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
A healthy fear of the Lord is something that all of us need to have but just what does a healthy fear of the Lord mean? Certainly, God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him in the sense that we are scared that if we sin He will disown us. No, the Bible says that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives and that He will never leave us or forsake us. I believe that a healthy fear of God means that we have a reverential awe of just who He is. This type of fear can be seen in several verses of Scripture.
Job 28:28
“And he said to the human race, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”
In this verse we see that the fear of the Lord is equated with true wisdom. When you have a reverential fear of God you treat Him with the highest respect for who He is – the Creator of the universe! When you fear God in this way He will bless you with wisdom to follow in His ways. This will automatically help us to shun evil and live a godly life.
Exodus 20:20
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.’”
When the Bible says that we are to have the “fear of the Lord,” always before us, it means that we should have a deep respect, reverence, and holy awe for our heavenly Father at all times. A proper “fear of the Lord” should cause us to love God more and be afraid of Him less. Notice in this fascinating verse from Exodus in the first use of the word fear Moses is telling God’s people not to be afraid of God. But in the second use of the word fear, Moses tells the Israelites to fear God. God loves us and wants to build an intimate relationship with us. And just as He showers His love on us He wants us to show our love for Him – and the way we do this is to respect, reverence, and hold Him in awe; or to fear Him.
Proverbs 16:6
“In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord, one departs from evil.”
You see Jesus wants us to always do the right thing and not sin. And the best way not to sin is to have so much respect, awe, and love for Him that we would never want to displease Him or bring reproach to His name. I have found in my own life that the more I reflect on just how wonderful Jesus is, that I desire to want to please Him in everything I do. This positive way of viewing the fear of the Lord is so healthy and is the best way to live our lives – always striving to please Jesus and bring Him glory.
God is looking for the attitude of our hearts and the best way I can phrase reverential fear is for us to have a wholesome dread of displeasing Him. We should always have an attitude of respect and a response of reverence toward God in everything we do. This constant state of being in fear of God is the key to enjoying a blessed life here on earth. And the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more reverence you will have for Him, and the less you will want to do anything that displeases Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
You mean to say we are commanded to fear God? Yes, we are, and since God is a loving God this type of fear must be a good thing since God always desires to bless His children.
And while our motivation shouldn’t be to get a blessing by living a life of reverence to God, the reality is when we do properly fear the Lord, God promises to rain down His blessings on us. God wants us to obey Him not because He is on an ego trip, but when we do, we unlock a myriad of blessings in our lives. Some of the blessings include: gaining wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. In addition, we can prolong our lives and live with confidence. And we can obtain peace and joy as we journey through life.
The more you reverence Jesus and fall in love with Him, the less you will want to sin and displease Him. Holy awe has a wonderful way of stopping sin in its tracks. And this type of healthy reverential fear is also the key to living a life that brings glory to God. I can think of no higher privilege than to bring Him glory – and reverential fear and awe will motivate us to do just that!
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another?…
JOHN 5:44
The whole course of our lives will be upset by failure to put God where He belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God and the curse follows!
Consider the very disturbing question that Jesus asked of men when He was on earth: “How can ye believe, which receive honour of one another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God alone?”
If I understand this correctly, Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible!
Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief?
Could it be that those “intellectual difficulties” which men blame for their inability to believe are but smoke screens to conceal the real cause that lies behind them? Was it this greedy desire for honor from man that made men into Pharisees and Pharisees into Deicides?
Is this the secret back of religious self-righteousness and empty worship? I believe it may be.
Men and women who will make the honest once-for-all decision to exalt and honor God and His Christ over all are precious to God above all treasures of earth or sea, for He knows that His honor is safe in such consecrated hands!1
My soul! a very blessed instruction is held forth to thee, in these words. Nehemiah met with sad interruptions in his service, while building the Lord’s house. Various were the attempts made by the enemies of God and his cause, to call him off from his labours. But this was his answer to all. Now, my soul, thou hast many enemies also, both from within and without; the world, and the powers of darkness, and thine own corruptions, are all in league to interrupt thy pursuit of divine things. When, therefore, the Sanballats and the Geshems of the day invite thee to the villages, in the plain of Ono, here is thine answer: “Why should the work of the Lord cease, when the King’s business requires despatch?” Wherefore should the body, with all its corrupt affections, drag down the soul? Is it reasonable, is it proper to be concerned for the things of a day, while regardless of eternity? Wilt thou for ever be as little children amused with toys, and taken up with playthings, when Jesus is calling thee, and proposing himself to thee, for thy constant, unceasing, present, and everlasting delight? Oh! for grace and strength from the Lord, to be able, like Abraham, to fray away those fowls which come down upon the sacrifice! O do thou, Lord, drive both the buyers and the sellers from thy temple! Take my whole heart and soul, and all my affections, and fix and centre them all on thyself! Every vanity, every robber, like Barabbas of old, will be preferred to thee, thou dear Emmanuel, unless thy grace restrain and keep under what thy grace hath taught me to know and feel, that I carry about with me a body of sin and death, which is for ever calling me aside from thee. Oh! let thy grace make its way through all the swarms of vain thoughts and interruptions which surround me, and make my soul “as the chariots of Amminadib!” Let no longer these “dead flies spoil the excellent ointment,” made fragrant by the rich spices of thy blessed Spirit: but when even by the most innocent calls, like that made to Jesus himself, of his mother and his brethren being without, desiring to speak to him, oh! for grace, that, like my Lord, even then, I may not suffer the higher claims of my God and Saviour to pass by, nor the work of the Lord and the concern of my soul to cease, to come down to them.1
Whose love can this be which is as mighty as the conqueror of monarchs, the destroyer of the human race? Would it not sound like satire if it were applied to my poor, weak, and scarcely living love to Jesus my Lord? I do love him, and perhaps by his grace, I could even die for him, but as for my love in itself, it can scarcely endure a scoffing jest, much less a cruel death. Surely it is my Beloved’s love which is here spoken of—the love of Jesus, the matchless lover of souls. His love was indeed stronger than the most terrible death, for it endured the trial of the cross triumphantly. It was a lingering death, but love survived the torment; a shameful death, but love despised the shame; a penal death, but love bore our iniquities; a forsaken, lonely death, from which the eternal Father hid his face, but love endured the curse, and gloried over all. Never such love, never such death. It was a desperate duel, but love bore the palm. What then, my heart? Hast thou no emotions excited within thee at the contemplation of such heavenly affection? Yes, my Lord, I long, I pant to feel thy love flaming like a furnace within me. Come thou thyself and excite the ardour of my spirit.
“For every drop of crimson blood
Thus shed to make me live,
O wherefore, wherefore have not I
A thousand lives to give?”
Why should I despair of loving Jesus with a love as strong as death? He deserves it: I desire it. The martyrs felt such love, and they were but flesh and blood, then why not I? They mourned their weakness, and yet out of weakness were made strong. Grace gave them all their unflinching constancy—there is the same grace for me. Jesus, lover of my soul, shed abroad such love, even thy love in my heart, this evening.1
IT was vain for Pilate to attempt to appease the Jews; they were bent on the death of Jesus, and nothing else would satisfy them.
Luke 23:5–16
5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilæan.
7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. (He hoped by this means to rid himself of this troublesome affair. He knew the Lord to be innocent, and he ought to have set him free, but had not the moral courage to do so; he, therefore, welcomed the chance of transferring the case to other hands. How wretched is that man who is afraid to do right.)
8 ¶ And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
It was no part of our Lord’s business to gratify idle curiosity, neither could it be of any avail to explain his doctrine to a man of Herod’s character, and, therefore, his wisdom was seen in his silence.
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. (As they saw that Herod was not bitter against him, they grew more violent in their charges, hoping that our Lord’s silence would enrage him, and so they might procure his death.)
11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
Herod saw that Jesus could not be guilty in the manner laid to his charge, but the silence of the Lord excited his angry contempt, and he therefore ridiculed his claims to be the Messiah.
12 ¶ And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.
13, 14 ¶ And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (A compromise, but a very wicked one. If guilty the prisoner ought not to be released, if innocent he ought not to be chastised. Attempts to compromise between right and wrong are always failures and should be shunned by all honest men.)
Matthew 27:19, 20, 24, 25
WHEN he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. (This was a warning to him. Heathens paid much respect to dreams, and, therefore, this must have greatly moved him, yet he dared not oppose the priests.)
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
24 ¶ When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. (The washing availed him nothing, the blood of Jesus lay at his door, for had he been just he would have released the innocent.)
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
A terrible imprecation, which has doomed Israel to her long sorrows. The blood of Jesus will either be upon us to cleanse, or on us to condemn. Which will it be?
2 This verse is closely associated with the previous verse and carries forward its thought. It repeats the point that Qohelet has already made (2:14) that everyone, no matter what their character or lifestyle, will meet the same end: death.
Qohelet makes his point here by citing five pairs of opposites. While some of the pairs may have general application (the righteous and the wicked; the good person … the sinner), others are clearly from a cultic setting (the clean … the unclean; the one who swears … the one who is afraid to swear). The latter probably has to do with the taking of religious oaths. It is difficult, though, to tell which is the negative and which the positive. In other words, is it good or bad to be afraid to swear an oath? In the previous pairs, the first unit was good, the second, bad. Following this pattern, those who are afraid to take an oath would be those who were hesitant to accomplish things for God. However, Qohelet had earlier (though using a different vocabulary) warned against taking a vow too hastily (5:3–4 [English 5:4–5]). In addition, we might have a climactic reversal to the good-bad pattern, supporting the variance in the line in terms of syntax.1
9:2All share a common destiny. The “common destiny” is death, and the lack of any observable distinction in death between those who are righteous and those who are not creates a theological tension. Kidner says, “The things that are supposed to matter most to [God] turn out to make no difference—or none that anyone can see—to the way we are disposed of in the end.”2
Ver. 2.—All things come alike to all; literally, all things [are] like that which [happens] to all persons. There is no difference in the treatment of persons; all people of every kind meet with circumstances of every kind. Speaking generally, there is no discrimination, apparently, in the distribution of good and evil. Sun and shade, calm and storm, fruitful and unfruitful seasons, joy and sorrow, are dispensed by inscrutable laws. The Septuagint, reading differently, has, “Vanity is in all;” the Syriac unites two readings, “All before him is vanity, all as to all” (Ginsburg). There is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked. All men have the same lot, whether it be death or any other contingency, without regard to their moral condition. The classes into which men are divided must be noted. “Righteous” and “wicked” refer to men in their conduct to others. The good. The Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac add, “to the evil,” which is said again almost immediately. To the clean, and to the unclean. “The good” and “clean” are those who are not only ceremonially pure, but, as the epithet “good” shows, are morally undefiled. To him that sacrificeth; i.e. the man who attends to the externals of religion, offers the obligatory sacrifices, and brings his free-will offerings. The good … the sinner; in the widest senses. He that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. He who takes an oath lightly, carelessly, or falsely (comp. Zech. 5:3), is contrasted with him who regards it as a holy thing, or shrinks in awe from invoking God’s Name in such a case This last idea is regarded as a late Essenic development (see Josephus, ‘Bell. Jud.,’ ii. 8. 6); though something like it is found in the sermon on the mount, “I say unto you, Swear not at all,” etc. (Matt. 5:34–37). Dean Plumptre, however, throws doubt on the above interpretation, owing to the fact that in all the other groups the good side is placed first; and he suggests that “he who sweareth” may be one who does his duty in this particular religiously and well (comp. Deut. 6:13; Isa. 65:16), and “he who fears the oath” is a man whose conscience makes him shrink from the oath of compurgation (Exod. 22:10, 11; Numb. 5:19–22), or who is too cowardly to give his testimony in due form. The Vulgate has, Ut perjurus, ita et ille qui verum dejerat; and it seems unnecessary to present an entirely new view of the passage in slavish expectation of a concinnity which the author cannot be proved to have ever aimed at. The five contrasted pairs are the righteous and the wicked, the clean and the unclean, the sacrificer and the non-sacrificer, the good and the sinner, the profane swearer and the man who reverences an oath. The last clause is rendered by the Septuagint, “So is he who sweareth (ὁ ὀμνύων) even as he who fears the oath,” which is as ambiguous as the original. A cautious Greek gnome says—
Ver. 2. All things come alike to all.—The impartiality of Providence:—
Of what service is a religious life to man since Providence treats all alike? This statement is—
I. Phenomenally true. To all outward appearance the good and the bad are treated alike. All are subject to the same diseases, bereavements, disappointments, all go down to the grave alike.
1. This a perplexing fact. Antecedently one might have supposed that the God of holiness and rectitude would, in His providence, have treated men according to their moral character, that happiness and misery would be measured out according to the merits and demerits of mankind.
2. This fact is significant. It shows—
(1) The unalterableness of God’s laws. They pay no deference to moral character.
(2) The high probability of a future state.
II. Spiritually false. “All things” do not “come alike to all.”
1. They do not come in the same character.
(1) To the wicked the trials of earth are either blind casualties or penal inflictions. But to the godly they are chastisements of fatherly love.
(2) To the wicked the prosperity and enjoyment appear as the results of their own skill, industry, and merit. To the godly they appear as the unmerited favours of a merciful God.
2. They do not come with the same influence. Trials irritate the spirit of the wicked; they purify the godly. Prosperity feeds the vanity and ambition of the wicked; but inspires the godly with devout humility and holy gratitude. The same soils, dews, and sunbeams that fill the hemlock with poison, fill the wheat with food for nations. And the same events which transform some men into devils, transform others into seraphs. (Homilist.)
Providence:—
I. For the same things uncertainly and indifferently to befall the righteous and the wicked in this life is unavoidably necessary.
1. Because men have the dominion over their own actions, and do that which themselves choose to do.
2. Because a great deal of prosperity and affliction befalls men, not as the reward or the effect of anything done by themselves, but by descent from their parents, whose virtues and vices have great influence upon the persons and fortunes of their children by the providence of God, and by the laws of men, and by the course of nature.
3. Because they are so mixed together in their persons, interests, employments, and places of abode, that they cannot be distinguished in the events that befall them.
4. For the more evident and certain distinguishing of them one from another.
II. They who make this objection against providence are no competent judges in the case, and suppose in their objection that which is false. It is supposed in this objection that the righteous endure so much grief, and the wicked enjoy so much pleasure, as cannot consist with God’s love to the righteous and anger at the wicked, if He take notice and be concerned in that which happens. The better to judge of this supposition, let two things be considered.
1. That by the outward estate of men we know very little of their present grief or pleasure.
2. If we did know their present grief or pleasure, we cannot infer from thence which is the good, and which is the bad condition.
III. However, the Day of Judgment is a sufficient answer to the objection. St. Paul, when he felt the smart of his present afflictions, called them light afflictions, for a moment, not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed. (Z. Cradock, D.D.)
The sufferings of good men:—
1. God permits the sufferings of good men for the advancement of the honour and interest of religion. A passive state is the proper sphere of action for the noblest virtues of Christianity; and for this reason the Son of God, when He took our nature upon Him, chose to appear in such a state that His example might be of more powerful and general influence to mankind. And indeed, next to the miracles, whereby the truth of the Christian religion was established, nothing contributed more to the propagation of it than the invincible patience and constancy of its possessors.
2. God has this further wise and religious end in the sufferings of good men: that we may learn by them to moderate our affections to this deceitful world; and to cast our views forward upon a more durable state of happiness, and better suited to the noble faculties and inclinations of human nature.
3. The sufferings of good men are designed to remind us both of our duty and our danger; when it is observed that the righteous fall and no man layeth it to heart, it is implied that this is a proper season of inquiring into the occasions of God’s public judgments, and reforming those sins which provoked them; and this is the more incumbent upon us in proportion to the dignity of the person and the character he sustains.
4. There is no man so good but he is conscious to himself he deserves what he suffers. The world perhaps cannot charge him with any visible or notorious escapes; yet he need only put the question to his own heart concerning the reasons of his sufferings, and it will acquit the justice of heaven in them. (R. Fiddes.)4
9:2 What makes it all so enigmatical is that the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the clean and the unclean, the worshiper and the nonworshiper all end in the same place—the grave. As far as escaping death is concerned, the righteous person has no advantage over the wicked. Those who put themselves under oath are in the same predicament as those who shun an oath.5
9:2 — All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; to the good, the clean, and the unclean .…
Good things can happen to bad people, and bad things can happen to good people. That’s the world we live in. But this world is coming to an end, and the next one will feature a very different story.6
9:2fate A reference to death—the great equalizer which renders the gains of life useless. All people—whether wicked or righteous, wise or foolish (2:14–16)—share this fate. See note on 2:14.
the clean and to the unclean Normally refers to ritual cleanliness. See note on Lev 11:1–47.
so also those who fear oaths See note on Eccles 5:4.7
7 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ec 9:2). Lexham Press.
Jeremiah 26:1 — Have you noticed that Jeremiah’s writings are not in chronological order? Earlier we read that God would not turn even if Samuel prayed, but now He offers to hearken (Jeremiah 26:3). From J. Carl Laney:
According to Murphy, the individual units of Jeremiah were originally addressed to the people to whom Jeremiah ministered at different stages throughout his ministry. The final form of the work, compiled after Jehoiachin’s release in 561 B.C., was a message to the exiles in Babylon providing encouragement and hope through promises of restoration. Since the judgments which Jeremiah announced had been fulfilled, the exiles in Babylon could be confident that the restoration would also come about.
Murphy believes that Jeremiah has been carefully constructed to a recurring theological message of judgment and hope for God’s exiled people (p. 315). Because they have broken the Mosaic Covenant, they experienced judgment (Lev. 26, Deut. 28). But because of God’s unconditional promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3), God would deliver His people from exile and rebuild them as a nation. So Jeremiah repeatedly presents Yahweh’s judgment and promised hope, destruction and restoration, and cursing and blessing.
The entry and exit points of the anthology, according to Murphy, are chapters 1 and 52. These chapters serve as “bookends” to hold the work together as an anthology. Chapter one verse 10 sets forth the agenda of the book. Here we see “in seed form” the themes of judgment and restoration which make up the rest of the book. The final chapter (52) highlights these same themes by recounting two incidents. Chapter 52 tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, emphasizing the theme of judgment. But the book concludes with a message of hope. Jehoiachin is released from prison, anticipating the future restoration and return of the people of Judah.
Jeremiah 26:14 — How could Jeremiah be so cavalier about his own life? Because he had accomplished what the LORD sent him to do (Jeremiah 26:12).
Jeremiah 26:18 — Who is this Micah the Morasthite? When we turn to Micah 1:1, we realize that this was the same prophet!
Jeremiah 26:18 recognizes the prophecy of Micah
Daniel 9:2 recognizes the prophecy of Jeremiah
Ezekiel 14:14, Ezekiel 14:20, and Ezekiel 28:3 recognize Daniel
2 Peter 3:15-16 identify Paul’s writings as Scripture
We find several times in Scripture a reference to other people in Scripture. It’s not just an anthology of religious sayings, but the Word of God pointing towards His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 26:23 — Religious persecution was evident in the “theocracy” of Judah with the death of Urijah. It also was evident in the Puritan colony of Massachusetts with Obadiah Holmes:
Obadiah Holmes (1610 – 15 October 1682) was an early Rhode Island settler, and a Baptist minister who was whipped in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs and activism.
In 1650 he and others were taken to court for their religious views and practices, and compelled to leave the colony. He settled in Newport in the Rhode Island colony and soon befriended John Clarke and John Crandall. In July 1651 these three men, while visiting an elderly friend in Lynn, Massachusetts, were apprehended, tried, and given exorbitant fines for their religious practices. Friends paid the fines for Clarke and Crandall, but when Holmes learned of this he refused to allow them to pay his fine. Six weeks after trial he was taken to the whipping post in Boston and given 30 strokes, which were laid on so harshly that for weeks afterward Holmes could only sleep while on his knees and elbows.
Jeremiah 27:3& — A very unpatriotic message to send to Israel’s would-be allies, even though it was a message of hope (Jeremiah 27:13).
2 Thessalonians 3:1 — Pray for missionaries and evangelists that the Word of the LORD would have free course!
2 Thessalonians 3:6 — We are commanded to separate from disorderly brethren. What are their characteristics? False doctrine (2 Thessalonians 3:6), “too busy to work” (2 Thessalonians 3:11), and disobedient to Scripture (2 Thessalonians 3:14).
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.Revelation 21:5
Glory be to His name! All things need making new, for they are sadly battered and worn by sin. It is time that the old vesture was rolled up and laid aside, and that creation put on her Sunday suit. But no one else can make all things new except the Lord who made them at the first; for it needs as much power to make out of evil as to make out of nothing. Our Lord Jesus has undertaken the task, and He is fully competent for the performance of it. Already he has commenced His labor, and for centuries He has persevered in making new the hearts of men and the order of society. By and by He will make new the whole constitution of human government, and human nature shall be changed by His grace; and there shall come a day when the body shall be made new and raised like unto His glorious body.
What a joy to belong to a kingdom in which everything is being made new by the power of its King! We are not dying out: we are hastening on to a more glorious life. Despite the opposition of the powers of evil, our glorious Lord Jesus is accomplishing His purpose and making us, and all things about us, “new” and as full of beauty as when they first came from the hand of the Lord.
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” – Matthew 12:18-21
The ESV says in verse 3 that Elijah was afraid. The NKJV translates the same word as ‘saw’ and I think it’s correct. It is not that Elijah became unhinged and ran in terror. It’s closer to reality to say that Elijah determined from Jezebel’s obstinacy that there wasn’t much hope for change amongst God’s people. Despite the people’s confession, Ahab’s weakness and Jezebel’s opposition led Elijah to conclude that there was no sense continuing his ministry in Israel.
In a quest to understand what has happened, Elijah intends to go back to where it all began, to Mount Horeb, where the covenant Lord had first met with His people. We meet up with Elijah in the desert where, exhausted and discouraged, he lies down under a broom tree and asks God to sweep him away. He feels ill-equipped for the ministry of turning the hearts of God’s people back to Him. In a sense he’s right. A greater Prophet than him or his fathers was needed, one Who could baptize with the Spirit. Elijah is too hard on himself.
But God doesn’t rebuke him and neither should we. There is something holy about his lament. Paul wept over the Jews (Romans 9:1-3) and Jesus did over Jerusalem (Luke 13:34-35). Don’t you think we’re too casual about the plight of millions who go to a Christless eternity?
The angel ministers to Elijah in his discouragement and provides food for his continued journey to Horeb. Elijah might think he’s finished but God has further plans for him just as Jesus did for the Christ-denying Peter. How tender He is to His often discouraged servants.
Suggestions for prayer
Pray that God would encourage His ministers as they preach the gospel today with evident fruit for their labours. Ask that God would give us a concern for Christ’s honour and the plight of the lost that we might be engaged in evangelisation here and among the nations.
Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. 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, at NTGDevotional.com.
Halloween is coming. What does that mean to you? When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to dress up and go house to house begging for candy. Kids still do that today, but it seems as if it’s on a much creepier level. The costumes are very evil, as are the Halloween season movies. My focus has changed much over the years, and today I view Halloween as something I don’t want to take part in. The traditions all seem to glorify pure evil, and that has no value for any Christian.
As I drive around, I notice that many people decorate their yards with very creepy things. They plant gravestones in the front yard while ghostly sheets hover above. Skeletons are on the porch to welcome visitors with their eerie smiles. This year, I’ve noticed many people are putting huge skeletons in their front yards, which are 10 or 15 feet tall. Are they glorifying the Nephilim? It all makes me wonder what these people believe and what they worship. It’s a good idea to glorify and obey God in all you do.
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in our spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
The Christians in Corinth had many, many faults, and Paul wrote this letter to encourage them to shun evil, be obedient to God, and turn from their worldly ways. They were proud of their open-mindedness – their “wokeness” – and they accepted all manner of sin rather than being obedient to God.
The Nephilim were totally evil beings, giants who were the offspring of the Fallen Angels and human women. “There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4).
That is nothing to be glorified. God took such exception to the evil these creatures inflicted and the genetic tampering that was taking place, and He was sorry that He had created humans. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6).
That sounds much like people today. Genetic tampering and evil are corrupting God’s creation today. “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth” (Genesis 6:11-12).
All of creation was affected, and God’s judgment had to come, or there would be nothing left to save. Noah and his family had kept themselves apart from the evils found all around them and were genetically pure. Because of this, God was able to use Noah to build an Ark to save eight genetically pure people and some animals.
Noah couldn’t hide the Ark, so I’m sure everybody around could see what he was doing. Were they curious? Did they ask questions? If they did, they most likely laughed at the answers they got. “God will send rain, and the earth will be flooded?” “You’re nuts.” Really? Since there had never been rain before, just a mist that watered the earth, the people couldn’t understand. They went on living their lives in ignorance and sin. Then it was too late. The Ark was finished, and judgment would come quickly.
Noah and his sons had trusted God and were obedient. I’m so thankful for people like them who don’t follow the ways of the world… the ways of Satan.
“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth” (Genesis 7:4).
I wonder if Noah ever began to question his faith. He had believed God and was obedient, but what was next? Everything he knew and was familiar with was on the outside of the Ark. God was in control of when all that would be saved were safe.
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in” (Genesis 7:16).
Can you imagine the shock they all had? The door was open, then it was shut. Nobody could enter or exit. Everybody had a choice, so nobody could blame God for being left outside the Ark of safety. Then the rain started. The pitter-patter of rain on the roof was a new sound, but it wouldn’t be long until the fountains of the deep opened up and God’s judgment was in full swing. Why had so few people obeyed God? Why do so few seem to obey God today? Judgment is coming, the signs are all making news headlines, but few listen. Few are obedient to God. Put your faith in Jesus Christ today. God’s judgment is coming again, but Christians will be safe at Home with Jesus.
Obedience is a choice we all make. We have a huge advantage over those people in Noah’s day; we have the written word of God found in Scripture. When God told Noah to build the boat, he got busy following God’s instructions. That same attitude needs to be embraced today. The world around us is dying because most follow Satan’s evil. It’s nothing new for people to get caught in the trap of sin. Eve believed Satan’s lies, and Adam knew better but followed her in sin. When the fallen angels began taking “wives,” that might have looked like a lark to other women, who followed in sin, but it led to destruction. Soon, only Noah and his family had pure genes as God had created humans. Sin corrupts, and though it may look tempting, it always has consequences.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
We make our own choice of whether we follow sin and destroy our body with alcohol, drugs, and illicit sexual activity. God has given us His word as a guide in life. He even stepped into His creation to give us an example of how to conduct our lives. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
Jesus Christ is our Ark of Salvation.
Much evil is gripping our world today, and I’m not sure how much longer until God shuts the door. When we study Scripture and understand prophecy, it’s very clear that the Time of Jacob’s Trouble will soon start. Of course, this reference is to Israel specifically, but the entire world will be affected. Remember, God has never stopped loving Israel; Christians have not replaced God’s chosen people.
Watching the war in Israel is like watching the end time’s prophecies coming alive. God hasn’t turned against Israel, but we are living in a special time known as the Age of Grace.
“For by grace as ye save through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
That means that those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation have found grace through Him, and we are no longer under the Law of Moses. Our salvation is secure. Jesus did all the work for us, but in gratitude we need to be obedient to Him. He told us to spread the Gospel, and we need to get busy.
You may, like Noah, be an example of faith by your obedience in the way you live, or you may be someone who has a Bible study in your home that welcomes people who otherwise wouldn’t attend worship services. Maybe you own a business and can use it to show God’s love. I shop at Hobby Lobby and always enjoy listening to the Christian songs that play while I shop. There are many ways you can show your faith. We cannot be a good witness for Christ if our life reflects the worldly ways around us. Obedience to God’s ways is important.
Just as in Noah’s time, judgment is coming soon. God promised to never again destroy the world by water, but the coming judgments will be worse. The Book of Revelation gives a very frightening account of the final judgments. Beginning in chapter 6, we can read of the earth being destroyed and people dying. A one-world order is coming soon, and it is often called the Beast System. The Anti-Christ will soon come to power and lead the world to destruction. Christians have hope. The Blessed Hope only found in Jesus Christ. We will be taken Home prior to the worst judgments of God that can be imagined.
The Apostle John was given a vision of this time of judgment, but he also saw the Rapture. He was first given seven letters written by Jesus to seven churches. These letters are also a summary of seven time periods of the Christian church. After the age described in the final letter, John sees a door.
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1).
Reading in English doesn’t have the same impact as reading in the original language. The English words “After this” and “hereafter” are both translated from the Greek phrase “meta tauta,” which is a chronological term for a sequence of events. Sequentially, chapters 2 and 3 (the church age) happen, then the next event is the Rapture, as seen in the above verse. Then after the Rapture, Chapter 5 shows what happens to Christians in Heaven. What an awesome place to spend eternity! Beginning in chapter 6, the final judgments begin with the opening of the seals.
Obedience to God is important for life on earth, as well as life for eternity. You have a choice whether to be obedient or to defy God. Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will bring eternal life. If you haven’t accepted Christ for salvation, then you need to do that now. If you have questions, you need to talk to a born-again Christian who can explain why you need Jesus and how you can find salvation.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Were you baptized as a baby? That’s not enough. You need to make your own decision. You need to confess with your own mouth and believe in your own heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Be obedient and do that now.
Shun the ways of the world and be obedient to God’s truth. Allow Him to change your life.
Vanished without a trace: Where is Iran’s Quds Force commander? The whereabouts of Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani remain unknown after two weeks of speculation. Rumors circulated that Qaani was killed in a Beirut airstrike, and later reports claimed he suffered a heart attack during interrogation over alleged links to Israel. Iran has dismissed these reports as “fake news.” Despite these reassurances, Qaani has not been seen publicly for two weeks, fueling speculation.
A Lawless Coup: ‘Court Reform’ Is A Temper Tantrum Of The Left With Devastating Consequences Every election year, candidates in both parties make bold claims promising a better future for the American people. But there’s one campaign promise we’re hearing this year that should raise red flags for all voters regardless of one’s political perspective: court reform—a smokescreen that has nothing to do with reform, but everything to do with power. “court reform”
World Health Organization officially confesses COVID shots CAUSE monkeypox Among the known side effects of the use of Pfizer’s BioNTech vaccine, WHO now lists monkeypox, smallpox, and cow pox, along with a long list of additional threats … the shots that the world’s pharmaceuticals created to battle it also have been found to be related to heart diseases and failures as well as a multitude of other health threats.
US jobless claims soar to year high, hit by Helene and auto cuts Applications for US unemployment benefits rose last week to a more than one-year high, reflecting notable increases in Michigan and states hit by Hurricane Helene. Initial claims increased by 33,000 to 258,000 in the week ended Oct. 5, surpassing all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Boeing to Lay Off Tens of Thousands Amid Strike Strikes and walkouts have been plaguing East and Gulf Coast shipping for months now, with workers abandoning their posts rather than working without pay. You would expect these sorts of disruptions to impact the shipping business, but it turns out that it’s impacting the airlines as well. Boeing has announced the cancellation of thousands of temporary furloughs that were scheduled to take place and will instead lay off more than 10,000 workers.
Skyquakes : mysterious booms from above remain unexplained worldwide skyquakes are not always associated with seismic activity. For instance, the “Seneca Guns” – a local term for unexplained booms heard near Lake Seneca in New York – occur regularly without any detectable earthquake activity.
Bay Area heat wave shatters records, with more scorching temperatures on the way The blistering October heat wave continued to shatter temperature records across California and the Southwest on Saturday, and more scorching temperatures are on the way. • Brutal heat: S.F. defies forecasts and ties record for entire year Palm Springs hit 115 degrees,
Map Reveals Electricity Flowing Under US Due to Solar Storm During Thursday’s “severe” geomagnetic storm that sparked the northern lights across most of the U.S., electrical currents surged through rocks under the ground around the country. A map from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey reveals the extent of these electrical currents in the ground, which peaked in the Midwest at about 5 volts per kilometer. This is about 100 times the normal voltage seen when no solar storm is occurring.
Jeffrey Younger says he has ‘last shot’ to stop ex-wife from ‘castrating’ son James in November Since 2018, Jeffrey Younger and Anne Georgulas have been locked in a legal battle over the mother’s attempts to raise their boy James as a “girl” named “Luna,” including surgically and chemically transforming his body to match this imposed “gender identity.” Younger has consistently stressed that his son’s gender confusion has been inflicted on him by Georgulas despite his true wishes.
Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits off the coast of Costa Rica A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit off the coast of Costa Rica at 17:43 LT (11:43 LT) on October 12, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 18 km (11.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Rare EF-3 tornado hits Palm Beach Gardens, Florida A rare EF-3 tornado tore through the Avenir community in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane “Milton” unleashed a tornado outbreak across Florida.
An EU Registry of Corporate Assets Would Be a Digital Boondoggle The chair of the EU’s parliamentary tax subcommittee is calling for a centralized asset registry—a repository of all forms of wealth held by EU citizens (or at least the wealthy ones), as well as corporations, partnerships, and other business entities.
Multiple Counties In Democrat-Led State Reinstate Mask Mandates Several California counties in the San Francisco Bay Area are reinstating mask mandates in healthcare settings…. Health officials issued orders requiring individuals to wear face masks in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare facilities.
Scotland Criminalizes Prayer at Home to Protect Abortionists Scotland has reportedly enacted new abortion laws that could land religious people in trouble with authorities if they pray in their homes — if the homes are in designated abortion “safe access zones.”
Putin Reaffirms Russia’s Commitment to Iran Against Israel Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Friday that Moscow continues to place a high priority on cooperation with Tehran and wishes to create a “new world order” in which the West and Israel no longer have a dominant position in global affairs.
The New World Order is real: The battle is for our minds At a recent Heritage Party conference, Brian Gerrish explained the forces trying to bring in a totalitarian one-world government and how the people can resist. “You can’t fight what you cannot see and do not understand,” he said. The battle is for our minds, Gerrish explained, “Because by capturing our minds, they can capture everything. Everything about our life is gone. So, this is psychological warfare on your mind.”
There is only myocarditis and pericarditis in covid vaccinated children, study finds A study involving 1.7 million children in England aged between 5 and 15 years old has found that myocarditis and pericarditis only developed in children who had received Pfizer’s Covid injections. Not a single unvaccinated child in the group suffered from these heart conditions.
What we are witnessing is the panicked flailing of a campaign that is desperately attempting to recoup its lost initiative. The result is partly embarrassing, partly hilarious.
The presidential race has been dogged by allegations of media bias since the moment Harris unseated Joe Biden as the Democrat pick in the wake of his disastrous debate with Donald Trump in June
The historic crisis at the southern border saw millions of illegal immigrants arrive there, with a great many eventually released into the United States as officials struggled to deal with the numbers they were facing.
Illegal immigration has remained a top issue for voters ever since, and that has been highlighted by a number of shocking, high-profile crimes committed by those in the country without authorization.
These are some of the most shocking crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants at the height of the border crisis – some of whom entered during the current crisis and some who entered years before, but allegedly committed crimes recently.
In March, Haitian illegal immigrant Jean Robert Macean was arrested for the stabbing death of a married couple in Florida. They were riding their bikes for a Bike Week event when they were killed. He was later deemed incompetent to stand trial.
“This is probably one of the most vicious and gruesome incidents that I’ve witnessed in my 20 years,” Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said at the time. “We can’t rule out that this may be totally random, but if it is totally random, the person responsible has to be deranged.”
In July, Kayla Hamilton, who was autistic, was raped and killed in her mobile home. Police eventually arrested an El Salvadoran 17-year-old who authorities said is linked to the MS-13 street gang and who was released into the U.S. into the custody of his aunt after being encountered at the border. An interim staff Judiciary Committee report released in 2023 faulted the Biden administration for a failure to vet the suspect, calling it a “tragic example of the failure to enforce U.S. immigration law.”
“For me, this is not a political issue. This is a safety issue for everyone living in the United States,” Tammy Nobles, Kayla’s mother told lawmakers. “This could have been anyone’s daughter. Kayla wasn’t doing anything wrong, and she didn’t deserve to be murdered. I don’t want any other parents to live the nightmare I am living.”
The same month, Gerson Fuentes – a Guatemalan illegal immigrant – was arrested for the rape of a child. The victim, who was 9 when the attack happened, confirmed that he attacked her. The case sparked national attention after it was highlighted by an Indianapolis doctor that the victim traveled to Indiana to have the abortion due to Ohio’s limitations on abortion.
In August, two Mexican illegal immigrants were charged with the murder of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy. Alder Alfonso Marin Sotelo and Arturo Marin Sotelo are charged with the murder of Wake County K9 Deputy Ned Byrd, who was shot and killed on Aug. 11 when patrolling a neighborhood in response to multiple 911 calls. ICE told Fox News Digital that the brothers had both entered the U.S. illegally“on an unknown date, at an unknown place” that was not a port of entry – meaning they likely evaded Border Patrol agents.
Arturo Marin Sotelo had been encountered by Border Patrol agents near Naco, Arizona, in June 2010 and had been deported to Mexico via voluntary return through Tucson, Arizona. However, he later re-entered the country.
In October, Canadian illegal immigrant David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with a hammer. DePape had entered the U.S. in 2008 and overstayed his visa.
The same month, a Guatemalan illegal immigrant was arrested for the stabbing of eight people on a sidewalk in Las Vegas, killing two of them. Yoni Barrios allegedly began his rampage after a group of showgirls refused to take a picture with him. He reportedly used what authorities described as a “large knife with a long blade” and began attacking when they rebuffed him.
In April, Salvadoran national Carlos Dominguez was charged with stabbing two men to death in California, two days apart. In May, he stabbed a homeless woman multiple times, but she survived. He had entered the U.S. in 2009 as an unaccompanied minor.
The same month in Texas, Mexican and multiple deportee Francsico Oropesa Perez-Torrez accused of entering his neighbor’s home before midnight and shooting five people dead, including a third-grade boy. Others in the household had asked Oropesa to stop firing a rifle in his yard that late because a 1-month-old baby was trying to sleep. A source with the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Oropesa had been deported five times between 2009-2016.
In May, Jose Roberto Hernandez-Espinal – a Salvadoran illegal immigrant – was arrested for allegedly raping a woman and a 15-year-old girl. He had reportedly entered the U.S. in 2013. Court documents allege that Hernandez-Espinal pointed a machete at a woman’s back and led her to a secluded part of the woods before raping her.
In June, police in Virginia arrested a Honduran national for breaking into an apartment and attempting to abduct a 4-year-old girl, Fox 5 reported. He had reportedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2018, and ICE had filed multiple detainers against him in 2021 and 2022, but they have not been honored in the sanctuary county in which he lived.
In August, a Venezuelan migrant was accused of raping a woman in front a 3-year-old in Erie County, New York. Prosecutors say the suspect and victim knew each other, and the alleged crime is said to have occurred in front of their 3-year-old child, who was also present in the hotel room.
In Texas, in September, Mexican national Juan Vicente Zavala Lopez allegedly shot a police officer in a car chase after killing his roommate. Zavala Lopez is said to have a lengthy criminal history, has been deported nine times before and spent 18 months in a Texas state prison in addition to facing charges in California.
In December, 16-year-old high school cheerleader Lizbeth Medina was stabbed to death in her apartment in Jackson County, Texas, allegedly by Mexican national Rafael Govea Romero, a visa overstayer who was on probation for burglary.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant who had been deported four times between 2009 and 2015 was arrested after allegedly killing a mother and her son in a car crash that police say involved alcohol. Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alaswas first convicted of DWI on Aug. 4, 2007, and received subsequent convictions for the same offense on Dec. 7, 2016, and May 7, 2019. He was also convicted of driving with alcohol on Sept. 16, 2007.
Also in December, Jose Santiago Chairez was arrested for the shooting death of two sisters in their home in Dallas, Texas, while he also allegedly shot his daughter during the same incident. Chairez allegedly shot sisters Catalina Valdez Andrade, 47, and Merced Andrade Bailon, 43, in the head inside their home and shot his daughter in the arm.
In January, Alonzo Pierre Mingo, a former ICE detainee was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, with intent, for the killings inside a suburban Minneapolis house, where he reportedly used his seasonal UPS uniform to pose as a worker to gain access along with two accomplices. Police said the shooting was a drug-related incident and occurred as two children under the age of 5 looked on.
“The older child can be seen entering the bedroom shortly thereafter, crying hysterically,” police said in a probable cause statement. “Another subsequent video shows the younger child enter the bedroom to check out the female until the older child pulls the younger child away from the deceased female’s body and out of the room.”
Meanwhile, in New York City, a police officer was brutally beaten by a mob of illegal immigrants – as authorities were dealing with a flood of primarily Venezuelan migrants into the sanctuary city. Some of them fled the city, while Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested later and then released before flipping the bird to waiting reporters.
In February, Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley was beaten to death, allegedly by a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, while she was out for a jog on the University of Georgia campus. The suspect, Jose Ibarra, was encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol in September 2022 and released on parole into the U.S. He would travel to New York City and be charged with child endangerment and driving crime. ICE said he was released before they could issue a detainer.
Months later, he would be accused in the death of Riley. The case highlighted the challenges facing immigration enforcement, who have had their priorities narrowed under the Biden administration to focus on national security and public safety threats – but who are also facing resistance from sanctuary cities, which limits local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The same month as Riley’s death, Honduran national Angel Matias Castellanos-Orellana was arrested in Kenner, Louisiana for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint in a park and stabbing another man during a robbery. Police warned that they are often hindered from dealing with illegal immigrants due to the lack of identifiers and use of aliases. Castellanos-Orellana had reportedly entered the U.S. via Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2023, at a time when the state was dealing with a massive surge in migration.
Also in February, Nilson Trejo-Granados was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a 2-year-old child in Maryland. Police said he was caught in a shootout between two gangs. Trejo-Granados is not accused of firing the weapon that killed the victim, but he is alleged to have been in a car with a group of people connected to the shootout.
In August, David Davon-Bonilla was accused of attacking a 46-year-old woman in Brooklyn’s famed Coney Island, forcibly rapingher at knifepoint alongside an accomplice.
The same month, authorities confirmed the arrest of an illegal immigrant boyfriend of a Virginia mother who was arrested after her two young sons were found chained to a post by their ankles. Wendi Del Cid Rodriguez and Franklin Arquimedes Viera-Guevara allegedly told investigators they would chain the boys at their ankles for short periods of time to “scare them” so they would not leave the home.
ICE confirmed to Fox that the suspect is a Salvadoran illegal immigrant previously deported in 2019, but he reentered as a “gotaway.”
In September, ICE announced the arrest of a number of illegal immigrant criminals from Martha’s Vineyard – the liberal vacation hotspot where Florida Gov Ron DeSantis had flown migrants on a private airplane. Among those arrested in late August was 24-year-old Brazilian illegal immigrant Warley Neto. Neto, who illegally entered the United States through the Paso Del Norte border region of Texas and Mexico in 2018, is facing five counts of raping a Massachusetts minor.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, police announced the arrest of multiple suspected Tren de Aragua members in relation to a shooting that occured in Aurora near a block of apartments believed to have been taken over by the gang.
The Venezuelan nationals, ranging in ages from 19 through 24, all crossed the southern border through Texas illegally in 2022 and 2023, under the Biden administration. All four were arrested by Aurora police and ICE has placed detainer requests on two of them.
Many people are shocked at the support the Biden-Harris Administration has given to Iran’s terrorist regime. This, however, is no new thing. Democratic presidents and administrations have in the shadows supported the terror-sponsoring state since as early as Jimmy Carter, and that support has transcended Democrat presidents to this day.
It was Jimmy Carter who wanted the Shah of Iran, an American ally, out of his office due to what Carter perceived as humanitarian issues. The radical Ayatollahs came to power and rewarded Carter’s by-standing with the taking of American hostages at the US Embassy in Teran. President Reagan ended the siege and got the hostages released.
Even though Iran was exporting terror during the Clinton Administration, Clinton deferred military action and took the appeasement route, saying in January 1998 that the US “regrets the estrangement of our two nations … and I hope that the day will soon come when we can enjoy once again good relations with Iran.” Clinton sought to negotiate with the terrorist state.
His Secretary of State apologized to Iran for CIA involvement in an attempted coup in 1953, lifted sanctions, and offered to release frozen Iranian assets in US bank accounts. Sound familiar?
The Obama Administration further appeased Iran by signing a nuclear deal with the terrorist state and giving it some $150 billion in cash. Terrorism against Israel accelerated. President Trump stopped the money flow to Iran and its Palestinian allies. Terrorism abated or lessened.
The Biden-Harris Administration has continued these disastrous policies toward Iran at the expense of Israel. Biden relaxed and/or removed the Trump sanctions on Iran, allowing the country some $120 Billion in foreign exchange reserves and an extra $35 billion in oil exports. He paid Iran $6 billion for five hostages. Iran infused Hamas with over $350 million and some $700 million to Hezbollah per year over the last three years.
Here we are a year after the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israeli citizens, and Israel is embroiled in a war for its survival against Iranian-back Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. There is little doubt that this was funded by Biden-Harris Administration actions. I say Biden-Harris because Kamala Harris has said that she supports the Biden Administration policy in the Middle East.
At the same time these Democrats have supported Iran and its terrorist infrastructure, Biden-Harris is the poster administration for undermining Israel. Iran launched a missile attack on Israel, which failed. But Biden called on Israel not to retaliate and telegraphed Israel’s military plans to Iran.
It’s plain that Israeli leaders know the score. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon on Fox News on October 2 called for reinstating sanctions on Iran “because today they have so much money to spend on their proxies, and we feel the results. We are being attacked from all fronts, from…Lebanon, from Gaza, from Yemen, from Iran.”
Like Psalm 83:3, “They have taken crafty counsel against your people.” This is a direct result of the Dems longstanding bromance with Iran. It will not end well. Say it with me… Stupidocrisy.
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