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
In this episode, Dinesh discusses the outrageous absurdity of a Trump indictment and raises the question of whether the US is now officially a banana republic.. Debbie and Dinesh review the issue gun control in the context of the Nashville shooting, and the gripping film “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Dinesh also continues his discussion of the possibility of miracles in an age of science. —
How should we respond to a world that seems to be completely caught up in lies from the evil one? In today’s video, Todd gives us several tips so that we do not despair at the lies of the world. —
Tonight, Republicans blast back over the first-ever indictment of a former president. And the latest on red flag laws and mental health issues in the wake of this week’s school shooting. Plus, raising faith leaders for tomorrow. All this, and more, on Faith Nation.
On Friday’s “The Chris Salcedo Show,” Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes slams the police state tactics of the radical left in indicting former President Donald Trump.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham said the Biden administration’s silence about the indictment of former President Donald Trump ‘weakens’ the nation on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’ #foxnews #fox #ingrahamangle
‘The Five’ co-hosts react to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Donald Trump amid Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury.
Any position that attempts to add or subtract from this Gospel is a false gospel that cannot save. Many heresies are such because they claim that something additional is required. For example, there are some that say that, in addition to faith in Christ, one must be baptized in water in order to be saved. But water baptism cannot save you; only Jesus can. Water baptism is merely an outward act of obedience reflecting our unseen faith. There are those that claim that after salvation, one must do good works in order to maintain that salvation. This too is heretical because it makes continued salvation contingent upon works, not on Christ. Jesus is both the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Good works will naturally follow from salvation because a saved person wants to please God. But these works cannot save. They are merely an outward reflection of inward faith.
In part 1, we looked at those doctrines that are essential to salvation: those that cannot be denied by a person whom Christ has saved. We found that these all centered on Christ: His perfect nature as God Almighty, His atoning death for our sins, His grace by which He grants us faith in Him, His resurrection that foreshadows our own, and the repentance He grants us which results in obedience and good works. We cannot attain salvation by our own works, but only by God’s grace received through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). This is the Gospel and it is all about Jesus.
Any alternative is a false gospel. The saving faith that Jesus imparts to us allows us to confess that Christ is the Lord God (Romans 10:9-13; John 8:24). It is a genuine faith that God raised Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9-11), and will resurrect everyone else at His second coming (1 Corinthians 15:20-24; John 5:28-29). The saving faith God imparts to us always involves repentance from sin and will result in good works (Luke 13:3,5; Revelation 2:5; 1 John 2:4; James 2:4). These verses also clearly teach that the one who denies any of the above principles does not have salvation, but will die in his sins.
And yet, there are many who would verbally profess the above doctrines but lack saving faith in Christ. Consider what Christ Himself said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” We saw in Romans 10:9-13 that declaring Jesus is Lord is a requirement for salvation. Yet, Jesus Himself indicates that this, by itself, is insufficient. He said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23).
Notice that Jesus said “many.” That is, many people think they have salvation in Christ and will be surprised to learn on Judgment Day that they do not. That is a terrifying thought! These verses should challenge every professing believer to ask himself, “Am I truly saved?” Saying the right words does not impart salvation. Rather, God imparts salvation, granting to the sinner a new heart, repentance from sins, and faith in God.
But how do we know that our faith in God is genuine? After all, Jesus refers to people who were confident in their salvation, who professed Christ as Lord, and even performed miracles in His name; yet, they will not enter heaven. Just imagine living your life, thinking you are a Christian, being confident in your faith in Christ, and then having Him say to you on Judgment Day, “I never knew you. Depart from Me.”
Knowing God
God knows the people He saves (John 10:27-28). And they know Him (John 10:14). This knowledge is more than simply an awareness of God’s existence. Even the demons know that God exists, but they are not saved (James 2:19). Rather, God enters into a loving relationship with those whom He saves (Romans 8:29). Therefore, those who are genuinely saved have come to know God and to recognize His voice.
For this reason, a severe misunderstanding of the nature of God is an indication that a person may not be saved. Suppose that someone professes Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised Him from the dead. But then when I ask him to describe God, he responds, “Oh, he is a three-headed dragon that lives on a moon of Neptune.” Such a heretical and absurd response would indicate that this person does not know the real God. The person may be saying the right words in professing Christ’s Lordship and resurrection, but he has placed his faith in a fictional god of his own imagination. And a fictional god cannot save you from the wrath of the Living God.
This is the characteristic of cults. Cults profess to be Christian, but have placed their faith in a false god rather than the biblical God. It can be difficult to identify cults because they often use the same words as Christians, but they mean something different. Thus, it is necessary to ask questions about the nature of their god. Is their god an all-powerful, all-knowing, omni-present, unchanging, eternal, triune spirit? A person who does not know God in a saving way often has one or more fundamental misconceptions about God that are revealed when sufficient questions are asked.
No doubt, even a saved person can have some misconceptions about God. After all, God is infinite and we are finite. Therefore, we cannot know everything about Him. But there are certain characteristics that are basic to the nature of God. A denial of one or more of these may indicate that a person does not know God in a saving way.
So, what are the fundamental characteristics of the biblical God? What are His essential attributes that are clearly elucidated in Scripture? All those who truly know God should agree on the following aspects of His nature.
(1) The Trinity
The biblical God is triune. He is one in nature/essence, and three in eternally distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thus, these three Persons share one name (Yahweh) as Christ affirms in Matthew 28:19. Yet each divine Person is one eye-witness under biblical law (John 8:17). The doctrine of the Trinity necessarily entails monotheism, which James 2:19 implies is necessary (but not sufficient) for salvation. We have seen that Romans 10:9-10 teaches the belief that God raised Christ from the dead is essential to salvation. The Trinity is implicit in this passage because all three Persons were involved in the Resurrection. The Spirit raised Christ from the dead, (Romans 8:11), as did the Father (Galatians 1:1), as did the Son Himself (John 10:17-18).
Fortunately, the Bible does not say that a detailed and nuanced understanding of the triune nature of God is required for saving faith. It is sufficient to know that God is one in essence, and yet three in eternally distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No doubt God will forgive some of our misunderstandings of how this all works in practice. But to reject what God has said about His own nature is to reject God. God expects us to accept whatever revelation He has given us.
Some may ask, “But what about Old Testament believers? Did they know about the Trinity?” New Testament believers have far more information on the Trinity than believers under the Old Testament administration. Yet, even Old Testament believers knew something of the fact that God is one in nature and more than one in Persons; we see communication between the Persons in the first chapter of Genesis (e.g. Genesis 1:26-27). Even the Hebrew term for “God” (Elohim) is plural (literally “Gods”) and yet used with singular verbs (e.g., Genesis 1:1). So, the Israelites knew that God was one in one sense, and more than one in a different sense. They probably did not have the rich understanding of the three Persons that New Testament saints enjoy. The point is that God expects us to accept whatever revelation He has given about Himself. A saved person will therefore come to accept what the Bible teaches about the triune nature of God, even if he doesn’t fully understand it. Thus, a rejection of the Trinity is a strong indication that a person has not (yet) been saved.
(2) God Is the Creator and Judge of All
God is the Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11). As such, we owe Him our very lives. Since all things were made by Him (John 1:3), all things are contingent upon Him. They exist and continue to exist only because God the Son upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). God alone is not contingent upon anything. He is completely self-sufficient and does not require a universe or anything beyond Himself to exist (Exodus 3:14).
God is transcendent: beyond the physical universe (1 Kings 8:27). God is eternal and without a beginning or an end (Deuteronomy 33:27; Isaiah 43:13; Psalm 90:2). He has no creator since He has always existed. He is completely sovereign, answering to no one else (1 Timothy 6:15; Isaiah 40:13-14). He needs nothing, and does whatsoever He pleases (Psalm 135:6).
As Creator, God has the right to set the rules for all that He owns (which is everything). Therefore, it is by God’s standard and His standard alone that we all will be judged. This implicitly requires that God is righteous by virtue of the fact that His nature determines what is right (Ezekiel 18:25). His judgments are necessarily right because they stem from His holy nature (Genesis 18:25). Thus, our moral obligation is to obey God. And when we fail to do so, we must expect punishment since this is the just penalty for our treason (Isaiah 13:11). All God’s ways are just (Deuteronomy 32:4).
This distinguishes the living God from many false gods of other religions and cults. Their gods change, are not righteous, and are not sovereign over creation. As the Apostle Paul explained in Acts 17:24-25,28-29, the biblical God does not need to be served by human hands because He needs nothing; rather, we need Him since He is the one who gives us life and breath. The biblical God is the sovereign, uncreated Creator of all things. Therefore, a rejection that God is Creator of all things suggests that a person is trusting in a false god rather than the God of Scripture.
(3) God Is All-Knowing, Unchanging, and Eternal
God is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 9:6; Romans 16:26). He has no beginning in time, and no ending (Hebrews 7:3). This would have to be the case since God is the Creator of time itself (John 1:3). Since God is beyond time, He does not change with time (Malachi 3:6). He can “step into time” as He did with the incarnation of Christ, and He can act in time. But God is not bound by time like we are.
Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz explained why he believes the indictment against former President Donald Trump will be quickly tossed from court.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed on Thursday that a grand jury has indicted Trump over allegations related to an alleged hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. The indictment, however, remains under seal, and the exact charges will not be publicized until Trump is arraigned, which is expected to take place next week.
What did Dershowitz say?
Reacting to the unprecedented news, the Harvard Law School emeritus professor predicted a judge will toss the case on statute of limitations grounds.
“I think the most important thing is they indicted him when he was out of New York, and that means they could have indicted him within the statute of limitations when he was out of New York. The statute of limitations is way expired,” Dershowitz explained on Newsmax. “They claimed they couldn’t have indicted him because he was outside of New York, but now they’ve indicted him when he’s not in New York.”
Dershowitz added that Bragg made a “foolish, foolish decision, which will cause the case to be thrown out, I think, on statute of limitations grounds.”
A scholar of American criminal law, Dershowitz predicted Trump’s attorneys will file an immediate motion to dismiss the case based on statute of limitations grounds.
\u201c.@AlanDersh on Trump indictment: “They’ve made a foolish, foolish decision which will cause the case to be thrown out, I think, on statute of limitations grounds.”\u201d
Bragg reportedly investigated Trump for falsifying business records over allegations that money he claimed went to Michael Cohen for legal services actually went to Daniels.
In New York, the crime of falsifying business records is generally a misdemeanor — for which the statute of limitations is two years — but it can be a Class E felony if the crime occurred “to conceal another crime.” The statute of limitations in that case is five years.
It is not yet known what second crime prosecutors allege Trump committed to elevate the charge to a felony, though it is believed that prosecutors will argue the hush-money payment constituted a violation of campaign finance laws.
At the center of the statute of limitations concern is whether they were triggered in 2017 — when the payments to Cohen were allegedly made — or in 2018 on the basis of bookkeeping implications.
As former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy explained:
Assuming the statute of limitations was thus triggered in 2018, the five-year period would lapse sometime this year. That, at least in part, explains the frenetic investigative activity thathas gone on the last few weeks: If the state doesn’t indict soon, the case would be time-barred.Or . . . it could be time-barred already.
Franklin Graham Slams Democrats for ‘Weaponizing Legal System’ Against Trump for ‘Their Political Gain’
Evangelist Franklin Graham has weighed in on the criminal indictment of former president Donald Trump, echoing the common sentiment among conservatives that the charges are politically motivated.
Trump has been a controversial figure since the beginning of his political career. While he has been the subject of numerous investigations, including two impeachments, Trump has never been charged with a crime. However, on Thursday (Mar. 30), Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
The charges against Trump remain sealed, and while it is known that the indictment has to do with his role in alleged hush money paid to former adult film start Stormy Daniels in 2016, the specific charges have not been disclosed.
The indictment is a historic moment in American politics, as Trump is the first former president to have ever been criminally indicted. While several presidents have faced impeachment, none have faced criminal charges after leaving office.
According to reports, prosecutors are working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which some have predicted may happen on Tuesday (April 4). If convicted of a crime, it is unclear if Trump would be sentenced with any jail time.
It is also unknown whether a conviction would prevent Trump from seeking another presidential run in 2024. The 76-year-old announced his candidacy on Nov. 15, 2022 from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement released on Thursday, Trump called the indictment a “witch-hunt,” saying, “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats—the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country—have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”
Trump continued, “You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this. The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable—indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.”
Trump accused Democratic politicians of “weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President,” going on to call Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg “a disgrace.”
“The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it,” Trump said. “So our Movement, and our Party—united and strong—will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina released a statement saying that Trump “did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Graham’s remarks reiterated much of Trump’s own beliefs.
“It’s a shameful day for America as former President @realDonaldTrump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury,” Grahamposted on Friday (March 31). “The Democrats have weaponized the legal system for their political gain while ignoring the current Administration’s faults and deficiencies.”
“There’s only One who can save this country, and that is God and God alone. Why should He even hear our prayers when we have turned our back on Him? But I’m going to keep praying that God will intervene and save this nation so we will continue to be that beacon of hope for this very dark world,” Graham continued.
Graham, who was an outspoken supporter of Trump during his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs, has declined to endorse Trump in his 2024 bid.
“I’m staying out of the Republican primary and the debate and that sort of thing,” Graham said during a December 2022 press conference at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I’m focusing on what God has called me to do, and that’s to preach the gospel.”
In a tweet last week (March 20), Graham urged Christians to pray for Trump in light of a potential indictment, saying, “We need to pray for our country and where it is headed. The left in Washington and across the country just can’t get their fill of attacking Donald Trump. They are so paranoid of him. The onslaught against him is continual.”
“There’s no question, the media and the left manipulated the last election, and they are scared to death of Donald Trump’s possible return,” Graham continued. “So, night after night, the media runs negative stories about former President Trump. Now they’re talking about the possibility of arresting him in the hopes that this would prevent him from running for president again—this would be a huge mistake. The charges against him are definitely politically motivated.”
Graham called on “Christians across this country to pray specifically for former President @realDonaldTrump, that God’s hand would be upon him, protect him, and direct him in every step he takes—and that God’s will be done. We need to work together to strengthen this nation—not divide and destroy it.”
Former US Attorney General Bill Barr on Friday reacted to the Trump indictment.
A Manhattan Grand Jury voted to indict President Trump on junk charges.
Soros-backed Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg accused Trump of paying porn star Stormy Daniels, AKA, Stephanie Clifford, ‘hush payments’ through his then-attorney Michael Cohen in a scheme to silence her and stop the story about their alleged affair from being published in the National Enquirer.
The payments made to Stormy Daniels did NOT come from Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The payments were made through internal business records – there was no tax deduction taken and there was no obligation to file it with the FEC, according to Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina.
Trump is reportedly facing 34 counts related to business fraud.
Former Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew McCarthy spoke with Bill Barr on Friday about Alvin Bragg’s political persecution of Trump.
Bill Barr said the criminal charges against Trump is a “political hit job” during his interview at the National Review Institute Ideas Summit on Friday.
“It’s the archetypal abuse of the prosecutorial function to engage in a political hit job, and it’s a disgrace…Politically, it’s going to be damaging I think to the Republican party…” Bill Barr said.
VIDEO:
Former Attorney General Bill Barr on indictment of former President Trump: "It's the archetypal abuse of the prosecutorial function to engage in a political hit job, and it’s a disgrace…Politically, it's going to be damaging I think to the Republican party…" pic.twitter.com/2aNz5dBSFR
President Joe Biden really struggled this week. He appeared to be suffering from a cold, which is bad news for the vast majority of America terrified at the thought of Kamala Harris becoming president. The National Council on Aging warns that “even a seemingly mild cold can pose a health threat” to adults age 65 and older. (Biden turned 80 in November.)
“Let me start by apologizing for the slight cold I have,” Biden told attendees at the Summit for Democracy. “That’s the only thing that’s happening to me these days.” (We’re not sure what he’s talking about, either.)
Maybe that’s why Biden was even more incoherent than usual this week. He mixed up China and Canada, for example, and promoted “tax credits for elected [sic] vehicles.” During a speech in Ottawa, the president declared: “Uh, I have, uh. We have, uh, um, ya know, uh.”
The cold did not prevent Biden from getting up to old tricks. He raved about ice cream, for example, and forgot he was president. He also complimented some “good looking kids” at the White House. It’s not yet known whether he was able to smell their hair. (He probably got a decent sniff or two at the very least.)
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