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
Our uncharitableness towards our brethren, and unpeaceableness with our relations, neighbors, and friends, and perhaps injustice towards them.
I have been very guilty concerning my brother; Genesis 42:21(ESV) for I have not pursued what makes for peace or for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19(ESV)
I have been ready to judge my brother and to despise him, forgetting that I must shortly stand before the judgment seat of God. Romans 14:10(ESV)
Contrary to the royal law of love, I have boasted and been arrogant, have been rude and insisted on my own way; I have been irritable, have rejoiced at wrongdoing, 1 Corinthians 13:4-6(ESV) and been secretly glad at calamities. Proverbs 17:5(ESV)
I have been conceited, provoking others, envying others, Galatians 5:26(ESV) when I should have considered how to stir up others to love and good works. Hebrews 10:24(ESV)
And if in anything I have transgressed and wronged my brother, 1 Thessalonians 4:6(ESV) if I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hastened to deceit, Job 31:5(ESV) and if any spot has stuck to my hands, Job 31:7(ESV) Lord, discover it to me, that if I have done iniquity, I may do it no more. Job 34:32(ESV)
Nehemiah 6:15-7:73 In this week’s studies, we see how Nehemiah responded when the wall was finally completed.
Theme
Consolidating and Preparing
Yesterday, we said that the first thing Nehemiah did after the wall was completed was give glory to God.
Second, as Nehemiah reports his achievement, he does not allow success to blind him to his continuing problems. Or, to put it another way, he does not pretend that his success was greater than it was. Many people do this. They are so pleased with their success that they will not admit any failures or imperfections. Nehemiah does admit them. In fact, chapter 6 ends with a record of letters Tobiah sent to intimidate Nehemiah (vv. 17-19).
We are probably not able to understand fully what is going on in this report. But we can tell that it is at least a realistic admission by Nehemiah of his continuing problems. Tobiah had been a source of opposition all along. His opposition was particularly troublesome for three reasons: 1) he was a Jew, like Nehemiah; 2) he had profitable trading agreements with the wealthier classes in Jerusalem (this is what the words “under oath” seem to refer to); and 3) he was linked to the wealthier Jewish families by marriage. When we remember that it was these very families which had been oppressing the poor and which Nehemiah had forced to back down, return what they had extorted, and abandon their policies, we can understand how these people might well have continued to resent Nehemiah despite their public change of heart, and how Tobiah might have had strong allies in them. These people were all no doubt drawing together, planning for the day when they would have the upper hand in Judah once again.
Does this apply to us? It does indeed. We live in a sinful and wicked world and our calling to live and work for the Lord Jesus Christ in that world is never ended. We need to remember that, especially when we have achieved some important objective.
In the seventh chapter of Nehemiah we come to another list of names similar to the list of the builders of the wall in chapter 3. But this list is even sparser in information than the earlier one. In fact, it is really only a census from the archives. We know this because it is almost identical to the list found in Ezra 2.1 Now that the wall has been built, Nehemiah is going to turn his attention to repopulating and revitalizing the city. So his census is a follow up on his first effort as well as a preparation for what is to come.
How do we study this chapter? Since it contains more than just the census, I suggest that these additional elements are the clue to understanding it. The three actions described consolidate the work and prepare for the coming revitalization of Jerusalem.
1Although they contain virtually the same names and groupings, the two lists are nevertheless not identical. The total of individuals is the same: 42,360 (Ezra 2:64; Neh. 7:66). But the individual items add up to different and contradictory totals: 29,818 in Ezra and 31,089 in Nehemiah. The text says nothing about this. For the most part, the opinion among scholars and Bible students is that errors have slipped into the text through copying, due to the special difficulty of understanding and reproducing numerical lists. For a discussion of these problems, see Derek Kidner, Ezra and Nehemiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 43; and Howard F. Vos, Bible Study Commentary: Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987), 36, 115.
Study Questions
What is the second thing Nehemiah does—actually, does not do—following his success? How do we know?
Who was Tobiah and why was his opposition to Nehemiah particularly troublesome?
Application
Application: What work has the Lord given you to do, such as in the realms of family, vocation, and in the church? Do you faithfully labor in these areas, in both good times and challenging ones?
Key Point: We live in a sinful and wicked world and our calling to live and work for the Lord Jesus Christ in that world is never ended. We need to remember that, especially when we have achieved some important objective.
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “God’s Blessings on the City.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
Sometimes we pull through a time of real difficulty and can only marvel at the narrow escape we had. According to Alexander Henderson’s advice though, the feeling of relief should not hold us back from reflecting closely on the details of the experience, because it is in these little things that we will be able to see all the more clearly the care that God continually shows to His people. All the complex interacting and interweaving factors in the situation were being managed and arranged by God and recognising this will only increase our thankfulness and the glory we give to Him. Alexander Henderson bases his remarks on the incident in Matthew 14 where Peter was saved from drowning when the Lord Jesus put out His hand and caught him. In the following updated extract, Henderson explains how it honours the Lord to notice the details of His deliverances.
When the wind became boisterous, Peter did not have enough faith to be able to walk on the water any more, for through the weakness of his faith he began to sink. Yet he had enough faith that when he did begin to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately the Lord answered his prayer, and sent him an immediate deliverance, in such a way that Peter would know it was from Himself. Yet at the same time He rebukes Peter for the weakness of his faith, which made him waver so much that although at first he would attempt to walk on the water, now he begins to sink.
In Peter’s deliverance, there are four or five things to observe.How great it was — Peter was on the water, and the wind was boisterous.
How timely and opportune it was — just when he was beginning to sink.
How obvious Christ’s work in it was — He stretched out His hand and caught him.
How closely related it was to Peter’s prayer — in fact, it was a real answer to Peter’s prayer. “Peter cried, ‘Lord, save me!’ and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.”
How clearly it shows free grace. Peter’s unbelief and doubting was the lead that made him sink, but free grace was the rock that lifted him out. So the deliverance was a free deliverance, not from his merit, but contrary to his demerit.
Since 2016, Lighthouse Trails has been sending out topical booklets (usually two-three times a year) to a growing list of pastors and Christian leaders. On Friday, September 26th, Lighthouse Trails will be sending out our second mailing of 2025 to Christian leaders and pastors with U.S. addresses. Our current list has around 1100 names. If you would like your pastor or a church leader to begin receiving these free mailings, please send the name and a valid U.S. mailing address to us at editors@lighthousetrails.com. The names and addresses on this list will remain confidential and not be given or sold to anyone. Please note, if you are sending a church address, we need a mailing address (which is not necessarily a street address). Many churches do not have a mail receptacle on location (and thus those envelopes are returned to us, and we are charged a fee).
In this September 2025 mailing, we will be mailing out the following two booklets:
Note: These mailings cost you or your pastor nothing. However, if you would like him to receive, in addition to this current batch and future batches, some of the booklets we have sent out previously, you might wish to purchase one of our 15-booklet Pastors Packs. If you do buy any of those packs, you can put your pastor’s name in the ship-to section of the online check-out of our store or our mail-in form. We will send you the receipt and send him the pack(s). Your name will not be included unless you request it. Your name will also remain anonymous if you e-mail us to add your pastor’s name to the free booklet mailing list.
E-mail us at editors@lighthousetrails.com if you would like to add a pastor or leader’s name to our free mailing list. Please e-mail names by September 22nd if you would like them to be added to this upcoming mailing.
For our readers’ information, below is a list of the booklets we have sent out so far:
2016 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling is a Dangerous Book (Smith) 5 Things You Should Know About Contemplative Prayer (Yungen) Rick Warren’s Dangerous Ecumenical Path to Rome (Oakland) Setting Aside the Power of the Gospel for a Powerless Substitute (Dombrowski) Is Your Church Doing Spiritual Formation? (Editors)
2017 The Shack and It’s New Age Leaven (Smith) Yoga and Christianity: Are They Compatible? (Lawson) A Serious Look at Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer (Yungen) The New Missiology: Doing Missions Without the Gospel (Oakland) Shack Theology: Universalism, TBN, Oprah, and the New Age (Smith)
2018 Israel: Replacing What God Has Not (Oppenheimer) D is for Deception: The Language of the “New” Christianity (Reeves) Mindfulness: What You May Not Know and Should Have Been Told (Kneas/Putnam) Lectio Divina: What is it, What it is Not, and Should Christians Practice it? (Editors) A Course in Miracles: The New Age Book That is Redefining Christianity and Fooling the World (Smith) Oprah Winfrey’s New Age “Christianity”: Neale Donald Walsch, “God,” and Hitler (Smith) The Jews: Beloved by God, Hated by Many (Pearce)
2019 Eugene Peterson’s Mixed Message: Subversive Bible for a New Age (Smith) The New Evangelization From Rome or Finding the True Jesus Christ (Oakland) Transgenderism and Our Children (Kneas/Putnam) The Dangerous Truth About the Social Justice “Gospel (Danielsen) The Big Picture: How the World and the Church Are Being Deceived (Smith) Dominionism, Kingdom Now, and What Does the Bible Say? (Oppenheimer) The New Age, Meditation & the Higher Self (Yungen) Butterfly Illusions (Reid) Broken Vessels for Christ (Ironside)
2020 The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception? (Putnam) Critical Race Theory, Southern Baptist Convention, and a Marxist “Solution” That Will Not Work (Editors) S is for Social Justice: The Language of Today’s Cultural “Revolution (Danielsen) Three Vital Questions on Navigating Discernment (Ironside/Proctor)
2021 The Titanic and Today’s Church – a book (Smith) Six Questions Every Gay Person Should Ask (Michael Tays Carter) Yoga: Exercise or Religion—Does It Matter? (Yungen) Beth Moore & Priscilla Shirer: Their History of Contemplative Prayer (Lanagan)
2022 The Chosen Series: 10 Critical Concerns (Editors) Drugs, Meditation, & “A Fully Developed Spirituality” (Dombrowski) All for One and Theft for All—The Fallacy of the Social-Justice Movement (Teichrib) Calvinism, Catholicism, or Blessed Assurance: Which One Will It Be? (Dombrowski) My Conversion and My Journey Out of “the Holiness Movement” (Ironside)
2023 An Epidemic of Apostasy: How Christian Colleges Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited (Editors) Global Revival or Global Deception: 10 Critical Warnings From the Titanic to the Church (Smith) 10 Scriptural Reasons Jesus Calling Is a Dangerous Book (Smith) The Cross and the Marijuana Leaf (Nathan) Israel: A Burdensome Stone to the Nations and the Apple of God’s Eye (Oppenheimer) The Truth About Energy Healing (Yungen)
2024 Neglecting to Test the Spirits (Dombrowski) The Chosen and the Bible (SRN)
2025 Overlapping Narrative for a False Christ (Smith) Richard Rohr, His Cosmic Christ, and Young Evangelicals (LT Editors)
(photo from istockphoto.com; used with permission)
Today, we’re talking about having purpose in life.
An article published in The Washington Post described how many modern teens feel with its title: “AIMLESS AT 18? NORMAL.”
In fact, author R.M. Harrington described the purposelessness common among modern teenagers, writing, “Directionless teens walk the night streets where the only people who intervene are those with a lust to further exploit their loneliness.”
So, why do so many youths today seem to lack purpose?
The answer is that they aren’t looking for their purpose in GOD. The pleasures, wealth, and influence they pursue are just “fool’s gold” — pretty, but of no lasting value.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us God’s purpose for life: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
In the end, life’s purpose is really found in knowing and serving God.
And what else should we know about life’s purpose? We’ll discuss that another time.
Carl Kerby is the founder of Reasons for Hope and co-creator of the DeBunked apologetic video series. His radio feature, Fast Facts, is heard weekly on VCY America, Saturdays at 9:25 AM Central.
But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (13:13)
Returning to the temporal, to the Christian’s earthly life, Paul mentions the three greatest spiritual virtues: faith, hope, and love. Actually faith and hope are encompassed by love, which “believes all things,” and “hopes all things” (v. 7). Because faith and hope will have no purpose in heaven, where everything true will be known and everything good will be possessed, they are not equal to love. Love is the greatest of these not only because it is eternal, but because, even in this temporal life, where we now live, love is supreme. Love already is the greatest, not only because it will outlast the other virtues, beautiful and necessary as they are, but because it is inherently greater by being the most God-like. God does not have faith or hope, but “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Gifts, ministries, faith, hope, patience, all one day will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning. But in that perfect day, when we see our Lord “face to face,” love will for us be just beginning. But our showing love, practicing love, living love now are of utmost importance, more important than having any of the other virtues or gifts, because love is the link God gives us with His eternal Self.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1984). 1 Corinthians (pp. 366–367). Moody Press.
13 In a temporal sense, the words “and now” can mean that faith, hope, and love continue “now, at this moment,” to be succeeded later by something else. This, however, is out of context with the preceding verses. Rather, “and now” introduces a conclusion; namely, “and now, there are faith, hope, and love—they, to be sure, remain now and forever.” By faith and hope remaining in eternity Paul means that trust (pistis) in the Lord begun in this life will continue forever and that hope in the Lord begun now (Rom 8:24, 25) will expand and issue into an eternal expectation of his perfect plan for our eternal existence with him (cf. Rev 22:3–5). Paul has alluded to a special faith in v. 2; now he expands it into an ongoing eternal faith and hope in an eternal God. Love is the greatest of these three graces because through faith love unites the Christian personally to God (1 John 4:10, 19) and through God’s love (Rom 5:5) we are enabled to love one another (John 13:34, 35). Love is communicating grace and identifies us as children of God (John 13:34, 35; 1 John 4:8, et al.).
Mare, W. H. (1976). 1 Corinthians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 270). Zondervan Publishing House.
Now remain faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. Paul returns to the word love that was mentioned last in verse 8a but which remained in the background all along. Next to this term he places faith and hope, so that these three virtues form a well-known triad that occurs frequently in the New Testament. The first word in this verse, “now,” can mean either “for the moment” or “therefore.” The first explanation relates to time and the second to logic. The preceding verse features adverbs of time, “now” and “then,” so that the temporal aspect fits the context of verse 13. But in the light of Paul’s discourse, he differentiates the triad of faith, hope, and love from the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge. These gifts are set aside and cease, but the three virtues remain. Hence it is apparent that Paul wrote a logical conclusion to this chapter and not merely a temporal description of the present age. However, the verb in the first clause of verse 13 is difficult to interpret: “So faith, hope, love abide.” Does the verb signify that this triad of Christian virtues extends from the present into eternity? The Scriptures teach that faith and hope pertain to the present age, but they cease when faith becomes sight (2 Cor. 5:7) and hope becomes reality (Rom. 8:24). Saving faith in Jesus Christ comes to an end, but another aspect of faith, namely, trust in him, remains forever; similarly, hope in Jesus Christ is timeless (see 15:19). Faith and hope are intimately linked, so that where there is faith there is hope. We interpret the three virtues of faith, hope, and love to endure without end, for they are present in both time and eternity. Accordingly, it is impossible not to recognize a temporal element in the word now of verse 13, yet the logical connotation predominates. Why is love the greatest virtue in the triad? We note that in this entire chapter Paul extols the characteristics of love but makes faith and hope subservient to love (v. 7). We presume that the triad was well known in the early Christian church. Indeed, Paul twice alludes to these three virtues in this chapter (vv. 7, 13). Paul singles out love but sees no need to explain the attributes of the other two virtues. For him, love is basic because of God’s eternal love for his Son and through him for his people (Eph. 1:5–6). In both his Gospel and first epistle John echoes the same truth: God is love (e.g., John 3:16; 1 John 4:7–8, 16). In time and eternity the concept love remains foundational in divine-human relationships. Will the saints in glory extend the virtues of faith, hope, and love? Scripture is silent on the life hereafter, which in itself contains a warning not to speculate. Yet we know that God does not set aside the three virtues he has given the individual believer. Love for God and trust in Christ continue to endure in eternity.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, pp. 470–471). Baker Book House.
I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?Isaiah 51:12-13
Let the text itself be taken as the portion for today. There is no need to enlarge upon it. Trembling one, read it, believe it, feed on it, and plead it before the Lord. He whom you fear is only a man after all; while He who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the creator of heaven and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very limited danger.
“Where is the fury of the oppressor?” It is in the Lord’s hand. It is only the fury of a dying creature; fury which will end as soon as the breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we stand in awe of one who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonor our God by making a god of puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to him excessive fear as well as by paying him inordinate love. Let us treat men as men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in the path of duty, fearing the Lord and fearing nobody else.
“…when you unapologetically stand for Christ and the truth of His Word, you will not only face a full frontal attack from the world, you’ll also risk being stabbed in the back by those you thought were comrades in arms.
Dealing with and responding to those attacks – that’s what spiritual warfareis. Not this modern, ridiculous, NAR-inspired version of “binding” Satan and bellowing commands into the air as though you have the power and the authority to boss the devil around (Even Michael the archangel wouldn’t go there.). We’re called to be good soldiers of Christ Jesus, not the Commander.
As good soldiers in the Lord’s army (yes sir!) real, biblical spiritual warfare is being protected and prepared in the spirit to righteously and courageously walk out biblical truth on the battlefield of whatever tangible circumstances God has placed you in.”
After reading this, one of my Facebook followers had a question about spiritual warfare that I thought others might be wondering about, too. Here are her question and my (edited for The Mailbag) answer to her:
Can we, in Jesus’ name, order the devil out of our house?
Is it OK to rebuke Satan, order him out of your house, or even talk to him at all? No.Tweet
Is it OK to rebuke Satan, order him out of your house, or even talk to him at all? No. That is an unbiblical belief and practice of the heretical New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. No passage of Scripture teaches us to do that, and it is not spiritual warfare as taught by the Bible. Rather, Scripture tells us:
Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.Jude 8-10
And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”Zechariah 3:2
For context, it would probably be helpful to give the entire book of Jude a good study, but, simply put, “these people” verses 8 and 10 of Jude mention are basically the same sort of people you’ll find practicing NAR beliefs today. “Relying on their dreams,” rejecting the authority of Scripture, and blaspheming God every time they attribute false doctrine and fake “signs and wonders” to Him. People, who, in their spiritual arrogance, think they have the authority to bind and rebuke Satan, drive him out, etc., along with all the other typical NAR beliefs that go hand in hand with that – supposedly speaking things into existence, performing “miracles,” making “trips to Heaven,” and so on. That’s who verses 8 and 10 are talking about. Verse 9 provides a contrast to them, saying that even Michael, the mightiest archangel who stands in the very presence of God, would not dare to do such things. He left the rebuking of Satan to the Lord. The point of the passage is that, if Michael wouldn’t even rebuke Satan, then we definitely shouldn’t. That’s God’s place, not ours.
If the archangel Michael wouldn’t even rebuke Satan, then we definitely shouldn’t. That’s God’s place, not ours.Tweet
The simplest and best way to approach this issue is to keep all your focus on Christ and let Him deal with whatever you think might be the devil or demons.
If you find yourself in a difficult situation, or feeling tempted to sin, or feeling scared or whatever the case may be, God’s way is not for you to turn your mind to wondering if it’s a Satanic (or demonic) attack or what you should say to him to rebuke him. God’s way is for you to turn your mind completely in the other direction – to Christ. We know this because this is what the entirety of Scripture teaches. Pray and ask God to help you resist temptation, or not to feel scared, or to help you through the difficult situation. Praise Him. “Count your blessings” by thanking Him for all the ways He has blessed you. Worship Him and sing to Him. Memorize Scriptures that comfort and help you, and recite them. That’s what Scripture teaches us, and that’s God’s prescription for any situation you face. The rest of that stuff is just the false, unbiblical teaching of man.
If you’re in a church where Christians are “rebuking Satan” or constantly talking about it, and they’re not being corrected by the pastor and elders, the church you’re in is probably not doctrinally sound. I have never visited or been a member of a doctrinally sound church where this was an issue (unless someone asked about it to correct a friend who believed it or something like that), but I’ve visited plenty of wayward churches where it was an accepted or encouraged practice.
Not sure where your church stands? I would encourage you to go to my Searching for a new church? tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. Begin studying the “What to look for in a church” section, and see if your church matches up. If it does, great! I would suggest making an appointment with your pastor to get some guidance on this issue of rebuking Satan. If it doesn’t, you may need to scroll up on that page to the church search engines and begin looking for a new, doctrinally sound church to join.
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (8:24)
Here Jesus went beyond the self-righteousness and worldliness that damns to the ultimate issue—unbelief. Repeating His warning from verse 21, Jesus declared that those who reject Him will die in their sins because they refuse to believe that I am He. The Lord’s use of the absolute, unqualified phrase I am (the pronoun He does not appear in the Greek text) is nothing less than a direct claim to full deity. When Moses asked God His name He replied, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), that is the same phrase (egō eimi) Jesus used here (the Septuagint similarly uses egō eimi of God in Deut. 32:39; Isa. 41:4; 43:10, 25; 45:18; 46:4). Jesus was applying to Himself the tetragrammaton (YHWH, often transliterated as Yahweh)—the name of God that was so sacred that the Jews refused to pronounce it. Unlike many modern cult groups (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), the Jews of Jesus’ day understood perfectly that He was claiming to be God. In fact, they were so shocked by His use of that name, in reference to Himself (cf. vv. 28, 58), that they attempted to stone Him for blasphemy (v. 59). Unmistakably, the Lord Himself says that those who reject Him cannot be saved, but will die in their sins. To be a Christian one must believe the full biblical revelation about Jesus: that He is the eternal second person of the Trinity, that He entered space and time as God incarnate, that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that His death on the cross is the only sufficient, substitionary sacrifice for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him, that He rose from the dead and ascended to the Father in heaven, that He now intercedes for His own redeemed people, and that He will one day return in glory. To reject those truths about Him is to “be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3), to worship “another Jesus” (v. 4), to be cursed by God (Gal. 1:8–9), and ultimately to hear the Lord say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). The word unless introduces the only hope of escape from God’s wrath and judgment on sin. R. C. H. Lenski notes,
The sins of these men will destroy them by robbing them of life eternal only if they refuse to believe in Jesus. The “if” clause [in the KJV] is pure gospel, extending its blessed invitation anew. Yet it is again combined with the warning about dying in sins. This note of warning with its terrifying threat persists because these Jews had chosen the course of unbelief. Yet the “if” opens the door of life in the wall of sin. (The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel [Reprint; Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1998], 614)
Persistent unwillingness to believe the truth about Jesus Christ, by its very nature, precludes the possibility of forgiveness, since salvation comes only through faith in Him (3:15–16, 36; 6:40, 47; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9–10; Gal. 3:26; 1 John 5:10–13). Those who continue in unbelief, refusing to embrace in faith all that Jesus is and has done, will die in their sins and be lost forever (cf. 3:18, 36; Heb. 2:3). And apart from the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, no one can be saved. Therefore believers are commanded to go to the world and preach Christ to everyone (Mark 16:15–16; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 348–349). Moody Press.
Democrats Get Amnesia on Party’s History of Political Violence Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, frauds like former president Barack Obama disingenuously claim that “we don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.” In reality, we do know – and we know that his killing is just the latest manifestation of Democrat-induced political violence that has been a mainstay in our country since 1856. That was the year Democrat Representative Preston Brooks attacked and nearly killed Republican Senator Charles Sumner on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
Trump announces 3 ‘terrorists’ killed in second US strike on Venezuela-based drug traffickers President Trump announced Monday that the US military had carried out a second strike against purported drug traffickers from Venezuela in international waters. Three “male terrorists” were killed, Trump announced on Truth Social. “The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S,” the president added.
Six NFL teams don’t pay tribute to Charlie Kirk as others hold moments of silence Seven home teams around the NFL held moments of silence for Charlie Kirk on Sunday, but the Bengals, Lions, Colts, Vikings, Steelers and Ravens did not. Kirk, who was 31 years old and a conservative activist, was assassinated on Wednesday while speaking at an on-campus event at Utah Valley University. During the games Sunday, the Jets, Cardinals, Dolphins, Saints, Titans, Chiefs and Cowboys all held moments of silence for Kirk before their respective opening kickoffs, while the Steelers had flags at half-mast, according to multiple reports.
Parents Testifying Before US Senate, Saying AI Killed Their Children Parents of children who died by suicide following extensive interactions with AI chatbots are testifying this week in a Senate hearing about the possible risks of AI chatbot use, particularly for minors. The hearing, titled “Examining the Harm of AI Chatbots,” will be held this Tuesday by the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, a bipartisan delegation helmed by Republican Josh Hawley of Arkansas. It’ll be live-streamed on the judiciary committee’s website.
Nations harboring terrorists ‘don’t have sovereignty’ Netanyahu says, ‘Every country has right to defend itself’ “We stand in a time of immense challenges, the aggression of Iran and its terrorist proxies, those who chant ‘Death to America, death to Israel’ – and they are not chanting it by accident – because they see Israel as the front line of American civilization here in the Middle East.” Referring to combined strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Netanyahu said the strikes were “a message to the entire world that the United States acts to defend its interests and defend its allies.”
Hamas Moves Hostages Above Ground to be Used as Human Shields intelligence reports reveal that Hamas has strategically moved Israeli hostages above ground in Gaza City as part of a calculated effort to restrict Israeli military operations and exploit civilian casualties for international sympathy. This disturbing development represents one of the most egregious violations of international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict.
Democrats Must Stop the Death Wishes The brutal public assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was truly horrible. Because of the ubiquity of smartphone cameras, graphic footage of the shooting was immediately available all over the internet—as was the public celebration and justification of the murder by thousands and thousands of individuals. If we can hope for any good coming from the terrible murder of Charlie Kirk, it ought to be a movement to stop openly expressing hate for each other and openly wishing for or celebrating their deaths. This is a major problem for liberals.
Arab-Islamic Summit draft urges review of ties with Israel after Qatar strike Arab and Muslim leaders are weighing steps to downgrade relations with Israel following its strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, according to a draft statement seen by AFP. The meeting in Doha produced a joint declaration that has not yet been released publicly. However, the draft calls on states “to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people, including by … reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.” The language reflects a coordinated push by participating states to demonstrate solidarity after what they described as an unprecedented Israeli operation in Doha.
FBI investigating social media accounts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of Kirk assassination The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating social media posts by at least seven different accounts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, according to three people familiar with the investigation and screenshots obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The posts—one of which referenced the date of Kirk’s assassination, September 10, more than a month before it took place—were all deleted in the days following the killing. Several of the accounts appear to belong to transgender individuals, and at least one of them followed suspect Tyler Robinson’s roommate, with whom Robinson was allegedly in a relationship, on TikTok. While the posts do not establish that any of the individuals knew or conspired with Robinson, the 22-year-old gunman who allegedly shot Kirk, several of them mention the conservative activist by name and fantasize about his death.
Arab leaders secretly pleased to see Hamas destruction and Qatar humiliation Publicly, Arab leaders have condemned Israel’s recent airstrike in Doha that targeted senior Hamas officials. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others issued strong statements denouncing the attack as a violation of sovereignty and international law. However, behind closed doors, the regional response is more nuanced—and in some cases, quietly supportive. Many Arab countries see the weakening of Hamas—and the sidelining of Doha’s influence—as a net gain for regional stability.
Trump to Hamas: If Hamas is using hostages as human shields, all bets are off “I have just read a News Report that Hamas has moved the hostages above ground to use them as human shields against Israel’s ground offensive,” Trump wrote. He added, “I hope the Leaders of Hamas know what they’re getting into if they do such a thing. This is a human atrocity, the likes of which few people have ever seen before. Don’t let this happen or, ALL ‘BETS’ ARE OFF. RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES NOW!”
IDF invasion of Gaza City erupts as Palestinians report tanks in heart of the Strip The IDF invasion of Gaza City erupted late Monday night, The Jerusalem Post can confirm. Palestinian reports said that IDF tanks had entered the heart of the city in scenes and levels of war not seen in northern Gaza in possibly two years. After weeks of increasing air force strikes on Gaza City, including bringing down an increasing number of tall multi-story buildings, it seems the IDF has finally reached the tipping point for a larger scale ground invasion.
Striking Hamas Leaders in Qatar Is 100% Legal Under International Law Here are just a few of the absurd reactions from world leaders in the wake of Israel’s stunning strike on Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar, last week: A “blatant violation of international law.” A “violation of sovereignty.” A “flagrant breach of international law.” France, Spain, the UK, the Qataris themselves, and others have joined in the hysterics. Yet all these sloganizing leaders have one thing in common: an astonishing and total ignorance of actual, international law.
Large increase in funding to US schools from Arab sources, little transparency on its aim, report says “Donations from Arab states have quietly flowed into American universities,” according to research from Jewish Virtual Library. Funding for U.S. universities from Arab states, institutions and donors has increased significantly in the past five years, and there isn’t enough transparency about the sources of that financial support, according to a report from Jewish Virtual Library, which the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise publishes. Arab governments, organizations and individuals have donated some $14.6 billion to U.S. colleges and universities, with a third of that funding coming since 2020, since 1981,
Israeli tanks seen in Gaza City streets as heavy airstrikes trigger mass exodus After days of demolishing towers and mass flight ahead of Israel’s planned ground push, Palestinians report drones, gunships and artillery unleashing 37 strikes in 20 minutes, triggering a mass exodus; blasts felt as far as central Israel
President Trump Rightly Recognizes: For Most Of U.S. History, The Bible Was An Indispensable Part Of Education Despite the fraudulent “separation of church and state” narrative that communists and radicals used to hijack and de-Christianize American education, President Donald Trump vowed that prayer would be protected in government schools. He also pointed out — correctly — that for most of U.S. history, the Bible was an indispensable part of education. Speaking at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., last week, Trump unveiled a broad plan to restore religion’s place of prominence in America, along with reverence for God’s Word. Dubbed the “America Prays” initiative, the president asked a million Americans to commit one hour per week to praying for the country and its people.
Cutting Through The Controversy: Is The ‘September Rapture’ Hype or Hope? It’s with a bit of trepidation that I address the buildup of excitement regarding the possibility of the Rapture occurring on September 23 or 24, 2025, during the Feast of Trumpets. … most of us who are excited about the possibility of a September Rapture are not saying it will happen during this year’s Feast of Trumpets. We avoid date-setting and agree that it’s wrong to do so. … this month’s UN activities have unmistakable implications in terms of Bible prophecy. There’s already been a vote with the wide majority of nations favoring the recognition a Palestinian state, which would divide the Land that God gave to the descendants of Jacob.
“Be Warned, We Are Hunting You”: Trump Unleashes Second Attack On ‘Narcoterrorists’ Near Venezuela With Venezuela President Maduro stating the country is readying for an “armed struggle”, President Trump has unleashed hell on a second vessel ferrying drugs from Venezuela, confirming his determination to proceed with attacks. “BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!
The CDC Needed A Thorough Housecleaning The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was created to serve with that same urgency — to protect Americans from infectious disease through science, transparency, and rapid response. But what the public got instead during the pandemic was an agency more obsessed with narratives and control than with saving lives. During the pandemic, the CDC didn’t just make mistakes — it fundamentally betrayed its mission. Consider just a few of the documented failures.
New Bill Could Punish Lenient Judges Following Charlotte Train Stabbing The legislation, called the JAIL Act and introduced Friday by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., comes in response to the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Fine said the bill is designed to hold judges accountable for failing to protect the public from repeat offenders. The bill would allow civil penalties on judges who fail to impose bail on repeat offenders who go on to commit violent crimes. “As promised, I just introduced the JAIL Act to hold corrupt judges accountable for releasing repeat offenders back onto our streets,” Fine wrote on X.
Energy Secretary Wright Says U.S. Will Expand Uranium Reserve As Nuclear Enters “Rapid Growth” Phase Just moments after we noted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing a US-UK nuclear deal on Monday ahead of Donald Trump’s state visit, aiming to show “a golden age of nuclear”, and about 3 weeks after we inconspicuously pointed out that Centrus Energy was getting extremely cozy with the Trump administration, the Trump administration’s top energy official today said the US should expand its strategic uranium reserve to reduce reliance on Russia and bolster confidence in nuclear power.
Trump’s UK state visit could push PM Starmer’s government over the edge Is Great Britain on the brink of a Trump revolution? The president’s visit to the United Kingdom this week coincides with signs Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is crumbling. The British right, meanwhile, is showing new signs of vigor. Up to 150,000 people flocked to London last weekend for the hard-right activist Tommy Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally.
Democrat candidate for Melissa Hortman’s Minnesota House seat said he wants to ‘8647now’ In June, Lee wrote on his personal Facebook page, “Tuck Frump #8647 now.” In another post, he said, “86 47 #NoKings #Abolish ICE.” The phrase “86 47” is widely viewed as a call for assassinating President Donald Trump. “If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant? That meant assassination. And it says it loud and clear,” Trump said after former FBI Director James Comey posted an image of a shell formation that spelled out “86 47.”
Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near the coast of Kamchatka, Russia A strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake struck near the coast of Kamchatka, Russia, on September 15, 2025. The USGS reported a depth of 24.5 km (15 miles). This event is considered an aftershock of the major M8.8 tsunami-generating earthquake on July 29, 2025.
At least 19 tornadoes reported as severe storms hit North Dakota At least 19 tornadoes were reported in North Dakota on Sunday, September 14, 2025, as severe storms brought 50–150 mm (2–6 inches) of rainfall and widespread flooding across the south-central region. Tornadoes were also reported in South Dakota and Kansas.
Proof That At Least 6 Radical Leftists On Social Media Knew In Advance That Charlie Kirk Would Be Assassinated It appears that a lot of people had advance knowledge of the plot to kill Charlie Kirk. In fact, quite a few of them seemed to know that the assassination attempt would specifically take place on September 10th. As word of what Tyler Robinson was planning to do got around, some of the people that were aware of what was going to happen just couldn’t resist bragging about it on social media. Of course, now they are prime suspects as law enforcement authorities attempt to find everyone that was involved.
“Block Everything” causes severe civil unrest in France; who are they? France is in a state of severe civil unrest, with “Block Everything” protesters using violence and blockades to paralyze the country’s infrastructure, including roads, railways and airports. It appears to be an anarchist movement, much like the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement was.
President Trump Rightly Recognizes: For Most Of U.S. History, The Bible Was An Indispensable Part Of Education Despite the fraudulent “separation of church and state” narrative that communists and radicals used to hijack and de-Christianize American education, President Donald Trump vowed that prayer would be protected in government schools. He also pointed out — correctly — that for most of U.S. history, the Bible was an indispensable part of education.
Oct. 7 documentary initially pulled from Toronto film festival wins prize A documentary about a retired Israeli general’s efforts to rescue his family during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre won the People’s Choice Award for best documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, after being initially pulled from the lineup.
The “Pivotal” Month Of September Has Truly Been A “Turning Point” In World History I was recently reminded that as we were getting ready to enter September, I described it as a “pivotal” month. I got to thinking about that, and I decided to look up the definition of “pivot”. According to Vocabulary web site, to pivot “is to turn or rotate, like a hinge”. I found that to be very interesting, because events have certainly taken a significant “turn” this month, haven’t they? In fact, many are referring to the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a major “turning point”, and that also happens to be the name of the organization that he founded.
It’s A Crisis! A Whopping 67 Percent Of American Workers Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck In 2025 When two-thirds of all the workers in your entire country are just barely scraping by from month to month, you have got a major crisis on your hands. For a long time, our standard of living has been going down, and the middle class has been shrinking. But in recent years, those two trends have accelerated. We have now reached a point where it takes 5 million dollars to live the American Dream for a lifetime. Needless to say, the vast majority of the population will never come close to making that sort of money. But most Americans continue to strive to live a middle-class lifestyle, and as a result, most people are teetering on the brink of financial disaster in this day and age.
“The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” —George Washington (1796)
Were others involved in Charlie Kirk’s assassination?: Tyler Robinson is Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, and the case against him seems to be a slam dunk. In addition to Robinson, the FBI is now examining at least seven online accounts that appeared to have foreknowledge of the assassination. The FBI will need to track down these accounts, identify the users behind them, and then determine if there is evidence that suggests involvement. Some of the posted messages suggested something might happen on the 10th and then celebrated Charlie’s death afterward. For now, nothing is certain; the FBI’s job will be separating ghoulish jokesters from those with actual foreknowledge.
Is there a TikTok deal? With another deadline looming for Donald Trump’s postponed enforcement of congressional legislation to ban or find a buyer for the Chinese-controlled social media platform TikTok, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that a deal with Beijing may be imminent. Trump appeared to confirm this with a Truth Social post noting that trade negotiations with China were going well, also stating, “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save.” Regarding the negotiations, Bessent stated, “Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask.” However, he added, “We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.” It will be interesting to see if a deal for selling TikTok is finalized. If not, will Trump act to shut down the app, or will he postpone it once again?
Leftmedia leaves out key detail about bomber terrorists: Over the weekend, two men were arrested in Salt Lake City and charged with terrorism, along with possessing weapons of mass destruction and explosive devices. The two individuals had set a firebomb under a local Fox affiliate vehicle, which thankfully failed to ignite. Both men were arrested at their residence located in Magna, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. And based on the mainstream media’s reporting, that was about all the information that was shared. However, key details were left out, such as the fact that these two not only clearly expressed anti-Trump views, including yard signs and flags at their residence, but they were also of Pakistani origin, with the older man being a naturalized U.S. citizen. That seems like important information.
U.S. takes out another Venezuelan drug boat: Donald Trump announced another kinetic strike on “positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists” yesterday alongside video of the event. Three male drug traffickers were killed in the strike. The strike in international waters off the coast of Venezuela is the second this month that demonstrates the U.S.‘s altered approach to curbing drug trafficking. Trump warned those transporting deadly drugs into the U.S., “WE ARE HUNTING YOU.” The president also noted in a public statement that cartels moving drugs overland are going to receive similar treatment, saying, “We’re going to be stopping them the same way we stopped the boats.”
Israel launches ground invasion of Gaza City: The Israeli Defense Force has launched a ground offensive against Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip. According to an Israeli official, this action is a transition into “the main phase of the plan for Gaza City” with the IDF “moving deeper toward the center” of the city. This action comes after Israel’s strike in Doha, Qatar, in which senior members of Hamas were targeted. Israel is keeping up its campaign to eliminate Hamas and get its remaining 48 hostages back. Meanwhile, the Leftmedia continues to falsely frame Israel’s war efforts as a “genocide.” Observing this latest action, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “We think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen. … We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go.”
Lisa Cook wins appeal, will stay on at the Fed for now: The DC Circuit Court of Appeals sided in a 2-1 decision with Lisa Cook on Monday, saying she had not been given proper notice of her removal and could only be removed “for cause.” Judge Bradley Garcia, a Biden appointee, and Judge J. Michelle Childs, a Obama appointee, agreed that Cook had a material interest in her position on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and that she was due “some kind” of process before her removal. Judge Gregory G. Katsas, a Trump appointee, dissented, arguing that President Trump had fired Cook “for cause” over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud. The Trump administration is now expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Americans question the “need” for the Federal Reserve: A growing number of Americans have become disillusioned with the Federal Reserve, with many wondering why it even exists. A recent YouGov poll found that just 52% of Americans trust the Fed “a lot or a little,” while 48% don’t or are unsure. Cato Institute research fellow Jai Kedia observed, “Ending the Fed means you’re ending the U.S. dollar.” Therefore, “Any plan that requires ending the Fed would require a serious, very careful deliberation on what to do with the dollar.” Some economists suggest that rather than eliminating the Fed a better option would be to implement one of two existing economic rules: the Taylor Rule, which would mandate raising the interest rate when inflation is above 2% and lower it when it falls below, and the other is the Nominal GDP rule, which ties the raising or lowering of the interest rate to the targeted GDP.
Planned Parenthood teaches kids to avoid gender-bending safeguards: Planned Parenthood has launched “gender-affirming care” lessons online for kids as young as 13 that provide a step-by-step guide to “change their gender.” The “Sex Ed To-Go” program is free and available in both English and Spanish. The lessons downplay the dangers of puberty blockers, which can render users permanently infertile, and claim that GAC reduces depression and suicidal thoughts. It also teaches kids to “test” those around them for anti-LGBT views and avoid interacting with those people. It describes a “good therapist” as one who only affirms the child’s chosen gender identity. Kids are taught to seek out specific clinics that provide “hormones without extra gatekeeping.” In short, Planned Parenthood is teaching kids to permanently alter their bodies without hearing dissent at any stage in the process.
Headlines
World’s smallest violin: Joe Biden is struggling to cash in on his presidency (Wall Street Journal)
Trump advocates that companies stop reporting earnings on a quarterly basis (CNBC)
Trump files $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times (Associated Press)
Liberals more likely to say political violence sometimes justified: Poll (The Hill)
Audit supports Trump’s claims of fraud at U.S. African development grant program (Washington Times)
In the wake of its host’s brutal assassination last week, The Charlie Kirk Show had a guest host yesterday — Vice President JD Vance. The Veep delivered a powerful monologue in honor of his personal friend, posing serious questions and challenges for the nation to consider in the days ahead.
One of Vance’s central themes was tackling the idea of unity. Joe Biden spent four years pretending to foster unity while actually fomenting division and hatred, beginning with his Inaugural Address and continuing through that infamous disgraceful anti-MAGA tirade in front of the ominously red background.
The Democrats spent the last decade calling Donald Trump (and sometimes his supporters) Nazis, fascists, and, as Biden liked to repeat, the “greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War.” It was all projection.
We know all too well what the Left’s vision of “unity” is — submit to their cultish dogmas … or else. Charlie Kirk spoke courageously against the Left’s corrupt and amoral creed, and he paid for it with his life, leaving a wife and two young children to pick up the pieces.
Vance was having none of the Bidenesque phoniness.
He began the show by acknowledging the “extremely hard” days for our country, him and his family personally, and “most of all, for [Charlie’s] darling wife, Erika, and their two beautiful children.” He spoke of how many people “owe something to Charlie,” including him — “If it weren’t for Charlie Kirk, I would not be the vice president of the United States.”
He talked about Kirk’s faith in Christ and how important that was in shaping everything he did. He reflected on what a dedicated husband and father Charlie was. “[Erika] said to me that Charlie never raised his voice, that he never cussed at her, that he was never cross or mean-spirited to her,” Vance recalled. “I took from that moment that I needed to be a better husband and I needed to be a better father.”
Indeed, if more Americans took from Kirk’s death that example while rejecting the false narrative and fabricated smears against him, we’d all be better for it.
He was, by all accounts of the people who knew him, a good man. He was anything but the racist misogynist portrayed by the Leftmedia. And he certainly didn’t deserve execution for voicing opinions.
As for Vance, he really got into a groove in the closing moments of the show. What follows are some key excerpts:
I have heard many calls in the last few days for unity and for healing in the wake of Charlie’s assassination. You have no idea how desperately I want that — how gratified I was when Democratic friends and even former Senate colleagues reached out to offer their condolences to me. I’m so thankful. And I know there are so many like them all across our great country.
I am desperate to wrap my arms around them as we all unite to condemn political violence and the ideas that cause it.
Psalm 133 tells us, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head.” Oh, how badly have I craved that precious ointment in recent days, and I believe we can have it — but first, first, we must tell the truth.
Vance then launched into a presentation of the Gospel that is rarely given so clearly by an American politician. In fact, he recited part of the Nicene Creed. It was remarkable and welcome, and it was “fundamental” to Kirk’s life and work, he said.
I really do believe that we can come together in this country. I believe we must. But unity — real unity — can be found only after climbing the mountain of truth — and there are difficult truths we must confront.
He cited a recent poll revealing that a quarter of “very liberal” young people condone and justify political violence, while just 7% of young conservatives do.
In a country of 330 million people, you can of course find one person of a given political persuasion justifying this or that or almost anything, but the data is clear: People on the Left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence.
This is not a “both sides” problem. If both sides have a problem, one side has a much bigger and malignant problem, and that is the truth we must be told. That problem has terrible consequences. …
By celebrating that murder, apologizing for it, and emphasizing not Charlie’s innocence, but the fact that he said things some didn’t like, even to the point of lying about what he actually said, many of these people are creating an environment where things like this are inevitably going to happen. …
While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the Far Left.
He again issued the caveat that “most Democrats don’t share these attitudes,” but he clearly laid the blame for the radicalism on the Left. That’s when he went back to the problem of unity.
There is no unity with people who scream at children over their parents’ politics. There is no unity with someone who lies about what Charlie Kirk said in order to excuse his murder. There is no unity with someone who harasses an innocent family the day after the father of that family lost a dear friend. There is no unity with the people who celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
And there is no unity with the people who … argue that Charlie Kirk, a loving husband and father, deserved a shot to the neck because he spoke words with which they disagree. …
I’m desperate for our country to be united in condemnation of the actions and the ideas that killed my friend. I want it so badly that I will tell you a difficult truth. We can only have [unity] with people who acknowledge that political violence is unacceptable.
Vance argued that we have to “dismantle” the institutions that foment hate and violence because we simply can’t turn a blind eye to those who would destroy America’s foundations. He promised that the Trump administration would work to stop violence and killing over speech, and bring about “real unity.”
I hope that’s true, although I’ll readily concede that “uniter” is not a descriptor I’d ever use for Donald Trump.
The road won’t be easy, which he illustrated in his concluding reference to the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and the armor of God: “Let all of us put on that armor and commit ourselves to that cause for which Charlie gave his life, to rebuild a United States of America, and to do it by telling the truth.”
Douglas Andrews: Leftist Haters Reap the Kirk Whirlwind — A handful of sickos who couldn’t resist publicly celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk have been rightly dismissed by their employers.
Jack DeVine: Just STOP!!! — Last week, free and open political discourse was shut down by an assassin’s bullet. We can’t have that, and we must stop the poisonous rhetoric that makes it more likely.
Michael Smith: The Civil Duty to Protect — The ideal society may not need firearms, as the Left argues, but a civilized society needs firearms to protect itself from uncivilized entities acting in asymmetric and random ways.
Reader Comments
Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.
This Is a Revival — Churches are packed, and young people are speaking out across the world. A shift has taken place, and we feel it in our spirit. Many who aren’t even religious would say they feel it too.
The Media Are Lying About Charlie Kirk’s Killer — New reports suggest that transgenderism played a large role in the motivation, and companies continue to fire employees who celebrate the assassination.
My Response to the Left — Nick Freitas says that after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the time for pretending is over.
Karen Attiah Fired By Washington Post Over Charlie Kirk Posts — Megyn Kelly talks about Attiah’s firing over her posts about Kirk’s assassination, the ghoulish mentality revealed by some prominent leftists, the false claims about “cancel culture” now, and more.
SHORT CUTS
Q & A
“If everything completely goes away, how do you want to be remembered?”
“I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith. … The most important thing is my faith.” —Charlie Kirk
Braying Jenny
“I literally have never said anything to invoke violence. And I challenge somebody to go and find a clip of a Democrat invoking violence.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett
“The vast majority of these shootings, whether they are seen as political or not, if we look at the numbers — white supremacy ideology. … We have a white supremacy problem in this country.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett
Righteous Anger
“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. … If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you have just unleashed across this entire country and this world. … No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it.” —Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie
Upright
“One of Charlie’s favorite Bible verses was Ephesians 5:25: ‘Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church, and gave himself up for her.’ My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children. He showed the ultimate and true covenantal love.” —Erika Kirk
The Long and Short of It
“This is certainly about the tragic death, assassination, political assassination, of Charlie Kirk. But it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been, and who we could be in better times.” —Utah Governor Spencer Cox
Good Advice
“Social media is a cancer on our society right now, and I would … encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.” —Spencer Cox
Re: Mourning
“The reason you feel Charlie’s death so deeply is because grief doesn’t measure itself by proximity. It measures itself by meaning. You didn’t have to know him personally to feel the sting of his absence, because when a voice like his goes silent, something in the atmosphere shifts.” —Chad Prather
Re: The Left
“Let’s be clear here, the murder of Charlie Kirk is not an aberration, no more than the near murder of President Trump was. Violence is not an aberration, it’s at the heart of what the Left is. The Left is a terrorist movement. Period. When the Left is in power, then it kills people legally, and when it’s out of power, it strives to take power by killing people ‘illegally’. We are up against people who want to kill us. Not just Trump or Charlie Kirk. All of us who defy them.” —Daniel Greenfield
“The problem is on the Left. It’s not on the Right, like some people say. The problem we have is on the Left.” —President Donald Trump
And Last
“There won’t be a new Charlie, any more than there was a new Rush Limbaugh. These men are irreplaceable. One of a kind. All we can do is continue the fight in our own way.” —Matt Walsh
ON THIS DAY in 1620, the Mayflower departed Plymouth, England, for the New World, carrying 102 Pilgrims plus crew. Five passengers died at sea, and half of the rest perished by the end of winter.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Israel begins long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza City, amid concerns Hamas will put the remaining hostages in harm’s way to stop the Israeli forces- and President Trump warns Hamas against such an action, saying if they do, “All bets are off. Release all hostages now!” how Israel is facing a global propaganda campaign against it; Chris Mitchell talks about the Israeli assault, how Hamas might deal with the hostages, the international campaign against Israel, and a new UN report charging Israel with genocide; suspected Charlie Kirk assassin to face charges today as tributes – including on Capitol Hill in Washington DC honor his memory; the growing threats of violence in the US include dangers to churches and faith-based organizations; and Peter Rosenberger, author of the new book “A Caregiver’s Companion,” gives Christian advice on taking care of impaired loves ones on CBN’s Healthy Living program.
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In news that should not surprise anyone, the Biden regime had Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA squarely in its crosshairs.
As Fox News reported, Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for an annual oversight hearing of the FBI on Tuesday morning. He has come under fire for his initial handling of the Kirk assassination by a radical left terrorist.
During the hearing, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed that an FBI whistleblower revealed to him an FBI project called “Arctic Frost” that targeted groups like Kirk’s TPUSA.
“92 Republican targets, including Republican groups and Republican-linked individuals, were placed under the investigative scope of Arctic Frost,” Grassley said.
“On that political list was one of Charlie Kirk’s groups, Turning Point USA. In other words, Arctic Frost wasn’t just a case to politically investigate Trump,” he continued. “It was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.”
WATCH:
🚨BREAKING: Senator Chuck Grassley just announced that a FBI whistleblower revealed to him an FBI project called "Artic Frost" that targeted groups like Charlie Kirks TPUSA!
This is a BOMBSHELL!
He says that they are releasing those documents TODAY!
Grassley went on to say that he and Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) would release the documents later today.
“So, today Senator Johnson and I are making these records public for the entire country to see. I hope a lot of people are interested in seeing what government can do when various agencies have a political agenda.”
Earlier this year, Grassley and Johnson blew the lid off yet another sham investigation orchestrated by Biden’s corrupt Department of Justice (DOJ) and the politically compromised FBI. According to the documents released last month, the FBI and DOJ weaponized their power to target President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and their allies through a probe dubbed “Arctic Frost.”
The FBI did not require a warrant to take possession of government phones from the Biden White House. However, after securing the devices, agents began preparing a search warrant to access their data, sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News.
Branded the “most banned woman in the world,” Laura opens up about being de-platformed, debanked, and silenced—yet still standing by her loyalty to Trump and her fight against corruption. We get into the power of Big Tech, the fractures in U.S. politics, and whether decentralized tools and free speech can offer a way forward in an age of control.
Left-wing European lawmakers on Thursday refused to observe a moment of reflection for Charlie Kirk, the U.S. conservative activist shot dead during a college debate event in Utah on Wednesday, triggering a heated confrontation in the chamber in Strasbourg and leading to accusations of political bias.
Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers, of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, had emailed European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to propose a minute of silence for Kirk, describing the gesture as symbolic and aimed at defending “our right to freedom of speech.”
However, the request was rejected, with her spokesperson citing a bureaucratic rule that minutes of silence can only be declared at the opening of a plenary session, and as this session had started on Monday, he would have to wait until the next sitting in October.
Weimers was instead allowed to make a point of order before the voting session began. He opened by urging MEPs to “strongly condemn political violence and rhetoric that incites violence” and asked colleagues to “stand with me in a reflection of prayer in his honor.” When he tried to yield the remainder of his time for a silent tribute, the session’s chair, Katarina Barley of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), cut him off.
“We have discussed this, and you know the president said no to a minute of silence,” Barley said as conservative MEPs banged their desks and shouted in protest. Centrist and left-wing members applauded and whistled at Barley’s intervention.
Hungarian MEP András László accused Barley of deliberately breaking the tribute: “The socialist chair deliberately started talking immediately.”
Weimers later said in a social media video: “I wanted to honor the memory of conservative activist Charlie Kirk by yielding my time for a moment of reflection prayer. Unfortunately, the Social Democratic deputy speaker did not want to have that.”
He captioned the clip: “How does holding a minute of silence for George Floyd but denying one for Charlie Kirk make sense?”
Polish MEP Dominik Tarczy?ski also lashed out, writing: “As conservatives, we requested a minute of silence in the European Parliament to honor Charlie Kirk. The left, calling themselves democrats, naturally refused. They are the same everywhere… Even in the face of death, they are incapable of showing human compassion. Therefore, I will organize an exhibition in the European Parliament commemorating Charlie Kirk. His legacy will bear fruit.”
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