There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
For the relief of suffering churches and the support, comfort, and deliverance of all who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
I desire in my prayers to remember those who are in prison for the testimony of Jesus, as in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since I also am in the body. Hebrews 13:3(ESV) O send from on high and rescue them from those who hate them, Psalm 18:16-17(ESV) and bring them out into a broad place. Psalm 18:19(ESV)
O let not the scepter of wickedness rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous should stretch out their hands to do wrong. Psalm 125:3(ESV)
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, as in the generations of long ago, and make the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed of the Lord to pass over. Isaiah 51:9-10(ESV)
Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, arise now, O LORD, and place them in the safety for which they long. Psalm 12:5(ESV)
O that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion; and when the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. Psalm 14:7(ESV)
O let not the downtrodden turn back in shame, but let the poor and needy praise your name. Psalm 74:21(ESV)
Lord, arise and have pity on Zion, and let the time to favor her, the appointed time, come; Psalm 102:13(ESV) indeed, let the LORD build up Zion and appear in his glory. Lord, regard the prayer of the destitute and do not despise their prayer. Psalm 102:16-17(ESV)
O Lord GOD, please cease: How can Jacob stand, for he is so small? Amos 7:5(ESV) O make your face to shine upon that part of your sanctuary, which is desolate, for your own sake, O Lord. Daniel 9:17(ESV)
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you, and according to your great power, preserve those who for your name’s sake are doomed to die. Psalm 79:11(ESV)
Let those whose teachers have been removed, again see their teachers, though they have the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. Isaiah 30:20(KJV)
Since 1854, the Roman Catholic Church has adopted the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, the idea that Mary was sinless from her conception to her death. It reads, “The doctrine which holds that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved immune from every stain of original sin, has been revealed by God and therefore must be firmly and inviolably believed by all the faithful.”[1] They use verses such as Luke 1:28 and 42 to support this, focusing on her being called blessed and highly favored.
Should Catholics keep reading, they would find the very passage to prove them wrong. Coming from the lips of the one they claim was without sin. In just a few verses, Mary tells us how she viewed herself and it was no different from you or me.
Mary’s Humility
With the context in place, let’s take a closer look at Mary’s response to the wonderful thing that has happened to her. As we walk line by line through this prayer, you are going to see that every single line echoes something from the Old Testament. In fact, her entire prayer has very similar themes to Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2. Though not directly recited or quoted, Mary probably had this echoing through her mind.
Mary begins her prayer with a humble estimation of herself in light of the greatness of God. She bursts out saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (v. 46-47). The terms “soul” and “spirit” are basically interchangeable terms, both referring to the inner person. This praise and magnification of the Lord is coming up from the depths of her being. Her whole heart and mind are involved. Matthew 12:34 says that out of the heart, the mouth speaks. And this is what was in Mary’s heart. The present tense verb “magnifies” carries the idea of a swelling, an enlarging, to make and declare great, to exalt, and to glorify. And the word “rejoiced” means to greatly and exceedingly rejoice, being overjoyed, to be leaping or skipping for joy. It reminded me of David dancing before the ark being brought into Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6:14-16).
Mary is literally bubbling over in thankful praise to God, wanting to exalt Him and make Him great. She joins in with the psalmist in Psalm 34:1-3, “I will bless Yahweh at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in Yahweh; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify Yahweh with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
She calls Him “Lord,” “God,” “Savior,” and later “Mighty One.” She knew His character as revealed in the Old Testament and repeats those names back to Him in worship. Perhaps she is remembering Habakkuk 3:18, “Yet I will exult in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” Or Exodus 15:2, “Yah is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.” Throughout this whole prayer, she is exalting God. The “exalted one” (as her name means) is exalting the Lord. Not herself.
Notice she says “My Savior” – Mary herself is testifying that she needed a Savior! Though she was favored and blessed, she was not sinless. Like David said in Psalm 51:5, she too was conceived in sin. As Romans 3:23 says, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death according to Romans 6:23. She needed the gift of eternal life available through her Child as much as anyone else.
Why does she exalt Him? For He has looked upon the humble state of His slave, For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed” (v. 48). She could not believe that the God of the universe looked on HER and allowed her to be blessed through all generations.
She called herself humble, not exalted. He brought her into the public sphere for all future generations when she otherwise would be unknown and forgotten. Mary echoes Psalm 138:6, “For Yahweh is high, Yet He sees the lowly” and Is. 66:2, “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” And God certainly did look upon one who was humble.
She called herself a slave, not a redeemer. This is the second time she calls herself this, as she called herself the “slave of the Lord” back in v. 38 when she humbly submitted to the angel’s words. The word she uses for Lord in the previous verse is kurios, which means “master or owner.” She recognized she was merely one who did her Master’s bidding. And the New Testament calls all of us slaves too. When we trust in Him for salvation, we make Him Savior and Lord and are now called to obey Him.
From that time on, yes, we have considered her blessed. In fact, Elizabeth, her cousin, was the first to do so (Lk. 1:42). Not because she is sinless or greater than any of us, but because of the immense privilege she had of being the one to carry and raise the Messiah that Israel had been waiting for. She knew what an honor this was and the eternal significance of it.
Her praise continues on with a highlighting of some of God’s attributes, specifically His might, holiness, and mercy: “For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name” (v. 49). In verse 35, she was told that the power of the Most High would overshadow her and allow her to conceive. He had done a great thing by choosing her of all people to experience such a mighty work and miraculously conceive of her Savior! She sings from the Song of Ascents “Yahweh has done great things for us; We are glad” (Ps. 126:3; see also Dt. 10:21).
Notice she says “Holy is His name” – not hers!! She echoes the song of the angels around the throne in Is. 6:3 – “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the song of the Israelites in Ex. 15:11 – “Who is like You among the gods, O Yahweh? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Fearsome in praises, working wonders?” A pastor friend of mine said in a sermon on this passage, “If you regard God as holy, you cannot regard yourself too highly.” Mary’s humble estimation of herself came from a proper understanding of God’s holiness.
Mary then looks beyond herself to what He has done, is doing, and will do out of His great mercy: “And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him” (v. 50). The verse is all uppercase letters so that means it’s a quotation from another passage, likely from Psalm 103:17, “But the lovingkindness of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.” God’s mercy has been available and been displayed throughout time, but the qualifier: it is to those who fear Him, who have an affection, awe, and respect for Him. Mary will go on to recount some of those examples of His mercy in the next section. But the ultimate display of that mercy would come through the child that she bore.
These first few verses show that Mary was overwhelmed by the fact that God would choose her of all women to bear the Messiah. She did not think of herself highly, but rather as utterly undeserving of the great thing the Lord was doing in her life. She had a right view of herself and a right view of her God and the result was this outburst of praise. I like what Spurgeon said in his sermon on this passage: “The less worthy I am of His favors, the more sweetly I will sing of His grace.”[2]
How did Paul, a Pharisee who fiercely opposed Christianity, become appointed as one of the Apostles of the church? In this message, R.C. Sproul portrays Paul’s conversion and his direct calling from Christ to Apostolic ministry.
First Reading Revelation 1:1–6
Psalm Psalm 11
Epistle 1 John 1:1–2:2
Gospel John 21:20–25
Index of Readings
FIRST READING Revelation 1:1–6
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His slaves the things which must soon happen; and He indicated this by sending it through His angel to His slave John,
2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it, for the time is near.
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from the One who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—
6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen.
PSALM Psalm 11
PSALM 11
For the choir director. Of David.
1 In Yahweh I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 “If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4 Yahweh is in His holy temple; Yahweh’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 Yahweh tests the righteous,
But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 May He rain snares upon the wicked;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
7 For Yahweh is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
EPISTLE 1 John 1:1–2:2
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—
2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—
3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things we are writing, so that our joy may be made complete.
5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
CHAPTER 2
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
GOSPEL John 21:20–25
20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
21 So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
23 Therefore this saying went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his witness is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written one after the other, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary. (2009). Concordia Publishing House.
The Africa Study Bible is now available in an e-book format, expanding digital access to study notes and features developed by African scholars and church leaders. Oasis International Publishing
The Africa Study Bible, a study Bible developed with contributions from African scholars and church leaders, has been released in an e-book format, publisher Oasis International Publishing announced.
The digital edition, available on Amazon Kindle, is priced at $19.99 and contains the same study notes and features as the print version, according to the publisher. The release is intended to expand access to the resource for readers who prefer digital formats or lack access to physical copies.
The Africa Study Bible includes more than 2,600 study notes and features written by more than 350 African pastors, theologians, and writers. Its materials are designed to connect biblical texts with African cultural, historical, and social contexts, including features known as “African Touch Points,” along with book introductions and application notes.
Dr. John Jusu, supervising editor of the Africa Study Bible, said the e-book format is expected to broaden the Bible’s reach beyond traditional print distribution.
“For years, the Africa Study Bible has helped believers across the continent and around the world engage Scripture through African perspectives,” Jusu said. “The e-book edition makes that content more widely accessible.”
The Africa Study Bible is published by Oasis International Publishing, a Christian nonprofit that focuses on producing and distributing Bibles and biblical resources in Africa and other regions where access to Scripture is limited. The organization works with local churches, ministries, and institutions to support long-term Bible distribution and discipleship efforts.
The publisher said the e-book edition retains searchable features common to digital study Bibles, allowing users to locate passages, notes, and articles electronically.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, (24a)
Because God is perfectly faithful, supremely powerful, and infinitely loving, He will not allow His children to fall away from saving faith or defect from the gospel so as to be lost again in their sins. Not only is He willing to preserve believers (Rom. 8:28; Eph. 1:9–11; cf. John 17:20–23), He is also able to preserve them to the end. During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught definitively that God sovereignly secures all who believe:
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.… No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:37–40, 44; cf. 10:28–29; 1 Peter 1:3–5)
Scripture is filled with many other testimonies to God’s promise and power to preserve His people. In another New Testament doxology, Paul exulted to the Ephesians, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21; cf. 2 Cor. 9:8). And the author of Hebrews, speaking of Jesus, echoes, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25; cf. 5:7). Humanly speaking, the path to heaven has always been perilous (cf. Acts 14:22; 2 Cor. 6:4–10; 11:23–30; Heb. 11:32–40; Rev. 12:10–11), full of dangers from Satan and his apostate agents (Luke 22:31; Eph. 6:11–17; 1 Thess. 2:18; 3:5; 1 Peter 5:8–9; cf. Job 1:12–19; 2:6–7; Matt. 4:1–11). But, from God’s perspective, the path to heaven is absolutely safe, not because believers are able to preserve themselves, but because God is able to keep them. To keep is the translation of a military word (phulassō) meaning “to guard,” or “to watch over.” God is at His post, standing guard over believers to ensure their safety (Ps. 12:7; Prov. 3:26; 1 Cor. 1:8–9) during any assault from the enemy (cf. 1 John 5:18). He is the One who keeps them from stumbling into apostasy. As Jesus the Good Shepherd told His listeners:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27–29)
The Lord Jesus again entrusted His followers into the hands of His Father in His High Priestly Prayer recorded in John 17 (cf. vv. 9, 11, 15). In verses 24 and 26 (NKJV), He prayed,
Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.… And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
The Son’s infinite love for the Father ensures that He will keep those whom the Father has given Him. And vice versa, the Father’s infinite love for the Son makes certain that He will protect those whom He has given to the Son. Thus the believer is secured by both the Father and the Son. Salvation is also guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul underscored this truth while writing to the Ephesians. After emphasizing the doctrine of election, that God chose His own solely on the basis of His good pleasure (1:3–12), Paul added:
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (vv. 13–14, NKJV)
In the same way that an ancient seal served as both a secure guarantee and a mark of ownership, the Holy Spirit is given to believers as divine proof of salvation. The work of the Spirit in the lives of His people confirms that they have truly been regenerated (Titus 3:3–8; cf. Gal. 5:21–22). As Paul noted elsewhere, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). Having been adopted into God’s family, believers are assured by the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself that they will never be disowned. In several places in his writings, the apostle Paul also emphasized that salvation is a gift based solely on God’s grace through Christ’s death. It is not based on human good works, but rather on God’s working alone. In Romans 5:8–11, Paul wrote:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Before God saved them, believers were the enemies of God (Eph. 2:1–3). There was nothing good in them that made them worthy of His love (cf. Rom. 3:10–19). Thus it was only by His infinite grace and according to His perfect plan (cf. Rom. 8:28–30) that salvation was ever even offered to them. Ephesians 2:8–9 reiterates this reality: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation is truly a free gift from God. It could not possibly be earned by human works or self-righteousness (cf. Titus 3:1–8). By the same token, it cannot be kept by human effort. The eternal security of the believer rests upon the same infinite sacrifice that brought salvation in the first place—the death of Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 7:27). Because Christians did nothing to earn salvation, they can do nothing to lose it; they were saved by the loving power of God, and they remain saved by that same power. With this in mind, Paul joyously exclaimed,
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38–39)
Nothing, including personal acts of sin, can separate the true believer from his or her Savior. Other passages in the New Testament also affirm this doctrine to be true:
You are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you in the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor. 1:7–9)
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30)
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)
May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. (1 Thess. 5:23–24)
In light of the biblical evidence, one author asks,
Is it conceivable that in spite of all this, [Christians] may still fall away and be lost? Is it possible for God to predestine us to holiness, and yet we do not become holy? Can He adopt us as children and then disown us? Can He give us a guarantee of salvation and then renege on His promise? Is the human will so strong as to overcome divine power? Surely not! What more does God need to say to assure us that He will uphold us to the end? (David Clotfelter, Sinners in the Hands of a Good God [Chicago: Moody, 2004], 176)
Even the apostle Peter, who was continually prone to failure (such as denying Christ three times), never suggested that salvation could be lost. Instead, when he penned his first epistle, Peter recognized God’s power as that which preserved salvation:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3–5)
At the end of this same epistle, he returned to the theme of perseverance, writing, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (5:10). The magnitude of that promise is overwhelming. God Himself perfects, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us who are His children. Though His purposes for the future involve some pain in the present, He will nevertheless give us grace to endure and persevere in faith. Even while the enemy attacks us personally, God simultaneously perfects us. He Himself is doing it. He will accomplish His purposes in us, bringing us to wholeness, setting us on solid ground, making us strong, and establishing us on a firm foundation. To be sure, the doctrine of eternal security does not mean that people can live in patterns of unrepentant sin and still be assured of heaven. Eternal security is not a license for sin (cf. Rom. 6:1). For that matter, we who truly believe would never view it as such—since we have been given a new nature (cf. 2 Peter 1:4) that loves to obey our Master (John 14:15). Those who make a profession of faith, but then fall away into lifestyles of sin, reveal that their profession was never really genuine (cf. 1 John 2:19). But for those of us whose faith is real, the security of salvation is a joyous certainty indeed.
THE LORD PRESENTS THE SAINTS
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (24b–25)
A hallmark of genuine saving faith is that it endures to the end (Matt. 24:13). To make you stand translates the verb histēmi, which more precisely in this context means “to set,” “to present,” “to confirm,” or “to establish.” At present, believers stand in grace (Rom. 5:1–4), but in the future they will also stand in glory (Col. 3:4; 1 Peter 5:10). For fallen men to stand in the presence of God’s glory should produce sheer terror. Isaiah pronounced a curse on himself (Isa. 6:5). Ezekiel fell over like a dead person (Ezek. 1:28). Peter, James, and John experienced overwhelming fear on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5–7; Luke 9:32–34). The apostle John fainted as one who was dead when he saw the vision of the risen and glorious Christ (Rev. 1:17). Having come face-to-face with God’s glorious presence, each of these men instantly felt the full weight of his sinfulness (cf. Luke 5:8). Each fell to the ground, overwhelmed by his own sense of unworthiness. To stand in God’s glorious presence, believers must be blameless. Revelation 21:27 makes it clear that unrepentant sinners will not enter the glory of heaven: “Nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into [the heavenly Jerusalem], but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (cf. 22:14–15). Amōmos (blameless) means “faultless,” and it is used here to describe the sinless state that believers will one day enjoy. The New Testament also uses the term to refer to the purity of sacrifices (Heb. 9:14, “without blemish”; cf. 1 Peter 1:19). Although believers, as those of us to whom God has imputed Christ’s righteousness, are now positionally blameless (Rom. 4:6–8; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Titus 3:7), we are still in our fleshly, sinful bodies. We are yet awaiting the resurrection, when we will receive our new glorified bodies (cf. John 5:25; 11:24–25; 1 Cor. 15:21–23, 42–44; 2 Cor. 5:1; Phil. 3:21). In heaven we will experience not only an absence of sin but also a presence of perfect holiness (1 Thess. 3:13; cf. Rev. 21:22–22:5). All our faculties will be emancipated from evil and fully devoted to the righteous worship of God forever and ever (cf. Rev. 4:6–11; 5:11–14; 19:6). As saints in glory, we will know nothing of the fear and trauma that characterized being in God’s presence on earth (see the aforementioned examples). Instead we will experience great joy, which will characterize every aspect of our heavenly life (cf. Rev. 7:16–17). This joy refers primarily to the divine joy (cf. Luke 15:7, 10; Zeph. 3:17) of the Father and the Son over our fellowship with other believers—a joy in which the redeemed will share for all eternity. Thus all believers will dwell with God in perfect love and holy delight forever and ever.
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it [the New Earth], and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Rev. 22:3–5)
As he ended his epistle, Jude offered praise for the present salvation and future glorification of believers: to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Only God … through Jesus Christ can accomplish the work of a Savior. As a result, Jude reserved the highest praise for the Son. Glory summarizes all the divine attributes in their powerful radiance (cf. Ex. 33:22); majesty signifies the absolute reign of the Father (cf. Heb. 1:3; 8:1) and the Son (cf. 2 Peter 1:16); dominion refers to the extent of His might and active rule over all (cf. Ps. 66:7); and authority denotes Christ’s supreme right and privilege to do as He wills (cf. Acts 2:33–35; Phil. 2:9–11). This divine supremacy over everything in the universe encompasses all eternity (cf. Rev. 1:8): before all time (eternity past), now (the present age), and forever (eternity future). Because He is all powerful, and because His glorious name is at stake, God’s promise to preserve us His saints and to one day present us blameless before His throne can be trusted without reservation. To doubt the reality of that promise is to doubt God Himself. But to embrace it is to find ceaseless joy and never-ending comfort. In the words of Charles Spurgeon:
When I heard it said that the Lord would keep His people right to the end,—that Christ had said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand,” I must confess that the doctrine of the final preservation of the saints was a bait that my soul could not resist. I thought it was a sort of life insurance—an insurance of my character, an insurance of my soul, an insurance of my eternal destiny. I knew that I could not keep myself, but if Christ promised to keep me, then I should be safe for ever; and I longed and prayed to find Christ, because I knew that, if I found Him, He would not give me a temporary and trumpery salvation, such as some preach, but eternal life which could never be lost, the living and incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever, for no one and nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (C. H. Spurgeon, from “Danger, Safety, Gratitude,” sermon no. 3,074, preached January 8,1874, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [reprint, Pasadena, Tex.: Pilgrim Publications, 1978], 54:24)
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (pp. 207–213). Moody Publishers.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25. to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. This doxology may have been sung in the early Christian church. These two verses provide literary balance and cadence that lend themselves to antiphonal singing. For instance, note the two main verbs in verse 24 (to keep and to present) with two qualifiers (fault and joy); the two names with appositions in verse 25 (God our Savior, and Jesus Christ our Lord), the four attributes (glory, majesty, power, authority) and the triple reference to past time, the present, and the future (“before all ages, now and forevermore”). The conclusion to this balanced doxology is the word amen. a. “To him who is able to keep you from falling.” The person to whom this paean of praise is directed is God our Savior. Although the believers observe the apostasy of heretics, they know that God is able to protect his own and keep their salvation intact. Compare the jubilant statement of Paul, “I … am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day” (2 Tim. 1:12b). Fully aware of the danger of falling into temptation and being attacked by sin, Jude tells the Christians to put their trust in almighty God. He says, “[God] is able to keep you.” God is able to guard his own people as “the apple of his eye” (Deut. 32:10), for they are his precious possession. The verb to keep in verse 24 means “providing protection from external attack.” Hence God protected righteous Noah and his family from the raging waters of the flood (2 Peter 2:5), yet Noah had to build the ark. Consequently, the believer knows that as God provides the means for defense against any assault, so he must use these means to protect himself. In his letter Jude teaches the twofold doctrine of God’s protecting care and man’s responsibility. He assures the believers that God is able to keep them from falling (v. 24), and tells them to keep themselves in God’s love (v. 21). He confirms that God will present them without fault in glory (v. 24), yet they must build themselves up in the faith (v. 20). b. “Keep you from falling.” Literally the text reads, “keep you from being tripped.” The reference is not to a sure-footed horse that keeps itself from stumbling. Rather, the text describes believers who are kept by God himself from stumbling into sin and thus from falling away from him. Jude, then, is speaking about falling away spiritually, as is evident from the next clause: God presents the believers without fault in his glorious presence. God is active in the work of saving his own people. c. “To present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” We are unable to enter heaven on our own account, but God who is rich in mercy protects us from falling away and causes us to enter heaven’s glory. Through the work of Jesus Christ, God presents us blameless in his glorious presence. Peter uses the words without blemish when he describes Christ as a lamb without defect (1 Peter 1:19). God not only cleanses us from sin, but also grants his people unceasing joy. That is, heaven is filled with the continuous rejoicing of saints and angels (compare Luke 15:5, 10; Rev. 19:7). Because of their redemption, Christians are filled not with terror but with joy when they enter the presence of God. d. “To the only God our Savior.” Here is the second part of Jude’s exquisite doxology. Jude ends his epistle by ascribing glory to God alone; compare the well-known Latin motto Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory). The adjective only (“alone”) is commonly used in doxologies (Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15, 16) and reflects Israel’s creed, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4). Granted that the New Testament writers apply the term Savior to Jesus, in several passages they mention that God is our Savior. This ascription is common in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms and the prophetical books. God is the Savior of his people; in the fullness of time he sent his Son to redeem them from sin. Through Jesus Christ we are redeemed from sin and guilt and translated to glory (see Col. 1:12–14). e. “[To him] be glory, majesty, power and authority.” In his doxology Jude lists four divine attributes. To God belongs everlasting glory, for it is essential to his being. Glory is commonly ascribed to him in doxologies (except for 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Peter 5:11). Ascribing glory to God, however, is merely acknowledging an essential aspect of his being, for in essence God is glory. On earth Christ’s followers reflect the glory of God in word and deed. But when they enter heaven, believers are glorified and share in God’s glory (see, e.g., Rom. 8:30). The expression majesty applies only to God the Father. It occurs three times in the New Testament (twice in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where it is used instead of the name of God [1:3; 8:1], and once here). In postapostolic literature the term also refers to God. In the New Testament the last two attributes, power and authority, are virtually synonymous. The word power appears in doxologies and refers to God and to Christ (1 Tim. 6:16 [“might,” NIV]; 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; Rev. 1:6; 5:13). And the term authority occurs in Jesus’ majestic utterance: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). Thus, God the Father gave his Son Jesus Christ all authority (see John 5:27; Rev. 12:10). f. “Through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is the fourth time in his epistle that Jude names Jesus Christ “our Lord” (vv. 4, 17, 21, 25). In the Greek, the previously mentioned phrase follows the words “to the only God our Savior.” We can give glory, majesty, power, and authority to God only through our Lord Jesus Christ. Conversely, the proximity of this clause to the word savior should not be overlooked. The translators of the New International Version place the clause near the end of the doxology to connect it with the last phrase. g. “Before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” In a few words Jude describes the totality of time pertaining to the past, the present, and the future. With our finite minds we are unable to comprehend eternity and accordingly must express ourselves in generalities. The writer of Hebrews uses common terms when he describes time in relation to Jesus. He says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8). Jude ends this outstanding doxology with a resounding “amen.” May everyone concur and say, “So be it.” Following Jewish custom, Christians normally end their doxologies with the concluding amen.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude (Vol. 16, pp. 410–412). Baker Book House.
The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12)
When sin is pardoned, our greatest sorrow is ended, and our truest pleasure begins. Such is the joy which the Lord bestows upon His reconciled ones, that it overflows and fills all nature with delight. The material world has latent music in it, and a renewed heart knows how to bring it out and make it vocal. Creation is the organ, and a gracious man finds out its keys, lays his hand thereon, and wakes the whole system of the universe to the harmony of praise. Mountains and hills, and other great objects, are, as it were, the bass of the chorus; while the trees of the wood, and all things that have life, take up the air of the melodious song.
When God’s Word is made to prosper among us and souls are saved, then everything seems full of song. When we hear the confessions of young believers and the testimonies of well-instructed saints, we are made so happy that we must praise the Lord, and then it seems as if rocks and hills and woods and fields echo our joy-notes and turn the world into an orchestra. Lord, on this happy May Day, lead me out into thy tuneful world as rich in praise as a lark in full song.
Start the year with a grateful heart. This article highlights how to recognize God’s everyday blessings, find His faithfulness in hard seasons, and build simple habits that keep you grounded in gratitude all year long.
Is biblical creation just a blind-faith belief? This idea that what we believe as creationists is utterly contrary to reason and is just taken on “blind faith” (which would be fideism) is an attack we commonly hear from secularists. I’ve even had some Christians tell me Christianity is based on blind faith. But is it true?
Well, I’d say that fideism—blind faith—is a great way to describe the evolutionary faith, the religion of evolution, because the men and women who hold to evolution must close their eyes and ears to the host of evidence from creation that cries out for a Creator.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3–4)
It’s not creationists ignoring the evidence! We see over and over that science and reason agree with and confirm the truth that we find in God’s Word.
It’s not creationists ignoring the evidence! We see over and over that science and reason agree with and confirm the truth that we find in God’s Word. Just consider the complexity of DNA, the intricate language system written into every cell of every living thing; the “fearfully and wonderfully” developing unborn baby (human development is incredibly complex!); the precise order of the heavenly bodies; and the intricacies of earth’s ecosystems. It all cries out for a Creator God.
But are we guilty of fideism because we insist on a literal six-day interpretation of Genesis 1? Not at all!
We appeal to Hebrew grammar, which indicates Genesis is written as history, rather than poetry or myth.
We appeal to ancient Jewish and Christian scholarship, which unanimously saw it as history.
We understand that most areas of modern science were pioneered by Christians. Some of the most brilliant people in history were Bible-believing followers of Jesus, and their faith didn’t contradict their academics; rather, it spurred it on.
And above all, we appeal to the authority of Christ, who read Genesis as history.
Many Christians find it tempting to add millions of years and/or evolution to the Bible, finding an interpretation that seems more sophisticated or “scientific.” But really, it’s nothing short of compromise with the pagan religion of our day—making man the ultimate authority, not God—and it’s a slippery slope that leads to more and more compromise.
There are good reasons—irrefutable reasons—to believe in the biblical God and the truth of his Word. While all Christians must have faith (it’s impossible to please God without it!), we do not have a blind faith. We have a reasonable, defensible faith—objective faith. Atheists have a blind faith that strains credulity.
I encourage you to learn more about defending the truth of God’s Word, and the existence of the biblical God, with a brand-new resource, Defending God’s Existence, that I served as general editor on. You can find it at AnswersBookstore.com.
When we launched this ministry on this day (December 27) in 1993, I could never have imagined all the books, curricula, events, attractions, and digital resources (including the websites, AI, YouTube, and other social media platforms) giving us the opportunity to reach millions of people all over the world. But praise the Lord, God has allowed us to use all this to promote the message of biblical authority and the gospel to people across the nation and in many different countries. What an incredible opportunity over the years! Thank you for partnering with us!
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying, Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
“For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the Covenant of My Peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee” – Isaiah 54:10
One of the most delightful qualities of divine love is its abiding character. The pillars of the earth may be moved out of their places, but the kindness and the covenant of our merciful Jehovah never depart from His people. How happy my soul feels in a firm belief of this inspired declaration! The year is almost over, and the years of my life are growing few, but time does not change my LORD. New lamps are taking the place of the old; perpetual change is on all things, but our LORD is the same. Force over turns the hills, but no conceivable power can affect the eternal God. Nothing in the past, the present, or the future can cause Jehovah to be unkind to me. My soul, rest in the eternal kindness of the LORD, who treats thee as one near of kin. Remember also the everlasting covenant. God is ever mindful of it–see that thou art mindful of it too. In Christ Jesus the glorious God has pledged Himself to thee to be thy God and to hold thee as one of His people. Kindness and covenant dwell on these words as sure and lasting things which eternity itself shall not take from thee.
But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. (17–19)
Jude’s words here echo verses 5–7 and 11–13, which reminded his readers that false teachers pose a constant threat. They were present during Old Testament times (Isa. 28:7; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 13:4; Mic. 3:11; Zeph. 3:4), they afflicted the early church (1 John 2:18–19; 2 John 7–11; Rev. 2:2–3, 15–16; 3:9), they are active today, and they will continue to be a threat in the future (2 Thess. 2:1–4; Rev. 13; 19:19–20). Because they have always plagued God’s people, their presence should not surprise believers in any era. Like Peter (2 Peter 1:12–13), Jude exhorted his readers to remember the truths they had already heard—the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ who predicted the coming of apostasy. The Lord Himself was the first one in the New Testament to warn against false teachers: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15; cf. 24:11). As he defended his apostleship to the Corinthians, Paul echoed these same concerns:
But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. (2 Cor. 11:12–15)
The apostle gave additional warnings about false teachers in several of his other epistles (Col. 2:16–19; 1 Thess. 2:14–16; 2 Thess. 2:3–12; 1 Tim. 4:1–3; 6:20–21; 2 Tim. 2:17–19; 3:1–9; 4:1–3). Similarly, Peter warned that “there will also be false teachers … who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1; see the commentary on 2 Peter 2 in chapters 5–7 of this volume). And the apostle John wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1; cf. 2:18–19; 2 John 7; 3 John 9–11). Repeatedly, Christ and the apostles were saying that false teachers would infiltrate the church and oppose the truth. In light of that, Jude quoted Peter’s warning, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts” (see 2 Peter 3:3). (That the word translated mockers appears in the New Testament only here and in 2 Peter 3:3 suggests that Jude quoted Peter; see the discussion of Jude’s relationship to Peter in the Introduction to Jude.) The technical phrase the last time refers to the period between Christ’s first and second comings (cf. Acts 2:17; Gal. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; 1 Peter 1:5, 20; 1 John 2:18–19; James 5:3). Peter said the mockers scoffed at the truth of Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:4), and here Jude implied that they mocked the law of God (cf. the discussion of “grumblers” in chapter 13 of this volume). Both ideas, of course, are parallel since those who mock the law of God will also mock Christ’s return; they do not want to be accountable to the divine Judge for their sins, either in the present or the future. Such mockers will be following after their own ungodly lusts, a fact Jude already established in verses 4, 15, and 16. They will give free reign to their passions and dissipations because they have no capacity for holiness. Since their hearts are not transformed, all they can do is pursue their own ungodly desires. Jude further described the false teachers as the ones who cause divisions. The word apodiorizō (divisions) refers to the motivation behind the false teachers’ behavior, as well as its divisive effect. The term means “to make a distinction” and, in the case of the apostates, meant that they portrayed themselves as superior to those who taught the truth. Like the Pharisees, they were arrogant (Luke 16:15; 18:9, 11) and condescending (Matt. 23:4–5), adhering to their self-styled set of standards (cf. Mark 7:5–8)—their own elite understanding of “the truth” (cf. Matt. 16:6, 11–12). Instead of putting others before themselves (which is the key to true spiritual unity—cf. Phil. 2:1–4), they exalted themselves and their own agendas. Naturally, the end result was division and strife in the body. Worldly-minded (psuchikos, lit. “soulish”) is more accurately translated “sensual persons” (NKJV). With a certain deference to Greek philosophy, Jude depicted the false teachers in strictly physical terms. His materialistic description exposed them for who they really were—religious terrorists who lacked such internal qualities as a proper self-perception, the ability to reason, and a true knowledge of God. Even though the false teachers claimed a transcendental understanding of God, they did not know Him at all—they were devoid of the Spirit (cf. John 3:5; Rom. 8:9; 1 John 3:24; 4:13). The truth is that they were physically alive but, because they had never been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they were spiritually dead. They were religious frauds who paid lip service to faith and spiritual life but denied such claims by their actions. As Paul told Titus, “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (pp. 197–199). Moody Publishers.
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”
a. Address
After writing the lengthy discourse on the conduct of false teachers, Jude once more addresses the original recipients of his epistle. He has warned them about the words and deeds of godless men whom God has condemned (see vv. 4, 7, 13). Now he addresses them tenderly with the expression dear friends. He uses this term three times, once at the beginning of his epistle (v. 3) and twice at the end (vv. 17, 20). The readers are loved by God (v. 1) and by their faithful pastor Jude.
b. Recall
Notice the close parallel to this text in Peter’s second epistle: “I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (3:2). Jude gives his readers a command when he says, “Remember.” He has spoken encouraging words earlier when he commended them for their knowledge of Old Testament teaching (v. 5). But now a direct command is necessary, for neglect of factual knowledge is detrimental to their salvation. The readers must be able to recall the message of the gospel so that they can defend themselves against the pernicious attacks of the heretics. They must know that they can effectively oppose their adversaries with the gospel which has been preached by Christ’s apostles.
c. Apostles
Who are the apostles? Jude writes, “Remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.” He implies that he is not one of them. Although Jude mentions no apostolic names, the qualification of our Lord Jesus Christ provides the evidence that he means the original twelve apostles and Paul. We know almost nothing about their ministry, except for the missionary labors of Peter and Paul recorded in their epistles and in Acts. Because the New Testament is silent about the labors of the broader circle of apostles, we assume that Jude is thinking of the well-known apostles Peter and Paul.
d. Message
The literal text has, “Remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles” (NKJV). That is, the Greek term rēmatōn (words) refers not to the entire gospel but rather to individual sayings of the apostles. Perhaps Jude has recorded one of these sayings in the next verse (v. 18). The apostles were conscious of the approaching last days and warned the Christians to expect difficult times. Hence in his farewell message to the Ephesian elders Paul said, “Know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:29).
e. Saying
What do the apostles say? “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” The Greek text reveals that the apostles repeatedly taught the content of this saying. Peter also has recorded it, albeit with slight variations from Jude’s wording: “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires” (2 Peter 3:3). Teaching orally, the apostles drilled these words into the hearts and minds of the believers. They taught that the early Christians lived in the last days or last times, in which false teachers would undermine the members of the church. From the New Testament epistles we know that this teaching was common (e.g., 1 Tim. 4:1–2; 2 Tim. 3:1–5). In New Testament literature, the expression last times applies to the present and the future. This time has its beginning in the first century when Christ came and brought the gospel and lasts until his eventual return. Scripture teaches that during this period, the forces of evil will become increasingly visible and audible. The apostles repeat the warnings of Jesus, who in his discourse on the end of the age repeatedly predicts that false prophets will appear to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:4–5, 11, 23–24, 26). In a similar vein, the apostles warn the believers to watch out for scoffers. Even though we are aware of the negative work of heretics, we should not forget to stress the positive support that God gives us. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes that in these last days God has spoken to us through his Son (1:2; and compare 1 Peter 1:20). And God’s Word stands forever.
f. Scoffers
“Scoffers will come, scoffing” (2 Peter 3:3). The people Jude describes are not ignorant of God’s Word. On the contrary, they are well informed. Because of their knowledge of divine revelation, they make a continual mockery of that which is holy and sacred. Scoffing is not a light, humorous parody but a serious attack on God, his Word, and his people. Scoffers openly demonstrate their contempt and derision for God by following “their own ungodly desires.” They deliberately reject God’s judgment and opt for a lifestyle of sin instead. Jude has described these scoffers as immoral men who “reject authority and slander celestial beings” (v. 8). The apostolic saying, however, relates as much to the future as to the present: “In the last times there will be scoffers” (italics added). The apostles, then, predict that as the end of time approaches scoffers will increasingly ridicule Christians. As they deride the Christian faith they display their own spiritual bankruptcy. They are apostates who revel in lust and greed.
g. Lust
About these scoffers Jude writes, “[They follow] their own ungodly desires.” He restates the words of verse 16 (also see 2 Peter 3:3). Why does Jude repeat himself? We assume that he wants to summarize his portrayal of these godless men by putting emphasis on the term ungodly. The Greek text has the wording “walking after their own lusts of ungodlinesses.” Granted that the literal English translation is awkward, in Greek the stress is on the plural form ungodlinesses. Jude wishes to tell his readers that the sinful desires of these apostates include all acts of impiety (see especially v. 15) and that these men fulfill Enoch’s prophecy. The attitude of the scoffers is diametrically opposed to that of the believer, who desires to do God’s will and to express his gratitude to him. Scoffers purposely transgress the law of God to fill up the measure of their godlessness. For believers the impiety of these godless people is a sign that the end of the world is near.
Practical Considerations in 17 In the days of the apostles, the believers relied on memory for the singing of psalms and hymns in their worship services. They learned by heart numerous messianic passages from the Old Testament and retained the message of the gospel they had heard from the apostles. They were forced to develop their retentive memories because they had only limited access to the written books of Scripture kept in local churches. In our day we have become accustomed to relying on the written word and therefore fail to exercise our memories. We claim that as long as we are able to refer to something in print, we have no need to memorize it. Our minds, then, are like erasable boards; we retain facts for immediate use but soon replace them with new information. This mind-set also prevails when we worship God on the Lord’s day. Routinely we enter the sanctuary each Sunday morning to hear the pastor preach, yet our minds will retain his message for only a few days. As statistics show, during a given Sunday we retain only 30 percent of the sermon the pastor preaches that day. This percentage dwindles to less than 5 percent by the last day of that same week. In the Old and New Testaments, however, we are told to treasure God’s Word. The psalmist rejoices in that Word and confides to God, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). And Jesus exhorts the churches in Thyatira and Philadelphia with these words: “Only hold on to what you have until I come” (Rev. 2:25; with variation, 3:11).
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude (Vol. 16, pp. 400–403). Baker Book House.
Israel recognizes Somaliland as a sovereign state and establishes diplomatic relations Israel becomes the first country to recognize Somaliland. “The declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” the statement says, referring to several agreements between Israel and Arab nations brokered by the United States. Citing rampant fraud in Minnesota, SBA director halts $5.5 million in payments
Kelly Loeffler, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), announced she halted $5.5 million in federal payments to Minnesota on Dec. 23, citing the state’s fraud scandals, estimated to total $9 billion, and specific concerns that her agency uncovered. SBA investigators found at least $2.5 million in pandemic-relief loans “granted to individuals indicted as part of the Somali fraud scheme,” she wrote in a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
New Israeli attacks on Lebanon target Hezbollah weapons depots and training facility According to the information, weapons depots and a training facility were attacked, among other things. “A number of weapons depots and terrorist infrastructure facilities used by Hezbollah to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel have been attacked,” the military wrote in a statement. According to the Israeli military, the facilities and activists there violate the ceasefire between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and Israel.
Iran ‘violently’ arrests Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi Iran “violently” arrested Nobel Peace Prize 2023 laureate Narges Mohammadi at a memorial ceremony on Friday, her supporters said. Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024, was detained along with several other activists.
AI Code Is a Bug-Filled Mess “These findings reinforce what many engineering teams have sensed throughout The adoption rate of AI tools has skyrocketed in the programming world, enabling coders to generate vast amounts of code with simple text prompts. But all that convenience has come with some glaring drawbacks. The tools have repeatedly been found to be unreliable and inaccurate, code generated by an AI was far more error-prone than the human-written stuff — and by a significant margin. In other words, AI code produced 1.7 times more issues than human code, once again highlighting major weaknesses plaguing generative AI tools.
CV-22B Osprey, MC-130J Commando II Special Ops Aircraft Deploy To Puerto Rico Satellite images emerging online show at least five MC-130J Commando II multi-mission combat transport planes are now at Rafael Hernandez International Airport (RHIA) in Puerto Rico. The Commando IIs appear to have arrived on Dec. 17. There are at least nine Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft there as well, according to a recording of air traffic control conversations
Trump-Zelenskyy talks will address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend. Zelenskyy told journalists that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready.” An “economic agreement” also will be discussed, Zelenskyy said, but added that he was unable to confirm “whether anything will be finalized by the end.”
Muslim country which enslaved millions of Europeans demands ‘reparations’ for colonization But if Algeria wants reparations, how about we start with reparations for the over 1 million Europeans trafficked through Algeria’s slave markets? Islamic victimhood, whether it’s crying about colonialism or genocide, is entirely based on moral inversion. Only in the most grotesque inversion could the Algerian Muslim terrorists have been transformed into anti-colonial freedom fighters.
Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti condemn Israel’s recognition of Somaliland The foreign ministers of Somalia, Egypt, Turkey and Djibouti condemned Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, Somalia’s breakaway region, Egypt said on Friday. “The ministers affirmed their total rejection and condemnation of Israel’s recognition of the Somaliland region,
Houthi leader says future rounds of fighting with Israel likely The head of the Houthi terror organization, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned of potential future escalation with Israel during a speech broadcast on Houthi-owned news channel, Al-Masirah TV, on Friday evening. Al-Houthi alleged that Israel, with American support, was preparing for further action against the terror organization, claiming that “upcoming rounds are certain.”
Terror attack in Israel ‘direct result’ of Palestinian Authority’s ‘relentless incitement,’ Akunis says The Palestinian Authority is to blame for the stabbing and car-ramming terror attack in northern Israel on Friday in which the attacker killed two and injured two others, according to Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York. The murder victims were Aviv Maor, 19, and Shimshon Mordechai, 69. “The sickening Palestinian terror struck Israeli civilians once again today,” Akunis said. “This barbaric attack is a direct result of the relentless incitement encouraged by the Palestinian Authority through its media and education system.”
In Landmark Class-Action Ruling, Federal Court Deals Decisive Blow To California’s Twisted Gender Agenda In a landmark class-action ruling, San Diego-based U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez on Dec. 22 placed a permanent ban on California’s gender secrecy policies pushed by the state’s Department of Education. The decision delivers a strong rebuke to state policies that have prohibited public school employees from sharing information with parents about their child’s “sexual orientation” and “gender identity/expression” without express consent from the child.
The New Battle For The Americas: Why The Western Hemisphere Is Becoming A Global Flashpoint The principal geopolitical foes of the US in the Western Hemisphere—Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua—are firmly in the China and Russia camp. Other countries can shift depending on the outcome of recent elections. Here’s an overview of some of the most geopolitically important countries in the Western Hemisphere to help frame the broader picture. For China and Russia, Venezuela represents a geopolitical foothold in America’s backyard—much like how the US uses Taiwan and Ukraine to do the same to Beijing and Moscow.
Comer: The ‘Walls Are Caving In’ On Tim Walz House Oversight Chairman James Comer declared this week, “The walls are caving in on Tim Walz,” as a federal probe into Minnesota’s sprawling fraud scandal intensifies. Whistleblowers, mayors, and lawmakers now enter the fray, spotlighting waste in social programs that hammer everyday residents. Minnesota taxpayers now must endure cuts to basic services because billions of dollars earmarked for social programs vanished due to fraudulent schemes, most of which are tied to the state’s Somali community. Comer emphasized that successful congressional investigations depend on insiders willing to break ranks, and he now has them. “The key to a good congressional investigation is having whistleblowers. And, fortunately for us, we have some state employees who have bravely stepped forward. We’re going to get them under oath, and they’re going to tell us everything they know. And we’re going to go from there.”
Chinese Cargo Ship Packed Full Of Modular Missile Launchers Emerges We had a feeling we would be in for another round of weapons ‘reveals’ out of China this Christmas, following last year’s ‘leaks’ of not just one, but two tailless stealth tactical jet designs, among other developments. It appears we are getting at least one installment of this in the form of a medium-sized cargo ship packed full of containerized vertical launchers, along with sensors and self defense systems. The message is clear, China is making it known that it could, and likely will, turn ships from its behemoth of a commercial fleet into not just shooters, but arsenal ships. The vessel … In other words, the layout appears to be designed as something of an improvised superstructure in order to turn the cargo ship into a heavily-armed surface combatant
DHS: More Than 17K Illegal-alien Criminals Arrested Under Laken Riley Act; 1,000-plus in 14 Days Federal agents have arrested and detained almost 20,000 dangerous illegal aliens under the Laken Riley Act, a bill named for the nursing student murdered by an illegal alien caught and released at the border by Joe Biden’s administration. And in a recent operation launched in Riley’s honor, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced, agents collared more than 1,000 illegals in the last two weeks.
Politico Frets About a ‘Far-Right’ Takeover of Christmas You simply cannot hate and/or mock the Left-dominated media enough. Even Christmas is not safe from being targeted by their joyless, ham-fisted propaganda to project their own campaign of cultural subversion onto some straw man they relentlessly label the “far-right.” Politico published an eminently mockable piece, just in time for the most wonderful time of the year, titled – brace yourselves – “How the far right stole Christmas.” By “far right,” of course, the Left means anything to the right of Chairman Mao.
RFK Jr Is Getting Sued for Protecting Kids Democrat Attorneys General from around the country are banding together to end a Trump administration policy to protect children from mutilation. The group of 19 states and Washington, D.C. have filed a lawsuit targeting Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to ban gender transition surgeries for minors.
In Landmark Class-Action Ruling, Federal Court Deals Decisive Blow To California’s Twisted Gender Agenda In his ruling, Benitez made clear that the state had overstepped its constitutional authority by sidelining parents, compelling educators to violate their consciences, and harming vulnerable children by depriving them of parental guidance. At the heart of the case was the question of who holds primary authority over a child’s welfare. The court answered decisively: parents do.
The Real War Of The Century: Artificial Intelligence Systems designed to predict are now positioned to decide. Probabilities harden into policies. Risk scores become verdicts. Recommendations quietly turn into mandates…
US conducts ‘powerful and deadly strike’ against ISIS in Nigeria on Christmas Day U.S. military forces conducted airstrikes against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day, marking a symbolically timed military action in what President Donald Trump described as a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum.”
A Sorry President Matthew Continetti In trying to block Trump’s return, Biden made it inevitable. Read more.
The World Woke Up Victor Davis Hanson We were living in an “emperor has no clothes” make-believe world for the last few years. But few — until now — had the guts to scream “the emperor is naked” to dispel the fantasies. Read more.
The Silent Insurrection Gary Bauer Leftists embedded in the federal bureaucracy are working nonstop to block anything the Trump/Vance administration tries to do. Read more.
Who’s Defying Court Orders Again? Ann Coulter Liberals don’t care about respect for the courts. They just like discriminating, and they love savage Venezuelan gangs. Read more.
DEI Is Dying John Stossel Diversity, equity and inclusion sound good. The problem is that DEI programs were captured by activists who obsess about victimhood. Read more.
What the Heck Happened With the Jeffrey Epstein Case? Ben Shapiro After years of being told that the so-called Epstein List would be revealed, that there would be a reckoning, that Americans would learn the entire truth, instead Americans were told that there was nothing in the vault after all. Read more.
Fighting the Wrong Battles The laws aren’t vague regarding immigration, and, despite the battles over language (“It’s not illegal immigration!!” Yes … it is.), pockets of the nation are protesting law enforcement. If you ask me, they’re fighting the wrong battle. If they want to eliminate “illegal immigration” and the law enforcement that is associated with it, eliminate immigration laws. Of course, they’d have to deal with the results of open borders. I don’t suppose they’re willing to do that, either.
Juxtaposition So … one story is about how the economy grew, and the other is about how consumer confidence continues to fade “despite heady economic growth.” In a world that has no real concern about the truth, we certainly won’t let facts change our emotional outlook, right?
A Flood of Problems It’s almost ironic. California has struggled with water for so long … and now their problem is … too much water. Heavy rainfall in burn areas is causing flooding while residents are urged to evacuate. The very dangerous and life-threatening drought conditions are being replaced by very dangerous and life-threatening flooding. But remember Jesus’s words. Just because it might look like judgment (Luke 13:1-5) doesn’t mean it is. “Repent or perish” is always a pertinent piece of advice.
Anti-Immigration I’ve always disliked the rhetoric of those who portray people who oppose illegal immigration as in opposition to immigration. It might be, but not always. I, for instance, don’t mind immigration at all, but oppose breaking the law to do it. On the other hand … it feels as if a ridiculous $100,000 fee to get an H-1B visa is intentionally anti-immigration. A judge has ruled it’s legal, but it seems to me that it cannot be interpreted as “No, we want qualified people to immigrate here.” It seems like a slap in the face to anyone who might want to come here and contribute to the country. So .. is that “anti-immigrant,” or … anti-American?
Who Is This Hurting? I hate this kind of thing. You know … like protests aimed at one thing that hurt other things. Like Chuck Redd, a jazz drummer and vibraphone player, who canceled the annual Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center … because Trump added his name to the Kennedy Center. I mean … sure … maybe that’s irritating, but … it doesn’t hurt Trump to cancel. It hurts every single person who planned to be there. It created a contentious atmosphere on the eve of the “most wonderful day of the year.” Should they have changed the name? I don’t think so. The Kennedy Center is supposed to be a “living memorial” to … Kennedy. But … seriously, ruining the Christmas Eve plans of all those people for that reason is not likely the most effective means of getting something done about it. It could be symptomatic of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Your Best Source for Fake News I liked the story of the shepherds seeking Jesus. They were asking, “Is this Him?” while looking at this baby with a glowing halo. Texas issued their annual reminder not to shoot Santa. A perennial problem, I’m sure. Then, last week, Trump reclassified marijuana to a minor offense (actual story), so it seemed … questionable that Pelosi purchased $10 million of Taco Bell stock the day before.
Calls to hold Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accountable are growing after what independent journalist Nick Shirley says is evidence of massive fraud uncovered this week.
The Minnesota Somali fraud scandal involving misuse of taxpayer funds via social services fraud is back in the spotlight as a viral YouTube video confronts workers at an empty “learning center” that reportedly received $4 million.
The administration of Democratic Governor Tim Walz has been under increasing criticism over the alleged loss of more than $1 billion to social services fraud, primarily within the Somali community in the Twin Cities area.
Fox News reports that independent journalist Nick Shirley and his researcher visited several Somali-owned Minneapolis facilities that were each licensed for dozens of children but appeared to be completely deserted.
The $30 million venture capital firm run by Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, has quietly removed the names and bios of its top officers and advisors from its website.
This comes as the Minnesota Democrat faces intensifying questions about her family’s explosive wealth surge, from near bankruptcy to millions, amid one of the largest welfare fraud scandals in U.S. history, centered in her own district.
According to a bombshell report from the New York Post, Rose Lake Capital, founded by Mynett in 2022, scrubbed the details of nine key figures between September and October 2025.
The list included high-profile Democrats like former Obama Ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli, ex-Senator and Obama Ambassador to China Max Baucus, DNC Finance Chair associate Alex Hoffman, former DNC treasurer William Derrough, and Keith Mestrich, the ex-CEO of Amalgamated Bank, which he once called “the institutional bank of the Democratic Party.”
None of these individuals has been charged with any fraud. However, the timing coincides with federal prosecutors announcing charges against eight more suspects in the massive Minnesota welfare scam, six of whom are of Somali descent.
Omar, a prominent member of the far-left “Squad,” entered Congress in 2019 with a net worth between negative $25,000 and negative $65,000, burdened by student loans and car debt with no assets to her name.
Fast-forward to 2024, and her financial disclosures show assets ballooning to between $6 million and $30 million.
How did this happen so quickly, and what role, if any, do connections to the $9 billion Minnesota welfare fraud play?
The scandal revolves around the theft of billions from government-funded children’s meal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly 90 people have been charged so far, including at least three with direct ties to Omar, though she herself has not been implicated or charged.
Fraudsters allegedly claimed millions of “phantom” meals that were never served, pocketing subsidies meant for hungry kids.
One key figure, Salim Ahmed Said, co-owner of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, was convicted in August of stealing over $12 million by fabricating 3.9 million meals.
Said’s restaurant hosted Omar’s 2018 victory party, and a resurfaced 2020 video shows Omar praising the program there, saying in Somali, “Every day Safari provides 2,300 meals to children and their families,” while handing out food trays.
I posted this video earlier …
Do you all want to know the kicker to this video?
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced on April 20, 2023 H.R. 2777 the "School Meals During School Closures Act.
She defrauded 250 Million from "The feeding our future Act." The same act she introduced. pic.twitter.com/zErLwE7d3y
Another convicted fraudster, Guhaad Hashi Said, worked on Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns and pleaded guilty in August to running a fake food site that claimed 5,000 daily meals, netting $3.2 million in ill-gotten gains.
Omar’s campaign received $7,400 in donations from at least three now-convicted individuals, which she claims were returned after the scandal broke.
Omar pushed the MEALS Act in Congress in 2020, which critics argue loosened oversight on these programs, paving the way for the fraud. When asked last week if she regretted the legislation, Omar told a reporter, “Absolutely not, it did help feed kids.”
Mynett’s firm, Rose Lake Capital, reported assets under management of $60 billion despite operating out of a WeWork office in Washington, D.C.
In 2023, it was valued at less than $1,000 in Omar’s disclosures, but by the next year, it jumped to between $5 million and $25 million. The firm boasts “deep global networks built from on-the-ground work in more than 80 countries,” but details are scarce.
Adding to the intrigue, Mynett’s other venture, a California winery called eStCru, LLC (formerly estCru), faced its own fraud allegations.
In October 2023, an investor sued Mynett for allegedly swindling $900,000 by misrepresenting the business.
“The fraud case involved a wine investor suing Mynett in Oct. 2023, accusing him of swindling him of $900,000 as he ‘fraudulently misrepresented … that estCru, LLC was a legitimate company.’ Mynett claimed he simply struggled to build a business during the pandemic,” The Post reports.
The case settled out of court.
The winery, which once sold gimmicky wines like “Blockchain” and “The Devil’s Lie,” saw its value skyrocket from $15,000-$50,000 in 2022 to between one and five million in 2024, a staggering 9,900% increase.
Today, it appears defunct. No wine sales, a broken website, a disconnected phone, and no social media activity since 2023.
“In total, Mynett has received a whopping $878,930.65 from Omar’s campaign since he began working for her in 2018, raising eyebrows among watchdogs and political law experts who say the practice is rife with cronyism,” The Post wrote in a 2020 report on the matter.
Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, didn’t mince words, telling the New York Post this week, “There’s a lot of strange things going on… She was basically broke when she came into office, and now she’s worth perhaps up to $30 million…she needs to come clean on these assets.”
In September, President Donald Trump asked about Omar’s ties to the fraud scam, writing on Truth Social, “Does Ilhan Omar know these people? Are they from her wonderfully managed Home Country of Somalia?”
Omar dismissed the wealth reports as “ridiculous” and “categorically false” earlier this year. Her office declined comment, citing a holiday closure until January 5.
Mynett did not respond to inquiries from The Post, and his businesses’ contact info is non-functional.
About 70% of Americans said they didn’t have “very much” or any trust that news outlets would fairly cover President Donald Trump’s second term, according to a YouGov poll.
Media Research Center found that 92% of the major network media coverage of Trump during his first 100 days in office was negative.
As Trump’s second administration nears its one year anniversary, here are five stories about the president’s achievements that you won’t find in legacy media coverage.
1. Pardoning the FACE Act Prisoners
On Jan. 23, Trump pardoned the 23 pro-lifers who were convicted for actions including praying outside abortion clinics and encouraging women in unplanned pregnancies to choose life.
“They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted,” the president said.
The predecessor Biden-Harris administration’s Justice Department had brought criminal or civil cases under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against at least 50 pro-life advocates. Twenty-three were convicted. Ten were released from prison after the pardons.
The Daily Signal spoke to several of the pardoned pro-life advocates, who thanked the president for setting them free.
“I’m very thankful to the Lord to be pardoned and to get back into the fight against baby-murdering and to serve the Lord and to be with my family,” Calvin Zastrow, 64, told The Daily Signal.
“I really believe that President Trump saved my life,” Paulette Harlow, 75, told The Daily Signal. “Because if I had ever gone to prison, I don’t think I would have made it. And I certainly would not have been able to have my back surgeries and everything that I needed to have and have taken care of.”
2. Expanding the Mexico City Policy
On Jan. 24, President Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy after President Joe Biden rescinded it.
The State Department announced in October that it was working to expand the scope of the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for foreign abortions.
“The department will soon take additional steps to close loopholes that allowed taxpayer funding for promotion of abortion in previous iterations of the Mexico City Policy and expand the scope of the policy to ensure every penny of U.S. foreign assistance prioritizes American values, not the woke agenda,” a senior State Department official told The Daily Signal.
The expanded policy will prohibit U.S. funding for gender ideology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For example, the State Department is ending a $2 million grant to fund gender-affirming operations in Guatemala.
The new provision restricts a broader range of nongovernmental organization programming, such as those for HIV/AIDS, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, maternal and child health, nutrition, and infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
This scope of the policy will apply across all non-military foreign assistance.
Trump also renewed America’s membership in the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a 40-nation coalition of countries that declare that there is no international right to abortion.
3. Classifying Transgender Procedures for Kids as Human Rights Violations
As of November, the State Department is classifying “destructive ideologies” formerly promoted by the Biden administration in the United States as human rights violations.
The State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices will now account for transgender procedures for minors, DEI hiring, attacks on free speech, and state-funded abortions, a State Department official told The Daily Signal.
The State Department submits Human Rights Reports on all countries receiving assistance and all United Nations member states to Congress in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974.
Member states will be required to count the number of abortions taking place in their countries, and they will be denounced for funding abortions or the distribution of drugs which end an unborn baby’s life.
4. Ending Taxpayer-Funded Abortions for Illegal Migrant Children
The Department of Health and Human Services is moving to roll back a Biden-era regulation that allows taxpayer dollars to pay for unaccompanied illegal alien children in the U.S. to travel to get abortions, The Daily Signal first reported.
HHS is cleaning up the Biden administration regulation so that it is in compliance with the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding for abortions, HHS officials told The Daily Signal.
“HHS is reviewing the relevant regulations and guidance to ensure they align with all applicable laws, including the Hyde Amendment,” an HHS official told The Daily Signal in a statement.
On Nov. 10, 2022, the Biden administration proposed the “Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule,” which required the Office of Refugee Resettlement to “ensure unaccompanied children have access to medical care, including transportation across state lines and associated ancillary services if necessary to access appropriate medical services, including access to medical specialists, family planning services, and medical services requiring heightened ORR involvement.”
The Biden rule violates the Hyde Amendment, the 1976 law prohibiting the use of federal funds to pay for most abortions, according to a July memorandum of opinion from Trump’s Office of Legal Counsel, a branch of the Department of Justice.
Now, the Department of Health and Human Services is undergoing the task of challenging a final rule on a topic with a history of court precedent.
5. Upgrading Human Trafficking Hotline
The Trump administration has chosen a new provider to run its human trafficking hotline after complaints that the Biden administration’s provider failed to answer calls from victims, The Daily Signal first reported.
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families announced a five-year, projected $35 million grant to Compass Connections to run the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
HHS received complaints from victims and state attorneys general that with the previous provider under the Biden administration, wait times were too long, calls were dropped, and victims could not rely on the hotline to deliver the necessary quality of service.
“State attorneys general were telling us that third-party tips were not getting delivered to law enforcement, so their investigations into human trafficking were hindered,” acting Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison told The Daily Signal, “and they had a much harder time getting criminals off the streets of human trafficking, to get information where it needs to go on time in an accurate way, so that law enforcement can make arrests and end human trafficking.”
The award includes an increase of $1 million annually and will bring annual funding to $7 million, showing Trump’s commitment to protecting survivors of human trafficking, according to Gradison.
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