February 25 – The grace of God’s reviving work | Reformed Perspective

“O LORD, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” – Habakkuk 3:2 

Scripture reading: Habakkuk 3:1-19

This is the day we enter into the house of the Lord for corporate worship. Is there grace for God’s people on the Lord’s day? Of course! But is that still true in our day, in our circumstances? Yes. As Habakkuk writes by the Spirit’s inspiration, “In the midst of the years, make it known.” He is saying, ‘In our day too, revive Your work.’ That act of God to revive His work is our need today, and He will do it.

Habakkuk is writing at the end of the 7th century, as Jehoiakim is ‘king’ and Judah, the nation, is about dead. The refusal of the people to repent of their sins is bringing God’s cleansing by the Babylonians.

The times will get very tough, but the faithful will still trust the LORD (Habakkuk 3:17-19). And what times do we live in? Do we need God’s work revived? Is preaching having its proper effect? Are Christians repenting of their sins and delighting in God’s law? What expectations do you have as you come to the house of the Lord to attend corporate worship – what work will God do in your heart and life?

Ask that question more personally, do you need God to graciously revive His work in your life?

We come to corporate worship hungry and with the anticipation of being fed. By His grace in Christ, our God will not disappoint!

Suggestions for prayer

Ask God to revive His work in you today through corporate worship.

Rev. Harold Miller graduated from Mid-America Reformed Seminary in 2001 and has served churches in Wellsburg, Iowa and Kansas City, Missouri before arriving at Oak Lawn, Illinois in 2020. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.

— Read on reformedperspective.ca/february-25-the-grace-of-gods-reviving-work/

Peter’s Denial | Renewing Your Mind with R.C. Sproul

Peter claimed to be Jesus’ most devoted disciple. How could he deny his Lord three times? Preaching from the gospel of John, today R.C. Sproul considers what this somber moment can teach us about our own hearts and the source of our hope when we fail.

Get R.C. Sproul’s Commentary on the book of John for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3224/john-commentary

Don’t forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

— Read on renewingyourmind.org/2024/02/25/peters-denial

The Liberating Word – Psalm 119:41-48 – Pastor Rom Prakashpalan Sermon – YouTube

▶️Sermon from the 2:15pm CST live stream of the Dallas RPC worship service (usually goes live around 2:40pm CST).

The Liberating Word – Psalm 119:41-48 – Pastor Rom Prakashpalan Sermon
41  Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD,
Even thy salvation, according to thy word.
42  So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me:
For I trust in thy word.
43  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;
For I have hoped in thy judgments.
44  So shall I keep thy law continually
For ever and ever.
45  And I will walk at liberty:
For I seek thy precepts.
46  I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
47  And I will delight myself in thy commandments,
Which I have loved.
48  My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved;
And I will meditate in thy statutes.

▶️Reverend Romesh Prakashpalan (PLAYLIST): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…

▶️SUPPORT Dallas Reformed Presbyterian Church: https://tithe.ly/give?c=1333888

▶️CHURCH WEBSITE: http://www.dallasrpf.org/

Rom is married to Maegan and they have four children. Rom was raised as a Hindu and became an atheist early in life. The Lord called him to faith through hearing the gospel in 2009 (Romans 10:17). Soon after, he felt a call to gospel ministry. He graduated from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in 2020 with an MDiv. He was first ordained and installed as a ruling elder at DRPC in March 2015 and then a teaching elder in July 2020 by the Midwest Presbytery of the RPCNA. In addition to homiletics, counseling, and theology; Rom enjoys cooking, especially smoking meat, computer science (his first vocation), and roadtrips with his family.

— Read on www.youtube.com/watch

February 25 Evening Verse of the Day

34–35 The sermon is prefaced by the words “opening his mouth, Peter said” (anoixas de Petros to stoma eipen). This was one way to introduce a weighty utterance (cf. Mt 5:2; 13:35 [quoting Ps 78:2]; Ac 8:35). In Luke’s eyes, what Peter was about to say was indeed momentous in sweeping away centuries of racial prejudice. It begins by Peter’s statement that God does not show “favoritism” or “partiality” (prosōpolēmptēs [GK 4720], which appears only here in the NT but whose synonym prosōpolēmpsia is found in Ro 2:11; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1; 1 Pe 1:17), “but accepts [people] from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” While some consciousness of this may be implicit in Israel’s history and at times have been expressed by her prophets (cf. Am 9:7; Mic 6:8), it was only by means of a revelational clarification—i.e., a “pesher” interpretation of what was earlier considered to be a highly enigmatic “mystery” (cf. Eph 3:4–6)—that Peter came to appreciate the racial challenge of the gospel.^[1]

34–35 The expression “Then Peter spoke up” (literally, “Peter opened his mouth”) is one that is used to introduce some weighty utterance. The first words that Peter spoke were words of the weightiest import, sweeping away the racial and religious prejudices of centuries. The words of Cornelius confirmed the lesson that Peter himself had learned in Joppa: God has no favorites as between one nation and another, but anyone, from whatever nation, who fears him and acts rightly⁴⁴ is acceptable to him. This may be the veriest truism to us, but it was a revolutionary revelation to Peter. Yet it was implicit in the teaching of the early prophets. They insisted that God’s choice of Israel was an act of grace, not of partiality, and that it called for a response of obedient service, not of careless complacency. If God brought Israel out of Egypt into the land of their inheritance, he had also brought the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir (Amos 9:7). On a coming day God would bless “Egypt my people” and “Assyria the work of my hands” along with “Israel my heritage” (Isa. 19:25). If, as Micah said, the Lord’s primary requirements were that men and women should act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with their God (Mic. 6:8), then Gentiles might fulfil these requirements as readily as Israelites. Luke, himself a Gentile by birth, had good reason to emphasize the narrative of the bringing in of the Gentiles, by the cumulative repetitions within the narrative and by other means.^[2]

10:34–35 / This speech is the first recorded preaching of the Good News to the Gentile world. It must be assumed, of course, that these were almost entirely “devout” people like Cornelius himself and that they were familiar, therefore, with the Jewish Scriptures. It must also be assumed that they knew something of the story of Jesus. Thus they were more or less prepared for what they heard and to that extent hardly typical of the Gentile world as a whole. Peter was able to preach to them much as he had to the Jews; it is not until we come to Paul’s speeches in Lystra and Athens that we find a distinctive approach to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, these people were Gentiles, and that fact marks a new and important departure for the church.

In other respects also this speech holds a peculiar interest. It has often been remarked that verses 37 to 40, with their attention to the earthly life of Jesus and being unique among the speeches of this book, could well have formed the ground plan of Mark’s Gospel. In view of the traditional association of Peter with Mark, this can hardly be accidental (see also disc. on 3:7f.; 10:14; 12:1–5). There is, moreover, a clear theological development in comparison with Peter’s earlier speeches (2:14–39; 3:12–26), and this, together with the fact that it sits so well with his experience at Joppa and Caesarea, gives us every confidence that we have in these verses a fair indication of what he said on this occasion. How Luke came by the speech we can only guess, but the evidence points strongly to his use of a source. “It is one of the most ungrammatical pieces of Greek that Luke ever wrote. One cannot avoid the impression that though, as usual, Luke has fixed its final form, older elements are included in it” (Hanson, p. 124).

Peter’s sense of the occasion is expressed by Luke’s use of the formula “he opened his mouth” (v. 34, niv began to speak), which often marked a particularly solemn occasion. He began by commenting on the change in his own thinking: I now realize … that God does not show favoritism (v. 34). The phrase “upon the truth” expresses both his surprise at this discovery and his grasp of what had now been revealed. It was not something new (cf. Deut. 10:17; 2 Chron. 19:7; Job 34:19; Mal. 2:9), but it was a truth that the Jews had largely lost sight of. And for Peter, it did come as a new discovery that God was impartial. From this it followed that a person’s acceptance with God rested, not on nationality, but on a proper disposition of the heart: he accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right (v. 35). This is not to say that nothing else is needed. The emphasis on Jesus in this speech gives the lie to that. Jesus is integral to our salvation. Rather, what Peter meant is that if the attitude is right, then given the Good News, there is no one who cannot be saved. And so, without further ado, he spoke the saving word that they had gathered to hear.^[3]

34–35. Peter could have had no better-prepared and eager an audience than this, and was quick to seize on the situation as the starting-point for his address. The significance of what he says is perhaps underlined by the solemn phraseology with which Luke introduces the speech (Peter opened his mouth, 8:35; Matt. 5:2), but more probably this is simply a case of stereotyped ancient phraseology. Peter expresses his realization that God will accept anybody of any race who reverences him and lives righteously. God is no respecter of persons. The word which is used here is found for the first time in the New Testament and is a translation of the Hebrew phrase ‘to lift (someone’s) face’, which meant ‘to show favour’ and hence ‘to show favouritism’. God does not have favourites. This means that, on the one hand, evil-doers cannot hope that he will show partiality to them at the judgment (Rom. 2:11; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; 1 Pet. 1:17; Deut. 10:17), and, on the other hand, that no man need fear that God will not receive him out of partiality. Christians must display the same spirit (Jas 2:1, 9). Peter does not raise the question how this attitude of God is to be squared with the teaching of the Old Testament which stressed the privileged place of Israel as God’s people as a result of his election of them. It is clear, however, that the election of Israel was based solely on God’s choice and not on any merits of the people, and hence there is no inconsistency in the claim that God accepts people of all nations on the same basis. If people fear God and do what is right (cf. Mic. 6:8), then they are acceptable to him. This is what Paul also teaches in Romans 2, and there are some traces of the same attitude in Judaism. This does not mean that salvation is possible apart from the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, but rather that on the basis of his death and resurrection the gospel is offered to all people who are willing to receive it and recognize their need of it; had a person like Cornelius said, ‘My good deeds are sufficient to win me favour with God, and I have no need of the gospel’ (which is essentially what the Pharisee said in Luke 18:11), then it would have become clear that he was not accepted by God; a good life is acceptable in God’s sight only when it leads to recognition of its own inadequacy and to acceptance of the gospel (or when it would have done so, had opportunity of hearing the gospel been provided). Cornelius, however, wanted to hear the gospel.^[4]

34. Peter said: “I truly understand that God shows no favoritism.”

This is Peter’s first address to a Gentile audience. As a representative of the Christian church, he is fully aware of the uniqueness of this situation. He realizes the significance of his vision in Joppa and knows that he is doing God’s will. He says, “I truly understand that God shows no favoritism.” The Jews of Peter’s day lived by the doctrine that God had made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants and that they were God’s chosen people. They despised the Gentiles because, according to the Jews, God had rejected the Gentiles and had withheld his blessings from them.

The Jews also knew that God had told Abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4). So, then, believers of all nations would claim Abraham as their spiritual father. Interestingly, in his sermon at Solomon’s Colonnade Peter had quoted the words God had spoken to Abraham: “And through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed” (3:25). But at that time, Peter had not fully fathomed the depth of this divine saying. Now, however, Peter sees the fulfillment of God’s word to Abraham. The Roman centurion, the members of Cornelius’s household, and all his invited relatives and guests receive God’s blessing.

Peter appeals to the Scriptures when he says that God shows no favoritism. For instance, Moses tells the Israelites in the desert, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes bribes” (Deut. 10:17, NIV).⁴¹

God does not look at a person’s external appearance, nationality, wealth, social status, and achievements. In the light of God’s teaching given in a vision, Peter sets aside his ingrained bias against the Gentiles and, as he states, truthfully accepts the doctrine of God’s impartiality. He is convinced that salvation belongs to all nations and not merely to Israel. He knows that his earlier view of God was defective.

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,

Like the wideness of the sea;

There’s a kindness in his justice,

Which is more than liberty.

For the love of God is broader

Than the measure of man’s mind;

And the heart of the Eternal

Is most wonderfully kind.

—Frederick W. Faber

35. “But in every nation, the man who fears him and does what is right is accepted by God.”

The expression in every nation stands first in the sentence for emphasis. God excludes no country on the face of this earth but accepts believers from every nation into the church. God has removed the barrier between the nation Israel and the Gentiles. Nevertheless, God accepts a Gentile only when such a person fears him and obediently does his will. God accepts no sinner on his own merit; everybody, be the Jew or Gentile, must be saved through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. If Cornelius were acceptable on the basis of his own moral purity and personal religiosity, Peter would not have to preach Christ’s gospel in the officer’s home.

What is the meaning of Peter’s remark that God accepts a man who fears God and does what is right? Peter is saying that a person who seeks God and strives to keep his law is, on that account, eager to hear the good news of salvation. In Acts, Luke shows that God-fearers who earnestly do what is right readily place their trust in Jesus. When the apostles preach the gospel to them, they believe (see 16:14–15; 17:4, 12; 18:7–8). God receives people from every race, tribe, or tongue, not on the basis of their reverence for God and their striving after righteousness, but because they put their faith in Jesus. Thus, Peter reminds his audience of their knowledge of the Christ.^[5]

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^[1] Longenecker, R. N. (2007). Acts. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 880). Zondervan.

^[2] Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts (pp. 211–212). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

^[3] Williams, D. J. (2011). Acts (pp. 191–192). Baker Books.

^[4] Marshall, I. H. (1980). Acts: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 5, pp. 200–201). InterVarsity Press.

^[5] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 17, pp. 391–392). Baker Book House.

February 26 – Who is Molech? | VCY

February 26 – Who is Molech?

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
  Leviticus 19:1-20:21
  Mark 8:11-38
  Psalm 42:1-11
  Proverbs 10:1

Leviticus 19:2 — The theme of the Book of Leviticus is stated – if it sounds familiar, we’ve seen it often. “Holy” is used 95 times in Leviticus, and this is the second time we’ve seen the phrase “You shall be holy.”

Leviticus 19:28 — In debates about whether it is appropriate for Christians to get tattoos, this verse comes up often. The KJV does not use the word ‘tattoo’ because the word was not invented until 1769 when Captain Cook landed in Tahiti (the KJV was translated in 1611, 150 years earlier). Interestingly, almost all Bible versions in recent years translate ‘qaaqa’ (Strong’s Hebrew #7085) as “tattoo”. By the way, this is the only time this word is used in the Bible.

Leviticus 19:37 — Forty-five times in Leviticus you will find the phrase “I am the LORD.” In many cases, it seems to be the answer to “Why?” If you don’t like God’s answer to “Why?”, Joshua 24:15 deals with that.

Leviticus 20:2-5 — Rarely in the Bible do we see commands that have the death penalty. Only 60 times in the Old Testament do we find the phrase “put to death.” This chapter contains more “death penalty” judgments than any other chapter in the Bible. Not only is the worship of Molech one of the few death penalty commands, but this is one of the few commands to “stone him” (in contrast to burning, beheading, or strangulation according to the Mishnah). “The people – many – shall stone him. Israel must unite to eliminate this plague.” By the way, we read about Molech yesterday in Leviticus 18:21, and we’ll read about Molech again when Solomon builds an altar for Molech (possibly on the Mount of Olives in 1 Kings 11:7). The worship of Molech seems to have been moved to the Hinnom Valley when 300 years later (in 2 Kings 23:10), Josiah finally destroys the altar. So why would people sacrifice to Molech?

A couple sacrificed their firstborn by burning the child on a metal idol of Molech, believing that Molech would ensure financial prosperity for the family and future children … Today’s Molech is the abortion industry, sacrificing babies for the idol of financial greed, veiled in the hopes of the development of new cures through biomedical research.

CHARLES PATRICK, SWBTS

Mark 8:25 — Why did it take two steps for Jesus to heal the blind man? The best explanation I’ve found comes from ChedSpellman.com. Dr. Spellman is a professor at Cedarville University:

[Jesus] says “Do you not yet see or understand? Having eyes do you not see? and having ears do you not hear?” (Mark 8:17-18). Jesus is saying, Open your eyes and see what is right in front of you! His point is that, though they have physical eyes, they still are in some sense blind to who Jesus really is.

Seen in this context, Mark’s placement and record of this miracle is brilliant. They see a blind man, who Jesus then leads by the hand out of the city where Jesus heals him. The first time, the man can only see slightly, his vision is blurred. Then Jesus did it again, and the “man looked intently” and was healed and could then “see everything clearly”. This is essentially a parable that Jesus is acting out for his disciples….His point is that his disciples are blinded to who he really is though he is demonstrating his power to them day by day right in front of their eyes. Their understanding is coming, but it is coming in stages.

The passage following confirms Mark’s textual strategy. Right after this healing, Peter finally “sees” and confesses Jesus’ identity, that Jesus is “the Christ.” But then, Jesus begins to tell them that the Messiah must suffer, which they don’t fully understand. They see, but not clearly.

Mark 8:36 — This cartoon summarizes it well:

From Earl Martin – here’s a great way to memorize the verse:

Psalm 42:1 — This verse inspired the song, “As the Deer“.

Proverbs 10:17 — A great verse to teach your students and anyone that needs to be corrected.

Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.

Close Fellowship | VCY

Close Fellowship

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:34)

Truly, whatever else we do not know, we know the Lord. This day is this promise true in our experience, and it is not a little one. The least believer among us knows God in Christ Jesus. Not as fully as we desire; but yet truly and really we know the Lord. We not only know doctrines about Him, but we know Him. He is our Father and our Friend. We are acquainted with Him personally. We can say, “My Lord, and my God.” We are on terms of close fellowship with God, and many a happy season do we spend in His holy company. We are no more strangers to our God, but the secret of the Lord is with us.

This is more than nature could have taught us. Flesh and blood has not revealed God to us. Christ Jesus had made known the Father to our hearts. If, then, the Lord has made us know Himself, is not this the fountain of all saving knowledge? To know God is eternal life. So soon as we come to acquaintance with God we have the evidence of being quickened into newness of life. O my soul, rejoice in this knowledge, and bless thy God all this day!

He Equips the Called | Daily Thoughts about God.

He Equips the Called

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The “God of peace” who raised Jesus from the dead equips you with everything good — everything you need — for accomplishing His will.

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“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  Hebrews 13:20-21

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.”  This truth encourages me often when I feel inadequate to face challenges or when someone assigns me something overwhelming.

Can you relate? You won’t find that phrase verbatim in the Bible, but it is scriptural. 1 Peter 2:9 says we are chosen to declare His praises. 2 Peter 1:3 explains that it is God’s divine power that gives us everything we need for living a godly life. In Philippians 2:13, Paul reiterates that it is God who works in us to will and to act to fulfill His good purpose.

The “God of peace” who raised Jesus from the dead equips you with everything good — everything you need — for accomplishing His will. He is the one who works within us what is pleasing to Him.

So what is our part?

Allow Him. Cooperate with Him. Believe Him. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Follow His instructions. You don’t have to do these things in your own strength. He works within us by His Spirit. He has the power. He raised Jesus from the dead. His will originates with Him and He is working within us to bring it to fruition.

God really does choose those who seem inadequate or weak in this world. He doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called, and you have been called according to His purpose!

Lord, thank You that you are the one who has chosen and called us. Lord, equip us with everything we need for doing your will, for Your honor and glory! Amen.

By Donna Mitchell
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•   Come Alongside – what it looks like to come alongside of people while Jesus draws them closer.

•  Making a Difference

•  Salvation Explained

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Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  •  Pinterest

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The post He Equips the Called can be found online at Daily Thoughts about God.

We are More than Conquerors | Daily Thoughts about God.

We are More than Conquerors

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“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” Romans 8:35-37

Thought

Are we really conquerors despite “trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword”? (Romans 8:35) Yes! That is the Father’s ultimate assurance to us through Christ Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. The Evil One and his allies can kill our bodies, ruin our finances, wrack our physical being with pain, and seek to destroy our relationships. However, the Evil One cannot have our hearts when they are surrendered to Jesus. And when our hearts belong to the Lord, so does our future, and Satan cannot change our ultimate future with Jesus (Colossians 3:1-4). The empty tomb of Jesus assures us that our future with him is glorious, victorious, and unending.

Give me eyes to see, O God, and a heart to believe that Jesus’ victory over death is my victory, too! I don’t want to be derailed from my hope, faith, and love by life’s difficulties. Instead, I want to be a living testimony to your power, victory, and grace. In Jesus’ name and for his glory, I live and pray. Amen

By Phil Ware
Used by Permission

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Further Reading

•  Today with the Lord 
•  The Lord Never Changes
•  Salvation Explained

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Follow Us On:  Facebook  • Twitter  •  Instagram  • Pinterest

The post We are More than Conquerors can be found online at Daily Thoughts about God.

25 Feb 2024 News Briefing

Taking Nuclear War Seriously: Gingrich
The US Dept of Homeland Security has degenerated into a mess of enormous incompetence. Today, it can’t cope with unarmed civilians at the border; it would likely be totally incapable of dealing with a nuclear event. Yet, nuclear war is becoming increasingly possible.

An unholy pact: The Hamas-affiliated Turkish organization collaborating with Ra’am
An exposé by HaKol HaYehudi shows tight relations and strong collaboration between Ra’am, an Islamist party in Israel, and a Hamas-affiliated organization in Turkey, promoting violent and inciteful rhetoric. Habiballah is described as sending his acquaintances from Hamas in Turkey photographs and GPS locations of a plant belonging to Israeli defense industry, urging them to strike the plant with missiles.

‘Palestinians are not Hamas’: Biden’s post on social media draws response from some notable figures
The president’s post garnered responses from some public figures who didn’t agree with his message. “Dear Mr. President, The overwhelming majority of Palestinians express strong support for Hamas. In fact, a survey conducted by the Palestinian research institute AWRAD revealed that 84% of respondents in the West Bank strongly endorsed the massacre and atrocities of Oct. 7.”

IDF strikes terrorist entering weapons facility in Matmoura
The IDF on Saturday struck a weapons storage facility belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. “Earlier today, an IDF aircraft identified a terrorist cell entering a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Matmoura,” the IDF confirmed. “A short while after, IDF fighter jets struck the weapons storage facility where the terrorists were located.”

Ex-spy Jonathan Pollard wants to enter the Knesset, send Gazan Arabs to Ireland
Jonathan Pollard is eyeing the Knesset alongside Itamar Ben-Gvir. He calls to annex Gaza, send Gazans to Ireland, and rename the IDF.

Hamas’s massacre only happened because of Russia’s war on Ukraine – Italian PM
According to the Italian prime minister, “It was inevitable that such a serious violation of the international system based on law, moreover at the hands of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would have cascading consequences on other areas and quadrants of the world….[like] the Middle East.

Netanyahu’s post-war proposal for Gaza rankles US officials
Netanyahu’s plan sees post-war Gaza ruled by ‘local stakeholders with managerial experience’ who are ‘not affiliated with countries or entities that support terrorism.’

Israel agrees to outline for new hostage deal with Hamas, cabinet to continue deliberations
Hamas lowered demands but negotiations still far from breakthrough. An Israeli delegation agreed to a framework for a hostage release deal with Hamas during talks in Paris on Friday, returning optimistic for the continuation of the talks, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

Glenn Beck publishes list of 10 times Joe Biden acted like a dictator
‘Actually, let’s make it 11: Trying to throw your political rival in jail is the ULTIMATE dictator move.’

RFK Jr. Campaign Threatens Legal Action if Kansas Ballot Access Bill is Passed and Signed
If a Kansas bill that would substantially impact statewide ballot access for independents passes the state Senate and is signed by Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign said it will file legal action. The Kansas House passed HB 2516 by a 68-52 vote on Feb. 22. The measure now heads to the Senate.

Paleontologists discover a “240-million-year-old” ‘Chinese dragon’
An international team of scientists from China, the U.S. and Europe has studied new fossils of the marine reptile Dinocephalosaurus orientalis. This research has made it possible to fully describe the bizarre, very impressive animal for the first time. … a skull and the first three cervical vertebrae of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis were uncovered and examined in the Guanling Formation of Guizhou Province. Since then, a number of other specimens have been discovered in southwestern China, which are now housed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing

February to end with record-smashing warmth in Midwest, Eastern U.S.
Another major pulse of record-setting warmth is predicted for the end of February from the Upper Midwest to the East Coast as the “lost winter” for much of the region charges on.

Cross-country storm to bring severe weather, mountain snow, high winds next week
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a potentially dangerous storm system that’s expected to impact most, if not all, of the Lower 48 during the next week with some form of precipitation, including the potential for severe weather, heavy mountain snow, and rain.

Parts of the East Coast are sinking
Satellite imagery taken of the U.S. East Coast shows major regions are sinking, which scientists warn could threaten infrastructure, farmland, and wetlands for more than a 2,000-mile stretch of coastline.

CHD Weighs Appeal to Supreme Court in Rutgers Case After Court Rules Students Have No Right to Refuse COVID Shot
Rutgers University students for now will have no choice but to comply with the university’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a federal appeals court ruled.

Was America Just Attacked? We Have Now Been Put On Notice That Our Communication Infrastructure Is Extremely Vulnerable
What would we do if we suddenly couldn’t use the Internet or our phones any longer?  For a lot of people, such a scenario would be unthinkable.  In fact, it felt like the “world is ending” for many AT&T customers on Thursday. The disruption to AT&T’s network only lasted for a few hours, but it created quite a frenzy.  If we are going to see this much panic for an outage that happens for just a few hours, what would our society look like if Internet and phone communication was down for days, weeks, or even months?

Canadian Doctors Admit Covid ‘Booster’ Shot Paralyzed Woman, Offer to Euthanize Her to ‘Make Up for It’ 
Canadian doctors have admitted that a Covid “booster” shot from Moderna is responsible for a young Ontario woman now being paralyzed for the rest of her life.

Google AI Says Calling Communism “Evil” Is “Harmful And Misleading” 
Google’s Gemini AI program was caught in another example of egregious bias when it said that calling communism “evil” was “harmful and misleading.”

Utah Lawmakers Advance Bill Combating CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting
…The new legislation, introduced by state Republican Sen. Michael McKell, would bar insurance providers from paying for an organ transplant or post-transplant care if the transplant operation is performed in China.

Politico Reporter on MSNBC Frets That Christian Nationalists Believe Americans’ Rights Come From God, Not the Government
Heidi Przybyla, a reporter for Politico, appeared on MSNBC this week and fretted as she explained that Christian Nationalists believe that Americans’ rights are granted by God and not Congress or the Supreme Court.

Report Reveals 300% Surge in Death of Homeless People in LA Amid Fentanyl Crisis
Los Angeles, one of the most populous counties in the United States, grapples with a devastating reality: the death toll among its unhoused population reached alarming heights in 2023, with more than 2,000 individuals losing their lives.

Tractor Protests: Farmers From Ten Countries Against EU Green Tyranny
Czech farmers were driving their tractors and other vehicles to several border crossings on Thursday to meet their colleagues from neighboring countries and join forces in their protests against European Union agriculture policies, bureaucracy and overall conditions for their business.

UK’s plan to be a “science and technology superpower” progresses; dystopia looms
The UK government has published an update on the progress of its Science and Technology Framework.  Originally published in March 2023, the update details what the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (“DSIT”) has achieved in the first year of the Framework’s existence.

ONS new method for analyzing excess deaths is a cover-up 
On Tuesday, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (“ONS”) released data compiled using a new method that “will give us a better understanding” of excess deaths. But who benefits from publicizing excess deaths using this “new method”? Who is it that will gain the most?

The Largest Vaccine Study Ever Finds Huge Increased Risk of Serious Health Conditions, but Concludes Risks are “Small” and “Rare.”
A study conducted by the Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN) looked at a cohort of 99 million vaccinated individuals. Although scientists have found massively increased risks of developing several serious health conditions post-Covid jab, mainstream media headlines still shamelessly suggest that the increased risk factors are “small” and “extremely rare.”

25 Feb 2024

Headlines – 2/25/2024

US House speaker slams Biden admin for restoring policy against Israeli settlements – Mike Johnson says decision an ‘absolute disgrace,’ calls to ‘stop undermining Israel’ as it ‘fights terrorists on multiple fronts’

Far-right minister Eliyahu warns Palestinian state ‘would lead to a holocaust’ – US push for two-state solution a ‘very big mistake,’ argues heritage minister; says reestablishing Jewish settlement in Gaza Strip is critical for postwar security

Rothman to ‘Post’: Israel has veto power over Palestinian state, it’s a matter of life and death

War cabinet approves more talks in Qatar on hostage deal; arrests at anti-gov’t protests

Paris teams said to agree hostage deal ‘outline’; Hamas reportedly softens some demands

Hamas source: Deal sees 6 week truce, 200-300 prisoners in exchange for 35-40 hostages

Senior official cautions that a hostage deal is still ‘far’ off, confirms Hamas eased demands

Israeli officials to meet on a proposed pause in Gaza while the Cabinet is set to OK a Rafah plan

‘Choose the lives of our loved ones’: Protesters to rally for hostages, urge elections

As hope for a deal fills Hostages Square, chaos erupts at nearby anti-Netanyahu rally

UN rights officials call for Israel arms embargo; FM: They’re cooperating with Hamas

Gaza desperately needs more aid but agencies can’t cope

UNRWA suspends aid to northern Gaza amid ‘collapse of civil order’

‘Hunger is killing us’: Gazans increasingly desperate amid growing humanitarian crisis

Dead Horses, Scraps, Leaves: Gaza’s Hungry Get Desperate

Sanitation Crisis in Gaza Spreads Disease

Urologist harvests semen from fallen soldier for next generation

Brazil’s Lula doubles down on claim Israel committing genocide in Gaza

Italy’s PM: If Russia hadn’t invaded Ukraine, Hamas wouldn’t have carried out Oct. 7

Nazis mingle openly at CPAC, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories and finding allies

Reservist who shot terrorist: Don’t use me to promote ‘divisive discourse,’ gun policy

IDF strikes Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

US, UK launch strikes against Houthis in Yemen for attacks on ships in Red Sea: 18 targets at 8 locations hit

Huge oil slick from cargo ship hit by Houthis triggers environmental disaster concerns

UK Conservatives suspend ties with MP who said London mayor controlled by Islamists

ZOA Condemns Hungary for ‘Disgraceful’ Pact With Iran

Iran’s Christians experiencing ‘1984-style nightmare’

Pray.com removed from Apple App Store in China, restricting access to content

South China Sea: Manila could file case against Beijing over possible cyanide use by Chinese boats

Navalny’s ‘tortured’ body handed over to his mother

‘More deaths are coming’: fears over fate of other Russian political prisoners after Navalny’s death

Russian President Vladimir Putin was caught off guard by Armenia’s suspending its membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a crucial military alliance for Moscow

G7 leaders admonish Russia for ‘irresponsible nuclear rhetoric’ on second anniversary of Ukraine war

European Leaders Flock to Kyiv as Ukraine Marks Two Years Since Russian Invasion

Ukrainians Commemorate 2 Years of War With Minor European NATO Leaders and Major Defiance – But Lack of Troops, Equipment and Ammo Mean Defenses May Be About to Crumble

Ukraine’s defences under strain as war enters its third year

Ukraine war: Zelensky insists country will win on second anniversary

Ric Grenell: WH Has No Peace Plan for Ukraine

Brooks: We Lacked Strategic Clarity with Ukraine, Biden ‘Gave Them Enough Not to Lose,’ But Not to Win

Italian prime minister on military aid for Ukraine: it’s hypocritical to conflate peace and capitulation

Macron Berated by French Farmers: ‘You Gave Ukraine Colossal Sums, But Gave Us Crumbs!’

El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Urges Americans at CPAC to Fight Globalism: ‘They Hate Our Success, and They Fear Yours’

Donald J. Trump Is Racing Against Time to Find a Half-Billion Dollar Bond

Resolutions Would Slow Trump Takeover of RNC

President Trump crushes Nikki Haley 94% to 5% in CPAC straw poll

Trump wins South Carolina, easily beating Haley in her home state and closing in on GOP nomination

Nikki Haley vows she’s ‘not giving up fight’ despite crushing defeat to Donald Trump in South Carolina GOP primary 2024

Nikki Haley: ’40 Percent Is Not Some Tiny Group’ as Trump up 60%

Governor Newsom Thanks Nikki Haley for Helping Democrats Make the Case Against Trump

Gov. Newsom: Haley One of Dems’ Better Surrogates

Exit Poll: One Third of S.C. Republicans Would Spurn Trump If Convicted

Here We Go Again: South Carolina Voters Unable to Vote Reportedly Due to Internet Being Out – Voters Told to Put Ballots in “Another Slot”

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell must pay $5 million to election data debunker, federal judge confirms

Elon Musk Goes on Offense to Defend Offensive Speech – The billionaire is fighting forces he says chill people from speaking; some say he’s the one suppressing speech

Google Gemini refuses to label pedophilia as morally wrong, has no problem condemning the n-word, doesn’t know what a woman is

Red-faced Google apologizes after woke AI bot gives ‘appalling’ answers about pedophilia, Stalin

Error reveals vending machine at Canada university secretly using facial recognition

White House to Issue Executive Order to Fortify U.S. Ports and Maritime Cybersecurity

Commerce Sec’y: ‘I Have National Security Concerns’ About EVs – ‘Probably’ Need to Do More to Block Chinese EVs

CEO: Private US Spacecraft on Its Side on the Moon

Lunar Lander Company Stock Plummets After Incident on Lunar Surface, NASA Assures Public It Was a Success

5.4 magnitude earthquake hits near Kyzyl-Suu, Kyrgyzstan

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near El Realejo, Nicaragua

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Miyako, Japan

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Port-Olry, Vanuatu

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Tari, Papua New Guinea

Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 22,000ft

Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 22,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft

Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 13,000ft

Marapi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 12,000ft

Flash flood sends tourists fleeing in Petra Jordan

Drought worsens in Mediterranean; Barcelona struggles with water shortages

Promising 22-Year-Old Georgia Nursing Student Allegedly Murdered by Illegal Alien Let in Under Joe Biden – Suspect Was Previously Arrested for Harming a Child

UGA campus death: Gov. Kemp wants answers about murder suspect’s immigration status

Tropical resorts popular with Americans no longer ‘off limits’ for cartel killers: ‘The rules have changed’

AOC calls Biden border invasion a ‘false narrative’ promoted by conservatives

Texas AG Ken Paxton Says Biden ‘Clearly in Partnership’ with Human Trafficking Cartels

At CPAC, Trump Decries Democrat Border Policies: ‘Want to Destroy Our Country or They’re Stupid’

Karine Jean-Pierre Blames Republicans When Asked Why Biden Waited Three Years to Consider Executive Action to Secure the Border

Venezuelan migrants linked to more crimes in U.S., but Maduro shuts door on all deportations

How a migrant influx is causing tensions in one of the most Hispanic cities in the U.S.

Awards Season Comes as French Filmmakers Face Slew of Sex Abuse Allegations in New #MeToo Wave

New York Elementary School Hands Out ‘Black Lives Matter’ Coloring Book Promoting Transgender Affirmation

‘Gender affirming’ care in the cross hairs from detransitioner lawsuits, ‘conversion therapy’ claims

Woman, 25, with life-threatening ectopic pregnancy is refused treatment by Texas hospital – because doctors say it constitutes an abortion

Doctor emotionally describes terminating pregnancy out of state during hearing over Texas abortion bans

Biden Extends State of the Union Invitation to a Texas Woman Who Sued to Get an Abortion and Lost

How the reversal of Roe v. Wade led to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children

Report: House Dems’ Super PAC to Attack GOP on IVF

Alabama justice who quoted Bible in IVF case often invokes religion

Tucker Carlson Poses an Unexpected COVID Vaccine Question – Carlson’s query emerges as alarming figures on COVID vaccine deaths come to light

WHO Pandemic Treaty Could Change the Course of Health Care Forever

Source: http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

Zelensky says 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since war began 2 years ago | Just The News

The president’s comments mark the first time that Kyiv has confirmed its military deaths since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. 

— Read on justthenews.com/world/europe/zelensky-says-31000-ukrainian-soldiers-killed-war-began-2-years-ago

US Cities See Their Budgets Squeezed as Migrant Flow Increases

New York City, Chicago and Denver see their budgets stained due to the influx of immigrants from the southern border.

— Read on sputnikglobe.com/20240225/us-cities-see-their-budgets-squeezed-as-migrant-flow-increases-1116976732.html

Obama laid the groundwork for U.S. media to become government-controlled propaganda tool – NaturalNews.com

The mainstream media has lost all credibility in recent years, with its coverage of the pandemic and election leaving little doubt about who is running things and where they stand. There are lots of places to pin the blame for how it reached this state, but one big factor is former president Barack Obama.

In fact, it was his move to repeal the Smith-Mundt Act, also known as the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, that set the stage for the current propaganda machine that the national media has become. This move allowed propaganda to be used in broadcasting and took away the requirement for it to be credible. It essentially allowed the media to use propaganda against Americans.

Before the act was repealed, U.S. programming that was produced by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) – now known as the United States Agency for Global Media – such as the Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, could only be consumed at broadcast quality overseas. Available in 61 languages and more than 100 countries, it covered topics such human trafficking in Asia and human rights abuses in Iran.

The act was amended in the 1970s, and in 1985, Nebraska Senator Edward Zorinsky said that this type of propaganda should not be allowed in the U.S. in order to set us apart “from the Soviet Union where domestic propaganda is a principal government activity.”

The idea was that American taxpayers should not be paying for propaganda for American audiences. Although some people involved in BBG projects claim it isn’t propaganda, a former U.S. government source admitted that it advances American interests.

When Obama dropped the propaganda protections, it meant government agencies could create “news” and opinions to be delivered to Americans to further their narratives – and the taxpayers have to pay for it.

In a fact check about whether this actually happened, even the AP couldn’t honestly claim it was false; they said that the whole act was not repealed but that Obama “rather lifted some restrictions on the domestic dissemination of government-funded media.”

Putin says it’s hard to beat the U.S. in “the war of propaganda”

This was even a topic in Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Vladmir Putin. When asked by Carlson why he wouldn’t want to present evidence that NATO was behind the Nord Stream attack so he could win a propaganda victory if it was true, the Russian president responded: “In the war of propaganda, it is very difficult to defeat the United States because the United States controls all the world’s media and many European media. The ultimate beneficiary of the biggest European media is American financial institutions. Don’t you know that?”

He added: “It is possible to get involved in this work, but it is cost-prohibitive, so to speak. We can simply shine the spotlight on our sources of information, and we will not achieve results.”

American media outlets are supposed to be “free press”; the First Amendment makes this clear. And without the Smith-Mundt Act protecting it, the media can be taken over by political operatives and the government. That’s why we are being fed so many lies about “climate change,” COVID-19 and countless other topics that all conveniently support the preferred liberal government narrative. And lately, it has been going even further, with services like Newsguard receiving government funding to censor right-leaning news outlets.

It is now painfully obvious that Obama helped lay the groundwork for the state of the media today and all of the propaganda it is forcing on us.

Sources for this article include:

Revolver.news

ForeignPolicy.com

— Read on www.naturalnews.com/2024-02-23-obama-laid-groundwork-media-become-propaganda-tool.html

‘Everything you have been told about Ukraine is a lie.’

‘Everything you have been told about Ukraine is a lie.’

I just got back from Ukraine, where I was visiting some friends.

Everything we have heard about what’s happening in Ukraine is a lie.

The reality is darker, bleaker, and unequivocally hopeless. There is no such thing as Ukraine "winning" this war.

– By their estimates, they…

— Maria Mateiciuc (@MariaMateiciuc) January 6, 2024

Attkisson: The Record Shows Media Made More “Mistakes” Reporting On Trump, Always Against Him | Video | RealClearPolitics

“Full Measure” host Sharyl Attkisson checks a long list of receipts demonstrating media bias against President Trump:

SHARYL ATTKISSON: We’re now moving into the most heated phase of the 2024 presidential campaign. Few things are as important to the two top candidates, Biden and Trump, as getting positive coverage in the news. Donald Trump had a decided disadvantage in 2016 and 2020 when it comes to the traditional press and social media.

Here at Full Measure, we’ve documented the media’s uniquely harsh treatment of Trump since he first declared his run for the White House, including an explosion in the trend of false reporting by formerly well-respected national news outlets. We’ve also been tracking media mistakes under the Biden presidency to see if he’d fall victim to the same syndrome.

In other words, is the media making an unprecedented number of sloppy but innocent errors, or is their behavior part of a calculated strategy? Today’s cover story: what the record shows.

When President Biden spent last Christmas on vacation with family, he continued the longest string in two decades of a U.S. president not visiting the troops during the holiday. But there was no criticism in the press like there had been of his predecessor, President Trump. With Trump, the media was eager to blare negative headlines, even when false.

In 2018, NBC incorrectly reported that Trump stayed home at Christmastime, the first U.S. president since 2002 to skip visiting the troops. The news went global. But it wasn’t true. The media had jumped the gun. Trump and First Lady Melania left the White House Christmas Day to visit U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

On Thanksgiving, Newsweek made a similar error, falsely reporting that Trump was spending the holiday “golfing” at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. But the reporter had fabricated the golf story. Trump flew to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving to again be with the troops, making Trump the only president in U.S. history to visit troops in a combat zone both on Thanksgiving and so close to Christmas — though the press never reported that.

Three years into the Biden presidency, it’s clear: Trump was treated with unique unfairness by error-riddled reports in the media, always cutting in a negative direction. There’s been no similar trend under Biden. But first, a reminder of just a few of the worst media mistakes about Trump.

CNN claimed Nancy Sinatra was “not happy” her father’s song was played at Trump’s inauguration. But Nancy Sinatra responded, “That’s not true. I never said that. Why do you lie, CNN?”

TIME falsely claimed Trump removed the bust statue of Martin Luther King from the Oval Office.

TMZ reported Trump changed “Black History Month” to “African American History Month.” But Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton had all called it African American History Month.

BBC, The Guardian, and others reported that Trump wasn’t bothering to listen to a speech by Italy’s prime minister, since he wasn’t wearing translation headphones. Turns out he was wearing a translation earpiece.

Newsweek and others reported Poland’s First Lady refused to shake Trump’s hand — but later had to admit she did.

CNN edited Trump’s remarks to make it seem as though he didn’t realize Japan builds cars in the U.S. But the full statement made clear that he does.

Trump: You’ve been creating jobs for our country for a long, long time. Several Japanese automobile industry firms have been really doing a job.

CNN also edited a video to make it seem like Trump impatiently dumped fish food in the water at Japan’s palace. But he’d followed the lead of Japan’s prime minister.

Newsweek claimed Ivanka Trump “plagiarized” one of her own speeches, which is impossible, since plagiarizing is stealing someone else’s work.

The UK Telegraph apologized for at least eight mistakes in an article criticizing Melania Trump.

The New York Times, AP, CNN, and others excerpted a Trump comment as if he’d called all illegal immigrants “animals.”

Trump: These aren’t people; these are animals.

Later corrections noted he’d been referring to members of the murderous MS-13 criminal gang.

The New York Times Magazine and CNN shared a story showing children illegally brought into the U.S., supposedly in cages. But the article and photos were actually from the Obama administration.

Agence France-Presse mistakenly reported that more than 100,000 children brought in by illegal immigrants were being held in detention. That was actually the total number in 2015 under Obama.

Time and others showed a crying Honduran child to illustrate Trump separating illegal immigrant parents from children. But the child hadn’t been separated from her parents in the U.S.

MSNBC falsely claimed Trump “banned” the Red Cross from visiting the immigrant children. The Red Cross said that wasn’t true.

MSNBC also falsely claimed that Trump had talked about “exterminating Latinos,” but later corrected that and apologized.

NBC News misidentified the focus of Trump’s praise in a speech as Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Actually, Trump was talking about Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

Trump: And his name was Grant, General Grant.

The Washington Post and others falsely reported that Trump-supporting pro-life Catholic high school students were the aggressors in a confrontation in Washington, D.C.

Several news outlets featured an empty podium at Trump’s Fourth of July celebration in 2019 and said he didn’t draw crowds. But the photo was taken before the event. The actual crowd was huge.

The New York Times and others implied Trump hadn’t paid income taxes for 18 years. But the record shows he’d paid a higher rate than Democrats Bernie Sanders and President Obama.

Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal reported Special Counsel Robert Mueller had subpoenaed Trump’s bank records. That wasn’t true.

Politico falsely reported that Trump owed the Bank of China tens of millions of dollars in a loan coming due, as he dealt with China on coronavirus. Not true.

MSNBC falsely reported that Trump had loans with Russian co-signers.

Slate.com falsely claimed a Russian bank server had been illicitly communicating with Trump Tower.

And the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and many others falsely reported that the Hunter Biden laptop scandal story was “unsubstantiated” or “Russian disinformation.”

The New York Times reported that “Trump seized on [hydroxychloroquine] as a miracle cure.” Trump never said that.

Trump: It may work, and it may not work. But if it doesn’t work, it’s nothing lost by doing it. Nothing.

CNN and others criticized Trump for tweeting that Alabama would likely be affected by Hurricane Dorian. But official advisories had put Alabama in a projected impacted area.

Vox.com tweeted that Trump suggested he’d been a “9/11 First Responder.” He’d said the opposite.

Trump: And I was down there also, but I’m not considering myself a first responder.

Multiple media falsely claimed Trump was golfing during a U.S. raid that captured the head of ISIS in Syria, and that a White House photo of Trump had been “staged.” But Trump was at the White House.

ABC aired video showing what it called a “slaughter” against Kurds by Turkey after Trump withdrew U.S. troops. But the video was file tape of a training show in the U.S.

And USA Today connected the eagle on a Trump campaign T-shirt with a Nazi eagle — later admitting “the eagle is a longtime U.S. symbol, too.”

After Biden was sworn in, what did we find? The media made fewer major mistakes. And the ones they did make still cut against Trump — or somehow favored Biden and his agenda. Here are just a few examples.

The New York Times published a fabricated claim that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was killed by “pro-Trump supporters” who “struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher.” However, Sicknick died from a stroke.

The Poynter Institute’s PolitiFact, the Washington Post, and others falsely said the idea of Covid coming from a lab was a debunked “conspiracy theory.”

Web MD, USA Today, and others incorrectly dubbed the 2020 Sturgis, South Dakota Motorcycle Rally a Covid “Super Spreader” event. Data showed the rally had way below the national average of cases.

Associated Press falsely stated that 70% of recent calls to Mississippi Poison Control were from people who’d taken ivermectin for Covid. The actual number was reportedly 2%.

USA Today falsely claimed President Biden only checked his watch after the return of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan. In fact, Biden repeatedly checked his watch during the ceremony, as families of the fallen soldiers claimed.

Mediaite falsely declared that Joe Biden had not referred to baseball great Satchel Paige as a “Negro.” In fact, he’d done just that.

Biden: You know I’ve adopted the attitude of the great Negro at the time… his name was Satchel Paige.

And the Washington Post claimed Sen. Tom Cotton was wrong to say murderers like the Boston Marathon bomber would qualify for Covid stimulus checks under Biden. Turns out the convicted killer did receive a stimulus check in prison.

Trump sued CNN for $475 million for calling his challenges to the 2020 election ‘the Big Lie.’ He argued it defamed him because The Big Lie is a Nazi term. The judge threw out the case, saying CNN was using the term as an opinion, and it didn’t necessarily link Trump to Hitler or genocide of Jews.
— Read on www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/02/25/attkisson_the_record_shows_media_was_unfairly_harsh_on_trump.html

Debt spending to surpass defense spending … this year – American Thinker

Money for nothing, and the government checks aren’t free.

— Read on www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/02/debt_spending_to_surpass_defense_spending_this_year.html

What is the outer darkness spoken of in the New Testament? | CARM

The outer darkness is that place of the punishment of the wicked. We do not know whether it is physical or metaphorical. But, it is described as a place so far away that it is always in darkness. The phrase is used three times in the New Testament, only in the Gospel of Matthew, and always by Jesus. He unites it with the phrase “the weeping and gnashing of teeth.” So, in each instance, wicked people will be thrown into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is a grim prophetic reality upon all who have denied the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Here are the three places the phrase occurs.

 

1. Matt. 8:12, “but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
2. Matt. 22:13, “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
3. Matt. 25:30, “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There are different interpretations of exactly what it is. Some interpret it as hell, which is the place of eternal punishment. Some say it is symbolic language used to describe the incredible separation from God that the wicked will experience. An interesting point is that, generally speaking, prophecies are fulfilled literally. So, we could also legitimately interpret the outer darkness to be exactly that, a place so far away that is completely in darkness. Either way, it is going to be an awful, eternal existence for those who have not trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

 

Related Articles

• Word study on outer darkness
• Word study on weeping and gnashing of teeth
• What are the signs of being a true Christian?
• Commentaries on Outer Darkness

The post What is the outer darkness spoken of in the New Testament? appeared first on Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.

— Read on carm.org/carm/what-is-the-outer-darkness-spoken-of-in-the-new-testament/

Just a Matter of Time :: By Daymond Duck – Rapture Ready

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has been going on for years.

There has been tit for tat attacks on an almost daily basis since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, 2024, and they show no signs of ending.

To the contrary, on Feb. 14, 2024, Hezbollah released an unusually vicious missile barrage against several targets in Israel that killed a female Israeli soldier and injured at least eight other people.

Israeli officials said they will hold the Lebanese government as well as Hezbollah accountable because the Lebanese government is doing nothing to stop Hezbollah from firing rockets and missiles into Israel from Lebanese territory.

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, said, “This isn’t just a dribble anymore, this is war. It is time to change the way we think.”

A member of Israel’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz, said,

• All of the Israeli citizens that have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel can never return until Hezbollah is pushed north of the Litani River, and Hezbollah will never pull back willingly.
• The IDF will be going into southern Lebanon.
• It is just a matter of time.

Israel said it would respond forcefully, and they wasted no time in doing so.

Israeli fighter jets struck deep into Lebanese territory.

A Hezbollah commander, a deputy, a third terrorist, and ten civilians were killed.

A Hezbollah official quickly declared, “The enemy (Israel) will pay the price for these crimes.”

The U.S., UN, EU, Arab League, and others say they are trying to keep the war from spreading, but their efforts are not working.

When asked about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, one of the signs Jesus mentioned is wars and rumors of wars.

Every jot and tittle of God’s Word must be fulfilled, and it is just a matter of time.

(More: In response to an early morning Hezbollah drone attack on Israel, on Feb. 19, 2024, Israeli jets struck two Hezbollah weapons storage facilities deep in Lebanese territory.)

Here are some signs that seem to indicate that the Rapture and Tribulation Period are drawing near.

One, concerning the Two-State Solution and a peace treaty in the Middle East: the U.S. and many Arab nations are feverously pushing the division of Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state as soon as the Israel-Hamas war is over.

They say this is necessary for the establishment of peace and security (peace and safety) in the Middle East.

In response to this, on Feb. 15, 2024, Israel’s Finance Min. said, “We will in no way agree to this plan, which says Palestinians deserve a prize for the terrible massacre they carried out against us: a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

It is also being reported that PA leaders do not want a Two-State Solution; they want a final solution (the destruction of Israel).

That is what the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free” is all about.

As of now, it looks like someone will have to produce a different plan, or an unacceptable peace treaty will have to be forced on both parties.

In either case, the fact that powerful people are calling for a peace treaty when the Israel-Hamas war is over sends a strong signal that it is just a matter of time until the Antichrist confirms a peace treaty with many and world leaders wrongly declare peace and safety on earth.

(More: A second article on the same day said, “The proposed plan includes steps that Israel has previously refused, including the evacuation of many West Bank settlements, a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem and a combined security apparatus and government for the West Bank and Gaza.” The writer also said the plan will include a firm timeline for the creation of a Palestinian state.)

(More: A third article on the same day said many Israeli officials have expressed outrage at this dangerous plan.)

(More: Israel’s National Security Min. said, “1,400 murdered, and the world wants to give them a state. It won’t happen. The intention of the US, together with the Arab states, to establish a terror state alongside the State of Israel is delusional and part of the misguided conception that there is a partner for peace on the other side…. While we are in the government, no Palestinian state will be established.”

(My opinion: If the U.S. continues to push the division of Israel and a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, the U.S. will soon experience a response from God.)

Two, On Feb. 16, 2024, concerning persecution: according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, more than 8,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria (a Muslim nation) in 2023.

(Question: Israel was recently tried in the International Court of Justice for genocide in its war with Hamas; can we expect Nigeria to be tried in the International Court of Justice for genocide? My answer: Probably not.)

Three, concerning the possible decline of America: on Feb. 15, 2024, it was reported that George Soros has bought 40% of the stock in the second largest radio broadcast company in America (220 radio stations), and some pundits are already concerned that he will use the stations to spread his anti-American beliefs and influence the next election.

Four, concerning the decline of America and the coming persecution of believers: highly respected Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills was recently invited to deliver the invocation at an opening session of Congress.

A coalition of Democrats led by an atheist member of Congress, Jared Huffman, sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, expressing the rage of congressional members over Pastor Hibbs’ prayer.

Democrats complained that Hibbs is a “radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and [he] has a long record of hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community.”

They said Hibbs offended them because he prayed about America’s “national sins.”

(My opinion: There is something rotten in Washington, DC when many of our representatives think being a faithful Christian is wrong, wanting America to remain as a sovereign nation is wrong, and when they are offended by a preacher praying about sin in America. These are things that everyone should be praying about.)

Five, concerning a departing from the faith and the decline of America: based on a recent study at Arizona Christian University:

• Author and Pastor David Fiorazo said, “A sobering conclusion to a brand-newstudy is that it appears America is on the precipice of Christian invisibility.”
• George Barna, Director of Research and co-founder of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, said, “Children are following in the unfortunate spiritual footsteps of the generations that have preceded them, and this trajectory leads to the total abandonment of biblical Christianity in record numbers.

Six, on Feb. 20, 2024, former Pres. Trump posted a comment on Truth Social about the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Trump said,

• “The sudden death of Alexei Navalny has made me more and more aware of what is happening in our Country. It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION!”

(My opinion: The things Trump mentioned are part of a deliberate plan to weaken America and establish a New World Order, also called world government. The death of Alexei Navalny was bad, but I agree with what Tucker Carlson said at the recent World Government Summit in Dubai: Transhumanists who think they are God are very dangerous and will get a lot of people killed. The death of one Russian is negligible compared to the billions that will die under the New World Order.)

Seven, concerning Iran’s efforts to build nuclear weapons and the implication for the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Feb. 12, 2024, the former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency said in a TV interview, “We possess all the nuclear science components and technology. We’ve crossed all the lines and overcome all obstacles. It’s like having all the parts to build a car: we have the chassis, the engine, the transmission, everything. Each component serves its purpose, and everything is in our hands.”

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said, “Please show me the proof.”

It looks like more war is coming (a nuclear confrontation with Israel) because world leaders are doing nothing to stop Iran.

(More: On Feb. 15, 2024, it was reported that “Tehran -Iran – reportedly test-fired advanced ballistic missiles this week as part of war drills to prepare the Islamic Republic for a strike on Israeli military sites.”)

Eight, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: on Feb. 18, 2024, Russian Pres. Putin said Turkey has emerged as Russia’s most reliable partner in the gas sector.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran will team up with others to attack Israel in the latter days and latter years (Ezek. 38-39).

These traditional enemies are settling their differences and becoming allies.

(More: On Feb. 17, 2024, it was reported that Russia has invited representatives of Hamas, Fatah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Organization, and others to Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024, to discuss Russia’s growing criticism of Israel and its Western allies. Russia wants to exert more influence on the Middle East.)

Nine, concerning a borderless world and an increase in drug use at the end of the age: on Feb. 16, 2024, a routine traffic stop by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety discovered $1.2 million of cocaine in the vehicle.

(Note: A different stop in Dec. 2023 discovered $10 million in meth and cocaine. Biden’s open border is enriching the drug cartels and killing many U.S. citizens.)

Ten, concerning famine: on Feb. 17, 2024, it was reported that Biden’s Dept. of Agriculture allocated $130,000 to study the value of using crickets that have been fed municipal landfill waste as a source of protein for humans.

The agency believes raising livestock uses too much of the world’s resources, and it wants to know if feeding crickets waste from municipal landfills will lower the cost of cricket production that can be passed on to customers who need to save money by eating them (especially in poor countries).

Eleven, concerning deceit and an economic collapse: on Feb. 16, 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said:

• America’s economy is on an unsustainable fiscal path.
• Accounting problems in several departments are unreliable, and the GAO was unable to properly evaluate the financial reliability of the federal government.

If I remember other reports correctly, they are not saying an economic collapse is imminent, but they are saying things must change, or America’s economy will collapse in a few years.

(My opinion: If the Rapture happens, the economic collapse will happen sooner than they expect.)

Twelve, concerning the patient that Musk’s company implanted a brain chip in: on Feb. 20, 2024, it was reported that Musk said the patient seems to have made a full recovery with no ill effects that the company is aware of; the patient can control a computer mouse, and the system can read the person’s intended movement and thoughts.

Below is my daily update on the Israel-Hamas war.

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 (Day 132): The seventy-seventh day of the resumed war.

• Israel said it captured dozens of suspected terrorists when it raided Nasser Hospital today.
• In a call to Netanyahu, Pres. Biden urged him to hold off on attacking Rafah.
• The Biden administration has grown increasingly frustrated in its attempts to reign in Israel’s war with Hamas.
• Egypt is building a 16-foot high wall on its border with Gaza to keep Palestinians at Rafah from fleeing from Gaza into Egypt when Israel starts attacking Hamas at Rafah.
• Israeli intelligence officials said Hamas will survive as a terrorist organization in Gaza despite Israel’s effort to destroy it.

Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 (Day 133): The seventy-eighth day of the resumed war.

• Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, said, “There will not be a ceasefire of even one day until the hostages are returned…. Either the hostages will be returned, or we will extend the fighting to Rafah.”
• Two released hostages said they were held at the hospital in Khan Younis. Today, Israel killed several gunmen near the Khan Younis hospital. Israeli troops found weapons inside the hospital, and they arrested about 100 suspected terrorists at the hospital complex. According to Israel, the hospital complex had been turned into a military base.
• Israel publicized a video of a UNRWA employee helping a member of Hamas put the body of a hostage in an SUV. The bodies of two other murdered hostages can be seen on the ground near the vehicle.
• Biden wants to keep giving aid to the Palestinians, but he wants it to go through other agencies, not the UNRWA. Some members of Congress said there will be no more U.S. aid going through the UNRWA.
• Since the start of the war, there has been a 300% increase in Aliyah (Jews immigrating to Israel) applications from France, a 150% jump from Canada, a 100% rise from the United States, and a 40% increase from the United Kingdom.

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 (Day 134): The seventy-ninth day of the resumed war.

• The head of the UNRWA claimed that Israel is out to destroy the agency.
• Israel identified dozens more UNRWA workers that are members of Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups.
• Israel now says more than 30 employees of the UNRWA participated in the Oct. 7, 2023 rapes, murders, beheadings, seizure of hostages, etc. (My opinion: Providing UN aid to the Palestinians shouldn’t include raping, murdering, beheading, and kidnapping Jews.)
• House Republicans have launched an investigation of Biden’s funding of the UNRWA.
• One of Turkish Pres. Erdogan’s chief advisors (a friend of Iran) openly called for the death of Jews.
• Netanyahu said Israel will lose the war if it does not destroy Hamas in Rafah.

Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 (Day 135): The eightieth day of the resumed war.

• A vote in the Israeli government cabinet formalized Israel’s opposition to the so-called international community’s creation of a Palestinian state.
• Biden suggests that a revised Palestinian Authority could rule over a new Palestinian state, but Israel rejects that because the Palestinian Authority supports terrorist attacks on Israel.
• S. Sec. of State Blinken said virtually every Arab nation wants to normalize relations with Israel, but they require the creation of a Palestinian state. (My opinion: This movement to establish peace in the Middle East will ultimately lead to the covenant of death and the Tribulation Period.)
• When Israel raided the hospital in Khan Younis, they discovered dozens of pkgs of medicine with hostage names on them. These medicines were supposed to be delivered to the hostages in exchange for more medical supplies for the Palestinians, but it appears that the medicines were never delivered.
• Houthi terrorists in Yemen fired a missile that struck a cargo ship in the Red Sea, set it on fire, and forced the crew to abandon ship. Nearby ships helped put the fire out.
• Israel said Yahya Sinwar is in hiding and has lost control of his troops, and Hamas is looking for a replacement.

Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 (Day 136): The eighty-first day of the resumed war.

• Israel has released video from a captured security camera that shows Hamas terrorists moving a captured woman hostage and her two children.
• Israel said if the hostages are not released by the beginning of Ramadan (a Muslim holy month that begins on Mar. 10, 2024), Israel will attack Rafah.
• The cargo ship that was struck by a Houthi missile yesterday in the Red Sea is in danger of sinking.
• Several Arab countries privately say they want Israel to deal a blow to Iran by destroying Hamas in Gaza.
• Netanyahu said if there is a Two-State solution, Israel will maintain military control over Palestinian territory.

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 (Day 137): The eighty-second day of the resumed war.

• It was reported that an anonymous Arab nation is saying that Hamas has admitted that its situation is grave, it is running out of ammunition, and its military structures are deteriorating.
• Israel’s ambassador told the UN Security Council, “In Gaza, Hamas is the UN, and the UN is Hamas!”

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 (Day 138): The eighty-third day of the resumed war.

• The U.S. told the International Court of Justice that Israel should not be forced to withdraw from Palestinian territory without security guarantees.

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com

— Read on www.raptureready.com/2024/02/24/just-a-matter-of-time-by-daymond-duck-5/

2024 02 25 John Haller’s Prophecy Update Making Choices – YouTube

2024 02 25 John Haller’s Prophecy Update Making Choices – YouTube

— Read on www.youtube.com/watch

2024 02 25 Charles Atkinson “Truth Journeys Through a Territory of Lies” – YouTube

Charles shares our second hour Message

— Read on www.youtube.com/watch

🔴 Live: Providence Baptist Church on RSBN: Sunday Morning Worship 2-25-24 – YouTube

🔴 Live: Providence Baptist Church on RSBN: Sunday Morning Worship 2-25-24

— Read on www.youtube.com/watch