Thank God for Christ’s Ascension into Heaven

Matthew Henry’s “Method For Prayer”

Thanksgiving 4.22 | ESV

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)

Thank God for Christ’s Ascension into Heaven

Video: Savior Like a Shepherd Leads Us Hymn

Video: I Will Celebrate; Jehovah Jireh

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus; Day 5- The Babe has arrived! | Elizabeth Prata

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus; Day 5- The Babe has arrived!

By Elizabeth Prata

Answers in Genesis: Separating myth from biblical fact, No Room For an Inn
You probably recognize this scene:

Bethlehem (around 2,000 years ago): Joseph and Mary arrive at the sleepy town in the middle of the night. Mary, already in labor, remains on the donkey while Joseph frantically searches for a room at the local inns. Desperate, he begs one reluctant innkeeper for any place at all to have this baby. The innkeeper finally relents and makes room for them in a tumbledown stable with the cows. There’s just one problem. This isn’t what the Bible teaches.

Read more from Answers in Genesis at the link above.

Why Spurgeon Loved the Incarnation
First, Spurgeon cherished the incarnation because its purpose was to save men from sin and death. He said, “Incarnation prophesies salvation” (MTP 22:713). Since God entered into union with man through the incarnation, its end must be for blessing and not curse. For, “God cannot intend to destroy that race which He thus weds unto Himself.”[4] God had visited men many times before in redemptive history, but the incarnation was “the most wonderful visit of all…when He came to tarry here…to work out our salvation.”[5]
More at the link

The Nativity by American artist Gari Melchers 1891. “Melchers, a painter of German descent, took the scene from the point of view of immediately after the birth of the Savior. In looking at Mary’s pose, one can almost feel her exhaustion, both emotional and physical. Joseph’s expression is one of concern and reflection of the incredible responsibility. All among a dirty alley…and yet the Babe’s head is aglow with the promise of God having sent the Light into the world. What were Mary and Joseph thinking and feeling then? We can ask them when we get there, but meanwhile, please enjoy this representation of the glorious moment when all was quiet, before heaven shouted with joy and all hell broke loose…of the coming of Jesus Christ the Lamb. ~By Elizabeth Prata

John MacArthur: “The Truth of the Nativity“

Luke 2:7 sets the scene: “[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

That verse is explicitly concerned with a lonely birth. There were no midwives, no assistance to Mary at all. The Bible doesn’t even mention that Joseph was present. Perhaps he was, but if he was typical of first-time fathers, he would have been of little help to Mary. She was basically on her own.

Mary brought forth the child; she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths; and she laid Him in a manger. Where usually a midwife would clean the baby and wrap Him, there was no one. Mary did it herself. And where usually there would have been a cradle or basket for the baby, there was none. Mary had to put Him in an animal’s feeding trough.

When Christ entered the world, He came to a place that had some of the smelliest, filthiest, and most uncomfortable conditions. But that is part of the wonder of divine grace, isn’t it? When the Son of God came down from heaven, He came all the way down. He did not hang on to His equality with God; rather, He set it aside for a time and completely humbled Himself (Philippians 2:5-8).

Heidelberg Catechism: Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” that is, “Savior?” | Morning Studies

29. Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” that is, “Savior?”

Because He saves us from our sins;1 and because salvation is not to be sought or found in anyone else.2

1 Mt 1:21; Heb 7:25; 2 Isa 43:11; Jn 15:4-5; Acts 4:11-12; 1 Tim 2:5

30. Do those believe in the only Savior Jesus, who seek their salvation and well being from saints, themselves, or anywhere else?

No. Although they boast of Him in words, in fact they deny the only Savior Jesus.1 For either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or those who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation.2

1 1 Cor 1:12-13; Gal 5:4; 2 Col 1:19-20, 2:10; 1 Jn 1:7

Source: Heidelberg Catechism – Westminster Seminary California

https://rchstudies.christian-heritage-news.com/2025/11/heidelberg-catechism-why-is-son-of-god.html

November 30 Evening Verse of the Day

things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. (2:9–10)

That free quotation from Isaiah 64:4 and 65:17 is often memorized. But it is also frequently misapplied. Paul is not referring to the wonders of heaven, but to the wisdom God has prepared for believers. His point is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of men cannot know or comprehend His wisdom. It is prepared only for those who love Him.
Neither externally nor internally, objectively nor subjectively, can man discover God. His external searching is empirical, experimental—represented by seeing and hearing. God’s truth is not observable by the eye or the ear, no matter how many sophisticated instruments we may use.
We are just as helpless in trying to discover His truth subjectively, through our minds (heart). Rationalism cannot reason out God’s truth. Man’s two greatest human resources, empiricism and rationalism, his observation and his reason, are equally useless in discovering divine truth. They will always, in fact, eventually turn men against divine truth. Ultimately they lead men to crucify Christ.
But God’s truth, God’s plan, God’s wisdom, is not hidden from His children. All that God has prepared for those who love Him.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1984). 1 Corinthians (p. 61). Moody Press.

---

9. However, just as it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard
   And have not entered into the heart of man,
   These things God has prepared for those who love him.

a. Adversative. As he does in many other places in this epistle, Paul substantiates his teaching with an appeal to the Scriptures. He introduces the passage with the adversative however followed by the formula just as it is written. The sentence as it stands is incomplete because it lacks a verb. We suggest the insertion of the plural verb we understand to balance the verb understand in the preceding verse (v. 8). The contrast, then, is between the “rulers of this age” (Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas) who failed to understand God’s wisdom and the Corinthians who know his wisdom, A possible translation is: “For if [these rulers] had understood this wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However—just as it is written—[we do understand the] things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard.” The contrast between verses 8 and 9 is clear. At the same time, the suggested introduction of the pronoun we serves both as a clarification of verses 8 and 9 and as a bridge to the pronoun us of the next verse (v. 10).
b. Prophecy. Paul loosely quotes the prophecy of Isaiah written seven centuries before Paul wrote his epistle. Yet the verb it is written connotes that the significance of these words remains valid even for the present.
The quotation comes from Isaiah 64:4 but differs considerably from the Hebrew text:

Since ancient times no one has heard,
  no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besided you,
  who acts on behalf on those who wait for him.

Paul apparently quotes from memory, because even the Greek translation of Isaiah varies: “From eternity we have not heard, and our eyes have seen no God except you and your works which you will do for those who wait for mercy” (Isa. 64:3, LXX). In view of the divergency, some scholars think that Paul also took words from other passages (Isa. 52:15; 65:17; Jer. 3:16). We presume that Paul relies on memory instead of having the Scriptures in front of him. He formulates a text that agrees with passages taken from the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
c. Meaning. What is Paul trying to say in this passage? Because he alludes to four different verses from the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, we have to interpret the passage as it stands. Paul cites three parts of the human body and presents them in negative terms: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart [that is, the mind] of man.” He concludes the quotation with a positive line: “These things God has prepared for those who love him.”
We take the negative terms first. The noun things, omitted in some translations, signifies God’s wisdom that is disclosed for the purpose of man’s salvation. But knowledge of salvation does not originate with man when he opens his eyes to see, or listens to what others tell him, or formulates thoughts. Paul rules out all avenues of sense perception and leaves the reader to draw the conclusion that wisdom can emanate only from God.29 By mentioning the physical organs of eye, ear, and mind, Paul emphasizes the process of perception, analysis, and assimilation of facts. These organs by themselves cannot provide man with wisdom to understand God’s divine work of salvation.
In positive terms, Paul informs the Corinthians that “God has prepared [salvation] for those who love him.” In another epistle Paul writes, “God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28). Concerning God’s wisdom, the author of Ecclesiasticus says, “He supplied [wisdom] to those who love him” (Sir. 1:10, RSV).
The last line of the quotation teaches two things: God is the author of our salvation, and we love him. The text teaches that God prepared the things that pertain to salvation and provides this gift regardless of our merit. Through his Word and in the fullness of time by Christ’s coming, he reveals it. Consequently, when we realize this truth, we demonstrate our love to God for this marvelous gift.

Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (Vol. 18, pp. 84–85). Baker Book House.

Prayer, Thanksgiving, Praise | VCY

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

No care but all prayer. No anxiety but much joyful communion with God. Carry your desires to the Lord of your life, the guardian of your soul. Go to Him with two portions of prayer and one of fragrant praise. Do not pray doubtfully but thankfully. Consider that you have your petitions, and therefore thank God for His grace. He is giving you grace; give Him thanks, Hide nothing. Allow no want to lie rankling in your bosom; “make known your requests.” Run not to man. Go only to your God, the Father of Jesus, who loves you in Him.

This shall bring you God’s own peace. You shall not be able to understand the peace which you shall enjoy. It will enfold you in its infinite embrace. Heart and mind through Christ Jesus shall be steeped in a sea of rest. Come life or death, poverty, pain, slander, you shall dwell in Jesus above every rolling wind or darkening cloud. Will you not obey this dear command?

Yes, Lord, I do believe thee; but, I beseech thee, help mine unbelief.

https://www.vcy.org/charles-spurgeon/2025/11/30/prayer-thanksgiving-praise/

the goodness and severity of god romans 11 rc sproul sermon

Why did God’s sovereign purposes for history include Israel’s rejection of the gospel? In this sermon, R.C. Sproul seeks to understand how the Jews’ rejection of Christ resulted in the gospel coming to the Gentiles.

Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=get-started

R.C. Sproul preached this sermon at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, FL. Hear more from his series in the book of Romans: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fU0o-CjiA2T6Lh9imnZYCjt

#sermon #sermons #rcsproul #reformedtheology #theology

Source: the goodness and severity of god romans 11 rc sproul sermon

2025 11 30 John Haller “The Beginning of Signs”

John 2:1-12

Source: 2025 11 30 John Haller “The Beginning of Signs”

The Troubling History of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement | Servants of Grace

Sound Theology & Discernment with Justin Peters
Teacher: Justin Peters

 

Episode Summary

Is the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement truly a work of the Holy Spirit? In this session, Justin Peters gives a concise historical overview of the movement and evaluates its foundations in the light of Scripture From early revival figures and so-called “God’s Generals” to the rise of modern Word-Faith and signs-and-wonders teachers, Justin traces how false prophecies, failed healings, theological error, and moral scandal have marked the movement from the beginning. He then contrasts this with a truly biblical view of the Holy Spirit, the sufficiency of Scripture, and genuine Christian holiness.

 

Listen to the Episode

https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/1114251356013

Watch the Video

 

Episode Highlights

• Why the history and origins of a movement matter for biblical discernment.
• The biblical gift of tongues in Acts and 1 Corinthians and its early disappearance.
• The Holiness movement and the rise of “entire sanctification” and sinless perfectionism.
• Biographical sketches of key figures often called “God’s Generals.”
• The development of the three “waves” of Pentecostal and Charismatic renewal.
• Claims of healing, “miracle stories,” and the difference between psychosomatic and organic healings.
• How prosperity theology, Word-Faith teaching, and modern apostles and prophets distort the gospel.
• Why a truly high view of the Holy Spirit leads to humility, holiness, and submission to Scripture.

 

Key Scripture Passages

• Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 12–14 – Spiritual gifts and the biblical gift of tongues.
• Acts 3:1–8 – “Silver and gold have I none…” versus modern prosperity claims.
• Romans 16:17–18 – Warning against those who deceive with smooth words and flattery.
• 2 Peter 2; Jude – False teachers, greed, and exploiting the vulnerable.
• John 16:13–14 – The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ and leads believers into all truth.

 

Source: The Troubling History of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement

Jesus, God the Son Incarnate | Servants of Grace

Jesus, God the Son Incarnate

Christ Our Light and Hope: Reflections for Advent invites us to consider not only what Jesus came to do, but who he is. In this adapted article, Stephen Wellum helps us behold the glory of Christ’s person so that our hearts might respond in worship this Advent season.

Jesus’s Identity

The Bible’s covenantal storyline serves as the metanarrative to identify who Jesus is and as the background to the New Testament’s presentation of him.¹ Who is Jesus? According to Scripture, he is the one who inaugurates God’s kingdom and the new covenant age. In him, the full forgiveness of sin is achieved, the eschatological Spirit is poured out, the new creation dawns, and all God’s promises reach their fulfillment. But this raises an important question: Who can do this? Scripture answers: the only one who can do it is both Yahweh (Lord) and the obedient human Son, and the New Testament presents Jesus in precisely this way.

But did Jesus know himself to be God the Son incarnate? Did Jesus self-identify as the eternal Son of the Father, the promised human Messiah, who came to reveal the Father, do the works of God, and by so doing, demonstrate that he is God the Son? These are not easy questions to answer. On the one hand, Scripture teaches that Jesus was born, “increased in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52), and did not know certain things (Matt. 24:36). This reality reveals that Jesus is fully human, the promised “seed” of the woman (Gen. 3:15 ESV mg.), and thus able to act as our covenant head and Redeemer. On the other hand, Jesus’s self-understanding is that he is more than merely a human image-son; he is also the divine Son. Our focus here is on the latter point, without minimizing the former. Let us look at the explicit witness of Jesus to his own identity, set within the Bible’s storyline and interpretive framework.

​​The Explicit Witness of Christ

Jesus’s entire life testified to who he thought he was. There are important aspects of his earthly life that implicitly reveal his self-identity to be the divine Son. But in addition to Jesus’s implicit witness regarding himself, we also have explicit statements that reveal his self-identity as the divine Son, who is also the human son, in relation to his Father.

Use of Abba

Jesus addresses God by the Aramaic term Abba, which reveals how he perceives his relationship to the Father: it is singular and unique (Matt. 6:9; 11:25–26).² When Jesus teaches his disciples how to address God, he teaches them to pray, “Our Father” (Matt. 6:9; John 20:17). But Jesus views his relationship to his Father as unique. We call God Abba as adopted sons because of Jesus’s work and our covenant union with him (see Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). Jesus’s use of the term, however, is due to his unique relationship to his Father—he is the eternal Son (John 1:1; 5:19–30; 17:5).

Son of God³

Jesus as the eternal Son is reinforced by the title—indeed, name—Son of God. The title appears in the Synoptic Gospels and occupies a central place in John’s Gospel (John 3:16; 5:19–23). It is applied to Jesus at his baptism (Mark 1:11), temptation (Luke 4:9), and transfiguration (Mark 9:7). In John, the title is so central to Christ’s identity that John writes the Gospel “so that [his readers] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).

Once again, to grasp the significance of what Jesus means by self-identifying as God’s Son, we must think in terms of the Old Testament. First, son is closely identified with image of God, and as such, it is applied to key typological figures: Adam (Luke 3:38), Israel (Ex. 4:22–23), and the Davidic king (2 Sam. 7:14), who are to represent God. Building on this pattern, Jesus is the true son, namely, the human son, who fulfills the role of previous sons but who is greater (Rom. 1:3–4; Phil. 2:6–11).

Jesus’s incarnational sonship, however, is not the whole story. Already in the Old Testament we learn that David’s greater Son takes on the identity of Yahweh. From this we discover that Jesus’s sonship is more than being a mere human; he is also the eternal Son, the true image and exact representation of the Father (Col. 1:15–17; Heb. 1:2–3), and thus united as one with the Father and disclosing in time something of God’s eternal, intra-Trinitarian divine life.

This truth is underscored by Jesus himself. As noted, Jesus regularly addresses God as Abba, or “Father” (Matt. 11:25; 16:17; Luke 23:46). These expressions go beyond a mere human relationship. As a child, Jesus tells his earthly parents of his unique Son-Father relationship (Luke 2:49). Before his death, Jesus speaks of his eternal sonship: “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). Not only does Jesus know that he is appointed to be the Son in his incarnate life, he also knows that he has always been the eternal Son. John 5:16–20 and Matthew 11:25–27 prove this point.

In John 5, after healing a crippled man, Jesus responds to those who criticize him for working on the Sabbath: “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). In so doing, Jesus not only calls God his own Father, he also makes himself equal with God by claiming the same authority as God to work on the Sabbath. And in the following verses, Jesus explains that the validity of his Sabbath work is based on the divine nature of all his works (specifically judgment and resurrection), the divine worship warranted by these works (John 5:22–23), and the divine aseity (John 5:26) of the one who performs these works. Who does Jesus think he is? He views himself as the eternal Son who shares with the Father the divine nature and thus has the right and authority to do all that God does.

Jesus also speaks of his divine sonship in Matthew 11:25–27, this time in terms of mutual knowledge and shared sovereignty with the Father—an explicit claim to deity. Yet Jesus’s divine self-identity does not contradict his self-identity as the human son. Both must be affirmed.

Son of Man

Jesus also testifies to his identity as God the Son incarnate by his most common self-designation, the Son of Man. The title is used in the Gospels and always by Jesus himself. Again, to grasp what Jesus means by the title, it’s crucial to understand it within its Old Testament background.⁴

No doubt, the title refers to Jesus’s humanity. In the Old Testament, “son of man” is used as a synonym for humans in the context of our role in creation (Ps. 8:4). But in Daniel 7, “son of man” takes on the significance of a superhuman figure who functions alongside the “Ancient of Days,” that is, Yahweh. In Daniel’s vision, God gives his kingdom to “one like a son of man” (Dan. 7:13–14). But this son of man is different from all others: he comes on the “clouds of heaven,” his reign lasts forever, and his reign gives dominion over the whole earth to his kingdom people (Dan. 7:13–14, 18, 22, 27), thus identifying him with God. So, this son of man is the promised son-king, who, because he is both God and human, will bring reconciliation between God and humans and restore our righteous vice-regent rule over God’s creation.

When Jesus steps into this biblical storyline as the self-designated Son of Man, he makes an astounding claim regarding his identity. As the Son of Man, Jesus identifies as both God and man. Jesus uses the title in his humiliation as a man to save the lost (Matt. 8:20; Mark 10:45), in his divine authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10), and in his divine power to resurrect the dead (Matt. 17:9). And Jesus also refers to himself as the Son of Man in his resurrected-incarnational ascension to the throne of heaven (Matt. 19:28) and in his foretelling of his future return as the king of heaven, “coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).

Divine Purpose and Work

Jesus also identifies as God the Son incarnate in the purpose of his coming. On numerous occasions, Jesus offers “I have come to” statements, in which he reveals why he has come.

For example, Jesus declares that he has come to preach the good news of the kingdom (Mark 1:38), to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 5:17), to call sinners to himself (Matt. 9:13), and so on. In each case, Jesus understands his own identity in divine terms.⁵ Even more explicit is Jesus’s self-identity as the one who forgives sins (Mark 2:1–12). The religious leaders correctly assert that God alone forgives sins. But they fail to see that Jesus is the divine Son and that the promised forgiveness of sin and covenantal reconciliation between God and humans are fulfilled in Jesus. In him, Immanuel, “God with us,” is here (Matt. 1:21–23; cf. Jer. 31:34).⁶ The temple, priesthood, and sacrificial system played their typological function to set the stage for God himself to come as the man Jesus to achieve our eternal redemption.

“I Am”

Alongside the purpose statements in the Synoptics, John’s Gospel gives us the famous “I am” (Gk. egō eimi) statements by which Jesus self-identifies with God. When Jesus refers to himself as “I am” without a predicate (John 6:20; John 8:24, 28, 58; John 18:5, 6, 8), he links his personal identity with the unique, personal name of Yahweh, the Creator–covenant Lord (Ex. 3:6, 14). It’s as if Jesus has stepped into the Old Testament storyline and explicitly called himself God.

For example, in John 8, Jesus concludes another controversy with the Jews regarding his origin and identity by declaring, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The Jewish leaders are clinging to their descent from Abraham. But Jesus explicitly refers to himself as “I am” to reveal himself to be the God of Abraham. Another example is John 13:19. As Tom Schreiner rightly notes, “The use of ‘I am’ demonstrates that such predictions are not merely the prophecies of an ordinary prophet. Jesus demonstrates his deity by proclaiming what will happen before it occurs.”⁷ Even more, Jesus knows that he has existed as the Son in an eternal relation with his Father when he prays, “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). All this data points to the fact that Jesus knows that he has been one with the Father from eternity and thus is the divine Son.

In addition, Jesus also identifies with Yahweh by referring to himself as the typological fulfillment of various Old Testament persons, events, and institutions. For example, in John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” By using this predicate within the plotline of Scripture, Jesus is not only claiming to fulfill the role of Israel’s kings to shepherd the people while all those kings failed (Ezek. 34:1–9), he is also identifying himself with God (Ps. 23; Ezek. 34:11–13). Thus, in all Jesus’s “I am” sayings, he explicitly identifies as God the Son incarnate.

Our Object of Faith

Finally, Jesus explicitly makes himself the object of saving faith that is reserved for God alone. Repeatedly, the Old Testament teaches that “salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9). The New Testament doesn’t contradict this truth, but it now makes Jesus the proper object of saving faith (see John 12:44; 14:1; Acts 16:34; Rom. 4:3, 5, 17, 24; Gal. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:8; Titus 3:8; Heb. 6:1; 1 Pet. 1:21).⁸

This shift to Jesus does not mean that he is a rival object of faith. Instead, it entails that Jesus, as the Son, is deity yet distinct from the Father. Within the Bible’s covenantal storyline, which Jesus knows well, he can confidently center his disciples’ faith in him precisely because he knows he is the divine Son. No doubt, the New Testament presents Jesus as a model of faith for us, but before we can model our faith after Jesus, Scripture commands us to trust him as the object of our faith, as the God of our salvation. As the apostles testify in light of the advent of Christ, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12; see also Acts 10:43; 16:31; Rom. 10:9–11; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 John 3:23; 5:13).

Did Jesus know himself to be God the Son incarnate? The answer to this question is yes.⁹ This in no way minimizes Christ’s true humanity and the fact that he “increased in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52). Yet Scripture teaches that Jesus is more than a mere human; he is also the eternal Son of the Father, who has become human. By investigating Jesus’s implicit and explicit words and works, we have discovered that Jesus knew that he was the Son who had come from heaven to do as a man on earth what only God could do. By making the specific claims he made, and doing the particular works he did at the precise point he came in the storyline of Scripture, Jesus made a clear claim: he is God the Son incarnate. It is for this reason that the church rightly confesses that Jesus is Lord, the Word made flesh for our salvation, and thus truly worthy of our faith, love, obedience, and worship.

For more from our latest series Christ our Light and Hope Reflections please visit here.

Notes:

1. This paragraph is adapted from Stephen J. Wellum, “Christological Reflections in Light of Scripture’s Covenants,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 16, no. 2 (2012): 79–107. Used by permission of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology.
2. See Joachim Jeremias, The Prayers of Jesus (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1989), 12.
3. For a detailed treatment of the title Son, see D. A. Carson, Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012); Graeme Goldsworthy, The Son of God and the New Creation, Short Studies in Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015).
4. See Schreiner, New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 213–31; C. F. D. Moule, The Origin of Christology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977), 11–22.
5. On this point, see Gathercole, The Preexistent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006), 83–189.
6. See Carson, Matthew, in vol. 8 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 222.
7. Schreiner, New Testament Theology, 253.
8. See Harris, Three Crucial Questions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1994), 77.
9. Our conclusion that Jesus self-identifies as God the Son incarnate differs from N. T. Wright. Wright has turned back unwarranted skepticism among biblical scholars regarding the historical Jesus, but he denies that Jesus knew he was God the Son; see N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 96–125. Wright contends that Jesus viewed himself as carrying out the vocation of Yahweh, yet awareness of vocation is not the same thing as Jesus knowing he is God the Son. Wright is often right, but his conclusion does not account for Jesus’s self-identity in the biblical data we have examined, let alone the entire biblical storyline. Jesus views himself as the messianic “son” and the eternal Son who has come to fulfill his Father’s will and to redeem God’s people.

This article is adapted from The Person of Christ: An Introduction by Stephen J. Wellum.

As we walk through Advent, this truth steadies and comforts us: the child born in Bethlehem is God the Son incarnate, our Lord and Redeemer, worthy of our faith, love, obedience, and worship.

Source: Jesus, God the Son Incarnate

November 30 Afternoon Verse of the Day

Vers. 5. But He was wounded for our transgressions.—The sufferings of Christ:—
Three things suggest themselves as requiring explanation to one who seriously contemplates the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ.

1. An innocent man suffers.
2. The death of Jesus is the apparent defeat and destruction of one who possessed extraordinary and supernatural powers.
3. This apparent defeat and ruin, instead of hindering the progress of His work, became at once, and in all the history of the progress of His doctrine has been emphatically, the instrument whereby a world is conquered. The death of Jesus has not been mourned by His followers, has never been concealed, but rather exulted in and prominently set forth as that to which all men must chiefly look if they would regard Christ and His mission right. The shame and the failure issue in glory and completest success. What is the philosophy of this? Has any ever been given which approaches the Divinely revealed meaning supplied by our text? “He was wounded for our transgressions, etc. We learn here—
   I. THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS CHRIST RESULTED FROM OUR SINS.
   II. THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS WERE RELATED TO THE DIVINE LAW.
   III. THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS BECAME REMEDIAL OF HUMAN SINFULNESS. (L. D. Bevan, D.D.)
   A short catechism:—
4. What is man’s condition by nature?
   (1) Under transgression.
   (2) Under iniquities.
   (3) At feud with God.
   (4) Under wounds and most loathsome diseases of a sinful nature.
5. How are folks freed from this sinful and miserable condition?
   (1) In general, before the quarrel can be taken away, and their peace can be made, there must be a satisfaction.
   (2) More particularly there must be a satisfaction, because there is the justice of God that hath a claim by a standing law; the holiness of God, that must be vindicated; the faith of God, that must cause to come to pass what it hath pledged itself to, as well in reference to threatening as to promise.
6. Who maketh this satisfaction? The text says, “He” and “Him.” The Messiah.
7. How does He satisfy justice?
   (1) He enters Himself in our room.
   (2) Christ’s performance and payment of the debt according to His undertaking, implies a covenant and transaction on which the application is founded.
   (3) Our Lord Jesus, in fulfilling the bargain, and satisfying justice, paid a dear price: He was wounded, bruised, suffered stripes and punishment.
8. What are the benefits that come by these sufferings?
   (1) The benefits are such that if He had not suffered for us, we should have suffered all that He suffered ourselves.
   (2) More particularly we have peace and pardon. Healing.
9. To whom hath Christ procured all these good things?
   (1) The elect;
   (2) who are guilty of heinous sins.
10. How are these benefits derived from Christ to the sinner?
    (1) Justly and in a legal way;
    (2) freely. (J. Durham.)
    Sin:—
    Verses 5 and 6 are remarkable for the numerous and diversified references to sin which they make. Within the short compass of two verses that sad fact is referred to no less than six times, and on each occasion a different figure is used to describe it. It is transgression—the crossing of a boundary and trespassing upon forbidden land. It is iniquity—the want of equity: the absence of just dealing. It is the opposite of peace—the root of discord and enmity between us and God. It is a disease of the spirit—difficult to heal. It is a foolish and wilful wandering, like that of a stray sheep. And it is a heavy burden, which crushes him on whom it lies. So many and serious are the aspects of sin. (B. J. Gibbon.)
    The sufferings of Christ:—
    I. ATTEND TO THE SUFFERINGS OF THE SON OF GOD, as described in the text. The sufferings of the Saviour are described in the Scriptures with simplicity and grandeur combined. Nothing can add to the solemnity and force of the exhibition.
11. The prophet tells us that the Son of God was “wounded.” The Hebrew word here translated “wounded,” signifies to run through with a sword or some sharp weapon, and, as here used, seems to refer to those painful wounds which our Lord received at the time of His crucifixion.
12. The prophet tells us that the Son of God was “bruised.” This expression seems to have a reference to the labours, afflictions, and sorrows which our blessed Lord sustained, especially in the last scenes of His life.
13. The prophet tells us that the Son of God bore chastisements and stripes.
    II. CONSIDER THE PROCURING CAUSE OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE SON OF GOD. “Our transgressions.” “Our iniquities.”
    III. ATTEND TO THE GRACIOUS DESIGN AND HAPPY EFFECTS OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE SON OF GOD. “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”
14. One gracious design and blessed effect of the sufferings of the Son of God was to procure for us reconciliation with God.
15. The renovating of our nature. (D. Dickson, D.D.)
    Substitution:—
    There is no more remarkable language than this in the whole of the Word of God. It is so clear a statement of the doctrine of the substitution of the innocent for the guilty, that we do not hesitate to say, no words could teach it if it be not taught here. We are distinctly told—
    I. THAT THERE BELONGS TO US A SAD AND GRIEVOUS WEIGHT OF SIN. There are three terms expressive of what belong to us: “our transgressions,” “our iniquities,” “gone astray.” These three phrases have indeed a common feature; they all indicate what is wrong—even sin, though they represent the wrong in different aspects.
16. “Transgressions.” The word thus translated indicates sin in one or other of three forms—either that of missing the mark through aimlessness, or carelessness, or a wrong aim; or of coming short, when, though the work may be right in its direction, it does not come up to the standard; or of crossing a boundary and going over to the wrong side of a line altogether. In all these forms our sins have violated the holy law of God.
17. “Iniquities.” This word also has reference to moral law as the standard of duty. The Hebrew word is from a root which signifies “to bend,” “to twist,” and refers to the tortuous, crooked, winding ways of men when they conform to no standard at all save that suggested by their own fancies or conceits, and so walk “according to the course of this world.”
18. The third phrase has reference rather to the God of Law, than to the law of God, and to Him in His relation to us of Lord, Leader, Shepherd, and Guide. There is not only the infringement of the great law of right, but also universal neglect and abandonment of Divine leadership and love; and as the result of this, grievous mischief is sure to follow. “Like the sheep,” they find their way out easily enough; they go wandering over “the dark mountains,” each one to “his own way,” but of themselves they can never find the way home again. And so far does this wandering propensity increase in force, that men come to think there is no home for them; the loving concern of God for the wanderers is disbelieved, and the Supreme Being is regarded in the light of a terrible Judge eager to inflict retribution. And all this is a pressure on God. He misses the wanderers. And through the prophet, the Spirit of God would let men know that the wanderings of earth are the care of Heaven. Nor let us fail to note that in these verses there is an entirely different aspect of human nature and action from that presented in the verse preceding. There, the expressions were “our griefs,” “our sorrows.” Here, they are “our transgressions,” etc. Griefs and sorrows are not in themselves violations of moral law, though they may be the results of them, and though every violation of moral law may lead to sorrow. Still they must not be confounded, though inseparably connected. Grief may solicit pity: wrong incurs penalty. And the sin is ours. The evil is wide as the race. Each one’s sin is a personal one: “Every one to his own way.” Sin is thus at once collective and individual. No one can charge the guilt of his own sin on any one else. On whom or on what will he cast the blame? On influences? But it was for him to resist and not to yield. On temptation? But temptation cannot force. In the judgment of God each one’s sin is his own.
    II. THIS SERVANT OF GOD BEING LADEN WITH OUR SINS, SHARES OUR HERITAGE OF WOE. How remarkable is the antithesis here—Transgressions; iniquities; wanderings, are ours. Wounds; bruises; chastisements; stripes, are His. There is also a word indicating the connection between the two sides of the antithesis, “wounded for our transgressions”—on account of them; but if this were all the explanation given, it might mean no more than that the Messiah would feel so grieved at them that they would bruise or wound Him. But there is a far fuller and clearer expression: “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” This expression fixes the sense in which the Messiah was wounded and bruised on our account. In pondering over this, let us work our way step by step.
19. The inflexibility of the moral law and the absolute righteousness and equity of the Lawgiver in dealing with sin are thoughts underlying the whole of this chapter. The most high God is indeed higher than law; and though He never violates law, He may, out of the exuberance of His own love, do more than law requires, and may even cease to make law the rule of His action. But even when that is the case, and He acts χωρὶς νόμου (“apart from law,” Rom. 3:21), while He manifests the infinite freedom of a God to do whatsoever He pleaseth, He will also show to the world that His law must be honoured in the penalties inflicted for its violation. This is indicated in the words, “The Lord hath laid on Him,” etc. Nor ought any one for a moment to think of this as “exaction.” Exactness is not exactingness; it would not be called so, nor would the expression be tolerated if applied to a judge who forbade the dishonouring of a national law, or to a father who would not suffer the rules of his house to be broken with impunity.
20. It is revealed to us that in the mission of this servant of Jehovah, the Most High would act on the principle of substitution. When a devout Hebrew read the words we are now expounding, the image of the scapegoat would at once present itself to him.
21. The Messiah was altogether spotless; He fulfilled the ideal typified by the precept that the sacrificial lamb was to be without blemish. Being the absolutely sinless One, He was fitted to stand in a relation to sin and sinners which no being who was tainted with sin could possibly have occupied.
22. The twofold nature of the Messiah—He being at once the Son of God and Son of man, qualified Him to stand in a double relation;—as the Son of God, to be Heaven’s representative on earth—as the Son of man, to be earth’s representative to Heaven. Thus, His offering of Himself was God’s own sacrifice (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:19), and yet, in another sense, it was man’s own sacrifice (2 Cor. 5:14, 21; Gal. 3:13).
23. By His incarnation, Christ came and stood in such alliance with our race, that what belonged to the race belonged to Him, as inserted into it, and representative of it. We need not use any such expression as this—“Christ was punished for our sin.” That would be wrong. But sin was condemned in and through Christ, through His taking on Himself the liabilities of a world, as their one representative Man who would stand in their stead; and by the self-abandonment of an unparalleled love, would let the anguish of sin’s burden fall on His devoted head. Paul, in his Epistle to Philemon pleads for Onesimus thus, “If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought, put that to my account.” So the Son of God has accepted our liabilities. Only thus can we explain either the strong language of the prophecy, or the mysterious sorrow of Christ depicted in the Gospel history. On whatever grounds sin’s punishment was necessary had there been no atonement, on precisely those grounds was an atonement necessary to free the sinner from deserved punishment. This gracious work was in accord with the appointment of the Father and with the will of the Son.
24. Though the law is honoured in this substitution of another for us, yet the substitution itself does not belong to law, but to love! Grace reigns; law is not trifled with; it is not infringed on: nay, it is “established.”
    III. CHRIST HAVING ACCEPTED OUR HERITAGE OF WOE, WE RECEIVE THROUGH HIM A HERITAGE OF PEACE. (C. Clemance, D.D.)
    Vicarious suffering:—
    In a large family of evil-doers, where the father and mother are drunkards, the sons jail-birds and the daughters steeped in shame, there may be one, a daughter, pure, sensible, sensitive, living in the home of sin like a lily among thorns. And she makes all the sin of the family her own. The others do not mind it; the shame of their sin is nothing to them; it is the talk of the town, but they do not care. Only in her heart their crimes and disgrace meet like a sheaf of spears, piercing and mangling. The one innocent member of the family bears the guilt of all the rest. Even their cruelty to herself she hides, as if all the shame of it were her own. Such a position did Christ hold in the human family. He entered it voluntarily, becoming bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh; He identified Himself with it; He was the sensitive centre of the whole. He gathered into His heart the shame and guilt of all the sin He saw. The perpetrators did not feel it, but He felt it. It crushed Him; it broke His heart. (J. Stalker, D.D.)
    With His stripes we are healed.—The disease of sin:—
    I. IT IS A WASTING DISEASE; it bringeth the soul into a languishing condition, and wasteth the strength of it (Rom. 5:6). Sin hath weakened the soul in all the faculties of it, which all may discern and observe in themselves.
    II. IT IS A PAINFUL DISEASE, it woundeth the spirit (Prov. 18:14). Greatness of mind may support us under a wounded body, but when there is a breach made upon the conscience, what can relieve us then? But you will say, They that are most infected with sin feel little of this; how is it then so painful a disease?
25. If they feel it not, the greater is their danger; for stupid diseases are the worst, and usually most mortal.
26. The soul of a sinner never sits so easy but that he has his qualms and pangs of conscience, and that sometimes in the midst of jollity; as was the case of Belshazzar, while carousing in the cups of the temple.
27. Though they feel not the diseases now, they shall hereafter.
    III. IT IS A LOATHSOME DISEASE.
    IV. IT IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE. Sin cometh into the world by propagation rather than imitation: yet imitation and example hath a great force upon the soul.
    V. IT IS A MORTAL DISEASE, if we continue in it without repentance. (T. Manton, D.D.)
    Recovery by Christ’s stripes:—
28. None but Christ can cure us, for He is the Physician of souls.
29. Christ cureth us not by doctrine and example only, but by merit and suffering. We are healed by “His stripes.”
30. Christ’s merit and sufferings do effect our cure, as they purchased the Spirit for us, who reneweth and healeth our sick souls (Titus 3:5, 6). (Ibid.)
    Healed by Christ’s stripes:—
    “With His stripes we are healed.” We are healed—of our inattention and unconcern about Divine things. Of our ignorance and unbelief respecting these things. Of the disease of self-righteousness and self-confidence. Of our love to sin, and commission of it. Of our love to the riches, honours and pleasures of this world. Of our self-indulgence and self-seeking. Of our lukewarmness and sloth. Of our cowardice and fear of suffering (1 Pet. 4:1). Of our diffidence and distrust, with respect to the mercy of God, and His pardoning and accepting the penitent. Of an accusing conscience, and slavish fear of God, and of death and hell. Of our general depravity and corruption of nature. Of our weakness and inability; His sufferings having purchased for us “the Spirit of might.” Of our distresses and misery, both present and future. (J. Benson, D.D.)
    His stripes:—
    This chapter is not mainly an indictment. It is a Gospel. It declares in glad while solemn language that, terrible as sin is, it has been dealt with. The prophet dwells purposely upon the varied manifestations of the evil in order to emphasize the varied forms and absolute completeness of its conquest. He prolongs the agony that he may prolong the rapture.
    I. OUR NEED OF HEALING. There is no figure which more aptly represents the serious nature and terrible consequences of sin than this one of bodily sickness. We know how it prostrates us, takes the brightness out of life, and, unless attended to, cuts life short. Sickness in its acutest form is a type in the body of sin in the soul. Sin is a mortal disease of the spirit. A common Scriptural emblem for it, found in both Old and New Testaments, is leprosy—the most frightful disease imaginable, loathsome to the observer and intolerably painful to the sufferer, attacking successively and rotting every limb of the body, and issuing slowly but certainly in death.
31. It is complicated. It affects every part of the moral being. It is blindness to holiness, and deafness to the appeals of God. There is a malady known as ossification of the heart, by which the living and beating heart is slowly turned to a substance like bone. It is a type of the complaint of the sinner. His heart is hard and impenitent. He suffers, too, from the fever of unhallowed desire. The lethargy of spiritual indifference is one of his symptoms; a depraved appetite, by which he tries to feed his immortal soul on husks, is another; while his whole condition is one of extreme debility—absence of strength to do right. In another part of the book our prophet diagnoses more thoroughly the disease of which he here speaks (chap. 1:5, 6). No hospital contains a spectacle so sickening and saddening as the unregenerate human heart.
32. The disease is universal. “There is none righteous; no, not one.” What the Bible declares, experience confirms. The ancient world, speaking through a noble literature that has come down to us, confesses many times the condition expressed by Ovid, “I see and approve the better things, while I follow those which are worse.” Christendom finds its mouthpiece in the apostle Paul, who, speaking of himself apart from the help of Christ, mournfully says, “When I would do good, evil is present with me.” And modern culture reveals its deepest consciousness in the words of Lowell, the ambassador-poet, “In my own heart I find the worst man’s mate.” It is a feature of the malady that the patient is often insensible to it. But from every lip there is at least occasional confession of some of its symptoms. There is discomfort in the conscience; there is dissatisfaction at the heart; and there is dread in the face of death and the unknown beyond. The Scriptures are the Röntgen rays of God, and their searching light reveals behind an uneasy conscience, behind a dissatisfied heart, behind the fear of death, behind all the sorrows and evils of life, that which is their primary cause—the malady of sin.
33. This disease is incurable—that is, apart from the healing described in the text. “The end of these things is death”—spiritual death; insensibility to God, and absence of the life of fellowship with Him which is life indeed—physical death, in so far as that natural process is more than mere bodily dissolution, and is a fearful and hopeless leap into the dark; for “the sting of death is sin”—and eternal death. Men are great at quack remedies, and the world is equally flooded with nostrums for the disease of sin. And what is the result of these loudly-hawked specifics? They are as useless as the charms which our grandmothers used to scare away diseases. The Physician is He who gave His back to the smiters; the balm is the blood which flowed from “His stripes.”
    II. OUR MEANS OF HEALING. “With His stripes.” “Stripes” does not mean the lashes that fell on His back, but the weals which they left. We remember how He “suffered under Pontius Pilate” before He “was crucified, dead and buried.” His back was bared, His hands were tied to a low post, and a coarse, muscular giant flourished a whip above Him. It was a diabolical instrument, that Roman whip—made of leather with many thongs, and in the end of each of them a piece of iron, or bone, or stone. Every stroke fetched blood and ripped open the quivering flesh. The Jewish law forbade more than forty stripes being given, but Christ was scourged by Romans, who recognized no such merciful limit. But as we know that Pilate intended the scourging to be a substitute for crucifixion, and hoped that its severity would so melt the Jews to pity that they would not press for the worse punishment—which end, however, was not reached—we may infer that He was scourged until He could bear no more, until He could not stand, until He fell mangled and fainting at His torturer’s feet. Nearly two thousand years have passed since that awful affliction, but its significance is eternal. But how can the sufferings of one alleviate the sufferings of another?
34. Because the sight of them moves us to sorrow. There are certain maladies of the mind and heart for which there is hope if the emotions can be stirred and the patient made to laugh or cry. There is hope for the sinner when the thought of his sin melts his heart to sorrow and his eyes to tears. Sorrow for sin—repentance of wrong-doing—is the first stage in recovery. And there is nothing that will cause penitence like a sight of the Saviour’s wounds.
35. The sight of them relieves our consciences. For as we look at those livid weals we know He did not deserve them. We know that we did merit punishment direr far. And we know that He endured them, and more mysterious agonies of which they were the outward sign, in our stead. Then, gradually, we draw the inference. If He suffered for us, we are free. If our load was laid on Him, it is no longer upon us. Conscience accepts that logic.
36. The sight of them prevents further outbreaks. This cure is radical. It not only heals, it also strengthens. It gradually raises the system above its tendency to sin. For the more we gaze upon those livid stripes, the more intolerable and hateful sin, which caused them, appears, and the more difficult it becomes for us to indulge in it. Our medicine is also a strong tonic, which invigorates the spiritual nature and fortifies its weaknesses. Stanley, in one of his books on African travel, tells of the crime of Uledi, his native coxswain, and what came of it. Uledi was deservedly popular for his ability and courage, but having robbed his master, a jury of his fellows condemned him to receive “a terrible flogging.” Then uprose his brother, Shumari, who said, “Uledi has done very wrong; but no one can accuse me of wrong-doing. Now, mates, let me take half the whipping. I will cheerfully endure it for the sake of my brother.” Scarcely had he finished when another arose, and said, “Uledi has been the father of the boat boys. He has many times risked his life to save others; and he is my cousin; and yet he ought to be punished. Shumari says he will take half the punishment; and now let me take the other half, and let Uledi go free.” Surely the heart of the guilty man must have been touched, and the willing submission by others to the punishment he had merited must have restrained him from further outbreaks as the strict infliction of the original penalty never could. By those stripes he would be healed. Even so, the stripes of our Lord deliver us from the very tendency to sin. For the disease to be healed the medicine must be taken. Our very words “recipe” and “receipt” remind us of this. They are related, and signify “to take.” The selfsame word describes the means of cure, and commands that it be used. Look upon His wounds! And let those of us who have looked for our cure, still look for our strengthening. We should not have so many touches of the old complaint if we thought oftener of the stripes by which we are healed. Look all through life, and you will grow stronger and holier. (B. J. Gibbon.)
    The universal remedy:—
    Not merely His bleeding wounds, but even those blue bruises of His flesh help to heal us. There are none quite free from spiritual diseases. One may be saying, “Mine is a weak faith;” another may confess, “Mine is distracted thoughts;” another may exclaim, “Mine is coldness of love;” and a fourth may have to lament his powerlessness in prayer. One remedy in natural things will not suffice for all diseases; but there is a catholicon, a universal remedy, provided in the Word of God for all spiritual sicknesses, and that is contained in the few words—“With His stripes we are healed.”
    I. THE MEDICINE ITSELF WHICH IS HERE PRESCRIBED—the stripes of our Saviour. By the term “stripes,” no doubt the prophet understood here, first, literally, those stripes which fell upon our Lord’s shoulders when He was beaten of the Jews, and afterwards scourged of the Roman soldiery. But the words intend far more than this. No doubt with his prophetic eye Isaiah saw the stripes from that unseen scourge held in the Father’s hand which fell upon His nobler inner nature when His soul was scourged for sin. It is by these that our souls are healed. “But why?” First, then, because our Lord, as a sufferer, was not a private person, but suffered as a public individual, and an appointed representative. Our Lord was not merely man, or else His sufferings could not have availed for the multitude who now are healed thereby. He was God as well as man. Our Saviour’s sufferings heal us of the curse by being presented before God as a substitute for what we owe to His Divine law. But healing is a work that is carried on within, and the text rather leads me to speak of the effect of the stripes of Christ upon our characters and natures than upon the result produced in our position before God.
    II. THE MATCHLESS CURES WROUGHT BY THIS REMARKABLE MEDICINE. Look at two pictures. Look at man without the stricken Saviour; and then behold man with the Saviour, healed by His stripes.
    III. THE MALADIES WHICH THIS WONDROUS MEDICINE REMOVES.
37. The mania of despair.
38. The stony heart.
39. The paralysis of doubt.
40. A stiffness of the knee-joint of prayer.
41. Numbness of soul.
42. The fever of pride.
43. The leprosy of selfishness.
44. Anger.
45. The fretting consumption of worldliness.
46. The cancer of covetousness.
    IV. THE CURATIVE PROPERTIES OF THE MEDICINE.
47. It arrests spiritual disorder.
48. It quickens all the powers of the spiritual man to resist the disease.
49. It restores to the man that which he lost in strength by sin.
50. It soothes the agony of conviction.
51. It has an eradicating power as to sin.
    V. THE MODES OF THE WORKING OF THIS MEDICINE. The sinner hearing of the death of the incarnate God is led by the force of truth and the power of the Holy Spirit to believe in the incarnate God. The cure is already begun. After faith come gratitude, love, obedience.
    VI. ITS REMARKABLY EASY APPLICATION.
    VII. Since the medicine is so efficacious, since it is already prepared and freely presented, I do beseech you TAKE IT. Take it, you who have known its power in years gone by. Let not backslidings continue, but come to His stripes afresh. Take it, ye doubters, lest ye sink into despair; come to His stripes anew. Take it, ye who are beginning to be self-confident and proud. And, O ye who have never believed in Him, come and trust in Him, and you shall live. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
    A simple remedy:—
    I. THESE ARE SAD WORDS. They are part of a mournful piece of music, which might be called “the requiem of the Messiah.”
52. These are sad words because they imply disease.
53. There is a second sorrow in the verse, and that is sorrow for the suffering by which we are healed. There was a cruel process in the English navy, in which men were made to run the gauntlet all along the ship, with sailors on each side, each man being bound to give a stroke to the poor victim as he ran along. Our Saviour’s life was a running of the gauntlet between His enemies and His friends, who all struck Him, one here and another there. Satan, too, struck at him.
    II. THESE ARE GLAD WORDS.
54. Because they speak of healing.
55. There is another joy in the text—joy in the honour which it brings to Christ.
    III. THESE ARE SUGGESTIVE WORDS. Whenever a man is healed through the stripes of Jesus, the instincts of his nature should make him say, “I will spend the strength I have, as a healed man, for Him who healed me.” (Ibid.)
    Christopathy:—
    I. GOD HERE TREATS SIN AS A DISEASE. Sin is a disease—
56. Because it is not an essential part of man as he was created. It is something abnormal.
57. Because it puts all the faculties out of gear.
58. Because it weakens the moral energy, just as many diseases weaken the sick person’s body.
59. Because it either causes great pain, or deadens all sensibility, as the case may be.
60. Because it frequently produces a manifest pollution.
61. Because it tends to increase in the man, and will one day prove fatal to him.
    II. GOD HERE DECLARES THE REMEDY WHICH HE HAS PROVIDED.
62. Behold the heavenly medicine.
63. Remember that the sufferings of Christ were vicarious.
64. Accept this atonement and you are saved by it.
65. Let nothing of your own interfere with the Divine remedy. Prayer does not heal, but it asks for the remedy. It is not trust that heals; that is man’s application of the remedy. Repentance is not what cures, it is a part of the cure, one of the first tokens that the blessed medicine has begun to work in the soul. The healing of a sinner does not lie in himself, nor in what he is, nor in what he feels, nor in what he does, nor in what he vows, nor in what he promises. It is in His stripes that the healing lies.
    III. THE REMEDY IS IMMEDIATELY EFFECTIVE. How are we healed?
66. Our conscience is healed of every smart.
67. Our heart is healed of its love of sin.
68. Our life is healed of its rebellion.
69. Our consciousness assures us that we are healed. If you are healed by His stripes you should go and live like healthy men. (Ibid.)
    Healed by Christ’s stripes:—
    Mr. Mackay, of Hull, told of a person who was under very deep concern of soul. Taking the Bible into his hand, he said to himself, “Eternal life is to be found somewhere in this Word of God; and, if it be here, I will find it, for I will read the Book right through, praying to God over every page of it, if perchance it may contain some saving message for me.” The earnest seeker read on through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and so on; and though Christ is there very evidently, he could not find Him in the types and symbols. Neither did the holy histories yield him comfort, nor the Book of Job. He passed through the Psalms, but did not find his Saviour there; and the same was the case with the other books till he reached Isaiah. In this prophet he read on till near the end, and then in the fifty-third chapter, these words arrested his delighted attention, “With His stripes we are healed.” “Now I have found it,” says he. “Here is the healing that I need for my sin-sick soul, and I see how it comes to me through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be His name, I am healed!” (Ibid.)
    Self-sufficiency prevents healing:—
    I saw a pedlar one day, as I was walking out; he was selling walkingsticks. He followed me, and offered me one of the sticks. I showed him mine—a far better one than any he had to sell—and he withdrew at once. He could see that I was not likely to be a purchaser. I have often thought of that when I have been preaching: I show men the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, but they show me their own, and all hope of dealing with them is gone. Unless I can prove that their righteousness is worthless, they will not seek the righteousness which is of God by faith. Oh, that the Lord would show you your disease, and then you would desire the remedy! (Ibid.)
    Sin deadens sensibility:—
    It frequently happens that, the more sinful a man is, the less he is conscious of it. It was remarked of a certain notorious criminal that many thought him innocent because, when he was charged with murder, he did not betray the least emotion. In that wretched self-possession there was to my mind presumptive proof of his great familiarity with crime; if an innocent person is charged with a great offence, the mere charge horrifies him. (Ibid.)

Exell, J. S. (n.d.). Isaiah (Vol. 3, pp. 112–118). Fleming H. Revell Company.

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53:5 The repetition of the pronouns He, Him, and His for our and we underscores the fact that the Servant suffered in our place. The chastisement … His stripes: For a similar reference, see 1 Pet. 2:24. Peace sums up the Servant’s ministry of reconciliation, justification, adoption, and glorification (2 Cor. 5:17–21). By saying that they were healed (v. 4), the remnant expressed its faith in what God had announced in 52:13.

Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 863). T. Nelson Publishers.

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† 53:5 — But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
On the cross, Jesus willingly became our substitute. God made Jesus “who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Is 53:5). Nelson Bibles.

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53:5 pierced through for our transgressions … crushed for our iniquities. This verse is filled with the language of substitution. The Servant suffered not for His own sin, since He was sinless (cf. Heb 4:15; 7:26), but as the substitute for sinners. The emphasis here is on Christ being the substitute recipient of God’s wrath on sinners (cf. 2Co 5:21; Gal 1:3, 4; Heb 10:9, 10). chastening for our well-being. He suffered the chastisement of God in order to procure our peace with God. by His scourging we are healed. The stripe (the Heb. noun is singular) that caused His death has brought salvation to those for whose sins He died. Peter confirms this in 1Pe 2:24.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 53:5). Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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53:5 But contrasts with “our” incomprehension in v. 4b. The servant’s anguish was “our” fault, not his own. our transgressions, our iniquities. His sufferings went to the root of all human woe (cf. Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). wounded, crushed, chastisement, stripes. Isaiah emphasizes how severely God punished the rejected servant for the sins of mankind.

53:5 The messianic servant undergoes substitutionary suffering (Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24–25).

Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1338). Crossway Bibles.

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53:5 was pierced for our transgressions The people realize that the Servant is suffering for their wrongdoing, not being punished for his own sin.

crushed because of our iniquities The Servant suffers on behalf of other people. See note on Isa 53:11.

our peace The Servant brings people into right relationship with God (vv. 11–12) and others. This could also indicate that there is a spiritual component to the Servant’s healing ministry described in v. 4.

his wounds we were healed The Servant is able to heal people—metaphorically and physically—because he is willing to follow the will of Yahweh—even though it results in his suffering.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Is 53:5). Lexham Press.

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The Suffering Servant
Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant.
The Prophecy	The Fulfillment
He will be exalted (52:13)	Philippians 2:9
He will be disfigured by suffering (52:14; 53:2)	Mark 15:17, 19
He will be widely rejected (53:1, 3)	John 12:37, 38
He will bear our sins and sorrows (53:4)	Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24, 25
He will make a blood atonement (53:5)	Romans 3:25
He will be our substitute (53:6, 8)	2 Corinthians 5:21
He will voluntarily accept our guilt and punishment (53:7)	John 10:11
He will be buried in a rich man’s tomb (53:9)	John 19:38-42
He will justify many from their sin (53:10, 11)	Romans 5:15-19
He will die with transgressors (53:12)	Mark 15:27, 28; Luke 22:37[1]

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^[1] Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J., eds. (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Is 53:6). Thomas Nelson.

30 Nov 2025 News Briefing

Maxime Bernier vows to reopen abortion debate after viral videos show late-term killings
People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier has promised to reopen the abortion debate after a series of pro-life videos exposed late-term abortions happening in Canada. In a November 25 post on Facebook, Bernier advocated for a law to protect the unborn as Canadians across the country have seen the truth of third-trimester abortion thanks to undercover videos by pro-life group RightNow.

U.S. ‘New Gaza’ initiative seeks to move 2 million Palestinians – and strip Hamas of control
The first stage: Temporary neighborhoods.
This American framework has been given the ambitious name “New Gaza”. IDF personnel who are trying to help the Americans implement it call the program “Green Gaza”. It is meant to temporarily resettle millions of Gazan civilians who fled their homes, rehabilitate the Strip from its ruins, and …
bring about, … the isolation of Hamas in a way that will force the organization to disarm and cease to be …

Japan’s ban on homosexual ‘marriage’ is constitutional, Tokyo court rules
A Tokyo court has ruled Japan’s ban on homosexual “marriage” is constitutional, in an unusual decision defying a recent streak of court rulings in the country. Maintaining traditional marriage helps the raising of children, said Judge Ayumi Higashi in the ruling, also noting that it “is reasonable to interpret” the law’s reference to “‘husband and wife’ as a man and a woman,” reported Japan Today.

New deadly Russian attack on Ukraine
“The emergency services are evacuating the residents of the (affected) high-rise building,” writes the region’s governor Mykola Kalashnyk on Telegram. The attack occurred at 11 p.m. on Saturday, Swedish time. Most recently, during the night of Saturday, another Russian attack took place against Ukraine, killing three people and injuring about ten. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people lost power in the attacks.

Hezbollah chief vows response to Israel’s elimination of terror group’s military chief 
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem vowed on Friday that the terror group would respond to Israel’s recent elimination of Hezbollah’s top military chief, Ali Tabatabai, in southern Beirut. Tabatabai was No. 2 in Hezbollah’s hierarchy, just below Qassem, who is now one of the last top Hezbollah officials still alive.

Can stones speak out? 
Like a scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the archaeologist cleared the soil away to behold the engraved words, “When your eyes see this, your heart will rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the grass.” It was the prophetic words from the final chapter of the scroll of Isaiah 66:14, originally penned in the 8th century BC. But that was only the first half of the verse, which continues on to say, “For the hand of YHVH shall be revealed unto His servants, and His fury unto His enemies.”

Israel Tests Its Readiness for Mass Aliyah Amid Rising Antisemitism
In a rare and crucial exercise, Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, in collaboration with the National Emergency Authority, ran a full-scale simulation in the city of Ramla to prepare for a mass influx of Jews fleeing global antisemitism. The scenario envisioned planes arriving one after another, packed with thousands of Jews desperately seeking refuge from security threats and escalating hatred abroad. Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people, would need to absorb and integrate around 10,000 new arrivals within two weeks—

National Guard shooting suspect now faces first-degree murder charge
The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members is now facing a first-degree murder charge. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the upgraded charges after the death of 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. Pirro said the suspect drove across the country to launch an “ambush-style” attack

Hezbollah welcomes Pope to Lebanon, omits Judaism as ‘Abrahamic faith’
Hezbollah’s statement cited: ‘the two Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Islam,’ omitting Judaism, the first Abrahamic tradition. Hezbollah used a message welcoming Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon to issue an extended denunciation of Israel, Hezbollah’s declaration came despite its own record of targeting Lebanese Christians, including the assassination of Elias Hasrouni in 2023 and the abduction and killing of Pascal Sleiman the following year.

Is Turkey’s Erdoğan the new Gadhafi? – opinion
Erdoğan’s increasingly grandiose projects are, like Gadhafi’s, more a testament to ego and a mind run amok than any reasonable development plan.

Trump admin secures $75M deal with Northwestern over antisemitism probe
Northwestern University will pay $75 million to the federal government over the next three years to end an antisemitism investigation by the Trump administration and restore hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen funds, reported CBS News.

Trump Says Airspace Above and Around Venezuela Should Be Considered Closed
President Donald Trump said on Saturday the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” but gave no further details as Washington ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. MASSIVE MILITARY BUILDUP IN CARIBBEAN

India’s Bnei Menashe Jewish community set for historic homecoming in Israel 
A journey that began more than 2,700 years ago may at last be coming to a dramatic end. This past Sunday, the Israeli government announced that it had approved a comprehensive plan to bring all the remaining 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community of India on aliyah by 2030. The Bnei Menashe are descendants of the tribe of Manasseh

Dramatic footage: Turkey shows Ukraine’s ‘Sea Baby’ drones hitting Russian shadow fleet tankers
Two tankers tied to Putin’s ‘shadow fleet’ were hit in the Black Sea near Turkey and set ablaze, footage from Ukraine’s ‘Sea Baby’ sea drones shows. Meanwhile an overnight Russian barrage struck Kyiv, killing 3 and leaving 600,000 without power. A source in Ukraine’s security services confirmed to Reuters that Kyiv was behind the attack. “Video footage shows that after the hit, both tankers suffered critical damage and were effectively taken out of service. This will deal a significant blow to Russian oil transport,” the source said.

UK Supreme Court Rules That Christian Education And Worship In Schools Is Unlawful
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Christian-focused religious education and collective worship in Northern Ireland’s state-funded primary schools is “unlawful.” This is a direct assault on the Christian foundations of the education system, but has been coming for some time. It is a stark warning of what happens when a nation abandons truth for relativism in its schools.

Gaylord, Michigan sees heaviest Thanksgiving snow on record
Gaylord, Michigan, saw its heaviest Thanksgiving Day snow on record, as the powerful winter storm brought lake-effect snow across the region on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Flights, trains canceled in Italy as activists rally against government’s Israel support
Strikes and protests in Italy on Friday against the government’s support for Israel and increased military spending caused the cancellation of dozens of flights and disrupted train services around the country.

Inside-Out Approach, How China Uses Southeast Asia Scam Centers for Espionage
If scammers stole your data, the Chinese government may now have it. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has identified a disturbing new pattern in China’s regional expansion: Beijing is exploiting Chinese criminal networks operating massive scam centers across Southeast Asia as a pretext to deploy its internal security forces and gather intelligence throughout the region. This strategy is called the inside-out approach.

AI isn’t just taking over jobs; it’s now taking over creation itself
Sam Altman is funding a project to use gene editing to develop human babies that do not have a hereditary disease.  They claim this is to cure incurable heritable genetic diseases – but that’s not what the end goal is.

Afghani Muslim Immigrant Shot Two Guardsmen, Yelling ‘Allahu Akbar!’ Steps from the White House
The day before Thanksgiving, the unthinkable, but not unpredictable, happened just steps from the White House when an Afghan Muslim immigrant ambushed two National Guardsmen from Virginia, shooting them in cold blood before being taken down by another heroic guardsman with a pocketknife.

Japan Says What the West Won’t: A Nation Must Not Rewrite Its Laws for Islam
Japan has done what the West refuses to do—reject Islamic demands that would rewrite its laws, endanger public health, and undermine the very civilization it exists to protect.

Venezuela in the Crosshairs: Trump Closes Country’s Airspace ‘In Its Entirety,’ Strikes on Land Will Be Starting ‘Very Soon’
President Trump warned Saturday morning that all airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered closed. The announcement was seen by many as a warning shot to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro that his country would soon be struck by the US in its ongoing battle against deadly imported drugs and an alleged reimplementation of the Monroe Doctrine.

Chaos In New York As Trained Activists Try To Block ICE Operations
Anti-ICE activists are essentially a mob for hire, funded by globalist NGOs and trained in disruption methods…

China Issues Rare Bubble Warning Forming In Humanoid Robotics
“Frontier industries have long grappled with the challenge of balancing the speed of growth against …”

Latest update on National Guard attack: Trump halts ‘all asylum decisions’
President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of all asylum decisions following Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured. The move is part of a sweeping clampdown on immigration announced after an Afghan national was charged in the attack.

30 Nov 2025

Headlines – 11/30/2025

Trump ties Saudi F-35 deal to normalization with Israel – Although President Donald Trump declared Saudi Arabia his “top non-NATO ally,” the practical results of his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fell far short of what both leaders had hoped to achieve

Father of last Israeli hostage in Gaza fears Hamas could hold his son’s body for years

Father of last Israeli hostage in Gaza: Truce mustn’t advance until final 2 bodies returned

Palestinian death toll has surpassed 70,000 since the Israel-Hamas war began, Gaza ministry says

Gazans Say Israeli Forces Killed Two Children, Amid Persistent Violence – The Israeli military said it had fired on two “suspects” on Saturday who had crossed cease-fire lines in southern Gaza and did not comment on reports that they were young children

Brothers, 8 and 11, killed in south Gaza strike; IDF: ‘Suspects’ crossed Yellow Line

IDF hits terror operatives who emerged from Rafah terror tunnel

IDF says 4 terror operatives killed in strike; defense officials suspect high-ranking Hamas commander among them

Border cops who killed unarmed terror suspects after surrender say they feared harm

UN committee calls for probe into alleged Israeli torture of Palestinian prisoners – Report details allegations of systemic abuse, including beatings, electrocution, sexual violence; Israeli envoy dismisses allegations as ‘disinformation’

IDF declares ‘closed military zone’ after settler attack wounds several Palestinians

Commentary: How AI reshaped the battle for consciousness in Israel and the Gaza battlefield – AI and sophisticated algorithms shape global public opinion, and especially the way the world understands, interprets, and experiences the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

North Carolina rejects BDS groups’ claim of ‘victory’ after it sells Israeli bonds

Man wounded in Manchester synagogue terror attack considering move to Israel amid antisemitism

‘Golden country’ no longer? Australian Jews alarmed by sharp rise in antisemitism, gov’t inaction

Dublin City Council to vote on renaming Herzog Park after anti-Israel campaign – Irish Jewish activist blasts ‘blatant attempt to erase Irish-Jewish history’; office of his son, current Israeli president, says move ‘would be a regrettable and shameful act’

Pope visits Istanbul’s Blue Mosque without praying as he focuses on unifying Christians

Hezbollah welcomes Pope to Lebanon as Islamist groups stress ties between ‘two Abrahamic faiths’ – Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday, but was not welcomed by the head of Turkey’s state-run religious organization despite earlier plans

Ahead of Lebanon visit, Hezbollah urges Pope Leo to reject Israeli ‘aggression’

Lebanon’s army displays underground Hezbollah sites amid push to dismantle them

Sa’ar Warns: Maduro Has Turned Venezuela Into a Terror Hub for Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran-Backed Militias

Khamenei: Iran ‘Defeated’ U.S. and Israel in 12-Day Conflict

Report: Ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards Kurdistan region of Iraq – The Islamic Republic has denied that it launched an attack

Flashback January 2024: Iran’s IRGC claims to target Mossad spy center in missile attack on Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran is building a missile empire while the world looks away – While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light

Drones have changed warfare. Two new weapons might be about alter its course again

Russia Gains the Upper Hand in the Drone Battle, Once Ukraine’s Forte – Moscow’s military has gotten better at using the war’s deadliest weapons: small, cheap drones

Ukrainian soldiers say Russian strike drones are flying smaller drones into battle like an ‘aircraft carrier’

Three Killed in Russian Strikes on Ukraine Capital Kyiv Ahead of Crunch Peace Talks

Ukraine Naval Drones Strike Two Russian Oil Tankers in Black Sea

Ukraine says it hit Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers with underwater drones in Black Sea

Russian troops sent to slaughter with no helmets or armour – ‘Disposable’ soldiers forced into meat grinder assault unequipped as commanders face dwindling supplies from Moscow

Joe Biden Tells Ukrainians in Nantucket that He’s Engaging in Shadow Diplomacy and ‘Pushing Hard’ for Ukraine

Trump’s ‘real’ plan to end Ukraine war includes business with Russia

Ukrainian Delegation to Meet with Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner in Florida Sunday

Blaine Holt: Peace Deal Near as Zelenskyy Faces Turmoil

EU Issues Warning to Ukraine as New Corruption Scandal Engulfs the Zelensky Regime’s Inner Circle

The Rise and Fall of Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s Right Hand Man and Top Negotiator Who Resigned Under Investigation for Corruption, and Now Says He ‘Is Going to the Front’!

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Seeks Appeal of Coup Conviction

Dramatic Coup d’Etat Sweeps Guinea-Bissau – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Friday suspended the nation of Guinea-Bissau from all decision-making roles after its civilian government was overthrown in a coup

Critics: Real Estate Law Would Turn New York City Into a ‘Communist Dystopia’

Stephen A. Smith Rips Mamdani on Rapper Fat Joe’s Podcast: ‘Free Ain’t Reality… That’s Communism’

Judge Boasberg Takes the Next Step Toward ‘Contempt Prosecution’ in Case Against Trump Administration

Kash Patel says all contents of FBI Trump-Russia burn bags will be made public

Since Trump’s Return, Bets on His Brand Have Soured – Stocks and cryptocurrencies tied to the president and his family have tumbled amid a broader rout of riskier assets

Indiana Republican With Disabled Daughter Revolts on Redistricting After Trump’s Slur: ‘Words Have Consequences’

Commentary: Trump’s ‘gimmick is wearing thin’ as he ramps up media attacks: analyst

Shocking: Biden Aides Admit to Bringing in Hollywood’s Spielberg and Katzenberg to Help Cover Up Biden Health Issues

AI country hit ‘Walk My Walk’ built on Blanco Brown’s sound sparks questions of attribution, ethics

AI-Powered Teddy Bear Back On Market After Telling Children How to Start Fires

A Chicago Data Center Overheated and Shut Down Trade in Key Markets Across the Globe – The outage, which lasted for 10 hours, hit CME’s equity, bond and commodity futures. It also offered a warning.

Airbus CEO apologizes as planes return to service after computer safety alert – Airbus issued urgent safety alert for A320 jets after solar radiation risk discovered

Russia’s only way to send astronauts to space has suffered some serious blast damage – Russia sent three astronauts into space on Thursday, but damaged its launchpad during liftoff

5.9 magnitude earthquake hits west of Macquarie Island

5.8 magnitude earthquake hits west of Macquarie Island

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits the Kermadec Islands region

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Kieta, Papua New Guinea

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Sola, Vanuatu

Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 24,000ft

Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 22,000ft

Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 21,000ft

Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 18,000ft

Sheveluch volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 16,000ft

Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft

Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft

Satellites capture aftermath of Ethiopian volcano’s 1st eruption in recorded history

Huge ‘volnado’ swirls up next to latest Kilauea volcano eruption – Kilauea’s 37th eruption kicked off on Tuesday afternoon and stopped after nine hours

At least 193 dead in Sri Lanka flood, many more missing

As Cyclone Deaths Pass 150, Sri Lanka Is Overwhelmed by Rescue Demand – Rescue efforts across the nation of 23 million have been hampered by disruptions in transport and telecommunications

Iranian dam effectively shut down due to ongoing drought

Tehran Pollution Reaches ‘Alarming’ Level In Latest Environmental Crisis To Hit Iran

Zachary Levi says Hollywood didn’t ‘really care’ about faith-based films until there was money to be made

Nigerian president declares nationwide security emergency after repeated attacks on Christians

Anger mounts in Hong Kong over apartment fires as Beijing warns against ‘anti-China disruptors’

Germany: Violent Left-Globalist Extremists Attack Police and Journalists While Trying To Shut Down AfD Youth Launch

Antifa agitation turns violent in Germany, bolstering Trump administration’s foreign terror label – Ex-US Ambassador to Berlin Ric Grenell warns of ‘intolerant and violent left’ gaining ground in Germany

Trump To Airlines And Cartels: Venezuela Is Now A ‘No-Fly’ Zone

‘Stay away from Venezuela’, Trump warns airlines – US president’s declaration that airspace is closed may signal strikes on land

High Tensions: Mystery as Venezuela president’s jet heads for Brazil border after Trump declared country’s airspace ‘completely closed’

Venezuela Accuses Trump of ‘Colonial Threat’ After Airspace Warning

Hurry up and wait: Ordinary Venezuelans try to prepare for U.S. attack

Here are the Caribbean allies helping the U.S. against Venezuela – The Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago are hosting U.S. forces and facilities. Grenada is considering it

Powerful Republican Turns on Pentagon Pete’s ‘Kill’ Orders

Senate committee vows ‘vigorous oversight’ in killing of boat strike survivors

Pete Hegseth denies he gave orders to ‘kill everybody’ on alleged ‘narco-boat’ – Defense secretary called reports about his role in strike as ‘fake news’ intended to discredit US military

“We Have Only Just Begun to Kill Narco-Terrorists” – War Sec. Pete Hegseth Responds to Reports of “Illegal” Orders to “Kill Everybody” on Narcotrafficking Boats as Democrats Call for Prosecution of “a War Crime or Outright Murder”

Taliban Laments Killing of Chinese in Tajikistan, Silent on D.C. Shooting by Afghan National

Capehart: Trump Immigration Crackdown Hurts Security, Alleged Shooter ‘Was Helping Us’ in Afghanistan

War Room’s Steve Bannon and Jack Posobiec Discuss the Left’s Ongoing Plan to Destabilize the US with Mass Migration – “This is How all Far Left Politics Works”

U.S. Department of State Pauses Visas for Afghan Passport Holders as ‘National Security’ Measure

Auchincloss: If We Increase Vetting for Migrants, We Should Also Tighten Vetting for Gun Purchases

Michigan Becomes Ground Zero in Immigration Fight as Trump Moves to End Third World Migration

CNN’s Perez: Some Afghans ‘Bought Backgrounds from Brokers’, ‘There’s Been a Struggle’ to Ensure Vetting Was Right

Jeanine Pirro Slams Democrats Over Afghan Refugees: ‘If You Think There Was Vetting, I Have a Bridge to Sell You!’

Over 5,000 Afghan nationals flagged for ‘national security’ reasons since Biden presidency

U.S. Treasury to Seize Remittances Sent Abroad by Illegal Migrants – Transfers Over $2,000 Will Be Flagged as Suspicious

‘We Are Being Forced to Fund Our Own Destruction’: The Massive Amount of Taxpayer Dollars Behind Afghan Resettlement Program That Brought National Guard Shooter to U.S.

DHS: Day before DC attack, another Afghan parolee arrested for threat to blow up a building – The announcement comes after the Trump administration paused all asylum applications and visas for Afghan nationals following Thursday’s attack

Afghan National Freed Under Biden Program Arrested After TikTok Bomb Threat in Fort Worth

Afghan National Arrested Days After DC Terrorist Attack for Threatening to Bomb Fort Worth – Also Came into Country Under Biden’s Refugee Program Following Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal

Brother of DC National Guard Shooter Was Elite CIA Platoon Leader

Slain National Guard Member Reportedly Thought D.C. Deployment Was ‘Pointless’ – “She got deputized in there, and they gave them no rights to do anything”

Dem Rep. Dean: Trump’s ‘Sweeping Accusations Against All Immigrants – It’s Just Un-American’

Idaho bar offers month of free beer for residents who help ICE deport illegal immigrants

Oregon’s Democrat Attorney General Threatens to Arrest Federal Agents for Enforcing Immigration Law and Protecting Portland ICE Facility

Rioters throw trash, garbage cans at ICE vehicles in New York City; multiple arrests made

150 left-wing agitators target ICE agents, violently clash with NYPD, arrests made

Three Shot During Black Friday Attack at Shopping Mall in Gun-Controlled California

4 dead, 10 injured in mass shooting at California child’s birthday party, officials say

Copper Thieves Are Wreaking Havoc Across America – Rising prices are spurring criminals to cut and raid cables. Companies and law enforcement are fighting back

Trump team cancels funding for World AIDS Day commemorations after 37 years

Trump declares himself the ‘affordability president’ after historic price-cut deal with drug makers – President implored Republicans to make a better case for how much prices are easing in America ahead of next year’s mid-term elections

Mysterious marijuana-linked vomiting disorder gets official WHO code as ER cases jump – WHO adds cannabis-related syndrome to diagnostic manual as ER visits spike 650% since 2016

France’s Pasteur Institute: Bird Flu Could Risk Pandemic Worse Than COVID If it Mutates

Shocking FDA Memo Admits COVID Vaccines Linked to Child Deaths

FDA Comm Says Data Showed 10 Child Deaths Due to COVID Shots

Exposed: US Labs Breeding Deadly Foreign Ticks in Bid for mRNA Vaccines

Source: http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

LIVE : Providence Baptist Church on RSBN- Sunday Morning Worship 11/30/25

Providence Baptist Church on RSBN featuring Pastor Dr Rusty Sowell live from Providence Baptist Church in Beauregard, AL Sunday Morning Worship 11/30/25

Source: LIVE : Providence Baptist Church on RSBN- Sunday Morning Worship 11/30/25

10 MILLION unvetted illegal immigrants entered US under Biden, former ICE chief estimates

Fox News’ Danamarie McNicholl and former ICE Director Jonathan Fahey join ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s crackdown on Afghan refugees that entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.

Source: 10 MILLION unvetted illegal immigrants entered US under Biden, former ICE chief estimates

Border chief UNLOADS on ‘weaker-minded’ critics

Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino joins ‘Saturday in America’ to address mounting pushback against immigration enforcement efforts. #foxnews #news #border #borderpatrol #gregorybovino #immigration #enforcement #bordersecurity #breakingnews #usnews #politics #lawenforcement #migration #bordercrisis #saturdayinamerica

Source: Border chief UNLOADS on ‘weaker-minded’ critics

Ukraine Loses Up to 450 Soldiers in Battles With Russia’s Tsentr Battlegroup

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia’s Tsentr battlegroup has eliminated up to 450 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

Source: Ukraine Loses Up to 450 Soldiers in Battles With Russia’s Tsentr Battlegroup

Ukraine loses over 260 troops in Krasnoarmeysk area in past day

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units of the 2nd Army continue to advance in the eastern part and the Dinas District of the city of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People’s Republic and clear the settlement of Rovnoye of enemy troops

Source: Ukraine loses over 260 troops in Krasnoarmeysk area in past day

2025 11 30 John Haller’s Prophecy Update “Heating Up”

Erdogan at G20. https://x.com/shaykhsulaiman/status/1992580298316620176?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Muslim growth in NYC. https://x.com/ofer_binshtok/status/1992696892216799324?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chu

UN on Gaza

https://x.com/franceskalbs/status/1993353591671701982?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Slouching toward technocracy. America’s Real Crisis: The Collapse of the Citizen

Debunking genocide. https://x.com/mujakura/status/1993773770364817873?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Saudi domestic opposition to AA. https://x.com/a_m_r_m1/status/1993797801738949043?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Mamdani rabbi transition team. https://x.com/jeremyunplugged/status/1993759618775007259?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

AI agents can replace workers. https://x.com/thechiefnerd/status/1993719305129627955?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

DNA. https://x.com/slava__bobrov/status/1473891325011451907?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Genesis project. https://x.com/peterdiamandis/status/1993813344902332891?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Denise Westerberg Sweden. https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=Denice%20Westerberg%20sweden&udm=7&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:226510a3,vid:YiW1ioibODk,st:0

Israel warning to Russia. https://x.com/globalsurv/status/1993944476872823131?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Carbon footprint labeling on food

Pope in Turkey. https://x.com/rterdogan/status/1994111480892150086?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Melanie. https://x.com/susanabulhawa/status/1994084641209229338?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Evolution. https://x.com/newstart_2024/status/1994167706355167643?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Khamenei. https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1994098445502590994?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Gaza https://x.com/votelewko/status/1994186637971214626?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

FP. Iran problems… move capital? https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/26/tehran-iran-water-quakes/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921

McKinsey Global Report AI. https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/agents-robots-and-us-skill-partnerships-in-the-age-of-ai

Soccer. https://x.com/mr_andrew_fox/status/1994556462689833449?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Erdogan / Pope. https://x.com/RTErdogan/status/1994111480892150086?s=20

Blair digital ID. https://x.com/wideawake_media/status/1994381352079110318?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Syria attack on IDF https://x.com/dumisanitemsgen/status/1994560079761232001?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

https://x.com/nedalalamari/status/1994757962393686487?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

https://x.com/iletisim/status/1994826113990717442?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Israel-Syria. https://x.com/almajallaar/status/1994721779617534213?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Pichai. https://x.com/vraserx/status/1994857146043777516?s=46&t=zRJLrFjebqfFb5-kN4chug

Hezbollah in Lebanon. https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/1994824931188904040?s=20

NYTimes on End Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/opinion/apocalypse-thinking-antichrist.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5E8.aHpR.mtxb_cm-O8QU&smid=url-share

Syria / southern / Russian patrols. https://www.enabbaladi.net/785959/%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8B%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9/

Source: 2025 11 30 John Haller’s Prophecy Update “Heating Up”

David Letterman calls Trump a “dictator” whose behavior is worse than anything anyone “has witnessed ever”

Retired late-night talk show host David Letterman’s case of Trump Derangement Syndrome is showing signs of entering its final stages, as he hyperbolically stated on a podcast that President Trump is worse than any other human being has ever been. Ever.

Source: David Letterman calls Trump a “dictator” whose behavior is worse than anything anyone “has witnessed ever”