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
God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. He’s omnipotent and all-powerful. However, the guest on this edition of Crosstalk says there are things God cannot do. In fact, he rejoices in those things.
Although this may seem like a contradiction, Mike Gendron uses Scripture to show why it’s not. He’s the founder and director of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministry. Mike was a devout Roman Catholic for over 3 decades and was taught to rely upon the authority of the church above all else. He searched the Scriptures and was amazed to find that what he read in Scripture contradicted the teaching and tradition of the church he had been a part of for so long. He trusted Jesus as his Savior and now the Bible has become his sole authority in all matters of faith. Mike is the author of the books, Preparing for Eternityand Contending for the Gospel and has produced numerous videos with warnings concerning false teachings vs. the truth of the Scriptures.
Mike doesn’t deny the omnipotence of God. In fact, he describes God as incomprehensible. More specifically, Mike noted how God is all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful, sovereign over all His creation, omnipresent and transcendent. Yet in spite of all that, there are some things He cannot do.
The reason why there are some things God cannot do is because He cannot violate His holy character/nature. He’s always consistent with who He is and all that He’s revealed in His Word. He’s absolutely incapable of unrighteousness, unholiness and unjust acts.
The fact that God will never go against His Holy character should give us great confidence. Want to know more? Review this broadcast and you’ll hear Mike explain from Scripture how God cannot:
stop existing
lie
change/learn/forget anything
break His promises
allow sin to go unpunished
condemn those He has justified
More Information To obtain a copy of Mike’s 2 DVD video messages, Where Will You Spend Eternity and Why Should I Believe the Bible (20% discount for Crosstalk listeners) along with the free bonus tract called, True Faith or False Hope, go to proclaimingthegospel.org or call 817-379-5300.
UN Secretary General António Guterres called the Climate Change findings a ‘code red for humanity’ adding that the “alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable.”
Today the UN ‘sounded the alarm’, and like Jack Nicholson’s character in ‘A Few Good Men’, they have ‘issued the Code Red’ on Climate Change, saying that the damage that has been done cannot be undone for maybe another thousand years. Maybe. But the good news is that the Carbon Tax will help hold off the inevitable. Welcome to the Unintentional Climate Comedy Hour where the joke is always…on you! Did I say ‘unintentional’? How funny.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10 (KJB)
Yes, the climate is indeed changing as the world prepares itself for the Day of the Great King, and here’s a prediction. The feeble and puny efforts of unsaved man will accomplish one thing, it will make God laugh as He launches well-deserved judgments upon a population that has rejected Him and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Fire away, Lord, fire away.
UN releases blistering ‘code red’ assessment on the state of climate change
FROM NBC NEWS: Climate change is changing Earth in ways that are “unprecedented” in thousands of years — and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of years — according to a blistering report released Monday by the United Nations.
The sobering assessment also found that some changes that are already playing out, such as warming oceans and rising sea levels, are “irreversible for centuries to millennia.”
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called the findings a “code red for humanity,” adding that the “alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable.”
The report is the most comprehensive assessment from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2013 and provides the strongest case yet for human-caused global warming, saying it’s “unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”
The report also found that climate change is intensifying, occurring at an accelerated pace and is already affecting every region of the planet.
“It has been clear for decades that the Earth’s climate is changing, and the role of human influence on the climate system is undisputed,” Valérie Masson-Delmotte, co-chair of the IPCC’s Working Group I, said in a statement.
Ko Barrett, the IPCC’s vice- chair and a senior climate adviser at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told NBC News that the report shows that no matter what humans do going forward, the future will be hotter than it is now.
“It can be kind of demoralizing or depressing to think that there are so many things that are kind of irreversible for a long period of time,” Barrett said. “But the good news is that, that these irreversible changes can be slowed down with rapid, strong and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The IPCC, established in the late 1980s, consists of thousands of scientists across 195 member governments who pore over the most recent published and peer-reviewed research on global warming and compile the findings into a report on the current state of the climate. The assessment, which includes a look at the future risks and impacts of climate change, typically represents consensus within the scientific community. More than 230 authors contributed to the latest report. READ MORE
UN climate report issues a ‘code red for humanity’
The day you have dreaded is finally here! It’s time to send your progressive kids into that COVID-infected world of white supremacy known as public school. Will a bully misgender them? Will they meet enough sexual partners? It can be a scary time, but it’s slightly less scary if you’re prepared. Here’s what you should have on your shopping list:
-Extra kleenex in case there are no conservative students nearby to drink their tears: Conservatives are usually walking around with special tumblers for catching delicious liberal tears, but your child should be prepared– just in case they aren’t around.
-Ziplock baggies of Kale: Every good liberal keeps at least a few of these on hand to fuel their rage at heteronormative white supremacy. Be sure to stock up on extra kombucha as well.
-A brown paper bag: This should be used to cover your child’s head if they’re white.
-Bricks and Molotovs for the anti-school-choice protest their teacher is organizing: Make sure your kid is prepared for the most important life skill: protesting!
-A coffin, since they will probably die of COVID: If your liberal kid is going to school, they will definitely get COVID and die. Be sure and have their last will and testament ready to go as well.
-Extra opposite-gender clothing in case they need to switch genders during recess: It’s a great way to get out of kickball.
-Cyanide capsule for if someone tries to give them an opinion they disagree with: If someone expresses a conflicting opinion, it’s game over. Train them to quickly bite down on the capsule and fall over to avoid debate.
-Gasoline and matches in case they ever encounter an American Flag: Or worse… a Tuttle Twins book!
-Set of crayons for drawing inclusivity rainbows: Don’t forget to remove all white crayons.
-A calculator that gives an answer of “5” when you enter “2+2”: Teach your kid to reject western obsession with “correct answers” and decolonize math!
-Extra Plan B pills: Also, be sure to pack a megaphone so they can shout their abortion at recess!
-Spiked mace to crush human skulls with: In case they encounter a Nazi.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new, government-funded study has found that the solution to all the problems the government has created is more government, according to the government.
According to the study, whenever the government messes everything up, just a little bit more government can fix the problem the government created (according to all the studies funded by the government). While most people would assume that you want less government when the government creates a problem, this study, funded by the government, debunks this assumption.
“Incredibly, this study, funded by the government, has proven conclusively that all the problems the government has created are easily solved by adding more government to the mix,” said lead researcher Tad Mollison, who is paid by the government to study how to fix the problems created by the government. “We know there are a lot of really bad problems out there, and yes, the government might have contributed in a slight way to some of them.”
“The science has spoken: Adding a little bit more government should do the trick,” he added. He then left the press conference to go cash his massive check he had just received from the government.
Profession of sound doctrine alone—that is, mere assent to propositional truth—is no substitute for a living faith. But apart from biblical doctrine, the activity of worship becomes bit nature less a service to a holy God and more an emotional experience employed as a tool to pacify a conscience troubled by corrupt behavior.
While advocates of “contemporary” worship certainly have no corner on sinful behavior, it has become increasingly less shocking to hear of immoral behavior by preachers who trade on feelings, have marginal interest in doctrine, and follow CCW forms of worship.
Craig S. Bulkeley, Hope for the Children of the Sun, pg. 39
Mercy for Persons and Help for Duties John 16:13–15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26; Hebrews 4:14–16
When we have, through Christ, obtained mercy for our persons, we need not fear but that we shall have suitable and seasonable help for our duties.
JOHN OWEN
Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Renounce All Satisfaction That Is Not for God’s Honor Matthew 7:21; 12:50; 21:31; Mark 3:35; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38
Every satisfaction offered to the senses that is not for God’s honor and glory you must renounce and reject for the love of Jesus Christ, who, while upon earth, had, and sought for, no other pleasure than doing the will of His Father; this, He said, was His meat and drink.
JOHN OF THE CROSS
Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)
I do not have a green thumb and my knowledge of horticulture is very rudimentary. However, I have experimented with growing roses, and I have learned that after the blossoms begin to decay, they have to be cut off at a certain point on the stem. If I am diligent in pruning away the dead aspects of the bush, the blossoms become even more brilliant in time. This process seems counterintuitive to me; I would assume that by cutting off part of a bush I would be harming it or even destroying it. But the pruning process focuses the nutrients in the bush, causing it to bear fruit more consistently. This process is especially important in the tending of grapevines, which is the vine that is in view in Jesus’ metaphor.
Going on, Jesus said, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you” (v. 3). Here He addressed Himself to His disciples, to believers, to those who already enjoyed fellowship with Him and had a saving relationship with Him. They were already “clean,” He said. Then He added: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (v. 4).
What happens to the branches that are pruned from a tree or bush? After they are cut off, they wither and die. They are cut off from their life supply. Obviously, such dead branches will not produce any fruit. They are impotent.
One day, during a cookout at the home of one of his members, a minister wandered over to the grill to speak to the host, who had stopped attending the weekly worship services. The minister was hoping to encourage him to begin attending once more. When the minister asked the man why he had stopped coming, the man replied: “I’m a Christian, but I don’t feel that I need the church. I can do very well on my own. I’m an independent type of person. I don’t need the fellowship of other people to boost me in my walk with the Lord.
While the minister listened to the man’s explanations, he noticed that the charcoal on the grill was glowing white hot. Without saying anything, the minister picked up a set of tongs and moved one of the glowing coals apart from the others. He then continued his conversation with the parishioner. However, after a few minutes, he reached into the grill and picked up the coal with his bare hand. He then looked at the man and said: “Did you see what just happened here? Only a few minutes ago, I wouldn’t have dared to touch this coal because it was so hot. But once I separated it from the rest of the coals, it stopped burning and became cold. It no longer could help cook the steaks on the grill. That is what is going to happen to you. You need the body of Christ. You need the church of Christ. You need the fellowship of the saints and the assembly of the people of God. We are not rugged individualists who are called to live in isolation from others.
That minister was right. The company of other believers keeps our faith lively and active. But if we cool off when we are removed from connection with other Christians, how much more will we wither if we remove ourselves from the real source of power, which is Christ Himself?
That is the point Jesus was making here. We will be fruitless and will wither spiritually if we do not abide in Christ, the true vine. The Greek word translated as “abide” here is meno. It also can be translated as “remain” or “stay.” If we want to be productive, we cannot simply visit Jesus every now and then. We need to abide in Him.
Let me stress that Jesus was not speaking here about losing one’s salvation. That is another matter. But He was reminding us that we are prone to wander, to cease to tap into the source of our power and our spiritual vitality, which is Christ Himself. So, His lesson for us is to stay close: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Simply put, all of the efforts that we make to be joyful, to be productive, or to achieve anything worthwhile in the kingdom of God are exercises in futility if we try to do them by our own power. Christians need to understand that without a strong connection to Christ, who is the power supply, we will be completely fruitless.
Jesus continued, saying:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (vv. 5–11)
It was only in the final verse of this passage that Jesus explained why He had taught the disciples these things: “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” Notice three things in this important teaching.
First, the joy that Jesus wants to see in us is His joy. Earlier, Jesus spoke to His disciples about peace, saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). Where does the Christian’s peace come from? It comes from Him; in fact, it is His peace. In like manner, His own joy is available to us, and He wants to see it abiding in us.
Second, He wants His joy to remain in us. He wants us to have a permanent joy, not a roller-coaster ride of moods shifting between joy and misery. If we want to be consistently joyful, we need to abide in Him.
Third, He distinguishes between His joy and our joy, and expresses the desire that our joy should be full: “And that your joy may be full.” Isn’t that what we want? We do not want a partial cup of the fruit of the Spirit. We do not want just a little bit of joy. We want all of the joy that the Father has stored up for His people. That fullness of joy comes from Christ. It is first His joy that He gives to us, and as we are plugged into Him, this joy that comes from Him grows, increases, and becomes full.
No one who is reading this has ever experienced the highest level of joy that is available to the people of God. However much joy you have at this moment, there is more joy to be had. There is a fullness that awaits us as the fruit of the Spirit is nurtured by the true vine.
This excerpt is taken from the free ebook Can I Have Joy in My Life? by R.C. Sproul. You can download all of R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions booklets for free here.
Today, many of us have loved ones who embrace a homosexual lifestyle. How should we approach them with the good news of salvation? From our 2021 National Conference, W. Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, Joel Kim, and Derek Thomas discuss this matter. To get real-time answers to your biblical and theological questions, just ask Ligonier.
3:2 The world may think little of God’s children now, but at Christ’s return things will change. Believers will be transformed because they will see him as he is.[1]
3:2has not yet been revealed God’s full plans for a person’s life are unknown, especially in terms of the transformation he will offer believers upon Jesus’ return.
whenever he is revealed we will be like him On the day that Jesus returns, a full transformation of believers will take place, though John admits that no one knows what this will look like.[2]
3:2What we will be means having glorified bodies that will never be sick or grow old or die, and being completely without sin. No one like that has yet appeared on earth (except Christ himself after his resurrection). we shall be like him. In eternity, Christians will be morally without sin, intellectually without falsehood or error, physically without weakness or imperfections, and filled continually with the Holy Spirit. But “like” does not mean “identical to,” and believers will never be (e.g.) omniscient or omnipotent as Christ is, since he is both man and God.[3]
3:2 now we are children of God. Everyone who exercises genuine saving faith becomes a child of God at the moment of belief (Jn 1:12; Ro 8:16; 2Pe 1:4), though the truly heavenly, divine life in that person (cf. Eph 4:24; Col 3:10) will not be revealed until Jesus appears (see note on Ro 8:19). In the meantime, the Holy Spirit is working into us the image of Christ (see note on 2Co 3:18). we will be like Him. This phrase introduces the fourth feature of the believer’s hope in 2:28–3:3. When Christ returns He shall conform every believer to His image, i.e., His nature. A tension exists between the first part of the verse (“now we are children”) and the latter part (“we will be like Him”). Such tension finds resolution in the solid hope that at Christ’s return the believer will experience ultimate conformity to His likeness (see notes on Ro 8:29; 1Co 15:42–49; Php 3:21). The glorious nature of that conformity defies description, but as much as glorified humanity can be like incarnate deity, believers will be, without becoming deity.[4]
3:2 — … we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
One day we will exchange our worn-out, sin-prone, weak bodies for new models patterned after Jesus’ resurrection body—strong, ageless, free of all sin, and completely at home in the holy presence of God.[5]
3:2 When John admits ignorance of what we shall be when Jesus appears, his statement should cause us to be humble and cautious about detailed pronouncements of future events and the nature of our heavenly existence. God has chosen not to tell us many things either because we would not understand or because it might distract us from our responsibilities as believers (Acts 1:6–8). be like Him: Though we do not know all the specifics of our future existence, we do know that we will have a body like Christ’s (Phil. 3:21). Believers will put on immortality and become free from the sin nature that presently plagues us.[6]
3:2. The word Beloved picks up the thought of the previous verse that Christians are the objects of the love of the Father, who regards them as His children. This is true now (emphatic). But even though this basic fact is true now, it has not yet been revealed what believers shall be like when they are transformed into the Savior’s likeness.
The word twice rendered revealed is the same word rendered “appears” in 2:28 (phanerōthē). When Christ “appears,” what believers shall be will “appear” too. Since we shall be like Him then, believers do not want to “be ashamed before Him” now (cf. 4:17–19).
The reason they will be like Him at His coming is that they shall see Him as He is. Seeing Jesus in His glory will be automatically transforming for each child of God. This agrees with Paul’s teaching that even now their spiritual transformation takes place as they behold His glory in the Scriptures (2 Cor 3:18). Christians have a marvelous expectation for the future—the glorious transforming sight of their Savior—and this should energize them toward Christlikeness now. It should inspire them to “abide in Him” (2:28).[7]
3:2 However, understood or not, now we are children of God, and this is the guarantee of future glory. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we do know that when Christ is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. This does not mean that we will be physically like Jesus in heaven. The Lord Jesus will have His own definite appearance, and will bear the scars of Calvary throughout eternity. Each of us, we believe, will have his own distinct features and will be recognizable as such. The Bible does not teach that everyone will look alike in heaven. However, we will be morally like the Lord Jesus Christ. We will be free from the possibility of defilement, sin, sickness, sorrow, and death.
And how will this marvelous transformation be accomplished? The answer is that one look at Christ will bring it to pass. For we shall see Him as He is. Here in life, the process of becoming like Christ is going on, as we behold Him by faith in the word of God. But then the process will be absolutely complete when we see Him as He is: for to see Him is to be like Him.[8]
3:2 “it has not appeared as yet what we will be” This speaks of John’s inability to describe these end-time events (cf. Acts 1:7). This also shows that 2:27 does not mean exhaustive knowledge in every area. Even Jesus’ knowledge of this event was limited while He was incarnate (cf. Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:22).
The term “when” introduces a THIRD CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE. Word Pictures in the New Testament.
2. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
In Greek John writes, “Beloved.” This term which expresses a passive idea may imply that God is the one who loves us: “Beloved by God.” John, then, continues to stress the special relationship we have with God. The Father loves us and therefore we are now his children. Already in this earthly life we claim the right to be God’s children and are able to procure this assurance.
We are in principle children of God (v. 1) who lack perfection because of sin. But that which is principle now will become full reality in the future. John, therefore, observes, “What we will be has not yet been made known.” That is, God has only begun his marvelous work in us which in time he will bring to completion.
What will we be in the future? Although the Bible is a book that relates the work of creation and redemption, it also gives us a glimpse of the future. For instance, John tells his readers about their identity with Jesus.
“But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” In his epistles, Paul reveals the same truths. Here are three relevant passages:
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. [2 Cor. 3:18]
[Jesus Christ] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. [Phil. 3:21]
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. [Col. 3:4]
Scripture discloses that at the coming of Christ we will be glorified in body and soul. “We shall be like him.” The Bible nowhere states that we shall be equal to Christ. Instead it tells us that we shall be conformed to the likeness of the Son of God. We share his immortality. However, Christ has the preeminence, for the Son of God is “the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom. 8:29). Believers will surround the throne of God and the Lamb. “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4).[10]
2. The author calls his readers dear friends (agapētoi, ‘beloved’) because those who are loved by the Father are loved by the apostle also. He then moves on from the reiteration now are we children of God (whether the world recognizes us or not) to a consideration of what we will be, for ‘we look … for an inheritance in virtue of that sonship’ (Alford). At first he frankly admits that he does not know the precise character of this inheritance. What we are does not now appear to the world; what we shall be does not yet appear to us. It is important to note this apostolic confession of ignorance. His earlier statement that the ‘anointing teaches you about all things’ (2:27) is not to be pressed literally. The Christian is not omniscient. The New Testament apostles, like the Old Testament prophets, knew what it had been God’s purpose to disclose to them, and no more (cf. Deut. 3:24; 1 Cor. 13:8–12). So here John confesses that the exact state and condition of the redeemed in heaven had not been revealed to him. This being so, it is idle and sinful to speculate or to pry into things which God has not been pleased to make known. Indeed, it is implied, it will appear only when he will appear. The two revelations, of Christ and of our final state, will be made simultaneously. For then we shall ‘share in his glory’ (Rom. 8:17; cf. Col. 3:4).
This does not mean, however, that we know nothing about our future state. We do know this, that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. The sequence is clear. First, he will appear; in consequence, we will see him as he is; and so we shall be like him. (For references to ‘seeing’ God or Christ in heaven cf. Matt. 5:8; John 17:24; 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:8; Rev. 1:7; 22:4). Already the image of God, marred by the fall, has been stamped upon us again. The new nature, which we assumed at our conversion, was ‘created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’ (Eph. 4:24; cf. Col. 3:10). And since that day, in fulfilment of God’s predestinating purpose that we should be ‘conformed to the likeness of his Son’ (Rom. 8:29), the Holy Spirit has been transfiguring us ‘into his likeness with ever-increasing glory’ (2 Cor. 3:18; cf. 1 John 2:6). In this latter passage the transformation is said to be due to the fact that ‘with unveiled faces’ we ‘all reflect the Lord’s glory’. This being so, it is understandable that when we see him as he is, and not our face only but his too will be unveiled, we will be finally and completely like him, including our bodies (Phil. 3:21; cf. 1 Cor. 15:49). ‘Vision becomes assimilation’ (Law). This is all John knows about our final, heavenly state. Paul concentrates in his letters on the truth that in heaven we shall be ‘with Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:17; cf. Luke 23:43; John 14:3; 17:24). It is enough for us to know that on the last day and through eternity we shall be both with Christ and like Christ; for the fuller revelation of what we are going to be we are content to wait.[11]
2. Now are we the sons of God. He comes now to what every one knows and feels himself; for though the ungodly may not entice us to give up our hope, yet our present condition is very short of the glory of God’s children; for as to our body we are dust and a shadow, and death is always before our eyes; we are also subject to thousand miseries, and the soul is exposed to innumerable evils; so that we find always a hell within us. The more necessary it is that all our thoughts should be withdrawn from the present view of things, lest the miseries by which we are on every side surrounded and almost overwhelmed, should shake our faith in that felicity which as yet lies hid. For the Apostle’s meaning is this, that we act very foolishly when we estimate what God has bestowed on us according to the present state of things, but that we ought with undoubting faith to hold to that which does not yet appear.
But we know that when he shall appear. The conditional particle ought to be rendered as an adverb of time, when. But the verb appear means not the same thing as when he used it before. The Apostle has just said, it does not yet appear what we shall be, because the fruit of our adoption is as yet hid, for in heaven is our felicity, and we are now far away travelling on the earth; for this fading life, constantly exposed to hundred deaths, is far different from that eternal life which belongs to the children of God; for being enclosed as slaves in the prison of our flesh, we are far distant from the full sovereignty of heaven and earth. But the verb now refers to Christ, when he shall appear; for he teaches the same thing with Paul, in Col. 3:3, 4, where he says, “Your life is hid with Christ in God: when Christ, who is your life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” For our faith cannot stand otherwise than by looking to the coming of Christ. The reason why God defers the manifestation of our glory is this, because Christ is not manifested in the power of his kingdom. This, then, is the only way of sustaining our faith, so that we may wait patiently for the life promised to us. As soon as any one turns away the least from Christ, he must necessarily fail.
The word to know, shews the certainty of faith, in order to distinguish it from opinion. Neither simple nor universal knowledge is here intended, but that which every one ought to have for himself, so that he may feel assured that he will be sometime like Christ. Though, then, the manifestation of our glory is connected with the coming of Christ, yet our knowledge of this is well founded.
We shall be like him. He does not understand that we shall be equal to him; for there must be some difference between the head and the members; but we shall be like him, because he will make our vile body conformable to his glorious body, as Paul also teaches us in Phil. 3:21. For the Apostle intended shortly to shew that the final end of our adoption is, that what has in order preceded in Christ, shall at length be completed in us.
The reason that is added may, however, seem inappropriate: for if to see Christ makes us like him, we shall have this in common with the wicked, for they shall also see his glory. To this I reply, that this is to see him as a friend, which will not be the case with the wicked, for they will dread his presence; nay, they will shun God’s presence, and be filled with terror; his glory will so dazzle their eyes, that they will be stupified and confounded. For we see that Adam, conscious of having done wrong, dreaded the presence of God. And God declared this by Moses, as a general truth as to men, “No man shall see me and live.” (Exod. 33:20.) For how can it be otherwise but that God’s majesty, as a consuming fire, will consume us as though we were stubble, so great is the weakness of our flesh. But as far as the image of God is renewed in us, we have eyes prepared to see God. And now, indeed, God begins to renew in us his own image, but in what a small measure! Except then we be stripped of all the corruption of the flesh, we shall not be able to behold God face to face.
And this is also expressed here, as he is. He does not, indeed, say, that there is no seeing of God now; but as Paul says, “We see now through a glass, darkly.” (1 Cor. 13:12.) But he elsewhere makes a difference between this way of living, and the seeing of the eye. In short, God now presents himself to be seen by us, not such as he is, but such as we can comprehend. Thus is fulfilled what is said by Moses, that we see only as it were his back, (Exod. 33:23;) for there is too much brightness in his face.
We must further observe, that the manner which the Apostle mentions is taken from the effect, not from the cause; for he does not teach us, that we shall be like him, because we shall see him; but he hence proves that we shall be partakers of the divine glory, for except our nature were spiritual, and endued with a heavenly and blessed immortality, it could never come so nigh to God: yet the perfection of glory will not be so great in us, that our seeing will enable us to comprehend all that God is; for the distance between us and him will be even then very great.
But when the Apostle says, that we shall see him as he is, he intimates a new and an ineffable manner of seeing him, which we enjoy not now; for as long as we walk by faith, as Paul teaches us, we are absent from him. And when he appeared to the fathers, it was not in his own essence, but was ever seen under symbols. Hence the majesty of God, now hid, will then only be in itself seen, when the veil of this mortal and corruptible nature shall be removed.
Refined questions I pass by: for we see how Augustine tormented himself with these, and yet never succeeded, both in his Epistles to Paulus and Fortunatus, and in his City of God, (2:2,) and in other places. What he says, however, is worthy of being observed, that the way in which we live avails more in this inquiry than the way in which we speak, and that we must beware, lest by wrangling as to the manner in which God can be seen, we lose that peace and holiness without which no one shall see him.[12]
2. I beg to detain the Reader at this verse also, just to observe a little of the blessedness of it. Now are we the sons of God. Yes! For though carrying about with us a body of sin and death, as we do, yet, by regeneration, being quickened in our spiritual part, we are made partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Pet. 1:4. Hence, therefore, we are now, to all intents and purposes, sons of God. But of the glory, yea, that eternal glory, to which we are begotten and called by Christ Jesus, there are no images or similitudes with which we are acquainted here below, by which we can explain it. Nay, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of men to conceive, of the nature or extent of that glory which shall be revealed. But this we know, that amidst all that want of conformity we now have to the person and image of our Lord, there will be then a likeness, for we shall see him as he is. See 2 Cor. 3:18.
Reader! do pause over this most precious Scripture, for it is indeed most precious. When the holiest child of God takes a view of himself, and dissects the anatomy of his own heart, what an humbling prospect is before him? And when he contemplates the life of Him, of whom it is said, he was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; what a striking dissimilarity instantly appears between the Head and the body? And when, under these humbling circumstances, the heart goeth forth sometimes, as it must go in distresses at the view, is it possible the child of God will say, as the question ariseth in the heart, that where there is so little conformity, yea, so much opposition, there ever will be a likeness and agreement? Reader! when questions of these, and the like nature, arise in the soul, I know no part of scripture more sweet and consolatory to silence fears, and strengthen faith and hope, than this very blessed verse of our God. And, indeed, I cannot but suppose, that God the Holy Ghost, plainly, and evidently designed it for the comfort of the Lord’s people, in whose soul a saving change hath been wrought by regeneration, for their constant support under such exercises. A few plain observations on this point will set the matter abundantly clear.
And, first. When Christ betrothed the Church to himself, he saw her in all that loveliness and beauty in which his Father presented her to him. For, as the King’s daughter, she was, (in the mind of Jehovah,) all glorious within. And she is said to have been brought to the King in raiment of needle work. Psm. 45:13, 14.
Secondly. When in the after-state in which Jesus saw her in the Adam-nature of her fall, as a loving Husband, Jesus could not but love her the same, and, indeed, he came purposely to raise her up. For it is both his delight and his glory, to sanctify and cleanse her with his blood, that he might present her to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but to be holy, and without blemish. Ephes. 5:26, 27.
Thirdly. Jesus knows and considers, in the mean time, all that loathsomeness, by reason of sin, in which she is during the present time-state of her being. He hath redeemed her from the everlasting evil of it by his blood. And, in testimony of it, he hath renewed her spiritual part by his Holy Spirit. And by his own resurrection from the dead, he hath given her an earnest, and pledge, that as he arose, so shall she arise at the last day. For he will change her vile body, that it shall be like to his glorious body. But, during the present state, she shall learn, by the daily workings of sin, in a corrupt and fallen nature, how great the departure of her Adam-state hath been, and how great his love is in redeeming her out of it. By both which, the grave shall become welcome, and Christ shall be exalted in her view, and more and more endeared every day of her life to her heart.
Fourthly. Jesus watches over his Church for good, and keeps her night and day, lest any hurt her. And how offensive soever she is to herself, by reason of her present unlikeness to her Lord, Jesus still loaths not her person, though he hates her sins. She is part of himself. And no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it, and cherisheth it, even as Christ the Church. Ephes. 5:29. He knows the hour is coming when he will take her home, and neither sin, nor sorrow, nor the leprosy of sin, or uncleanness, shall beset her any more for ever.
Reader! what think you of the love of God the Holy Ghost, in giving this sweet verse to the Church? First, to tell the Church, and every individual of the Church, that amidst all that passeth, in the daily course of their warfare, to distress the soul, from the in-workings, and out-breakings of the body of sin, still the adoption character and sonship is not lost? Beloved! now are we the sons of God! And, secondly, notwithstanding the great unlikeness there is, too often at present, by reason of this sinful body of ours, between Christ our holy Head, and we his unholy members; yet the time is hastening when this unholiness of ours, will all be done away. For we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. These bodies of ours, which at death, are sown in dishonor, will be raised in glory. I shall behold thy face in righteousness, (said one of old, and every regenerated child of God may say the same,) I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness! Psm. 17:15 .[13]
3:2 / The emphasis in v. 2 falls on the temporal dimension, i.e., on now and not yet. The author has just forcefully affirmed that he and his readers are children of God (3:1); that is what they are now, in reality, at the present moment. What their future identity will be (lit., “what we shall be”) has not yet been made known. Paul says that “the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed” (Rom. 8:19), and that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). While there is much about our existence in God’s future of which we are and will remain ignorant until the right time comes, we can know something about it, namely, that we will continue on our present trajectory of becoming like Christ (cf. Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; Phil. 3:21): we shall be like him. Still children of God, we shall become more like “the One and Only” (John 1:14, 18) Son of God. The image of God lost in creation will be restored in Christ as we become like him, the New Man and New Adam (cf. Col. 3:10; 1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:14).
This will happen when he appears (phanerōthē). Phaneroō is used in the letters of John to describe both the first (1:2; 3:5, 8; cf. John 1:31;) and second coming of Jesus (2:28; 3:2). The letters of John, written later in the first century than the Gospel (see the Introduction) and after the schism which has brought the “antichrist” to light (in the group of the secessionists; 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7), reflect a more vivid awareness of the return of Jesus; they have, compared to the Fourth Gospel, a heightened eschatology (2:18, 28; 3:2–3; 4:17). The Gospel of John, though unique in its strong emphasis on “realized eschatology,” has a place for a genuinely futuristic eschatology as well (cf. 5:28–29; 14:3).
The writer and his community expectantly look forward to the coming of Jesus (2:28). They believe that when he appears, they will be transformed to become like Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:51–52) and that this change will occur, at least in part, because we shall see him as he is. To see, to gaze upon, and to meditate upon what one sees is to move in the direction of becoming like that which preoccupies one’s attention. There will be a transforming vision at the return of Jesus in which believers will be purified of all that still separates them from complete likeness to Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18).[14]
2 The fact that we are now children of God has been thoroughly established, but the author repeats it once again in order to place it in contrast with what he is going to say about the Christian’s future hope. More precisely, the contrast is between the known and the unknown, but our knowledge of our present state enables us to say that our future state will be something even more wonderful. Now we are sons of God: but an even higher status awaits us in the future. Already we have some inkling of what the Christian life is like, and so we can dimly guess at the future state. One is reminded of a similar type of argument propounded by Charles Wesley:
And if our fellowship below
In Jesus be so sweet,
What heights of rapture shall we know
When round His throne we meet.
And Paul also cites the words: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). For the moment, however, we live in the period of “not yet,” and we must await a fuller revelation of our intended status.
But although we await this revelation, we can nevertheless have a good idea of what our future state will be. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him. At the parousia (2:28), we shall become like Jesus. This, of course, is what we already are: we are children of God, we live in the light, and we are free from sin. John does not state explicitly in what new ways we shall be like Jesus at the parousia. But we may assume that the privileges which we now enjoy in a partial manner will then be ours fully and completely. Not only so, but we may also recollect that our hope is to see Jesus in his glory (Jn. 17:1, 5, 24) and therefore our hope is to share his glory, a hope that is clearly expressed by Paul (Rom. 8:17–19; Phil. 3:21; Col. 3:4). The process of glorification, already begun here and now in the lives of believers (2 Cor. 3:18), will reach completion. John states finally that this transformation will take place because we shall see him as he is. The thought is that the effect of seeing Jesus is to make us like him, just as a mirror reflects the image of the person in front of it: “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).[15]
2 Many commentators have been struck by the language here, for at first glance it seems more Pauline than Johannine. Paul frequently speaks of the believer’s transformation at the second coming (1 Co 13:12; 15:35–53; Php 3:20–21; 1 Th 4:13–17), but the fourth gospel stresses that Christians have already been reborn to eternal life (Jn 1:13; 3:3–8; 5:24–26; 6:53–57; 14:23). Indeed, the Johannine Jesus has almost nothing to say about his return except that he will come to his disciples in the form of the Paraclete (cf. Jn 14:18–23 with Mk 13 and Mt 24–25). Rensberger, 89, therefore concludes that 1 John 3:2 is “closer to non-Johannine forms of early Christian eschatology” than to the fourth gospel (cf. Barker, 330–31; Marshall, 171–73; Johnson, 68). Going a step further, Stott, 119, attempts to harmonize John’s position with Paul’s, positing a threefold sequence of events: “he will appear; we shall see him as he really is; we shall be like him.” But the order of the two slogans at 3:2 suggests that John has not shifted from the realized eschatology of the fourth gospel. Contra Stott’s outline, John actually says that believers “shall be like him” before referring to their vision of Jesus. Believers will not be like Jesus because they will see him; rather, believers will see Jesus because they have been like him. As God’s children, true Christians are already “like him,” and Christ’s appearing will only confirm this established fact. Rather than shifting from the “realized eschatology” of the fourth gospel, then, 3:2 asserts that the second coming will only clarify what believers already know to be true about God and themselves.[16]
Hope Is Fulfilled by Christlikeness
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (3:2)
Heaven is attractive for believers because there they will not only see the Lord Jesus Christ, but will become like Him. Concerning that dramatic and eternal change, the apostle Paul wrote:
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Cor. 15:49–53)
Even though all who exercise saving faith in the person and work of Christ now … are children of God (cf. Rom. 8:14–18), it has not appeared as yet what they will be when they experience what Paul called “the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (8:21). It is then that “the Lord Jesus Christ … will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20–21; cf. cf. Ps. 73:24; Rom. 9:23; 1 Cor. 15:42–49; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 2:14; 2 Tim. 2:10). As a result, believers will be like Him, because they will see Him just as He is. God has promised to bring about such a climactic transformation because “those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). That transformation will make the redeemed perfectly holy and righteous, with a pure capacity to worship and glorify God in a totally satisfying, joyful, undiminished fashion forever (cf. Rev. 5:11–14).
It has been rightly said that imitation is the highest form of praise, and this transformation will be a supreme tribute to Jesus Christ—that He is the Chief One, the prototokos, among many who are made like Him. Those whom the Father has elected to salvation through the Son will be made like the Son, conformed to the image of Christ. He will be the first among His elect and redeemed humanity who will join with the holy angels to praise and glorify His name, reflect His goodness, and proclaim His greatness, as they worship Him endlessly.[17]
[1] Yarbrough, R. W. (2017). 1 John. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (p. 1996). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Jn 3:2). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2433). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[7] Hodges, Z. C. (2010). The First Epistle of John. In R. N. Wilkin (Ed.), The Grace New Testament Commentary (pp. 1205–1206). Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society.
[14] Johnson, T. F. (2011). 1, 2, and 3 John (pp. 68–69). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[15] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Epistles of John (pp. 171–173). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
[16] Thatcher, T. (2006). 1 John. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 458–459). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[17] MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 116–117). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Surely the wrath of man shall raise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. (Psalm 76:10)
Wicked men will be wrathful. Their anger we must endure as the badge of our calling, the token of our separation from them: if we were of the world, the world would love its own. Our comfort is that the wrath of man shall be made to redound to the glory of God. When in their wrath the wicked crucified the Son of God they were unwittingly fulfilling the divine purpose, and in a thousand cases the willfulness of the ungodly is doing the same. They think themselves free, but like convicts in chains they are unconsciously working out the decrees of the Almighty.
The devices of the wicked are overruled for their defeat. They act in a suicidal way and baffle their own plottings. Nothing will come of their wrath which can do us real harm. When they burned the martyrs, the smoke which blew from the stake sickened men of popery more than anything else.
Meanwhile, the Lord has a muzzle and a chain for bears. He restrains the more furious wrath of the enemy. He is like a miller who holds back the mass of the water in the stream, and what He does allow to flow He uses for the turning of His wheel. Let us not sigh, but sing. All is well, however hard the wind blows.
You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. – Leviticus 20:24
Scripture reading: Leviticus 20:22-26
There are many references in the Old Testament to the land “flowing with milk and honey.” This is an agricultural metaphor picturing the abundant fertility and richness of the land of Canaan. This was the Promised Land, the inheritance, which God promised His people.
God saves His people not only from something, but also to something. When He rescued His people from the life of slavery in Egypt, He did not leave them in the wilderness. He brought His people into the land flowing with milk and honey. It is a picture of Eden. It also points to the reality of the new creation to come. They had a taste of it in the wilderness. The manna tasted “like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31).
In Jesus our Saviour, Who died and rose again from the dead, you also have a taste of it! If you trust in Christ, He has saved you from your old life and brought you into the promise of a new creation! This shapes how we live out our faith today. How so? Your life of faith is no longer to be shaped by the world and its futile ways. It is now shaped by the glorious promise of the new creation to come. You no longer belong to the nations. You belong to God. “I am the LORD your God.” How are His promises (“You shall inherit . . . I will give”) encouraging you in your journey of faith toward the promised land?
Suggestions for prayer
In light of many temptations and distractions, ask God to help us to keep our focus on the inheritance to come. May we faithfully serve Christ all our days.
Rev. Tony Zekveld currently serves as missionary-pastor in the Hope Congregation in East Brampton, Ontario, sent by Covenant Christian Church (URCNA) of Wyoming, Ontario. Rev. Zekveld and his wife, Arley-Ann, have five children and, so far, eight grandchildren. This daily devotional is also available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional.
Sometimes it’s difficult to represent Jesus in a culture that disagrees with His moral teaching. But are there real, practical advantages to being a Christian, even though it can be challenging at times? Are there reasons to celebrate a Christian worldview? J. Warner answers this question in a clip from his appearance on the Stand to Reason Radio Show.
For more information about the impact Jesus and His followers had on science, read Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible. This unique and innovative book makes a case for the historicity and Deity of Jesus from history alone, without relying on the New Testament manuscripts. It contains over 400 illustrations and is accompanied by a ten-session Person of Interest DVD Set (and Investigator’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
“To cherish and stimulate the activity of the human mind, by multiplying the objects of enterprise, is not among the least considerable of the expedients, by which the wealth of a nation may be promoted.” —Alexander Hamilton (1791)
Democrat giveaways are still exacerbating unemployment, but the tide is finally turning.
Nate Jackson
The U.S. economy created a robust 943,000 jobs in July, the best total since last August. In completely unrelated news, enhanced unemployment benefits ended in many states and will for all states in September, and until the last minute most tenants were operating under the presumption that they’d actually have to start paying rent or face eviction. We kid about this being unrelated, of course. These are the reasons people are finally going back to work. They have to.
President Joe Biden was happy to claim credit for the jobs report. “More than 4 million jobs created since we took office,” he posted on social media. “It’s historic — and proof our economic plan is working.”
What’s Biden’s plan? To spend the nation into oblivion, exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to enact much of the radical Left’s agenda items.
Want a $15 an hour minimum wage but can’t get Congress to pass it? “Enhance” unemployment benefits to equal or exceed $15 an hour, and then extend those benefits for months after lockdowns were lifted. People won’t go back to work for a long time, and when they finally do they won’t accept less than $15 an hour. Boom. Policy achieved.
Just don’t mind the rampant inflation caused by supply chain issues resulting from a lack of workers, followed by the higher costs businesses face (and pass on to customers) just to employ the workers they can actually find. Oh, and that inflation is chewing up real wage gains.
Want to create a new entitlement? Illegally extend an eviction moratorium and pay people to not pay their rent. It’s equivalent to expanding public housing.
Want to create universal basic income by default? Send “emergency” Biden bucks to most Americans nearly a year after the emergency. And then send parents with dependents default monthly checks that advance the child tax credit (which will reduce refunds or result in tax bills come filing time, but don’t mind that just yet). For those who don’t want this money now, opting out is a huge pain. And the Democrats’ budget reconciliation bill makes this “temporary” program permanent.
Want to forgive student loans? Soften the beaches by extending forbearance through January. Congress did this in March 2020 to alleviate the burden for borrowers losing jobs to government-imposed lockdowns. Is this still justifiable? Not according to the Wall Street Journal editorial board, which notes, “The unemployment rate among bachelor’s degree recipients was 3.1% in July.”
Never mind that. Biden just made it so that forbearance will drag on for nearly two years. Next up: Total loan forgiveness, just as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren wanted. Who won the Democrat presidential primary again?
We’ll close with another important point. President Donald Trump’s policies resulted in soaring jobs numbers for minorities, especially blacks. Under Joe “You Ain’t Black” Biden? Not so much. Among all demographic groups, blacks were the only ones who saw a decline in labor force participation in July. Is this the “equity” he keeps talking about? Or is this what “systemic racism” looks like?
The strategy seems to be overwhelming the system on the way to fundamental transformation.
Arnold Ahlert
“Currently, two million illegal aliens are scheduled to cross the southern border in the next year — with legal impunity, but without vaccinations, or COVID-19 tests, or lectures from Washington.” —Victor Davis Hanson
In 1966, Columbia University sociologists Richard Andrew Cloward and Frances Fox Piven formulated the Cloward-Piven Strategy. It was a plan designed to overload the welfare state bureaucracy with demands that were impossible to meet, thereby precipitating crisis and the ultimate collapse of our society and its capitalist system.
Nothing epitomizes this effort better than a Biden administration that has willfully and effectively eliminated the nation’s southwest border.
As Hanson notes, two million illegal aliens, many of whom are infected with COVID-19, are pouring across the border. For perspective, there are only four cities in the entire nation with populations in excess of two million — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston. In 2008, former President Barack Obama expressed his intention to fundamentally transform the United States of America. In May of 2020, Joe Biden also promised to “fundamentally transform the country” — using the pandemic as his vehicle for doing so.
The willfully orchestrated chaos at the border is that transformation — on steroids.
Yet it gets even more reprehensible: “Despite their so-called commitment to transparency, the Biden administration continues to hide how they are dealing with record numbers of illegal aliens crossing our border,” the immigrationreform.com website reveals. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun flying unaccompanied alien minors (UAC) and family units to cities across the United States under the cover of night.”
Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, is being used as a distribution hub for this insult to the American taxpayer. Fox News host Tucker Carlson obtained emails from a whistleblower revealing instructions from base commander Lt. Col. Matthew Burrows not to divulge the Air Force’s collaboration.
In Texas itself? McAllen’s Republican Mayor Javier Villalobos recently issued a Declaration of Local Disaster. Days later, its municipal government revealed there have been more than 7,000 confirmed COVID-19-positive immigrants released into the city of 143,268 residents by CBP since mid-February — including more than 1,500 new cases in just the past seven days.
Thus, while the Biden administration is contemplating nationwide mask and vaccine mandates — when they’re not busy coercing their equally contemptible allies in business, local and state governments, and academia to do the same — a damning reality cannot be denied: The Biden administration itself may be the foremost super-spreader of COVID-19 in the entire nation.
And not just COVID. Despite a record-setting 92,183 drug overdose deaths in 2020 — the “primary driver” of which was fentanyl, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency — from January to April 2021, border officials seized nearly 2,400 more pounds of fentanyl than during the same period in 2020. Thus, the same administration facilitating the spread of COVID-19 is equally committed to making 2021 a banner year for Mexican drug cartels and their drug-making Chinese allies by flooding the nation with narcotics and turning an additional tens of thousands of Americans into drug addicts.
Americans should be clear about what’s happening here. Despite record-breaking numbers of illegals crossing the border, House “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) stated last month that America “must eliminate funding for” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), “and their parent organization DHS.” And despite the current onslaught, the Biden administration has left funding unchanged for ICE and CPB, even as ICE has admitted its agents are “overwhelmed,” as illegals are getting past them at the border without any interdiction whatsoever.
In short, the Biden administration has precipitated the subterfuge of effectively neutering the nation’s border control and enforcement agencies, while avoiding the political blowback that would arise from completely eliminating them.
It doesn’t get more “transformational” than that.
The seeds of this undertaking have been sown for years. In 2013, the Associated Press dropped the term “illegal immigrant” from its news coverage. Others soon followed suit, and now the majority of the media use terms like “undocumented immigrant” or “migrant” to describe illegals. States have given illegals driver’s licenses, in state-college tuition reductions, and in the city of San Francisco illegal aliens are allowed to vote in school board elections. Hundreds upon hundreds of sanctuary cities, counties, and states, all in open defiance of federal immigration law, protect illegals — even felons — with impunity.
Moreover, when Texas, which is bearing the lion’s share of the onslaught, tried to stop vehicles carrying illegals on the grounds they may spread COVID-19, the administration sued the state to prevent that from happening. In an Orwellian twist, feckless Attorney General Merrick Garland asserted the state was attempting to usurp the federal government’s responsibility to enforce immigration laws. To date, no one has asked Garland or anyone else in the administration how abetting the transport of illegals who might be infected with COVID-19 constitutes the enforcement of immigration law.
That’s because it doesn’t, and an administration constitutionally required to defend America “against all enemies foreign and domestic” is actively seeking to undermine the federal government’s most essential reason for existence.
In short, Cloward-Piven is alive and well.
The reason for this orchestrated invasion is the same reason that animates every Democrat Party policy: The acquisition and maintenance of power by any means necessary. In addition to open borders, soaring inflation, and policies such as defunding the police, making America energy dependent again, and the force-feeding of the transgender agenda and Critical Race Theory to children by the Democrats’ school union allies — unions who are now indicating that schools might not open again this year — are becoming increasingly untenable for a majority of American electorate.
Could importing millions of illegals — and simultaneously tying the so-called “infrastructure” package to mass amnesty for illegal aliens via budget reconciliation — be the solution to their potential problems in 2022? Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said in a statement that the transportation of migrants taking place in that state is occurring in “the dead of night without the knowledge or permission of the communities involved.”
Why the subterfuge? And what about states’ rights, especially when they’ve become what amounts to administration dumping grounds for illegals who not only don’t belong there but might be exacerbating the spread of the pandemic?
In 1993, Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the term “defining deviancy down.” Welcoming an illegal population nearly the size of Houston into the nation in a single year — amidst a pandemic the same administration insists is intensifying — is the epitome of deviancy, courtesy of an administration fully embracing the Cloward-Piven Strategy.
The Big Tech company announced a new update to its iPhones that will scan for child pornography and alert authorities.
Thomas Gallatin
As the adage goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But with the latest news out of Apple Inc., even those “good intentions” seem dubious. Apple has announced a plan to update all iPhones and iPads to install new device-scanning technology in an effort to find those housing child pornography. We can all agree we hate such images and abuse, but is this the right step for Apple?
Apple explained, “This innovative new technology allows Apple to provide valuable and actionable information to [the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children] and law enforcement regarding the proliferation of [child sexual abuse material].” Apple justified this unprecedented violation of costumers’ privacy rights by claiming that its new technology “does so while providing significant privacy benefits over existing techniques since Apple only learns about users’ photos if they have a collection of known CSAM in their iCloud Photos account.” Moreover, the Silicon Valley giant insists, “Even in these cases, Apple only learns about images that match known CSAM.” In other words, It’s okay because Apple will only scan bad stuff.
Yet this is the same company that refused back in 2015 to unlock the iPhones of the San Bernardino terrorists for the FBI. Apple’s contention at the time was to prevent the federal government from gaining “backdoor” technology for all iPhones, arguing, “We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack.”
But Apple will now be doing the feds’ work for them, and evidently gone are any concerns over potential government abuse. Making this even more troubling is the fact that Apple is proactively engaging in scanning all of its customers’ photos with no need of a warrant or even suspicion of criminal activity to do so. In spirit if not in law, this represents a serious violation of Fourth Amendment protections. Apple may dodge this challenge by hiding behind its status as a private company.
What’s to stop Apple from expanding this device surveillance technology to include other “objectionable” material such as “hate speech” or “misinformation”? As India McKinney and Erica Portnoy of the Electronic Frontier Foundation pointedly observed: “All it would take to widen the narrow backdoor that Apple is building is an expansion of the machine learning parameters to look for additional types of content, or a tweak of the configuration flags to scan. … That’s not a slippery slope; that’s a fully built system just waiting for external pressure to make the slightest change.”
To put it bluntly, Apple has taken the next big step in building the infrastructure necessary for the establishment of a surveillance state. John Hopkins University cryptography professor Matthew Green warns: “This sort of tool can be a boon for finding child pornography in people’s phones. But imagine what it could do in the hands of an authoritarian government?”
Big Tech continues to enforce its anti-science ban on inconvenient biological facts.
Douglas Andrews
There was a time, not long ago, when those on the Left revered science — indeed, when they worshiped science and (unjustifiably) used it as a cudgel against those of us on the Right.
Those days are long gone. Today that field is utterly barren, having been scorched and salted over by their own zealous denial of abortion as murder, their mutilation of the age-old term marriage, and now by their bizarre insistence that men are actually women.
Talk about low ground. Talk about terrible turf to defend. It’s no wonder they’re desperate to silence us.
Such was the case this weekend, when radio host and former RedState editor-in-chief Erick Erickson reported that his Twitter account had been suspended for a tweet in which he rose to the defense of fellow conservative truth-teller Allie Beth Stuckey and correctly described New Zealand “transgender” weightlifter Laurel Hubbard as a man.
Stuckey was sent to Twitter jail for having tweeted: “Laurel Hubbard failing at the event doesn’t make his inclusion fair. He’s still a man, and men shouldn’t compete with women in weightlifting.”
Erickson’s follow-up tweet read: “This is absurd. Laurel Hubbard is a man even if Twitter doesn’t like it.” Twitter termed this a violation of its “rules against hateful conduct” and promptly put Erickson behind bars, too.
For what it’s worth, Twitter’s “hateful-conduct policy” prohibits tweets that “promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.”
The Twitter speech silencers let Stuckey out of jail 12 hours later, but she was unrepentant. “Remember,” she soon tweeted, “you can threaten, dox, harass, post porn, spread Chinese propaganda and tweet as a member of a terrorist regime here on Twitter, but you cannot call a man, ‘he,’ because that is ‘promoting violence.’”
Erickson, too, took issue with his suspension, noting that he didn’t promote violence or threaten or harass anyone. “I didn’t even tag Laurel Hubbard in my tweet,” he said. “I just stated the simple fact that Laurel Hubbard is a man. It is a statement of basic biological fact that Twitter and the Wokes oppose.”
Twitter will likely force Erickson to delete his original tweet in order to have his suspension lifted, and, he says, he’ll likely do so. Such is the power of the Left’s Big Tech speech suppressors.
As for Stuckey, she wasn’t quite finished. She soon issued the following statement:
I believe Laurel Hubbard is made in the image of God and therefore has immense value. But I will not give an inch to the delusion that a man can become a woman or vice versa. I’m for fairness, safety, and the rights of women and girls. That means we must recognize biological differences and, as the left likes to say so often, “follow the science.”
And can there be any greater disavowal of science than the intentional mislabeling of a male as a female?
As a result of increased politicization, fewer Americans trust our healthcare system.
Robin Smith
Many who run for office are identified with their partisan moorings. We see Joseph Biden (D) on the election ballot or read about Ronald Reagan (R) in the history books. In NASCAR, drivers affix decals and logos to their cars to identify their sponsors. These identifiers assist voters and fans with information and show us where these leaders and sportsmen stand. But will it now be necessary for physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities and caregivers to do the same thing by disclosing their political party or ideologies?
Science, like justice, should be blind and without bias by its very nature, yet America’s healthcare system now suffers from “woke” influences and politics over science and actual patient health.
For the last 18 years, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, grade school teachers, and police officers ranked within the top 50% of most ethical professions in America as surveyed by Gallup Research, yet the trust in healthcare as a system and sector of our economy is beginning to wane.
An April 2018 analysis in Medical Economics entitled “The Eroding Trust Between Patients and Physicians” puts the finest of points on the issue: “Healthcare systems, insurers and professional organizations like the American Medical Association have all been accused of acting out of self-interest, rather than in the best interest of patients.” In a March 2019 Modern Healthcare article, a Gallup finding was discussed showing in 2018, only 34% of the public surveyed held a positive view of the healthcare industry in contrast to 80% in 1975. From the above Medical Economics article, “We have learned in our exploration of trust that there are multiple drivers of low trust in healthcare, from the growth of competing and contradictory sources of information to conflicts of interest and lack of disclosure.”
“Competing and contradictory sources of information” is a phrase that could sadly sum up the COVID response from 2019 to date. Key institutions like the CDC are yielding their guidance based on political pressure rather than actual data, proven by emails about reopening public schools between the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control, a powerful teachers union, and the Biden White House. Instead of a decision made based on science, the guidance was developed by a union boss and her team of Democrats.
Remember, too, that then-candidate Joe Biden angrily warned Americans that President Donald Trump was lying in September 2020 about a vaccine being only weeks away. Ironically, Trump responded by accusing Biden of spreading “anti-vaccine rhetoric” since the 45th president will be credited in history for contributing to the greatest innovation during this crisis by restructuring medical research to create a vaccine on a war-time schedule.
The media has completely forgotten that, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’s declaration when asked about the vaccine in October 2020, “But if Donald Trump tells us that we should take it, I’m not taking it.”
Politics has definitely infected medical decisions and the public discourse involving medicines and masks, but what about other issues beyond the coronavirus? The American Medical Association board of trustees released a stance in June this year that leaves no doubt. “Existing AMA policy recognizes that every individual has the right to determine their gender identity and sex designation on government documents. To protect individual privacy and to prevent discrimination, U.S. jurisdictions should remove sex designation on the birth certificate.”
The very group touting its representation of America’s physicians abandoned credibility by ignoring chromosomal, hormonal, and biological science to assume the social justice high ground.
Shamefully, medicine and healthcare have now fallen to politics, and it may be time for physicians, healthcare systems, hospitals, and other decision-makers in the healthcare space to reveal their sponsoring ideologies.
Here are a few athletes who deserve the attention the agitators stole from them.
Emmy Griffin
The Summer Olympic Games came to a close yesterday. The showcasing of amazing athletes was somewhat overshadowed in the mainstream media by the disrespectful spectacle of American athletes who chose to dishonor the flag and the national anthem at this worldwide event.
Here are a few athletes who deserve the attention the agitators stole from them.
Tamyra Mensah-Stock won the Olympic gold in wrestling. She was the second American and the first woman of color to garner this achievement. In a post-match interview, she was all joy. She gave credit to God and her coaches for the win. When an interviewer asked how she felt about representing the U.S. and winning the gold, she replied: “I love representing the U.S. I freakin’ love living there. I love it, and I’m so happy I get to represent USA!”
Political analyst Gary Bauer puts the feelings of national pride in this amazing lady perfectly: “I would give Tamyra 10 gold medals if I could. What she accomplished for herself is historic. The way she lifted the spirits of all patriotic Americans is priceless!”
In the 400 meter hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin made history by breaking not only the Olympic record but the world record — a world record she had previously set. She gave honor and glory to Christ and her country. She also honored her teammate, Dalilah Muhammed, for being the “iron that sharpens iron.” Muhammed was the previous world record holder and gold medalist in this event; she won silver after McLaughlin in this Olympics. On August 5, McLaughlin wrote this reflection:
“Let me start off by saying, what and honor it is to be able to represent not only my country, but also the kingdom of God. What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don’t have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God. Even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it doesn’t seem possible. He will make a way out of no way. Not for my own gratification, but for His glory. I have never seen God fail in my life. In anyone’s life for that matter. Just because I may not win every race, or receive every one of my heart’s desires, does not mean God had failed. His will is PERFECT. And He has prepared me for a moment such as this. That I may use the gifts He has given me to point all the attention back to Him.”
What an amazing display of humility and patriotism.
U.S. women’s soccer player Carli Lloyd is a four-time Olympian with two gold medals, and now she can add bronze to her collection. She made headlines last Thursday when she didn’t take a knee during the final match against Australia. This is in contrast with the rest of her team, which has made headlines for kneeling in solidarity with Black Lives Matter charlatans. Lloyd has shown real bravery — particularly with the eyes of the world watching. She is a champion with true grit.
This small sampling is just a drop in the bucket of proud American athletes. They are much larger than the small but loud woke minority. So let’s honor these incredible athletes and so many more who aren’t ashamed of their country, anthem, and people. Say their names, if you will.
A majority of Americans think Republicans are right — voter ID laws are a sensible measure for preventing election cheating.
Thomas Gallatin
A recently released Rasmussen poll found that the vast majority of Americans — a reassuring 90% — believe that preventing cheating in elections is an “important” issue. This data would seem to fly in the face of the Democrats’ and Leftmedia’s dubious narrative that the 2020 election was the most secure in American history. For evidence, they point to the litany of lawsuits the courts refused to hear or ruled against.
Evidently for the vast majority of Americans, such claims haven’t assuaged an apparent concern that the nation’s electoral system is ripe for exploitation. Furthermore, the Democrats’ absurd objections to voter ID laws have likewise failed to gain traction among the electorate.
While the majority of voters favor preventing election cheating and believe that some swindling occurred during the 2020 election, the majority of them don’t believe it was significant enough to have changed the election outcome. In short, a majority of voters believe Biden’s election victory was legitimate.
That said, the poll found that 74% of voters view voter ID as a “reasonable measure” for stopping cheating. In fact, 60% of survey respondents agreed that “opponents of requiring a photo ID to vote just want to make it easy to cheat in elections.” Clearly, the Democrats’ disingenuous assertion that support for voter ID laws is support for racism is a claim a majority of Americans aren’t buying.
Election integrity matters, and Republicans insisting on voter ID laws to further secure the vote are clearly standing on the winning side of this argument — at least when it comes to voters. And that’s exactly who matters when it comes to elections.
The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing: Eighteen Republicans join Senate vote pushing “infrastructure” bill closer to passage (Washington Times) | And yet, House Republicans use government-caused inflation as campaign issue (Washington Times)
In six months, enough illegals have crossed the border to create the 10th largest city in the U.S. (Just the News)
Taliban captures three provincial capitals in lightning offensive (Washington Times) | State Department urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan (Axios)
Around the Nation
Andrew Cuomo’s top aide resigns as embattled governor faces multiple sexual misconduct allegations (Fox News)
Hillsong founder charged with concealing late father’s alleged child sex abuse (Not the Bee) | Brian Houston says sex abuse concealment charges are “a shock to me” (Christian Post)
Court awards full custody to James Younger’s mother but requires permission for puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgeries (National Review)
Annals of the “Social Justice” Caliphate
Antifa assaults families and children at Christian prayer event in Portland park (PM)
University of Wisconsin removes rock from campus after declaring it “painful symbol of racism” (Washington Examiner)
“True American”: California firefighter rescues U.S. flag from wildfire (Breitbart)
Other Notables
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz: Iran is 10 weeks from breakout to a nuclear weapon (Jerusalem Post)
Dixie fire becomes largest in California history (The Hill)
Worker wages are rising, but not enough to keep pace with inflation surge (Fox Business)
Closing Arguments
Policy: Emergencies need an expiration date (National Review)
Humor: Obama’s party ruined as mansion sinks into sea thanks to climate change (Babylon Bee)
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Cori Bush’s ‘Defund the Police’ Hypocrisy — Asked if paying $70,000 for security was hypocritical in light of her call to defund the police, the congresswoman doubled down.
Cuomo No Culpa — Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a heartfelt explanation of how some women misinterpreted his dirty talk and groping in the office. No mea culpa here.
Insight: “The general object was to produce a cure for the evils under which the United States labored; that in tracing these evils to their origins, every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy.” —Edmund Randolph (1753-1813)
Upright: “In a world full of inconsistency, it’s such a breath of fresh air to find true stability in Jesus… The peace of knowing I will always have a friend, always have His support, and always have His LOVE, makes even the loneliest of moments feel full. My soul finds rest in knowing He is not like us … and He will never leave me… I don’t have to face it alone. That. Is. Love.” —Olympian Sydney McLaughlin
Observations: “After months of unrelenting violence and lawlessness — and a humanitarian crisis of disease, death, and the systematic abuse of women and children — Washington Democrats’ only response is to change the subject. Their distractions began with an unnecessary $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, months after President Trump’s vaccination program had the virus in retreat. Democrats promised this spending would supercharge the economy. All it did was penalize employment and trigger the worst inflation to hit our economy in decades. The Democrats have continued their distractions with voting rights bills, a January 6 commission, and threats of another COVID lockdown — all while avoiding a very real and dangerous crisis. Democrats and the media have ignored the border crisis this winter and spring, openly hoping that it would ebb by itself in the Mexican summer. Instead, the heat has only made the situation more dangerous.” —former Senator Jim DeMint
For the record: “Do you know how many people have come across the border illegally so far this year? According to the U.S. Customs and Border Control, it’s 1.1 million people — and the numbers are rising every month. … Newsweek put it this way: the number of people who have come to this country illegally so far this year is already large enough to ‘create the tenth largest city in the U.S.’” —Laura Hollis
Dumb and dumber: “The Biden Administration is transporting migrants all over the country, leading some people, including Sen. Rand Paul, to suspect that they are ‘seeding the country with a new variant’ of COVID. And yet the Biden Administration has the audacity to issue a vaccine mandate for foreign travelers legally coming to America.” —Gary Bauer
Exactly: “Resist. They can’t arrest us all. They can’t keep all your kids home from school. They can’t keep every government building closed – although I’ve got a long list of ones they should. We don’t have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and feckless bureaucrats. We can simply say no, not again.” —Senator Rand Paul
Double standards I: “You’re dealing with a sophisticated crowd. I think the concerns were a bit overblown.” —Martha’s Vineyard columnist Richard Taylor on Obama’s birthday crowd
Double standards II: “This is really being overblown. They’re following all the safety precautions. People are going to sporting events that are bigger than this. This is going to be safe. This is a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd.” —New York Times’s Annie Karni
And last… “Joe Biden likes to talk about this pandemic. Well, I’ll tell you what: The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was a super-spreader event because their open border is endangering not just the people of Texas but people all across the country.” —Senator Ted Cruz
Blackouts related to severe weather are increasing in the US In the last six years, blackouts due to extreme weather more than doubled, according to a new study — and the number of blackouts in the Pacific Northwest this summer serve as a prime example.
‘Victory for Palestine is near,’ Iran’s new president tells terror chiefs Freshly inaugurated Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi hosted the leaders of various terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during his first day in office Friday, assuring Iran’s continued support for groups seeking the destruction of Israel.
‘We didn’t expect a monster like this’: Dixie Fire grows to single largest in Calif. history Fueled by strong winds and bone-dry vegetation, the Dixie Fire grew to become the largest single wildfire in state history. Residents of the scenic forestlands of Northern California are facing a weekend of fear as it threatens to reduce thousands of homes to ashes. “We knew we didn’t get enough rainfall and fires could happen, but we didn’t expect a monster like this,” Studebaker said Saturday.
Japan ups the ante against China, plans to deploy nukes near Taiwan next year In a move that is expected to challenge China’s dominance in the South China Sea, Japan has reportedly planned to deploy missile units next year on an island that is merely 300 kilometres off the coast of Taiwan. The move is aimed at countering Beijing’s increasing naval presence in an area that carries a history of military disputes, reported Japanese media, adding that the nukes will also help defend against a potential Chinese attack.
Ron DeSantis Is Defending Freedom By ‘Getting In The Way’ Of COVID Authoritarians There is simply no evidence anywhere in the world that restricting the individual rights of citizens, segregating the unvaccinated from the vaccinated, and forcing people to wear masks all day would have any benefit whatsoever when it comes to stopping a virus. Virtually every “public health” command and edict has come up empty, and these severely damaging policies have made matters worse across the board.
University Spends $50,000 Removing “Racist” Boulder From Campus Apparently a ‘racist’ boulder was making students at the University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus feel uncomfortable to the point that the school actually spent some $50,000 removing it. The story is so utterly absurd that we wish we could claim satire, but as Fox News writes, “Chamberlin Rock, which rests atop Observatory Hill, is named after a 19th Century geologist and former university president, Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, whose work centered on glacial deposits, according to a bio on the university’s website.”
Hezbollah Humiliated in Lebanon What happened after the shooting was something of a miracle. The terror squad that attacked Israel was discovered by Lebanese residents and arrested in a Druze village in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah hoped that Israel’s response to their missiles would hit the Druze areas and thus Hezbollah would be seen to be protecting them. But the Hezbollah squad that fired on Israel was discovered, severely attacked, and its members humiliated as the entire incident was documented on social media.
Blaze ravages Evia island ‘like a horror movie’ on sixth day of Greek fires Thousands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day on Sunday, and ferries were on standby for more evacuations after taking many to safety by sea. The blaze on Evia, Greece’s second-biggest island, quickly burgeoned into several fronts, ripping through thousands of hectares (acres) of pristine forest across its northern part, and forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages.
SHOCK VIDEO: NYPD Probes Woman’s Execution-Style Killing By Another Woman A Brooklyn woman was gunned down by another woman who got out of a car and shot her in the back of the head, police said. Surveillance video of the shooting Wednesday night released by police shows a woman in black leggings get out of a double-parked white sedan and casually shoot Delia Johnson in the head as she chats with a group of people by a stoop in the Crown Heights neighborhood.
Gaza resort bombed for holding mixed-gender concert Bianco Resort, one of the Gaza Strip’s most luxurious seaside tourist sites, was attacked last Thursday with an explosive device. The attack came after the resort was accused by Muslim extremists of holding a mixed-gender concert. No one was hurt, but a wall surrounding the resort was damaged.
Visiting Israel, Bahraini official says ‘Iran’s footprints in every regional flashpoint’ A de facto coalition has been formed between Sunni Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia and Israel to counter Iran’s growing interference and violence through proxies in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria. The Abraham Accords, which are a series of normalization deals between Israel and four Arab countries brokered by the Trump administration, have helped cement this unofficial alliance, especially as the new administration in Washington continues to engage Iran on a new nuclear deal that could see major provisions from 2015 restored.
REPORT: the small print in big tech community guidelines targets faith-based users for censorship A new report from the Napa Legal Institute revealed that hidden in the small print of the community guidelines and user agreements are details that are used by tech companies and social media platforms to censor and remove religious organizations for “hateful conduct” that is actually an expression of beliefs that do not conform to liberal values.
Scientific American Mag: “Belief in Creation is a form of white supremacy” And Hashem created man in His image, in the image of Hashem He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 Last month, Scientific American,s the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States, published an editorial by Allison Hopper titled “Denial of Evolution Is a Form of White Supremacy.”
Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch calls on army to confront Hezbollah Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi called on Sunday for the Lebanese army to take control of the southern part of the country… “We call upon the Lebanese army…to take control of the entire lands of the south, to…implement Resolution 1701, and to prevent the launching of missiles from Lebanese territory, not for the sake of Israel’s safety, but rather for the safety of Lebanon,” said al-Rahi during Sunday Mass…
Covid in Sydney: Communities feel under siege as troops deployed “If the objective was to frighten the hell out of the community, I can guarantee you they have done that.” Dai Le, a local councillor in Sydney, is speaking angrily about the deployment of 300 military personnel to the city’s streets this week. Her constituency, Fairfield, is one of eight areas in Sydney considered the epicentre of Australia’s biggest Covid outbreak in a year.
Bennett: Lebanon responsible for all rocket fire from its territory Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that Israel views the Lebanese government responsible for rocket fire launched from its territory, whether the Hezbollah terror group fired the weapons or not. “The country of Lebanon and the army of Lebanon have to take responsibility for what happens in its backyard,” Bennett told the weekly cabinet meeting, days after two waves of rocket strikes from Lebanon hit open areas in the north.
Advances in artificial rainfall hold big promise for water-scarce Arab region Drone technology has more applications than most people imagine, including manipulating the weather. In the UAE, scientists are planning to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to penetrate clouds and generate rainfall using electrical charges — a process that builds on the success of “cloud seeding.”
Wildfires rampage in Greek forests, cut large island in half Three large wildfires churned across Greece on Saturday, with one threatening whole towns and cutting a line across Evia, the country’s second-largest island, isolating its northern part. Others engulfed forested mountainsides and skirted ancient sites, leaving behind a trail of destruction that one official described as “a biblical catastrophe.”
‘Massive melting event’ sinks billions of tons of ice amid heat wave Scientists are raising alarms that ice has vanished from the Greenland ice sheet in a dramatic melting event in recent weeks. So much so that the liquid released could cover the entire state of Florida with 2 inches of water.
Covid Outbreak Hits Carnival Cruise Despite Every Guest and Staff Member Being ‘Vaccinated’ Somewhere near Cozumel in the Caribbean Sea, there’s a cruise ship that had zero unvaccinated people aboard but that still suffered an outbreak of Covid-19. This goes against the narrative that the reason for “breakthrough cases” is due to too many unvaccinated people mingling with those who have taken the experimental injections.
Canada Adds Bell’s Palsy Warning To Pfizer COVID Vaccine Health Canada, the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national health policy has added Bell’s Palsy as a warning to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine labels.
China Will Dump 2 Billion Doses of Low-Quality Vaccines on the World Chinese dictator Xi Jinping announced Thursday that the Communist Party will “strive to provide” the world access to 2 billion Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine doses, particularly targeting vulnerable countries.
25% of Pregnancies in England, Wales End in Abortion A quarter of all pregnancies in England and Wales end in abortion, according to updated data released Thursday from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Defense Secretary Austin to announce mandatory coronavirus vaccinations across the military Fox News confirmed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to announce mandatory Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination for all military personnel. The mandate applied to the 1.3 million active-duty service members, the report added. Austin’s announcement followed President Joe Biden’s call to all federal employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Teacher’s Union Suing a Mother for Repeated Attempts to Know What Her Kindergartener is Learning On Monday, Nicole Solas, a Rhode Island mom whose daughter will be going into kindergarten, was sued by chapters of the National Education Association (NEA) for submitting multiple requests to find out what her daughter was learning when it comes to lesson plans on concepts such as transgenderism and Critical Race Theory (CRT).
From Shots to Clots: Science Shows COVID Vaccines Cause Blood Clots Americans who have taken COVID vaccine shots and those who have refused to capitulate to the coercion and propaganda are ill-informed about blood clots. This article provides summaries of key recently published research on two types of observed blood clots – microscopic and relatively large size – that merit serious attention and concern.
Covid Booster Shots Coming “Soon” Fauci Tells CNN “We need to look at them in a different light. We would certainly be boosting those people before we boost the general population that’s been vaccinated, and we should be doing that reasonably soon.”
Famed epidemiologist warns the world is nowhere near the end of the pandemicPosted: 09 Aug 2021 08:13 AM PDT(ETH) – The pandemic is not coming to an end soon — given that only a small proportion of the world population has been vaccinated against Covid-19, a well-known epidemiologist told CNBC.Dr. Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist who was part of the World Health Organization’s team that helped eradicate smallpox, said the delta variant is “maybe the most contagious virus” ever. In recent months, the U.S., India, and China, as well as other countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia have been grappling with a highly transmissible delta variant of the virus.Continue reading Famed epidemiologist warns the world is nowhere near the end of the pandemic at End Time Headlines.
Amazon now offering vaccinated workers cars and $500,000 in cashPosted: 08 Aug 2021 06:32 PM PDT(ETH) – Amazon will now offer cash prizes of as much as $500,000 as well as cars and vacation packages to frontline employees who can prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 according to Bloomberg. Unwilling so far to mandate vaccinations for its 1.3-million-strong workforce, the world’s largest online retailer is hoping a corporate lottery — called Max Your Vax — will persuade holdouts to get the jab. The announcement, a copy of which was seen Friday by Bloomberg, came the same day that Amazon said that starting Aug.Continue reading Amazon now offering vaccinated workers cars and $500,000 in cash at End Time Headlines.
The Biden administration’s damaging conduct is obvious to most Americans, but Texas — and other states — are not bystanders in this war for Americans’ safety, security, and primacy.
Truth2Freedom's Blog 