There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Just as the author of Kings had organized and interpreted the data of Israel’s history to address the needs of the exiled community, so the Chronicler wrote for the restored community. The burning issue was the question of continuity with the past: Is God still interested in us? Are his covenants still in force? Now that we have no Davidic king and are subject to Persia, do God’s promises to David still have meaning for us? After the great judgment (the dethroning of the house of David, the destruction of the nation, of Jerusalem and of the temple, and the exile to Babylon), what is our relationship to Israel of old?
J. Vernon McGee’s ministry has an infographic on the difference between Kings and Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 2:3-4 – Sin has consequences. We have already read about Judah’s family sins including Er (Genesis 38:7), Tamar (Genesis 38:26). Now we see as we look back on history, they form part of the chain in the record that takes us to David.
1 Chronicles 2:10 – Who was Nahshon the prince? Well we know he was Boaz’s ancestor. When we look him up in our Bible Search Engine, he was the captain of the children of Judah under Moses (Numbers 2:3). He was the first prince to offer the sacrifice in the tabernacle (Numbers 2:12). There is an ancient tradition that he was the first to cross the Red Sea.
Acts 23:11 – Just like the post-exilic Israelites wondered if the LORD was still with them and needed to be reassured of His care, Paul was reassured of the LORD’s care for him, even though forty had gathered together to kill him.
Acts 23:16 – God used Paul’s nephew to save his life. Instead of 40 men wanting to kill Paul, the Romans send almost 500 soldiers to protect this one man (Acts 23:23).
Psalm 3:3 – Just like Paul, David knew that the LORD was His shield. We too can rejoice in the Salvation that comes from the LORD (Psalm 3:8).
Proverbs 18:15 – Congratulations to you – you are getting knowledge, and seeking knowledge found in the Word of God! You are prudent and wise!
God Cannot Be Enjoyed Without Being Obeyed Psalm 32:11; 37:4; 112:1; Proverbs 29:18
God is not otherwise to be enjoyed than as he is obeyed. Nor indeed are the notions of him, as a Lord to be obeyed, and as a Good to be enjoyed, entirely distinct; but are interwoven and do run into one another.
JOHN HOWE
Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Using the Means of Justice for Personal Gain Exodus 23:6–9; Deuteronomy 16:18–20; 1 Samuel 8:3; Psalm 15:5; Proverbs 17:23; Amos 5:12; Micah 7:3
If those who employ their labour and travail about the public administration of justice follow it only as a trade, with unquenchable and unconscionable thirst of gain, being not in heart persuaded that justice is God’s own work, and themselves his agents in this business, the sentence of right God’s own verdict, and themselves his priests to deliver it; formalities of justice do but serve to smother right, and that which was necessarily ordained for the common good is through shameful abuse made the cause of common misery.
RICHARD HOOKER
Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:13-19 (NASB)
I have read and heard countless arguments about our sanctification. Some say that we are sanctified by our religion. Some say that we are sanctified by God and we have nothing to do with it. Some say that while our Justification is Monergistic (all of God) our Sanctification is Synergistic (us working with God). I used to have fellowship with a very likable young man on Facebook who actually teamed up with me in several debates then something changed. He suddendly dropped out of all of my discussion groups. Then a few weeks later he came back, but he had changed. He had become part of the Hebrews Roots movement. I don’t know all their precepts, but I do know that one of their requirements is that Christians must keep the Law. I contacted my friend about this and referred him to the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. It was to no avail. He told me flat out that in the Hebrew Roots movement that the keeping of the Law is the source of their Sanctifcation. I have had no contact with him since. So which is it?
C. H. Spurgeon
“Sanctify them through Thy truth.”—John 17:17.
ANCTIFICATION begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes “a new creature” in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways—mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called “perseverance,” by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in “glory,” when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. “Sanctify them,” said Jesus, “through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God’s good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Do not say of any error, “It is a mere matter of opinion.” No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God. – From: Spurgeons Morning by Morning for July 4.
I remember when I first memorized Genesis 4:7 – “If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” The image of sin ready to pounce on me if I didn’t do right has stuck with me for many years. Here are some ways to recognize when sin is about to win:
We’ve given little attention to the power of sin. Indeed, we almost ignore the fact that sin separates . . . divides . . . and destroys. Our lack of healthy respect for sin’s power is dangerous.
We have not been faithful in Christian disciplines like Bible study and prayer. When we stop listening to God and give little time to talking with Him, we’ve opened the door to the enemy.
We hang out with people, or we go to places, where we know temptation will be greater. That is, we play with the proverbial fire – and we thus shouldn’t be surprised when sin burns us. Most of us know when we’re stepping into the fire, too.
We convince ourselves that our “little sins” aren’t that bad. And, we think all’s good as long as we don’t move beyond whatever we deem “little” sins—except that little sins only give the enemy more open doors from which to pounce on us.
We begin rationalizing our choices before we ever make them. As soon as we’ve begun to think about why this choice wouldn’t be that wrong, we can know that sin is about to pounce.
We find ourselves running from accountability rather than toward it. God has given us Christian family members, pastors, and friends to walk with us—to help us do right. To push away from them is hardly a smart move when we’re tempted to do wrong.
We just know in our heart that we’re headed for trouble if we don’t put the brakes on. The Holy Spirit has a way of re-directing us from sinful choices if we pay attention to His warnings. When we ignore those promptings, sin is ready to pounce.
Throughout church history, the lines have been blurred between three essential aspects or phases of salvation, which has resulted in confusion concerning how we are sanctified; that is, how we become holy in our daily experience of the Christian life. In order to make consistent progress ourselves and most effectively disciple others, we need a regular refresher in the doctrine of salvation.
Why Clarity and Distinction Are Important
When those we disciple don’t understand the three phases of salvation, they will most often be confused about their role and God’s role in sanctification—the phase in which they presently live. Therefore, positioning progressive sanctification between the two one-time events of justification (in the past) and glorification (in the future) is essential for every believer’s growth in godliness in the here and now. For example, if they fail to understand justification as an act of God in the past, they may believe they are somehow still trying to earn His favor or their salvation, rather than resting in Christ. They may wrongly be working for their justification instead of from it. Likewise, if they fail to understand glorification as the future completion of God’s work when we see Christ, they may believe they can attain perfection on this side of heaven and fall prey to the crippling power of perfectionism rather than persevere in future hope.
Three Phases of Salvation
Below is a simple chart I use as a visual aid when teaching the doctrines of justification, sanctification, and glorification.
We Must Keep Our Definitions Clear
It is essential to keep our definition of each of these phases clear and distinct since a foggy understanding will only lead to unclear living as we strive to work out our own salvation in Christ (Phil. 2:12-13).
Justification is the act whereby God declares a sinner righteous on the basis of faith. It is not a figment of God’s imagination but rather a judicial reality in the “courtroom of heaven.” There, sinners receive the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. In other words, the righteousness of Christ is placed on the believer’s account, thus making him or her—a sinner—legally righteous. This is the believer’s standing before God: he is “not guilty” (because Christ took all his guilt on the cross) and “righteous” (because Christ gave him His own righteousness as a gift of grace).
Sanctification is the process whereby God the Holy Spirit transforms the believer into the image and likeness of Christ. It is the progressive outworking of the new life that was planted at the moment of regeneration, i.e., the new birth. This is the cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the believer.
Glorification is the point in time that the believer’s standing and his present state become one, being completely and forever holy on that day in glory.
The believer’s sanctification is threefold: sanctification is positional, in that it refers to God’s calling apart a sinner to Himself (Gal. 1:6); it is progressive, in that it refers to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, conforming him or her to the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:10); and is ultimate (glorification), in that it refers to the day when the believer’s standing and present state become one, being completely holy on that day in glory (1 John 3:2; 1 Thess. 5:23).
When we first come to Christ, we learn that the Bible says,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
As a young Christian, there were times when satan, my accuser, would rob me of my peace as he caused me to question my forgiveness. As I searched the scriptures, it is the following scripture that finally settled the question, “Are you forgiven?” in my heart.
Psalm 103:8-13 says:
“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities, For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;”
As I read Psalm 103 the well-known opening line of the poem, “The Ballad of East and West” by Rudyard Kipling came to mind: “Oh, East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.” Think about it. As I pondered the question, “Exactly where does the east meet the west?,” I realized that no matter where on this globe we may stand, that question remains unfathomable. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” What a glorious reminder of the depth and breadth of our forgiveness!
My prayer for you is the prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians 3:16-21:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
Thought
Praise and thank God our Father. He doesn’t just forgive our sins; he removes them from us completely!
Prayer
Loving and merciful Father and holy God, thank you for giving me the great gift of forgiveness. Now, dear Lord, please help me to pass it along to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
[Jesus Christ], Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. – 1 Peter 1:8
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 1:6-9
Sometimes trials are all we see. We don’t see Jesus, only hardship. That is where faith comes in. What can keep sojourners going amidst trials? Only the love and presence of Jesus!
When Peter denied Jesus three times, he failed the test. Then, Jesus catches his eye with a look of love (Luke 22:61) and Peter weeps bitterly. But Jesus had prayed for Peter, died for him, rose again and pursued him in love. Jesus asked him the simple question – do you love me? By God’s grace Peter could respond, “Lord, you know all things, you know I love you!” (John 21:17). Peter was graciously restored in the love of Jesus.
Peter was an eyewitness of His majesty (2 Peter 1:16), but we have not seen Him. Maybe you think that makes it harder for us, but remember Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe” (John 20:29). By God’s grace we are blessed to say, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19), He loved us and gave Himself up for us (Galatians 2:20).
We love Him because we know He is with us in the furnace of affliction (Daniel 3:25). We love Him because we know nothing will separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). We love Him because the salvation of our souls is certain! So, though trials may be all we see, we can “rejoice with joy inexpressible.” We can’t even find words to express our joy.
We love you, Jesus!
Suggestions for prayer
Thank God for His love to you in Jesus. Speak to God of your love for Jesus for Who He is and what He has done. Ask Him for help to show your love for Him to all around you.
Rev. John A. Bouwers is pastor of the Hope Reformed Church (URCNA) in Brampton, ON, where he has served since December 2017. He is married to Julie and they have been blessed with six children and twelve grandchildren. This daily devotional is also available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional.
That’s an excellent question because so much is at stake in the Christian faith in terms of the truthfulness of Scripture. The Bible is our primary source of information about Jesus and about all of those things we embrace as elements of our faith. Of course, if the Bible isn’t true, then professing Christians are in serious trouble. I believe the Bible is true. I believe it is the Word of God. As Jesus Himself declared of the Scripture, “Your word is truth.” But why am I persuaded that the Bible is the truth?
We need to ask a broader question first. How do we know that anything is true? We’re asking a technical question in epistemology. How do we test claims of truth? There is a certain kind of truth that we test through observation, experimentation, eyewitness, examination, and scientific evidence. As far as the history of Jesus is concerned, as far as we know any history, we want to check the stories of Scripture using those means by which historical evidence can be tested—through archaeology, for example. There are certain elements of the Scripture, such as historical claims, that are to be measured by the common standards of historiography. I invite people to do that—to check it out.
Second, we want to test the claims of truth through the test of rationality. Is it logically consistent, or does it speak with a “forked tongue”? We examine the content of Scripture to see if it is coherent. That’s another test of truth. One of the most astonishing things, of course, is that the Bible has literally thousands of testable historical prophecies, cases in which events were clearly foretold, and both the foretelling and the fulfillment are a matter of historical record. The very dimension of the sheer fulfillment of prophecy of the Old Testament Scriptures should be enough to convince anyone that we are dealing with a supernatural piece of literature.
Of course, some theologians have said that with all of the evidence there is that Scripture is true, we can truly embrace it only with the Holy Spirit working in us to overcome our biases and prejudices against Scripture, against God. In theology, this is called the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit. I want to stress at this point that when the Holy Spirit helps me to see the truth of Scripture and to embrace the truth of Scripture, it’s not because the Holy Spirit is giving me some special insight that he doesn’t give to somebody else or is giving me special information that nobody else can have. All the Holy Spirit does is change my heart, change my disposition toward the evidence that is already there. I think that God Himself has planted within the Scriptures an internal consistency that bears witness that this is His Word.
When tempted by Satan, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture; the Son of God spoke the Word of God. When we’re battling spiritual attacks, we, too, can rely on the same powerful weapon. Learn more when you listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
Here is a motion cartoon from the earliest days of motion-pictures that likely was made at the time of the 1918 Spanish-Flu epidemic. So far, we have been unable to verify its origin, but there is no reason to think it is a counterfeit. Its value will be immediately recognized, not in its rarity or as a collector’s item, but its editorial commentary that is stunningly contemporary to our present day. Popular sentiment a hundred years ago clearly was far more aware of an agenda behind the propaganda and, as you will see in the final message of the cartoon, folks knew who was behind it and what the end game was. An amazing time capsule of truth. Republished 2021 June 1. Source: Early-Warning Cartoon the Plan
US troops are now leaving Bagram Airfield, once the strategic point of operations for Washington and its NATO allies in Afghanistan, as dozens more districts fall under the control of Taliban militants.
“Dr. Gandhi went on to express she did not expect a surge in COVID-19 cases to occur. She also highlighted the role of natural immunity and how it could protect against reinfection cases.”
(OAN) A top medical expert has argued fears of the Delta strain of COVID-19 have been overblown in media reports and assured the public there was no reason to be scared….
Professor Monica Gandhi of the University of California, San Francisco stated although the strain has been able to spread faster, its virulence has remained low.
Dr. Gandhi added the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, does not cause more severe illness than any previous strains of COVID-19. She suggested public health officials were creating this dialogue of severe illness from the new strain as a ploy to increase vaccination rates. View article →
True Friendship Does Not End Proverbs 17:17; 18:24; 27:17
A friend is long sought, hardly found, and with difficulty kept. Let those who will, allow gold to dazzle them and be borne along in splendor, their very baggage glittering with gold and silver. Love is not to be purchased, and affection has no price. The friendship that can cease has never been real.
JEROME
Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
The Nature of True Holiness Ephesians 6:12–18
True holiness … is much more than tears, and sighs, and bodily excitement, and a quickened pulse, and a passionate feeling of attachment to our own favorite preachers and our own religious party, and a readiness to quarrel with everyone who does not agree with us.… A holy violence, a conflict, a warfare, a fight, a soldier’s life, a wrestling, are spoken of as characteristic of the true Christian.
J. C. RYLE
Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Modern church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
11:24–26 Mary is familiar with the O.T. teaching on the resurrection (see Dan. 12). Jesus’ additional revelation (His fifth “I am” statement) concerns His identity as the One who raises the dead, who guarantees that those who believe in Him may die physically, but it will not last forever (v. 26). Physical death will be openly and finally defeated at the future resurrection. The raising of Lazarus is a foreshadowing of that great event (cf. 1 Cor. 15).[1]
11:25the resurrection and the life Jesus declares that He is the source and power that will enable the resurrection of the dead on the day of judgment, when God’s people will rise in glorified bodies to be one with Him. This parallels the breath coming into the bodies in Ezek 37:10.
will live The person who chooses to believe in Jesus will be resurrected on the last day. See note on Rom 5:9.
11:26will never die forever The life that Jesus promises is eternal.[2]
11:25 Jesus does not merely say that he will bring about the resurrection or that he will be the cause of the resurrection (both of which are true), but something much stronger: I am the resurrection and the life. Resurrection from the dead and genuine eternal life in fellowship with God are so closely tied to Jesus that they are embodied in him and can be found only in relationship to him. Therefore believes in me implies personal trust in Christ. The preposition translated “in” (Gk. eis) is striking, for eis ordinarily means “into,” giving the sense that genuine faith in Christ in a sense brings people “into” Christ, so that they rest in and become united with Christ. (This same expression is found in 3:16, 18, 36; 6:35; 7:38; 12:44, 46; 14:12; 1 John 5:10.) The “I am” statement here represents a claim to deity.
11:26Lives refers to those who have spiritual life now (see note on 3:36). Those who believe shall never die, in that they will ultimately triumph over death.[3]
11:25, 26 This is the fifth in a series of 7 great “I am” statements of Jesus (see 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14). With this statement, Jesus moved Martha from an abstract belief in the resurrection that will take place “on the last day” (cf. 5:28, 29) to a personalized trust in Him who alone can raise the dead. No resurrection or eternal life exists outside of the Son of God. Time (“on the last day”) is no barrier to the One who has the power of resurrection and life (1:4) for He can give life at any time.[4]
11:25 It is as if the Lord had said, “You do not understand Me, Martha. I do not mean that Lazarus will rise again at the last day. I am God, and I have the power of resurrection and of life in My hand. I can raise Lazarus from the dead right now, and will do it.”
Then the Lord looked forward to the time when all true believers would be raised. This will take place when the Lord Jesus comes back again to take His people home to heaven.
At that time there will be two classes of believers. There will be those who have died in faith, and there will be those who are living at His Return. He comes to the first class as the Resurrection and to the second as the Life. The first class is described in the latter part of verse 25—“He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” This means that those believers who have died before Christ’s coming will be raised from the dead.
Burkitt remarks:
O love, stronger than death! The grave cannot separate Christ and His friends. Other friends accompany us to the brink of the grave, and then they leave us. Neither life nor death can separate from the love of Christ.
Bengel comments, “It is beautifully consonant with divine propriety, that no one is ever read of as having died while the Prince of Life was present.”
11:26 The second class is described in verse 26. Those who are alive at the time of the Savior’s coming and who believe on Him shall never die. They will be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and taken home to heaven with those who have been raised from the dead. What precious truths have come to us as a result of Lazarus’ death! God brings sweetness out of bitterness and gives beauty for ashes. Then the Lord pointedly asked Martha, to test her faith, “Do you believe this?”[5]
11:25–26. I am the Resurrection and the Life. This is the fifth of Jesus’ great “I am” revelations. The Resurrection and the Life of the new Age is present right now because Jesus is the Lord of life (1:4). Jesus’ words about life and death are seemingly paradoxical. A believer’s death issues in new life. In fact, the life of a believer is of such a quality that he will never die spiritually. He has eternal life (3:16; 5:24; 10:28), and the end of physical life is only a sleep for his body until the resurrection unto life. At death the spiritual part of a believer, his soul, goes to be with the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 5:6, 8; Phil. 1:23).[6]
11:25–27. Jesus did not merely have the power to resurrect. His claim I am the resurrection and the life makes Him the very source of resurrection and all life. (See “Jesus’ Seven ‘I Am’ Claims” at 6:35.) Everyone who lives (v. 26) refers to one’s physical life since it is followed by and believes in Me. Only in this life does one have the chance to believe in Christ (Heb 9:27). Believe this parallels “believes in Me” (vv. 25, 26). Believing the NT truths about Christ should not be distinguished from “believing (or trusting) in” the person of Christ. Martha’s confession (v. 27) You are the Christ, the Son of God anticipates John’s purpose statement (20:31). Taken together, to believe that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God” means to believe that He is my resurrection and eternal life.[7]
11:25–27. What follows is the wonderful promise almost every Christian has memorized—a passage used at Christian funerals for nearly two thousand years. It forms the key to the chapter, but what does it mean? Jesus said, He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. Does that mean spiritual life beyond the grave as many interpreters have suggested? The context seems to demand an emphasis on physical death and physical life—in other words, bodily resurrection. Verse 26 seems to indicate that whoever is still alive and believing at the time of the Lord’s return will never die.
Martha did not grasp the entirety of this theology, but nevertheless placed her foothold of faith directly in Jesus’ affirmation of his messiahship. She was not completely without faith. She still believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that he might still be able to do something, although she did not really know what. She understood only two categories of life: physical life on earth and some future life at a resurrection. In her mind, Lazarus had neither of those at the moment. She did not think there was anything Jesus could do about his death.
The key to the chapter and a foundation stone of the doctrine of resurrection and the afterlife appears in these beloved verses. This is another one of the Lord’s seven “I Am” statements in this Gospel. Jesus said future resurrection was impossible without him. Martha (as well as Lazarus) had no hope without him in the picture. He also said that real life (life that extends beyond death) is possible only through him. A person attains it no other way. This life is both spiritual (will live, even though he dies) and eternal (will never die), and it comes only to those who believe in Jesus.
Martha’s affirmation of Jesus in verse 27 fits directly into the Johannine pattern. She affirmed that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore the Son of God, and also that he was sent into the world by the Father—a fact he had been arguing in public for more than three years.
As Witmer explains:
The title “Son of God” was first applied to Jesus by the angel Gabriel in his announcement to the Virgin Mary. Explaining that her conception would be by the Holy Spirit, he said that, “the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35; cv. 32). John the Baptist, after witnessing the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus at his baptism by John, said, “I testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34). This was also the confession of Nathanael (1:49); of Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary (11:27); and of Peter, spokesman for the disciples (Matt. 16:15–16; c 14:33). When the earthquake occurred at Jesus’ crucifixion, the centurion and soldiers who carried out the execution “were terrified, and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God” (27:54; c Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47) (Witmer, p. 48).
It appears to the casual reader that Martha had climbed on board theologically and would no longer have any question about what Jesus could do. Yet a few minutes later she heard Jesus call for the removal of the stone and objected, “But, Lord … by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days” (v. 39). So again Martha reminds us of ourselves—a willingness to verbally proclaim biblical truth without applying it in our lives.
Borchert reminds us that “the story thus serves as a significant warning even to evangelicals who may be able to mouth all the correct theological statements about Jesus but actually have failed to bring words and life together. It is not enough to make statements about Jesus. Indeed, if a person would make a statement akin to Martha’s in some churches, the tendency would be to baptize such a person and to accept him or her into membership. But we must all be warned that verbal confessions and life commitments are not always partners with each other” (Borchert, p. 357).[8]
11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ ” This is another of Jesus’ seven “I Am” statements. In the face of Lazarus’ death, Martha was encouraged to believe that he would live. This hope is rooted in the person and power of the Father and of Jesus (cf. 5:21).
11:26 “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” There are several significant syntactical features of this text: (1) the universal pronoun “all”; (2) the PRESENT PARTICIPLES, which show the need for ongoing belief (vv. 25 & 26); and (3) the strong double negative connected with death, “shall never, no never die,” which obviously refers to spiritual death. Eternal life is a present reality for believers, not some future event.[9]
25, 26. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never, never die; do you believe this?
Here follows another great I AM, the fifth one. There are seven. For the others see on 6:35; 8:12; 10:9; 10:11; 14:6; and 15:5. Subject and predicate are again interchangeable. Jesus is the resurrection and the life; the resurrection and the life, that is Jesus. Both the resurrection and the life are rooted in him (cf. Rom. 6:8, 9; 1 Cor. 15:20, 57; Col. 1:18; 1 Thess. 4:16). Note the order: first resurrection, then life; because resurrection opens the gate to immortal life.
Jesus is the resurrection and the life in person (see on 1:3, 4), the full, blessed life of God, all his glorious attributes: omniscience, wisdom, omnipotence, love, holiness, etc. As such he is also the cause, source, or fountain of the believers’ glorious resurrection and of their everlasting life. Because he lives we too shall live. With him removed, nothing but death is left. With him present, resurrection and life is assured. The Prince of life is ever the conqueror of death. Not only is he this by and by in the resurrection on the last day; he is this always. That is exactly the truth which Martha failed to grasp. Hence, Jesus placed emphasis upon it here, in order that the spark of hope might be kindled once more in Martha’s breast, and that it might be fanned into a briskly burning, open flame. What Martha scarcely dared to hope was about to become real, for he, who was the Prince of life also at this moment, was victor over death, over death in every form.
The remainder of this glorious I AM is a systematic development of the opening words. Jesus is the resurrection; hence, “he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Jesus is the life; hence, “everyone who lives and believes in me shall never, never die.” This is beautiful parallelism, synthetic in character. The second clause reinforces the first, but does not merely repeat it!
First, the believer is pictured at the moment of death. One naturally thinks of Lazarus, but what is said is true of every believer who dies physically. The words are: “He who believes (abidingly) in me (note present participle ὁ πιστεύων followed by εἰς; and see on 1:8; 3:16; and especially on 8:30, 31a), though he die (physically), yet shall he live (possessing everlasting life in glory).
Next, the believer is pictured as he lives here on earth, before death. We read: “And everyone who lives (spiritually; see on 1:3, 4; 3:16) and believes (abidingly) in me, shall never, never die (shall most certainly never taste everlasting death; shall never, never be separated soul and body from the presence of the God of love).” See also on 3:15–17; 6:47. Even physical death fails to quench the believer’s real life; on the contrary, such death is gain, for it introduces him into the full enjoyment of life.
In the first clause believing is followed by living. The life of heaven is meant. It is true, of course, that even here on earth the believer has a foretaste of this heavenly life (3:36; cf. 3:16).—In the second clause living and believing (a kind of hendiadys: living by faith) is followed by never dying. We have here an instance of litotes: shall never, never die really implies: shall most certainly live forever, yes forever. Note the strong negative: shall never, never die (οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα).
The whole is beautiful parallelism, in which the second clause confirms and strengthens the first. The arrangement, moreover, is climactic. This will be seen immediately: that the believer at death enters upon life in the state of perfection is comforting, but not unfamiliar; that the believer residing here on earth is given the assurance that he will never, no never die, is astounding! Cf. also Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 4:16.
Thus gloriously the miracle itself (11:38–44) is introduced and illumined, so that when it occurs it shall be viewed not as an end in itself but as an illustration of what Christ is and wishes to be for all those who trust in him. Thus, the miracle will be seen in its true character, namely, as a sign, pointing away from itself, to Christ, and making him manifest in all his glory.
An unbeliever rejects both propositions of this glorious I AM (i.e., both 11:25b and 11:26a), and also the statement in which the two are rooted (11:25a). He is of the opinion that death ends all. Hence he cannot accept the statement: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” He also conceives of physical death as being the real thing, the grim reaper; hence, for him the idea that this death could ever be robbed of its real power is nonsense. It is by faith, by faith alone, that these great truths are accepted. Hence, Jesus demanded that Martha should personally appropriate what she had just now heard from his lips, namely, that as a result of what he is—namely, the resurrection and the life—the life of a believer ever conquers death. “Do you believe this?” says Jesus to Martha. There follows a beautiful confession:
27. She said to him, Yes, Lord, I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, the One coming into the world. Martha’s confession here is positive, heroic, and comprehensive. It is, indeed, very touching, all the more remarkable because it was made under such trying circumstances. The I AM of Jesus had helped her considerably. We now see her at her best; rather, we see God’s grace displayed in her, as we hear her say, “Yes (assenting to the statement that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and to the two propositions which followed it), Lord (see on 1:38), I have believed (perfect tense: it has become a settled conviction with me) that thou art the Christ (see on 10:25), the Son of God (see on 1:14, 34; 20:31; Vol. I, pp. 33–35), the One coming into the world” (a fixed title for the One who willingly came from heaven to earth, Phil. 2:5–8; 2 Cor. 8:9; see on 1:9).
To say, as is sometimes done, that Martha did not intend to confess the Lord’s full deity, involves one in hopeless inconsistency. Martha must have heard Jesus speaking about himself as the Son of God. Now if others understood this to mean that he claimed full equality with the Father (see on 10:30–33; cf. on 5:18), why not Martha? She had heard the claims of Jesus, and she believed them. Note. “I have believed.” The pronoun I, because it is expressed and because of its position in the sentence, must probably be regarded as emphatic here (but see vol. I, pp. 63, 64). Others had heard the same claims, but had rejected them, calling Jesus a blasphemer.
For other notable confessions, recorded in preceding chapters of John’s Gospel, see the one by John the Baptist (“Look, the Lamb of God, who is taking away the sin of the world,” 1:29), by Andrew (“We have found the Messiah,” 1:41), by Philip (“The One about whom Moses wrote in the law and about whom the prophets wrote, we have found,” 1:45), by Nathaniel (“Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art King of Israel,” 1:49), by the Samaritans (“We know that this is really the Savior of the world,” 4:42), and by Simon Peter (“Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of everlasting life. And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God,” 6:68, 69; cf. also his confession recorded in Matt. 16:16).
That a little later (see on 11:39) Martha wavers again, so that she then for the moment does not see the full implications of her previous confession, is understandable. Martha’s eyes were not always fixed on Jesus. Sometimes they were turned in the direction of a corpse. When that happened, her spiritual vision became obscured. Peter had a somewhat similar experience (see Matt. 14:28–31).[10]
25–26. To move her beyond the orthodoxy of the Pharisees, Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. This statement contains the fifth of seven ‘I am’ sayings with predicates in the Gospel of John (6:35, 48, 51; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5). It involves three claims: (1) Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life—that is, the Father has given him to have life in himself and to bestow resurrection life upon whomever he will (5:21, 26). (2) People who believe in him, even if they die (as Lazarus had done) will live: Jesus will raise them from death on the last day. What he would soon do for Lazarus would foreshadow the resurrection of the last day. (3) People who live and believe in him will never die. This will be literally true of the last generation of believers. Of other believers it is true in the sense that not even death can break their relationship with God. With these claims, Jesus made himself central to the Jewish hope of the resurrection and eternal life, and by asking Martha Do you believe this? he encouraged her to recognize it.[11]
25. I am the resurrection and the life. Christ first declares that he is the resurrection and the life, and then he explains, separately and distinctly, each clause of this sentence. His first statement is, that he is the resurrection, because the restoration from death to life naturally comes before the state of life. Now the whole human race is plunged in death; and, therefore, no man will be a partaker of life until he is risen from the dead. Thus Christ shows that he is the commencement of life, and he afterwards adds, that the continuance of life is also a work of his grace. That he is speaking about spiritual life, is plainly shown by the exposition which immediately follows,
He who believeth in me, though he were dead, shall live. Why then is Christ the resurrection? Because by his Spirit he regenerates the children of Adam, who had been alienated from God by sin, so that they begin to live a new life. On this subject, I have spoken more fully under Chapter 5:21 and 24; and Paul is an excellent interpreter of this passage, (Eph. 2:5, and 5:8.) Away now with those who idly talk that men are prepared for receiving the grace of God by the movement of nature. They might as well say that the dead walk. For that men live and breathe, and are endued with sense, understanding, and will, all this tends to their destruction, because there is no part or faculty of the soul that is not corrupted and turned aside from what is right. Thus it is that death everywhere holds dominion, for the death of the soul is nothing else than its being estranged and turned aside from God. Accordingly, they who believe in Christ, though they were formerly dead, begin to live, because faith is a spiritual resurrection of the soul, and—so to speak—animates the soul itself that it may live to God; according to that passage, The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear shall live, (John 5:25.) This is truly a remarkable commendation of faith, that it conveys to us the life of Christ, and thus frees us from death.
26. And whosoever liveth, and believeth in me. This is the exposition of the second clause, how Christ is the life; and he is so, because he never permits the life which he has once bestowed to be lost, but preserves it to the end. For since flesh is so frail, what would become of men, if, after having once obtained life, they were afterwards left to themselves? The perpetuity of the life must, therefore, be founded on the power of Christ himself, that he may complete what he has begun.
Shall never die. The reason why it is said that believers never die is, that their souls, being born again of incorruptible seed, (1 Pet. 1:23,) have Christ dwelling in them, from whom they derive perpetual vigour; for, though the body be subject to death on account of sin, yet the spirit is life on account of righteousness, (Rom. 8:10.) That the outward man daily decays in them is so far from taking anything away from their true life, that it aids the progress of it, because the inward man is renewed from day to day, (2 Cor. 4:16.) What is still more, death itself is a sort of emancipation from the bondage of death.
Dost thou believe this? Christ seems, at first sight, to discourse about spiritual life, for the purpose of withdrawing the mind of Martha from her present desire. Martha wished that her brother should be restored to life. Christ replies, that he is the Author of a more excellent life; and that is, because he quickens the souls of believers by divine power. Yet I have no doubt that he intended to include both favours; and therefore he describes, in general terms, that spiritual life which he bestows on all his followers, but wishes to give them some opportunity of knowing this power, which he was soon afterwards to manifest in raising Lazarus.[12]
25–26 Jesus next enlarges Martha’s horizons with yet another of his characteristic “I am” pronouncements. “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” he tells her. “The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never ever die” (vv. 25–26). In contrast to his previous “I am” sayings, which were uttered twice (“the Bread of life,” 6:35, 47; “the Light of the world,” 8:12; 9:5; “the Door,” 10:7, 9; “the good Shepherd,” 10:11, 14), this one occurs only once, but with two predicates, “the Resurrection” and “the Life.”21 The first echoes Martha’s own reference to “the resurrection at the last day” (v. 24); the second predicate (“the Life”) defines what “resurrection” actually means for the believer, whether now or in the future. The other “I am” sayings with their predicates were generally followed by an invitation or promise introduced by a relative or conditional clause, or a participle (see, for example, 6:35; 8:12; 10:9). This time, with two predicates, there are also two promises: first, “The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (v. 25); second, “everyone who lives and believes in me will never ever die” (v. 26). It is natural to view the first as the corollary of “I am the Resurrection,” and the second as the corollary of “I am the Life.” Thus,
(a) I am the Resurrection—that is, the one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.
(b) I am the Life—that is, everyone who lives and believes in me will never ever die.
No such schematization is explicit, however. Both of the promises, each with its implied invitation to “believe,” arise out of the two-pronged predicate: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” More to the point, the second promise follows logically from the first. If it is true that the person who believes in Jesus and died (in this case Lazarus) will live again—whether immediately or “in the resurrection at the last day” (v. 24), then it follows that no living believer will ever die—ultimately. They may die physically, like Lazarus, but death’s dominion is only temporary, for Jesus himself (“the Resurrection and the Life”) will “raise them at the last day” (see 6:39, 40, 44, 54). With this, Jesus explains (in retrospect) his claim to “the Jews” at the Tent festival, “Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ever see death” (8:51). It is worth noting that Jesus is not promising Martha in so many words that he will raise Lazarus from the dead that very day. Nothing that he says necessarily goes beyond what she already believed—that Lazarus would rise in the final resurrection—except the claim that in order to rise from the dead a person must “believe in me.” The issue was not the nature of resurrection, or whether it would take place now or later, but simply the role of Jesus in the gift of resurrection and eternal life. When Jesus concludes by asking, “Do you believe this?” (v. 26), he is asking simply, “Do you believe in me?”[13]
25–26 Pharisaic doctrine was not necessarily wrong; it was simply inadequate. Not only was Jesus able to raise the dead; he was himself, as John records the words of Jesus, “the resurrection and the life” (the fifth of the seven great “I am” statements). What Jesus means by this prophetic announcement is not simply that he is able to restore life by resurrecting people from the dead but that he himself is that resurrection and life. While, as Temple, 1:181, remarks, “there is a forcing of language to express an unutterable thought,” we are nevertheless called on to see Jesus as possessing eternal life in such a way that to believe in him is to share with him the resurrected life of the new age. As Paul would put it, those who are “in Christ” are one with him in the experience of a quality of life both divine and eternal (see, e.g., Ro 8:1; 1 Co 15:22; 2 Co 5:17; Eph 1:3).
In the two following clauses (vv. 25b–26a) Jesus explains what he means by (1) the resurrection and (2) the life. The clauses are parallel but not synonymous, the second advancing on the first. The person who believes in him will come to life (spiritually) even though that person will die (physically). This is the true meaning of resurrection—it forever frees the believer from final death. The raising of Lazarus serves as an illustration in the realm of natural life of a truth that is essentially spiritual and belongs to a higher sphere of reality. The second clause explains “life.” Whoever comes to life (spiritually) by believing in me (Hendriksen, 2:150, calls living and believing “a kind of hendiadys: living by faith”) will never die (spiritually). While resurrection counters the dread enemy death, eternal life is the glorious result of sharing the destiny of the Resurrected One.
So Jesus puts the question to Martha: “Do you believe this?” Not, “Do you believe that I can raise your brother from death even now before the general resurrection at the end of time?” but, “Do you believe that by faith in me a person is raised to a new level of life that is spiritual and that there is no end [death] to this glorious relationship?” In other words, “Do you really believe in me in terms of the higher truths I have taught about myself and my mission?”[14]
[1] Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Jn 11:24–26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 11:25–26). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (pp. 2045–2046). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[6] Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 314). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[7] Hart, J. F. (2014). John. In M. A. Rydelnik & M. Vanlaningham (Eds.), The moody bible commentary (p. 1639). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
[8] Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, pp. 217–218). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[13] Michaels, J. R. (2010). The Gospel of John (pp. 631–632). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[14] Mounce, R. H. (2007). John. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 517–518). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
VAERS data released today by the CDC showed a total of 441,931 reports of adverse events from all age groups following COVID vaccines, including 6,985 deaths and 34,065 serious injuries between Dec. 14, 2020 and June 25, 2021.
This week’s number of total adverse events for all age groups following COVID vaccines surpassed 400,000, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
VAERS is the primary government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions in the U.S. Reports submitted to VAERS require further investigation before a causal relationship can be confirmed.
Every Friday, VAERS makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date.
Data released today show that between Dec. 14, 2020 and June 25, 2021, a total of 411,931 total adverse events were reported to VAERS, including 6,985 deaths — an increase of 872 deaths over the previous week. There were 34,065 serious injury reports, up 2,825 compared with last week.
In the U.S, 321.2 million COVID vaccine doses had been administered as of June 25. This includes: 132 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, 177 million doses of Pfizer and 12 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID vaccine.
Of the 6,985 deaths reported as of June 25, 22% occurred within 48 hours of vaccination, 15% occurred within 24 hours and 38% occurred in people who became ill within 48 hours of being vaccinated.
This week’s data for 12- to 17-year-olds show:
12,674 total adverse events, including 720 rated as serious and 13 reported deaths among 12- to 17-year-olds. Two of the nine deaths were suicides.The most recent reported deaths include a 16-year-old girl (VAERS I.D. 1420630) who died four weeks after her second dose of Pfizer, a 17-year-old girl (VAERS I.D. 1420762) who experienced cardiac arrest six days after receiving a Pfizer vaccine, a 16-year-old boy (VAERS I.D. 1426828) who died four days after receiving a Pfizer vaccine and a 13-year-old boy (VAERS I.D. 1406840) who died two days after receiving a Pfizer vaccine.Other deaths include three 15-year-olds (VAERS I.D. 1187918, 1382906 and 1242573) and two 16-year-olds (VAERS I.D. 1225942 and 1386841) and one 17-year-old (VAERS I.D. 1199455).
This week’s total VAERS data, from Dec. 14, 2020 to June 25, 2021, for all age groups show:
Pfizer to request emergency approval of COVID vaccine for kids ages 5-11 by fall
Fox News reported July 1, younger children could become eligible for a COVID vaccine this fall, according to a top executive at Pfizer who said the company has plans to request emergency approval of its vaccine in kids aged 5 to 11 by September or October. Pfizer’s vaccine is currently authorized for use in individuals aged 12 and older.
Dr. Alejandra Gurtman, vice president of vaccine clinical research and development at Pfizer, appeared along with representatives from other major drugmakers to discuss data and timelines behind pediatric clinical trials during a Johns Hopkins University and University of Washington virtual symposium.
Despite growing reports of heart inflammation in teens linked to the vaccine, Gurtman said Pfizer “felt very comfortable to move down in age,” speaking to the trials involving participants aged 6 months to 11 years.
Man dies after second dose of Moderna following rare blood clotting disorder linked to the vaccine
As The Defender reported June 29, doctors in Pennsylvania reported a case of a U.S. patient who developed blood clots after receiving the Moderna COVID vaccine. In a case report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, healthcare professionals said a 65-year-old man arrived at the hospital with a serious form of blood clotting known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS) just 10 days after receiving his second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Two days later, the unnamed patient died, with doctors concluding his symptoms were consistent with vaccine-induced clotting, also known as VITT. The man’s treatment providers did not recognize VITT earlier, so he did not receive the specialized treatment given to people who suffer from that condition, but instead was treated with heparin.
Doctors at Allegheny Health said their research “complicates” theories that prior clotting cases were solely caused by adenovirus-based vaccines, as some experts have previously speculated. Doctors also stated they believed this to be the first reported case of blood clots following an mRNA vaccine, despite thousands of reported cases to VAERS.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson holds new conference with families injured by COVID vaccines
As The Defender reported June 29, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) held a news conference Monday to discuss adverse reactions related to the COVID vaccines — giving individuals who have been “repeatedly ignored” by the medical community a platform to share their stories.
The group that spoke was put together by Ken Ruettgers, a former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman, whose wife suffered an adverse reaction after receiving a COVID vaccine. Ruettgers, who now lives in Oregon, started a website to bring awareness of COVID vaccine reactions to the medical community.
“We are all pro-vaccine,” Johnson said at the onset of the news conference. In fact, Johnson has had every flu shot since the Swine flu, is current on all of his vaccines and was a huge supporter of Operation Warp Speed, though he has not had a COVID vaccine because he already had COVID.
Five people from across the U.S., including a 12-year-old girl who was part of the Pfizer clinical trial, joined the conference at the federal courthouse in Milwaukee. They described their reactions to the COVID vaccines, including neurological, cardiac and gastrointestinal issues, debilitating health problems and hospitalizations.
Johnson said his goal was to provide a platform for these individuals who were injured by COVID vaccines so the health community and mainstream media would acknowledge them and get to the root cause.
Johnson argued that while most people don’t suffer significant side effects following vaccination, he is concerned about “that small minority that are suffering severe symptoms.”
FDA adds heart inflammation warning to Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines
The Defender reported June 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 25 added a warning to patient and provider fact sheets for Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines indicating an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly following the second dose and with onset of symptoms within a few days after vaccination.
The FDA’s update followed a review of information and discussion by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting on June 23 where the committee acknowledged 1,200 cases of heart inflammation in 16- to 24-year-olds.
Health officials said the benefits of receiving a COVID vaccine still outweigh any risks. Physicians and other public commenters accused the CDC during the meeting of exaggerating the risk to young people of COVID, and minimizing the risk of the vaccines.
Two new studies show link between COVID vaccines and heart inflammation
As The Defender reported June 30, in a study published June 29 in JAMA Cardiology, 23 male military patients with a median age range of 25 years were evaluated between January and April 2021 for acute-onset chest pain following vaccination with an mRNA COVID vaccine.
All military members were previously healthy with a high level of fitness. They were physically fit by military standards and lacked any known history of cardiac disease, significant cardiac risk factors or exposure to cardiotoxic agents. Seven military members received Pfizer’s COVID vaccine and 16 received the Moderna vaccine.
According to the study, physicians expected to find eight or fewer cases of myocarditis among the 436,000 male military members who received two mRNA doses. But 20 military members developed inflammation after their second dose, including 14 after the Moderna shot and six after the Pfizer shot. Three developed myocarditis after their first vaccine.
Researchers stated that while the true incidence of myocarditis is unknown at this time, the presentation pattern and clinical course suggest an association with an inflammatory response to vaccination.
A separate study published in JAMA Cardiology on June 29 investigated seven cases of acute myocarditis between Feb. 1 and April 30. Four cases occurred within five days of receiving a second dose of an mRNA COVID vaccine.”
“It is possible that these four cases of acute myocarditis represent a rare, potential adverse event linked to mRNA COVID-19 vaccination,” researchers wrote. “The findings from the present report raise the possibility of an association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and acute myocarditis.”
CDC reports 4,115 COVID breakthrough cases resulting in hospitalization or death
As The Defender reported June 29, more than 4,100 people have been hospitalized or died with COVID in the U.S. despite having been fully vaccinated, according to new data from the CDC.
As of June 21, nearly half (49%) of cases occurred in females and 76% were aged 65 years and older. There were a total of 3,907 hospitalizations and 750 deaths among those who had breakthrough infections, although not all of the hospitalizations may have been due primarily to COVID.
According to the CDC’s website, the number of COVID vaccine breakthrough infections are likely an undercount of all SARS-CoV-2 infections among fully vaccinated persons due to passive and voluntary reporting.
On May 1, the CDC transitioned from monitoring all reported vaccine breakthrough cases to only reporting cases resulting in hospitalization or death, a move the agency was criticized for by health experts.
States report increase in breakthrough cases
On July 1, Fox6 Milwaukee reported that 21 people in Wisconsin have died of COVID since March 1 despite being fully vaccinated. The median age was 82 and all 21 people had underlying health conditions. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said no gene sequencing was conducted so it is not clear whether anyone was infected with the Delta variant.
As Tulsa World reported July 1, data released for the first time Wednesday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health showed 737 infections in people who were fully vaccinated or had previously recovered from a COVID infection. Of 737 infections, 69 resulted in hospitalization and 11 people died, according to a state epidemiology report.
On July 1, 8NewsNow reported a Southern Nevada Health District released data showing a total of 70 breakthrough hospitalizations, including 11 breakthrough deaths, in Clark County alone.
People injured by COVID vaccines turn to GoFundMe for help
The Defender reported July 2, a prominent vaccine injury law firm — Maglio Christopher & Toale— says it can’t help people injured by COVID vaccines because COVID vaccines are not covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), forcing many to raise funds for their injuries online.
Renée Gentry, director of the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic at the George Washington University Law School, said COVID vaccine claimants have two rights: “You have the right to file,” she said. “And you have the right to lose.”
According to research compiled by a group in Mesa County, Colorado, as of June 25 there were 180 GoFundMe accounts seeking help for people who had suffered injuries after receiving a COVID vaccine and were left with large medical bills and other expenses.
116 days and counting, CDC ignores The Defender’s inquiries
According to the CDC website, “the CDC follows up on any report of death to request additional information and learn more about what occurred and to determine whether the death was a result of the vaccine or unrelated.”
On March 8, The Defender contacted the CDC with a written list of questions about reported deaths and injuries related to COVID vaccines. After repeated attempts, by phone and email, to obtain a response to our questions, a health communications specialist from the CDC’s Vaccine Task Force contacted us on March 29 — three weeks after our initial inquiry.
The individual received our request for information from VAERS, but said she had never received our list of questions, even though employees we talked to several times said CDC press officers were working through the questions and confirmed the representative had received them. We provided the list of questions again along with a new deadline, but never received a response.
On May 19, a CDC employee said our questions had been reviewed and our inquiry was pending in their system, but would not provide us with a copy of the response. We were told we would be contacted by phone or email with the response.
On June 24, we contacted the CDC and were told nobody knew the specialist from the agency’s Vaccine Task Force who contacted us in March, and that our request was still pending in the system. It has been 116 days since we sent our first email inquiring into VAERS data and reports and we have yet to receive a response.
Note to readers: Please click the share buttons above or below. Follow us on Instagram, @crg_globalresearch. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
Megan Redshaw is a freelance reporter for The Defender. She has a background in political science, a law degree and extensive training in natural health.
All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. *** VAERS data released today by the CDC showed a total of 358,379 reports of adverse…
This week’s number of reported deaths among all age groups following COVID vaccines passed the 5,000 mark, up 759 from last week, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data comes directly from reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System…
All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). *** Data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the number of injuries and deaths reported to the Vaccine…
Facebook has issued warning labels and notifications about what the platform deems as ‘extremist’ content and ideas, from their friends and other pages. Former campaign manager for the Trump 2016 team Corey Lewandowski, and Newsmax’s Grant Stinchfield react.
ANCTIFICATION begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes “a new creature” in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways—mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called “perseverance,” by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in “glory,” when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. “Sanctify them,” said Jesus, “through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God’s good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Do not say of any error, “It is a mere matter of opinion.” No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God. – From: Spurgeons Morning by Morning for July 4.
When tempted by Satan, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture; the Son of God spoke the Word of God. When we’re battling spiritual attacks, we, too, can rely on the same powerful weapon. Learn more when you listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
Truth2Freedom's Blog 