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
…For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
MATTHEW 6:13
How many Christians are there who pray every Sunday in church, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done!” without ever realizing the spiritual implications of such intercession?
What are we praying for? Should we edit that prayer so that it becomes a confrontation: “My kingdom go, Lord; let Thy kingdom come!” Certainly His kingdom can never be realized in my life until my own selfish kingdom is deposed. It is when I resign, when I am no longer king of my domain that Jesus Christ will become king of my life.
This principle does not become practical and thus it does not become operative in the lives of many Christians. That is why I keep saying and teaching and hoping that this principle which is objective truth will become subjective experience in Christian lives. For any professing Christian who dares to say, “Knowing the truth is enough for me; I do not want to mix it up with my day-to-day life and experience,” Christianity has become nothing but a farce and a delusion!
God is constantly calling for decisions among those in whom there is such great potential for displaying the life of Jesus Christ. Peace and power and fruitfulness can only increase according to our willingness to confess, “It is no longer I, but Christ that liveth in me!”1
The disciples ought to have known Jesus, they had heard his voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover him. Yet is it not so with you also? You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to his table, and you have not met him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though he plainly says, “It is I, be not afraid,” yet you cannot discern him. Alas! our eyes are holden. We know his voice; we have looked into his face; we have leaned our head upon his bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying “O that I knew where I might find him!” We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect his image, and yet how possible it is for us to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Wellbeloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus feedeth among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies, and yet you behold him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune with his people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see him, though he is always there. And why do we not see him? It must be ascribed in our case, as in the disciples’, to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and therefore they did not know him. To a great extent in spiritual things we get what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it your prayer, “Lord, open thou mine eyes, that I may see my Saviour present with me.” It is a blessed thing to want to see him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon him. To those who seek him he is kind; but to those who find him, beyond expression is he dear!1
AND the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (How precious is one single soul in the sight of the Lord! In order to bring one person to the faith, he sends an angel to Philip, and sends Philip from populous Samaria to the desert.)
27, 28 And he arose and went: (A teacher of the gospel must go in the obedience of faith, although the call leads him into the wilderness.) and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (The word of God is the best reading on a journey; not only on the desert way from Jerusalem, but on the way through time to eternity. We forget thereby the hardships of the way, we look not aside to forbidden paths, we make thereby blessed travelling acquaintances, and we go forward on the right path to the blessed goal.)
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
If a teacher, on his visit, finds people occupied with the word of God, he must not long waste time with digressions about the weather and the state of their health, but take the word of God for his text and introduction, as it lies open.
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32, 33 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
It was the finger of God which pointed to this passage; for the sum of all Christian truth is Christ, both humbled and exalted. In this is contained an admonition for all teachers to lead souls, as the chief matter, to the knowledge of Christ, the Crucified and the Risen One. This, as a rule, is much more effective than moral preaching. The missionaries in Greenland who, with discourses on the living God and his holy commandments, preached for a whole year to deaf ears, struck home when they commenced with the evangelical message, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world!”
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35, 36 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (See the order: the word is understood, then comes faith, and then baptism. Is the Lord’s order right? Then let no man alter it. None can have any right to church ordinances but those who believe with all their hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.)
38, 39 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (When the good man’s work was done, the new convert needed him no more, for he had the key of the scriptures in his own hands.)
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea. (This chapter should be read candidly, and its teachings accepted: what they are is so clear that there is little need of explanation. Take heed how ye read.)
Lamentations 4:13 — God judges a nation’s religious leaders first. Look how they are described in Lamentations 4:14-15.
Lamentations 5:21 — Jeremiah ends his lament with a plea for God to return, yet he realizes that for Israel it is too late.
Hebrews 2:2 — Almost every time a human encounters an angel, the first angelic words are “Fear not!” If we fear an angel, shall we not fear the maker of the angel? We have not the word of an angelic encounter but the Word of God!
Hebrews 2:4 — What was the purpose of the signs and wonders? To confirm His revelation to man.
Hebrews 2:7 — The back and forth between humans and angels is emphasized here: created lower than the angels but crowned with glory and honor!
Hebrews 2:16-17 — Jesus took not the nature of angels but was “made like unto his brethren.” He chose to be like us!
Psalm 103:11 — How great is God’s mercy! In just a few verses (Psalm 103:17) we’ll see how long is His mercy!
Proverbs 26:23 — We talked about this a while back. A potsherd is a broken piece of pottery. Jesus had a similar thought in Matthew 23:27 when He called the scribes and Pharisees “whited sepulchers.”
Share how reading through the Bible has been a blessing to you! E-mail us at 2018bible@vcyamerica.org or call and leave a message at 414-885-5370.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.Genesis 3:15
This is the first promise to fallen man. It contains the whole gospel and the essence of the covenant of grace. It has been in great measure fulfilled. The seed of the woman, even our Lord Jesus, was bruised in His heel, and a terrible bruising it was. How terrible will be the final bruising of the serpent’s head! This was virtually done when Jesus took away sin, vanquished death, and broke the power of Satan; but it awaits a still fuller accomplishment at our Lord’s second advent and in the Day of Judgment. To us the promise stands as a prophecy that we shall be afflicted by the powers of evil in our lower nature, and thus bruised in our heel; but we shall triumph in Christ, who sets His foot on the old serpent’s head. Throughout this year we may have to learn the first part of this promise by experience, through the temptations of the devil and the unkindness of the ungodly, who are his seed. They may so bruise us that we may limp with our sore heel; but let us grasp the second part of the text, and we shall not be dismayed. By faith let us rejoice that we shall still reign in Christ Jesus, the woman’s seed.
Segment 1: Introduction and Clarifying the Gospel The host, Todd Friel, introduces the episode by addressing a common misconception in contemporary evangelical Christianity: the belief that the Gospel equates to a “changed life.” While acknowledging that lives do change when someone accepts Christ, Friel emphasizes that the Gospel itself is not a life-enhancement program. Rather, the Gospel is the message of Jesus Christ dying for sinners, enabling reconciliation with God and forgiveness of sins. Friel urges listeners to avoid conflating life improvements with the core truth of the Gospel.
Segment 2: Life Change as a Result of the Gospel Friel discusses how people often seek life changes—such as freedom from addiction, better family dynamics, or financial stability—without seeking Jesus Himself. He points out that Christian life enhancement does not mean everything will improve materially or circumstantially. Instead, the Gospel promises forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and a peace that transcends earthly struggles. Christian transformation is about a change in thinking and the ability to endure trials, rather than guaranteed worldly improvements.
Segment 3: Story of Transformation: Rustik’s Journey The episode shares a testimony from Rustik, a young man from Ukraine who grew up as an orphan and lived on the streets. He experienced love and patience from leaders at an English Bible camp, which ultimately drew him to Christ. His life changed as he became a believer, married, and started serving others through a ministry called Tomorrow Clubs. Rustik’s story highlights the true transformation that comes from responding to the Gospel, not through material gain, but by growing in faith and serving others.
Segment 4: The Gospel vs. Life Enhancement In the final segment, Friel reemphasizes that the Gospel does not promise improved circumstances, wealth, or health. Instead, it offers forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. While lives are often changed by the Gospel, such transformations should not be confused with the Gospel message itself. The host concludes by encouraging listeners to keep the terms clear when sharing their testimonies, focusing on the core truth of the Gospel rather than simply life improvement stories.
Trump’s odds increased after a Polymarket whale, or large holder, invested another $2 million worth of USD Coin USDC$1.00 tokens into pro-Trump bets.
The mysterious whale has spent $7.22 million on “Yes” shares, according to onchain intelligence firm Lookonchain, which wrote in an Oct. 28 X post:
“Since Oct 11, the whale has spent 7.22 million $USDC to buy 11.28 million ‘Yes’ shares on Donald Trump winning the US election, with an unrealized profit of $256,000.”
With only seven days until the 2024 US presidential election, decentralized prediction markets may offer more accurate predictions than traditional polling systems, according to billionaire Elon Musk.
The Polymarket odds flipped in Trump’s favor on Oct. 4, marking a sharp reversal from September. By Oct. 12, Trump was leading by over 10 points, Cointelegraph reported.
Mysterious Polymarket whale seems unrelated to “Fredi9999”
The mysterious Polymarket whale, known as “zxgngl,” holds over 11.2 million “Yes” votes worth over $7.5 million, according to Polymarket data.
The increasing positions come after the top Trump bettor on Polymarket, “Fredi9999,” bolstered Trump’s odds above 60.2% by buying over $20 million worth of “Yes” shares up to Oct. 18.
Moreover, Fredi’s transaction patterns suggest that it controls four of the six largest Trump-voting accounts on Polymarket, all funded with Kraken deposits.
Can you believe that we are the generation that will see Jesus’ return?! We ARE in the end times. This is Part 2; to read Part 1, where the signs show us that we are the final generation, please click here.
So if we are in the last days, it makes sense to know exactly what our Master said. Part 1 showed what Jesus said about His return, Part 2 shows what the rest of the New Testament says about His return — it’s awesome!
But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.
God bless you as you read it, and prepare to be found faithful.
Note: Revelation is not included in this list, but should be on all our lists.
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Acts 1:9-11
After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!”
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Acts 2:17-21
‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants — men and women alike — and they will prophesy.
And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below — blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
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Acts 3:18-21
But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah — that He must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For He must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets.
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Romans 2:5-11
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honour and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism.
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Romans 13:10-13
Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfils the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.
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1 Corinthians 1:7-10
Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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1 Corinthians 3:11-15
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have — Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials — gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
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1 Corinthians 4:5
So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time — before the Lord returns. For He will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.
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1 Corinthians 7:29-31
But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.
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1 Corinthians 10:11-13
These things happened to them as examples for us — (note: What the Israelites did in the wilderness: crave evil things, worship idols, indulge revelry, sexual immorality, testing God, grumbling and complaining). They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
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1 Corinthians 15:22-26
Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back. After that the end will come, when He will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath His feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
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1 Corinthians 15:50-53,58
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
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Philippians 1:10-11
For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation — the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ — for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
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Philippians 3:19-21
They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Saviour. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control.
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Philippians 4:4-7
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again — rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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Colossians 3:1-6
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
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1 Thessalonians 1:10
And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven — Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died.
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labour pains begin. And there will be no escape.
But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armour of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
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2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power. When He comes on that day, He will receive glory from His holy people — praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about Him.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet Him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed — the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by the splendour of His coming.
This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
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1 Timothy 4:1-5
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.
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2 Timothy 3:1-5
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
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2 Timothy 4:3-8
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me — the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing.
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Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
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Hebrews 9:27-28
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.
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Hebrews 10:21-38
And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.
Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said, “I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge His own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
And My righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
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Hebrews 12:26-29
When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.
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James 5:7-9
Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look – the Judge is standing at the door!
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1 Peter 1:4-17
Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance — an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when He told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and His great glory afterward.
They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favourites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time here as “temporary residents”.
~
1 Peter 4:7-9
The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
~
1 Peter 5:2-4
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly — not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honour.
~
2 Peter 1:10-11
So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
~
2 Peter 3:2-15
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, He will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.
~
1 John 2:18-3:3
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true — it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognise that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.
~
1 John 4:2-3
If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
~
2 John 1:6-11
Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.
~
Jude 1:14-25
Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
The House report on HHS Covid propaganda is devastating. The Biden administration spent almost $1 billion to push falsehoods about Covid vaccines, boosters, and masks on the American people. If a pharma company had run the campaign, it would have been fined out of existence.
HHS engaged a PR firm, the Fors Marsh Group (FMG), for the propaganda campaign. The main goal was to increase Covid vax uptake. The strategy: 1. Exaggerate Covid mortality risk 2. Downplay the fact that there was no good evidence that the Covid vax stops transmission.
The propaganda campaign extended beyond vax uptake and included exaggerating mask efficacy and pushing for social distancing and school closures.
Ultimately, since the messaging did not match reality, the campaign collapsed public trust in public health.
Faulty Premises
The PR firm (FMG) drew most of its faulty science from the CDC’s “guidance”, which ignored the FDA’s findings on the vaccine’s limitations, as well as scientific findings from other countries that contradicted CDC groupthink.
The report details the CDC’s mask flip-flopping through the years. It’s especially infuriating to recall the CDC’s weird, anti-scientific, anti-human focus on masking toddlers with cloth masks into 2022.
President Biden’s Covid advisor Ashish K. Jha waited until Dec. 2022 (right after leaving government service) to tell the country that “[t]here is no study in the world that shows that masks work that well.” What took him so long?
In 2021, former CDC director Rochelle Walensky rewrote CDC guidance on social distancing at the behest of the national teachers’ union, guaranteeing that schools would remain closed to in-person learning for many months.
During this period, the PR firm FMG put out ads telling parents that schools would close unless kids masked up, stayed away from friends, and got Covid-vaccinated.
In March 2021, even as the CDC told the American people that the vaxxed did not need to mask, the PR firm ran ads saying that masks were still needed, even for the vaxxed. “It’s not time to ease up,” we were told, in the absence of evidence any of that did any good.
In 2021, to support the Biden/Harris administration’s push for vax mandates, the PR firm pushed the false idea that the vax stopped Covid transmission. When people started getting “breakthrough” infections, public trust in public health collapsed.
Uninformed Consent
Later, when the FDA approved the vax for 12 to 15-year-old kids, the PR firm told parents that schools could open in fall 2021 only if they got their kids vaccinated. These ads never mentioned side effects like myocarditis due to the vax.
HHS has scrubbed the propaganda ads from this era from its web pages. It’s easy to see why. They are embarrassing. They tell kids, in effect, that they should treat other kids like biohazards unless they are vaccinated.
When the Delta variant arrived, the PR firm doubled down on fear-mongering, masking, and social distancing.
In September 2021, CDC director Walensky overruled the agency’s external experts to recommend the booster to all adults rather than just the elderly. The director’s action was “highly unusual” and went beyond the FDA’s approval of the booster for only the elderly.
The PR campaign and the CDC persistently overestimated the mortality risk of Covid infection in kids to scare parents into vaccinating their children with the Covid vax.
In August 2021, the military imposed its Covid vax mandate, leading to 8,300 servicemen being discharged. Since 2023, the DOD has been trying to get the discharged servicemen to reenlist. What harm has been done to American national security by the vax mandate?
The Biden/Harris administration imposed the OSHA, CMS, and military vax mandates, even though the CDC knew that the Delta variant evaded vaccine immunity. The PR campaign studiously avoided informing Americans about waning vaccine efficacy in the face of variants.
The propaganda campaign hired celebrities and influencers to “persuade” children to get the Covid vax.
I think if a celebrity is paid to advertise a faulty product, that celebrity should be partially liable if the product harms some people.
In the absence of evidence, the propaganda campaign ran ads telling parents that the vaccine would prevent their kids from getting Long Covid.
With the collapse in public trust in the CDC, parents have begun to question all CDC advice. Predictably, the HHS propaganda campaign has led to a decline in the uptake of routine childhood vaccines.
The report makes several recommendations, including formally defining the CDC’s core mission to focus on disease prevention, forcing HHS propaganda to abide by the FDA’s product labelling rules, and revamping the process of evaluating vaccine safety.
Probably the most important recommendation: HHS should never again adopt a policy of silencing dissenting scientists in an attempt to create an illusion of consensus in favour of CDC groupthink.
You can find a copy of the full House report here. The HHS must take its findings seriously if there is any hope for public health to regain public.
___
Dr Jay Bhattacharya is a physician, epidemiologist and health economist. He is Professor at Stanford Medical School, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research, a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, a Faculty Member at the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute, and a Fellow at the Academy of Science and Freedom. His research focuses on the economics of healthcare around the world with a particular emphasis on the health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Co-Author of the Great Barrington Declaration.
In a report handed down yesterday, Australia’s federal Covid Inquiry found that extreme public health restrictions, coupled with lack of transparency about the evidence informing these decisions, has led to a major slide in public trust.
Apparently, we need experts and a federal inquiry to tell us the bleeding obvious.
This, by the way, is not a Covid inquiry “like a royal commission”, as was promised by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prior to his election, but is the toothless ‘royal commission lite’ alternative put forward by Albanese after he got into power.
The long-awaited report into Australia’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has lashed state premiers for fuelling distrust and confusion, and for adopting draconian border closures that lacked consistency and compassion.
In the report, the panel argued the need for transparency in future pandemic responses after “economic, social and mental health and human rights impacts were not always understood or considered” in 2020.
That’s putting it lightly.
Human Rights Abuses
Economic, social and mental health and human rights impacts weren’t considered at all.
That’s why the Queensland Supreme Court ruled that Covid vaccine mandates enforced by the Police Commissioner were unlawful. Justice Glenn Martin held that the Police Commissioner “did not consider the human rights ramifications” before issuing the Covid workplace vaccination directive within the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
When asked about potential human rights abuses caused by his government’s heavy-handed Covid response, former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews retorted, “Seriously? One more comment about human rights — honestly.”
Australia's COVID inquiry has concluded there was human rights abuse caused by the state Premiers' COVID response.
When Dan Andrews was asked about the potential human rights abuse caused by his heavy handed response during COVID he responded: "Seriously? One more comment about… pic.twitter.com/NzwHTKguod
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) October 29, 2024
In one egregious case, the Ombudsman determined that the Andrews Government had “breached human rights” by confining over 3,000 Melburnians to nine tower blocks, under police guard, for up to two weeks.
Top-Down
Back to The Australian:
“[The report] lashed “control measures” instituted by state and federal authorities without sufficient explanation.
“This fed the perception that the government did not trust the public to understand or interpret the information correctly and contributed to the decrease in trust,” the summary reads.
“It was the mandating of public health restrictions, especially vaccination, that had the biggest negative impact on trust. The combination of mandatory measures and the perception people had that they were unable to criticise or question government decisions and policies has contributed to non‑mandated vaccination rates falling to dangerously low levels.”
This is absolutely the case. The hashtag I used the most on social media during Australia’s Covid response was, ‘make it make sense.’
There is nothing like aggressively wresting human and civil rights away from a population to forcibly impose rules that fly in the face of available evidence, whilst censoring those who try to point this out, and refusing to reveal information on which your rules are based, to bottom out trust in the population at large.
Safety surveillance databases exploded with adverse event reporting rates never seen before, yet authorities still insist these are definitely the best, most safe and effective products ever deployed on the population.
But the nonsensical implementation of rules wasn’t just limited to the failure of the vaccines to deliver as promised. A few other rules that made no sense:
You need to be protected by a mask standing up, but if sitting at a table, you are safe.
To this day, federal, state and territory governments have blocked all attempts to access the health advice on which their extremist policies were based.
No Accountability
In an address yesterday, Health Minister Mark Butler admitted that “heavy-handed” policies implemented during the pandemic eroded trust, and that “many of the measures taken during Covid-19 are unlikely to be accepted by the population again.”
Australia's inquiry into it's COVID response has found that the "heavy handed" tactics used during the pandemic have eroded trust & “many of the measures taken during Covid-19 are unlikely to be accepted by the population again." pic.twitter.com/YcupzqbEmg
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) October 29, 2024
But don’t think for one second that means they won’t try it on again.
Just as the Queensland Government took its Supreme Court loss as a signal that it needs to add a ‘considering human rights’ box-ticking exercise next time it breaches human rights to bring in a mandate, the federal Covid Inquiry report recommends ways to do the whole shebang next time, but better.
That includes more spending, fast-tracking the new Australian Centre for Disease Control (which the government has invested $251.7 million to establish), and better global co-ordination, particularly with the WHO’s One Health focus.
Butler said that the report was not about laying blame for individual decisions, but was rather about learning lessons. In other words, there will be no accountability.
Instead, Covid premiers and leaders have been awarded medals and cushy jobs. Most recently, Andrews was appointed to the lucrative role of chairman of Orygen, a youth mental health not-for-profit, to collective outrage.
A good thing that has come out of the report is that government overreach on vaccination mandates has been squarely blamed for a drop in vaccination rates in Australia more generally (not just for Covid vaccines).
“The erosion of trust is not only constraining our ability to respond to a pandemic when it next occurs, but it’s already, we know, bled into the performance of our vaccination programs, including our childhood vaccination programs,” said Butler.
“Since the beginning of Covid… we’ve seen a reduction of seven or eight percentage points in participation in the whooping cough vaccination program for under fives and measles vaccination program for under fives, which means we are well below herd immunity levels for those two really important diseases.”
Under a heavy sky, they circle—their black wings slicing the air in slow, silent anticipation. The vultures descend, talons stretched, to settle upon the rotting remains of faith laid bare in the dust. Their beaks are sharp and unforgiving, tearing into the sinews of souls too numb to resist, gnawing on the dried marrow of hope once held sacred.
Their feathers are slick with the blood of promises drained dry, glistening as they rip and gorge, gulping down remnants of integrity like carrion. The stench of decay rises as they strip the flesh from belief itself, leaving only bones—hollow, brittle, scattered across a desolate spiritual landscape.
These scavengers don’t nurture, they feast, preying on the dead weight of a faith that once stood strong but is now nothing more than a meal to be picked clean. That’s the best description I can come up with for the team of “spiritual advisors” surrounding Donald Trump.
As I watch the clip below of these vultures—among them false prophets like Paula White and Jentizen Franklin along with Southern Baptist leaders like Jack Graham—I can’t help but wonder what kind of judgment the Lord has poured out among this nation.
During his “My Take,” Tuesday, “Varney & Co.” host Stuart Varney discussed the fractured relationship between Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden with a week until the election, arguing the split is a problem of the Democrats’ own making.
STUART VARNEY: The relationship between the president and his vice president has broken down.
With just days to go in the election, Kamala Harris has dumped Joe Biden.
He goes off to speak to a couple of hundred union workers, and she appears with Beyoncé. The president is not happy, the vice president’s campaign is split.
This is a problem of the Democrats’ own making. They refused to tell the truth about Biden’s decline.
Waiting and waiting for what was already obvious before they took action, and forced him out of the race.
All the way back in September 2023, the influential columnist, David Ignatius was questioning Biden’s electability.
Written by three ‘journalists’ and published at the top of the NYT‘s homepage the intro reads:
When Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, spreading divisive and inflammatory posts online to stoke outrage, its posts were brash and riddled with spelling errors and strange syntax. They were designed to get attention by any means necessary.
Posts like that ‘one Russian-made Facebook post’ (seen by how many?) ‘interfered’ in the 2016 election and were the reason for Hillary’s loss?
Now, eight years later, foreign interference in American elections has become far more sophisticated, and far more difficult to track.
Disinformation from abroad — particularly from Russia, China and Iran — has matured into a consistent and pernicious threat, as the countries test, iterate and deploy increasingly nuanced tactics, according to U.S. intelligence and defense officials, tech companies and academic researchers. The ability to sway even a small pocket of Americans could have outsize consequences for the presidential election, which polls generally consider a neck-and-neck race.
Public opinion polls consistently show the economy is one of the top issues, if not the top issue, for American voters. This may strike some as odd, since official government statistics show low unemployment and declining price inflation, suggesting the Federal Reserve has engineered a “soft landing” bringing down inflation without causing a recession. So why the concern over the economy? One reason is more people are realizing government economic figures hide the truth about the economy.
“Recession Since 2022: US Economic Income and Output Have Fallen Overall for Four Years” is a Brownstone Institute research paper by Dr. E.J. Antoni, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and Dr. Peter St. Onge, a fellow with the Mises Institute. It details how the federal government understates inflation, while making wages, profits, and economic growth appear stronger.
Dr. Antoni and Dr. St. Onge use a more accurate measure of inflation than that used by government to uncover the true state of the economy. Their calculations show that the US economy has been in recession since 2022. The government claims that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by approximately 13.7 percent from 2019 through the first half of 2024. When the more accurate inflation number is used, the result is a 2.5 percent decline in GDP.
Civility, or the lack thereof, is a topic often addressed in our modern culture. It is not new, nor is the lack of it.
The early Christians also faced opposition. They also faced rabble-rousers and mobs when their growing influence created fear in the Jewish leaders: “But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar” (Acts 17:5). They noted the Christians “turned the world upside down” (v. 6). But their movement spread despite the opposition.
We have been looking at the early Christian movement and its impact as it spread throughout the world. We’ve discovered the passion and the power of the early church and the impact it had on its surroundings. Now we will examine four things the early church was devoted to, which can help us today.
If God could use them, God can use you and me. If only we want him to. How we can continue writing Acts today with the fervor of the early Christians?
How can we make the difference in our world that they did in theirs?
A legendary football coach I met while pastoring in Atlanta unknowingly provided the answer to that question for me. Dan Reeves, served in the NFL for 38 years, both as a player and a coach, and over the course of his remarkable career, became a household name. But the greatest impact he had was not as a sports figure. It was as a believer in Jesus Christ.
While Dan coached the Atlanta Falcons, his brother was active in our church and Dan and his wife Pam visited often. Dan told me one day that he and Pam felt God had called him to the work he was doing. Surprised, I asked him what he thought God wanted him to do. He said, “To influence the men on this team, and anyone else I can, for God.”
Through his national exposure as a NFL coach, God fulfilled that call in his life. He is a humble and gracious man. He would probably tell you, “If God can use me, God can use anyone.”
And he did with the early church, and is still doing so today.
The early church leaders were Galileans; we would call them “country folk.” Not one of them was from Jerusalem or any city you’d recognize. The vast majority were foreigners, from the fifteen nations Luke listed earlier (Acts 2:9–11). Religious leaders in Jerusalem called them “uneducated, common men” (Acts 4:13), since they did not have the rabbinic schooling and background of the Jewish leaders.
Yet in just thirty years their movement spread from Jerusalem to Rome, and from 120 to multiplied thousands, and soon millions. They became the mightiest and largest religious movement in human history.
What explains their incredible success? What did they have which we need?
The “four-fold cord”
The key to the people of apostolic Christianity lies in a Greek word: proskartereo. This word means, “to be devoted to.” To make something your passion and your highest priority, to give yourself exclusively to it. What was the passion and highest priority for these early Christians? Think of the answer as a four-fold cord, a rope made of four strands interwoven for strength, the rope to which these Christians clung for life itself.
First, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching”(Acts 2:42). Having no New Testament, this became the word of God for them. They didn’t just read the word of God, they staked their lives upon it. They learned and obeyed the Bible.
All through the Book of Acts we find these Christians reading, quoting, and depending upon the word of God. I counted forty-nine different Old Testament passages they quoted from memory and used in their lives and ministries. They were saturated in Scripture. It became their food and drink, their sustenance and life.
Second, they were devoted passionately to “the fellowship,” the koinonia. Fellowship has been defined as “two fellows in one ship.” Imagine 3,000 people in one ship and you’ve got a good picture of these first Christians. They sold their possessions when necessary to give “as any had need” (vs. 44–45). Even their enemies noticed. Tertullian quotes their admiring statement, “How they love each other.”[i]
And they extended their ministry to those outside their “ship” as well. When unwanted newborns were thrown out with the trash, these Christians would rescue them and adopt them into their families.
When the plague swept Jerusalem and everyone abandoned the sick and dying, the Christians stayed behind, risked their lives, and cared for them.
They clung to the word of God, and to the people of God.
Third, they were passionate about the “breaking of bread.”Now I am too, especially after church on Sunday morning, but Luke means far more by the phrase than we do. This is Luke’s term (cf. 20:7) for what Paul calls the “Lord’s Supper” (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23–26) and Christian worship.
TheDidache (the earliest compendium of theology in Christian history) makes this clear,[ii] and the commentators agree.[iii] These believers were passionate about the worship of God.
They worshiped him publicly: “day by day, attending the temple together” (v. 46). This was their regular practice: “And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico” (5:12), the eastern edge of the outer court. This was their “sanctuary,” where anyone could see them.
And they worshiped him privately: “breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (2:46). They worshiped on Sunday, and all during the week. Theirs was a passion for the worship of God.
And last, they were passionate about “the prayers” (2:42). The definite article is clear in the Greek: not just occasional or sporadic praying but a definite schedule and discipline. They were so passionate about praying that they scheduled it and practiced it habitually, the same way you and I schedule appointments important to us.
And the results were quite amazing: “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (v. 43). They were living in reverence of God, and the Holy Spirit moved through them with amazing power. They worshiped and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, living in the joy of Jesus.
They praised God and had favor with all the people. And “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (v. 47). When a church is on fire, people will come from miles around to watch it burn.
Have you heard of a city missionary in New York named Jeremiah Lanphier? He and two other men began praying for revival and awakening, and others joined them. Their prayer movement led to the Third Great Awakening in American history. It spread to Ireland, where the courts were adjourned because there were no cases to try and jails were closed because there were no prisoners to keep.
Why did God use them? Because they had a proskartereo kind of passion for prayer. Every awakening has started with prayer, and that is the most powerful weapon we have today.
Every single thing these early Christians did, we can do today. These are the four keys to being used by the Spirit of God, the four-fold rope to which we can cling today.
Many of you already have this rope in hand. And God is using you, in ways you can see and ways you cannot. Some of us need to take the rope, again or for the first time. If we want God to make our lives meaningful and significant for all eternity.
While others in our culture choose uncivil ways to engage changes, we can model the early church and engage the Spirit for change.
The choice is ours.
[i] Lucian of Samasota (died 185) was an obvious enemy of the gospel (he calls Christians “poor wrenches” and Jesus “that crucified sophist”). Nonetheless, he records the fact that Christians care for their own with “incredible speed” (The Passing of Peregrinus 13).
[ii]The Didache 14.1: “On the Lord’s Day of the Lord come together, break bread and hold Eucharist, after confessing your transgressions that your offering may be pure.”
[iii] Cf. Calvin (Commentary on Acts, 126); Marshall (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 126); R. J. Knowling (Expositor’s Greek Testament 94).
“This is a sign of how badly Kamala Harris is campaigning as an attempt to co-opt the Evangelical vote is failing, so they are resorting to suppression.”
(Ray Fava – Evangelical Dark Web) Christianity Today is one of the most liberal outlets posing as Christian. It has a particularly egregious history of recognizing the faith of Democrats, including Pete Buttigieg the homosexual, and Kamala Harris back in August. Several members of the organization Evangelicals For Harris are connected to Christianity Today. Evangelicals For Harris was founded to subvert the Evangelical voting bloc and has a lot of money backing it….
However, it has been markedly unconvincing, compared to liberal Evangelicals like Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer, and Rick Warren. Evangelicals For Harris does not pretend to be pro-life, unlike its predecessor Evangelicals For Biden.
Why is the book of Enoch not accepted in the Christian (or Jewish) canon?
Todd White is a lying false teacher/false believer. Michael Brown and Sid Roth are also a false teachers who support White!
With all the false teaching of Andy Stanley, I’m wondering if he is a true believer.
False teacher Jenny Weaver tells people to order everything to resist the hurricane in the name of Jesus! And a whole lot of other lies about your power to protect yourself from the hurricanes, binding demons, etc This sort of nonsense is dangerous to people who follow her and her ilk who claim “apostolic authority.” No, she isn’t getting any word from God nor is she speaking in tongues
If the data is being truthfully analyzed, it signals terrible news for the jabbed.[1] The UK government’s own data indicates AIDS seems to be on the severe increase among those who have received the C-V injections, but absent from those who did not take it. It appears that the C-V jab has been busy destroying people’s immune systems. If they don’t die suddenly, they experience harmful-to-severe reactions that include cancers and what appears to be AIDS-like symptoms. AIDS in its simplest terms is the destruction of the body’s immune system so that the body cannot fight even the smallest of infections.
The initial C-V jab was rolled out in 2021, touted as being “safe and effective” in keeping those who took it from contracting C-V and also keeping it from spreading to other people, so it was alleged. However, those two statements are actually contradictory. If a person has no chance of contracting C-V (due to the alleged positive affects of the jab), then there is nothing they can spread to anyone else, correct? If you cannot contract something, you cannot transmit it to others. But let’s not forget Fauci and others telling us that symptoms of C-V were allegedly “asymptomatic,” meaning a person could have the illness and show no symptoms at all.
If the jab truly was safe and effective, everyone who received it would not have come down with C-V. My wife and I know people who took the initial jab(s) and booster shots who are always dealing with another round of “C-V” or some other type of respiratory virus. One co-worker has had C-V 18 times and always appears under the weather.
But now, people in the UK who were jabbed are having to deal with immune systems that do not work as well as they used to work. In fact, the news is actually pretty grim for those folks.
The UK government’s PHE Vaccine Surveillance Report reveals that doubly vaccinated 40-70-year-olds have lost 40% of their immune system capability compared to unvaccinated people.
Their immune systems are deteriorating at around 5% per week (between 2.7% and 8.7%).
If this continues then 30-50 year olds will have 100% immune system degradation, zero viral defence by Christmas and all doubly vaccinated people over 30 will have lost their immune systems by March next year.
Shortly after the original C-V jab was released to the public, I vividly recall several medical doctors being very concerned because of the mRNA nature of that jab. They warned of what they believed would eventually be “cytokine storms” in people’s bodies that would ultimately lower them into the grave. Of course, these doctors were vilified, silenced and even had their licenses to practice medicine revoked.
Since that time, there has been a steady stream of “sudden deaths” from people who took the jab. Most of these deaths are simply described as deaths from “natural causes,” which is absurd. How is it natural for young children or those in their teens or young adults in their 20s or 30s to die suddenly from natural causes? We are to believe that these deaths, while very tragic, are simply “normal.” They are the new normal.
Ultimately, the author of the linked article notes the growing rate of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) among the vaccinated. When C-V hit the world, established drugs like Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin were essentially forced off the table. They could not be used. Insurance companies would not pay for a prescription (even if you could find a doctor who would issue one), and often pharmacists themselves would refuse to fill it. Eventually, we were told the drug Remdesivir would do the trick or at least, have the best chance of eliminating C-V. We know the routine by now. A person came down with something. They were tested and told they had C-V. They were put in the hospital, given Remdesivir and put on a ventilator. More often than not, the person died from that process.
The common denominator between the original AIDS/HIV (of the 1980s), situation and C-V turned out to be Dr. Anthony Fauci. He was essentially the “go-to” guy and national spokesman during both situations. Using essentially the same playbook (while changing medications and a few other things), many died in both situations.
Eventually though, the original AIDS/HIV scare ended. During that time though, those who were not gay and did not practice gay sex or shared needles from drug addicts had little chance of contracting AIDS. That was in the 1980s. Fast forward to 2020 when C-V hit the world, global society was told that lock-downs, masks and other mandates would be needed to ensure safety for all people and people fell in lock-step with all the mandates in order to “save” themselves from death by C-V.
Since 2020, governments went full bore doing all they could to create the needed fear in order to orchestrate a nearly global takeover and we are actually still dealing with at least some of it. The new current head of the CDC pushes ahead with new C-V, flu and RSV shots. The WHO is buckling down (using people like Peter Hotez, MD), to become even more aggressive toward “anti-vaxxers” whom it is said do nothing but make society less safe because they refuse to take a jab that is said to keep other people safe but in reality, comes with a very high price to a person’s immune system.
Are you getting sick and tired of the way the government keeps actual truthful information from us? Whether we are lied to regarding vaccines or other aspects within the medical complex, it’s enough to make critically thinking people angry. It seems that those in power are only interested in lying to us in order to control us. They see us as cash cows but have no other use for us.
A woman in our church recently developed brain cancer. We’re not sure if she took the jab or not (though about 70% of the people in our church allegedly have done so). She is young (in her 30s) and simply came down with it. The medical complex decided to use an “experimental” approach in treating her. They simply combined chemo and radiation together, instead of doing one then the other if needed. The stated reason for this is said to be due to the extreme aggressive nature of her brain cancer. Is it working? No one knows yet, but she does not appear to be improving.
We also know others who have developed aggressive cancers. They’ve gone through the requisite cancer protocols to the point where their cancers went into remission. Unfortunately, only several weeks later, the cancer was back so now more surgery and chemo is called for with only hopium as the answer.
But what of alternative approaches? Dr. William Makis of Canada has been writing about combining Ivermectin with Fenbendazole (and/or Mebendazole) to eliminate cancers in people. He has a great deal to say about the improvement of many using this approach. He also has a good deal to say about the growing number of school children who have been jabbed for C-V, yet are dying suddenly at an alarming rate.[2] Unfortunately, Dr. Makis’ substack is behind a paywall but I’m seriously thinking of subscribing to it because of the information he produces. In spite of that, many of his articles are excerpted so that a reader can view much.
DMSO was initially studied and used by doctors many decades ago to heal/cure many different type of ailments. In spite of its positive track record, the FDA determined that the substance is extremely dangerous and essentially black listed it except as a muscle rub liniment for horses and other animals. One specific doctor has studied (and continues to study), and written numerous in-depth articles about DMSO; it’s history, how it works and its benefits.[3]
Have you ever heard of CDS or MMS? These substances also appear to have efficacy with respect to numerous ailments. I’m sure if the FDA could, they would completely eliminate DMSO, CDS and MMS. Fauci was able to do this with Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine during C-V.
Aside from this, what many do not realize is that it appears as though Big Foods works hand in hand with Big Pharma. Highly processed foods that essentially remove all naturally occurring vitamins and minerals (only to have them added back in at the end, calling foods “enriched”), are merely food stuffs. They smell, look and taste like actual food, but they are so filled with chemicals and substances harmful to human bodies that they end up creating many illnesses in people, as the immune system is diminished. When this happens, people, instead of seriously looking at what they eat and drink, continue eating and drinking the same harmful things, then go to the doctor complaining of this or that.
Out of all the doctors I’ve seen over my 67 years, only two have taken the time to discuss what I eat and what I should avoid eating. One of them is my allergy/fibromyalgia specialist in Florida. Another is my current endocrinologist. Other than that, doctors are generally poised to provide a prescription to the patient that will treat symptoms. When symptoms are resolved, people think they are better or healthy. However, the root problem often remains.
Over the years since I’ve seriously changed my eating habits, not only have I lost weight, but I’m also much healthier. This is due to the fact that I don’t eat highly processed foods anymore and I avoid the types of foods I’m allergic too. Just as importantly, I have what is called the MTHFR genetic mutation (I’ve talked about this before). My body is incapable of absorbing and processing Folic Acid (and other B vitamins). I need to have the methylated forms.
If a person continuously eats highly processed foods, chances are great they are not getting the needed vitamins and nutrients. Those added in at the end (“enriched”), often simply pass through our bodies. People are getting fat, ill and developing all sorts of maladies because there is so much garbage in our food. But hey, it looks, smells and tastes great!
I’ve sadly become convinced that people are seen as nothing but “useless eaters” with dollar signs over our heads by Technocrats. Big Foods wants us to eat their fake food and when we develop illnesses. Big Pharma comes alongside with their “cure,” except people aren’t cured.
If we take into account the deadly nature of vaccines, fake foods and prescription (and many OTC) drugs that all too often create numerous issues related to our health, we should be at least willing to stop and consider. Ask yourself this: why has there never been a case of autism or even cancer among the Amish? Those folks avoid vaccines and they largely grow/raise their own foods.
Years ago, I vividly recall TV dinners. They actually used real products. The chicken or beef, the vegetables, even the small desserts were fairly genuine. In fact, when I worked at McDonald’s (yes, I actually did work at McDonald’s for several years while attending high school and junior college!), the food there was far different from what is offered today. It may look the same, smell the same, and taste “good,” but in reality, things are far different.
When I worked at McDonald’s the shakes were hand made by adding separate parts of milk and syrup. They would be mixed on the multi-mixer (invented by Ray Croc). Now, the shakes are simply poured into a cup but premade someplace else. They are laden with preservatives and chemicals to keep them “fresh.”
RFK Jr., has the right idea. He’s not anti-vax, but he’s opposed to the mRNA (and some other) jabs. He is also concerned about the type of food stuffs produced by Big Foods and the policies of both the CDC and FDA. Why are certain products and ingredients banned in most of Europe but allowed in the USA? Why is that? Why does the FDA want to outright ban DMSO if it is so allegedly efficacious? Why did the FDA/CDC work together (with insurance companies), to ban Ivermectin/Hydroxychloroquine during the pandemic?
People’s immune systems are being destroyed today. It started decades ago with the foods we eat and continues with medical treatments and highly touted vaccines that destroy. Ask yourself one question: why is it there is ZERO incidence of autism or cancer among the Amish?
Too many are simply willing to go along with government programs because they continue to believe the government is here to help…
“This is a sign of how badly Kamala Harris is campaigning as an attempt to co-opt the Evangelical vote is failing, so they are resorting to suppression.”
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