was moving east and red flag conditions were expected to remain in place until Sunday night, officials said. Winds could gust up to 55 mph. READ MORE |
| Bitcoin Is Now Worth More Than Wal-Mart (The Entire Company)
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 05:54 PM PST
When the year began, Bitcoin had just crossed the $1,000 threshold, and now it is selling for more than $18,000. Of course other cryptocurrencies have been rising at an even faster pace. We have never seen anything quite like this before, and some are warning that this is a giant bubble that is about to burst… Axel Weber, the board chairman of big bank UBS, has warned of a possible Bitcoin currency crash. With increasing numbers of small investors jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, it is time for regulators to intervene, he says. Bitcoin has surged from $1,000 (CHF990) at the start of the year to above $16,000. READ MORE |
| UN Security Council to vote on outlawing Trump’s Jerusalem decision
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 05:46 PM PST
decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, but it implies a call on Washington to withdraw it. The text also mentions “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.” The one-page resolution that was circulated to the members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Saturday also urges all countries to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem in yet another apparent message to US President Donald Trump. After he took office, the new president’s administration signaled that it could move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but had not fulfilled this promise to date. READ MORE |
| South Korea experiences earliest ice formation on the Han River in 71 years
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 02:06 PM PST
earliest ice formation of this winter was observed at the Han River Bridge at the dawn of Friday. The ice was formed between second and fourth piers on the Noryangjin side. This has been the first ice formation on the Han River before December 15 in 71 years since December 12, 1946. Freezing of the Han River occurred 29 days earlier than the usual (January 13) and even 42 days earlier than last year (January 26). The biggest attributing factor is the unusual cold wave that hit the Korean Peninsula in the middle of December. READ MORE |
| Queensland, Australia Experiences Coldest Summer in 100 Years
Posted: 17 Dec 2017 01:57 PM PST
“It’s the sort of thing we often see in winter which usually leads to really cold winter nights, but we don’t often see it in December.” Mount Isa had its lowest overnight December temperate ever on record at 12 degrees Celsius – 11C degrees below average. “Burketown yesterday had a minimum of 17.7C which was the lowest they’d seen up there since 1920, but that was eclipsed today with 16C, and that’s the coldest December morning since 1907,” Mr Bernard said. “Richmond yesterday was 11.8C which was the lowest there in December since 1909.” READ MORE |
What is The Gospel?
Selected Scriptures
Code: A335
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him:
JESUS IS GOD
While Jesus was on earth there was much confusion about who He was. Some thought He was a wise man or a great prophet. Others thought He was a madman. Still others couldn’t decide or didn’t care. But Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). That means He claimed to be nothing less than God in human flesh.
Many people today don’t understand that Jesus claimed to be God. They’re content to think of Him as little more than a great moral teacher. But even His enemies understood His claims to deity. That’s why they tried to stone Him to death (John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified (John 19:7).
C.S. Lewis observed, “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (Mere Christianity [Macmillan, 1952], pp. 40-41).
If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God!
JESUS IS HOLY
God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3), therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13).
As God, Jesus embodied every element of God’s character. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” He was perfectly holy (Hebrews 4:15). Even His enemies couldn’t prove any accusation against Him (John 8:46)
God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
JESUS IS THE SAVIOR
Our failure to obey God—to be holy—places us in danger of eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The truth is, we cannot obey Him because we have neither the desire nor the ability to do so. We are by nature rebellious toward God (Ephesians 2:1-3). The Bible calls our rebellion “sin.” According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And we are incapable of changing our sinful condition. Jeremiah 13:23 says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”
That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. We might even be involved in various religious or humanitarian activities. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death: “The soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s hard for us to understand because we tend to evaluate sin on a relative scale, assuming some sins are less serious than others. However, the Bible teaches that all acts of sin are the result of sinful thinking and evil desires. That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences. We need to be changed inwardly so our thinking and desires are holy
Jesus is the only one who can forgive and transform us, thereby delivering us from the power and penalty of sin: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for sinners: “Christ … died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” He alone is “our great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13).
JESUS IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE OBJECT OF SAVING FAITH
Some people think it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. But without a valid object your faith is useless
If you take poison—thinking it’s medicine—all the faith in the world won’t restore your life. Similarly, if Jesus is the only source of salvation, and you’re trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, your faith is useless.
Many people assume there are many paths to God and that each religion represents an aspect of truth. But Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). He didn’t claim to be one of many equally legitimate paths to God, or the way to God for His day only. He claimed to be the only way to God—then and forever.
JESUS IS LORD
Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him
The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Confessing Jesus as Lord means humbly submitting to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11). Believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection—the pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed the deity and authority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts 17:30-31).
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15); and “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31).
It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).
Jesus is the sovereign Lord. When you obey Him you are acknowledging His lordship and submitting to His authority. That doesn’t mean your obedience will always be perfect, but that is your goal. There is no area of your life that you withhold from Him.
JESUS IS THE JUDGE
All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Him as their Judge: “God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
HOW WILL YOU RESPOND?
Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living God, the Holy One, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge.
Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question. He alone can redeem you—free you from the power and penalty of sin. He alone can transform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Available online at: https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A335
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