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
To anchor our soul through full assurance of hope in Jesus.
Scripture
“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realise the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not become dull, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
– Hebrews 6.11f LSB
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and confirmed and one which enters within the veil, where a forerunner has entered for us—Jesus, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
– Hebrews 6:19f LSB
Reflection
Particularly at this time of the year when we come together to pray for the nations, the accuser attacks me. “You’re not an effective intercessor.” “Your fasting is abysmal.” “No one recognises your ministry.” “You are isolated.” “Your stammering makes you unintelligible.” “Even your unbelieving family thinks you’ve lost it.” “Your neighbours are not falling over themselves to come to Christ.”
Why are we prone to self-deprecation or doubt? Always willing to believe the lies the devil throws at us?
Without positive encouragement and affirmation, we risk viewing ourselves as incapable or stupid. Such thinking can be stifling and even paralysing.
But the author of Hebrews wants nothing of that. He calls us “beloved” (Heb 6:9) as he reminds us that God is not unrighteous. He will not forget our work and the love that we have shown to Him and His saints (Heb 6:10). He sees our hearts. He hears our prayers. He has designed that our prayers and our witness are effective.
Having affirmed his readers, the author gives them “strong encouragement” (Heb 6:11) to diligently attain the “full assurance of hope” (Heb 6:11). This full assurance of hope acts as an “anchor” for our soul (Heb 6:19). Having put it so clearly, we can see why the author so strongly desires his readers to press on and achieve this hope.
Full assurance acts as a catalyst that sets our hearts immovably on Christ Jesus. A ‘catalyst’, within a chemical equation, sets firm a desired end product. This full assurance in God’s faithfulness to His promises is the catalyst that sets firm in our hearts this eternal hope.
Full assurance of hope means we will hold firm to the utter end. As a result, pressures from circumstances, thoughts, or even from Satan will not succeed.
But when hope deteriorates, our diligence can waver.
So, what destroys hope? Three things:
Fatiguedistorts perception, and makes mountains out of molehills.
Lack of resultsleads to a lack of confidence in our effectiveness.
Doubtof victory makes us want to give up. If we don’t win, what’s the point?
Under these conditions, our diligence can easily stumble. As a result, we may even fall exhausted and forsake the goal.
This is why our teacher in Hebrews is so passionate in his desires that we, as believers, continue diligently to come to a full assurance of hope and understand what victory Christ has already won and will win!
Video
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Jesus, our High Priest, who is able to save forever those who draw near to You through Him.
Thank You that all Your promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’. Thank You that You are faithful and all Your promises are true. Thank You that we can be fully assured of this hope by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Pour out Your Holy Spirit to not only teach us about this hope wrought for us, but also to empower us, and live within and through us, to the glory of Your kingdom. Amen.
Author Bio
Vincent is a Naturopathic Practitioner in Lismore. Born in Kenya, Vincent encountered Jesus in Grahamstown through the ministry of the late Archbishop Bill Burnett. He studied at the United Faculty of Theology in Melbourne as a candidate for the ministry of the new Uniting Church.
Prayer Points and Purpose for GO Month 2024
To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God.1 Chron 16:23–31.
To pray for revival, repentance and deliverance for Australia and for millions to find Christ.Acts 2:1–41.
To pray for five people by name to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May.Matt 28:18–20.
We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ His Son.
Ver. 6.—Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times; literally, and the stability of thy times shall be (i.e. consist in) a rich store of salvations, wisdom, and knowledge. The prophet here addresses the people of Judah in the second person, though in the next clause he reverts to the third. Such transitions are common in ancient compositions, and especially characterize the writings of Isaiah. The fear of the Lord is his treasure; i.e. the wisdom intended is that which is based upon “the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 111:10). This will be at once Judah’s “treasure,” and a guarantee of stability to her government and institutions (compare the Homiletics on ch. 32:15–17).[1]
6. And the stability of thy times shall be. He promises that the state of the kingdom under the reign of Hezekiah will yet be happy and prosperous, especially when he contrasts it with the wretched, destructive, and ruinous aspect which it exhibited under the reign of Ahaz; for, although the enemy had been driven out, hardly any one would have expected that the Jews, who had been so heavily oppressed, would be restored to their former order. As to the words, some translate them, “Truth, and strength, and salvation shall be in thy times;” as if the Prophet described the prosperity which the nation should enjoy under a pious king; and they think that each of those terms denotes so many of God’s benefits. Others think that אמונת (ĕmūnăth) denotes “fidelity,” as if the Prophet said that it would be “salvation and strength.” Others draw from it a somewhat different sense, that “strength, salvation, and knowledge” will be “stable” under the reign of Hezekiah. But when I examine closely the words of the Prophet, I choose rather to make a different distinction, that “stability, strength, and salvation will be established by wisdom, and knowledge,” during the reign of Hezekiah.
The fear of Jehovah is his treasure. When he says that “the fear of God is the treasure” of a pious king, this accords with the explanation which we have now given; for during peace all men wish to lead a safe and easy life; but few care how they shall enjoy such distinguished benefits. Indeed the greater part of men would desire to fatten like a herd of swine; and thus while all are eagerly directed by blind lust to seek outward benefits, the light of heavenly doctrine, which is an invaluable blessing, is almost set at nought. He therefore means that the prosperity of the Church will be “stable,” when “wisdom and knowledge” shall reign in it; that its “strength” will be lasting, when the “knowledge” of God shall prevail; and that its salvation will be eternal, when men shall be well instructed in the knowledge of God.
This is a very remarkable passage; and it teaches us that our ingratitude shuts the door against God’s blessings, when we disregard the Author of them, and sink into gross and earthly desires; and that all the benefits which we can desire or imagine, even though we actually obtained them, would be of no avail for our salvation, if they were not seasoned with the salt of faith and knowledge. Hence it follows that the Church is not in a healthy condition unless when all its privileges have been preceded by the light of the knowledge of God, and that it flourishes only when all the gifts which God has bestowed upon it are ascribed to Him as their author. But when the knowledge of God has been taken away, and when just views of God have been extinguished or buried, any kind of prosperity is worse than all calamities.
For these reasons I consider stability, strength, and salvations, to denote the same thing, that the condition of the Church will be secure, when men shall have been cured of blindness and ignorance, and shall begin to know God. And hence we see what kind of Church the Papists have, distinguished, indeed, by pomp and splendour, but they want this “knowledge,” and, therefore, it cannot be stable or secure, and is not a Church of God. If, therefore, the Lord shall grant to us this blessing, that the brightness of faith shall actually shine in the midst of us, other blessings will follow of their own accord, and if we are shaken and tossed about by various tempests, we shall always be supported by the arm of God.
Of thy times. He addresses Hezekiah, not as a private individual, but as the head of the whole people; and he includes the whole people in this description. But since the kingdom of Hezekiah was but a slender shadow of the kingdom of Christ, as we formerly remarked, these words must be referred to Christ, in whom is found true wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:3.)
It is proper to observe the designations which are here employed in order to commend the word of God and the gospel. They are likewise employed by Paul, when he speaks of “teaching in all wisdom and knowledge;” for by this commendation he extols the dignity of the gospel. (Col. 1:9, 28.) Hence also it ought to be inferred that, where Christ is not known, men are destitute of true wisdom, even though they have received the highest education in every branch of learning; for all their knowledge is useless till they truly “know God.” (John 17:3.)
The fear of Jehovah is his treasure. I think that the expression, “the fear of Jehovah,” was added by the Prophet for the sake of explanation, in order to state more fully that the knowledge of which he spoke is the teacher of piety, and is not cold or lifeless, but penetrates powerfully into our heart, to form us to “the fear of God.” Hence also, in other passages of Scripture, this “fear” is called “wisdom,” or rather “the beginning of wisdom,” that is, the substance and chief part of it. (Prov. 1:7, and 9:10.) It is a mistake to suppose that the word “beginning” denotes rudiments or elements, for Solomon means by it the chief part and design; and the reason is, that, as men are fools till they submit to the word of God, so the perfection of wisdom springs from the docility or obedience of faith. “The fear of God” is therefore called a “treasure,” without which all prosperity is miserable; and this shews more fully the scope of the passage, that the full perfection of a happy life consists in the knowledge of God, which we obtain by faith.
Thus, in the person of the king he shews that it is an invaluable blessing to worship God with due piety and reverence. They who are destitute of “the fear of God” are pronounced by him to be miserable and ruined; and, on the other hand, they who “fear the Lord” are declared to be very happy, even though in other respects they be reckoned in the judgment of men to be very miserable. He speaks of that “fear” which contains within itself true obedience, and renews our hearts; for it is a different kind of fear which influences even wicked men, and leads them to dread God as criminals dread a judge. That “fear” does not deserve to be so highly applauded; for it springs neither from a true knowledge of God, nor from a cheerful desire to worship him, and therefore differs widely from that wisdom which Isaiah describes. These statements were made by him in reference to Hezekiah, but, as we have already said, they related to the whole body of the people; and hence we infer that they apply both to men of ordinary rank and to the king, but more especially to Christ, who was filled with “the Spirit of the fear of the Lord,” as we formerly saw, (Is. 11:2,) that he might make us partakers of it.[2]
Ver. 6. Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.—The advantages of Sunday Schools:—
I. The valuable instruction in the art of reading which they have imparted to many who could not otherwise have attained it.
II. They have been eminently useful in promoting the civilisation of the inferior orders, and in providing a powerful and effectual antidote to pauperism and mendicity.
III. They have been exceedingly beneficial in preserving the young from many crimes which are destructive of the peace and order of society.
IV. The higher and more important effects which have resulted from these schools, in promoting a spirit of piety and virtue among their youthful pupils. (J. Brown, D.D.)
Christianity promotive of knowledge and of social well-being:—
The general principle is, that wisdom or practical religion and knowledge are the best elements of the stability of any people,—the best defence of any nation,—and that irrespective of the difference between a nation under the ordinary providence of God, and one enjoying a theocracy.
I. Christianity promotes wisdom and knowledge. That Christianity promotes wisdom and knowledge we might conclude from facts which lie on the face of it, even before ascertaining the connection between the cause and the effect. We may assume Jesus Christ to be the living type of His own system, and He is the very impersonation of wisdom and knowledge. Then, wisdom and knowledge may be regarded as synonymous with practical Christianity. They are at least essential to its existence. We shall take them separately, and ascertain—
1. How the Gospel of Christ promotes wisdom, or that practical religion of which the fear and love of God are the principles. The God whom the Bible reveals is the fit object of reverence and love. The mere manifestation of the Divine character, however, invested with every possible perfection, is not enough to rekindle the flame of piety in a fallen world. It is otherwise with holy beings. But in our case the revelation is made to a race of apostates, partially acquainted with God, but estranged from Him in heart and will. Christianity provides, in the great facts through which it conveys the knowledge of God, the means of reducing men to contrition and restoring them to love. The Gospel is adapted to convert the soul. Any scheme whereby you would regenerate must contain a provision of mercy. And thus far the Gospel is adapted to produce practical piety. But this is not enough. The Gospel reveals a most glorious expedient for the vindication of the law, for the manifestation of the Divine righteousness, and of the demerit of sin, while it offers a free and eternal pardon. It opens the door of hope to the guiltiest criminal, but by the mode of doing it, it impresses his mind with a sense of his sinfulness, it moves him to repentance, and inspires him with all the zeal to obey that can arise from his conscious obligation to Divine grace.
2. Christianity promotes knowledge. Christianity contains the only true system of Divine knowledge. But further, Christianity promotes general knowledge. It is itself a system of truth and not of error, a system of knowledge and not of ignorance, a system of intelligence and not a mere bodily ceremonial or a dark superstition. The very commission it has received from heaven is, “Go and teach all nations.” Revealing God, it makes known the highest truths; and promotes and facilitates inquiry into every other. From this conviction we deduce principles which seem to possess all the simplicity of axioms. There cannot be any real contrariety between the doctrines of Christianity and the truths of reason or the facts of science.
II. By promoting wisdom and knowledge, Christianity establishes a people. In support of the proposition before us, we might reason a fortiori Christianity, by promoting wisdom and knowledge, purifies and elevates society,—how much more will it establish or give the elements of perpetuity to society. Take society in any of its lowest states, and you will find Christianity an adequate power to raise it. For example, it is an acknowledged fact, that the Gospel makes men unfit for a state of slavery. If Christianity thus elevates, how much more will it establish! But what are the means of the stability of a nation—what the elements of perpetuity? Religion, virtue, freedom, and good order. (J. Kennedy.)
National security and peace:—
I. True practical religion prohibits what would endanger national security and peace.
II. While religion discountenances what would be pernicious in public life, it provides also what, in other respects, is necessary and salutary.
III. It is drawn from observation and experience. No argument is more valid or conclusive in confirmation of a fact. A single well-conducted experiment in philosophy may demonstrate the truth of a general principle; and, similarly, in morals and religion, the experience of a single nation, or the uniform experience of the ages, may attest the inutility or value of any particular theory or scheme. (T. S. Cartwright.)
Christian knowledge the source of other excellent knowledge:—
As Christianity introduced religious light, so did that light become the parent of every other kind of useful and excellent knowledge. When once the powers of the human mind are brought into acquaintance with evangelical truth, they acquire vigour, a strength and expansion in their exercise before unknown. And hence it is that the knowledge which the revealed truth of God communicates will be found in all ages to produce that discipline of mind which ministers so much to its strength, and places it in the most favourable circumstances for the discovery and acquisition of truth generally. So little opposition, in fact, is there between Christianity and true science, that all the most important discoveries of a scientific nature, all the knowledge whence nations derive power and refinement, have occurred in Christian nations, and Christian nations only. (R. Watson.)
The importance of religious knowledge:—
There appears no real connection between mere scientific knowledge and moral influence; the opinion that such a connection exists is false in its foundations and injurious in practice. No moral influence is exerted, except by the truths revealed to us in the Scriptures.
I. I am to make an appeal to the authority of Scripture, in support of the proposition that we have no right to expect any moral improvement from the influence of any kind of knowledge except that of Divine truth. It ought to be stated, that this sacred Book is altogether in favour of the cultivation of all useful knowledge, and its general circulation through society.
1. We turn to the Old Testament. We are there expressly required to view religion as wisdom. “Wisdom,” we are told, “is the principal thing”; and it is urged upon us that we “get wisdom,” yea, that “with all our getting, we get understanding.” When the attainment of wisdom is thus inculcated and enjoined, we may well inquire, “What kind of wisdom is it to which so many moral effects are ascribed?” It is not to scientific wisdom, but to moral wisdom: to the knowledge of God and His will; to the knowledge of our own obligations and duties; to the knowledge which applies to man as an accountable creature, destined to a future judgment; to the knowledge of the way in which man, as a sinner, may find pardon, and peace, and holiness from God, whom he has offended. All this is included in the scriptural idea of wisdom; and it is to this only that moral results are ascribed.
2. We find the same sentiment in the New Testament. Jesus Christ never drops a word from which it might be gathered that mere knowledge, knowledge of any and every kind, is sufficient to exert a moral influence on the mind and character. On the contrary, there are passages in which He represents it as operating to the hindrance of salvation. So that solemn declaration in Matthew: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” So in the writings of the Apostles. The Gospel, which gives moral knowledge, they declare to be “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” while of the wisdom of the world, so long tried among the heathen, they only declare, that “the world by wisdom knew not God.” When St. Paul points to the injurious effects of “philosophy and vain deceit,” he tells us that he means that which is “after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.” Such philosophy could not be depended upon to conquer a single vice, or implant a single principle of virtue, and therefore he pronounces it to be but vain deceit, empty and powerless.
II. Let us now consider the manner by which religious knowledge operates to produce these moral results. That such results are produced will appear—
1. From the truths which it presents to the mind; God, &c.
2. The law of God presents a standard of duty, binding on the conscience; for there can be no authoritative standard of right and wrong except by revelation from God Himself, the supreme Lawgiver.
3. We have appealed to the Scriptures. Now, these assure us that, along with the truth of God, there goes an accompanying influence; the words that are spoken to you are “spirit and life.” This is because the illuminations of the Holy Ghost go along with them.
III. By no other species of knowledge than that which we have been considering can this moral influence be exerted.
1. Though many seem to take for granted that, if we circulate knowledge, we improve society, it is nevertheless true that there are many kinds of knowledge which do not contribute to the improvement of morals.
2. All experience is against the supposition I am combating.
3. But let us even suppose that morals are taught. What then? I am aware that there are often some moral instructions added to systems of education; some moral precepts in which all will agree are, perhaps, even selected from the Book of God; still, if this Book be true, even such teaching must fail. This Book has its doctrines and promises, as well as its moral precepts; and its morals are connected most intimately both with its doctrines and promises. Man must be taught not only what is right, but why it is right; and he must be shown that he is bound to do it. The term “duty” refers not merely to the action which is to be done, but to the obligation to do it. Take, then, the morality of the Bible away from that with which God has connected it, and you make it powerless. (Ibid.)
The education of the poor:—
We seem to have here something like a prophetic sanction for the propagation of knowledge Isaiah, in speaking of the future prosperity of the Jewish empire, rests the stability of its fortunes, not upon wealth, nor extensive dominion, but directly upon knowledge.
1. The most common objection to the education of the lower orders of the community is, that the poor, proud of the distinction of learning, will not submit to the performance of those lower offices of life which are necessary to the well-being of a State. Our poorer brethren do not toil because they are ignorant; neither would they cease to toil because they were instructed; the fabric of human happiness God has placed upon much stronger foundations; they labour, because they cannot live without labour; this has ever been sufficient to stimulate, and to continue the energy of man, and will, and must ever stimulate it, and secure its continuance, while heaven and earth remain.
2. The next objection urged against the education of the poor is, that the most ignorant poor, in country villages, are the best; and that the poor of large towns, as they gain in intelligence, lose in character, and become corrupt as they become knowing; but the country poor, it should be remembered, are the fewest in number; they are not exposed to all those innumerable temptations which corrupt the populace of large towns; this, and not their ignorance, is the cause of their superior decency in morals and religion.
3. In considering the effects of educating the poor, we must not merely dwell upon the power, but upon the tendency which we have created to use that power aright; not merely ask if it is a good thing for the poor to read, but to read such books as are full of wise and useful advice. A mere instrument for acquiring knowledge may be used with equal success, either for a good or a bad purpose; but education never gives the instrument without teaching the proper method of using it, and without inspiring a strong desire to use it in that manner.
4. Education may easily be made to supply, hereafter, the most innocent source of amusement, and to lessen those vices which proceed from want of interesting occupation; it subdues ferocity, by raising up an admiration for something besides brutal strength, and brutal courage.
5. We must remember, in this question, that all experience is in our favour.
6. There are many methods in which a community is considerably benefited by the education of its poor; a human being who is educated is, for many purposes of commerce, a much more useful and convenient instrument; and the advantage to be derived from the universal diffusion of this power is not to be overlooked in a discussion of this nature.
7. I would ask those who place such confidence in the benefits of ignorance, how far they would choose to carry these benefits? for, if the safety of a State depends upon its ignorance, then, the more ignorance the more safety. (S. Smith, M.A.)
Education is the chief defence of nations. (Edmund Burke.)
Education:—
The schoolmaster is abroad! I trust more to him, armed with his primer, than I do to the soldier in full military array, for the upholding and extending the liberties of his country. (Lord Brougham.)
Education contributes to the welfare of the State:—
The ravages of the Danes had totally extinguished any small sparks of learning, by the dispersion of the monks, and the burning their monasteries and libraries. To repair these misfortunes, Alfred (the Great), like Charlemagne, invited learned men from all quarters of Europe to reside in his dominions. He established schools, and enjoined every freeholder possessed of two ploughs to send his children there for instruction. He is said to have founded, or, at least, to have liberally endowed the illustrious seminary afterward known as the University of Oxford. (Tytler’s History.)
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.—The fear of the Lord:—
There is a servile fear of God which wicked men possess, but that which distinguishes the believer is filial and reverential. He fears, not because he has sinned, but that he may not sin; and dreads not so much the punishment of sin as the commission of it. He fears God as a friend, and not as an enemy; as a father, and not as a judge. The Scripture speaks of a natural and constitutional fear, arising from pusillanimity and want of courage, whereby persons are alarmed at the least appearance of danger, and sink under the slightest affliction. They fear where no fear is, and flee when no one pursueth. There is also a superstitious fear, which is forbidden as inconsistent with the fear of God. There is likewise a fear which tends to desperation, and sometimes ends in it; a fear which hath torment, and is attended with a spirit of bondage. In distinction from this, there is a fear arising from distrust, the fruit of unbelief, which good men too frequently betray in this imperfect state, but which the Scripture justly condemns. The fear of the Lord is a gracious principle wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit, and consists in a reverential regard for the Divine authority and glory.
I. Enquire wherein the fear of the Lord consists. God is the immediate object of it; and it consists in a mixture of admiration and love, arising from an apprehension of His incomparable excellences and infinite superiority, joined with a humble hope of interest in His favour and regard.
1. The greatness and majesty of God may well excite our fear, and fill us with the deepest reverence and awe.
2. His omnipresence and allseeing eye are a sufficient ground of fear to sinful and erring creatures.
3. The justice and holiness of God are adapted to excite our fear.
4. There is something awful even in the Divine goodness (Psa. 130:4).
II. The advantages arising from this holy principle. “The fear of the Lord is his treasure.”
1. It is in its own nature exceedingly precious, and all the things of this world are base and mean in comparison of it.
2. It answers the most valuable purposes.
3. Its advantages are permanent.
4. It is called a treasure in order to teach us the following things—
(1) The necessity of seeking after it that we may fully possess it.
(2) That we may be taught highly to value and esteem it.
(3) That we may be careful to cultivate and preserve it.
(4) We are hereby taught to impart this inestimable treasure to others, and to enrich the world with it, by endeavouring to inspire them also with the fear of God. (B. Beddome, M.A.)
The great value of the fear of the Lord:—
It keeps the conscience tender, and the mind spiritual, and is the enemy of arrogance and pride. Hence the apostle joins these two together: Be not high-minded, but fear (Rom. 11:20). If we fear the Lord, we shall dread all formality and hypocrisy, and shall serve Him in sincerity and truth (Josh. 24:14). It will also inspire us with courage and fortitude, and enable us to say as Nehemiah did in the face of the greatest danger, Should such a man as I flee? All lesser fears are swallowed up of this great fear, the fear of God. A heart fully impressed with it can neither sink into stupidity, or indulge in any unbecoming levity; will neither be too much elated with prosperity, or depressed by adversity. The fear of the Lord will also guard us against evil compliances, and criminal indulgences. It stands as a sentinel over the soul, warns it of approaching dangers, and suppresses the first risings of corruption, before they break forth into actual sins. I will do you no hurt, says Joseph to his brethren, for I fear God. Though at the utmost distance from presumption, it produces a holy confidence in God (Psa. 147:11). The same Divine excellences which are incitements to fear are also attractives to love; so that these kindred graces are not only planted but flourish together, and the same promises are made to both. The Lord will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him; He also preserveth all them that love Him. (Psa. 145:19, 20). A servile fear contracts the mind; but an ingenuous fear of God enlarges the heart in His service. The one diverts us from the path of duty, the other disposes us to walk in it; the one is slothful and indolent, the other active and persevering. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments (Psa. 112:1). And when David himself prayed to be taught God’s ways, so as to walk in the truth, he added, Unite my heart to fear Thy name (Psa. 86:11). The fear of the Lord is indeed a universal good; it affords peace of conscience, support under affliction, and comfort in the view of death. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, a long life, a comfortable life, and life everlasting. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him; like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. Oh how great is His goodness, which He has laid up for them that fear Him; which He has wrought for them that trust in Him, before the sons of men (Psa. 31:19; 103:11–13). (Ibid.)[3]
6 A glance at various English versions will show that there are different ways of construing the Hebrew words in this verse. The simplest way is to assume that the subject is ‘the Lord’ as in the previous verse: ‘The Lord will be a sure foundation.…’ The only hindrance to this interpretation is the final word in the verse, ‘his treasure’, where ‘her treasure’ (referring to Zion) could have been expected. However, the MT is confirmed by the major scroll of Isaiah found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (1 QIsa). It is not impossible, though, to render the final clause: ‘the fear of the Lord, that is his treasure’, i.e. the treasure that God stores up for his people. There are eight nouns arranged in pairs: ‘the sure foundation of your times’; ‘the store of salvation’; ‘wisdom and knowledge’; ‘the fear of the Lord’. The assurance is given that following times of distress (see verse 2), other times will come in which the Lord will provide salvation for his people, with the catalogue of blessings emphasising the abundance of his gifts.[4]
[1] Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1910). Isaiah (Vol. 1, p. 540). Funk & Wagnalls Company.
1 Samuel 26:1 — The last time we saw Saul, he declared that David was more righteous than he (1 Samuel 24:17), that David would be king (1 Samuel 24:20), and he obtained from David a pledge to protect his descendants (1 Samuel 24:22). Now the Ziphites, who had been egging Saul on previously (1 Samuel 23:19), are egging him on again.
1 Samuel 26:6 — It’s interesting that while God would drive out the Hittite people, He speaks well of individual Hittites: Ephron (Genesis 23:10), Ahimelech (1 Samuel 26:6), and Uriah (2 Samuel 23:39).
1 Samuel 26:25 — While some of Saul’s benedictions were empty, this one is true.
1 Samuel 27:1 — Gad had previously warned David to remain in the land of Judah. David does not appear to have consulted the LORD about his decision to escape to the Philistines.
1 Samuel 28:10 — Ironic that the king who was commanded by the LORD to execute all the witches (Exodus 22:18, Deuteronomy 18:10) now swears by the LORD to protect a witch. Instead of the witch dying, Saul would die (1 Samuel 28:19).
John 11:35 — Nobody understood Jesus. His disciples forgot John 10:18 and were afraid of the Jews. They didn’t understand His sayings (John 11:12). They weren’t sure what to say, but that didn’t stop them from talking (John 11:16). Martha believed in the resurrection from afar, but did she really believe that Jesus was the resurrection (John 11:24)? Mary’s understanding was limited by her human knowledge that death was irreversible (John 11:32). Martha was trying to stop Jesus from working (John 11:39).
John 11:53 — After Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead, the religious leaders determined to put Jesus to death. Interestingly, what Caiaphas planned to happen was for a greater purpose that he didn’t know about (John 11:51).
Psalm 117:1 — My family had a Christmas tradition where each of us would recite a verse or passage of Scripture. We were surprised one Christmas when my grandfather asked, “What is the longest psalm in the Bible?” “Psalm 119” was the reply. He then started: “Psalm 117 …” and quoted the shortest psalm in the Bible. Just two verses, but they are calling us to praise the LORD because of His merciful kindness for us and His eternal Word.
Proverbs 15:22 — As someone would remind me on the importance of a second opinion, “wise is the counsel of many.”
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Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. (Isaiah 49:13)
So sweet are the comforts of the Lord, that not only the saints themselves may sing of them, but even the heavens and the earth may take up the song. It takes something to make a mountain sing; and yet the prophet summons quite a choir of them. Lebanon, and Sirion, and the high hills of Bashan and Moab, He would set them all singing because of Jehovah’s grace to His own Zion. May we not also make mountains of difficulty, and trial, and mystery, and labor become occasions for praise unto our God? “Break forth into singing, O mountains!”
This word of promise, that our God will have mercy upon His afflicted, has a whole peal of bells connected with it. Hear their music—”Sing!” “Be joyful!” “Break forth into singing.” The Lord would have His people happy because of His unfailing love. He would not have us sad and doubtful; He claims from us the worship of believing hearts. He cannot fail us: why should we sigh or sulk as if He would do so? Oh, for a well-tuned harp! Oh, for voices like those of the cherubim before the throne!
“They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” – 2 Peter 2:10-16
Peter continues his identikit sketch of false teachers with a biblical illustration. The illustration he uses is Balaam. Balaam was offered great riches by the king of Moab if he would come and curse the people of Israel. Initially, Balaam flat-out refused to go and did not curse Israel. However, the king sent more men and a bigger offer. And Balaam, probably with hands rubbing together and his bank account details ready to hand out, asked the Lord, again, if he might go – please, please, please??? Oh how dangerous is the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10).
A New Testament equivalent of Balaam is Demas. Described in Colossians and Philemon as a “fellow worker” of Paul’s, in 2 Timothy 4:10 we read that “Demas, in love with this present world, [had] deserted [Paul] and gone to Thessalonica.” Demas loved money more than he loved Christ and was either backslidden or apostate.
1 Timothy 3 tells us that an elder should not be a “lover of money.” 1 Peter 5 offers a similar warning to elders against desiring “shameful gain.” So, watch out for office-bearers, both those in your church, but also those on TV or online, who constantly talk about money. For this is a sure sign that their motives are mixed at best. But give thanks also for office-bearers who serve willingly, eagerly, and as examples to the flock.
Suggestions for prayer
Thank the Lord for elders who serve willingly, eagerly, and as examples to us all. Ask the Lord to keep them from a desire for shameful gain and/or a domineering spirit.
Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, atNTGDevotional.com.
Did you ever realize that of all the things that God created, our planets, stars, and galaxies, and all of his magnificent created beings, only mankind is created in the image of God. Neither animals or angels are made in God’s image – only you are!
Scientist and philosopher John Lennox shares a wonderful picture of just who you are in the cosmos when he said: “Both Genesis and science say that the universe is geared to supporting human life. But Genesis says more. It says that you, as a human being, bear the image of God. The starry heavens show the glory of God, yes; but they are not made in God’s image. You are. That makes you unique. It gives you incalculable value. The galaxies are unimaginably large compared with you. However, you know that they exist, but they don’t know that you exist. You are more significant, therefore, than a galaxy.”1
John Lennox shares several insights here. First, while the starry heavens display the glory of God, they are not made in the image of God. However, when we praise God, not only do we glorify Him, but we as image bearers of God bring great joy to the Creator of the universe.
Second, and I love this, we know that the galaxies exist, but they don’t know that we exist! While the galaxies are super-giant and awe inspiring, they are only inanimate objects that can’t think, and feel, but only exist to display how awesome their Creator is. We, however, can not only praise God for His vast creation but we can interact and bond with our Creator and enjoy this fabulous intimacy that only human beings can experience. My friends we were created for worship, created for relationship, and created to spend eternity praising and enjoying our unique relationship with the Lord.
And third, because you are far more significant than all the galaxies in the universe, that makes you, as Lennox says, of incalculable value and unique! Next to the Trinity you are the hottest things in the universe. You are a masterpiece of the creative genius of God. You are so special that even when you wandered away from God through sin, He sent His own Son Jesus to die on the cross to bring you back into relationship with Himself. And even though one day our universe will vanish our relationship with Him will live on throughout all eternity!
How exciting it is to know that once we accept Jesus into our heart as Savior and Lord we begin a journey that will never end. And as God’s treasured possession, you will be able to experience total joy forever, in the very presence of Jesus!
Milan hit by heaviest rainfall in 170 years as severe storms, tornado impact northern Italy Severe storms over the past few days have caused historic rainfall and significant damage in northern Italy, particularly affecting the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. Milan experienced its heaviest rainfall in 170 years, leading to widespread flooding and travel disruptions.
It’s about to get colder and CO2 levels may drop to dangerously unproductive levels …Professor David Dilley discussed his perspective on global warming and the importance of understanding Earth’s natural climate cycles. He emphasised that the current global warming cycle is the first time instrument data has been available and that there have been multiple global warming and cooling cycles throughout Earth’s history. “Global warming will be dead by 2030,” he said.
House Passes Bill To Stop Biden From Withholding Arms To Israel …“The Biden Administration’s decision to withhold weapons is catastrophic and goes directly against the will of Congress,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a statement. “With the passage of the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, we send a clear message of solidarity and support to Israel and demand the urgent delivery of defense weapons to our most important ally in the Middle East.”
Why Has The Vatican Chosen This Precise Moment To Drop Bombshells About UFOs, Aliens And “Apparitions”? For centuries, the Vatican has been carefully guarding their most precious secrets…The press conference at the Vatican on Thursday is the very first time that the Vatican has held a press conference about UFOs, aliens and “apparitions” since 1978. So this is a really big deal. It is being reported that the Vatican has decided to issue new guidelines “on aliens and how it will deal with potential encounters in the future”…
Sharia March in Hamburg: German Muslims Advocate for Islamic State Defying a police ban, over two thousand Muslims, led by Joe Adade Boateng of the terror-tied Muslim Interaktiv group, gathered in Hamburg advocating for an Islamic caliphate and demanding media compliance with Sharia.
Geert Wilders’ Triumph: The Netherlands’ Conservative Revolution “They persecuted and denounced me for years. Others have wanted to kill me for 20 years. But I never stopped; instead, I continued with passion and conviction. And now, we have become the largest party in government, with a lot of influence for our people. The sun will shine again in the Netherlands! ”
Commie Pope Francis Tells 60 Minutes that Conservativism Is “A Suicidal Attitude” During his homily, Red Francis preached that “sharing ownership is not communism but is pure Christianity.” Of course, that was complete nonsense Sharing ownership is exactly the definition of communism. In January 2022 Pope Francis lectured to tax authorities that taxation is “a necessary tool for wealth redistribution.”
The digital euro is already being developed through European banks Through the European Central Bank’s ‘climate and nature plan’, banks that fall under its supervision are being reviewed and subjected to on-site inspections to monitor the progress of their “digital transformations.” Although no specific details are given on what “digital transformation” goals banks have been set, we can deduce by following the document trail that this equates to the preparation phase of the digital euro, the European Union’s central bank digital currency (“CBDC”).
NHS’ coordinated plan to break doctors and nurses who raise concerns about patient safety …More than 50 doctors and nurses have told The Telegraph they have been targeted after raising concerns about upwards of 170 patient deaths and nearly 700 cases of poor care. Instead of trying to fix the problems, NHS bosses are spending millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money hiring law firms and private eyes to investigate them.
JACK DEVINE The vaunted 2020 “Big Lie” will be forever superseded by the 2024 “Big Truth”: an election indelibly tainted by the actions of our own government.
EMMY GRIFFIN Leftists attack the fact that there is a Mother’s Day at all, but it rightly honors a profound relationship unique to the human experience.
DOUGLAS ANDREWS It took long enough, but The New York Times is now paying at least cursory attention to those who claim to be suffering harm from the COVID vaccines.
MICHAEL SWARTZ As long as Joe Biden is president, the narco-state to our south will continue to help the Communist Chinese kill Americans with fentanyl.
MARK ALEXANDER “The Medal of Honor stands for the highest degree of heroism; its recipients risked their lives [for] freedom, liberty, and the lives of their fellow soldiers.”
QUOTES Afghan Women Were Unavailable for Comment “On my watch, when we make promises, we keep them. And we leave no one behind.” —Joe Biden A Trip Down Memory Lane “The security of Israel and the United States is inextricably tied and we will never, ever, ever abandon Israel out of our own self-interest.” —Joe Biden in 2014 “The idea that we would cut off military aid to an ally [Israel] — our only true, true ally in the entire region — is absolutely preposterous. It’s just beyond my comprehension anyone would do that.” —Joe Biden in 2019 Belly Laughs of the Week “No one has done more to defend Israel when it mattered than President Biden.” —Secretary of State Antony Blinken “No president has stood stronger with Israel than Joe Biden.” —National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Who, Other Than Politico, Was Surprised by This? “Pro-Palestinian protesters are backed by a surprising source: Biden’s biggest donors.” —Politico Useful Idiots “I visited Columbia University. I went to the encampment. I met with students there so I could learn more about their perspective, their position on what’s happening there. I saw a library. I saw mental health supports. I saw students protesting peacefully.” —Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) “A lot of armed Hamas will be left, no matter what [the Israelis] do in Rafah, or if they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do.” —Secretary Antony Blinken “I never see Hamas as a terror organization.” —Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Yellow Journalism “With Schools in Ruins, Education in Gaza Will Be Hobbled for Years.” —The New York Times (So Hamas terrorist indoctrination has been “hobbled”…) Appropriated Press “White House blocks release of Biden’s special counsel interview audio, says GOP is being political.” —Associated Press The BIG Lies “The work that this president has done to build an economy from day one that grows from the middle out and the bottom up — 15 million jobs, 800,000 manufacturing jobs … and doing all of that while doing the work of lowering costs for Americans.” —Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler “It is President Biden’s top priority to do all he can to bring down the cost of living.” —Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen “We gotta be steady, stay the course, and continue to produce these incredible job[s]. And by the way, the pay for the jobs are outpacing the inflation rate.” —Joe Biden “The point here is we’re lowering costs.” —Joe Biden “Inflation has gone slightly up — it was at 9% when I came in.” —Joe Biden Spin Doctors “[Biden’s] making the point that the factors that caused inflation to climb to 9% were in place when he took office.” —Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jared Bernstein “The point that [Biden] was making is that the factors that cause inflation was [sic] in place … when he took office.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Baghdad Bobs “A lot of the policies that the president is pushing forward are incredibly popular. They are.” —Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “I’m very confident that we’re going to have a convention that celebrates the unity, the diversity, the strength of the Democratic Party. … It’s Joe Biden who has coalesced the Democratic base.” —Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler Non Compos Mentis “We’ll never forget [Trump’s] love letters for the South Korean president, Kim Jong Un.” —Joe Biden “My name’s Joe Biden. I work for Kamala Harris. I asked her to be my vice president because I knew I needed somebody smarter than me.” —Joe Biden Non Sequitur “I’m in favor of the Second Amendment. And I believe we need an assault weapons ban. We need universal background checks. We need red-flag laws.” —Kamala Harris Dumb & Dumber “How do we have a large body of people [illegal immigrants] that are in our city, our country, that are excellent swimmers and at the same time we need lifeguards — and the only obstacle is that we won’t give them the right to work to become a lifeguard.” —New York City Mayor Eric Adams “The deep state is packed with patriots.” —ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos Race Bait “I’m so tired of white men failing up.” —Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching mobile billboards Saturday in Dallas targeting former President Trump for his rhetoric on gun violence and reform.
The billboards, which accuse Trump of putting the gun lobby ahead of Texas families, were placed in the area outside of the venue where he is expected to give a speech before the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention.
They feature quotes the former president has made about recent gun violence and actions they argue show where his loyalty lies.
Watch live below starting at 2 pm ET via Right Side Broadcasting Network:
Don't miss President Trump's speech at the NRA on Saturday! Tune in on RSBN 🇺🇸https://t.co/YcTvcBmxgO
The star quarterback argued that Dr. Anthony Fauci was financially incentivized to suppress COVID treatments like ivermectin, adding that Americans should have compassion on those who were convinced by the ‘full-court propaganda.’
International affairs are at the top of the news all around the world. With hot conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and the Sahel, and would-be confrontations in the Taiwan Strait, the Red Sea, and elsewhere, there is a lot of reporting about various visits of the US secretaries of state and defense and of sensitive negotiations with this country or that. But what is the role of the CIA in all this? Is that role different now that the CIA is led by a professional diplomat? And how different is it now that the CIA is less an intelligence collection agency and more a para-military body? On this episode of the Whistleblowers, John Kiriakou speaks with whistleblower and former senior CIA officer Mel Goodman to answer all these questions.
He warned of fascism and ethnonationalism and we should too!
J. Gresham Machen was certainly prescient about the havoc theological liberalism would wreak on the mainline churches in the 20th century. He also saw the rise of fascism and ethnonationalism in the 1920s and 1930s. We would do well to consider his warnings today.
Machen’s observations about the church and the world in his great short essay Mountains and Why We Love Them were published in 1933 (based on a mountain-climbing trip of the previous year) and have never been more relevant. In 1932 Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was probably more well-known to Americans than Adolf Hitler. But Machen, who had studied in Germany and knew it well, was keenly aware of Hitler’s threat. He looked out across Europe from a peak in the Swiss Alps and did not like what he saw:
Then there is something else about that view from the Matterhorn. I felt it partly at least as I stood there, and I wonder whether you can feel it with me. It is this. You are standing there not in any ordinary country, but in the very midst of Europe, looking out from its very centre. Germany just beyond where you can see to the northeast, Italy to the south, France beyond those snows of Mont Blanc. There, in that glorious round spread out before you, that land of Europe, humanity has put forth its best. There it has struggled; there it has fallen; there it has looked upward to God. The history of the race seems to pass before you in an instant of time, concentrated in that fairest of all the lands of the earth. You think of the great men whose memories you love, the men who have struggled there in those countries below you, who have struggled for light and freedom, struggled for beauty, struggled above all for God’s Word. And then you think of the present and its decadence and its slavery, and you desire to weep. It is a pathetic thing to contemplate the history of mankind.
Machen the Alpinist
Here it seems that Machen had in view modernity and its dehumanizing machinery (of state and of steel) and its godless “morality.” The introductory chapter of Christianity and Liberalism (written 10 years before) helps us understand more fully what Machen had in mind. In that book, Machen had extolled “the great principles of Anglo-Saxon liberty,” meaning the tradition of individual rights pioneered in the British Isles.
Machen goes on to speak of the evil ends that modernity’s machines and men were beginning to serve:
I know that there are people who tell us contemptuously that always there are croakers who look always to the past, croakers who think that the good old times are the best. But I for my part refuse to acquiesce in this relativism which refuses to take stock of the times in which we are living. It does seem to me that there can never be any true advance, and above all there can never be any true prayer, unless a man does pause occasionally, as on some mountain vantage ground, to try, at least, to evaluate the age in which he is living. And when I do that, I cannot for the life of me see how any man with even the slightest knowledge of history can help recognizing the fact that we are living in a time of sad decadence—a decadence only thinly disguised by the material achievements of our age, which already are beginning to pall on us like a new toy. When Mussolini makes war deliberately and openly upon democracy and freedom, and is much admired for doing so even in countries like ours; when an ignorant ruffian is dictator of Germany, until recently the most highly educated country in the world—when we contemplate these things I do not see how we can possibly help seeing that something is radically wrong. Just read the latest utterances of our own General Johnson, his cheap and vulgar abuse of a recent appointee of our President, the cheap tirades in which he develops his view that economics are bunk—and then compare that kind of thing with the state papers of a Jefferson or a Washington—and you will inevitably come to the conclusion that we are living in a time when decadence has set in on a gigantic scale.
Mussolini had been rampant for a decade. Hitler was an upstart by comparison, having lost the German presidential election in 1932 (the year of Machen’s trip), but was appointed chancellor-dictator early in 1933. Machen hated communism1 and opposed socialism, but fascism appeared to be his primary concern in the last decade of his all-too-short life, possibly because fascists tried to appropriate the Christian religion. Machen also opposed a between-the-wars ideology in the USA called “100% Americanism” which bears some resemblance to the now-fashionable Christian Nationalism. Machen wrote to his mother in 1920:
“The Gospel of Christ is a blessed relief from that sinful state of affairs commonly known as hundred per-cent Americanism. And fortunately some of us were able to learn of the gospel in a freer, more spiritual time, before the state had begun to lay its grip upon the education2 of the mind.”
100% Americanism was a nativist, anti-European, anti-immigration, all-American-and-only-American-everything jumble of prejudices. Some associated the revival of the Ku Klux Klan with it; others would point to a more benign American Legion version that was more generically patriotic. One of the tenets of the ideology was opposition to foreign language instruction and Machen particularly hated this aspect:
Thus religion has become a mere function of the community or of the state. So it is looked upon by the men of the present day. Even hard-headed business men and politicians have become convinced that religion is needed. But it is thought to be needed merely as a means to an end. We have tried to get along without religion, it is said, but the experiment was a failure, and now religion must be called in to help.
For example, there is the problem of the immigrants; great populations have found a place in our country; they do not speak our language or know our customs; and we do not know what to do with them. We have attacked them by oppressive legislation or proposals of legislation, but such measures have not been altogether effective. Somehow these people display (sarcasm alert) a perverse attachment to the language that they learned at their mother’s knee. It may be strange that a man should love the language that he learned at his mother’s knee, but these people do love it, and we are perplexed in our efforts to produce a unified American people. So religion is called in to help; we are inclined to proceed against the immigrants now with a Bible in one hand and a club in the other offering them the blessings of liberty. That is what is sometimes meant by “Christian Americanization.”3
Machen was no anonymous online edgelord
But wait, you may ask, didn’t Machen use words like “Anglo-Saxon” and refer to the “race”? Of course he did (see above). Yet, the immigrants being clubbed with “Americanism” were not just Dutch, Scandinavian, or German. Some were Italian or other non-Nordic, non-Northern European “races.”4
Machen, an ardent supporter of Christian schools and family rights, even opposed the Lusk Laws because he believed, though they were designed to suppress radical and socialist schools, that accepting the principle behind them would result in the loss of liberty for Christians:
The evil principle is seen with special clearness in the so-called “Lusk Laws” in the state of New York. One of these refers to teachers in the public schools. The other provides that “No person, firm, corporation or society shall conduct, maintain or operate any school, institute, class or course of instruction in any subjects whatever without making application for and being granted a license from the university of the state of New York to so conduct, maintain or operate such institute, school, class or course….This law is so broadly worded that it could not possibly be enforced, even by the whole German army in its pre-war efficiency or by all the espionage system of the Czar.”5
For Machen, “scares” (Red or otherwise) were no excuse for the suppression of basic liberties. Back to Machen in the mountains:
What will be the end of that European civilization, of which I had a survey from my mountain vantage ground—of that European civilization and its daughter in America? What does the future hold in store? Will Luther prove to have lived in vain? Will all the dreams of liberty issue into some vast industrial machine? Will even nature be reduced to standard, as in our country the sweetness of the woods and hills is being destroyed, as I have seen them destroyed in Maine, by the uniformities and artificialities and officialdom of our national parks? Will the so-called “Child Labor Amendment”6 and other similar measures be adopted, to the destruction of all the decencies and privacies of the home? Will some dreadful second law of thermodynamics apply in the spiritual as in the material realm? Will all things in church and state be reduced to one dead level, coming at last to an equilibrium in which all liberty and all high aspirations will be gone? Will that be the end of all humanity’s hopes? I can see no escape from that conclusion in the signs of the times; too inexorable seems to me to be the march of events. No, I can see only one alternative. The alternative is that there is a God—a God who in His own good time will bring forward great men again to do His will, great men to resist the tyranny of experts and lead humanity out again into the realms of light and freedom, great men, above all, who will be messengers of His grace. There is, far above any earthly mountain peak of vision, a God high and lifted up who, though He is infinitely exalted, yet cares for His children among men.
In the machinery of modern industry and government, and in worldly, pragmatic ideologies, Machen saw a real threat to liberty, society, and the church. The only solution for him was the knowledge of a God who cared enough to send his Son, beneath whose cross and in whose church is the only refuge from the decay and depravity of the world:
Is there no refuge from strife? Is there no place of refreshing where a man can prepare for the battle of life? Is there no place where two or three can gather in Jesus’ name, to forget for the moment all those things that divide nation from nation and race from race, to forget human pride, to forget the passions of war, to forget the puzzling problems of industrial strife, and to unite in overflowing gratitude at the foot of the Cross? If there be such a place, then that is the house of God and that the gate of heaven. And from under the threshold of that house will go forth a river that will revive the weary world.7
Later in 1935: “…all over the world these elemental forces of evil are mightily at work, these forces that have given us Stalin and Mussolini and Hitler…” – Selected Shorter Writings, D.G. Hart, ed., p. 382
This is a lightly edited excerpt from Simon Hankinson’s testimony before the HouseHomeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability at a hearing on“Security Risk: The Unprecedented Surge in Chinese Illegal Immigration,” on Thursday, May 16.
I served as a Foreign Service officer in seven countries. I have adjudicated thousands of visa applications to facilitate lawful visits, commerce, and immigration to the United States while excluding aliens who were legally inadmissible.The visa process I worked with overseas stands in total contrast to what happens at the U.S. border today.
Over the past two years, I have visited the border in Arizona, California, New York, and Texas. On those visits, I saw nationals of many countries apprehended by the Border Patrol. In San Diego last March, I watched Border Patrol dropping off dozens of aliens, including Chinese, at a bus stop to release them into the country.
Mass release of people who entered the country illegally happens nearly every day, multiple times, at multiple locations.At best, this is a mockery of U.S. immigration law and sovereignty. At worst, it is a huge national security and community safety risk. In addition to many Chinese aliens with connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and other state entities, it is statistically probable that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is releasing people with serious criminal records.
According to U.S. law, DHS is supposed to detain aliens who enter the country illegally. But the Biden administration has replaced border control with mass processing, parole, and release. DHS has also abused immigration parole at an unprecedented scale.
In January 2021, which included the first 11 days of the new Biden administration, the Border Patrol encountered 17 Chinese aliens between ports of entry. By January 2024, it was 3,700 in that one month alone.As of April 30 this year, DHS had already encountered 48,501 inadmissible Chinese aliens in fiscal year 2024 (which began Oct. 1, 2023); 27,583 of them between ports of entry.
Nearly all are being released into an asylum process that will take years to conclude.At the end of that process, those ordered removed are extremely unlikely to be deported, because the Chinese government does not cooperate in accepting their nationals back.
In fiscal year 2023, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed only 288 Chinese aliens, leaving up to 100,000 still in the United States, despite final orders of removal.
Most Chinese entering illegally are seeking employment.They use asylum claims to enter, remain, and work in the United States. Illegal immigration ebbs and flows corresponding to a risk-reward calculation. Today, Chinese are coming in great numbers simply because they can. Worldwide awareness of our open border, spread by social media, shows them how.
For example, Chinese citizens do not need a visa to fly to Ecuador, after which they can continue by land north to the United States.And starting on May 17, Air China will begin direct flights from Beijing to Havana. If Chinese aliens are willing to take the dangerous trek by land from Ecuador to the United States via the Darien Gap, why wouldn’t they also be willing to traverse the 90 miles by water to Florida?
Overseas, an in-person interview by a U.S. consular officer is the first line of “vetting” for foreign visa applicantswanting to come to the United States. This is buttressed by consular staff who know local languages, customs, and news. Larger embassies host other federal agencies that can assist with vetting investigations.
The second line of vetting is through automatic checks of U.S. government databases.Applicants are frequently refused entry based on adverse information that would not have been discovered had the person arrived illegally with no identity documents at the border.
Meanwhile, at the border today, most “national security decisions” of who gets into our country are no longer made by American officers.Under President Joe Biden’s policies, what was once a privilege for aliens has become a right.
Despite what the Biden administration wishes the public to believe, there is no real “vetting” of those released at the border, nor of those allowed in under parole programs, much less of the “gotaways” who enter covertly between ports of entry without inspection. The official visa “front door” competes with a wide-open back door at the border, where there are no routine criminal background checks using records from the person’s home country. Unless a foreign national has a record held by U.S. agencies, DHS is flying blind.
Concerning China specifically, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have reportedly reduced the number of standard questions asked of inadmissible Chinese aliens at the border from 40 to five.
But, however many questions, the process relies on an alien telling the truth and agents taking them at their word. Even if CBP requests additional information on an individual, China routinely ignores U.S. requests for verification of nationality, and they reportedly hide records of criminal and corruption cases.
DHS releases most aliens caught at the border with a Notice to Appear in immigration court—at a date far into the future. Aliens are then free to go wherever they want, with no way for ICE to easily find them.
There are more than 6 million aliens on ICE’s Non-Detained Docket, of whom only about 184,000 are tracked using what’s called Alternatives to Detention, which uses passive methods to track them, such as having the alien check in with ICE by phone every day. Only 2 percent of aliens tracked using Alternatives to Detention have actual GPS monitors.
To close this dangerous loophole, the United States needs to re-implement agreements with Mexico and Northern Triangle countries of Central America so that inadmissible aliens are not released into the interior of the United States pending the decision in their asylum cases, but instead remain in those countries as they await their determinations (the vast majority of which will result in their asylum applications being rejected).
Given the population, economy, and politics of China, the United States can never meet the demand for those seeking to enter our country illegally.The United States will at some point have to remove those who are ineligible to enter or remain, or else abandon the rule of law that made this country so attractive for so many immigrants in the first place.
* * *
Reprinted by permission fromThe Daily Signal, a publication ofThe Heritage Foundation.Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
Here’s a sample of story headlines from the first quarter hour of the broadcast:
–In a repudiation of President Biden, the Israeli Security Assistance Support Act passed in the House on Thursday with bipartisan support.
–The U.S. State Department has moved a one billion dollar package of weapons aid for Israel into the congressional review process.
–The floating pier that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea has now been anchored to a beach according to U.S. Central Command.
–Amid heightened tensions with Egypt since Israel began its ground operation, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intimated that Egypt was holding Gaza civilians hostage by not working with them to reopen the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid.
–Israel’s military suffered setbacks yesterday after officials confirmed that five troops were killed in a friendly fire incident in Gaza while elsewhere an Israeli air force space in northern Israel was hit by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia.
–Israeli Defense Forces have recovered the bodies of three hostages in a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
–The IDF struck a Hamas command room and a school run by a U.N. agency, with fighter jets killing more than 15 terror operatives, including ten Hamas members and some involved in the October 7th invasion of Israel.
–The Arab League met on Thursday in Bahrain to voice its opposition, not just to the Rafah operation, but to call for an immediate ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
–Despite months of deteriorating relations and increasing hostile rhetoric, the complete shutdown of trade between Turkey and Israel earlier this month came as a shock to many.
–In a dramatic shift, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has revised its data pertaining to the number of Palestinian casualties in the 7 month old Gaza war, reducing by almost half the number of women and children that previously were said to be killed in the hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
–Former President Trump surprised many people both inside and outside of Israel recently when he came out against a two-state solution for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
–Police in Savage, Minnesota, are investigating an attack on a little girl at a local school by other girls who told officials they beat her up because she wasn’t Muslim.
–Slovakia’s Prime Minister is expected to survive after being shot five times outside the House of Culture while meeting supporters.
–Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and announced the strengthening of defense and trade relations.
–A report from the Network Contagion Research Institute shows a political activist group linked to the Chinese Communist Party has played a crucial role in funding and organizing the anti-Israel protests on college campuses across the U.S.
Former 2024 GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reacts to former President Trump accepting President Biden’s offer to debate him in June and September…
This Gray Havens’ song is an attempted answer to a question that many a married couple has wondered: how can there be no marriage in heaven (Matt. 22:30)? In my head I understand that as a part of the Church we will all be the very bride of Christ, and what we had here with our spouse was only a pale shadow of this perfected bond we will have with our Saviour.
But if you were in a good marriage how can you help but wonder, what about the wonderful special relationship you’ve had with your spouse for so many years? How can that just be done? The answer, I think, is that it won’t be. We won’t be married, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be strangers. As the song puts it:
Gonna see you again
On the gold streets
Standing next to me, I know
I’m gonna see you again
Darling, won’t be long
Till every trace of trouble is gone
We’ll be together
And I’m not sure what that means
But I know it’ll be better than we ever dreamed
When I see you again
I’m not sure what that will mean either, but I can trust my good and gracious God that it will indeed be better that any of us dreamed.
“How much of the anger in my home is caused by me? That’s a painful question. As parents, fathers in particular, we must heed God’s Word from Eph. 6:4 [“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger…”] Of course, this is not to say that all of our children’s anger is caused by us. Each of our children is personally responsible for his or her own sin. However, this warning from God is here for a reason. One of the ways our sinful flesh manifests itself is by provoking others to anger. And the easiest place to do that is in our own home.”
When ethanol-from-corn-production first started it probably took more energy to produce a unit of ethanol than that unit could then produce. So why did governments push it? Because it looked good, even if it didn’t do good. Increased farm efficiencies since then may have changed that net negative into a positive but the return is, at best, still modest, with estimates of 1.5 units of energy created for every unit of energy used in corn-ethanol production. By way of comparison, in the US, one unit of energy used in gas production returns 15-30 units of gas energy.
Now the US is ramping up production of hydrogen, but a unit of hydrogen takes more energy to produce than that unit of hydrogen then contains. And according to this article, that’s a matter of physics, and no manner of technological advances will change that net negative result. We should not be surprised that a world that has rejected God isn’t concerned with doing actual good, even as it still wants to look good. Thus this showmanship instead of stewardship.
When a feminist is offended by a guy wearing a “feminist for Trump” shirt, he reverses it on her, questioning why she presumed his gender. Think of it as an addendum to the Golden Rule (Matt 7:12) – we aren’t supposed to do to others as they do to us, but what about when a little tit for tat would be highly educational? Then that could be the best thing for them… which is what we should want others to do to us, right? But turnabout is all this fellow’s got.
Meanwhile Christians can do one better by finishing the argument. As Paul writes in 2 Cor. 10:5, we should want to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,” but note what comes next: “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, Pierre Poilievre and others can tear down the other sides’ arguments. But if that’s all they do, then they’re leaving the world in the same state as the man in Luke 11:24-26, who after being freed from an evil spirit, replaced it with nothing, only to have that spirit return with seven others “and the final condition of that man” was even worse than before. Merely dismantling a lie leaves a person vulnerable to the infinite number of others lies out there. So we should learn how to tear down false idols, like we see many conservative commentators doing. But we need to offer the alternative too, doing what only God’s people can do – pointing people away from the lie and towards God, and the truth that He made us male and female (Gen. 1:26-27).
President Joe Biden, who wears bespoke sneakers to prevent embarrassing collapses and whose command of the English language rivals that of most kindergartners, is in bad political shape.
It is unsurprising that Democrats have resorted to some of the slimiest tactics imaginable to derail President Donald Trump’s comeback bid and push their senile octogenarian across the November finish line. Properly skeptical of their chances to topple Trump in a fair mano-a-mano, the Democrat-lawfare complex in 2023 conjured up four separate criminal prosecutions—two federal probes and two state probes—targeting the 45th president. After all, if you can’t beat him, then … prosecute and incarcerate him! All in the name of “our democracy,” naturally.
Suffice it to say that the Democrat-lawfare complex’s brazen, cynical attempt to subvert our constitutional order in the name of saving it has not gone according to plan.
In Washington, D.C., Special Counsel Jack Smith’s crown-jewel case against Trump, pertaining to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 jamboree at the U.S. Capitol, has been interrupted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices stepped in to assess the thorny constitutional question of the scope of immunity from criminal prosecution for former presidents, and a decision is not expected until late June.
The most likely result is a mixed opinion that holds some “core” Article II presidential functions are immune from post-presidency prosecution, but other acts are not. This would require a remand to the trial court for fact-finding to determine which legal category the acts in Smith’s indictment fall into. That trial court finding could then be appealed, too. There is virtually no chance Smith can wrap this all up before November.
In Florida, Smith’s other federal case has not been more successful. The Florida prosecution, pertaining to Trump’s post-presidency handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, had at least some potential on the legal merits. But Smith wildly overplayed his hand by charging Trump with violating the controversial World War I-era Espionage Act, and the proceedings have frequently been set back due to the strenuous demands of the Classified Information Procedures Act—a 1980 statute first introduced in the Senate, ironically, by then-Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.
Recently, Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial start date, which had initially been scheduled for May 20. There is again little to no chance Smith can reach a jury before November.
The case in Fulton County, Georgia, which once seemed the most perilous of them all due to Georgia’s sprawling Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the far-left Atlanta jury pool, and the potential for high-profile prosecution witnesses, has gone totally off the rails. Ever since January, the only questions in the case have not been substantive legal issues such as whether Trump oversaw a grand conspiracy to “overturn an election,” but tabloid fodder such as whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her illicit extramarital lover and appointed special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, are too compromised to bring the case.
The trial court’s finding that only one of them must recuse is now pending before a Georgia appellate court, and it is likely the Supreme Court of Georgia will weigh in, too. This case isn’t reaching a jury before November, either.
That leaves the ongoing drama in New York City, where a literal porn “star” (Stormy Daniels) and a convicted felon (Michael Cohen) are aiding the George Soros-funded prosecutor’s case of … well, he hasn’t exactly told us what it is. We surmise the case entails alleged New York State fraudulent bookkeeping charges in furtherance of a federal campaign finance law violation—which doesn’t even fall into the local district attorney’s jurisdiction.
The prosecution is about to rest its case, and we don’t even know for sure what the actual black-letter legal case is. On Thursday, the “star witness” convicted felon’s testimony was so bad that far-left CNN anchor Anderson Cooper remarked: “I think if I was a juror in this case watching that, I would think this guy is making it up as he’s going along.”
Brutal.
The Democrats’ strategy is failing. But it is up to the American people to make them pay for it.
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The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
Vincent is a Naturopathic Practitioner in Lismore. Born in Kenya, Vincent encountered Jesus in Grahamstown through the ministry of the late Archbishop Bill Burnett. He studied at the United Faculty of Theology in Melbourne as a candidate for the ministry of the new Uniting Church.
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