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
Let’s take a look at Daniel 9:20-27. In this final section of Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel arrives to Daniel to provide him with understanding regarding what he had been praying about.
As a reminder, are there valid reasons to study prophetic discourse in Scripture? Yes, absolutely. Here are just several reasons:
At least 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic discourse
Much prophecy has already taken place
However, some prophetic events have not yet taken place
1 John 3:2b-3 tells us that those who look for the appearing of our Savior purify themselves
The Great Commission – rightly dividing the Word of Truth allows us to be better equipped to share the gospel with the lost
Notice in verses 20-23, Daniel was speaking, praying, confessing his sin and the sin of his people Israel, and presenting his supplication to God. As he does, Gabriel arrives to give Daniel understanding. God had heard Daniel’s prayers and Gabriel tells Daniel that he was “greatly beloved.”
In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel tells Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”
I’ve bolded the word “weeks” because the first thing we need to do is determine what that word actually means in the context of Daniel 9. There are several possible meaning and they are:
Actual weeks – one week equals 7 days
Years
Thousands of years
7 years per “week” or “weeks of years”
Ultimately, it has to mean “weeks of years” because of context of Daniel 9:
70 weeks equals 70 x 7 = 490 years total
Daniel 10:2-3 explains normal weeks
21 days = 3 weeks
Weeks here means 21 literal days
The Hebrew word that has been translated “weeks” – shavuim– actually means “sevens,” not “weeks” although due to context, “weeks” also fits, but it is not the literal translation. But what does “sevens” mean? It is like saying a “dozen” – “I have a dozen eggs.” The dozen refers to something but only means a number by itself. We know a dozen means “twelve,” but twelve what, golf balls, tennis balls, eggs?
Again, the context of Daniel 9 demands that we understand “weeks” (sevens) as periods of 7 years. Hebrew word means “sevens,” It should have been literally translated as “Seventy sevens” in Daniel 9:24. But again, the question then is, seventy sevens of what? Since the entire context of Daniel 9 is referencing years, then we can conclude Gabriel is talking about seventy periods of seven years.
Originally, Jeremiah prophesied that the people of Israel would be held captive for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11; Jeremiah 29:10). Israel became cursed temporarily due to the years they ignored the Sabbath rest.
Gabriel is really doing a play on words here in the text. Daniel was praying for Israel’s release from captivity because the 70 years was almost up, which was true. Hence, God would ultimately release Israel from Babylonian/Medo-Persian captivity allowing Israelites to return home to Judah and Jerusalem. Gabriel arrives and essentially says to Daniel: “Not 70 years, but 70 “sevens” of years!”
Notice this was already pre-determined by God because of Israel’s rebellion and unfaithfulness. The 70 “sevens” (weeks) began with rebuilding of Jerusalem. There were a number of decrees but the one that fits the timeline is the one Artaxerxes issued (Persia) in ca. 445 BC.
While the Israelites were released from bondage at the end of the 70 year captivity, they remained in bondage to Gentile nations because of the fact that they ignored God’s command to allow the land to rest every seven years. We know the reason for the 70 years captivity, but what is the reason for the 70 sevens beyond the 70 year captivity?
The reasons for the additional years of captivity, in other words, what the 70 sevens would be used to accomplish in Israel:
To finish the transgression
to be done with sin
in essence, it will end rebellion against God
Make an End of Sin
To judge sin finally, once for all
Will end human failure to obey God
This is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus – Hebrews 9:26.
To make Atonement to cover human wickedness (Daniel 9:26; Zechariah 13:1)
Bring in Everlasting Righteousness
A new society in which righteousness prevails (During Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus)
Will bring in the fulfillment of the vision that God has for the earth
Will result in the anointing Most Holy Place – probably referring to new temple of Millennium period (Ezekiel 40-48)
The entire prophecy from Gabriel is presented as a whole in verse 24. The first 69 weeks/sevens are described in verse 25. Events between the 69th seven and 70th seven are detailed in verse 26. The final period of the 70th seven is described in verse 27.
We will pick this up from here in our next installment!
We are going to finish up with the last few verses of Daniel 8:23-27 and then move into Daniel 9. We’ll cover the first half of Daniel 9 and save the actual breakdown of the second half of Daniel 9, which includes the infamous 70 “sevens” or “weeks” as it has become known to students of the Bible.
23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.
26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.”
27 And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.
There is a difference of opinion regarding how the above verses interpret and who they are ultimately referring to and I’m speaking only of conservative biblical scholars. Some take the above verses to refer solely to Antiochus Epiphanes. Others believe the verses only refer to the coming Antichrist. Still others (myself included), believe that these verses refer first to Antiochus and finally to the coming Antichrist, whom Paul calls the “man of sin/man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2. Each student of the Bible will need to arrive to their own conclusions based on their own study.
Certainly, Daniel 8:23-27 refers first to Antiochus and if we had time and space, we could compare this with 1 Macc. 1:10. Antiochus arose in the latter period of the four kingdoms that came into existence after Alexander’s death. He became the 8th king of the Syrian empire portion of Alexander’s Grecian Empire.
Because of who he was, Antiochus Epiphanes was very bold and deceptive. In fact, this is a trait of all true leaders. They tend to see things that others do not. In verse 24, we learn that his power shall be mighty but not by his own power. This essentially means that it was God who allowed Antiochus to have power at all. It is likely God allowed Antiochus’ rise to rule in part as an arm of discipline to the nation of Israel. God allows and even causes certain people to rise to the top so that He can use them to do what He needs to have done. It is the same today with globalists who are literally changing the times, the seasons and morality itself – God allows it.
Verse 24 tells us that Antiochus did tremendous damage, especially to Jerusalem and the temple. He became prosperous and carried out his objectives (“And shall prosper and thrive”). He successfully destroyed many mighty people, including the High Priest and Jewish leaders. He fooled many people with his shrewdness (“Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule”), and as we noted previously, he even exalted himself as though he was a god.
In verse 26, Daniel is told to seal up the vision, which likely means to “make it secure,” not necessarily secret. This would allow it to remain until the very end of human history. A good question here is does “many days” mean to Antiochus’ time or does it refer only to Antichrist’s time? In my opinion it is probably best to take it as a near/far fulfillment. What Antiochus did to a small local (Middle East), degree what Antichrist will do globally, or throughout the entire world. The text ultimately points to Antichrist and his short reign during the coming Tribulation period that will indeed, effect the entire world.
Now that we have clarified that portion of Daniel 8, let’s move onto Daniel 9, which is neatly divided into two parts. The first portion of the chapter deals with Daniel’s prayer based on his understanding of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah 25:11-12). The second portion of Daniel 9, which we’ll deal with next time deals with what is known as the 70 Weeks prophecy.
Other bits of information that is good to know, but not exhaustive is that Daniel 9 dates from 539 BC, when Darius (Gobryus) ruled. Belshazzar’s feast and the fall of Babylon to Cyrus, in Daniel 5, occurred earlier the same year. Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat, in Daniel 8, took place 12 years earlier, in 551 B.C.
Daniel had obtained and been reading a copy of Jeremiah’s prediction concerning the length of the captivity of Israel/Judah once captured by Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar. Because of his study, Daniel understood the 70 years to be a literal 70-year period. Since the end of that 70 years was approaching, Daniel began to pray.
Jeremiah had revealed that God would restore His people to their land when they prayed to Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:12-14; Constable). Daniel prays his prayer in Daniel 9:3-19. Even though Daniel was sure of the prophecy, he petitioned the Lord in prayer anyway. This is a good lesson for us. We should, as Paul says, pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We should be in constant communication with our God. Our lives should be bathed in prayer for all that we undertake for the LORD.
Through prayer we become partners with God in bringing His will to pass in the world (Constable). Prophecy should bring us to our knees (Feinberg). Daniel’s humility, reverence, and earnestness are the hallmarks of effective prayer (Walvoord). In essence, Daniel’s prayer begins with confession of sin and guilt and he is actually interceding for himself and all of Israel.
Daniel’s prayer ends with a request for mercy and for God to restore Israel to its land. Verses 5-6, Daniel stresses God’s faithfulness and admits Israel’s unfaithfulness. Even though Daniel had been faithful to God, as an Israelite himself, he identifies with Israel’s sins. Jesus did the same by identifying with us sinners though He was completely sinless. What made Daniel one of God’s greatest saints was not his sinlessness but his sensitivity to the true depth of his sin (Whitcomb).
Israel’s main sin was disregarding God’s words to them through His prophets (cf. 2 Chron. 30:10). Daniel contrasted God’s righteousness with Israel’s unrighteousness. To disregard God’s Word is “the beginning of all moral disorders” (Leupold). We are seeing this throughout global society today. What existed and was normalized in Sodom and Gomorrah is now becoming normative throughout the world today. Remember our previous article on what the “+” symbol in LGBTQIA+ stands for?
Israel’s sins (rebellion, idolatry), resulted in God’s punishment (9:11-14), so God did what He promised to do when Israel rebelled (Deut. 28:15-68). Daniel praised God for His righteous dealings with His people who had rebelled against Him. Prayer is only acceptable when it is accompanied by repentance – a desire to turn from sin.
After thorough confession, Daniel prays for God to restore Israel. Daniel refers to Moses and the Exodus, comparing that situation to the current situation with Babylonia. In both cases, the Israelites were essentially enslaved by a foreign power and they needed to look to God for release.
Daniel based his entire appeal to God on the fact that God is compassionate (Exodus 32:12-14). We deserve hell, but God’s compassion/love has given us a way to avoid it, but in general, I’m not sure we can fully comprehend God’s love/compassion.
Notice that during this entire prayer, not once did Daniel tell God what to do. Instead, Daniel simply asked God to hear, see and to listen and act. Daniel’s humility left the decisions to God.
In essence, the Gospel message is built into the book of Daniel in a variety of ways. That Gospel points to the New Testament revelations and to Jesus Himself. It is all based on faith alone in God’s power and ability. Without God moving and doing what He has done throughout the ages, there would simply be no salvation for humanity. God reached down and specifically chose a people He called Israel. From this nation, God would bring the Messiah/Savior into the world in order to secure salvation for as many as would come to Him.
We see this working itself out in the life and timeline of the nation of Israel time and time again. It is not by works that anyone is saved, whether in the Old Testament or New. It is always by faith, period.
Next time: We will look at Daniel 9:20-27
Gabriel brings God’s response
Gabriel explains the 70 “sevens”
These 70 “sevens” take us through to the crucifixion of Jesus and the 2nd Coming
Today, I decided to go back in time, and re-post something from April 2009. I started this blog in January 2009. It’s funny to see what I sounded like when I was just starting out. Dr. Craig has a short video about this argument, and Rose and I did a podcast about it, where we focused on the scientific evidence for a beginning of the universe. This is a simple argument. I wish Christian leaders taught it in church.
I’ve been watching Bill Craig debates for a long time now, ever since I did my first degree in computer science a dozen years ago. Today I thought we could all learn how to argue Craig’s first argument for God, which he used in his debate with Christopher Hitchens.
Let’s go over Craig’s kalam argument in brief.
The kalam cosmological argument
The argument goes like this:
Whatever begins to exist requires a cause
The universe began to exist
Therefore, the universe requires a cause (M.P. 1,2)
The most important thing for you to realize is that nothing can be sustained in a debate unless it can be phrased as a valid argument according the rules of inference. All of Craig’s arguments can be broken down into logical propositions that use the standard laws of logical reasoning in order to force their conclusions deductively, so long as the premises are true.
Understanding the logical form of the kalam argument
The form of the kalam argument is valid because it allows for a modus ponens inference. (Here’s a primer on logical reasoning)
if p is true, then q is true
p is true
therefore, q is true
That means that so long as premise 1 and 2 are true, the conclusion follows necessarily. This is the same form of argument (deductive) used by Sherlock Holmes in his cases.
Proving the premises
Can the atheist deny that either or both of these premises are true?
“Whatever begins to exist requires a cause” If the atheist denies this premise, then they are denying a fundamental law of natural science, namely, that matter can neither be created or destroyed. That is natural law.
“The universe began to exist” The universe came into being. If the atheist denies this they are denying the state of the art in modern cosmology.
First, quantum mechanics is not going to save the atheist here. In QM, virtual particles come into being in a vacuum. The vacuum is sparked by a scientist. The particles exist for a period of time inversely proportional to their mass. But in the case of the big bang, there is no vacuum – there’s nothing. There is no scientist – there’s nothing. And the universe is far too massive to last 14 billion years as a virtual particle.
Secondly, atheists will say that the big bang is speculative physics that could change at any moment. But the trend is in favor of an absolute beginning out of nothing. We have had a string of solid, recent scientific discoveries that point in a definite direction, as follows:
Einstein’s theory of general relativity, and the scientific confirmation of its accuracy
the cosmic microwave background radiation
red-shifting of light from galaxies moving away from us
radioactive element abundance predictions
helium/hydrogen abundance predictions
star formation and stellar lifecycle theories
the second law of thermodynamics applied to nuclear fusion inside stars
So, insofar as atheists question these discoveries and the origin of the entire physical universe out of nothing, they are opposing the progress of science.
What came into being at the moment of creation?
You need to understand that the big bang theory states that space, time and matter were all created at the moment of creation.
There was no space causally prior to the universe beginning to exist
There was no time causally prior to the universe beginning to exist
There was no matter causally prior to the universe beginning to exist
All of these things began to exist at the first moment.
What can we infer about the cause?
So, space, time, and matter began to exist. What could have caused them to begin to exist?
Whatever causes the universe to appear is not inside of space, because there was no space causally prior to the creation event. The cause must therefore be non-physical, because physical things exist in space.
Whatever causes the universe to appear is not bound by time (temporal). It never began to exist. There was no passage of time causally prior to the big bang, so the cause of the universe did not come into being. The cause existed eternally.
And the cause is not material. All the matter in the universe came into being at the first moment. Whatever caused the universe to begin to exist cannot have been matter, because there was no matter causally prior to the big bang.
So what could the cause be? Craig notes that we are only familiar with two kinds of non-material realities:
Abstract objects, like numbers, sets and mathematical relations
Minds, like your own mind
Now, abstract objects don’t cause of any effects in nature. But we are very familiar with the causal capabilities of our own minds – just raise your own arm and see! So, by process of elimination, we are left with a mind as the cause of the universe. As Sherlock Holmes says, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
This cause created the entire physical universe. The cause of this event is therefore supernatural, because it brings nature into being and is not inside of nature itself. The cause of the universe violates the law of conservation of matter is therefore performing a miracle.
Responding to alternative naturalistic cosmologies
In this published research paper from the journal Astrophysics and Space Science, William Lane Craig responds to the several naturalistic attempts to evade the implications of the kalam argument. I will list each one by name and explain the main problem with each. I highly recommend you read the paper and become conversant with the arguments and evidences.
The steady-state model: disproved by recent empirical observations of radio galaxy distributions, as well as red-shifting of light from distant galaxies moving away from us at increasing speeds
The oscillating model: disproved in 1998 by more empirical measurements of mass density which showed that the universe would expand forever, and never collapse (was named Discovery of the Year)
The vacuum fluctuation model: the theory allows for universes to spawn at every point in space and coalesce into one extremely old universe, which contradictions observations of our much younger universe
The chaotic inflationary model: does not avoid the need for an absolute beginning in the finite past
The quantum gravity model: makes use of imaginary time which cannot be mapped into a physical reality, it’s purely theoretical
Why the kalam cosmological argument matters
We need to make a decision today about how we are going to live. The evidence available today supports the creation of the entire physical universe from nothing, caused by a supernatural mind with immense power. The progress of science has strengthened this theory against determined opposition from rival naturalistic theories.
Those are the facts, and we must all choose what to do with them.
(This message was recently preached at Mt. Zion Baptist Church)
Life is filled with warning signs. Whether we go, we will likely see some type of warning signs and those signs are not necessarily meant to scare or instill fear within us. They are simply noting something and if we are aware of what those signs mean, we will heed them and avoid the problems that the signs warns us about.
As one example, I’m semi-retired but I drive a school bus in the area. As you might imagine it comes with a good deal of responsibility to ensure that I get my bus full of students to and from school in as safe a manner as possible. Things like student issues on the bus can make that more difficult. But apart from that, situations outside the bus can also add to the problems.
Not too long ago, when we experienced a good deal of rain, numerous roads in the county were washed out and impassible. My bosses at the bus garage were diligent in staying in touch with road crews to learn which roads were closed to traffic. It wasn’t just dirt roads either but some of the hard roads.
During that time of major downpours I received either text messages the night before my route or the morning of indicating which roads I needed to avoid. In essence, my bosses were warning me that if I went down those roads there would be serious problems.
So because I was aware of the problem – having been WARNED of it – I could successfully avoid the problems and be on my way. Had I not been warned about the road closures, I would have simply run my normal bus route thinking that, besides the amount of rain prompting me to go slower, there was nothing to be concerned about.
The Bible also is filled with warning after warning. We see these warnings in the life of the Israelites, King Saul, King David, King Solomon and many others in the Old and New Testaments. In some cases, problems were successfully dealt with because people paid attention to the warnings God provided often through His prophets. In many other cases, those warnings were not heeded and trouble ensued.
Jesus also spent time warning His listeners and followers. In fact, He took the time out to warn the religious leaders often, not because He hated them but because He actually loved them and yearned for them to embrace the truth. They, however, chose repeatedly to NOT heed Jesus’ warnings and they paid the consequences of that refusal.
In the Olivet Discourse, which we find in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus outlines what will occur toward the end of the age in which we are now living. He spent time to warn His disciples about certain attitudes and events that would seriously impact society as the time approached for His physical return.
Some of what He warned happened before all of His apostles died or were martyred. Some warnings remain as yet unfulfilled because they are still in front of us. I’m of the firm conviction that those warnings that Jesus shared are happening now and will continue with greater intensity as we lead up to the coming final seven years of human history prior to the physical return of our Lord. This period is known biblically as the Tribulation period.
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus warns of very difficult times that will engulf the entire world. We need to realize that all of what Jesus says that is to come to pass will occur in God’s timing, though Satan and his human agents on earth want to push things ahead with greater speed to bring the final kingdom of Daniel 2 to fruition.
You’ll recall in that chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar sees a huge statue in his dream. It greatly concerns him as he notices the statue is divided into four parts but it made no sense to him. Not one of his wise men could provide any rational explanation for the dream, until Daniel is called who is able to explain the dream to Nebuchadnezzar based on God’s revelation.
Nebuchadnezzar learns that the top portion of the statue represents Babylon. The chest and arms represent the next kingdom, Medo-Persia. The third section – the belly and thighs – represent Alexander’s Grecian Empire. The fourth points to the Roman Empire. All these kingdoms came and went and we now await what conservative biblical scholars call the “Revised Roman Empire” that will rise from the ashes in roughly the same area of the old Roman Empire.
It will be this empire that will ultimately be ruled over by the man Paul calls the “man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2. This man of sin or Antichrist will literally be Satan in the flesh. If the Bible is true – and it is – we know that these things will come to pass though still in the future. So in spite of how badly Satan and his human cohorts want this final new world order to become established, it will only occur when God’s timing allows as Satan and his agents are on God’s leash. Amen?
I have been studying God’s Word since I became a Christian at the age of 13. I just turned 67 and I often think I’ve just begun scratching the surface. Over the years, I’ve earned a Bachelor’s in Bible, a Masters in Biblical Theology and a Doctorate in Theology. But I’m by no means at the end of my learning. In fact, it seems to me that in some ways, I’m just beginning.
I’ve written over 30 books, most of them on prophetic discourse. I also write a weekly blog – two to three times per week – where I share my viewpoints on various biblical concerns and what is happening in the world today.
Because of all this, readers of my blog and books will often ask me, Where are we on God’s prophetic calendar? An important question.
I realize prophecy can be confusing to some, unnecessary to others and can even – unfortunately – create tension between people over viewpoints and fear within the believer. Maybe the subject is important to you. Maybe it’s not as important as you would like it to be.
Jesus warns us about several things that He says will occur toward the end of this current age, before He returns. Instead of being fearful of those things, we need to take them to heart so that we can actually AVOID problems.
While I don’t have all the answers, I believe I can see clearly enough to know where we are and where we are heading, based on the truth of God’s Word. Certainly, I cannot know when certain prophetic events that are yet unfilled in Scripture will be fulfilled because I’m not a prophet. I can, however, discern the times and, using discernment, arrive to a general understanding of which part of the 70 weeks that Daniel speaks of in Daniel 9 we are currently at.
So I’d like to take the remainder of time today to go over aspects of the Olivet Discourse. These words, spoken directly by our Lord, enlighten us, providing us a picture of the very end of the end times in which we live. Some of what Jesus warns can make us cringe or experience fear. Some of what He says may cause us to be filled with gratefulness. It is in the Bible, therefore it is important for us because God wanted us to know.
I’d like to highlight four things mainly from the Olivet Discourse from Matthew 24.
These four points are:
Apostasy (24:4-5; 11)
Anarchy (24:6-8)
Apathy (24:12-13)
Affliction (24:9-10)
Let’s take a moment to read the text from the Olivet Discourse and then delve into the sermon, covering Matthew 24:4-13.
Apostasy In Matthew 24:4-5 and 11, Jesus warns His disciples and us of the tremendous uptick in false teachers as the age draws to a close. False teachers are liars and liars have always existed on the earth and that goes back to Genesis 3 when Satan lied about God to convince Eve and Adam that what Satan offered was better than what God offered. Satan was accusing God of withholding information from Eve and Adam.
It’s clear that much damage is done when people choose to lie. The lies can destroy relationships and can create a tremendous degree of harm.
Regardless of whether or not COVID was merely exploited or deliberate, society will never be the same because of the pushers of fear-based messaging in secular society.
Jesus warns of false teachers and false prophets doing tremendous damage to parishioners in the churches over which they shepherd because they lead people away from the truth of God’s Word, just as Satan led Eve away from God’s truthfully spoken Word. Lies always end in people walking away from God and His truth.
But it’s not just false apostles, prophets and teachers either. In the text, Jesus is specifically pointing to the fact that false Messiahs will rise. Their only purpose is to deceive people. Currently, there are at least three to five people throughout the world who claim to be Jesus incarnate. They all have followers who pretty much worship those individuals.
We will likely see more and more people claiming to be the reincarnation of Jesus or Messiah. The belief in “the Christ consciousness” within the New Age Movement is a core belief. Hardcore New Age believers all look forward to the coming of what they call the Christ Consciousness in the form of one particular person they call Maitreya. When this person comes on the scene, he will be adored and worshiped by those within the New Age. It would not surprise me to see many leaders within Christendom point to this coming man as the “one” who will right all wrongs. Unfortunately for both groups, this future man will be the Antichrist, someone Paul called the “man of sin/lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2. He will take the world by storm and gain full control of the coming new world order.
This particular new world order is under construction now by the UN, the WHO, the WEF all working in conjunction with governments and corporations around the globe.
So Jesus warns us to be aware of this growing deception. Being warned of it means we can avoid succumbing to it and this only happens with prior knowledge and we gain that prior knowledge as we are continually immersed in His Word.
Don’t forget Paul warns us that the coming man of sin cannot be revealed until the great apostasy occurs (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This is a turning away from the faith. Now does this mean actual Christians can deny Jesus? We know that is not true so it must mean many who believe they are actual Christians but are not. They will be the ones who walk away and we’ve been seeing a steady increase in this for the past few decades.
Anarchy (24:6-8) The second point that Jesus makes is what we would call anarchy. Anarchy is a form of lawlessness where people will do what they want to do and often get away with it. It’s very similar to the statement we read throughout the book of Judges, There was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That statement is repeated throughout that book to emphasize the fact that people lived lawlessly.
We saw this a few years ago with BLM and AntiFa who caused millions of dollars in damages in some major cities in America. They were largely given a free hand. In fact, one political leader in Oregon referred to the violent protests as their “summer of love.”
We are seeing it today with protest groups blocking highways and even the Golden Gate Bridge in California to highlight their support for the so-called “Palestinians” or the group that wants the world to stop using oil. While peaceful protesting is protected in the USA, breaking the law to make a point is not and that can lead to anarchy.
Anarchy is often the final nail in the coffin of a civilized society and we see this happening in earnest right now in Haiti and other places. Sadly, we are watching it occur in various places of the USA due to a fully open border and the results of hundreds of thousands of people illegally forcing their way into this country while our federal government does nothing to deter them. I’m all for amnesty for those who truly need it. But to simply illegally enter into the USA and be given the type of perks that these people are given while actual American citizens remain homeless or unable to bear up under the growing financial strain is something I’m totally opposed to and our founding documents oppose it as well.
But more than all of this, anarchy often leads to wars and rumors of other wars. As I’m sure you know, on October 7, the terrorist group Hamas waltzed into Israel and murdered well over a thousand innocent unarmed Jews who were enjoying a music festival. When Israel ultimately responded, the world said, “Stop! Back down! Take it easy!”
Since then, Israel has been eliminating or arresting one terrorist after another and most recently, Israel destroyed a building next to the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The building they destroyed was not the consulate. It was actually the headquarters of terrorists and one big name terrorist was taken out with precision.
Iran then responded with well over 100 rockets and drones directed at Israel. Israel defended itself against that onslaught and now the world leaders want Israel to dial it back and essentially not go after Iran. One Jewish man, a scientist with a doctorate in physics was astounded at the precision with which Israeli defenses were able to completely obliterate the oncoming assault. He likened it to the parting of the Red Sea! Was God at work? I believe it because of what He has promised in Scripture regarding Israel and because He is not done with Israel.
What does Genesis 12:1-3 tell us? Anyone who blesses Abraham (Israel) will be blessed and anyone who curses Israel will be cursed. There are a lot of people and nations today that curse Israel and America is dangerously close to doing the same thing.
Israel is the only nation God ever personally created and He did so to bless this entire world by bringing the Jewish Messiah and Savior to Gentiles into this world. Those who hate Israel even in their current state of unbelief will have to answer to God. God may clearly send His judgment to those nations that stand in Israel’s way. In fact, it appears as though He has begun with judgment on Iran because tremendously severe weather turned the beach red in Hormuz, Iran.
So we are seeing an uptick in war by warmongers both in the USA and abroad. Ultimately, it seems that many throughout the world and even in the US Congress are pushing for World War III. Only God knows at this point if it will lead to the biblically prophesied destruction of Damascus, something else, or whether it will fizzle out to nothing. But if things continue to escalate in the Middle East, nations like Russia, Turkey and others may become physically involved against Israel. This will lead to worldwide anarchy, a warning sign of the approaching end.
Apathy (24:12-13) The third point that Jesus brings to the fore is apathy. Apathy is a state in a person where they essentially could not care less. People often say the opposite of love is hate, but in reality, the actual opposite of love is apathy, where a person no longer cares for another person at all.
Jesus refers to the results of this problem in verse 12, stating, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”
Are we seeing that in society now, an increase in wickedness? Of course we are – you know it as well as I do. In 2008 same sex unions were made legal in Kommiefornia…I mean, California. It wasn’t long after that the Supreme Court of the United States confirmed its legality for all states.
Since then, what has come out? Now we’re dealing with transgenderism, the notion that a man can identify as a woman, become pregnant and give birth. Many of these transgender men to women are competing against biological women in sporting events and blowing them away. There is something desperately wicked about this. Yet, the movement in society is for everyone to accept how a person identifies and if we do not, then we are transphobic and in danger of being censored. It’s absurd but there it is because it is active in society now.
So because of the apostasy, the anarchy, and the apathy, or in Jesus’ words, the increase of wickedness, people will progressively become numb to the many situations occurring throughout society. They will stop caring because they will feel overwhelmed. They will stop loving others. They will become hopeless.
Now is Jesus talking about believers or unbelievers? He’s essentially talking about unbelievers. However, it can happen to believers who become overwhelmed with what is going on throughout society.
Notice though Jesus then says, in verse 13 “…the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” The implication is that those who endure are those who are authentically saved. Those who endure have a job for those who are in danger of not enduring and we’ll get to that in a minute.
In essence, those who are authentically saved will persevere to the end, regardless of the cost. Is that you? Is that me?
We are currently seeing people leaving the faith in droves. It’s never been higher and it began a decade or so ago. Now, more and more people are walking away from the faith, denouncing Jesus. It is also very interesting that many of those same people have come out as gay or lesbian or are embracing other lifestyles that are adamantly opposed in Scripture. What are we to think? Well, certainly only God can judge a person’s heart but we can judge a person’s words and actions.
A number of years ago I published a book called, The Anti-Supernatural Bias of Ex-Christians. I wrote it because I had been communicating with a man who spent years in the pastorate. He ultimately left the faith and believes himself to now be an atheist. I even bought a copy of his book where he comes out as atheistic. I drew from some of his testimony and responded to it in my book. I then sent him a copy of it. After he received it, he noted on a forum that “there was nothing in my book for him.” It simply didn’t apply.
It turns out that he had had an affair while a pastor. Because this devastated his career, instead of doing what King David did by fully repenting and letting God’s discipline fall where it may (2 Samuel 11), he dug his heels in and essentially blamed God for his failure.
Is the man saved? I have no idea but based on his own testimony, I wonder how he could’ve been? We are seeing this type of thing occurring at an unprecedented level and Jesus indicates that this will increase exponentially as we approach the end of the age.
Affliction (24:9-10) Jesus’ other point in the Matthew 24 text is what is essentially affliction. He says, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other…”
What I believe He is speaking of here is something that will climax during the coming seven year Tribulation period that occurs just prior to His physical return to this earth as King and Ruler. But we are starting to see this on a global scale and if what Jesus is saying is true (it is), then we can expect it to increase in intensity.
In 2023, 8,000 Christians were murdered by Islamists in Nigeria. That’s according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law. Since 2009 a total of 150,000 Christians have been slaughtered. Jesus warned that affliction in the form of martyrdom would come.
Just this past week, an ultraconservative pastor of the Assyrian Orthodox Church in Australia came under physical attack while he was preaching a sermon to his congregation. The pastor had fled Iraq years ago because after Saddam Hussein was captured and then executed, Islamists in Iraq began a campaign of attacking Christians.
The pastor of the church in Australia was not murdered, but suffered numerous knife wounds by the 15 year-old perpetrator. He is quoted as saying that the pastor was getting into his religion (Islam), so he decided to get into the pastor’s religion. The problem of course is that the pastor was merely using words to teach his congregation and he did so in his own church. The young man went out of his way to attack a Christian who was preaching truth.
Persecution in the world against Christians is on the rise. We can be certain it will continue to increase.
Conclusion So based on all of this – Apostasy, Anarchy, Apathy, Affliction– I ask a question. As Christians, what should our demeanor be in life? What should we be concerned about? Should we fear what may well here and intensifying? Should we endeavor to hide from the problems in life that the Lord allows our way for our testing and growth and ultimately for His glory?
The answer to those questions is obviously NO. We should not fear and we should not hide. So then what should we do in response to those things? There are three things we can and should do as revealed in God’s Word and I’ll close with these.
First, in Matthew 28, Jesus tells His followers that their main job is to spread the Gospel, to make disciples of all nations. The apostle Peter tells us quite clearly and succinctly that we need to “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” (1 Peter 3:15).
Always be ready and even look for opportunities to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul shares that he was “…not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) It is not only our job, but it is our privilege to share the Gospel with the lost so that God might open their eyes to their need for salvation.
Second, we need to be in His Word on a daily basis. We need to open His Word, read it daily and consider its message to us. We should also endeavor to memorize parts of His Word. One of my favorite passages is found in Isaiah 41:10.
Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
It amazes me how often I repeat that verse to myself and as a prayer to God when I feel as though things are mounting up and causing my faith to fail. If we memorize parts of His Word, we will always have it with us and can recall it anytime.
King David said in Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”
God’s Word is a benefit in many ways. It strengthens our faith. It works to keep us from sin. It allows us to walk away from Self and toward God. Are you in His Word? Am I in His Word?
Third and finally, as believers we need to continue meeting together as part of His Body. We need to rejoice with one another because of His great love for us. We need to bear one another’s burdens.
Our fellowship with one another is something that pleases and glorifies our Father in heaven. We cannot “do” Christianity without fellowshiping with other Christians.
I sometimes receive emails from brothers and sisters who want to know if I know of any good churches in their area. They tell me they cannot find one where the pastor actually teaches expositionally and truthfully. Too often, the only churches around them are those churches who are at one degree or another of going “woke.” The leaders there are into social justice. They talk about equity. Their music programs are similar to rock concerts. In short, they offer nothing substantive as far as the truth of God’s Word is concerned. It’s more about the show and the environment. It’s more about making people feel good.
My heart goes out to those believers and I always tell them even though I may not be aware of quality churches in their area, that they should do what they can to find other believers in the same situation and start a home Bible study if nothing else.
This may sound strange to us but this is exactly what occurred after the church was born in Acts 2. Groups of believers met in homes as home-based churches.
There is much happening in society and a lot of it appears to be absolutely negative to us. It can cause fear and trepidation because we do not know what 2024 will bring. I tend to think it’s not going to get better.
However, one thing that we should all know, understand and expect is the physical return of our Lord to this earth. He will then set up His Millennial Kingdom over which He will rule with a rod of iron and righteousness throughout the earth will have no end.
Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries recently stated that we cannot continue looking around at the world without looking up. I believe that. Do you? Let’s close in prayer.
Description:Scripture very plainly uses the word “predestined” in reference to the salvation of God’s people. Most denominations and some of the greatest theologians have wrestled with this issue through the centuries and have carefully formulated statements regarding this controversial topic. What do you believe about predestination? In this message, Dr. Sproul introduces us to the doctrine of predestination and explains that “Everyone Believes This Doctrine.”
Biden’s Passover Message: Ceasefire, Aid to Gaza, Two-State Solution When the righteous become great the people rejoice, But when the wicked dominate the people groan. Proverbs 29:2 Biden released a Passover message on Sunday night that began well, focusing on the Biblical aspect of the Jewish holiday. It stayed focused on Jews and Israel, condemning the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Hamas. But Biden strayed off course, claiming that he was working to bring about a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza, both of which benefit Hamas.
Pardon Me? Michael Avenatti Flips, Willing To Testify On Trump’s Behalf Imprisoned former CNN demigod Michael Avenatti has come out in support of Donald Trump, telling the NY Post that he’s willing to testify on Trump’s behalf after being in contact with Trump’s legal defense team about his willingness to testify against his former client, Stormy Daniels.
15 State Officials Warn Bank Of America About ‘De-Banking’ Of Christians A group of 15 financial officials from 13 states sent a notice to Bank of America, raising concerns about the institution’s “de-banking” of Christians. “We are especially troubled by Bank of America’s track record of discriminating against religious ministries. Notable examples include Memphis-based charity Indigenous Advance Ministries, the Timothy Two Project, and Christian author and speaker Lance Wallnau.”
141 Earthquakes Rattle Eastern United States Over Last 30 Days While the western United States is better known for its active seismicity, the eastern United States has been quite rattled in recent weeks; according to USGS, there have been 141 earthquakes in the eastern United States in the last 30 days. The next most popular area for earthquakes over the last month have been in the southern Appalachians,
Are The Nations Seeking To ‘Impose’ A Peace Covenant Between Israel And Her Neighbors? This last week, when Iran unleashed its barrage of 350 drones and missiles against the Jewish State, maybe the most surprising aspect was that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supported Israel. Let that sink in for a moment. All these nations are opposed to what Israel is doing in Gaza. They’re not friendly with Israel in every respect. However, these three nations supported Israel against an aggressive attack from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Israel Indicts Sister of Hamas Leader Haniyeh on Terrorism Incitement Israel’s State Attorney on Sunday indicted the sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on charges of incitement and showing solidarity with a terror group, after she allegedly praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the six-month old war in Gaza.
How one Microsoft staffer saved humanity On the final Friday of March, a pivotal moment unfolded in the computing realm. The sound heard globally was software developers and cybersecurity experts in disbelief, their jaws hitting the floor. A Microsoft employee, driven by a mix of perseverance, expertise, and a considerable dose of luck, uncovered a backdoor—a sinister bypass embedded in the code that enabled attackers to connect to servers and execute remote code (RCE) anonymously.
Israeli sources to Post: ‘An eye for an eye’; not clear why Pentagon leaked info on attack That said, officially, Israel will not accept responsibility for this attack for strategic reasons. Sources explain that the Iranians claim it was an “explosion at a factory” because they wish to avoid escalation. Israeli sources told the Post that it’s unclear why the Pentagon disclosed to the American media that Israel was involved; they could have remained silent, they say. They could have preserved Iran’s dignity and avoided escalating the situation on their own.
Netanyahu accuses hostage negotiators of lying to public “The false briefings from the negotiation team only harm the effort to return the abductees,” said Netanyahu, according to N12. “If there is someone on the negotiating team who is not ready to accept the decisions of the political echelon just to get anonymous and false headlines in the media for political purposes – let him be decent and not be here.”
White House was shocked by magnitude of Iranian attack The Biden Administration reacted with growing horror as the full extent of Iran’s massive aerial attack on Israel became clear on the night of April 13, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the report, the White House Situation Room monitors showed more and more ballistic missiles being launched at Israel, rising from 30 to over 100, even as about 170 attack UAVs and dozens of cruise missiles had already been fired. About 350 drones and missiles were launched at Israel that Saturday night,
Iran hit by plague of… crocodiles Iran has been hit by extreme flooding, and at least 18 people have died in flash floods that have swept the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Several villages were destroyed, and power and water were cut to around 300 more. “Due to the floods, especially in the south of the province, in the Baluchestan region, short-snouted mugger crocodiles may get out of ponds.” The mugger crocodile is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as a marsh crocodile.
House Speaker Mike Johnson deserves enormous credit for passing bipartisan bills providing urgent military aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan Johnson is a strong and principled conservative. He is a devout Evangelical Christian. He is also passionately pro-Israel. This weekend, Johnson showed exceptional courage by putting all of his political capital on the line to pass the most important pieces of foreign policy legislation this year, despite serious threats by several House Republicans to oust him from office. Fortunately, Johnson ignored his bitter rivals and kept his eye on what truly matters.
‘Once in a century’ flood warning issued for Guangdong as Bei River surges to record levels, China The southern Chinese province of Guangdong faces severe flooding risks with the Bei River’s water levels predicted to peak at 37.3 m (122 feet) early on April 22, 2024. This event, deemed a ‘once-in-a-century’ occurrence, comes after the region experienced record-breaking rainfall, affecting millions of people.
Severe cold snap hits Europe after unseasonable warmth, high-risk for catastrophic morning frost Central Europe is facing a high risk of catastrophic morning frost over the next few days, as cold air threatens extensive damage to agriculture across the region. Meteorologists from Severe Weather Europe have issued warnings about potentially severe impacts on blooming fruit trees, vineyards, and crops following a swift transition from unusually warm conditions.
Mandatory queer indoctrination at school causes huge uproar Schools across America many times are run by managers who come with baggage from the extreme-left ideologies of higher academia. Their plans often include spreading those ideals to students – whether or not they or their parents want such indoctrination.
$500 Russian drones destroying $10,000,000 American tanks Expensive American M1 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine are increasingly falling prey to Russian drones that cost only a fraction as much, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Even “one of the most powerful symbols of American military might” is not invulnerable to the attacks, it said.
How Climate Change Narrative Is Preventing Africa From Modernizing And Gaining Prosperity Under a blazing Kenyan sun, elderly women toll on their hands and knees in the reddish-brown clay, separating the choking weeds from the small, green shoots of a finger millet crop. The women are barehanded and barefoot, and they work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. at night. Clearing a small field takes three days.
Hope: Polling Shows 1 Bright Spot for Christianity in America More often than not, surveys tend to quantify what impressions have already conveyed. And when it comes to quantifying faith, those impressions might suggest few apparent reasons to hope for good news.
Watch: UK Police Threaten to Arrest an ‘Openly Jewish Man’ for Walking Near Palestinian Protest In the years after the Nazis took power in 1933, they instituted hundreds of laws and policies at the national, state and local levels to systematically remove Jews from German society. Bans were placed on Jews working as doctors and lawyers and in other professions, and quotas were set, limiting Jews in schools and universities.
Is the Netzah Yehuda IDF unit getting sanctioned by the US? “At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low,” wrote Netanyahu. “The government headed by me will act by all means against these moves.”
THE END OF HUMANITY – As Planned By The Global Leaders Did you know there is an official agenda, one which is heavily promoted by the World Economic Forum to replace the human race with robots, cyborgs and AI? Their plan is to end the era of humanity and usher in a new era of neo-humanity, in which people are a mix of man and machine, and our thoughts and emotions will be monitored by AI.
I will never accept another mRNA vaccine, MP says During a debate in parliament, Neale Hanvey, Member of Parliament (“MP”) for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, noted that mRNA injections had been found to be contaminated with plasmid DNA and contained cancer-causing SV40. “The loss of trust in big pharma is substantial,” he said, “I will never accept another mRNA vaccine, and I am far from alone.”
“Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence.” —Alexander Hamilton (1793)
Fellow Patriots, on this day in 1870, Vladimir Lenin was born. He later became the brutal dictator of the Soviet Union. It’s amusing and quite fitting that the collectivists in our own nation chose this day in 1970 to be the first Earth Day. —Mark Alexander
The House speaker walked the tightrope and passed foreign aid bills. How high will the price be?
Nate Jackson
The House passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan over the weekend, and that has Speaker Mike Johnson in the hot seat. Who’s up for another round of Oust the Speaker?
Before getting to the merits of the legislation, I’ll make two overarching observations.
First, Republicans generally behave like a herd of cats. Bless Mike Johnson’s heart, but he has to get 218 Republicans to work together on the same priorities in one chamber of Congress in which 218 votes mark a bare majority. Democrats control the Senate and the White House, making GOP unity a precious commodity. It’s all the more frustrating that many House members seem hell-bent on ensuring GOP unity never happens.
By contrast, history has rarely seen goose-stepping unity like that displayed by congressional Democrats. Even when the 213 Democrat House members vote differently on legislation, they don’t devolve into nasty infighting the way Republicans do.
Second, Congress long ago abandoned the practice of voting for laws on a case-by-case basis, instead bundling everything together into omnibus monstrosities just to coax reluctant members to sign on. Johnson finally changed that this time, albeit by voting on four separate measures in quick succession.
“The Ukrainian aid supplemental passed in a 311-112 vote, with the support of 101 Republicans and 210 Democrats,” reports National Review. “Meanwhile, the Israel aid supplemental passed 366-58, with support from 193 Republicans and 173 Democrats. The Republican national-security bill passed 360-58. The Indo-Pacific bill passed 385-34, with Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) voting present.” The fourth bill includes a year deadline for Chinese ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, and the whole bill is important given the growing ChiCom threat.
The biggest frustration among Republicans is that Johnson did not stick to his promise to prioritize border funding. That’s true, but it’s more complicated than that. Again, Democrats control the Senate and the White House, and they want an open border and intentional invasion. Republicans rightly rejected the Democrats’ bad border bargain earlier this year. It’s not Johnson’s fault that Democrats won’t help secure the border, and back-bench Republicans haven’t helped much by stoking GOP disunity.
The other big objection from the Right is sending billions more to Ukraine while America is clearly a wreck and when we can’t aid Ukraine enough to secure its victory in any case. Some argue that Asia should be more of a priority, but some Republicans simply don’t agree that it’s in U.S. national security interests to back Ukraine against Russia at all, especially when doing so is depleting American weaponry and resources. The Ukraine bill does include about $23 billion for replenishing U.S. weapons stocks, and, at least in theory, it makes the rest of the aid to Ukraine a loan — albeit one that gets wiped out after a few more months pass.
Notably, Andy Biggs (Arizona), Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Andrew Clyde (Georgia), Elijah Crane (Arizona), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Bob Good (Virginia), Paul Gosar (Arizona), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), Andy Harris (Maryland), Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Troy Nehls (Texas), Ralph Norman (South Carolina), Matt Rosendale (Montana), and Chip Roy (Texas) voted against all four bills. Only Republicans opposed Ukraine aid, whereas a few Democrats obnoxiously waved Ukrainian flags on the House floor.
The foreign policy hawkishness of the George W. Bush years is a distant and bad memory for some Republicans, though not for Johnson, who echoed Ronald Reagan by saying, “We have to stand for freedom, and we have to be the beacon of light.”
Instead of looking at Johnson and seeing Reagan, Greene sees Nancy Pelosi. She’s spent most of recent weeks threatening another motion to vacate against the speaker, though it seems the person who’d benefit most from that spectacle would be Pelosi’s successor, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. It would be amusing to see Greene walk a mile in Johnson’s shoes. She wouldn’t, of course. For one thing, no one views her as a leader, and she’d far prefer to keep playing the role of the GOP’s AOC.
For what it’s worth, Donald Trump threw his support behind Johnson and the Ukraine package, which Senator Lindsey Graham credited for its passage.
As for Israel, that’s the one area where Democrats are having problems. The anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas caucus on the radical Left is seemingly growing, and that could crack the Democrats’ facade of unity.
What Johnson gets right is the strategic view. “I believe Xi [Jinping] and Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil,” he said last week. “I think they’re in coordination on this.” That’s what ties the four bills together in terms of their importance. Haggling over the price, timing, or priority is one thing. Asserting that America has no interest in Ukraine, Israel, or Taiwan is willful blindness.
Domestically, Republicans aren’t going to win majorities in Congress this November if they don’t train their sights on Democrats instead of each other.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warns of China’s widespread hacking campaign that has successfully infiltrated much of our nation’s infrastructure.
Thomas Gallatin
In a recent speech at Vanderbilt University, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that Communist China, via its army of hackers, has effectively dug itself deep within America’s infrastructure.
Why? According to Wray, the ChiComs are waiting “for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow.”
Wray was speaking at the Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats. He added that “Volt Typhoon,” which is Beijing’s hacking campaign against the U.S., has successfully gained access to numerous American companies, including basic infrastructure services like water, energy, and telecommunications.
As Reuters reports, the Chinese plan to use this access “to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure” at a time of their choosing. China’s plan, says Wray, “is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic.”
Beijing’s rationale for this hacker campaign has everything to do with Taiwan, as the ChiComs can threaten to wreak havoc within the U.S. should we act in support of China’s “breakaway republic.”
Of course, China denies the claims, stating that it has nothing to do with Volt Typhoon and instead blaming it on a criminal ransomware group. China’s Washington embassy stated, “Some in the U.S. have been using origin-tracing of cyberattacks as a tool to hit and frame China, claiming the U.S. to be the victim while it’s the other way round, and politicizing cybersecurity issues.”
As far as Beijing’s timeline for acting against Taiwan, Wray estimated that China wants its cyber countermeasures fully in place by 2027. He noted that China’s hacking has focused primarily on non-financial institutions. “It took the hackers all of 15 minutes to steal data related to the control and monitoring systems while ignoring financial and business-related information, which suggests their goals were even more sinister than stealing a leg up economically.”
Meanwhile, China has been taking advantage of Joe Biden’s de facto open borders by not only sending in gobs of deadly fentanyl but Chinese nationals as well. In the last six months, more than 24,000 Chinese migrants have been encountered illegally crossing the southern border. Furthermore, an additional 17,700 Chinese migrants have entered the U.S. via the CBP One program.
Why are so many Chinese nationals coming to the U.S.? Furthermore, what are we to make of the reports that these Chinese nationals are using their own unique migration system, including staging grounds that are effectively off-limits to the press and others?
On the one hand, who can blame these people for wanting to escape from their totalitarian homeland? On the other hand, might not the porous border serve Beijing’s interests in funneling spies or other government agents into the U.S.?
America’s greatest geopolitical foe is China, and our greatest national security threat is our own border. Yet Biden and much of Washington are focused on wars in Ukraine and Israel.
The shame of Columbia continues, DOJ clears anti-Catholic FBI, middle school girls stand up for themselves, and more.
Douglas Andrews, Thomas Gallatin, & Jordan Candler
Cross-Examination
SCOTUS to hear arguments in Trump immunity case: This will be an extraordinarily busy week for Donald Trump and his legal team, even by their own head-spinning standards. Not only have opening arguments begun today in Trump’s trumped-up hush-money case in Manhattan, but later this week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Trump’s bid to secure criminal immunity for attempting to overturn the rigged2020presidential election. And whereas the former case is sensational, this latter case is the one that legal analysts say poses the most serious threat to Trump. As SCOTUSblog reports: “In the final argument scheduled for its 2023-2024 term, the Supreme Court will hear argument on Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s historic bid for criminal immunity. The question before the justices is whether Trump can be tried on criminal charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The court’s answer will determine not only whether Trump’s trial in Washington, D.C., before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, originally scheduled for March 4 but now on hold, can go forward, but also whether the former president’s trials in Florida and Georgia can proceed.” If the Democrats can’t ultimately succeed in putting Trump behind bars or at least knocking him off the ballot, they can at the very least bury him in legal matters and thereby keep him off the campaign trail in the crucial weeks and months ahead. As Trump said this morning before entering Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom: “These are all Biden trials. This is done as election interference. Everybody knows it. I’m here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and lots of other places campaigning. … I just want people to understand that. This is done with purposes of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country.”
The shame of Columbia continues … and spreads to Yale: Last week, we covered the despicable goings-on at Columbia University in Manhattan, where pro-Hamas protests were allowed to fester, and where the school’s Jewish students have been forced to either flee the campus or live in fear. Clearly, Columbia has no class — literally and figuratively — as the university has also caved to pressure and canceled all in-person classes today ahead of the start of the Jewish holy days of Passover. It seems that the administration is fearful for the safety of its Jewish students. As the New York Post reports, “Embattled President Minouche Shafik, who has vowed to crack down on antisemitism, told students in an email that was also shared to the Ivy League college’s website that they ‘need a reset’ as the heated demonstrations enter the sixth day.” Said Shafik in a written statement: “I am deeply saddened by what is happening on our campus. Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm.” You’re telling us. Elsewhere in the Ivies, the gangrenous spread of Jew hatred has hit New Haven, Connecticut, where riot-ready police paid a visit to Yale University’s campus and arrested some sick young privileged puppies, as hundreds of “students” protested against the existence of the Jewish state. And lest anyone think these are peaceful protests, think again. The police presence comes in the wake of a Jewish student and journalist who was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag on Saturday night. One wonders: What kind of parents would send their children to such a depraved institution?
Biden admin sanctions IDF amid reelection concerns: With friends like these… That must be the sentiment coming out of Israel after the Biden administration issued sanctions against the Israel Defense Forces’s 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion. According to the State Department, these sanctions are not due to any action of the IDF since its current war with Hamas but rather are for supposed human rights violations before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. The Biden administration pointed to a 1997 law that prohibits U.S. foreign aid and defense training programs from going to any foreign security, police, or military unions credibly alleged to be guilty of human rights violations. While the IDF’s 97th has not been involved in any combat operations in Gaza, the Biden administration’s timing of this targeted and unprecedented action against America’s closest ally in the Middle East is telling. Clearly, Joe Biden is primarily motivated by reelection concerns. He aims to placate the radical anti-Semitic, pro-Palestinian segment of the Democrat base, which has been demanding an immediate ceasefire. Biden has increasingly pressured Israel into meeting his demands of reaching a ceasefire before Hamas is fully eradicated.
Biden’s Department of “Justice” clears anti-Catholic FBI: The FBI targeted Catholics last year and got caught doing it. We know this to be true because of the infamous “Richmond Memo,” which came out of the FBI’s Richmond field office and was circulated to multiple offices and argued for investigating “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” Whatever “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” is. But last week, Joe Biden’s Department of Injustice cleared the bureau of any real wrongdoing, saying that the bureau “violated professional standards but showed ‘no evidence of malicious intent,’” according to The New York Times. All of this is just one more reason to do away with the FBI — to end it, to abolish it, and to rebuild it under new management and with a better mission.
Biden using federal agency to get more voters in Michigan: Joe Biden is having all sorts of trouble in the crucial electoral state of Michigan, whether he’s trying to placate the pro-Hamas “Death to America” wing of his party or trying to do away with the internal combustion engine in favor of unwanted and overpriced electric vehicles. And now we learn that he’s cheating. “Earlier this month, my colleagues and I sent a letter to the SBA [Small Business Administration] inquiring into their Memorandum of Understanding with the Michigan Department of State,” said Congressman Roger Williams, chairman of the House Small Business Committee. “It appears that the SBA is diverting its resources away from assisting Main Street so it can register Democrat voters.” The, er, outreach has happened specifically in areas filled with young and minority voters. If you thought Zuckerbucks were a problem, you should be outraged at the idea that the federal government is using taxpayer dollars — the only dollars available to a bureaucrat — to subsidize votes for any politician.
Excoriated Windy City mayor plays race card: Recently, Chicago’s Brandon Johnson, the Democrat mayor of the self-declared “sanctuary city,” faced the wrath of his constituents as he was pressing for a vote for more funding for migrants. One black woman wearing a red MAGA cowboy hat blasted Johnson: “We need that money in my neighborhood. We need that money on my block. … So I’m asking y’all to use our tax money for our people.” Residents’ frustration has grown with Chicago’s Democrat city leaders and specifically with Johnson, as they have already spent over $300 million on the migrant crisis. During the meeting, another woman warned, “Vote for the money for these immigrants today, and we [are] coming for those seats, you can believe that.” Another lifelong Chicago resident black woman noted that she was not against legal immigration but was opposed to illegal immigration. “I’m not for the sanctuary city,” she said, “and the reason why I’m not for the sanctuary city is because people have waited years to come in here legally.” Meanwhile, Johnson laughed off any notion that his job was in any real jeopardy, calling it the “extreme right-wing” who is “intimidated by the fact that we’ve passed paid time off [for] thousands of workers. We’ve abolished sub-minimum wage, which has its roots in history in slavery.”
Young women hold conservative positions: While many young women identify as liberal, a recent poll has found that despite this, they tend to hold convictions that are more commonly held by conservatives. The women polled were ages 18 to 24, and 32% of them identified as liberal. Yet the vast majority of these women agreed with statements such as, “It is appropriate to have children wait until they are adults before having irreversible sex-change surgeries”; “When I date someone, it is because I am deciding if I would like to marry them one day”; and, “Every kid should have the opportunity to go to a school of their choice, regardless of their zip code.” According to the poll, 79% agreed that no-bail release was more dangerous for a community, and 74% agreed that “We should take care of our own people like the less fortunate, the homeless, or veterans before taking care of people from other countries.” Some 74% supported school choice, and 69% believed that the government should secure the border to ensure that drugs like fentanyl aren’t easily brought in. A spokeswoman from the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women, Évangéline Faussié, said: “This survey reveals perspectives from young women that have been overlooked or misinterpreted in previous research. It shows that their opinions are far more complex than how they choose to label themselves.”
Good news: Middle school girls stand up for themselves: Ultimately, for the gender-bending contagion plaguing the nation to be eradicated, there will need to be more young women and girls willing to stand up against it. Thankfully, that is happening. A West Virginia middle school boy who identifies as a girl was allowed to compete in a track and field tournament. Objecting to his inclusion, five middle school girl athletes refused to compete against him. During the shot put and discus throwing events, all five girls “stepped in” and then “stepped out” for each competition to publicly register their names and protest the boy’s inclusion in the girls’ events. One of the girls who engaged in the protests noted that the gender-bending boy won the girls’ shot put championship that day. The more brave girls and women like these who step forward and refuse to accept the nonsense of the gender-bending movement, the sooner this madness will be stopped.
Headlines
Biden is marking Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal solar power grants (NBC News)
Tennessee workers at VW plant vote to unionize with UAW (The Tennessean)
States sue to block rules curbing tailpipe emissions in cars, light trucks (Reuters)
Perhaps Hollywood can start catering to American audiences again.
Emmy Griffin
Hollywood and China have been entangled since the 1993 film “The Fugitive.” The U.S. movie industry got a whiff of the Chinese market and became hooked on the money to be made there.
Yet it was a mismatch from the start, bolstered by greed and pushed along by politicians. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter started the ball rolling by opening up relations with China. This became expedited under President Bill Clinton’s China Policy, which sought to integrate China into the international community. But it was Joe Biden, during his tenure as vice president, who specifically impacted the movie industry by pushing to further open the doors between Hollywood and China. Why? To help his friend, former Senator Chris Dodd, who at the time was chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America.
With the lure of Chinese money, Hollywood has progressively compromised, kowtowed, and even exclusively produced movies for the Chinese market.
What does this mean? Well, it means that Hollywood has allowed its movies to be censored to appease a communist government’s disdain for Western values. It also means that great movies were remade to appease the Chinese people (see “Red Dawn”).
Even so, up until 2020, U.S. box office hits would be counted in China’s top 10 grossing films each year. Then the pandemic hit. A pandemic that originated because of a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
As National Review’s Jack Butler explains: “Some of the biggest U.S. movies of the past few months have barely made a dent in China. … Something is going on. And it’s not just this year. Last year, not a single American film made the top ten in China’s box office.”
The New York Times interviewed several Chinese nationals in Beijing to garner their opinion as to why Hollywood films aren’t doing well in China. They claim two things: First, Hollywood isn’t marketing correctly to Chinese audiences by using China’s version of TikTok, Douyin. Second, Hollywood novelty isn’t enough to draw Chinese audiences who hunger for values closer to their own, such as collectivism.
There is probably a grain of truth to that, but the deeper issues at play are more than mere bad marketing or cultural catering.
What really has happened is a combination of China’s modus operandi when it comes to successful industries — invite them in, steal all the intellectual property it can, then dump them out, ultimately worsening U.S.-China relations — and Hollywood’s tendency in recent years to take cinematic shortcuts (example: CGI replacing good storytelling).
This breakup between our film industry and China — more specifically, China’s money — needed to happen years ago. China has been increasingly able to control and manipulate our film content, promoting woke values and cultural degeneracy. Hollywood isn’t producing meaningful, truthful, or beautiful content anymore — and yet has the audacity to yell at American audiences for having better taste. Having China’s money divested from the market will give more power back to American audiences and to the filmmakers themselves. It’s an opportunity to reclaim the American art form and perhaps regulate the culture back to a more sane place.
If you think “nonpartisan” voter registration efforts are really nonpartisan, think again.
Douglas Andrews
We’re not as dumb as you think we are. That seems to be the message being sent from many normally reliable black, brown, and young voters who are finding themselves drifting away from Joe Biden and toward Donald Trump.
We get a sense of this drift from a steady stream of recentpolling, which shows the Democrats’ advantage among black, Hispanic, and Asian voters to be at its lowest level since John F. Kennedy narrowly beat Richard Nixon in 1960. And we get further evidence of this drift from a confidential internal memo sent by a leading Democrat data scientist to around a dozen major Democrat donors “about whether to narrow the focus of voter registration efforts to avoid signing up likely Republicans.”
As the Demo memo from Aaron Strauss laments, “Indeed, if we were to blindly register nonvoters and get them on the rolls, we would be distinctly aiding Trump’s quest for a personal dictatorship.”
I know it’s hard to believe, but the Democrats’ longstanding efforts to register voters haven’t been based on some noble concept of voting as the ultimate expression of “our democracy.” Instead, they’ve been based on a simple calculation that most of these unregistered voters are natural Democrats.
Indeed, The Washington Post’s Michael Scherer and Sabrina Rodriguez come right out and say the quiet part out loud: “For decades,” they write, “nonpartisan groups allied with the Democratic Party have run wide-ranging efforts aimed at increasing voter registration among people of color and young people — groups that tend to lean Democratic but have historically voted at lower rates than older and White people.”
Perhaps what frightens these Democrat operatives most is that these unregistered voters might be asking themselves the all-important question that Ronald Reagan posed to the American people during his one-and-only debate with then-incumbent President Jimmy Carter back on October 28, 1980: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
Suffice it to say that this question doesn’t inspire voters to come out for Joe Biden, whether the issue is the price of groceries on the shelves, the effects of nine million illegals having poured across our southern border, the feeling that crime in our streets is out of control, or the unmistakable sense that the world has become a much more dangerous place on Biden’s watch.
Black, brown, and young people aren’t impervious to these problems. And though they might not be able to articulate the evidence from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — that food prices have gone up 25% since March 2020, or that rent has gone up 22%, or that credit card debt has gone up 47% — they can feel these things in their bones, just like the rest of us.
So the Democrats have a problem: Their GOTV (get out the vote) intentions are turning into a GOTTV (get out the Trump vote) reality. Strauss’s solution is simple — and nakedly partisan:
He called on donors to nonpartisan nonprofits to also donate to political groups that focus voter registration spending on “specific, heavily pro-Biden populations” like Black Americans, while using more targeted techniques among other groups to filter out likely Trump supporters. Campaigns, parties or super PACs can more directly target who they try to register. They frequently hire canvassers who wear candidate or issue-focused clothing or use other messaging to attract their voters and repel others.
This should be a wake-up call to Republicans — and especially to Michael Whatley, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. Whatley, to his credit, seems keenly aware of the two issues that decide elections these days: getting out the vote and protecting the ballot.
The 2020 presidential election was decided by fewer than 43,000 votes in three swing states — Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin. Thus, if the RNC is laser-focused on getting out the vote and protecting the ballot in those three states, as well as in Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, the Democrats won’t be able to drag Joe Biden (or any other Democrat) across the finish line on November 5.
The Iranian dupes’ worldview is a cancer that’s metastasized within the Democratic Party.
David Harsanyi
If a belligerent state launched 185 explosive drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 surface-to-surface missiles from three fronts against civilian targets within the United States, would President Joe Biden call it a “win”?
Would the president tell us that the best thing we can do now is show “restraint”? What if that same terror state’s proxy armies had recently helped murder, rape and kidnap more than 1,000 American men, women and children? What if this terror state were trying to obtain nuclear weapons so it could continue to agitate without any consequences?
This is what Biden and the Barack Obama acolytes, Iranian dupes and Israel antagonists he’s surrounded himself with demand of the Jewish state.
And by “Iranian dupes,” I don’t only mean the Jake Sullivans and Antony Blinkens of the world, who worked to elevate the mullahs over Sunni allies and the Israelis, or even a Hamas bestie like Rob Malley or Israel hater like Maher Bitar. I mean assets of the Islamic State who promised the Iranian government to help out in any way possible.
Their worldview is a cancer that’s metastasized within the Democratic Party. To these people, Israel will always be the villain. And if the Iranian regime’s murder of more than 600 American servicemen couldn’t cool that bromance, 1,200 dead Jews certainly aren’t going to do the trick.
The Trump administration undercut Palestinian terror efforts, stifled Iranian ambitions, and created space for the Gulf states and Israel to enhance ties.
Biden immediately reversed those gains, reverting to Obama-era Iranian boosterism. We’re now experiencing the consequences of pacifying Islamic ideologues. Obama might have sent the mullahs pallets of cash in the middle of the night, but the Biden administration openly subsidized the Revolutionary Guard with a $6 billion ransom payment, at least $25 billion in sanction relief, including $10 billion via a waiver, and so on.
Let’s also remember that one of Biden’s first foreign policy decisions was to overturn Trump-era policy by releasing millions to Gaza that would be sifted off by Hamas, releasing funding to Hamas-allied United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and removing the Iranian-backed Houthis from the terror list.
It should be mind-boggling that Biden likely knew Iran was moving forward with its attack but still gave his goofy and impotent “don’t” when asked about it by the press.
Indeed, the Biden administration’s position seems to be that Israeli military and defense forces exist to allow Iran to have a hissy fit and save face. The Iranian attack is only “symbolic” because it failed.
Just because you shoot at someone and miss doesn’t mean you’re not trying to kill them. Yes, the Iranians were embarrassed. But they almost surely view this as a win. And they also crossed a red line by firing on Israel from their own territory. Yet Israel is apparently the only nation on Earth that is permitted to fully defend itself only if its enemies succeed.
Every conflict against Israel unfurls the same way: Its enemies threaten or attack the country. Israel responds and heads for a victory. Only then does the world demand “restraint.” Finally, the antagonists demand Israel rewind history to a more convenient spot. (Modern Democrats demand that Israel show restraint before it even has a chance to respond. That’s a new twist.)
Those, for instance, who contend that Israel started the conflict when it hit a “diplomatic mission” in Syria last week are engaged in restarting the historical clock when it suits them. There are no Iranian diplomatic missions in Syria. There are buildings where Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terror leaders coordinate attacks on civilians — against Arabs as well as Jews. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the “general” Israel killed last week, helped plan the barbarism of Oct 7.
Recall that the United States atomized Qasem Soleimani at a neutral nation’s airport. Though, of course, Obamaites protested that killing as well.
Now, it is something of a cliche to contend that Israel must be right 100% of the time while its enemies only need to be right once. It also happens to be true. Israel, a country the size of New Jersey with a dense population area, relies on deterrence and preemption.
Democrats blamed their strawman, Benjamin Netanyahu, not Hamas or Iran, for trying to “drag” the world into war. The New York Times’ Tom Friedman, perhaps the wrongest person ever to tread on this planet, theorized that the prime minister wanted “a war to shore up his own crumbling political base.”
Axois reports that Netanyahu was reluctant to strike back, while his cabinet wanted to move immediately. The “war hawk” perception of him is a myth, created by the Left because of the prime minister’s open opposition to Obama’s mullah bootlicking.
We have no idea what Israel will do. Maybe caution is the best policy. The notion that the Jewish state simply lashes out in revenge and doesn’t rationally consider all its options is preposterous. Whatever happens, it should be on Israel’s terms, not Iran’s.
Biden’s Senior Moment of the Week (Vol. 90) — Joe Biden “looks like he’s ill,” a Democrat voter recently told the Los Angeles Times. He does, but so do the members of the Kennedy family who publicly endorsed Biden last week.
Biden Admin Sues Sheetz — The EEOC accuses Sheetz Inc. of discriminating against minority job seekers by automatically weeding out applicants who failed a criminal background check.
‘We’re Not Allowed to Teach Patriotism in Schools’ — Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl says that higher education is becoming a major issue, arguing that “teaching patriotism” has somehow branded people as “racist.”
“The average gas price right now is cheaper than this time last year.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre (2023: $3.65. 2024: $3.62. That would be three cents. By the way, January 20, 2021: $2.39.)
The BIG Lies
“People are doing better. I could go on, but I’m not going to. I’m going to resist the temptation. Because, boy, I’m tempted these days.” —Joe Biden
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to maintaining a stable and secure energy supply and lowering prices for Americans.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
“Our country isn’t just complicit in this genocide — we’re actively participating in it. [M]y colleagues want to vote to send over $26B more of our tax dollars to Netanyahu as he carries out the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” —Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
Shot/Chaser
“When [Biden] says, ‘Don’t escalate,’ he’s going to act to make sure that you can’t. And [Iran] didn’t.” —National Security Council spokesman John Kirby
“Yes, [Iran] fired an unprecedented amount of munitions.” —John Kirby
For the Record
“Iran has attacked U.S. and Israeli diplomatic posts off-and-on for decades, most recently in 2023, when Iran helped plan an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. For this reason and several others, Iran’s justification for sending 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles into Israel on the grounds that Israel had bombed an Iranian diplomatic post is completely ridiculous.” —Victor Davis Hanson
“Under the Obama-Biden foreign policy doctrine, an Iran so emboldened that it feels free to wage offensive war against Israel in such brazen fashion is not a bug — it’s a feature.” —Josh Hammer
“Every conflict against Israel unfurls the same way: Its enemies threaten or attack the country. Israel responds and heads for a victory. Only then does the world demand ‘restraint.’ Finally, the antagonists demand Israel rewind history to a more convenient spot.” —David Harsanyi
“When I hear a bunch of American college kids and adults who should know better chanting ‘Death to America,’ I take it personally. What they’re really saying is, ‘Death to me and you.’ I’m an American. You’re an American. We’re all Americans — or used to be.” —Michael Reagan
“Iran, college students, Nazis, and former Google employees are all united in being really upset when Jews don’t just stand there and let people murder them.” —Frank J. Fleming
President Trump delivers a statement to America outside the courtroom in his latest NYC lawfare trial. Democrats and Joe Biden hope to take Trump down with bogus lawsuits before the 2024 election.
President Trump is in New York City today as the latest lawfare case opens in Manhattan against him this morning.
President Trump is being sued by New York officials in a corrupt court on charges that have never been filed against another person let alone a former president and the leading candidate in the US presidential election. This is the latest New York lawfare case against President Trump – something we have never seen before in US history.
This is a common tactic used in banana republics and communist regimes.
According to Newsweek – Opening statements will begin soon. The prosecution’s opening statement will be about 45 mins, the defense says theirs is 25 minutes.
One juror raised concerns about the amount of media attention surrounding the case. After speaking with this juror, Judge Merchan says they will remain.
President Donald Trump: Thank you very much. I just want to say before we begin, these are all Biden crimes. This is done as election interference. Everybody knows it.
I’m here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania and Georgia and lots of other places campaigning. It’s very unfair. Fortunately, the poll members are very good. They’ve been going up because people understand what’s going on. This is a witch hunt, and it’s a shame, and it comes out of Washington. It’s in coordination with Washington, everything, including the DA’s office. It’s in coordination with Washington. I just want people to understand that this is done for purposes of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country.
Second of all, we have another trial going on right now. That’s Latisha James. She campaigned on the fact that I will get Trump. I’m going to get Trump. It has to do with a bond of $175 million. First of all, she doesn’t want me to participate with financial companies in New York. We have a company, I guess, based in California. It’s a bonding company, and I put up $175 million in cash. But she says the bonding company is not good. She doesn’t like the bonding company because she doesn’t know if the collateral is good.
And, I put up $175 million in cash, and she’s questioning the bonding company. Well, when you put up cash and the number is 175, which is what we’re supposed to be putting up, but I give it in cash, she shouldn’t be complaining about the bonding company. The bonding company would be good for it because I put up the money, and I have plenty of money to put up, but Nobody is going to be putting up with this. Nobody is going to be listening or coming to New York anymore. Businesses are going to be fleeing because people are treated so badly. It’s got to be the most unfriendly place to do business. And that’s why businesses are leaving and people are leaving as migrants come in and take over our parks and our schools and everything else. So on the Latisha James case, she’s the worst attorney general in the country, by the way. And she keeps a lot of business out of New York and businesses that are here are leaving. And that means jobs and a lot of revenue. Somebody’s going to step in. The governor or somebody has to step in and do something because your businesses are fleeing.
But on Latesha James, the money was put up. It’s $175 million. And I don’t think she’s complaining about me for the first time ever. She’s complaining about the company. But why would she be doing that when I put up the money? So I just want you to know that that’s taking place in front of an extremely crazed judge, the most overturned judge in New York State. He was overturned four or five times on that case alone. You know who it is. I don’t have to mention names. I want to be nice. I want to be very nice. But a thing like that, a thing like what’s going on right here should never be happening. It’s a very, very sad day in America. I can tell you that. Thank you very much.
What a travesty.
Of course, not one single fake news legacy media outlet will question this horrific ongoing abuse brought against President Trump.
Former detective, Ken Mikle is a representative for Olive Tree Ministries and travels to churches hosting “Understanding Our Times” seminars. He and David discuss the created spiritual, political, and social civil war (division) in our country with the goal of a great global reset.
Today is Earth Day. I was a participant in the first Earth Day as a high school student and remember one equation. It was I=PAT. The environmental impact (I) was equal to the population (P) multiplied by affluence (A) multiplied by technology (T). In other words, as a country grew in population and affluence and technology, the worse the pollution and environmental impact. The obvious conclusion was that the best way to protect the planet would be to have fewer people, less wealth, and simpler technology.
It was an interesting equation, but it turned out to be wrong as countries got richer. John Tierney pointed this out in his column in The New York Times. He acknowledges that the “IPAT theory may have made intuitive sense, but it didn’t jibe with the data that has been analyzed since that first Earth Day.” Researchers instead found that the graphs of environmental impact with a simple upward-sloping line were wrong. Instead, it turns out that the line flattens out and then slopes downward. This is called a Kuznets curve.
Here’s the trend: as countries get richer, they have more incentive and more financial means to clean up pollution. Of course, there are exceptions (especially with countries with inept governments and a poor system of property rights). But the general rule is that as incomes go up, people focus on pollution.
Tierney says: “As their wealth grows, people consume more energy, but they move to more efficient and cleaner sources — from wood to coal and oil, and then to natural gas and nuclear power, progressively emitting less carbon per unit of energy.”
I think this suggests a positive environmental future for developing countries. They may be ascending the Kuznets curve right now, but may soon be ready to address environmental concerns.
As Jews in Israel and around the world begin this year’s observance of the Biblical feast of Passover, they also grieve for the more than 100 hostages still being held, as Prime Minister Netanyahu pledges to bring them back; Israel criticizes a US State Department decision to sanction an Israeli Defense Forces battalion accused of torturing a West Bank Palestinian in 2022; CBN’s Chris Mitchell talks about today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem, how Israel penetrated Iran’s defenses in its strike last week, the pro-Hamas protests on US college campuses; and the meaning of Passover in Israel this year; the war against Hamas in Gaza has taken a crushing toll on Israel’s tourism industry; Congress passes aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan – and moves toward forcing the sale of TikTok or facing a ban; remembering the grief – and healing – on the 25th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine, which led to an epidemic of violence; and musicians, singers, fans and friends remember Mandisa, the Grammy-winning Christian music artist who died unexpectedly at her home.
Today’s 20-min top headline news brief from NEWSMAX includes:
-Tom Basile: Earth Day has too little to do with saving Earth.
-Former President Donald Trump forced to cancel N.C. rally on Saturday due to severe weather.
-North Carolina supporters on Trump’s upcoming trial.
-Lidia Curanaj; “Demented Joe is a national security crisis.”
-Dr. Ben Carson: “Biden acts way older and Trump acts way younger.” Latest polling agrees.
-Sebastian Gorka says this case should never have gone to court.
-Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez of Texas goes rogue in a CNN interview, “I work with a bunch of scumbags.”
Jon Noyes answers the question “What ongoing conversations would you have with your kids to offset the indoctrination tactics that happen in public schools? How often would you purposefully have those conversations so as to not bombard them?”
Watch the complete video addressing sex education in public schools:
‘The Big Weekend Show’ co-hosts discuss ‘vicious antisemitism’ among the Democratic Party and across college campuses after a Jewish Yale student was attacked during an anti-Israel protest. #foxnews#fox#thebigweekendshow
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