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 his ascension into heaven, and his sitting at God’s right hand there.
I bless you that my Lord Jesus has ascended to his Father and my Father, to his God and my God; John 20:17(ESV) has ascended on high, having led a host of captives in his train, and has received gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18(ESV)
That as the Forerunner he has for me entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on my behalf: Hebrews 9:24(ESV) a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, in the midst of the throne. Revelation 5:6(ESV)
That he is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, Hebrews 8:1(ESV) with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 1 Peter 3:22(ESV)
That he has gone before, to prepare a place for me in his Father’s house, where there are many rooms; John 14:2-3(ESV) and though where he has gone I cannot follow him now, yet I hope to follow him hereafter, John 13:36(ESV) when he shall come again to take me to himself, that where he is, there I may be also. John 14:3(ESV)
Joshua 21:1-45 This week’s lessons demonstrate how the grace of God is seen even through His judgment against sin.
Theme
The Book of Joshua in Review
We’re drawing quite near the end of our study of this great Old Testament book. It’s an appropriate time to look back over it a bit in terms of the outline and see how far we have come and how we have yet to go. Joshua falls into four main parts. There’s a preparation for the conquest, which occupies a surprisingly large portion of the book. It concerns the preparation of Joshua himself, which is found in chapter 1. There’s a short preparation for the story of the conquest of Jericho in the work of the spies and their meeting with Rahab that’s told in chapter 2. And then there’s a continuation of the story of the preparation, where the people’s preparation is in view. You find that in chapters 3 through 5. That’s the first portion of the book, and it’s not to be taken lightly, as the amount of space given over to it clearly indicates. We should in our Christian life give an adequate amount of time to preparation, certainly the preparation of the heart, and, in terms of the work we have to do, in the preparation of the skills and talents that we need to do it.
Then there’s a second section of the book, which is the conquest itself. We spent a good bit of time talking about that because some of the most interesting stories in Joshua are found in this portion. We saw that there were three campaigns. The first was a strike into the heart of the country that went up from Jericho to Ai, thus dividing the kingdom of the Canaanites into two halves—a northern and a southern part. The second campaign was in the south, followed by a third campaign in the north, both of which were great victories.
We get the impression reading the story of those accounts that the conquest all happened very quickly. While it’s true that the initial thrusts happened quickly, as we read the unfolding of the conquest, we realize that the conquest itself took a great deal of time to unfold. The power of the Canaanites was broken in these three quick thrusts, but there remained a large task of occupation. And one of the sad features of this portion of Joshua is that over and over again we’re told that the people didn’t quite take full possession of the land. They were able to do it, but they grew tired and weary as we sometimes do in our battles. Consequently, they didn’t press on, and because of this many of the Canaanites remained.
The third section of the book is the one we’re in now, and it has to do with the division of the land. After the land had been conquered, it was divided up tribe by tribe. This took place in several stages as well. There was an early stage, which in fact had already taken place even before the people crossed the Jordan. Way back when they were still in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses, 2½ of the tribes asked for the eastern territory. Moses had given it to them on the condition that when it came time to take the land, they’d accompany their brothers in the battle, which they went on to do. This third portion of the book describes how that first section of the land was given to them. Then there was a second division of the land that took place at Gilgal, which was followed by a third division of the land that took place at Shiloh. By the time that was over, all areas of this vast territory that had been conquered by the Jewish armies under Joshua had been divided up and occupied.
And then toward the very end of the book, beginning at chapter 22, we have the farewells. It’s sort of a postscript to what has already happened. There’s a chapter that tells how the eastern tribes returned to their area on the east of the Jordan. There’s a farewell of Joshua to the leaders. And then in the final chapter, chapter 24, there is the last sermon of this great man of God.
Study Questions
Into what four sections does Dr. Boice divide the book of Joshua?
What events are found within those sections?
Application
Reflection: What does this review teach us about God? What does it teach us about ourselves?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “Mercy for All.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
Description:Of all the people who were involved in the suffering and death of Jesus, why is Pontius Pilate specifically mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed? In this sermon, R.C. Sproul continues his exposition of Mark’s gospel to take a close look at the Roman governor who condemned the King of kings to die.
What is special about the timing of the birth of Jesus. What historical elements were aligned by God to make his arrival so influential on the history of the world?
To see more training videos with J. Warner and Jimmy Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
For more information about the impact Jesus and His followers had on science, read Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible. This unique and innovative book makes a case for the historicity and Deity of Jesus from history alone, without relying on the New Testament manuscripts. It contains over 400 illustrations and is accompanied by a ten-session Person of Interest DVD Set (and Investigator’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
I was in my mid-20s living in San Diego. I joined some people from a nearby church and went to a Pride parade to pass out water, give hugs, and hold signs saying “We are sorry the church hasn’t loved you the way Jesus would” (or something along those lines). All of a sudden, I was descended upon by a film crew with a microphone asking me what Jesus had to say about homosexuality. I was not expecting this, but I was giddy to share the love of Christ and talk about how we are all sinners saved by grace and how Jesus never singled out homosexuality as worse than any other type of sexual immorality. In the middle of my sentence (which I had been certain would be received with amazement, tears, and more questions about how to know this Jesus guy), the film crew interrupted me and said, “NOTHING. He said nothing about homosexuality.” And then they walked away without a word, off to find their next “interview.”
I sat there dumbfounded. What had just happened? And was it true that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality? And if not, why not?
Spoiler alert: Jesus really doesn’t ever address homosexuality specifically, and in our current sexual climate, this argument is being trotted out regularly to convince people that Jesus, therefore, didn’t really have an opinion on the topic (or He tacitly affirmed it).
I have always been drawn to the epistles and Revelation. The Gospels were a little less interesting to me because I couldn’t quite picture Jesus. I knew what the New Testament taught about sexuality, but it had never occurred to me that our theology hadn’t come from Jesus Himself. If your kids are coming to you asking why, here are a few things to help them think through the topic.
Jesus did speak about sex and marriage While it is true that Jesus never specifically mentions homosexuality, it doesn’t mean that He had nothing to say about sexuality or marriage. Jesus employs the K.I.S.S. method [1] and consistently points His listeners back to how things were in the beginning, with male and female, united for life, not to be separated (Mark 10:2-9). But some people assume that since He didn’t specifically mention homosexuality that must mean He was at least ambivalent about it. Such a conclusion does not give enough weight to what Jesus did say or why He only addressed certain topics. (For example, He didn’t say anything about bestiality or incest, either. To be consistent with this argument, you’d have to argue that He was on the fence about those things, too.)
The one thing we know He didn’t say was that certain types of sexual immorality were more damnable than any other. After all, sexual sins always involve us sinning against our own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). We are all equal at the foot of the cross.
Jesus came specifically for the Jewish people first Yes, Jesus came to die for the whole world (John 3:16). An often overlooked part of the Gospels, however, is that He came for the Jewish people (Israel), first. (Matthew 15:24). His entire 3 ½ year ministry was focused on this one demographic (though He never turned a gentile away because of it). In Romans 1, Paul clarifies multiple times: “First for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” So keep in mind that Jesus’s primary message was to Jews — the people who were then tasked with taking the good news to the ends of the earth (Genesis 12:2-3, Matthew 28:18-20). [2]This brings me to my next point.
Jesus didn’t reiterate what His audience already knew The Jews already knew what the Law said about homosexuality, so they were a step ahead of most gentile cultures. The law of Moses was very specific about sexual morality (Leviticus 18 and 20). It lists every single possible person (or thing) a Jew was prohibited from having sex with. Why was it that specific? Because every single one of those sexual behaviors was happening or even commonplace in the land of Canaan! God warns them not to do any of these things, or they would be destroyed just like the Caananites were (Leviticus 18:28).
When Jesus came to the first-century Jews, they had known for generations what sexuality was intended to be. He didn’t need to reiterate this or go into specifics. This would be like coming to America to spread the message of driving on the right side of the road: your audience already knows it. When do we see homosexuality mentioned in the New Testament? You guessed it: when the author was speaking to a gentile audience who did not have familiarity with God’s laws regarding sexuality.
In summary:
Jesus did not have to address every different type of sexual immorality to advocate for biblical sexuality. He stuck to original design and even doubles down in Mark 10:5-9. We can do the same with our kids every time they come to us with “But what about [fill in the blank with new sex, gender, or marriage question]?” Just keep pointing them back to God’s original design, and things get a lot simpler. Remind them we are all prone to wander from God’s design. Every single one of us. We are all equal at the foot of the cross as image-bearers struggling to accurately reflect God’s image.
“As for God, his way is perfect.” Far past all fault and error are God’s dealings with his people; all his actions are resplendent with justice, truth, tenderness, mercy, and holiness. Every way of God is complete in itself, and all his ways put together are matchless in harmony and goodness. Is it not very consolatory to believe that he who has begun to bless us will perfect his work, for all his ways are “perfect?” Nor must the divine “word” be without its song of praise. “The word of the Lord is tried,” like silver refined in the furnace. The doctrines are glorious, the precepts are pure, the promises are faithful, and the whole revelation is superlatively full of grace and truth. David had tried it, thousands have tried it, we have tried it, and it has never failed. It was meet that when way and word had been extolled, the Lord himself should be magnified; hence it is added, “He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” No armour of proof or shield of brass so well secures the warrior as the covenant God of Israel protects his warring people. He himself is the buckler of trustful ones; what a thought is this! What peace may every trusting soul enjoy!
Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 1-26 (Vol. 1, p. 245). Marshall Brothers.
Ver. 30. As for God, His way is perfect.—God’s ministries:— Many mythologies have told how the gods arm their champions, but the Psalmist reaches a loftier height than these. He ventures to think of God as doing the humble office of bracing on his girdle, but the girdle is itself strength. God, whose own “way is perfect,” makes His servant’s way in some measure like His own; and though, no doubt, the figure must be interpreted in a manner congruous with the context, as chiefly implying “perfection” in regard to the purpose in hand—namely, warfare—we need not miss the deeper truth, that God’s soldiers are fitted for conflict by their “ways” being conformed to God’s. This man’s “strength was as the strength of ten, because his heart was pure.” Strength and swiftness are the two characteristics of antique heroes, and God’s gift bestowed both on the Psalmist. Light of foot as a deer, and able to climb to the robber forts perched on crags as a chamois would, his hands deft, and his muscular arms strong to bend the bow which others could not use, he is the ideal of the warrior of old; and all these natural powers he again ascribes to God’s gift. A goddess gave Achilles his wondrous shield, but what was it to that which God binds on this warrior’s arm? As his girdle was strength, and not merely a means of strength, his shield is salvation, and not merely a means of safety. The fact that God purposes to save, and does act for saving, is the defence against all dangers and enemies. It is the same deep truth as the prophet expresses by making “salvation” the walls and bulwarks of the strong city where the righteous nation dwells in peace. God does not thus arm His servant and then send him out alone to fight as he can, but “Thy right hand holds me up.” What assailant can beat him down if that Hand is under his armpit to support him? The beautiful rendering of the Authorised Version, “Thy gentleness,” scarcely conveys the meaning, and weakens the antithesis of the Psalmist’s “greatness,” which is brought out by translating “Thy lowliness,” or even more boldly, “Thy humility.” There is that in God which answers to the peculiarly human virtue of lowliness; and unless there were, man would remain small, and unclothed with God-given strength. The devout soul thrills with wonder at God’s stooping love, which it discerns to be the foundation of all His gifts, and therefore of its blessedness. The Singer saw deep into the heart of God, and anticipated the great word of the one Revealer, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” (A. Maclaren, D.D.) The perfection of providential dispensations:— David had by this time followed the Lord through many a dark step, and he had endured various troubles. Now he is looking back and giving his verdict as to them all. There is—
A magnificent preface—“As for God.” He is standing up for God.
What of God he commends—“His way,” whether it be that in which men walk with God, personal holiness, or the way wherein God walks with men—the way of His providence, His dispensations.
The commendation is perfect. Now, in illustration of text— I. TO OUR CORRUPT EYES GOD’S WAY IS NOT ALWAYS PERFECT. Because—
We cannot always see the reason of it (Psa. 77:19). The Lord leads man he knows not where. We have to wait to know (Acts 10:17; John 13:6, 7).
It sometimes seems to forget the promises. We are ready to cry, as in Jer. 15:18, “Wilt Thou be altogether unto me as a liar?” Abraham went in to Hagar for this reason.
It sometimes goes cross to the promises, as when Abraham was commanded to offer up Isaac. See also Hezekiah (Isa. 38:1). The way in the wilderness is often crooked.
It runs at times seemingly quite contrary to the design of Providence. The Lord designs good, but disappointment after disappointment cross it more and more. Thus it was with Joseph when cast into the dungeon. Oftentimes Providence reads best backwards (Deut. 32:36). Sometimes—
It lays aside the most likely means (1 Cor. 1:23, 24; 2 Kings 5:11; John 16:6, 7). Sometimes—
It falls on means quite contrary to its design. As when clay was used to cure the blind. When the Lord heals by wounding (Rom. 8:28). Then—
Providence smiles though wicked men get the sunny side of the brae and walk contrary to God. This made Asaph stammer (Psa. 73:12–14, and Jer. 12:1, 2). But there is no fault in this (Psa. 92:7). See the end of all these things.
The good troubled (Eccles. 8:14). Job. But 2 Cor. 12:9, 10. And—
Great afflictions meeting the Lord’s people in the way of duty. This often Jacob’s case. II. BUT GOD’S WAY IS PERFECT. It is according to the pattern shown in the Word. Is suited to our need (Deut. 32:4). Is ever suited to the time. Is stable. (T. Boston. D.D.) The Word of the Lord is tried.—The Bible tested and triumphant:— Look at some of the severe tests to which the Bible has been subjected, and by successfully meeting which it has vindicated its claims to a Divine origin, and to universal human acceptance. I. THE BIBLE HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. Since the Sacred Canon closed, how many and how vast are the changes which have gone on among men. Hardly one of the ancient powers is to-day extant. How great have been the strides of human progress! Yet the science of salvation, as taught in the Bible, has needed no remodelling. The race does not outgrow the religion of the Bible. Compare the case of the Bible with the poems of Homer. The two works are, in a certain sense, corporaneous; critics have denied to the Bible any higher inspiration than that of human genius; and Greek poetry held among that ancient people very much the same place as did the sacred Scriptures among the Jews. Three thousand years ago the two works stood before the world on a comparative equality. How stands the case to-day? Homer is read as a model of epic verse and specimen of old Ionic Greek. The Bible is read everywhere as a transcript of the Eternal. II. THE TEST OF CRITICISM. Criticism, the most searching and severe to which any work has ever been subjected. A criticism often hostile. But the old Book has come out of it only purified. III. THE TEST OF PRACTICAL TRIAL. In the patent office are models of many beautiful machines that could not be worked. The Book will stand every practical test. It gives the solution of the great enigmas of the human soul, and provides the consolation for life’s dark hours, those hours of disappointment, adversity, sorrow, and bereavement which come so surely to us all. (B. B. Loomis, Ph.D.) The Word of the Lord commended to our faith by its being a tried Word:— A thing that has been tried is deemed all the more valuable on that account. A medicine which has been found on trial to be a sure remedy for certain kinds of disease is held in high estimation. It is thus that the Word of the Lord is commended to our high esteem. It is a tried Word. I. SCIENCE HAS TRIED IT. For though at first it denied, now it does homage to the Word of God. For example—
Geology. In its early development many facts were brought forward that seemed to bear hard on Scripture statements. Several years since the discovery was made, or was thought to be made, by perforating the successive lavas formed by the volcanic overflowings of Mount Ætna, that the earth must have existed, in its present form, at least fourteen thousand years. The discovery was published by Brydone, an English traveller in Sicily, and flew like light through Europe, and was seized upon by multitudes as furnishing complete evidence that the chronology of the Bible is false and the Bible itself untrue. But subsequent investigation has proved that the supposed discovery was based on an entirely false view of facts. At a later period the astronomical tables of India were supposed to furnish incontestable proof of a much higher antiquity belonging to our globe than is assigned it according to the writings of Moses. But these same astronomical tables were afterwards examined by the great French philosopher Laplace, and were demonstrated to be of comparatively modern date, and furnish not the slightest evidence against the Mosaic chronology. In like manner the variety of languages, and the diversity of colour and form which distinguish the different races of men, have often been urged with great confidence as disproving the account given in Genesis of the common origin of mankind. But the study of ethnography, or the classification of nations by a comparison of their languages, together with a better acquaintance with the natural history of man, has removed this objection, and shown to the satisfaction of the most competent judges that the human race sprang from a common pair. It is with science as it is with the human mind in youth, it is apt to be self-conceited and sceptical; but in its maturity it becomes humble, modest, and reverent of God’s Word. Hence, as Professor Hitchcock of Amherst College says in his Religion of Geology, “Every part of science which has been supposed, by the fears of friends or the malice of foes, to conflict with religion, has been found at length, when fully understood, to be in perfect harmony with its principles, and even to illustrate them.” II. TIME HAS TRIED IT. It is with the Bible as it is with its Divine Author: “One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” III. FRIENDS HAVE TRIED IT. For they have been all made such by the transforming and subduing power of the Word itself. Consider their numbers, and what it has done for them, and the circumstances under which they have made trial of it and never found it fail. IV. ENEMIES HAVE TRIED IT: by persecution; by laws directed against it; by ridicule; by philosophy, and by every means left at their command. Still the object of all these attacks remains uninjured, while one army of its enemies after another has passed away in defeat and dishonour. Though it has been ridiculed more bitterly, misrepresented more grossly, opposed more rancorously, and burnt more frequently than any other book, or perhaps than all other books united, it is so far from sinking under the efforts of its enemies that it is plainly gathering fresh strength from age to age, and the probability of its surviving until the consummation of all things is now far greater than ever. V. IT HAS BEEN TRIED IN ITS INFLUENCE ON INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER, upon society, and all the best interests of man. See what institutions it has founded for human good, and maintains them still. Hence learn—
There is no fear for the future. As nature’s answers are ever uniform and constant and true, so are those of the Word of the Lord.
It is a serious matter for any one to set himself “against” it. Voltaire said, “It has been the boast of ages that twelve men established Christianity in the world. I will show the world that one man can destroy it.” But where is Voltaire, or what did he accomplish of his impious boast? He lived long, and he worked hard and went down to the grave, cursing the horrid work in which he had spent his days.
Let us all prepare to meet the scenes which it tells us are yet before us: death, judgment, eternity. Prepare to meet your God, prepare, through His mercy in Christ, to meet Him in peace. For the time is at hand when all that He has said in His Word of the righteous and the wicked, and of heaven and hell, will be matter of experience, of personal unchanging experience to us all. (Joel Hawes, D.D.).
Exell, J. S. (1909). The Biblical Illustrator: The Psalms (Vol. 1, pp. 319–321). Fleming H. Revell Company; Francis Griffiths.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. (Lamentations 3:27)
This is as good as a promise. It has been good, it is good, and it will be good for me to bear the yoke.
Early in life I had to feel the weight of conviction, and ever since it has proved a soul-enriching burden. Should I have loved the gospel so well had I not learned by deep experience the need of salvation by grace? Jabez was more honorable than his brethren because his mother bare him with sorrow, and those who suffer much in being born unto God make strong believers in sovereign grace.
The yoke of censure is an irksome one, but it prepares a man for future honor. He is not fit to be a leader who has not run the gauntlet of contempt. Praise intoxicates if it be not preceded by abuse. Men who rise to eminence without struggle usually fall into dishonor.
The yoke of affliction, disappointment, and excessive labor is by no means to be sought for; but when the Lord lays it on us in our youth, it frequently develops a character which glorifies God and blesses the church.
Come, my soul, bow thy neck; take up they cross. It was good for thee when young; it will not harm thee now. For Jesus’ sake, shoulder it carefully.
Recently I wrote about “regret” … about the idea that we can and should “regret” our sin as in “repent,” but in the long term, God uses our sin for our good and His glory, so long term regret is pointless. So, I’m studying in Ephesians and I was looking at the text in chapter 1. Paul says that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3), and then starts giving examples. For instance, He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).
So I’m thinking about it. “Before the foundation of the world.” That would be … before Genesis 1:1. Genesis begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The foundations of the world. Before that … He “chose us in Him.” Think of that. Maybe the angels are standing around and God is making a list (Rev 17:8). Michael says, “Um … God … what is this list?” “What? Oh, the people I plan to save.” “But … there are no … what did you call them? … people.” “Oh, Michael … you’re so funny.” And God creates … everything … including people. “See, Michael?”
Your name, if you belong to Him, was already in that book … before Creation itself. But … wait. “Regret,” remember. So Michael says, “Oh, I see … You’re making them. Great! But … You plan to save them? From what?” You see, before the foundation of the world, your name was in the Book of Life. You were slated to be saved before there was anything to be saved from. And when did that necessity come into being? When Adam fell. God planned to save people for Himself before there were people or the need to save any. He planned for a “Christ” before any Christ was needed. If there had been no sin, God’s entire plan from the foundation of the world would have failed. And, no, a sinless world was not His plan. So when you think, “I may have messed up God’s plan for my life or the lives of those around me by my failure,” stop. He’s got this. He has always had it. He will always do what’s best. He cannot fail. And … you’re just not that influential to ruin His plans. He has no Plan B. He doesn’t need it.
The kingdoms of this world have been given over to the control of Satan but Satan exercises that control only under God’s sovereignty and for as long as God allows.
The Gospel of Luke describes one of the temptations of Jesus by Satan in the following words:
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve”’ (Luke 4:5–8).
Seeing that Jesus described Satan as “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44), was this a legitimate claim by Satan that he controls all the authority and glory of all the kingdoms of the world and gives it to whom he will? If so, who delivered all this to him? The answers are found in Genesis.
Adam’s God-given role
When God created the world, He stated that mankind would “have dominion” over God’s creation (Genesis 1:26, 28). The first man was Adam, and so Adam was head of the human race. God’s relationship to Adam was, in effect, that of Supreme Commander (God) to Executive Officer (Adam). And in the expression and demonstration of this relationship, God required Adam to obey one command that God had given him, i.e., not to eat from one specified tree in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:16–17).
Adam’s first task in his executive role was to give names to the animals that God brought to him “to see what he would call them” (Genesis 2:19–20). However, after Satan had persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam chose to do so also. As this involved disobeying God’s one command to him, Adam thereby surrendered and transferred his homage and allegiance from God to Satan, becoming in effect, Satan’s vassal. Since then, Satan has operated as “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), albeit within the boundaries that God has set for him (cf. Job 1:12; 2:6, Luke 22:31).
Under new management
Satan was therefore able to claim to Christ that the kingdoms of the world were now his (i.e., Satan’s), and that he gives them to whomsoever he wills, and Christ did not dispute or deny these claims. In fact, Jesus referred to Satan as “the god of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); and the Apostle Paul similarly wrote concerning Satan that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
So, is this relevant today in our 21st-century world culture? And if so, how?
We shall discuss this relevance with reference to the role of universities in the world, most of which began as ‘God-based’ ones. However, most have now rejected this raison d’être, and are now entirely secular and teach naturalism.1 And we will refer to the concept of ‘higher learning’ as the kingdom of academia.
The kingdom of academia
Most of the universities in Europe and North America were founded by Christian individuals or the Christian Church and proclaimed the Bible. Notable early universities for which this applied were those at Bologna (1088), Paris (1150), Oxford (1167), Cambridge (1209), Padua (1222), Naples (1224), and Edinburgh (1583), plus many others. Theology was regarded as ‘the queen of the sciences’, and instruction was usually in Latin.
Likewise, most of the renowned universities in America, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Columbia, Princeton, and Brown, were founded as religious institutions by various church denominations or ministers.
With the passing of time, and the long-since death of the founders of these places of learning, together with the emergence of long-ageism,2 most universities have abandoned their Christian heritage, and become bulwarks of secularism. As such, they now teach naturalistic theories such as evolution as fact, and the big bang as the creator of the universe.
Why? The answer brings us back to the quote from the Bible in our opening paragraph. Universities, with their teaching, research, and scholarship are components of the kingdom of academia. If Satan controls this kingdom and gives it to whomsoever he pleases, we should not be surprised to see non-believers in university positions of prestige, and in control of what is taught therein.
There are many educators and scientists who have been denied tenure or fired from their academic positions for their belief in the evidence of design in nature. This is because such a belief challenges the godless idea that life is a result of random chance and evolution. A number of such cases have been documented in the 2008 movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and Jerry Bergman’s book Slaughter of the Dissidents.3
God’s defeat of Satan
However, God has not lost ultimate control of His world, nor of the kingdom of academia. When Adam and Eve sinned, God’s word to Satan was: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This verse was God’s promise of the coming and ultimate victory of Jesus. It has been called the proto-evangelium, meaning ‘the first (or earliest) Gospel’. Concerning this verse, Charles Spurgeon wrote: “This is the first gospel sermon that was ever delivered upon the surface of the earth … with Jehovah Himself for the preacher, and the whole human race and the prince of darkness for the audience.”4
The Lord Jesus Christ is this promised “offspring” of Eve. He, the Son of God, came “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). When Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose again, He defeated Satan’s power over all who believe in Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote (concerning believers who are truly “in Christ”) that God has “forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). Satan’s accusations and claims of dominion are thus no longer valid against Christian believers, in the light of God’s forgiveness.
Christians, released from the power of Satan in their lives, are called to be light in the darkness (Ephesians 5:8). There are many Christian university professors and students, as well as Christian scientists, who are currently performing this mission (despite the opposition referred to above).
Published: 30 June 2025
References and notes
Naturalism (aka materialism): the philosophy that the natural world of matter and energy is (and potentially explains) all of reality. Return to text.
E.g., Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1830-1833), which paved the way for Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) and his The Descent of Man (1871). Return to text.
Dr. John Crotts explores the biblical foundation for perseverance of the saints and how it differs from passive views of salvation. He encourages believers to examine their lives honestly while resting in God’s promise to finish what He starts. This teaching offers motivation, humility, and assurance rooted in grace.
Was the Apostle John boiled alive, killed by enemies, or did he simply ascend to heaven? While the Bible remains silent, ancient traditions paint wildly different pictures of how the last living apostle met his end. Did a miraculous escape from boiling oil lead to the writing of Revelation, or was his death far more violent? Uncover the theories behind John’s final days and why what truly matters isn’t how he died, but what he lived for. Don’t miss this intriguing look into the compelling history of the apostle John! In this video, Pastor Nelson answers your question: How did the apostle John die?
I Repudiated These Advantages As Basis of My Righteousness before God
7, 8a. In the two preceding verses Paul has enumerated his superior advantages as a genuine Israelite, of noble birth, orthodox in his belief, and scrupulous in his conduct. By means of these advantages the apostle, in his pre-conversion period, had been “bleeding to climb to God.” But had it not been a case of
“Gaining a foothold bit by bit
Then slipping back and losing it”?
Worse even, for never at all had there been any real progress, no matter how hard he, Paul the Pharisee, had labored to establish his own righteousness. But on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians the great event occurred which changed his entire life. Christ, as it were, came down the stairs to him (read the gripping account in Acts 9:1–31; 22:1–21; 26:1–23). In a moment Paul saw himself as he really was, a deluded, self-righteous, damnable sinner. Then and there he embraced the One whom until now he had been persecuting with might and main. He became “a new creature.” In his mind and heart he experienced a complete turn-about, a sudden and dramatic reversal of all values. The cause which with every means at his disposal and with all the zeal of heart and will he had been trying to wipe out now became very dear to him. And also, those things which to Paul, the Pharisee, had seemed very precious became at this moment—and ever after remained—useless to Paul, the sinner, saved by grace; and not merely useless but definitely harmful. Writes Paul, Nevertheless, such things as once were gains to me these have I counted loss. Not that any of these things which he enumerated in verses 5 and 6, and other things like them, were bad in themselves. Quite the contrary. To receive the sign of the covenant is not bad in itself. It is, in fact, a blessing. And was it not a blessing to belong to that people to which the oracles of God had been entrusted? Orthodoxy, too, is in itself a good thing. So is zeal, and so certainly also is irreproachable conduct. Paul himself elsewhere informs us that he considers such things as these to be blessings (Rom. 3:1, 2; 9:1–5; cf. 11:1). They are blessings because they can be of inestimable value if properly used, namely, as a preparation for the reception of the gospel. But when these same privileges begin to be viewed as a basis for self-satisfaction and self-glorification, when they are regarded as a ticket to heaven, they are changed into their opposites. All these separate gains become one huge loss. This is Paul’s deliberate, considered judgment. He considered the gains, and counted them loss. And in that judgment he persisted, as is implied in the tense of the Greek verb. On his balance-sheet those things which once were included, one by one, in the column of assets have now been transferred to the column of liabilities, and have been entered as one gigantic liability. Note that the plusses have not become a zero (0), but have become even less than zero, that is, one colossal MINUS (−). “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Matt. 16:26; cf. Mark 8:36). The word loss which Paul uses here in verses 7 and 8, and nowhere else in his epistles, occurs in only one other New Testament chapter, Acts 27 (verses 10 and 21), in the story of The Voyage Dangerous. And it is exactly that same chapter which also indicates how gain may become loss. The cargo on that ship bound for Italy represented potential gain for the merchants, for the owner of the ship, and for hungry people. Yet, had not this wheat been thrown into the sea (Acts 27:38), loss, not only of the ship but even of all those on board, might well have been the result. Thus also, the advantage of being born in a Christian home and having received a wonderful Christian home-training, becomes a disadvantage when it is viewed as a basis upon which to build one’s hope for eternity. The same holds with respect to money, the charming look, a college education, physical strength, etc. All such helps may become hindrances. The stepping-stones will be turned into stumbling blocks, if wrongly used. When the question is asked, “Why was it that, in Paul’s considered judgment, these gains had become a loss?” the answer is for Christ, that is, for the sake of Christ; for, had Paul been unwilling to renounce his former estimate of these privileges and achievements, they would have deprived him of Christ, the one real gain (see verse 8). Paul continues, in a sentence that is almost untranslatable, Yes, what is more, I certainly do count all things to be sheer loss because of the all-surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. In verse 8 Paul strengthens his previous statement, and this in two ways. First, he underscores what was implied in the preceding, namely, that what he counted loss at the moment of his conversion he is still counting to be loss. It is as if he were saying, “On this subject no Judaizer will ever be able to change my mind.” Secondly, he now affirms that he considers not only the things mentioned in verses 5 and 6 to be a liability, a detriment, but also all other things that could stand in the way of fully accepting Christ and his righteousness. We may think of such matters as making too much of earthly possessions, delight in intimate fellowship with former anti-Christian friends, anticipation centered on even more brilliant prospects as a Pharisee, etc. All such matters and many more are nothing but sheer loss, and this because of—hence also in comparison with—the all-surpassingness, that is, the all-surpassing excellence or value, of “knowing Christ Jesus … Lord.” On the way to Damascus Paul had learned to know Jesus. Although there had been ample preparation for this knowledge—such as, Paul’s acquaintance with the Old Testament, the testimonies he had heard from the lips of the martyrs, their behavior under fire—, when it broke in upon the soul, the experience was sudden and dramatic. Prophecy and testimony began to take on meaning now. It was an unforgettable experience, that meeting with the exalted Christ, while, a moment before, the apostle had still been breathing threatening and slaughter against Christ’s Church, hence against this very Christ himself! Yes, he now saw and heard the actual Jesus, about whom he had been told so much. And he saw and heard him now as Christ Jesus … Lord, the name above every name (see on 2:9–11). And at the same time he here and now began to understand something of the condescending pity and tenderness of Christ’s great and merciful heart, a love poured out upon him, even upon Paul, the bitter persecutor! All this had occurred about thirty years ago. And during the period that intervened between the “Great Experience” and the writing of the present epistle to the Philippians, the joy of knowing, with a knowledge of both mind and heart (see on verse 10), Christ Jesus … Lord had been growing constantly, so that it outshone everything in beauty and desirability. Hence, Paul inserts a little word which makes “that beautiful name, that wonderful name, that matchless name” of Jesus even more adorable. He says “Christ Jesus my Lord.” What this appropriating my implies is better explained by Paul himself. Read Phil. 1:21; 4:13; Rom. 7:24, 25; 2 Cor. 12:8–10; Gal. 1:15, 16; 2:20; 6:14; Eph. 5:1, 2; Col. 3:1–4:6; 1 Tim. 1:5, 16; 2 Tim. 1:12; 4:7, 8. According to these passages Christ Jesus is much more than Paul’s Example and Friend. He is his Life, Lover, Strength, Boast, Rock, Rewarder, and especially as here, his Anointed Savior and Sovereign. As before the rising sun the stars fade out, and as in the presence of the pearl of great price all other gems lose their luster, so fellowship with “Christ Jesus my Lord” eclipses all else. And it is Christ himself of whom Paul is thinking, not this or that matter about Christ. Paul is in complete agreement with the poet who said, (not “What” but) “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none on earth that I desire besides thee” (Ps. 73:25). The apostle continues, for whom I suffered the loss of all these things. It was for the sake of his Lord and Savior that Paul had lost whatever was at one time very dear to him: pride of tradition, of ancestry, of orthodoxy, of outward conformity with the law, and of whatever else there had been on which he had formerly depended as gateways to the heavenly city. Moreover his attitude of having willingly suffered this loss has not changed at all. So he continues, and I am still counting them refuse. What the Judaizers prize so very highly, the apostle considers to be nothing but refuse, something that is fit only to be thrown to the dogs. The apostle is very consistent. Had he not, just a moment ago (see 3:2), called these dangerous enemies dogs? Paul, then, considers all these inherited privileges and human attainments, considered as merits, to be something that must be discarded as worthless leavings, abominable trash.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Philippians (Vol. 5, pp. 160–164). Baker Book House.
Netanyahu Sees New Opportunities for Hostage Release After Conflict Israel is reported to send one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisors to Washington this week for talks on ceasefire in Gaza. According to Netanyahu, new opportunities to release hostages have opened up after the war against Iran.
Trump working on proposal to free all hostages at once, exile Hamas leaders After demanding that Israel and Hamas immediately implement a plan to stop the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages, Trump has put forward a proposal that would liberate all of the captives and send Hamas leaders into exile, the Jerusalem Post reports. A US official told the Post, “We’re confident a deal can be reached.”
New Orleans is sinking—and so are its $15 billion flood defenses Parts of New Orleans are sinking at alarming rates — including some of the very floodwalls built to protect it. A new satellite-based study finds that some areas are losing nearly two inches of elevation per year, threatening the effectiveness of the city’s storm defenses. … a new study from Tulane University researchers suggests that sections of the region’s $15 billion post-Katrina flood protection system may need regular upgrades to outpace long-term land subsidence.
Syria moving towards normalization with Israel? Signs point to growing cooperation after war with Iran Benjamin Netanyahu intends to travel to Washington, D.C., in order to promote a hostage-ceasefire deal and normalization with Syria, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Friday. The report comes amid growing optimism in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that an end to the Gaza War could be near, along with a deal to release the remaining hostages.
A giant pulse beneath Africa could split the continent — and form an ocean Beneath the Afar region in Ethiopia, scientists have discovered pulsing waves of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth — a geological heartbeat that could eventually split Africa in two. The pulses aren’t random: they follow patterns shaped by the tectonic plates above,
For the First Time in 2,000 Years: Israeli Mill to Produce Semolina Kosher for Temple Offerings In a groundbreaking development with deep spiritual resonance, the Israeli milling company Shtibel has announced plans to produce semolina specifically kosher and pure for the Temple offerings—including the minchah (meal offerings) and the shtei halechem (Two Loaves) offering brought on the Festival of Shavuot.
Twelver Shi’a Islam, the Mahdi, and the Iranian regime’s existential war against Israel – Why Iran seeks to destroy the Jewish nation The Islamic Republic of Iran is a Shi’a Muslim government. While it is not the only Shi’a Muslim majority country, it is the only one with a Shi’a theocratic government based on the Islamic Revolutionary philosophy of its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It is also a government that has attempted to spread its political and religious ideology outward – to other Shi’a regions, to Sunni Muslim nations, and to the rest of the world as a means of ensuring the survival of its Islamic revolutionary philosophy. Most Shi’ites today are Twelver Shi’ites, believing in the return of the Hidden (12th) Imam, Many Muslims believe in the coming of the Mahdi, a messianic figure
The Iran-Israel war was short, the next one will not be The war between Iran and Israel has paused but not ended. In just twelve days, the long-simmering shadow conflict between these bitter rivals exploded into a direct military confrontation. The message is unambiguous: The Islamic Republic is not backing down. It seems that it will be more repressive at home and more aggressive abroad. The roots of the Iran-Israel June War are not related to geopolitics; Iran and Israel don’t have any territorial dispute. The roots are ideological (supporting the Palestinians and the destruction of Israel), which guarantees that more conflict lies ahead.
UK says new MI6 chief did not know her Nazi grandfather The British government said on Saturday that the incoming MI6 chief “neither knew nor met her paternal grandfather” Blaise Metreweli’s grandfather, dubbed “The Butcher” by his German commanders, boasted of taking part “in the extermination of Jews.”
Justice Kagan’s Own Words Come Back To Haunt Her On Nationwide Injunctions The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Trump v. CASA, Inc., released Friday, finally put the brakes on the reckless abuse of nationwide injunctions by lower courts—and has Democrats in full meltdown mode. The left’s favorite judicial weapon just got neutered, and the hypocrisy is impossible to ignore.
“EVERYONE’S BEEN SHOT UP HERE”: Arsonists Set Wildfire In Northern Idaho, Open Fire On Firefighters, Police In Ambush Shocking news just broke that multiple firefighters and officers were shot in an ambush at the Canfield Mountain Natural Area in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. According to North Idoha News, at 1:50 pm local time, multiple firefighters and law enforcement officers were shot in what has been described as a “planned ambush” while responding to a wildfire on Canfield Mountain, believed to have been intentionally set to lure first responders. Two armed suspects may still be at large. People in the Canfield, Little North Fork, or Bumblebee drainage areas should move to safety immediately. Local Sheriff: “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.
English Trucking Rule Takes Effect, Federal Probe Begins Of Sanctuary State Migrant CDL Pipeline Under the Biden-Harris regime, and with backing from rogue sanctuary states, thousands—if not tens of thousands—of non-English-speaking migrants have been granted non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), a decision now under intense scrutiny following a series of deadly crashes involving 80,000-pound big rigs, including a horrific incident in Austin, Texas, that left five Americans dead.
How Canada’s Digital Tax Exposes Brussels’ Globalist Playbook: A Trump Retaliation Now the cards are on the table. Amid the heated phase of trade talks with the U.S., Canada is introducing a digital tax that will burden American tech giants with billions in costs. In response, President Trump broke off talks with Ottawa and announced new tariffs. The former Governor of the Bank of England, a committed globalist and climate crusader, and following the spectacular failure of Justin Trudeau, the new enforcer of the European agenda in North America, has gotten himself entangled in a geopolitical game of va banque with the announcement of a digital penalty tax on foreign tech companies.
North Korea may send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says North Korea may deploy more troops to Russia as early as July or August to aid in its war against Ukraine, with recruitment efforts already underway for another wave of military support to Moscow, South Korean intelligence told lawmakers Thursday.
Powerful Video of Syrian Christian Woman Speaking from Site of Bombed Orthodox Church A powerful video of a Syrian Christian woman giving a moving speech at the site of the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church in Damascus has gone viral. Islamic suicide bombers attacked the church on June 22, killing over 20 congregants and injuring dozens more. Syrian officials attributed the attack to the Islamic State.
New COVID-Wave Scare-Campaign: A Massive Flop… Like the Marvel franchise, with its unlimited instalments and spin-offs, a new Covid scare campaign is underway in Australia. Like the Marvel franchise, the entertainment content exists largely to create demand for merchandise. Unlike most Marvel films, this latest virus fear-mongering drive is turning out to be a massive flop. The hook: There’s a new “highly contagious” Covid Omicron subvariant in town, catchily named NB.1.8.1. Sticking with time-tested tradition, health authorities, experts, and media are playing the ‘cases, cases, cases’ angle, as the latest variant “sweeps he nation: ” with what I calculate to be Australia’s twelfth Covid wave since the pandemic scare series kicked off in 2020.
DeepSeek faces ban from Apple, Google app stores in Germany Germany’s data protection commissioner has asked Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab and Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab to remove Chinese AI startup DeepSeek from their app stores in the country due to concerns about data protection, following a similar crackdown elsewhere.
The Orchestrated War? What The US-Iran-Israel Conflict Might Really Mean The United States bombed Iran’s nuclear sites. The world held its breath and braced for a third World War. Iran fired missiles at the U.S. and Israel. And then… silence. No further attacks. No civilian deaths. We immediately see a ceasefire agreed, and in a few days, peace talks will take place. It looked like the catalyst for global warfare. It felt like escalation. But what if the real story is about what didn’t happen?
A Grand Ayatollah In Iran Just Issued A Fatwa That Designates Donald Trump As An “Enemy Of God”, And That Normally Results In Execution One of the most important Shiite clerics in the entire world, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi of the Iranian holy city of Qom, has just issued a fatwa which officially declares Donald Trump to be an “enemy of God”. In Iran, those that are designated to be “enemies of God” under Islamic law are normally executed. According to an Iranian news source, the reason why Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has issued this fatwa is because Trump threatened Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other top Iranian leaders…
Conquered by Passport and Treaty: How Islam Is Outsmarting and Overrunning the West The West is being conquered not by bombs but by doctrine—through hijra, taqiyya, and “peaceful” jihad, Islam advances under the banner of coexistence, while our leaders—crippled by guilt and complicit in deception—crush those who dare speak the truth.
Islamic Communist Zohran Mamdani Funded by Shadowy David Hogg PAC Few realize that one of Islamic communist Zohran Mamdani’s largest backers was a little-known PAC called “Leaders We Deserve,” spearheaded by leftist, anti-gun antagonist David Hogg and Kevin Lata, Rep. Maxwell Frost’s (D-FL) former campaign manager.
“It is necessary for every American, with becoming energy to endeavor to stop the dissemination of principles evidently destructive of the cause for which they have bled. It must be the combined virtue of the rulers and of the people to do this, and to rescue and save their civil and religious rights from the outstretched arm of tyranny, which may appear under any mode or form of government.” —Mercy Warren (1805)
Assailant lays ambush, kills two firefighters: At 1:20 p.m. Sunday, a call was made about a fire on Canfield Mountain in Idaho. At 2 p.m., firefighters responding to the fire reported coming under sniper fire. Two firefighters were killed, and a third is still in the hospital. The suspected sniper was found dead with a gun nearby; currently, he is believed to be the only shooter. The fire was likely started by the assailant for the ambush, according to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris. Law enforcement located the shooter’s body by tracking his cellphone signal.
Birthright citizenship amendment: To “immediately put an end to this debate” on the question of whether citizenship rights are automatically conferred to children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) has introduced a constitutional amendment. Barr’s amendment would deny citizenship eligibility to children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens by clarifying the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction” clause. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, was intended to guarantee full citizenship rights to former slaves. Barr’s amendment provides three criteria under which a person born in the U.S. is granted citizenship status: their parents are U.S. citizens, aliens granted permanent legal residence, or legal aliens performing active service in the Armed Forces. While SCOTUS on Friday ruled in Donald Trump’s favor on nationwide injunctions tied to his executive order suspending birthright citizenship to children born to illegal aliens, the justices did not address the constitutionality of his order.
Senate advances OBBBA: The Senate advanced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Saturday. The narrow 51-49 vote was mostly along party lines, with two GOP defectors. Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis voted “No,” with Paul opposing the debt limit increase and Tillis opposing supposed cuts in Medicare funding for North Carolina. The 940-page bill advanced after President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune worked overtime Friday and Saturday to garner the necessary votes. Vance and Thune secured “Yes” votes from Senators Ron Johnson, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, and Cynthia Lummis in a deal late Saturday night. Per the deal, an amendment to limit the number of able-bodied adults on ObamaCare will be voted on before the final vote to advance the bill out of the Senate, expected tonight.
Tillis won’t seek reelection: North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who vote against advancing the Senate’s version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, announced over the weekend that he won’t seek reelection. The 64-year-old’s sudden announcement followed blowback from Trump, who blasted Tillis on social media and promised to support a primary effort against him. Tillis, a moderate, quickly threw in the towel, stating that it boiled down to a choice of “spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington” or with his family. “It’s not a hard choice,” he concluded. The two-term senator was also facing a tough reelection fight, both in the primary and, should he have prevailed, in the general election. While some are blasting Trump for damaging the Republicans’ chances of retaining control of the Senate, Tillis’s heart was clearly no longer in the job.
Navy upgrades name: SecDef Pete Hegseth has officially announced that the ship USNS Harvey Milk, named for a homosexual pedophile under the order of Barack Obama in 2016, will be renamed for World War II Medal of Honor recipient Oscar V. Peterson. However, as Mark Alexander notes: “Hegseth’s effort to undo this Obama/Biden DEI charade is admirable, but it is inexplicably why Hegseth’s staff would suggest OV Peterson, who was previously honored with the naming of the USS Peterson — an Edsall-class destroyer escort, launched in 1943 and decommissioned in 1965. There are 1,049 Navy and Marine Medal of Honor recipients, and about 180 Naval vessels of all sizes named for recipients. Hegseth should have selected one of the 870 other recipients.”
Grand Ayatollah issues fatwa against Donald Trump: If anyone needs reminding that Iran’s regime is and has been a longtime enemy of the U.S., Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, who is a former member of the Assembly of Experts for Constitution, issued a fatwa against Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The fatwa calls on Muslims of the world to kill both Trump and Netanyahu. Iran has launched multiple assassination plots against not only Trump but also other American political leaders, so in a sense, this latest action is simply par for the course for the Islamic Republic. What is telling is that Trump, as he observed, could have easily given the green light for the Ayatollah Khamenei to be eliminated, yet he refrained. Trump wants peace, while the regime in Tehran promotes more violence and terror, all in the name of Islam. And they insist it’s a “religion of peace.”
IDF kills Hamas cofounder in airstrike: There is more good news regarding Israel’s war with the Iranian proxy Hamas. Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa, one of the founders of the jihadi terrorist organization, was killed by Israel Defense Forces in an airstrike on Friday. The IDF noted that Issa had been instrumental in training for and planning the October 7, 2023, attack. “The IDF & ISA [Israel Security Agency] will continue to locate and eliminate all terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre,” a social media post concluded. Slowly but surely, Israel is destroying Hamas.
Border Patrol needs new hires: A wave of Border Patrol agents who joined the organization when it was formed in 2003 will likely retire by 2028, potentially leading to a shortage of agents. The Border Patrol employs nearly 20,000 agents and staff at ports of entry and along the country’s coasts. More than 4,000 agents quit under Joe Biden’s leadership due to his demoralizing effort to flood the nation with illegals. CBP’s Office of Field Operations is already short 5,850 customs officers. The situation is likely to worsen soon due to retirement protocols. Agents can retire at any time with 25 years of service, or after age 50 with 20 years of service. At 57, agents are required to retire, but they can return for one-year renewals until age 60. 2028 will mark 25 years since the creation of CBP, resulting in a large number of eligible retirees.
Mark Carney tosses tech tax to appease Trump: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ended the Canadian plan to tax U.S. technology companies in an attempt to resume negotiations toward a trade deal with the U.S. Trump ended negotiations with Canada last Friday over its insistence that it would proceed with the tax. The tax plan, known as the digital services tax, would have imposed a retroactive 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users, resulting in a $3 billion bill due at the end of June.
Headlines
Harvard hit with Title VI violation notice by Trump admin for handling of anti-Semitism (Fox News)
University of Virginia’s DEI-obsessed president resigns in disgrace (The Federalist)
Trump to announce TikTok buyer group in two weeks (Newsweek)
Given three chances, Zohran Mamdani won’t condemn calls to “globalize the intifada” (Daily Wire)
Look, you’re gonna be so proud of your country if I get in. You’re gonna be so proud of your president, and I don’t care about that. But you are gonna be so proud of your country, because we’re gonna turn it around, and we’re gonna start winning again! We’re gonna win so much! We’re gonna win at every level! … We’re gonna win with every single facet! We’re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning! And you’ll say, “Please, please, it’s too much winning! We can’t take it anymore! Mr. President, it’s too much!” And I’ll say, “No, it isn’t! We have to keep winning! We have to win more! We’re gonna win more! We’re gonna win so much!”
That was candidate Donald Trump on August 11, 2016, in Albany, New York, of all places. And, man, was that ever fun to revisit. See for yourself.
Trump was getting his Trump on, going full Trump, and Trumping things up as only he can. But in his wildest, wackiest, zaniest, big-dreamiest dreams, could even Donald Trump have envisioned a week like the one just past?
In around half a fortnight — that is, in around half the time it takes to run a tennis tournament at the stodgy old All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club — the man who just four years ago was assumed by the chattering class to be deader than a doornail politically enjoyed a series of consequential events and outcomes that are perhaps unrivaled in the 249-year history of our nation.
Let’s review: The Week That Was Trump began on Saturday night, June 21, with Operation Midnight Hammer, a precision bombing strike on Iran’s most impenetrable nuclear facilities — a strike whose boldness and secrecy have since caused the desperate Democrats to disgrace themselves in an effort to discredit it. The experts agree, though: The mission was a success, and Iran’s key facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan have been wrecked.
Moving on, Trump on Monday received a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court on third-country deportations, then brokered a remarkable ceasefire between Israel and Iran, thus ending the 12-day war.
He then headed off to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he was treated like a rock star amid having notched a huge funding win for the organization. Trump’s years-long efforts toward shared security costs have borne fruit, as all member nations except deadbeat Spain agreed to bump up their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Upon returning to the U.S., Daddy Trump then convened a meeting in the Oval Office to announce that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had brokered an end to the murderous 30-year Congo-Rwanda war and had hammered out a mineral rights deal with the Congo. This came as Pakistan — Pakistan — was nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On Friday, Trump achieved a key trade breakthrough with China, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said would ensure that vital rare earth materials would start flowing back to the U.S.
But that wasn’t the biggest news of the day — not even close. On Friday morning, the Supreme Court handed Trump a bookend win to his remarkable week with a resounding ruling against judicial tyranny and undemocratic nationwide injunctions.
And all this while both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ are trading at record highs, and gasoline prices are at a four-year summer low, and the Senate approved a key motion to advance his signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Any of these wins alone might constitute a good week for the executive branch. But taken together, I think it’s fair to call this unprecedented seven-day stretch One Big Beautiful Week.
Nate Jackson: Parents Beat Groomers 6-3 — It should have been a 9-0 ruling, but six Supreme Court justices ruled on Friday that parents do have the right to opt their children out of sex-cult indoctrination in schools.
Emmy Griffin: Bad Therapy Begins With Bad Instruction at Universities — One brave grad student exposes a Jesuit university’s “Human Sexuality” course and how she was trained to be an expert “critical theorist,” not a therapist.
Thomas Gallatin: World Ignores Anti-Christian Jihad in Nigeria — Over the last two decades, Islamists in the African nation have waged a murderous campaign of terror against Christians while the West largely ignores the massacre.
Roger Helle: ‘Forgive and Forget’: Part II — My former NVA enemy became my friend. What are you carrying that has burdened you down for years? Isn’t it time to let go, forgive, and be forgiven?
Trump Is on a Roll — Michael Smerconish explains why President Trump just had a very consequential two weeks.
Are There Jobs That Americans Won’t Do? — Steve Green points out that only illegal aliens will do the jobs that Americans won’t do FOR THOSE WAGES and UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS.
The History of Pride Month and Ties to Italian Mafia — How New York’s Genovese crime family ran the infamous Stonewall Inn — an illegal, filthy, mafia-run gay club — and how a 1969 police raid sparked the riots that would later evolve into today’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
“There’s so much mis- and disinformation out there. There’s so much noise.” —California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a consummate purveyor of mis- and disinformation now promoting himself as a fact-checker
Yellow Journalism
“Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights.” —Associated Press headline (If by “gender-affirming” they mean “gender mutilation,” then yes.)
“Killings in Arizona and Minnesota shine light on the crisis of Christian extremist violence.” —headline of MSNBC opinion blogger Ja’han Jones
Weird Flex
“Democrats are very orderly. They’re almost too orderly for fascism.” —former MSNBC host Joy Reid
Non Compos Mentis
“I’m not happy that the Iranian government would treat women differently or disrespectfully. I’m also not happy about the disrespectful nature of how American women are treated here. … We don’t have moral high ground.” —former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner
A Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day
“We should ban cellphones in every K-12 classroom in America.” —Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin
Upright
“When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too.” —Justice Amy Coney Barrett in the SCOTUS decision on universal injunctions
“We will not dwell on Justice Jackson’s argument, which is at odds with more than two centuries worth of precedent, not to mention the Constitution itself. We observe only this: Justice Jackson decries an imperial Executive while embracing an imperial Judiciary.” —Amy Coney Barrett
Bad Day to Be a Mullah
“As postbellum realities now simmer in Iran, the theocracy is left explaining the inexplicable to its humiliated military and shocked but soon-to-be-furious populace. All the regime’s blood-curdling rhetoric, apocalyptic threats against Israel, goose-stepping thugs, and shiny new missiles ended in less than nothing.” —Victor Davis Hanson
Peace Through Strength
“Trump understands that a superpower doesn’t act terrified when threatened. Others should be terrified of us.” —David Harsanyi
Belly Laugh of the Day
“The strikes were a stunning success, not only from a military perspective but also in the context of Trump’s unyielding commitment to female empowerment and inclusive equity. Despite the fact that women are notoriously inept behind the wheel of an automobile, Trump didn’t think twice about trusting a female B-2 pilot to carry out the daring strike and deliver a crippling blow to one of the most toxically masculine regimes on Earth.” —Washington Free Beacon humorist Andrew Stiles
For the Record
“We’ve had 46 years of the Iranians destabilizing the region, killing Americans. We’ve had 46 years of their proxies holding terror against Israel, against Iraq, against the people of the Middle East. So, no, they don’t want peace.” —former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
“After decades of debate … the United States has devastated the illicit nuclear weapons program of a terrorist regime that chants ‘death to America’ on a daily basis — without a single American casualty … and with a quick post-strike ceasefire to boot.” —Josh Hammer
“Leftists enjoy a simpatico relationship with Islamic jihadists, so killing them angers those who are part of the unholy Red-Green alliance…just look at who is supporting Hamas on our streets.” —Allen West
Political Futures
“Net-zero carbon emissions are a pipe dream that politicians have used to exert greater social and economic controls. It is simply a ruse to deceive people into believing that eschewing fossil fuels in the name of saving the planet is a moral good.” —Thomas Gallatin
“One thing has become clear: The young revolutionaries of the Democratic Party are ready to take control of their party’s future. And there’s hardly anyone left to stop them.” —Ben Shapiro
ON THIS DAY in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, granting the Yosemite Valley to California “for public use, resort, and recreation.” Yosemite National Park was created 26 years later.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic’s Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
After the 12-day war against Israel is now focused on freeing the hostages and ending the war in Gaza, but trouble with Iran may be far from over. Two firefighters are dead, and a 3rd is wounded after an ambush in the mountains of northern Idaho, Debate continues in the Senate. President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts package. In Pakistan. Monsoon rains and flash floods killed at least 46 people and injured dozens. While the majority of central Asia is Muslim more young people are becoming Christians despite the danger. We take you now to Antioch missionary church in Houston, Texas to see how history is repeating itself. An enslaved man started the church after Juneteenth when news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Texas. A very unusual soccer match in China. Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in Beijing Saturday night. In a 3- on- 3 soccer match powered entirely by artificial intelligence.
SACRAMENTO, CA — Sources close to Gavin Newsom say that the California governor is launching a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom for ruining his political career.
According to Newsom, Newsom has taken every possible opportunity to sabotage his political career and ought to pay for it in a court of law.
“Gavin Newsom has caused incalculable damage to my political career with his incompetence, corruption, and scandals,” Gavin Newsom told reporters. “That’s why I’m now suing him for ruining my chances of political advancement. What an absolute jerk that guy is. He must be held responsible for sabotaging my governorship with his irresponsibility during COVID, idiotic executive decisions, and blatant disregard for Californians’ well-being.”
Sources say that the governor’s lawsuit against Gavin Newsom will be one of the largest career advancement cases in California legal history.
“If he wins, Gavin Newsom could owe Gavin Newsom millions for lost income and career opportunity,” said Harold Blanc, a California attorney. “And with good reason, too — Gavin Newsom has completely wrecked Governor Newsom’s shot at the presidency.”
At publishing time, Gavin Newsom had responded to Newsom’s lawsuit against him by going through old episodes of Gavin Newsom’s podcast and giving them thumbs-down.
These British police officers are keeping the streets safe from dangerous weapons.
Ultraprocessed foods make up 43% of American grocery purchases, with lower-income households buying significantly more despite their association with numerous health risks
Research links ultraprocessed food consumption to 32 health conditions including heart disease, obesity, sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and metabolic dysfunction
These products damage your health through alterations, chemical additives, and packaging that leaches endocrine-disrupting chemicals into the food itself
Higher consumption creates a dose-dependent health risk. Each additional serving increases chances of developing chronic diseases and metabolic problems
To improve health, minimize linoleic acid (LA) intake, rebuild gut health with whole foods, eat healthy carbohydrates, and shop wisely by choosing real food
Ultraprocessed foods are designed to be cost-efficient, convenient, and addictive, but unfortunately, not many people are aware of their effects. According to research, majority of the purchases made by consumers nowadays are ultraprocessed foods and drinks.
Ultraprocessed Foods Flood American Groceries and Stomachs
A study published in Public Health Nutrition analyzed nationwide grocery scanner data to reveal how much ultraprocessed foods are making their way into American homes, and which groups are most affected. Pulling data from 59,939 households that collectively scanned 33,054,687 products during 2020, the researchers were able to identify the purchasing habits of consumers across the United States.1
A snapshot of consumer demographics — The population sample included a broad range, representing all U.S. census regions, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. What stood out was that purchases weren’t evenly distributed — lower-income households and those with less education bought a significantly higher share of ultraprocessed foods.
The study pulled back the curtain on the quantity of purchases — It’s mostly packaged, ready-to-eat products that have been heavily refined, stripped of nutrients, and pumped full of additives. Across the entire population, 43% of all scanned items were classified as ultraprocessed. Broken down further, 48% of all foods and 38% of all beverages fell into this category.
The worst offenders —Sodas topped the ultraprocessed list with a shocking 90% while mixed dishes and soups came in at 81%. Meanwhile, sweets and snacks followed at 71%. Minimally processed categories like fruits and vegetables only accounted for about 12% of all purchases. In other words, real food is being pushed away.
Not all demographic differences were as dramatic as income and education — When sorted by ethnic groups, non-Hispanic White households purchased slightly more ultraprocessed foods than Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and other households.
However, these differences were marginal — generally under 3%. So, while income and education clearly play a dominant role, cultural factors appear less influential at the national level.
The COVID-19 pandemic influenced consumer habits — In 2020, lockdowns and fear-based messaging about the COVID-19 virus led to fewer grocery trips, shifting consumers toward shelf-stable foods and a spike in at-home eating.
These conditions were tailor-made for ultraprocessed foods. They’re cheap, have a long expiry date, and require little to no preparation. But these short-term conveniences have long-term costs on public health.
Disadvantaged groups are bearing the brunt — Lower-income and less-educated households are more vulnerable to chronic disease. In other words, the very groups that need better food the most are the ones being flooded with the worst options.
To shift the trajectory, the solution isn’t just education — it’s reforming what’s offered in the first place and making real food affordable for everyone. Still, being aware is a good first step. Recognizing how Big Ag and its allies engineered and manipulated the food supply allows you to see the signs and not fall for their traps.
Eating Ultraprocessed Foods Puts You at Risk for 32 Conditions
The featured Public Health Nutrition study outlines just how much ultraprocessed food is found in many households across America. Now, a study published in The BMJ shows the implications of eating these products for your health.2
Researchers evaluated the impact of ultraprocessed food consumption on human health by reviewing 45 published meta-analyses involving 9,888,373 participants worldwide. Specifically, they sought to determine how strong the connection is between eating ultraprocessed foods and developing chronic illnesses, mental health problems, and dying earlier than expected.
Your risk for chronic diseases increases in a dose-dependent manner — Ultraprocessed food consumption showed strong associations with worsening health outcomes throughout the reviewed database. Essentially, the higher the proportion of ultraprocessed food in the diet, the worse your health will become. This held true whether someone was dealing with obesity, cardiovascular problems, anxiety, depression, or didn’t have any of those conditions.
A closer look at the numbers — The study found “convincing” evidence that eating more ultraprocessed foods is linked to a 50% increase in the risk of dying from heart-related causes, but that’s not all the researchers found. They noted that each time you increase your servings of ultraprocessed foods, your risk for developing other chronic diseases increases:
“Across the pooled analyses, greater exposure to ultra-processed foods, whether measured as higher versus lower consumption, additional servings per day, or a 10% increment, was consistently associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes (71% of outcomes).”3
Eating ultraprocessed foods puts you at risk for dozens of health issues — The researchers uncovered evidence linking ultraprocessed foods to a whopping 32 conditions, such as obesity, sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and respiratory problems like wheezing:
“Overall, direct associations were found between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 (71%) health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes.”4
Ultraprocessed foods erode your metabolic health — The study also highlighted patterns of health deterioration linked to ultraprocessed food consumption. For example, strong correlations between ultraprocessed food consumption and metabolic dysfunction, including insulin resistance, and obesity, were noted.
What makes ultraprocessed foods damaging — The researchers pointed out that the synthetic nature of ultraprocessed foods is dangerous to your health:
“The adverse health outcomes associated with ultra-processed foods may not be fully explained by their nutrient composition and energy density alone but also by physical and chemical properties associated with industrial processing methods, ingredients, and by-products.
Firstly, alterations in the food matrix during intensive processing, also known as dietary reconstitution, may affect digestion, nutrient absorption, and feelings of satiety. Secondly, emerging evidence in humans shows links between exposure to additives, including non-sugar sweeteners, emulsifiers, colorants, and nitrates/nitrites, and detrimental health outcomes.”5
Your gut microbiome is compromised — Ultraprocessed foods are loaded with additives, emulsifiers, and preservatives not found in nature and were never part of the human diet. Unsurprisingly, these products wreak havoc on your gut health:
“A recent review of experimental research found that ultra-processed weight loss formulations composed of ostensibly balanced nutrient profiles but containing different additives, including non-sugar sweeteners, may have adverse effects on the gut microbiome — which is thought to play an important function in many of the diseases studied here — and related inflammation.”6
The packaging is also part of the problem — Ultraprocessed foods are usually wrapped in materials that leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like phthalates and bisphenols into the food.
These compounds mimic hormones and disrupt the body’s endocrine signaling, affecting everything from mood to metabolism to reproductive health. It’s not just what’s in the food you need to worry about — it’s also the other chemicals the food absorbed by the time you eat it.
Taken together, these mechanisms eventually take a toll on public health, leading to increasing rates of chronic disease. The more (and longer) you eat ultraprocessed foods, the more your core biological processes break down — gut microbiome, mitochondrial function, hormonal balance — are affected. Therefore, the most obvious path is ditching these mass-produced goods for real, whole foods.
Take Control of Your Diet to Restore Your Health
Ultraprocessed foods are everywhere, and most people don’t even realize how much they’re eating. Grocery stores are purposely laid out to push these products, and food companies spend billions on advertising to keep you hooked. But once you understand how these foods damage your health, it’s easy to stop the assault on your system. That said, here are my recommendations to optimize your health:
1. Minimize your intake of linoleic acid (LA) — If you’re eating out, grabbing snacks, or using store-bought sauces, you’re likely consuming too much LA. This fat lurks in vegetable oils like soybean, canola, sunflower, and safflower. When you eat foods cooked in LA, they accumulate in your fat stores and leak toxic breakdown products that harm your cells. I recommend removing vegetable oils from your pantry and avoiding any product with “vegetable oil” or its related ingredients on the label. Instead, cook with tallow, ghee, coconut oil, or grass fed butter. It’s also wise to track your LA intake using an app like Food Buddy in my Health Coach, which is coming out this year. Keep it down to less than 5 grams a day, but if you can lower down to less than 2 grams, that’s even better.
2. Rebuild your gut health — Ultraprocessed foods destroy gut integrity by disrupting your microbiome and wearing down your intestinal barrier. I recommend you build and diversify your gut bacteria by slowly reintroducing whole fruit with pulp and fibrous veggies. If you have compromised gut function, start drinking blended fruit juice (with pulp), as this provides your gut bacteria with the necessary nutrients they need to flourish. Then, you can slowly progress to real fruits and vegetables. For a more in-depth look at doing this properly, read “How Juicing Affects Your Gut and Oral Microbiome.”
3. Eat healthy carbohydrates to heal your gut — In relation to the point above, I recommend eating healthy sources of carbohydrates to reduce your endotoxin load. These are poisonous byproducts that certain gut bacteria release when your microbiome is out of balance, especially when you eat ultraprocessed food. Start slowly by introducing whole fruits, well-cooked root vegetables, and small amounts of well-tolerated cooked starches. If your gut health is compromised, avoid raw greens and high-fiber grains until your gut is in top shape.
4. Your guide to healthy gut function — Optimal gut health creates a strong foundation for the rest of your body. To know if you’re on the right path, here are five good indicators, according to Ashley Armstrong:
Regular bowel movements (one to three times daily)
Minimal bloating or discomfort
The ability to digest a wide variety of food
Good energy levels
Proper nutrient absorption
5. Shop the perimeter and ignore the noise — Grocery stores are set up to trick you. The outer perimeter is where you’ll find actual food — fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy. The middle aisles are a minefield of boxes, bags, and bottles engineered to hijack your appetite.
When you shop, start with real ingredients. If you don’t recognize every word on a label, skip it. You’re not buying “food.” Take back your food freedom by choosing products that don’t need a label at all.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ultraprocessed Foods
Q: What are ultraprocessed foods and why are they harmful?
A: Ultraprocessed foods are industrial products made mostly from substances extracted or derived from food, plus chemical additives. They’re stripped of nutrients, loaded with vegetable oils, additives, preservatives, and emulsifiers, and they’re engineered to be addictive. Regular consumption is strongly linked to chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, and obesity.
Q: How much of the typical American diet is made up of ultraprocessed foods?
A: According to nationwide grocery data, 43% of all purchased food and beverages are ultraprocessed. Lower-income and less-educated households buy the highest share, often out of necessity or convenience.
Q: What are the long-term health risks of eating ultraprocessed foods?
A: Eating more ultraprocessed food increases your risk of dying from heart disease by 50% and raises your chances of developing diabetes by 12% with every 10% increase in consumption. These foods are also linked to 32 other health issues, including cancer, poor sleep, respiratory problems, anxiety, and metabolic dysfunction.
Q: How do these foods damage your body beyond just poor nutrition?
A: The damage goes far deeper than missing nutrients. Additives and emulsifiers disrupt your gut microbiome, packaging chemicals disrupt your hormones, and the food structure itself overstimulates your metabolism. These factors work together to create inflammation, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial stress that weaken your overall health.
Q: What steps can I take to avoid ultraprocessed foods?
A: Start by removing vegetable oils and processed snacks from your home. Rebuild your gut with whole fruits, healthy carbs, and cooked vegetables. Track your LA intake and aim for less than 5 grams a day (less than 2 grams is the ideal range). In addition, shop wisely by avoiding anything with unrecognizable ingredients. Remember — real foods are better for your health.
(Bill O’Reilly) Let’s talk contracts here. Social contracts. If you are an American citizen who pays taxes you are owed certain things. That’s the agreement the Constitution memorializes, that the feds and states are obligated to take shielding actions on your behalf.
First and most important, protection from people and nations that might hurt you. That’s what the Iran thing is. Violent extremists getting nuclear capability. The U.S. federal government cannot allow it especially with the 9/11 legacy. Apparently, isolationists don’t understand the contract. Danger is to be mitigated.
Next, the Guard and Marines to Los Angeles. The President believed the Governor of California and the LA Mayor would not protect citizens and property during the “No Kings” demonstration. So, Mr. Trump provided federal help, which the LA police chief needed because he said his force was “overwhelmed” by violent protesters. View article →
Truth2Freedom's Blog 