Many people picture God as a kindly old bearded man, sort of like Santa Claus. They think he’s thrilled with everything they do, perhaps offering only a shrug or a frown for the really bad things. But the reality is that God is a consuming fire. The Bible tells us that His eyes are too holy to even look upon sin, and it also tells us that we are all sinners. That’s the bad news. But there’s also good news. I invite you to watch more.
Source: God is a Consuming Fire
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? …
HEBREWS 2:3
In only one field of human interest do we Americans seem slow and apathetic: that is the field of personal religion.
Church people habitually approach the matter of their personal relation to God in a dull, halfhearted way which is altogether out of keeping with their general temperament and wholly inconsistent with the importance of the subject.
Dante, on his imaginary journey through hell, came upon a group of lost souls who sighed and moaned continually as they whirled about aimlessly in the dusky air. Virgil, his guide, explained that these were the “wretched people,” the “nearly soulless,” who while they lived on earth had not moral energy enough to be either good or evil. They had earned neither praise nor blame, and with them and sharing in their punishment were those angels who would take sides neither with God nor Satan.
The writer pictured the doom of all of the weak and irresolute crew to be suspended forever between a hell that despised them and a heaven that would not receive their defiled presence. Not even their names were to be mentioned again in heaven or earth or hell.
Was Dante saying in his own way what our Lord had said long before to the church of Laodicea: “I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth”?
The low level of moral enthusiasm among us may have a significance far deeper than we are willing to believe!1
1 Tozer, A. W., & Smith, G. B. (2015). Evenings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings (p. 310). Moody Publishers.
And what is “the day-dawn, and day-star,” arising in the hearts of God’s people, but Jesus, “the day-spring from on high, visiting us?” Is not Jesus “the bright and morning star, the light and the life of men?” Yea, is he not “the sun of righteousness arising with healing in his wings?” And when he ariseth on our benighted minds, may he not be called “the day-dawn, and the day-star?” Pause, my soul, over the sweet thought! It was all darkness in the creation of God, until Jesus arose. And his coming was as the breaking forth of the morning, the sure harbinger of day. Indeed, Jesus was “the day-dawn, and the day-star,” in the light of redemption, before the world was formed: for in the council of peace, as man’s light and salvation, he came up, at the call of God, from all eternity. And in time, during all his eventful ministry upon earth, was not Jesus “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of his people Israel?” And what is Jesus now, but the “day-dawn, and day-star” of all the promises? Until we see Christ in them, they are nothing. It is he that makes them all “yea and amen;” and is “the day-dawn and day-star” of all dispensations. His word, his providences, his grace, his ordinances; all are dark, until Jesus ariseth, as “the day-dawn, and day-star,” to enlighten them. When he shines in upon them, then are they blessed and clear. When he withdraws his light, not one of them can be read. And what is the “day-dawn, and day-star,” in the hearts of his people, converting them from darkness to light, and from the power of sin and Satan to the living God, but Jesus shining by his Holy Spirit within, and bringing them to the knowledge, love, and enjoyment of himself? Say, my soul, what was the day, the ever-blessed, ever-to-be-remembered day, when God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shined in upon thine heart; and Jesus, “the day-dawn, and the day-star,” arose, to give thee “the light of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, in the face of Jesus Christ?” Hail, thou glorious light and life of my soul! Oh! continue thy sweet influences, morning by morning, and in the day-dawn, and evening-star of thy grace; until, after many dark dispensations, and wintry days of my blindness, ignorance, and senseless state, in which thou wilt renew me, in the precious discoveries of thy love, I am carried through all the twilight of this poor dying state of things below: for then shall I awake up to the full enjoyment of thyself in glory, to see thee in one full open day, and to be made like unto thee in thy kingdom of light, and life, and happiness, for ever and ever.1
1 Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Evening Portion (A New Edition, pp. 294–295). Thomas Wardle.
This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us, not by his personal presence, as he shall do by-and-by, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who is evermore the Comforter of the church. It is his office to console the hearts of God’s people. He convinces of sin; he illuminates and instructs; but still the main part of his work lies in making glad the hearts of the renewed, in confirming the weak, and lifting up all those that be bowed down. He does this by revealing Jesus to them. The Holy Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation. If we may use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician, but Jesus is the medicine. He heals the wound, but it is by applying the holy ointment of Christ’s name and grace. He takes not of his own things, but of the things of Christ. So if we give to the Holy Spirit the Greek name of Paraclete, as we sometimes do, then our heart confers on our blessed Lord Jesus the title of Paraclesis. If the one be the Comforter, the other is the Comfort. Now, with such rich provision for his need, why should the Christian be sad and desponding? The Holy Spirit has graciously engaged to be thy Comforter: dost thou imagine, O thou weak and trembling believer, that he will be negligent of his sacred trust? Canst thou suppose that he has undertaken what he cannot or will not perform? If it be his especial work to strengthen thee, and to comfort thee, dost thou suppose he has forgotten his business, or that he will fail in the loving office which he sustains towards thee? Nay, think not so hardly of the tender and blessed Spirit whose name is “the Comforter.” He delights to give the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Trust thou in him, and he will surely comfort thee till the house of mourning is closed for ever, and the marriage feast has begun.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
SORROWFULLY let us now see our Lord accused before the Jewish council, standing alone before his cruel enemies. After the council had condemned Jesus in a preliminary examination, they seem to have separated, to meet again in a more formal manner in the morning.
Luke 22:66–71
66–69 And as soon as it was day (which was then about five in the morning), the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. (They would neither hear his arguments nor reply fairly to any questions which he might put to them, by which his claims might be proved. He had, in former days, proved to them that he was the Christ, and that the Christ was the Son of God, and yet they had refused to believe. He, therefore, bore his testimony, and left the issue to the last great day, saying,) Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? (He had called himself “the Son of man,” but they saw at once that his claim to sit at God’s right hand involved his Deity, and, therefore, they pushed the question yet further, that they might accuse him.) And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. (Which means, “Ye say rightly that I am.”)
71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. (From the boldness of our Lord let us take example, and never conceal the truth from fear of men.)
Matthew 27:1–10
WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
The day was more advanced, but it was yet early, and a third time the Sanhedrim held a sitting, not to try the Lord Jesus, but to consider how to secure his destruction. The Romans had taken away from them the power of life and death, and, therefore, they were forced to carry their prisoner to the Roman governor.
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3, 4 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. (From the place whereon he hung him self he fell headlong and was dashed in pieces; thus every circumstance of horror attended his self-murder. Unhappy man! How short-lived was his profit! How eternal his loss! Will we give up Christ for gain or pleasure! O Lord, forbid it.)
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
Base hypocrites. They had a qualmish conscience about the harmless pieces of money, but none concerning the murder they had perpetrated! They remind us of those who are zealous for their church, and yet continue in sin.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
8–10 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
Lord! when I read the traitor’s doom,
To his own place consign’d,
What holy fear, and humble hope,
Alternate fill my mind!
Traitor to thee I too have been,
But saved by matchless grace,
Or else the lowest, hottest hell
Had surely been my place.
Blest Lamb of God! thy sovereign grace
To all around I’ll tell,
Which made a place in glory mine,
Whose just desert was hell.1
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 607). Baker Book House.
12 The first part of the verse continues the thought of v. 11. Qohelet notes that there are gross sinners who may live for a very long time, thus once again providing evidence against a doctrine of retribution. After all, a long life was taught to be the result of God’s blessing (Prov. 3:2, 16, 18, and throughout the book of Proverbs).
The second half of the verse at first seems to move in a different direction, and, unless close attention is given to the wording and the flow of the passage, it might mistakenly be believed that Qohelet is going back in the direction of what is thought to be traditional wisdom instruction. In seeming contradiction to the first half of the verse, Qohelet states that things will go well for those who fear God.
Qohelet, however, gives us a signal that he is stating an argument that is not his own, and thus he is not contradicting himself. His unusual use of the participle of the root ydʾ, know, is out of keeping with his usual use of the word—the finite form of the verb is typical of Qohelet and is used by him when he is giving the results of his empirical investigations. Thus, the participle here, in the words of Bo Isaksson, show us that Qohelet is imparting “the kind of knowledge that represented the comme il faut teaching of the sages.” This continues into the next verse. In any case, v. 15 will once again revert to Qohelet’s typical skepticism concerning retribution.1
Ver. 12.—Though a sinner do evil a hundred times. The sentence begins again, as ver. 11, with asher, followed by a participle; and the conjunction ought to be rendered “because,” the statement made in the former verse being resumed and strengthened. The Vulgate has attamen, which our version follows. The Septuagint goes astray, translating, ὃς ἥμαρτεν, “He that has sinned has done evil from that time.” The sinner is here supposed to have transgressed continually without check or punishment. The expression, “a hundred times,” is used indefinitely, as Prov. 17:10; Isa. 65:20. And his days be prolonged; better, prolongeth his days for it; i.e. in the practice of evil, with a kind of contentment and satisfaction, the pronoun lo being the ethic dative. Contrary to the usual course of temporal retribution, the sinner often lives to old age. The Vulgate has, Et per patientiam sustentatur, which signifies that he is kept in life by God’s long-suffering. Ginsburg gives, “and is perpetuated,” i.e. in his progeny—which is a possible, but not a probable, rendering. Yet surely I know; rather, though I for my part know. He has seen sinners prosper; this experience has been forced upon him; yet he holds an inward conviction that God’s moral government will vindicate itself at some time and in some signal manner. It shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. This is not really tautological; it is compared to St. Paul’s expression (1 Tim. 5:3), “widows that are widows indeed” (ὄντως), implying that they are, in fact and life, what they profess to be. Delitzsch and Plumptre suggest that in Koheleth’s time “God-fearers” had become the name of a religious class, as the Chasidim, or “Assideans,” in 1 Macc. 2:42; 7:13, etc. Certainly a trace of this so-named party is seen in Ps. 118:4; Mal. 3:16. When this adjustment of anomalies shall take place, whether in this life or in another, the writer says not here. In spite of all contrary appearances, he holds firm to his faith that it will be well with the righteous in the long run. The comfort and peace of a conscience at rest, and the inward feeling that his life was ordered after God’s will, would compensate a good man for much outward trouble; and if to this was added the assured hope of another life, it might indeed be said that it was well with him. The Septuagint has, “that they may fear before him,” which implies that the mercy and loving-kindness of God, manifested in his care of the righteous, lead to piety and true religion. Cheyne (‘Job and Solomon’), combining this verse with the next, produces a sense which is certainly not in the present Hebrew text, “For I know that it ever happens that a sinner does evil for a long time, and yet lives long, whilst he who fears before God is short-lived as a shadow.”2
The answer of faith (8:12–13). 12. The Preacher is content to wait patiently. The sinner’s evil may be great (a hundred times, omitted by neb) and his life prolonged (lengthen his life), but he holds it as a matter of faith that the vindication of the righteous is only a question of time. The way of safety is to fear God. In the wisdom tradition the ‘fear’ of God is the awe and holy caution that arises from realization of the greatness of God: ‘Splendour … terrible majesty … power … justice … righteousness … Therefore men fear him’ (Job 37:22–24); when Job throws caution to the winds he is ‘doing away with the fear of God’ (Job 15:4). Though the Preacher is aware of its limitations, he too calls for the ‘fear of God’. It is part of his summary of the requirements of wisdom (12:13). The ‘seasons’ of life need it (3:14); worship demands it (5:1–7). It will bring deliverance (7:18) and ultimate vindication, as is promised here. The repetitive wording, … that fear God, that fear before him, emphasizes its importance. Before him points to its chief characteristic, awe in the presence of God’s greatness. It is noteworthy that, whereas the Preacher so often says ‘I have seen … I saw’ (8:9f.), here his reply is introduced by I know. The injustices of life are open for all to see; the Preacher’s reply is not an observation, but the answer of faith.3
Ver. 12. Yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God.—The Christian’s welfare certified:—
In this verse the character and condition of sinners are contrasted with those of the righteous. However long the sinner lives in sin, and however prosperous he may seem to be, yet it shall be ill with him; but however it may seem sometimes to be with the righteous man, in the long run, it shall be well with him. The text is well calculated to check the folly and presumption of the sinner, and to comfort the righteous man in the trials of life; and especially in the apparent delay of justice in permitting the triumphs of the ungodly.
I. The persons who are here described—“them that fear God.” This is in the Word of God a common designation of the people of God. The fear of the Lord is emphasized as the beginning of wisdom. What is meant by this fear? What kind of fear is it? It is not servile fear. It may have that characteristic in its beginning; but it will not long continue in that atmosphere. The man who is learning a new language, or to speak his own correctly, speaks for a time laboriously under the fear of violating some grammatical rule; but after a time the knowledge of the language becomes a part of his very nature, and he rises above the fear of violating the rules of grammar and comes into the love of correct speech. So, starting in the Christian life on the low plane of fear in its lower senses, we rise into the perfect love of God which casteth out all fear; we love truth, holiness and God for their own sake; we would serve God if there were no hell to be shunned and no heaven to be won; we think little of either; the love of Christ constraineth us. We fear simply lest we may offend God, our Father, Friend, and Redeemer. This fear is filial. It is the fear of a son, and not that of a slave.
II. The promise concerning the people of God: “It shall be well with them.” It is not said that believers shall not have their share in the ordinary trials of life. The Bible nowhere promises us exemption from these trials. It does not assure us that we shall not go into the furnace, nor into the deep waters; but it does promise that the fire shall not consume us and the waters shall not overflow us. It is not said that Christians shall not have extraordinary trials. Christianity develops manhood; vastly enlarges the sphere of life. It gives a broader surface across which the winds of adversity may sweep. It gives greater possibilities of enjoyment; and these make greater trials certain. A Christian man is higher, deeper, and broader than other men are. He has more fully developed all his capacities both for joy and sorrow. The more our natures are developed, the greater, also, will be our responsibilities. Loyalty to God put Joseph into prison; made Elijah face cruel Ahab and wicked Jezebel; drove Daniel into a den of lions; hurled the three faithful Hebrews into the seven-times heated furnace; put Peter into the common prison, and Paul and Silas into the inner prison, with their feet fast in the stocks. But it was still well with them. This fact is the glory of our faith; this is the joy of our life in God. Joseph finds his prison the vestibule to the palace of the Pharaohs; Elijah’s fiery mission is but the prelude to the chariot of fire which carried him to glory and to God.
III. The absolute certainty here expressed. “Yet surely I know.” The inspired preacher had good grounds for his knowledge. Because of God’s character men may be sure that it will be well with those who fear Him. God must be right, God must do right. (R. S. MacArthur, D.D.)
Well with those who fear God:—
I. The character here mentioned—“them that fear God.” The fear of God is that principle which reverences God and respects His authority. It is one of the great blessings of the new covenant, produced in the heart by the Holy Spirit.
1. This fear is the result of regeneration. An unrenewed man does not fear God (Rom. 3:18). But regeneration turns the heart from unlawful objects to God as the chief good.
2. This fear is the result of adoption. God is regarded as a Father, worthy of reverence and love.
3. This fear is manifested by hatred to that which is hateful to God.
4. Manifested by delighting in that which is pleasing to God. The fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23). Delight in His house, in His people, in His service, etc.
5. This fear is submission to His will. Their will is revealed in His Word; it is manifested in His appointments. As to doctrines, ordinances and precepts, I do not follow my own mind. In afflictions I do not resist or repine. “It is the Lord; let Him do as seemeth good in His sight.”
II. The happiness here referred to—“It shall be well with them.”
1. It is well with them already. Are they not saved from guilt and condemnation? Have they not hope? They “fear God,” and from that principle arises their happiness.
2. It shall be well with them hereafter. They are under the conduct of Divine providence. God appoints the bounds of their habitations. It shall be well in adversity. Well in death. The retrospect of life will give no pain. “The righteous hath hope in His death.” Well in the resurrection. The fearers of God will be raised to immortal life (Rom. 8:11; Phil. 3:20–21). Well in the judgment day. It shall be well with them then. It shall be well with them for ever—“Their sun shall no more go down.”
III. The certainty here affirmed—“Surely I know.”
1. I know from experience. I never found happiness in sin—I have found it in the fear of God.
2. I know it from observation. “Mark the perfect man.” “Let me die the death of the righteous.” (Homilist.)
Five fears:—
Now, you will notice that fear may be yoked into the service of God. True fear, not fearing, but believing, saves the soul; not doubt, but confidence, is the strength and the deliverance of the Christian. Still, fear, as being one of those powers which God hath given us, is not in itself sinful. Fear may be used for the most sinful purposes; at the same time it may be so ennobled by grace, and so used for the service of God, that it may become the very grandest part of man. In fact, Scripture has honoured fear, for the whole of piety is comprehended in these words, “Fear God”; “the fear of the Lord”; “them that fear Him.” These phrases are employed to express true piety, and the men who possess it.
I. There is, first, the fear caused by an awakening conscience. This is the lowest grade of godly fear; here all true piety takes its rise. We shall never forget, to our dying day, that hour of desperate grief when first we discovered our lost estate. Sinner, it shall be well with thee if thou art now made to fear the wrath of God on account of thy sin; if God the Spirit hath poured forth the vials of Almighty wrath into thy soul, so that thou art cast down and sore vexed. Think not thou shalt be destroyed; it shall be well with thee. Your distresses are very painful, but they are not singular; others have had to endure the same. But I will tell thee something else to comfort thee; I will put this question to thee—Wouldst thou wish to go back and become what thou once wast? Sins are now so painful that thou canst scarce eat, or drink, or sleep.
II. There are many who have believed, and are truly converted, who have a fear which I may call the fear of anxiety. They are afraid that they are not converted. They are converted, there is no doubt of it. Sometimes they know they are so themselves, but, for the most part, they are afraid. First, they will tell you they are afraid they never repented enough; the work in their hearts, they say, was not deep; it was just superficial surface-ploughing, and never entered into their souls. Then they are quite sure they never came to Christ aright; they think they came the wrong way. How that can be no one knows, for they could not come at all except the Father drew them; and the Father did not draw them the wrong way. They say they can trust Christ, but they are afraid they do not trust Him aright; and they always, do what you may, come back to the old condition; they are always afraid. And now, what shall I say to these good souls? Why, I will say this, “Surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him.” Not only those who believe, but those who fear, have got a promise, I would to God that they had more faith; I would that they could lay hold on the Saviour, and had more assurance, and even attain unto a perfect confidence; but if they cannot, shall I utter a word that would hurt them? God forbid; “Surely it shall be well even with them that fear God, with them that fear before Him.”
III. And now, in the next place, there is a fear which works caution. When we get a little further advanced in the Christian life, our present state is not so much a matter of anxiety as our future state. These persons say, “I dare not join the Church, because I am afraid I shall fall.” That fear is good, in itself. But do you think that you would not bring disgrace on Christ’s cause as it is? You are always at the place of worship; you are never away. You were always looked upon as being one of the Church, though you have not made a profession. Now, if you were to sin, would it not dishonour the Church even now? And then I will ask you this question, Where do you think a man is safest—in the paths of obedience, or in the paths of disobedience? You are afraid you will fall into sin—“Surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him.” If you should tell me you were not afraid of falling, I would not have you in the Church for the world; you would be no Christian. I love your fear, and love you, too, for it; you are my brother and sister in Jesus if you can truly say that you fear lest you should sin. Seek then, my friends, to grow in this fear of caution; obtain more and more of it; and whilst thou dost not distrust the Saviour, learn to distrust thyself more and more every day.
IV. I notice, in the next place, the fear which I may call the fear of jealousy. Strong love will usually promote jealousy. The true believer, when he gets his Saviour in full possession, and in blissful communion, is so jealous lest any rival should intrude in his heart; he is afraid lest his dearest friend should get more of his heart than the Saviour has. He is afraid of his wealth; he trembles at his health, at his fame, at everything that is dear to him, lest it should engross his heart. Oh, how often does he pray, “My Lord, let me not be of a divided spirit; cast down each idol—self-will, self-righteousness.” And I tell you the more he loves, the more he will fear lest he should provoke his Saviour by bringing a rival into his heart, and setting up Antichrist in his spirit; so that fear just goes in proportion to love; and the bright love is congenial, and must walk side by side with the deepest jealousy and the profoundest fear.
V. I will conclude by just mentioning that fear which is felt when we have had divine manifestations. Did you never, in the silence of the night, look up and view the stars, feeding, like sheep on the azure pastures of the sky? Have you never thought of those great worlds, far, far away, divided from us by almost illimitable leagues of space? Did you never, whilst musing on the starry heavens, lose yourself in thoughts of God? and have you never felt, at such a time, that you could say with Jacob, “How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and the very gate of heaven”? Now, this kind of fear if you have ever felt it, if it has been produced in your heart by contemplation of God, is a high and hallowed thing, and to you this promise is addressed—“Surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)4
8:12 Although Solomon had seen some cases that seemed to be exceptions, he believed that those who fear God will fare best in the long run. Even if an habitual criminal lives to an old age, that exception doesn’t invalidate the fact that righteousness is rewarded eventually and that the way of the transgressor is hard.5
8:12 — Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
To really understand the promises of God, we have to take the long view. Sometimes the wicked prosper … for a while. And sometimes the righteous suffer … for a while. But all accounts get balanced in eternity.6
1 Longman, T. (1998). The Book of Ecclesiastes (pp. 219–220). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2 Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. (1909). Ecclesiastes (pp. 203–204). Funk & Wagnalls Company.
3 Eaton, M. A. (1983). Ecclesiastes: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 18, pp. 139–140). InterVarsity Press.
4 Exell, J. S. (n.d.). Ecclesiastes & The Song of Solomon (Vol. 1, pp. 209–212). Fleming H. Revell Company.
5 MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.; p. 906). Thomas Nelson.
6 Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Ec 8:12). Nelson Bibles.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Psalm 84:1-12
Proverbs 25:15
Jeremiah 23:21-22 — Now this is an odd scenario. There are prophets prophesying, but they weren’t sent nor spoken to by the LORD. An avalanche of alleged ambassadors from the Monarch of the World. Yet, with the plethora of people purporting to proclaim the King’s Word, none of them have turned from their evil way.
Jeremiah 23:34 — A promise of punishment for presumption! If you are a preacher and do not preach God’s Word but your own ideas, God will judge! Unfortunately, since Jonathan Edward’s day “eminent saints” have been misled by what they thought was God speaking to them:
I . . . know by experience that impressions being made with great power, and upon the minds of true saints, yea, eminent saints; and presently after, yea, in the midst of, extraordinary exercises of grace and sweet communion with God, and attended with texts of Scripture strongly impressed on the mind, are no sure signs of their being revelations from heaven: for I have known such impressions [to] fail, and prove vain.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-do-we-say-god-told-me
Jeremiah 24:7 — Let’s pray for a heart to know the LORD, so we can appreciate that He is our God and follow Him with our whole heart.
Jeremiah 25:12 — There is so much evil to judge! God will punish Israel for 70 years, then punish Babylon for their sins. Yes, it was made desolate and still is today!
Before Hussein’s reconstruction, there had already been destruction from the shifts in rivers and deserts, and still more from colonial powers. Germans took the Ishtar Gate, which is now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, while the French took ceramics, and the Turks used Babylonian bricks to build dams on the Euphrates.
The occupation of US forces also damaged the site. Following the 2003 invasion, the US camp Alpha was set up on the ruins. Areas were leveled to create landing pads for helicopters and parking lots for vehicles. Tanks rumbled over the ancient bricks, and Polish troops dug trenches through a temple. Soil holding artifacts and bones was scooped into sandbags. And even the military presence couldn’t keep out looters, who ransacked Iraq’s more than 10,000 historic sites after the invasion.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 — What is the falling away (apostasia)? From Jimmy DeYoung:
A close and careful word study of the Greek word apostasia will conclude that the true meaning of the word is found in the phrase, “departing from one place and going to another”, not a falling away from the doctrines of the church.
If the word “apostasia” was communicating that “apostasy” was what it was talking about then the Rapture and the coming of the Antichrist would have happened during the writing of II Thessalonians. Apostasy had infiltrated the early church by the time Paul wrote this passage.
What Paul is saying here is that the Antichrist, the “Son of Perdition”, would not come until the Church departs from one place and goes to another. That is what happens at the Rapture. The scenario for the future according to all prophetic passages is that the Rapture takes all Christians into Heaven and then the Antichrist appears on earth.
http://devotional.prophecytoday.com/search/label/II%20Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 2:4 — Image of the Beast, the 3rd in the Thief in the Night series, depicts this defiling of the Temple.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 — God sends a strong delusion so that people believe a lie. As we read in Jeremiah today, there are times when He is angry (Jeremiah 25:38) and will not have a message for the people other than forsaking them (Jeremiah 23:33).
Psalm 84:10 — I heard a great message at the Christian School conference I was at the past few days. Discouragement comes in when we start calculating our hourly wage rather than our eternal reward.
Psalm 84:11 — The verse is a setting of a song from the WILDS.
Proverbs 25:15 — Pastor Andrew Brunson was finally released after two years of negotiations. The FBI lead hostage negotiator shares that the best way to negotiate is with “the late night DJ voice,” i.e. slow, deep, and calm.
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It shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.Zechariah 14:7
It is a surprise that it should be so; for all things threaten that at evening time it shall be dark. God is wont to work in a way so much above our fears and beyond our hopes that we are greatly amazed and are led to praise His sovereign grace. No, it shall not be with us as our hearts are prophesying: the dark will not deepen into midnight, but it will on a sudden brighten into day. Never let us despair. In the worst times let us trust in the Lord who turneth the darkness of the shadow of death into the morning. When the tale of bricks is doubled Moses appears, and when tribulation abounds it is nearest its end.
This promise should assist our patience. The light may not fully come till our hopes are quite spent by waiting all day to no purpose. To the wicked the sun goes down while it is yet day: to the righteous the sun rises when it is almost night. May we not with patience wait for that heavenly light, which may be long in coming but is sure to prove itself well worth waiting for?
Come, my soul, take up thy parable and sing unto Him who will bless thee in life and in death, in a manner surpassing all that nature has ever seen when at its best.
As Christians we are called to be faithful to the Lord. But just what does being faithful look like? Well for starters it means that we use our gifts, talents, and time in ways that lift up the name of Jesus and spread the gospel. A faithful servant of the Lord is also someone who puts the glory of Jesus ahead of his own agenda and is willing to sacrifice comforts and pleasures in this life to help build up the kingdom of God. Finally, a faithful believer in Christ is more content with being persecuted for the sake of the gospel than in being popular.
Pastor John MacArthur paints a vivid picture of what being a faithful Christian looks like when he shared the following: “Almost no one tolerates the exclusivity and supremacy of Christ these days, even some who profess to be Christians. The message of the cross is not politically correct—it’s the singularity of the gospel, on top of everything else, that bothers people. Can you imagine for a moment what might happen if a celebrity or political leader just said, “I’m a Christian and if you’re not, you’re going to hell”? Yikes! And then imagine if he said, “All the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and all the people who believe they can earn salvation, whether liberal Protestants or Roman Catholics, and all the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses—you’re all going to eternal hell. But I care about you so much, I want to give you the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is far more important than wars in the Middle East, terrorism, or any domestic policy.” You can’t be faithful and popular, so take your pick.”1
While we all would like to be popular with our fellow man, it is often not possible to be popular with both God and man. The more I walk with the Lord the more I realize that the most important person I want to be popular with is Jesus Christ. However, being popular with Christ often comes with a heavy price. And what I mean by this is that a faithful Christian must, most of the time when sharing Christ, be prepared for rejection, being called intolerant, and even persecution.
Thankfully, when we are rejected and ostracized, we can take great comfort in knowing that we are not only pleasing God by sharing Christ, but accruing for ourselves great joy and amazing treasures in heaven. Scripture clearly tells us that when we are rejected by man we should rejoice for we read: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).
These two verses from Matthew need to be memorized by every Christian who desires to share the gospel. For in my book being popular with God, experiencing great joy, and realizing that we are accumulating great eternal treasures, trump popularity with man every time. Not only that but knowing that some will come to Jesus because of our faithful sharing of the gospel, will make us extremely popular with those we lead to Christ.
In the final analysis we serve and are ultimately accountable to an audience of one – Jesus Christ. And if we are faithful to our calling we will be pleasing and popular with God – and that my friends will flood your heart and soul with unspeakable joy!
1 Inspirational Quotes by John MacArthur – page 7 (bibleportal.com)
The post Faithful or Popular – Take Your Pick appeared first on Bible Apologetics – A DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
Written By Costi Hinn; FOR THE GOSPEL; October 3, 2024
As human beings, we’re really good at creating narratives that excuse us from doctrines or beliefs that make us uncomfortable. Hell definitely makes people uncomfortable. The idea that we would be eternally separated from God and receive active judgment in a place of burning and gnashing of teeth makes people want to run from that truth. But we can’t run from this truth because the Bible teaches about hell. No matter what somebody tells you or what ideas they come up with, you cannot remove the doctrine of hell from a biblical Christian worldview.
Let’s look at Revelation and then work our way backward. One of the first passages that comes to mind is toward the end of the book. Revelation 20:14-15 says, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Another passage that comes to mind in the gospel of Mark. In Mark 9:43, Jesus says, “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.”
Hell is real and it’s a final and eternal judgment.
I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on the doctrine of hell as I’ve been preaching through the gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist is preparing people for the Lamb of God to come and says that He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is referring to fire judgment. In verse 12, he says “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” This idea of burning chaff after sifting the wheat refers to eternal judgment in hell. Hell is referred to again in Matthew 7:19, which reads, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” It then goes on to say, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Depart from Me where? To the party in hell?
No.
Into a place of gnashing of teeth, fiery judgment, and burning torment.
In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says to His disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” No one can touch the soul but God. We are to fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body. He doesn’t end the sentence there, though. It ends with “in hell.” Hell is real.
God offered His Son Christ as a sacrifice for His people. There is a real heaven and there is a real hell. We don’t believe in Christ only because we’re scared of hell, but rather because He saved us from it, from our sin and from wrath. Therefore, what do we do? Respond to Him in love and affection, saying, “Thank you, my Savior, Lord, and Master. You gave me Your life and I give you mine.”
Hell is real, which is why we preach the gospel.
Reporters reveal clear bias fact-checking the extreme abortion law Walz signed
Last week’s vice-presidential debate once again elevated the very controversial abortion law that Gov. Tim Walz signed in 2023, which many pro-life advocates claim now allows a doctor to let an infant die after a failed abortion.
Finnish professor exposes the real motivation of elites promoting mass migration
A proposal at the United Nations Summit of the Future last week was reported to pave the way to “legalize mass migration.” According to Professor Mikko Paunio, a public health and policy adviser for over three decades, “a clause in the first chapter of the UN future agreement politically legitimizes illegal migration.” One explanation emerged a week later, with Elon Musk’s September 29 post on X explaining that, due to mass migration, “if Trump is NOT elected, this will be the last election.”
Yom Kippur, Israel’s annual national day of prayer and repentance, begins Friday at sunset
The nation of Israel will become remarkably quiet starting tonight at sundown, as the Jewish people observe their holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. Israel will come to a virtual stop, with public and private transportation (aircraft included) will shut down, as will restaurants, supermarkets, businesses and places of entertainment.
EXPERT: Hurricanes consequence of Biden pressure on Israel for Two-State Solution
As the southeastern United States copes with the aftermath of several deadly hurricanes, all eyes turn to the heavens to try to understand God’s message contained in these hardships. William Koenig, publisher of Koenig International News, has a unique perspective for understanding current events. He places the storms in the context of the Biden administration and its treatment of Israel,
He also cited the four costliest hurricanes in U.S. history as all corresponding to White House pressure and action regarding Israel’s covenant land.
Trump visits Chabad Rebbe’s Gravesite: “Connecting Nations to Israel”
On the first anniversary commemorating the Palestinian Hamas massacre of Israelis, President Trump paid a visit to the gravesite of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. While the visit was not a campaign stop, and the Republican candidate did not speak at the event, it helped strengthen the bond between Trump and Orthodox Jews.
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Arrives from Afar
Earth-based observers looking to the night sky may be treated to a once-in-80,000-years sight in autumn 2024. Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, made its closest transit past the Sun on September 27 and was expected to come within approximately 70 million kilometers (44 million miles) of Earth on October 12. The comet was visible primarily to those in the Southern Hemisphere and the Tropics until about October 8. Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere would get more opportunities to catch a glimpse in subsequent days.
CBS News tells reporters: “Jerusalem is not in Israel”
Mark Memmott, CBS News’s senior director of standards and practices, emailed all of its employees in August, instructing them to “be careful with some terms when we talk or write about the news” from Israel and Gaza. According to the report in The Free Press, the employees were instructed that when referring to Jerusalem, “Do not refer to it as being in Israel.”
Israel passes the prophetic population of ten million
Israel is poised to reach a demographic milestone as the new year begins. The Central Bureau of Statistics announced that Israel’s population is expected to surpass 10 million in the next few weeks
When the Aron was to set out, Moshe would say: Advance, Hashem! May Your enemies be scattered, And may Your foes flee before You! And when it halted, he would say: Return, Hashem, You who are Yisrael’s myriads of thousands! Numbers 10:35-36
US officials say they don’t believe Iran is developing a nuclear weapon
Two U.S. officials told Reuters they don’t believe that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon. (really?)
Tehran has denied ever having a nuclear program, contrary to Israeli and U.S. officials detecting suspicious activity from Iran as recently as the past few months.
‘Violence is the only path forward’: Columbia University anti-Israel group voices open support for terrorism, student who says Zionists don’t deserve to live
“Violence is the only path forward,” a joint Instagram post between Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) read. “We are proud to be a part of the fight for the liberation of all oppressed peoples.”
Two UAVs fired from Lebanon, direct hit on building in Herzliya
One of the UAVs was intercepted by the IDF, but the second one directly hit a building in Herzliya.
Gallant and Austin discussed retaliation against Iran in Thursday phone call
Pentagon says Secretary of Defense “reaffirmed ironclad support for Israel’s right to defend itself” in conversation with Defense Minister. … Gallant discussed with Austin the Israeli plans for retaliation against Iran.
Spain’s Prime Minister Calls on Other Countries to Stop Arming Israel in Latest Salvo Against Jewish State
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday urged other countries to stop supplying weapons to Israel, continuing Spain’s harsh rhetoric toward the Jewish state since the start of the Gaza war last October.
Macron: Ending arms exports to Israel is the only way to stop fighting
Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that “stopping the export of weapons” used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there. “We all know it. It’s the unique lever that would end it,” Macron said.
UNRWA has not been told its Jerusalem office is being confiscated, UN says
The global body told JNS that there has been no official notification, although the Israel Land Authority said it will turn the facility into a housing complex.
American journalist disclosed secrets during Iran attack, police says
Jeremy Loffredo faces Israeli court after reporting Iranian missiles striking several Israeli air bases; U.S. fears possible diplomatic incident following reporter’s actions. The charges against him include aiding the enemy during wartime and providing information to the enemy.
Being Heavenly Minded, Is The Only Way Christians Can Be Earthly Good
Lewis continues, “The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven.”
C-17 loaded with hurricane relief supplies just for Kamala Harris photo op
A new report claims that the North Carolina National Guard loaded a C-17 full of supplies for hurricane victims so Vice President Kamala Harris could take advantage of a photo op. The report also claims that the supplies were never sent to Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina.
EU roll-out of biometric travel checks for international passengers postponed indefinitely
Fears over long passenger delays have led to a further postponement of the EU’s new biometric entry-check system for non-EU citizens. It was due to be introduced on November 10 but Germany, France and the Netherlands – who account for 40 per cent of all inward traffic to the EU – said their border computer systems were not yet ready. The roll-out has now been delayed indefinitely.
‘I Got A Dad, And He Ain’t You’: Response To Obama’s Condescending Remarks Goes Viral
Prominent black Trump booster Rob Smith has responded to the former president’s condescending screed over ‘brothas’ who are afraid to vote for Kamala Harris. In a now-viral reply, Smith tells Obama: “There is no amount of lecturing or bullying or shaming that you can do that is going to make me change that decision [to vote for Trump].
Where Obesity Is Most Prevalent In The US
Nationally, as Statista’s Felix Richter reports, the U.S. has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with over 40 percent of adults classified as obese. This far exceeds the global average, making the U.S. a leader in obesity prevalence among developed nations.
Boeing Slashes 10% Of Workforce, CEO Warns “Hard To Overstate The Challenges We Face”
In what some have called a panic/desperation negotiating tactic, Boeing has announced (late on a Friday afternoon) that it will slash its workforce by 10% as the pummeled planemaker struggles with a cash-crunch amid a drawn-out strike and ongoing quality control (to put it nicely) issues.
Torrential rain causes massive flooding in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused severe flooding in the Mecca (Makkah) region, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Warnings were issued for 8 regions including Madinah, Makkah, and Jazan.
Helene inflicts over $6 billion in agricultural and forestry losses in Georgia, impacting key U.S. crop production
Georgia farmers have suffered over $6 billion worth of losses due to Hurricane “Helene,” according to preliminary estimates released on Thursday, October 10, 2024. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and the numbers could increase further.
Ex-Hurricane “Kirk” brings record-breaking floods in Seine-et-Marne, France
Torrential rains from Ex-Hurricane “Kirk” caused widespread flooding across Seine-et-Marne, France, on Thursday, October 10, 2024, with several rivers surpassing water levels recorded during the 2016 floods. The Grand Morin River rose to 3.66 m (12 feet), prompting evacuations and power outages in affected areas. Other regions were also severely impacted, including Paris, where the National Assembly was inundated.
Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Unveils First Transgender Clone Trooper – Adorned With Pride Flag
Disney’s Star Wars franchise has unveiled its first transgender clone trooper. The character, named Sister, features in a new book titled Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers.
Iran Issues Secret Warning To US Allies Across Middle East
After Wednesday’s phone call involving President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the US and Israel have moved closer on achieving consensus regarding Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran…. Iran is threatening in secret diplomatic backchannels to target the oil-rich Arab Gulf states and other American allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for an attack on Iran, said Arab officials.
San Francisco To Shutter 9% Of Public Schools As Budget Crisis Explodes
San Francisco is gearing up to shut down 9% of its public schools in a desperate move to fix a massive budget deficit. With student enrollment plummeting and pandemic relief funds drying up, the city is set to close or merge 11 out of its 121 schools, leaving the future of thousands of students and teachers hanging in the balance.
Anti-Semitic Incidents Up 500% On Campuses Since October 7: Report
Anti-Semitic incidents have surged by 500% since October 7, 2023, with 1,200 reported incidents, according to new data from the Anti-Defamation League.
The U.S. Government Is Dramatically Expanding The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology
Do you want to live in a society where you are required to have your face scanned wherever you go? If not, you may want to speak up now while you still can. As you will see below, the U.S. government is aggressively expanding the use of facial recognition technology for identification verification purposes.
Very Strange Things Are Happening In The Sky
Okay, this is starting to get really weird. At the same time that the Middle East is erupting in flames, the U.S. is being pummeled by major natural disasters, and we are preparing for the most pivotal election in modern history, extremely unusual things are happening in the heavens.
Harris Endorsed by Muslim Leaders: The Best Candidate to Further Islamize America
This past week, a group of U.S. imams publicly endorsed Kamala Harris, but beneath the surface, this move reveals a strategic effort to use her policies to advance Islamic influence in American politics, challenge U.S. security, and erode foundational American values.
What do The Great Reset and The Great Taking have in common? Private property, your property
According to US attorney Don Grande, “The Great Reset, The Great Taking, United Nations (“UN”) Agenda 2030 and the 30 x 30 (50 x 50) land grab are all connected. The connection is property – your property.”
Demonizing the elderly
The elderly and the poor will be demonized and made to feel guilty if they don’t submit to euthanasia. Conditioning, propaganda, and predictive programming are all being used to promote the idea that older citizens have a duty to die when they reach 70 years of age.
Cash – Struggling to Survive
The obliteration of cash continues apace. Frighteningly, the majority of people don’t seem to care. They have no idea of the problems that will ensue: less privacy, exclusion of many, security risks, and de-banking for those who do not toe the party line.
U.S. D.O.D issued contract for C-19 Research to a company in Ukraine 3 months before C-19 was known to exist
The world first started to hear about a novel coronavirus in early January 2020, with reports of an alleged new pneumonia-like illness spreading across Wuhan, China. However, the world did not actually know of Covid-19 until February 2020, because it was not until the 11th of that month that the World Health Organization officially named the novel coronavirus disease Covid-19.
Russian, Chinese ships conduct joint drills in Pacific, Russia’s agencies report
Russian and Chinese navy warships have practiced anti-submarine missions in the northwestern Pacific Ocean as part of a joint patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.
New top Sephardic rabbi backs rulings that soldiers in combat must eat on Yom Kippur
A dissident in Iran awaits Israeli reprisal: ‘There’s a very real fear of all-out war’
John Bolton: ‘This Is The Moment’ For Israel to Hit Iran’s Nukes
Gulf countries lobbying US to prevent Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities
U.S. Frustrated by Israel’s Reluctance to Share Iran Retaliation Plans
Biden administration leverages war with Hezbollah to push for election in Lebanon
US said seeking to install new Lebanese president, push aside weakened Hezbollah
Major Israeli strike in central Beirut said to target senior Hezbollah official
Iran general’s whereabouts in question after Israeli strikes on Hezbollah
Quds Commander Qaani Suspected of Espionage, Suffers Heart Attack in Interrogations
600,000 Lebanese internally displaced by Israel’s offensive, UN says
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say ‘we are staying’ despite Israeli attacks
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon say Israel has fired on their bases deliberately
International anger mounts over tank fire that injured UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Israel Strikes Damascus, Targeting Hezbollah Weapons Smuggler
Senior Hezbollah figure appears to escape as Israeli strikes rock central Beirut
IDF places hopes in new laser anti-rocket systems amid expanding war
Scholz vows Germany to soon send Israel more weapons amid deep drop in deliveries
Israeli Soldiers Threaten to Stop Fighting Unless Hostage Deal is Reached
3 reserve soldiers killed in northern Gaza as IDF presses offensive in Jabaliya
Al Jazeera says two cameramen shot in Gaza by ‘increasingly hostile’ forces
Israeli strike on Gaza school sheltering displaced kills 28, paramedics say
UN probe claims Israel seeking to ‘destroy’ Gaza healthcare system
UNRWA retains Nobel Peace Prize candidacy despite evidence proving its ties to Hamas
UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem to be seized
UN-appointed experts accuse Israel of war crimes in damning report
US envoy slams Israel over Gaza humanitarian situation, effort to ban UNRWA operations
US calls out Israel at UN for ‘catastrophic conditions’ in Gaza
US Shocks Israel At UNSC; America Now Backs Two Pro-Palestinian Resolutions It Earlier Blocked
White House pressed over Biden’s fracturing relationship with Netanyahu
IAF strikes terror cell in Tulkarm in the West Bank
5 Israelis linked to ISIS arrested for plot to bomb Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv
Man dies of injuries sustained in Hadera terror stabbing
UK reports religious hate crimes rose at record rate, with Oct. 7 kindling the flame
Israeli arms maker said to be target of shooting in Sweden’s Gothenburg
‘Serve the nation, kill a Jew’ graffitied on prominent Buenos Aires monument
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted two vessels in Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Iran-backed Houthis attack chemical tanker in Red Sea; no injuries or fire reported
Russia Announces They Have Evidence US and UK Were Behind Nord Stream Pipeline Bombings
Russia Ambassador Exits US With Warning of ‘Nuclear Catastrophe’
World Bank board approves new Ukraine fund, with money from US, Japan, Canada, sources say
Rahm Emanuel pitches an economic coalition against ‘isolator’ China
Obama Judge Chutkan Agrees to Unseal Jack Smith’s ‘Evidence’ Against Trump in Dirty October Surprise
DOJ Blames FBI Informant for Deleting Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Footage
Kremlin Regrets Russia Being Dragged Into US Election Muck
Afghan Man Charged with Plotting Election Day Terror Attack Worked for the CIA: Report
Walz silent on support for eliminating Electoral College after Harris camp says it doesn’t back ban
Senator fears some ‘insane enough’ to follow professor’s call to shoot men who don’t vote Harris
WSJ: The Evangelicals Calling for ‘Spiritual Warfare’ to Elect Trump
Far-right site Gateway Pundit settles defamation suit with election workers
Nolte: Disgraced CBS Aired Kamala Giving Two Separate Answers to Same Question
Trump: Harris ’60 Minutes’ Cover Up ‘Fake News Scam’
Trump Calls On CBS to Lose its Broadcasting License: ‘They Are A Threat To Democracy!’
‘Sleeper Agent’ Bots on X Fuel US Election Misinformation, Study Says
Verizon hit with nationwide outage
Spectrum internet outage reported across the country
Hackers Claim ‘Catastrophic’ Internet Archive Attack
DOJ may force Google to sell Chrome, Android to break up online search monopoly
L.A.’s quake mystery: 2024 brings the most seismic activity in decades. Why now?
5.4 magnitude earthquake hits the southeast Indian Ridge
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Southwest Indian Ridge
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 22,000ft
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts 20,000ft
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft
Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 19,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft
Lewotobi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 10,000ft
Nagar Gri mud volcano erupts in Myanmar’s Ramree Island
Over 200 feared burried in large landslide in Manacapuru, Brazil
Chad’s Logone River Surge Ignites Decades-High Flood Chaos
Category 3 Hurricane “Milton” makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida
Death toll rises after Milton strikes Florida with powerful 100-mph winds, destructive tornadoes
Hurricane Milton leaves at least 10 dead, millions without power in Florida
Hurricane Milton spawned high number of destructive, deadly tornadoes
7th confirmed tornado of the day hits Florida as Milton’s storm surge begins
Hurricane Milton Map: Florida Rivers Forecast to Break Water Level Records
Tampa Bay survived Hurricane Milton after reverse storm surge
Why Milton’s ‘reverse surge’ sucked water away from flood-fearing Tampa
Trump Again Slams Federal Hurricane Response; Biden Says Rival Should ‘Get a Life’
Biden tells Trump to ‘get a life, man’ and stop storm misinformation
DHS Sec. Mayorkas says FEMA ‘will need additional funds’ after Hurricanes Helene, Milton
FEMA needs more funds after spending nearly half of 2025 ‘disaster budget’ in 8 days
FEMA Does Damage Control After Mayorkas Says Agency ‘Does Not Have the Funds’ for Hurricane Season
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis: WH ‘Misspending FEMA Funds’
Rep. Carlos Gimenez: FEMA Funds There If Not Spent on Illegals
Rep. Greg Steube: WH Claims on FEMA ‘Outright Lie’
Grandmother’s Bible survives Hurricane Helene after storm destroys her home: ‘It was the Lord’
Hurricane Milton disrupts Yom Kippur plans for Florida Jews
After Hurricane Milton, a growing risk: Flooded electric cars going up in flames
Russia shares AI images of Hurricane Milton as disinformation abounds in US
Commentary: Is Hurricane Milton the storm that finally breaks climate-change deniers in Florida?
Climate Alarmists: ‘Wild Weather’ Is Now the ‘Global Norm’
Bill Nye Calls for Voters to Back Dems – Right ‘Has No Plans’ for Climate Change
Vance Vindicated: Egg Prices Are Up Nearly 40% as Food Inflation Surges Again
Major Bank Hit with Record Fine Over Drug Cartel Money Laundering Scandal
Prosecutors reviewing ‘new evidence’ in Marilyn Manson sexual abuse probe
NYC Mayor Eric Adams to Spend $2.3 Billion on Hotel Rooms for Migrants Through 2025
Leftists Freak Out in EU Parliament as Orban Calls for Trump-Style Response to Migrant Crisis
Gangs Massacre Haitians as Mayorkas Extracts Cops, Doctors, Teachers for Bidenomics Jobs
ICE arrests illegal immigrant accused of child rape after release from Massachusetts court
Georgia university leaders request NCAA ban transgender women from women’s sports
About 6% of U.S. adults have ADHD, drug shortages are affecting treatment
Cluster of drug-resistant mpox identified in five states, US officials report
Third Human Bird Flu Case in Calif., Possibly More
Oxford scientists develop first vaccine aiming to prevent ovarian cancer
“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
| ANALYSIS Biden Does Violence to the Harris Campaign Nate Jackson He hangs a lead weight around her neck and warns of violence if she wins. |
| The Presidential Politics of Hurricanes Douglas Andrews The Democrats savaged a Republican administration for its hurricane response 19 years ago, but now such criticism is deemed “disinformation.” |
| Is FEMA FUBAR? Mark Alexander Despite the FEMA fails, the citizen response reflects the best in us, what is good and right about America! |
| You Go, Girls! Emmy Griffin Women’s college volleyball is beginning to take a stand for fairness and safety in female sports. |
| The CBP One App: A Migrant’s Ticket In Thomas Gallatin The Biden-Harris administration has twisted and exploited a rule that was designed to limit illegal immigration. |
| CBS News Shows Why Harris Has Been Hidden Away Douglas Andrews In an act of straight-up journalism, CBS’s Bill Whitaker asked Kamala Harris a couple of tough questions. |
| Controlling the Narrative Jack DeVine Last week’s VP debate is one more example of the media’s insistence on telling us how to think. |
| Hillary Makes Her Case for Controlling Speech Michael Swartz If free speech is the defining issue of our time, then she’s on the wrong side of it. |
| About Those Trump and Harris National Security Endorsements Mark Alexander Military and national security endorsements speak volumes about the competence of the Trump/Vance ticket versus the ineptitude of the Harris/Walz ticket. |
| Kamala Harris, Glock Owner Nate Jackson The veep seems to think that her claims to owning a handgun disprove her goal of gun control and confiscation. |
| The Shame of Chicago’s Schools Brian Mark Weber The city elected a union-beholden leftist, and now its children are paying the price. |
| The Plight of Migrant Children Emmy Griffin The Biden-Harris administration has facilitated a humanitarian crisis that particularly exploits vulnerable children. |
| Tim Walz Loses CNN Douglas Andrews When your governorship is replete with fraud, waste, and abuse, even the Leftmedia will occasionally notice. |
| The Harris-NBC ‘Wrap-Up Smear’ Against DeSantis Nate Jackson Harris’s campaign seeded a story about a rejected phone call and got several days of misleading news out of it. |
| Diddy Do It? Samantha Koch The evidence seems overwhelming, and it may soon lay bare the immorality of the elite. |
| Profiles of Valor: He Saved Our Lives Mark Alexander “Leave no man behind.” |
| Visit our archive for more analysis commentary. |
| Catch up on the latest news headlines with our executive summary. |
| VIDEOS Tim Walz Struggles in Fox News Interview The Awkward Teleprompterless Harris ‘Here’s the Evidence…’ Satire: Getting an ID While Black (According to Dems) See our extensive curated video library for more! |
| QUOTES FUBAR FEMA “FEMA is tremendously prepared. This is what we do.” —Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in July “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” —Mayorkas last week World’s Smallest Violin “I need to make sure I can get the resources to where they are needed, and when you have this dangerous rhetoric like you’re hearing, it creates fear in our own employees.” —FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell The BIG Lie “They’re getting everything they need. And they’re very happy across the board.” —Joe Biden upon being asked about the needs of the states battered by Hurricane Helene Baghdad Bob “I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre regarding FEMA funding for migrants Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud “If [social media platforms] don’t moderate and monitor the content, we lose total control.” —Hillary Clinton Birds of a Feather “There is not a thing that comes to mind.” —Kamala “New Way Forward” Harris when asked, “Would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?” “We’re singing from the same song sheet. [Harris] helped pass all the laws that are being employed now. She was a major player in everything we’ve done.” —Joe Biden Projection “I’m confident [the election will] be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful. The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election were very dangerous. … I’m concerned about what … they’re going to do.” —Joe Biden “Tone Down the Rhetoric” “I think he’s un-American.” —Joe Biden regarding Donald Trump “We have long known that Donald Trump has revered the Nazis. … I think that the danger of a Donald Trump is that he would absolutely try to exterminate an entire group of people because he thinks that their genes are somehow different.” —Democrat strategist Aisha Mills “As a black lesbian, who Donald Trump doesn’t believe has genes as good as his, is he going to attempt to exterminate me when he gets elected?” —Aisha Mills More BIG Lies “Donald Trump in the White House results in Americans being less safe.” —Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) “Donald Trump, if he were president, Putin would be sittin’ in Kyiv right now.” —Kamala Harris “Because of what we have done, we have cut the flow of illegal immigration by half.” —Kamala Harris “The vice president has made it clear that she has policies that make a difference. Her border policies are the most strongest, the fairest we’ve seen.” —Tim Walz “We’re leaning into it. … Donald Trump wasn’t doing anything about [illegal immigration].” —Tim Walz “Now you see them spinning some of these conspiracy theories because the momentum is with us.” —Tim Walz “I was in Hong Kong on June 4, 1989, when, of course, Tiananmen Square happened.” —Tim Walz, 2019 “The job numbers are what the job numbers are. They’re real. They’re sincere.” —Joe Biden “We now have historic low unemployment in America among all groups of people. We now have an economy that is thriving by all macroeconomic measures.” —Kamala Harris “I’m going to make sure that the richest among us who can afford it pay their fair share in taxes. It is not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations.” —Kamala Harris “Over the last three and a half years, we have brought manufacturing back to America, creating 730,000 American manufacturing jobs.” —Kamala Harris “I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive.” —Kamala Harris Lack of Self-Awareness Awards “I think there’s an obvious one in mind, which is Iran. Iran has American blood on their hands.” —Kamala Harris when asked, “Which foreign country do you consider to be our greatest adversary?” (“Correct answer: China. But to call out Iran, and mention ‘blood on their hands,’ is astounding given this administration’s record with Iran and the blood on its hands in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Israel.” —Mark Alexander) “No one should be able to take for granted that they can just declare themselves a candidate and automatically receive support. You have to earn it.” —Kamala Harris “[The Trump administration] will use the mechanisms of the Department of Justice to go after people who are their political foes. This is something that has never really happened in the history of this republic.” — former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder Delusions of Grandeur “President Biden made a decision that I think history is going to show is rare among leaders, which was to put country before self.” —Kamala Harris Non Compos Mentis “Mr. President Trump, former President Trump: Get a life, man. Help these [hurricane victims].” —Joe Biden “He’s coming over to help with this storm.” —Joe Biden when asked, “What did Prime Minister Netanyahu tell you about his plans related to retaliation?” Useful Idiots “Prime Minister Netanyahu has unleashed unthinkable violence on innocent civilians in Gaza.” —Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “I think … the better question is, ‘Do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people?’ And the answer to that question is ‘Yes.'” —Kamala Harris when asked, “Do we have a real close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu?” Moral Equivalency “We mourn the loss of all innocent lives from this ongoing conflict. We stand against the rising antisemitism and Islamophobia.” —NFL’s Minnesota Vikings Tone-Deaf “The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there.” —Kamala Harris Belly Laugh of the Week “No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that.” —Joe Biden Braying Jenny “I’d like to remind all those Christians and Catholics out there that it is a much bigger conversation than just abortion. And if you are concerned about what this does to a human being in their life, is this the way Jesus wants you to be? Is this the way Jesus wants you to act? Doesn’t Jesus want you to be able to say to somebody, ‘Come over here, I know you must be going through something tough,’ as opposed to what we’re seeing? This is insane.” —”The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg Dumb & Dumber “I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go. We need national popular vote.” —Tim Walz “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech.” —Tim Walz, 2022 For more insightful quotes, see our Short Cuts. |
MEME Don’t miss the latest memes. |
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“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie reports the latest on Trump’s rally in Aurora, Colorado. The ‘Outnumbered’ panel discusses the state of the 2024 race and why Democrats are growing increasingly concerned about Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. #FoxNews
Source: ‘SCARED TO DEATH’: Democrats in panic mode over Kamala Harris
As evangelical Christians, we all assign various weights and measures to come to a decision on whether or not we can vote for Trump. What makes up those weights and measures for you? Why do you ascribe more weight to some topics and less to others?
Join Fortis Institute Fellows Todd Friel and Dr. Andrew Walker along with Dr. Tom Buck as they break down key issues surrounding the upcoming election and guide you toward making the most biblically informed choice when you head to the polls.
Source: Should Christians Vote for Trump? | Detailed Breakdown
Source: Adolf Hitler had ‘some good ideas’, a fifth of Gen Z Americans believe according to Daily Mail poll
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time for everyone to settle in to watch their favorite scary movies. Still, depending on your political stance, you may have a completely different view on what makes a scary movie.
To help everyone’s liberal friends, The Babylon Bee has compiled the following list of the scariest movies for Democrats:
Feel free to share the list above with your liberal friends, but it’s a safe bet that no Democrat can even make it through reading it without running out of the room screaming.
NOT SATIRE: We finally did it. We made a movie. And it’s glorious.
We’ve been your trusted source of fake news for years. You’ve laughed at our headlines. You’ve shared our viral videos. A handful of you have listened to our podcast. But now, for the first time ever, we’ve written and produced a full-length mockumentary.
January 6: The Most Deadliest Day is a groundbreaking, soon-to-be Academy Award-winning film that exposes what really happened on that fateful day.
Available now to Babylon Bee subscribers.
BIG NEWS: We made a movie, and you can watch the trailer NOW:
Click here to find out how you can watch the movie when it releases on October 11
https://babylonbee.com/news/top-10-scariest-horror-movies-for-democrats/
Date: October 11, 2024
Host: Jim Schneider
MP3 | Order
https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/1011242112544416/
Crosstalk looks back each Friday at news stories that are of interest to you. Here’s a sample of what Jim presented from the first half hour:
–Hurricane Milton is suspected to have killed at least 16 people with St. Petersburg receiving approximately 18 inches of rain.
–House speaker Mike Johnson slammed the Biden/Harris administration’s response to Hurricane Helene during an interview with the Morning Wire News Podcast from the Daily Wire.
–Jim presented audio clips featuring Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Senator Tom Cotton over the possible diversion of hurricane aid. Were adequate FEMA funds available or not? Did some go or not go to illegal aliens?
–The number of Americans filing for unemployment rose much more than expected last week to the highest in 14 months driven up in part by the impact of Hurricane Helene.
–An audio clip of VP Kamala Harris from The View on Monday saying nothing comes to mind that she would have done differently regarding, “…most of the decisions that have had impact.”
–Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during an interview that there needed to be more regulation and censorship on the internet or else the government will lose control.
–60 Minutes interview featured VP Kamala Harris where she had her feet held to the fire on the issue of immigration.
–Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reiterated his support for abolishing the electoral college and switching to a national popular vote as the sole means of electing presidents and their running mates. The Harris campaign walked back this claim and stated that this isn’t an official campaign position.
–On Thursday, during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Donald Trump announced his intention to make interest on car loans fully tax deductible if elected.
–With just a month to go until the election, a new survey projects that a decisive share of religious Americans will not turn out to vote.
–On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was given a promotion to senior adviser to the president.
–An Afghan citizen living in Oklahoma has been charged with plotting a terror attack on election day on behalf of the Islamic State in which he and an underage co-conspirator expected to die as martyrs.
Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson warned Friday on his podcast that the Democratic Party might seek to jail former President Donald Trump in his case against special prosecutor Jack Smith.
In 2023, four criminal indictments were filed against Trump, alleging election interference and mishandling of classified documents. On “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” Hanson described Smith, who recently succeeded in having Judge Tanya Chutkan unseal his latest court filing against Trump, as “out of control.”
“Well, Jack Smith is crazy, he’s out of control. He’s violated the DOJ zone handbook of ethical behavior, that you don’t indict a major political figure or you don’t further a prosecution 90 to 60 days out,” Hanson said.
“He’s been disgraced when he went after the Virginia Governor Bob McConnell, and he was reversed 9-0 by the Supreme Court for trying to demonize him,” Hanson added. “So he has a reputation that if you want to destroy a political candidate on the right, you take this Jack Smith and he’ll do anything, anytime, anywhere and he has no ethics.”
Hanson continued, stating that if Trump wins the 2024 presidential election, he believes Smith will persuade a “biased jury” to convict Trump. He also claimed that if Trump were jailed, Vice President Kamala Harris would invoke the 25th Amendment against President Joe Biden, allowing her to assume the presidency.
WATCH:
“So, yeah, I think, as I said, I’m really worried about a scenario in which Donald Trump wins the Electoral College. Kamala Harris wins the popular vote but loses the presidency. Jack Smith then indicts and convicts, I should say, with a biased jury, Donald Trump, and tries to put him in jail. Joe Biden is now a doddering old fool, and she sometime in late November, December [calls for] the 25th amendment, and she’s president,” Hanson said.
“She says, “I won the popular vote, he’s in jail,” and the Constitution would say, then, J.D. Vance — [it] wouldn’t even say it. There’s nothing in the Constitution says he can’t be in jail and be president,” Hanson continued. “But if there were some kind of weird court willing, there’s still J.D. Vance was elected vice president, and he could serve for a month or two until Trump got out. But I don’t think they would do that.”
Judge Tanya Chutkan unveiled a redacted version of Smith’s 165-page legal brief on Oct. 2, addressing the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity in the election interference case against Trump. While Trump’s attorneys requested that the judge withhold Smith’s court filing, Chutkan stated there was “no support” for their claim that the release would constitute an “improper motion for summary judgment in the court of public opinion.”
“What have they not done? They’ll do anything, and they don’t understand that the more desperate and the more shrill they are, the more people get sick of them,” Hanson added.
Trump’s attorneys now have until Nov. 7 to file a reply to Smith’s filing, giving Smith until Nov. 21 to respond to their objections, according to ABC News.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Source: Victor Davis Hanson issues dark warning on what Dems might do if Trump wins in 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris embarked on an ill-advised media blitz this week, struggling to answer softballs questions from supportive journalists and a podcaster who specializes in sex tips. She failed three times to give a coherent answer when asked what she would do differently as president compared to Joe Biden.
Harris pretended to drink a beer with Stephen Colbert, the former comedian, and bragged about owning a Glock “for quite some time” during a heavily edited interview on 60 Minutes. She cited the regional and geographic diversity of the United States during an answer about why she keeps changing her position on key issues.
Tim Walz, the self-described “knucklehead” Harris chose as a running mate, offered some “veep thoughts” of his own during the blitz. “I wear my emotions on my sleeve,” he said when asked why he keeps lying about his life experiences.
Have a great weekend!
VEEP THOUGHTS ARCHIVE:
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 25)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 24)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 23)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 22)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 21)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 20)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 19)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 18)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 17)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 16)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 15)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Greatest Hits)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 14)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 13)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 12)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 11)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 10)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 9)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Africa Edition)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 8)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 7)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 6)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 5)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 4)
WATCH: Veep Thoughts with Kamala Harris (Vol. 3)
Fox News host Jesse Watters highlights how President Biden has been trying to ‘play politics’ with Hurricane Milton on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’
Source: Jesse Watters: Biden is using Hurricane Milton to play politics
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