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
If you’ve ever received a strong rebuke, you had multiple ways to respond. You could immediately fight back, justify yourself, and even explain why the correction was unnecessary. Or you could accept the critique as being good for your development.In the Old Testament, Israel received many rebukes from the Lord. There were times when they justified themselves. But in Hosea, God’s people listened, accepted the discipline, and committed themselves to Him again. The prophet Hosea begins with a call to “return to the Lord” (6:1). Like a car making a U-turn, the writer encourages his listeners to make a 180-degree change to their sinful ways. He acknowledges that the Lord has “torn us to pieces” (v. 1). This is a graphic description of the strong discipline they have endured. Because they wandered so far from Him, God brought the judgments He described in the Law upon them (Deut. 27–28).Notice that their ability to return to the Lord is based upon His character. The prophet does not say: You’ve now become good enough to come back to Him! Instead, Hosea roots his call in the fact that God loves His people and has promised to restore them. “He will heal us…he will bind up our wounds” (v. 1). Why would God do this for wicked people? So that they would be restored to live righteous lives in His presence for their own good (v. 2).With this commitment from God to forgiveness and restoration, the prophet challenges his readers to press on to return to and acknowledge the Lord (v. 3). God has made a promise and as sure as the sun rises, He will fulfill it!
Go Deeper Are you struggling with repentance? Have you convinced yourself that it might not be worth it to turn back to God? Remember, He has made promises to you. One of them is that He will forgive when we confess (1 John 1:9). Press on to know Him! Extended Reading: Hosea 5-7
Pray with Us Too often we struggle with repentance and run away from God. Remind us, Holy Spirit, that You are a God of healing and forgiveness. We pray for the prodigals to run back to You and find restoration.
Among other hobbies, I enjoy subjecting my loved ones to proverbial malaphors. “We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.” “Get all your ducks on the same page.” “Too many cooks killed the cat.” Et cetera.
Saner minds spend time studying actual proverbs, since they are designed to help us pursue a good life. These cultural sayings can become especially useful at the start of a new year. “The early bird catches the worm” suggests I consider better sleep habits. Other proverbs may prompt me to improve my diet and exercise routines. “Strike while the iron is hot”… or at least while I still regret all the sugar I ate last month.
The Power (and Danger) of Proverbs
A proverb is a pithy saying that provides quick, memorable access to an alleged truth.[1] Like parables, proverbs present us with powerful images that can act as a sort of intellectual or ethical IV line, quickly and efficiently delivering meaning to the heart.
Perhaps more than we realize, we have all been shaped by the “simple sayings” that echo around us — for good, or for ill. For example, there are cultural proverbs which may lead us to believe that words will never hurt us (they will), or that God only helps those who help themselves (He doesn’t), or that no news is good news (except when it’s not).
A poor proverb takes me away from reality. So also a good proverb misapplied, which may be even more dangerous — if only for the fact that, since we know it is relevant in some situations, we are slow to realize when it is irrelevant to our own.
Do I Need the Book of Proverbs?
To ensure we are on good ground, we should turn to the inerrant, God-breathed Book of Proverbs. God never lies (Titus 1:2), and we can trust all that He tells us. Yet even here we are not safe if we misread the title as “Promises.”
It can be beyond painful to read verses like Proverbs 12:21 or 22:6 against your own experience and ask, “What went wrong?” These and other examples may lead us to conclude that the Book of Proverbs, far from being useful, is only applicable to a few people under the most ideal conditions. For the rest of us, Solomon’s treasury seems to have suffered the death of a thousand qualifications.
And yet, we cannot afford to ignore these 31 chapters of the Bible. God has given them to us, and He told us the reason why upfront:
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance… (Proverbs 1:2–5)
The Purpose of Proverbs
Proverbs should not be read as promises like Genesis 12:2 or John 11:25–26. Yet neither should they be discounted as mere statistical probabilities or, still worse, pious advice. As the Didache, an early manual on Christian living, put it, “There are two ways — one a way of life, and one a way of death — and a vast difference between the two ways.”[2]
God gave the Proverbs to His people so that they might know and follow the way of life. In other words, God gave us Proverbs so that we might be conformed to the image of Christ, who is Himself the Way (John 14:6; Romans 8:29).[3]
Proverbs exists in the canon so that God’s people might live in the joy of God’s presence. We could easily inscribe 1 Thessalonians 4:3 at the front of Solomon’s book: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification… .” Each of us is called by God to strive for “the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). And God has graciously given us the means to do this: His Spirit speaking in His Word, including the words of Proverbs.
Where to Begin
One memorable feature of Proverbs is the repeated exhortation to “get” wisdom, knowledge, and insight (e.g. 4:5, 7; 6:20–24; 7:4; 8:5; 16:16; 19:20; 23:23). We are called to “seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures” (2:4).
But where do we begin? Proverbs 1:7 gives us the answer: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge… .”
The fear of God — what Derek Kidner calls “submission to His authority and majesty” — is the disposition that we need to acquire true, life-giving knowledge. Others can explain this fear at greater depth, but in short, it is a heart-attitude that is overawed by the majesty of God, trembles at the power of God, dreads to depart from God, and rejoices in the goodness of God.[4] Godly fear (sometimes called “filial” or “son-ly” fear) is a close companion to saving faith. It is taking God seriously, and taking serious delight in Him.
Without this fear, the Proverbs are ultimately pointless to us, “dark sayings” that may provide some temporary guidance, but no lasting enjoyment of God or God’s world.[5] On the other hand, we who do fear the Lord should make every effort to study the Proverbs with confidence. These are gifts from a kind Father who wants us to enjoy His friendship.
“Get Wisdom”
There are no shortcuts to wisdom. Yet if we begin and persist in Godly fear, the result will not only be better habits, but better knowledge of God, what Jesus called “eternal life” (John 17:3).[6] Let’s chase after that knowledge this year. Gather up every bit of God’s wisdom as you can, prayerfully, fearfully, faithfully — for “then you will understand the fear of the LORD
[1] Norman Habel, “The Symbolism of Wisdom in Proverbs 1–9,” Interpretation, vol. 26, no. 2, April 1972, pp. 132–4. Cf. Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 187-204. I am indebted to Dr. Craig Troxel for directing me to this and other sources cited in this article.
[2]Didache 1:1. Early Christians were occasionally called “those belonging to the Way” (Acts 9:2; cf. 24:14). This does not mean, as some have recently asserted, that Jesus came simply to instill a rule of life, habits, and practices. Our hope is founded on the facts of Jesus’ identity and mission. For some helpful thoughts on this discussion, see Kevin DeYoung’s “Is This the Way? A Review of Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer.”
[3] Commentator Michael V. Fox calls wisdom “a configuration of soul” and “moral character,” and rightly regards the fostering of such character the greatest goal of education (Proverbs 1–9, The Anchor Bible, p. 348). “It is also the greatest challenge,” Fox writes, “for moral character comes down to desiring the right things, and how can we teach desire?” Put this way, we can think of the Book of Proverbs as one way in which God is teaching His sons to desire rightly.
[4]cf. Alan Ross, Proverbs, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p, 907. For two complimentary (and in some ways contrasting) views of the fear of the Lord, see “6 Questions about the Fear of God” by Michael Reeves and “What Does Proverbs 1:7 Mean?” by Ryan Patrick O’Dowd, both of which come from longer works worth reflection. Another good expression comes from Calvin’s First Catechism: “True piety consists in a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death.”
[5] In the words of Kidner, “…you have to be godly to be wise; and this is not because godliness pays, but because the only wisdom by which you can handle everyday things in conformity with their nature is the wisdom by which the LORD Himself made and ordered them.”
[6] T. David Gordon puts it well: “…because wisdom is gained slowly and gradually, we cannot wait until we face a particular choice and then begin to develop wisdom. We must constantly, throughout our lives, be reflective, contemplative, and thoughtful. We must constantly speak with (even better: listen to) those who are older and/or more experienced or learned than us and be taught by them. We never know beforehand which of their observations, or our own, will equip us in the future to answer some specific question correctly.”
You have proclaimed your name: The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6-7(ESV) And this, your name, is my strong tower. Proverbs 18:10(ESV)
You are good and do good, Psalm 119:68(ESV) good to all; and your mercy is over all that you have made. Psalm 73:1(ESV) But truly God is in a special manner good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:1(ESV)
O that you would make all your goodness pass before me, Exodus 33:19(ESV) that I may taste and see that the Lord is good, Psalm 34:8(ESV) and your steadfast love may be always before my eyes. Psalm 26:3(ESV)
Lastly, that when we have said all we can of the glorious perfections of the Divine nature, we fall infinitely short of the merit of the subject.
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do I hear of God! But the thunder of his power who can understand? Job 26:14(ESV)
The Almighty – I cannot find him; he is great in power, in justice and abundant righteousness; Job 37:23(ESV) he is exalted far above all blessing and praise. Nehemiah 9:5(ESV)
Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!
Mark 13:35-37
Jesus gathers up all the intervening time between His first and second comings and divides it into four watches—one long night of the world’s sin—and He says, You don’t know (and, I think He implies, I don’t know) whether the coming is to be early in that time or in the middle of it, or three-quarters of the way through, or clear at the end. No one knows. I don’t know; you don’t know. But it is like a man going on a journey (here He likens it to His own going away) who gives his servants work to do, and he expects them to do it. And he sets a doorkeeper to watch.
What is he to watch for? Is he to watch for the master’s return? That is the way this is usually interpreted. But that is not it, for he is to start watching as soon as the master leaves. He knows the master will not be back right away. What then is he to watch for? He is to watch so that no one can deceive him and gain entrance into the house and wreck and ruin and rob all the master has. So Jesus’ word is, Be alert; don’t go to sleep; watch! There are temptations and pressures that will assault you to make you think that it is all a lie, to make you give up and stop living like a Christian, stop walking in faith, stop believing the truth of God. Watch out for that. And in the meantime, do your work. Don’t let anything turn you aside. Don’t let anything derail you from being what God wants you to be in this day and age. This is the way you watch. We are not to be looking up into the sky all the time, waiting for His coming. That will happen when He is ready. We are to watch that we are not deceived.
I have been disturbed at how many Christians seem to have fallen away. I look back across many years of ministry, and I see men whom I would have sworn were solid, tremendously committed, faithful, Bible-teaching Christians but who are now denying their faith and have turned aside. And on every side, seemingly, this increases—people falling off into immorality and iniquity, turning away from their faith, saying, in effect, they no longer believe the Lord or the Bible. It is this our Lord is warning against.
Therefore, He says that we are to keep awake. Do not believe all the secular voices that tell us the world will go on forever as it is now. Don’t believe the other voices that tell us there is no God, so we can live as we please, or that if God exists, He will never judge us. Don’t believe the voices that whisper to us constantly and try to turn us away from our faith. With one sharp, arresting, ringing word of command, Jesus ends his message: Watch!
Lord, strengthen me and help me to stay alert, that I may endure to the end, that I may be faithful unto death, that I too may join in that great day with those who are given the crown of life.
Life Application
Do we need to wake up and smell the dangers of complacency and carelessness in our daily walk with God? Why must we be watchful, alert, and above all prayerful?
1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
2“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
5Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
9“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 20If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24“But in those days, following that distress, ” ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ “
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When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.” (1:17–19)
The overwhelming vision John witnessed dramatically altered him. Initially, his response was devastating fear, which the Lord removed by assurance and then by giving John a sense of duty.
FEAR
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. (1:17a)
In a manner similar to his experience with the glory of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration more than six decades earlier (cf. Matt. 17:6), John was again overwhelmed with terror at the manifestation of Christ’s glory and fell at His feet like a dead man. Such fear was standard for those few who experienced such unusual heavenly visions. When an angel appeared to him, Daniel reported that “no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength.… and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground” (Dan. 10:8–9; cf. 8:17). Overwhelmed by the vision of God that he saw in the temple, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa. 6:5). Ezekiel saw several visions of the Lord’s glory and his response was always the same: he fell on his face (Ezek. 1:28; 3:23; 9:8; 43:3; 44:4). After the Angel of the Lord appeared to them and announced the birth of Samson, “Manoah [Samson’s father] said to his wife, ‘We shall surely die, for we have seen God’ ” (Judg. 13:22). Job had a similar reaction after God spoke to him: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6). On his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, Saul of Tarsus (better known as the apostle Paul) “saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me” (Acts 26:13). In response, Saul and his companions fell prostrate in the road (v. 14). After witnessing the terrifying calamities that follow the opening of the sixth seal, unbelievers during the Tribulation will cry out in terror “to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’ ” (Rev. 6:16–17). In stark contrast to the silly, frivolous, false, and boastful claims of many in our own day who claim to have seen God, the reaction of those in Scripture who genuinely saw God was inevitably one of fear. Those brought face-to-face with the blazing, holy glory of the Lord Jesus Christ are terrified, realizing their sinful unworthiness to be in His holy presence. Summarizing the proper response to God’s holiness and majesty, the writer of Hebrews exhorts believers to “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28–29).
ASSURANCE
And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. (1:17b–18)
As He had done so long ago at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:7), Jesus placed His right hand on John and comforted him. This is a touch of comfort and reassurance. There is comfort for Christians overwhelmed by the glory and majesty of Christ in the assurance of His gracious love and merciful forgiveness. Jesus’ comforting words, “Do not be afraid,” (lit. “Stop being afraid”) reveal His compassionate assurance of the terrified apostle. Similar words of comfort are God’s response throughout Scripture to those overwhelmed by His majestic presence (e.g., Gen. 15:1; 26:24; Judg. 6:23; Matt. 14:27; 17:7; 28:10). The comfort Jesus offered was based on who He is and the authority He possesses. First, He identified Himself as I am (egō eimi)—the covenant name of God (cf. Ex. 3:14). It was that name with which He had comforted the terrified disciples who saw Him walking on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:27). Jesus took that name for Himself in John 8:58—a direct claim to deity that was not lost on His opponents (v. 59). Jesus next identified Himself as the first and the last (cf. 2:8; 22:13), a title used of God in the Old Testament (Isa. 44:6; 48:12; cf. 41:4). When all false gods have come and gone, only He remains. He existed before them and will continue to exist eternally, long after they have been forgotten. Jesus’ application of that title to Himself is another powerful proof of His deity. The third title of deity Jesus claimed is that of the living One (cf. John 1:4; 14:6). That also is a title used throughout Scripture to describe God (e.g., Josh. 3:10; 1 Sam. 17:26; Ps. 84:2; Hos. 1:10; Matt. 16:16; 26:63; Acts 14:15; Rom. 9:26; 2 Cor. 3:3; 6:16; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:15; 4:10; Heb. 3:12; 9:14; 10:31; Rev. 7:2). God is the eternal, uncaused, self-existent One. In John 5:26 Jesus said to His Jewish opponents, “Just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself,” thus claiming full equality with God the Father. The One whose presence struck fear into John’s heart, the I Am, the first and the last, the living One, the One whose death freed him from his sins (Rev. 1:5) is the very One who comforted and reassured John. In the words of the apostle Paul, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Christ’s seemingly paradoxical declaration I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore provides further grounds for assurance. The Greek text literally reads, “I became dead.” The living One, the eternal, self-existent God who could never die, became man and died. As Peter explains in 1 Peter 3:18, Christ was “put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” In His humanness He died without ceasing to live as God. Behold introduces a statement of amazement and wonder: I am alive forevermore. Christ lives forever in a union of glorified humanity and deity, “according to the power of an indestructible life” (Heb. 7:16). “Christ, having been raised from the dead,” wrote Paul, “is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him” (Rom. 6:9). That truth provides comfort and assurance, because Jesus “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). In spite of his sinfulness in the presence of the glorious Lord of heaven, John had nothing to fear because that same Lord had paid by His death the penalty for John’s sins (and those of all who believe in Him) and risen to be his eternal advocate. As the eternal I Am, the first and the last, the living One, Jesus holds the keys of death and of Hades. Those terms are essentially synonymous, with death being the condition and Hades the place. Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament term Sheol and refers to the place of the dead. Keys denote access and authority. Jesus Christ has the authority to decide who dies and who lives; He controls life and death. And John, like all the redeemed, had nothing to fear, since Christ had already delivered him from death and Hades by His own death. Knowing that Christ has authority over death provides assurance, since believers need no longer fear it. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.… because I live, you will live also. ” (John 11:25; 14:19). To die, Paul noted, is “to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8; cf. Phil. 1:23). Jesus conquered Satan and took the keys of death away from him: “Through death [Christ rendered] powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and … free[d] those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Heb. 2:14–15). The knowledge that Christ “loves us and released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev. 1:5) provides the assurance that is the balance to the reverential fear that His glory and majesty evoke.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1999). Revelation 1–11 (pp. 49–52). Moody Press.
17–18 These verses identify Christ to John and connect the vision of the glorified Christ (vv. 13–16) with his existence in history. The vision is seen in the light of the Eternal One who identifies himself in these verses. “I fell at his feet as though dead” indicates that in the vision John actually saw a supernatural being and was stricken with trembling and fear, as had the prophets before him (Ezek 1:28; Dan 8:17, 10:9). Immediately Christ placed his hand on John and assured him that he would not die: “Do not be afraid” (cf. 2:10; 19:10; 22:8; Matt 17:6–7). The title “the First and the Last,” which belongs to God in Isaiah 44:6 and 48:12 (where it means that he alone is God, the absolute Lord of history and the Creator), shows that in John’s Christology Christ is identified with the Deity. Christ is also “the Living One” in that he, like God, never changes. Probably this expression is a further elaboration of what it means to be “the First and the Last,” i.e., he alone of all the gods can speak and act in the world (Josh 3:10; 1 Sam 17:26; Ps 42:2; Rev 7:2). These divine qualities of his person are now linked to his earthly existence in first-century Palestine—“I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” This passage is sufficient to counter the claim that John’s view of Christ does not revolve around atonement theology. On the contrary, his whole view of Jesus and his kingdom revolves around the Cross and resurrection—an interpretation that should serve to set the tone for all the visions that follow. It was through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection that he won the right to have the “keys of death and Hades.” Keys grant the holder access to interiors and their contents, and in ancient times the wearing of large keys was a mark of status in the community (cf. 3:7; 9:1, 20:1, 21:25). “Hades” translates the Hebrew term še‚ôl (“death,” “grave”) almost everywhere in the LXX. In the NT the word has a twofold usage: in some cases it denotes the place of all the departed dead (Acts 2:27, 31); in others, it refers to the place of the departed wicked (Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13–14). Since Christ alone has conquered death and has himself come out of Hades, he alone can determine who will enter death and Hades and who will come out of these. He has the “keys.” For the Christian, death can only be seen as the servant of Christ.
Johnson, A. F. (1981). Revelation. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 428–429). Zondervan Publishing House.
17 John’s response to the vision was to fall at the feet of Christ as though dead. Similar responses are found in Josh 5:14; Ezek 1:28; Dan 8:17; 10:15; Matt 17:6; Acts 26:14; and 1 Enoch 14:14. But to call the response “stereotyped behaviour in such apocalyptic trances” would incorrectly imply that John was playing out a role rather than experiencing a supernatural phenomenon of such magnitude that to stand as an equal would be tantamount to blasphemy. It could even lead to death (cf. the OT belief that for sinful man to see God was to die; Exod 19:21; 33:20; Judg 6:22–23). Christ now lays his right hand on John and speaks a word of strong assurance (cf. Dan 10:10). That Christ is described in the previous verse as holding seven stars in the same right hand should cause no problem. The entire account is visionary and symbolic, and as such should not be expected to conform to literalistic requirements. The laying on of the right hand communicated power and blessing. It is a commissioning hand that restores John’s confidence and prepares him to hear the words of consolation and command. The celestial visitor speaks, and his very words remind the prostrate Seer of earlier days when as Jesus of Nazareth this one had shared his earthly ministry with the twelve. More than once John had heard the familiar “Do not be afraid,” for example, when Jesus approached the disciples walking on the water (Matt 14:27) and when they had fallen on their faces having heard the voice of God from heaven (Matt 17:7). There is no cause for fear because he who speaks is “the First and the Last.” This title is essentially the same as the divine self-designation in 1:8, “the Alpha and the Omega.” In 22:13 both titles are joined by a third, “the Beginning and the End.” In Isa. 44:6 God declares, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God” (cf. Isa 48:12). The title emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God. Thus, in Revelation, the words “Do not be afraid” come from a sovereign being. Even death holds no terror because he is the Living One who has conquered death and holds it in his power (v. 18).
Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation (pp. 60–61). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
1:17–18 / John’s response to his christophany testifies to its truth: I fell at his feet as though dead. Christ, who at last identifies himself, prohibits John, with some irony, from responding as he surely must: Do not be afraid! Yet, the reasons for comfort and assurance are found in Christ’s self-introduction as the First and the Last. Christ addresses John as exalted Lord; he asserts divine authority, equal to “the Alpha and Omega” (cf. 1:8), thus legitimizing his representation of God’s people on God’s behalf. Further, he claims his authority over death; as the Living One, Christ has custody of the keys of death and Hades and is therefore able to unlock God’s people from their captivity to sin and its consequences.
Wall, R. W. (2011). Revelation (p. 63). Baker Books.
1:17–18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. What happens next follows a similar pattern to that found in Daniel 8 and 10 (i.e., heavenly vision, falling down in fear, strengthening by a heavenly being, additional instruction). It’s not surprising that John responds similarly to many prophets before him who had received a glorious vision (e.g., Isa. 6:5; Ezek. 1:28; Dan. 8:17; 10:9–11). It’s not his own sin that puts John on his face before Jesus; it’s the glory of the risen Christ. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Jesus then places his hand of power and protection on John, the same hand that holds the seven stars (vv. 16, 20). The one who sustains the churches is himself the Life Giver (note the threefold repetition of “dead/death”). The term “Hades” refers to the realm of the dead (1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14), not to the place of final punishment or “hell.” Jesus then speaks words of encouragement to John and his readers (see the sidebar).
Duvall, J. S. (2014). Revelation (M. L. Strauss & J. H. Walton, Eds.; p. 32). Baker Books.
Indeed, John, his servant, could not stand the sight, but fell at his feet as though dead. ‘As dead’ shows that this is not an oriental prostration designed to show respect, but the physical effects of the tremendous vision. John was comforted by Christ himself, who put his right hand on him. We have already been told that Christ held the stars in his hand (v. 16) and we are told so again (v. 20). We should not preoccupy ourselves with the question of how he could do both these things with the one hand. John is talking in symbols and it is the symbolism that is important, not the possibility of our reconstructing the picture. At one and the same time Christ has the whole church in his hand and he takes action for the needs of the individual. Both truths are important. John often uses pieces of imagery difficult to reconcile with one another (e.g. 6:8; 8:7 with 9:4; 8:12; 14:4; 17:1 with 3; 20:3; 20:13). The words Do not be afraid (‘Stop fearing’) are familiar from the Gospels, where Jesus spoke to several people in this way. The First and the Last (again in 2:8; 22:13) means very much the same as ‘the Alpha and the Omega’ used of God in verse 8 (cf. Isa. 44:6; 48:12). It is another application of divine terms to Christ.
Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 59). InterVarsity Press.
17–18. John’s reaction and Christ’s response remind us of similar reactions of Isaiah (Isa. 6:5), Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:28) and particularly Daniel (Dan. 10:7–10) to their encounters with God. It is Christ’s right hand, which holds the stars, that reaches out to John and assures him in terms that identify Jesus with God. The First and the Last comes from Isaiah 44:6 where it denotes the uniqueness of God; it parallels the earlier ‘Alpha and Omega’, and the two phrases converge in 21:6 and 22:13 as a description of God and Jesus. The language of living … for ever and the contrast with death also borrows Old Testament terms describing God’s uniqueness, here from Deuteronomy 32:39–40, expressed with reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection. ‘Christ once raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him’ (Rom. 6:9, AT). This is re-expressed as Jesus having the keys to death and Hades (AT), language stolen from the magical cult of Hekate, the goddess of death and the underworld.
Paul, I. (2018). Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Vol. 20, pp. 73–74). Inter-Varsity Press.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. And he placed his right hand on me saying: “Fear not, I am the First and the Last.” Seeing Jesus in glorified appearance proved to be too much for John, not so much because of human frailty as because of his awareness of his utter unworthiness to see Christ’s glory. He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, which is a common posture of the saints who are permitted to be in the presence of holiness. John had seen his glory on the mount of transfiguration, and when they heard the voice from heaven, he and his companions fell face down on the ground (Matt. 17:6). Scripture reveals that saints in both Old and New Testament eras had similar experiences. The truth is that human beings are unable to face divine majesty: sinners prostrate themselves and acknowledge the presence of sinlessness. Lying on the ground, John appeared to be dead. Yet his senses were alert, for he was fully aware of Jesus standing next to him. The Lord appeared to him, not to slay him, but to show him his divine power and majesty, which John should report to the churches. Both John and the churches had to become aware of Christ’s awesome appearance and to do so in preparation for the message Jesus had for them. Jesus placed his right hand on John and ordered him not to fear. The hand of the Lord touched John to establish physical contact and his voice told him not to be afraid. Daniel also was touched and raised after seeing heavenly visions, and he too was told not to fear (Dan. 8:18; 10:10, 12). By touching John, Jesus endowed him with strength to face the future; at the same time he spoke words that were an echo from the past: “Fear not.” Jesus had often commanded his disciples to stop being afraid, whether it was on the stormy lake of Galilee (Matt. 14:27); on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:7); on a missionary journey (Acts 18:9); or in custody (Acts 23:11). Jesus never deserts his own people. In the words “I am the First and the Last” John recognized Jesus, who is the “I am” (e.g., see John 8:58). Jesus is also the first as the Creator (John 1:1–3), the author of salvation (Heb. 2:10), and the firstborn from among the dead (Col. 1:18). He is the also the one who will bring all things to completion; thus by being the fulfillment of all things he is the end. He is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. What an encouragement to know that Jesus stands at the beginning and at the end of human history and that he is always with the saints.
Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 99–100). Baker Book House.
I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. (Zephaniah 3:12)
When true religion is ready to die out among the wealthy it finds a home among the poor of this world, rich in faith. The Lord has even now His faithful remnant. Am I one of them?
Perhaps it is because men are afflicted and poor that they learn to trust in the name of the Lord. He that hath no money must try what he can do on trust. He whose own name is good for nothing in his own esteem, acts wisely to rest in another name, even that best of names, the name of Jehovah. God will always have a trusting people, and these will be an afflicted and poor people. Little as the world thinks of them, their being left in the midst of a nation is the channel of untold blessings to it. Here we have the conserving salt which keeps in check the corruption which is in the world through lust.
Again the question comes home to each one of us. Am I one of them? Am I afflicted by the sin within me and around me? Am I poor in spirit, poor spiritually in my own judgment? Do I trust in the Lord? This is the main business. Jesus reveals the name, the character, the person of God; am I trusting in Him? If so, I am left in this world for a purpose. Lord, help me to fulfill it.
First Reading Acts 16:1–5
Psalm Psalm 71:15–24
Epistle 1 Timothy 6:11–16
Gospel Matthew 24:42–47
Index of Readings
FIRST READING Acts 16:1–5
1 Now Paul also arrived at Derbe and at Lystra. And behold, a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek,
2 and he was well spoken of by the brothers who were in Lystra and Iconium.
3 Paul wanted this man to go with him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to keep.
5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were abounding in number daily.
PSALM Psalm 71:15–24 15 My mouth shall recount Your righteousness And Your salvation all day long; For I do not know the sum of them. 16 I will come with the mighty deeds of Lord Yahweh; I will bring to remembrance Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your might to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20 You, who have shown me many troubles and evils,
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.
22 I will also praise You with a harp,
Even Your truth, O my God;
To You I will sing praises with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will sing for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;
For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek to do me evil.
EPISTLE 1 Timothy 6:11–16 11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.
GOSPEL Matthew 24:42–47
42 “Therefore stay awake, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
43 “But 1be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be 2broken into.
44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave whom his 1master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
46 “Blessed is that slave whom his 1master finds so doing when he comes.
47 “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary. (2009). Concordia Publishing House.
In the current culture, it seems what goes into the mouth is given much more thought and priority than what comes out of it.
Making the Most of Your Mouth by Lynette Kittle
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them”—Matthew 15:11
In the current culture, it seems what goes into the mouth is given much more thought and priority than what comes out of it.
Even Jesus and His disciples discussed which is more important. As Mark 7:18 describes, “Are you so dull?’ He asked. ‘Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?’”
Sadly in today’s setting much more focus and importance is put into what types of food goes into a mouth, while what comes out of it seems to be given very little thought.
Yet Jesus took great care to explain why what goes into the body through the mouth, is not as important as what comes out of it. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?” (Matthew 15:17)
Continuing His dialogue with them on the topic, Jesus had more to say about it, “He went on: ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them’” (Mark 7:20).
Current culture seems to foster hateful, hurtful, and careless words designed to humiliate and destroy others, and supports the sharing of it through public and social media for the whole world to hear or read.
As well, worldwide share-ability through technology has escalated the effects of its destructive reach.
Still Jesus emphasized that what comes out of peoples’ mouths is destructive to themselves (Matthew 15:11) a truth seemed lost in today’s society.
Yet how many people might think twice about what they are writing or saying if they understood their words are defiling themselves?
If individuals truly understood how their words towards others are actually revealing more about their own heart, along with causing much harm personally, they might reconsider the things they say and write.
Luke 6:45 explains how “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
If you’ve been tempted to jump onto the social media insult wagon, consider your words as Ephesians 5:31 urges, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Instead of lashing out with your words, Colossians 3:8 encourages, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
Ask God to, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).
When you do, Scripture assures, “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3).
Related Resource: Trusting God with Tomorrow’s Unknowns
The unknowns of tomorrow can weigh heavy on our hearts, but Jesus reminds us to trust in God’s care and surrender our worries to Him. – Rachel Wojo. Your Nightly Prayeris a daily Christian prayer podcast from the LifeAudio Podcast Network and Crosswalk.com. Each night, the team behind Crosswalk.com brings you a devotional and prayer to help you end your day in conversation with God. May these nightly prayers help you find the words to pray and focus your heart and mind on the love of God as you end your day. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Related Resource: The Bible Explained – Read More of The Bible This Year!
Reading the Bible shouldn’t be a chore; it should be fun! Grab your cup of coffee and tune in to The Bible Explained Podcast, where Jenn Kokal explains the Bible in a simplistic, approachable way. Each weekday morning, you will hear Jenn read and discuss Scripture in a way that you (probably) have never experienced before. Touted by many listeners as “The best Bible-reading podcast out there,” you won’t regret tuning in, especially if you are looking to deepen your knowledge about the Bible. Jenn’s goal is to present the Bible straightforwardly, utilizing biblical cross-references, ancient history, and the Hebrew/Greek languages.
If you have been following my website since I launched it back in 2020, I hope you can sense that I am passionate about apologetics. As I shared in an earlier devotion apologetics means defense of the Christian faith – and this can be done through history, science, archaeology, ethics, etc., and from the genius of the Word of God itself. It is my sincere prayer that each devotion has deepened your walk with the Lord and strengthened your faith in our glorious sourcebook – the Bible.
While apologetics can be very useful in witnessing to non-Christians, I believe it’s primary strength is to solidify a Christian’s faith in God and His holy Word. Let’s examine first why apologetics is important for us to use as a witnessing tool to the unsaved.
Apologetics, when shared with an open-minded individual can cause them to use their mind to examine powerful evidence to the existence of God and the reliability and truthfulness of the Scriptures. Many nonbelievers and skeptics are not aware of the amazing nature of the Bible and good, cogent arguments can definitely cause them, to at least, think about things that they may never have thought or heard about before. And don’t forget to pray for the person you are sharing apologetic knowledge with, because this combination of apologetics and prayer can be sheer dynamite when used together.
However, when we meet someone who has a closed mind to the Bible, apologetics often won’t do much to change their viewpoint. In these cases, prayer is often our most important weapon, to open an individual’s heart, before our apologetic arguments can shared.
But I have found in my over 44-year walk with the Lord, that apologetics can really encourage and strengthen a Christian’s faith in the Lord and His Word in almost every case. There are many Christians, both new and mature in the faith, that are not aware of the apologetic evidence out there. To these Christians I pray that my devotions have opened their eyes to the intellectually sound arguments that exist for our faith in the Bible. As Christians see that the Bible can be defended from so many different disciplines and angles, this new evidence can’t help but make their faith stronger.
Apologetics, thus has a valuable role to play in our sharing with atheists, skeptics, and Christians; both new and mature in the faith. And as I discussed above, when you combine apologetics with fervent prayer there is no telling what can happen in a person’s life.
“He will keep the feet of His saints” – 1 Samuel 2:9
The way is slippery and our feet are feeble, but the LORD will keep our feet. If we give ourselves up by obedient faith to be His holy ones, He will Himself be our guardian. Not only will He charge His angels to keep us, but He Himself will preserve our goings. He will keep our feet from falling so that we do not defile our garments, wound our souls, and cause the enemy to blaspheme. He will keep our feet from wandering so that we do not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of the world’s custom. He will keep our feet from swelling through weariness, or blistering because of the roughness and length of the way. He will keep our feet from wounding: our shoes shall be iron and brass so that even though we tread on the edge of the sword, or on deadly serpents, we shall not bleed or be poisoned. He will also pluck our feet out of the net. We shall not be entangled by the deceit of our malicious and crafty foes. With such a promise as this, let us run without weariness and walk without fear. He who keeps our feet will do it effectually.
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 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. I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. (10:25–31)
But Jesus already had told them plainly who He was (cf. 5:17ff.; 8:12, 24, 58); in fact, He had spent the last three years doing so. Not only that, the works that He did in the Father’s name also demonstrated that He was the Messiah; the Son of God; God in human flesh (cf. vv. 32, 38; 3:2; 5:36; 7:31; 11:47; 14:11; Acts 2:22). The Lord’s twice-repeated declaration, you do not believe, indicates that the problem was not due to any ambiguity in the revelation of the truth, but rather to their spiritual blindness. They lacked understanding, not because they lacked information, but because they lacked repentance and faith. Their unbelief was not due to insufficient exposure to the truth, but to their hatred of the truth and love of sin and lies (John 3:19–21). Anyone who willingly seeks the truth will find it (7:17), but Jesus refused to commit Himself to those who willfully rejected the truth. Had He again given them the plain answer they were demanding, they would not have believed Him anyway (cf. 8:43; Matt. 26:63–65; Luke 22:66–67). From the perspective of human responsibility, the hostile Jews did not believe because they had deliberately rejected the truth. But from the standpoint of divine sovereignty, they did not believe because they were not of the Lord’s sheep, which were given Him by the Father (v. 29; 6:37; 17:2, 6, 9). A full understanding of exactly how those two realities, human responsibility and divine sovereignty, work together lies beyond human comprehension; but there is no difficulty with them in the infinite mind of God. Significantly, the Bible does not attempt to harmonize them, nor does it apologize for the logical tension between them. For example, speaking of Judas Iscariot’s treachery, Jesus said in Luke 22:22, “The Son of Man is going [to be betrayed] as it has been determined.” In other words, Judas’s betrayal of Christ was in accord with God’s eternal purpose. But then Jesus added, “Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” That Judas’s betrayal was part of God’s plan did not relieve him of the responsibility for his crime. In Acts 2:23 Peter said that Jesus was “delivered over [to the cross] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.” Yet he also charged Israel with responsibility for having “nailed [Jesus] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” God’s sovereignty never excuses human sin. (For a more complete discussion of the interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, see the exposition of 6:35–40 in chapter 20 of this volume.) Repeating what He said in His discourse on the Good Shepherd (see the exposition of vv. 3–5 in the previous chapter of this volume), Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The elect will heed Christ’s call to salvation and continue in faith and obedience to eternal glory (cf. Rom. 8:29–30). The Lord continued by articulating the wonderful truth that those who are His sheep need never fear being lost. “I give eternal life to them,” Jesus declared, “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.” Nowhere in Scripture is there a stronger affirmation of the absolute eternal security of all true Christians. Jesus plainly taught that the security of the believer in salvation does not depend on human effort, but is grounded in the gracious, sovereign election, promise, and power of God. Christ’s words reveal seven realities that bind every true Christian forever to God. First, believers are His sheep, and it is the duty of the Good Shepherd to protect His flock. “This is the will of Him who sent Me,” Jesus said, “that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (6:39). To insist that a true Christian can somehow be lost is to deny the truth of that statement. It is also to defame the character of the Lord Jesus Christ—making Him out to be an incompetent shepherd, unable to hold on to those entrusted to Him by the Father. Second, Christ’s sheep hear only His voice and follow only Him. Since they will not listen to or follow a stranger (10:5), they could not possibly wander away from Him and be eternally lost. Third, Christ’s sheep have eternal life. To speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in terms. Fourth, Christ gives eternal life to His sheep. Since they did nothing to earn it, they can do nothing to lose it. Fifth, Christ promised that His sheep will never perish. Were even one to do so, it would make Him a liar. Sixth, no one—not false shepherds (the thieves and robbers of v. 1), or false prophets (symbolized by the wolf of v. 12), nor even the Devil himself—is powerful enough to snatch Christ’s sheep out of His hand. Finally, Christ’s sheep are held not only in His hand, but also in the hand of the Father, who is greater than all; and thus no one is able to snatch them out of His hand either. Infinitely secure, the believer’s “life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). The Father and the Son jointly guarantee the eternal security of believers because, as Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one” (the Greek word one is neuter, not masculine; it speaks of “one substance,” not “one person”). Thus their unity of purpose and action in safeguarding believers is undergirded by their unity of nature and essence. The whole matter of security is summarized in our Lord’s own words in John 6:39–40:
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.
Incensed by what they accurately and unmistakably perceived as another blasphemous claim to deity by Jesus, the Jews, self-righteously exploding in a fit of passion, picked up stones again to stone Him—the fourth time in John’s gospel that they had attempted to kill Him (5:16–18; 7:1; 8:59). Though the Romans had withheld the right of capital punishment from the Jews (18:31), this angry lynch mob was ready to take matters into its own hands.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). John 1–11 (pp. 441–443). Moody Press.
The Issue in Six Words
John 10:30–39
“I and the Father are one.” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
The Gospel of John is filled with statements of the full divinity of Jesus Christ, but no statement is clearer than the one to which we come now. The opponents of the Lord asked him to speak plainly, implying that his lack of candor was the cause of their unbelief. So Jesus did speak plainly: first, to say that he had already spoken and acted plainly (it was their sin rather than a lack of evidence that caused their hostility) and, second, to outline the doctrines of God’s grace whereby men and women are saved entirely apart from any merit in themselves and are kept secure entirely by God’s unchanging good pleasure. It is this latter teaching that leads to the statement of Christ’s total divinity with which the discourse closes. Is Jesus God? That is the great question of John’s Gospel. Is he fully divine? In this verse, Jesus declares that he is, doing so in just six words. “I and the Father are one,” he says (v. 30). Because of their obvious importance, these words and their sequel deserve both careful study and a personal response.
One in Essence
First of all, what do these words mean? What did Jesus mean when he stated, “I and my Father are one”? We may begin by saying that at the very least Jesus was claiming to be one with the Father in the matter of his will. This grows out of the context, for he had been speaking of the security of believers and had added that the will both of the Father and of himself was to that end. Believers would never perish, first, because no one could snatch them out of his hand and, second, because no one could snatch them out of the Father’s hand. Someone might imagine that the will of the Father and Son in the matter of preserving believers might not be in perfect agreement. But lest they think this, Jesus immediately adds that it is precisely in this that they are united. Because of this unity we know that when we see Jesus working we see God working, and we know that God is like Jesus. On the other hand, the phrase “I and the Father are one” obviously also means more than this, for only a full claim to divinity by Jesus explains the way in which the leaders reacted to Jesus’ statement. What was their reaction? We are told that “the Jews picked up stones to stone him” (v. 31). Why did they do this? Clearly, because they saw that his statement was not only a claim to be one with the Father in respect of his will but also to be one with him in power—“no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand,” and, “no one can snatch them out of my hand”—and that this latter was the same thing as claiming to be fully divine. In theological terms, this is the same as saying that the Son is one in substance with the Father and that they are equal in power and glory. Four important conclusions follow from this truth concerning Jesus’ nature: (1) we have the knowledge of God in him, for he is God; (2) we have forgiveness of sins in him, for his death had infinite merit in atoning for sin; (3) we have victory over circumstances in him, for he lived above circumstances; and (4) we have triumph over death in him, for he rose from the dead and has promised to so raise all whom the Father has given to him, that is, all who believe on him and have eternal life (John 6:39–40, 44, 54). This is not a “pie-in-the-sky” philosophy. It affects our life now. Let me illustrate this by the following poem written by a good friend of mine who recently died of cancer. The death of this woman was a prolonged affair, accompanied by great pain. But she was not bitter. On the contrary, her speech was full of praise as she thought of Jesus, the one through whom she had come to a knowledge of God and who was even then preparing a place for her in heaven. Her son Peter recorded this testimony six months before her departure:
I read the Psalms when yet my eyes could read
And I discovered, oh, so many ways,
That the great psalmist felt the urge and need
To magnify his God in songs of praise.
Praise is an effort—both when times are good
And happiness fills our hearts
And in dark times not fully understood.
Then it is hard to say: “I’ll praise, I will.”
I will—a conscious effort. I will praise!
I will love Thee! I will extol!
I will rejoice and make a joyful noise!
Yes, I will praise Thee, Lord, with heart and soul.
But once the songs of praise roll off my tongue
I’ll serve the Lord with gladness and with joy.
But more than that—I may not praise alone.
Praise ye the Lord; ye nations, praise His name.
Sing of His mercy. Make His goodness known.
A testimony like that does not come easily to the tongue. But it does come through a knowledge and love of God as he is seen and known in the Lord Jesus.
Three Arguments
The fact that Jesus made a claim to be God is not the same as proving it, of course. And the fact that it needed to be proved is seen by the reaction of his listeners. They dismissed it outright and were ready to stone Christ for having spoken it. But was there proof? Was there evidence that Jesus is who he said he is? In the verses that follow Jesus responds to these questions with three lines of argument. First, he told his opponents that he had done nothing to merit stoning. He said, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” (v. 32). This was a perfectly valid argument. We recognize the force of it when we refuse to judge a person until we see what he can do. A man may claim to be a good worker, but we do not conclude that he is one until we see him at work. A child may claim to have been good while the mother was out shopping, but the mother does not accept the claim at face value until she sees the condition of the living room. So it was with the Lord Jesus Christ. He had made a great claim. All right! What was the evidence? Was the claim unverified or was it backed up by works? We all know the answer. Jesus had healed the sick, raised the dead, cured lepers, taught the multitudes. For which of these works did they reject his claim, then? For which of these were they attempting to stone him? Strangely enough, his opponents reacted to this argument by reversing it, which we know to be wrong. “We are not stoning you for any of these,” they said, “but for blasphemy.” In other words, they were willing to skip over the issue of whether his works backed up his words, so intent were they on his destruction. Today there is not quite the same movement to do away with Christ physically—he is not here to be crucified—but the argument is voiced by many who will not have him to be God in their lives. They will admit that he did good works, but they will not accept him as God; they will not consider whether his works support his claim to be divine. One woman who thought this way, declared, “I do not doubt that Jesus was a good man and did many wonderful things, but I will not accept the claim that he is God. I will not follow him.” Because the Jewish leaders thought this way, Jesus introduced another argument. What they were doing was willfully rejecting his words. So Jesus next showed that there was nothing about his words for which they could fault him either. Here’s how he put it, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son?’ ” (vv. 34–36). I want to admit, before we get into these verses, that the argument that they contain is a difficult one for most contemporary people to understand. For one thing, it is obviously a rabbinic argument, which means that it depends upon distinctions that were of great importance to the rabbis but that seem at best to be of minor importance to people today. For another thing, the drift of the argument seems to be in the opposite direction from what we understand Christ to have been saying previously. He was claiming to be God in a unique and absolute sense; but in these verses he seems to be watering down the claim by saying that he meant no more by it than what the Old Testament means when it applied the word “gods” to men. What are we to do in the face of these difficulties? How do we begin to understand Christ’s argument? We need to turn to the text he is quoting and see what the words mean there. Jesus is quoting from the eighty-second psalm, and when we turn to it we discover that the phrase “You are gods” (v. 6) is used of the judges of Israel. The judges in this psalm are called gods, not because they are divine but because they act as God in their role as judges. They are consecrated to a special task, indeed a holy task; and in God’s name they exercise authority and power. “Now,” says Jesus, “I too have been sent into this world by God the Father and that for a specific task. In that task I exercise authority and power, just as the judges of Israel did. If the word ‘gods’ can be used of mere men because of their function—if judges can be called gods—then how much more should I be called God in the full sense since I have received a unique commissioning and exercise unique power?” In other words, Jesus was not denying that he is God in a unique sense—far from it. He was only denying that he had spoken words that were improper. The words are proper enough if spoken merely in relation to man. How much more appropriate are they then of Jesus, who is more than man? Do you see the force of the argument? To our way of thinking it may not be entirely satisfactory, but it should be understandable. We can express it by saying that, not only is there nothing in Christ’s works to merit stoning, neither is there anything in his words to merit stoning. Finally, we come to Christ’s third argument, that to which the others lead up. It is this. Since there was nothing in Christ’s words to which these men could properly object and since they acknowledged his deeds, these deeds alone should have led them to faith in him. Jesus put it in these words, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (vv. 37–38). Christ’s works should lead men to faith in him. It is as simple as that.
Belief and Good Works
This argument confronts you. If you are not yet a believer in Jesus, this argument is one approach to your heart. Can you accuse Jesus of sin or of an inadequate lifestyle? Hardly! It is rather that he, by his life, accuses you. Do you find his works inadequate, his words unsupportable? Certainly not! Instead, you confess with the many of Christ’s own time, “No one ever spoke like this man.… No one ever did what this man has done.” Well, then, let the facts impel you to belief. Throw aside your rebellion and commit yourself to him as his disciple. Above all, believe on him. I like to distinguish among three different levels of belief. The first level is that on which someone simply believes something. It has to do with factual knowledge. A second level of belief is what we might intend when we say that we believe in something. In some expressions that word “in” suggests the addition of a value system so that we are saying that the thing we believe in is important. In this sense we may believe in America, in motherhood, in apple pie. The third level of belief is that expressed when we say that we believe on someone. This level of belief involves trust and action. It is the kind of faith we exercise when we step onto a bridge, believing that it will hold us up, or when we get into a boat, believing that it is seaworthy and will not go down. This is saving faith. It is the kind of belief Christ calls for on the basis of who he is, what he has done, and what words he has spoken. If you will accept the facts and commit yourself to him in this way, he promises to save you from your sin, give you peace and victory over the circumstances of life, and eventually take you to be with himself in heaven in a place that he has prepared for you. Will you come to him? Will you believe on him as your Savior? We need to see, too, that there is an application in these verses for the Christian. In these verses the Lord Jesus Christ laid stress upon his works—not his words but his works—and his point was that these should point men to him. That is a wonderful argument. But if it is true for Jesus, it also is true in some sense for his followers. If you are a Christian, you claim to have been saved by Jesus in such a way that his spirit now lives within you and directs your life and life choices. Do you live like it? Is there anything in your life that is evidence of his spirit within you? Jesus indicated that this should be true of you, for when some marveled at his deeds he answered, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
“Full Moon” Revival
We need to acknowledge that even at best there will always be a great difference between the works of Christ and our works. But for that reason we need all the more to turn to him and draw strength from him. Or, to change the metaphor, we need to turn to him so that we may reflect his brilliance to others. He is the sun. When he was in the world he said, “I am the light of the world,” and when he was thinking of leaving this world he turned to those whom he was leaving and said, “You are the light of the world.” But they were not suns; they were moons. They, like ourselves, could shine only by reflecting his light. Now is this world’s night, for the sun is gone. But here is the moon, the church, composed of those who know the Lord Jesus. How will it shine? Will it shine as a full moon or a new moon? A waxing or a waning quarter? I want it to be a full moon. I think of the early church, the church of the apostles. The church was just a new moon then. But it grew and came to reflect the glory of its departed Lord to such a superlative degree that the entire world eventually sat up and took notice. It can happen again, if we turn our faces toward him. Let us confess that we have no brightness in ourselves. Let us admit our inability to do works worthy of his presence within us. But then, by his grace, let us also allow him to use us to reflect his glory to the world. Let us have a full moon of revival once again.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 789–794). Baker Books.
In verse 28 Jesus has spoken about his own love for the sheep; in verse 29 about his Father’s love. No one shall snatch them out of the Son’s hand nor out of the Father’s hand, for they are more precious than all others. Hence, with respect to this protecting care, Son (verse 28) and Father (verse 29) are one. Therefore Jesus says, I and the Father, we are one. However, inasmuch as in other passages it is clearly taught that the oneness is a matter not only of outward operation but also (and basically) of inner essence (see especially 5:18 but also 1:14, 18; 3:16), it is clear that also here nothing less than this can have been meant. Certainly if Son and Father are one essentially, then when Jesus states, “I and the Father, we are one,” he cannot merely mean, “We are one in providing protective care for the sheep.” The economic trinity rests forever upon the essential trinity (see on 1:14 and 1:18). Note how carefully both the diversity of the persons and the unity of the essence is expressed here. Jesus says, “I and the Father.” Hence, he clearly speaks about two persons. And this plurality is shown also by the verb (one word in Greek) “we-are” (ἐσμεν). These two persons never become one person. Hence, Jesus does not say, “We are one person” (εἶς), but he says, “We are one substance (ἕν). Though two persons, the two are one substance or essence. It has been well said that ἕν frees us from the Charybdis of Arianism (which denies the unity of essence), and ἐσμεν from the Scylla of Sabellianism (which denies the diversity of the persons). Thus in this passage Jesus affirms his complete equality with the Father.
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 2, pp. 125–126). Baker Book House.
Don’t Believe Media Lies – Americans Want Immigration Enforcement Amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration – delivering on one of voters’ top concerns in 2024 – elected Democrats and the corporate “news” media have attempted to portray the administration’s enforcement efforts as chaotic, brutal, and unpopular. But the sensationalist headlines intentionally misrepresent that immigration enforcement remains popular among the American people, even as a dishonest press invents one hoax after another to smear and defame Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Axis of Anarchy: Minnesota Anti-ICE ‘Shutdown’ Backed by DSA, Communists, Unions, CCP-Tied Network A collection of far-left activist groups — including the Democratic Socialists of America, major labor unions, explicitly Communist groups, and a CCP-linked protest network — have all organized a strike scheduled for Friday which aims to “shut down” schools and businesses statewide in Minnesota in an effort to push ICE out.
Trump is canceling $30B in Biden-era green loans The Trump administration is canceling $30 billion in green loans and revising another $53 billion, it said Wednesday night. The administration said the changes or eliminations from the $83 billion in total funding come after its review of $104 billion in loan obligations issued by the Biden administration.
US Regulator Exposes 9 Major Banks That ‘Debanked’ Crypto With ‘Inappropriate’ Restrictions The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has released preliminary findings from a sweeping review into debanking practices at the country’s nine largest national banks, revealing that all of them imposed “inappropriate” restrictions on lawful businesses, including firms operating in the digital-asset sector. According to the regulator, these banks maintained internal policies between 2020 and 2023 that treated customers differently based on the nature of their legal business activities. The OCC found that several institutions required escalated approvals or imposed blanket restrictions on entire sectors viewed as conflicting with the banks’ “values.”
Trump sues JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon for $5B over alleged ‘debanking’ President Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its longtime CEO, Jamie Dimon, on Thursday over accusations the company “debanked” him by closing his accounts in 2021 and putting him on a blacklist. The 26-page complaint, filed in Florida state court in Miami, seeks at least $5 billion in damages from JPMorgan Chase (JPMC), the largest U.S. bank by assets.
Newsom’s Davos Disaster Exposes His Anti-American Grandstanding “Governor Newsom, who strikes me as Patrick Bateman meets Sparkle Beach Ken, may be the only Californian who knows less about economics than Kamala Harris.” That was Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, delivering a remarkably on-point put-down of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. And the put-down was warranted, given that Newsom was hopping from camera to camera at the conference, painting himself as the leader of the American resistance against the American president, and generally acting the fool.
JD Vance compares abortion to pagan ‘human sacrifice’ in March for Life address Vice President J.D. Vance, during his speech at the 2026 National March for Life, reaffirmed his support for the pro-life movement, emphasized the fact that every life is a gift from God, not a burden or inconvenience, compared abortion to the human sacrifice of pagan societies, and touted several pro-life victories achieved during the first year of the Trump-Vance administration. “We have to be clear, we can not be neutral,
U.S. Should Be ‘Serious About Expatriation for’ Manchurian Generation This has led Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to call for the country to “get serious about expatriation for the Manchurian Generation.” The term “Manchurian Generation” refers to a large number of U.S. citizens born to foreign parents, specifically from communist China, who will become eligible to vote in U.S. elections by 2030.
US targets Iran’s shadow fleet used to circumvent oil sanctions The US is imposing sanctions on Iran’s so-called shadow fleet, which the country uses to circumvent oil sanctions. The sanctions target nine oil tankers from countries including India and Oman, and their owners. The US says the ships are “collectively transporting hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and gasoline” to foreign markets.
Trump envoy presents Gaza reconstruction ‘master plan’ at Davos inauguration of US-led ‘Board of Peace’ The United States presented new plans for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, as President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) was inaugurated with a signing ceremony by representatives of most of its founding nations at the sidelines of the Davos World Economic Forum. The “master plan” for a new Gaza was presented by White House advisor and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who noted, “If Hamas does not demilitarize, that will be what holds back Gaza and the people of Gaza from achieving their aspiration.” The “master plan” for the reconstruction of Gaza, as Kushner described it, aims for “catastrophic success,”
President Trump says massive fleet heading toward Iran, hopes he won’t have to use it U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration is monitoring Iranian activity. “We’re watching Iran. We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case,” he said on Thursday. At the same time, a U.S. Navy official said the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently in the Indian Ocean. “We have an armada, we have a massive fleet heading in that direction.
The Hubris of the Catholic Church A recent statement was issued by the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on Unity and Representation of the Christian Communities in the Holy Land on January 17, 2026. It was filled with the spirit of arrogance, power and a desire to control. Why do I say that? Well, they had to claim that they were the “Patriarchs and Heads of all the churches” seven times in a document that only had around twenty sentences! In the article they reiterated that they alone represent all the churches and their flocks in any and all matters pertaining to “Christian” not Catholic religious, communal and pastoral life in the Holy Land. The Bible specifically claims the Land of Israel is to be forever undivided, never a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as its Capital and this is where the Messiah will reign from and not from Rome! You left Jerusalem 2000 years ago and you can stay in Rome.
Kushner, Witkoff, CENTCOM head to meet with Netanyahu, senior officials on Saturday Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to arrive in Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, the three will discuss the implementation of phase two of Trump’s Gaza peace deal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the return of Ran Gvili, the final hostage whose remains still have not been returned to Israel from Gaza.
13 Shocking Facts About Winter Storm Fern That Are Almost Too Crazy to Believe A “perfect winter storm” doesn’t come along often. Conditions had to be just right to create a monster like Winter Storm Fern, and it won’ be forgotten any time soon. Historically cold temps will combine with a gigantic amount of precipitation to create blizzard-type conditions over much of the eastern half of the nation. Some areas will be buried by mountains of snow. Others will see record ice. And life-threatening cold is expected to stretch into the middle of next week.
Potentially historic winter storm forecast to impact more than 30 states across the U.S. A potentially historic winter storm associated with the Polar Vortex is forecast to bring heavy snow, freezing rain, and dangerous cold across much of the United States from January 23 to 26. The system is expected to cause widespread travel disruptions, power outages, and hazardous conditions from Texas to the Northeast, with over 200 million people under various National Weather Service warnings and watches.
Greenlanders told to prepare for potential US invasion Greenland needs to be prepared for a US attack, the leader of the Danish self-governing Arctic island has said in response to President Trump’s claims on the territory. Prime Minister Nielsen said Greenland plans to create a task force to help residents prepare for disruptions to their daily lives. He said it’s “not likely there will be a military conflict, but it can’t be ruled out.”
Trump Says US ‘Armada’ Moving Towards Iran President Trump said he is sending an “armada” towards Iran, threatening Tehran against resuming its nuclear program. Trump said Washington was closely monitoring Iran as US naval assets moved into the region. “We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case,” Trump said. “I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
New Gig Economy Job: Train AI That Replaces You A Bay Area startup called Mercor has hired tens of thousands of white-collar contractors for temporary work, training artificial intelligence to perform the very jobs many of them once held, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. In effect, these white-collar workers are being paid to accelerate their own obsolescence by feeding and perfecting models for chatbot makers, such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
The System Is Starting to Crack; Home Prices Plummet as Silver Hits $100, Gold Close to $5,000 There are all sorts of signs that the relentless pressure that’s been causing an enormous amount of stress on our financial system is starting to break things. Remember how bad it got in 2008/2009 when home prices fell dramatically? It’s beginning again. Meanwhile, silver and gold prices keep setting new record highs. For large financial institutions holding enormous short positions, it has the potential to be catastrophic.
Why the Black Death is so important to the pandemic industry The pandemic industry relies on fear and urgency to maintain a market for mRNA vaccines, but the decline in infectious diseases and lack of recent pandemics pose a challenge. Here’s where Medieval plagues come in. International public health organizations, such as World Health Organization (WHO), are using Medieval plagues and historical mass death events to model pandemic risk and scare governments into funding their initiatives.
Venezuela reveals the truth about socialism Once prosperous and cultured, Venezuela is now destitute, crime-ridden and hopeless. It’s descent into poverty, desperation and organized crime is a cautionary tale about dangers of socialism. Young socialists should take heed. Many with a lick of sense correctly criticize the naivety of these socialist economic policy ideas and collectivist sentiments. But fewer recognize the true horrors that can be unleashed by entitled college graduates voting for massive wealth redistribution.
Islamized Texas: Austin’s Far-Left City Council Installs ‘Muslim Heritage Month’ & Honors CAIR—Defying Abbott’s Terror Designation In a brazen act of defiance against Governor Greg Abbott’s designation of CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization, Austin’s far-left City Council proclaimed ‘CAIR-Austin Day’ on January 22, while building on the city’s new permanent Muslim Heritage Month resolution to institutionalize Islamic influence, launder grievance narratives, and prioritize ideological activism over Texas public safety—all while conservative leaders remain silent.
AZ AG Incites Deadly Violence Against ICE Agents; Calls Them a ‘Direct Threat’ and Suggests Residents Can Shoot Them Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes walked right up to the edge of inciting the murder of ICE agents and danced. She claimed during an interview with local station KPNX that since the agents are masked, due to the “Stand Your Ground” law in her state, residents could shoot them if they feel their lives are in danger and called them a “direct threat.”
This Weekend’s Other ICE Storm Nate Jackson Left-wing agitators have a singular strategy: Discredit ICE and Trump by creating and filming confrontations with federal agents.
The Quiet Coup of Weaponized Immigration Douglas Andrews If you think the chaos you’re seeing in the streets of Minneapolis is disorganized and without any purpose beyond knee-jerk opposition to Donald Trump, think again.
California Injustice: Murderer Walks Free Thomas Gallatin A 24-year-old black man has been acquitted of murder in the assault of an 84-year-old Asian man who died from his injuries.
Trump Makes His Case at Davos Sophie Starkova It was practically a WWE match at the WEF, as the American president butted heads with world leaders over a number of issues.
Is Greenland ‘Trump’s Folly’? Michael Swartz The last time the United States made a bold purchase of territory, it was “Seward’s Folly” of Alaska. That worked out pretty well.
Conservatives Must Always Stand for Truth Mark Alexander We must uniformly and unequivocally denounce the woke influencers on the far Right who undermine our devotion to Liberty and conservative values and policies.
Emotion vs. Evidence: The Response to Renee Good Samantha Koch Political engagement is increasingly built around intense emotional reactions — particularly anger at perceived injustice and fear of societal decline.
How Non-Enforcement Turned Immigration Into a Street War Michael Smith America didn’t stumble into immigration violence. It arrived here through years of political denial, institutional sabotage, and organized resistance to the Rule of Law.
It’s Affordability, Stupid! Jack DeVine It’s time for a simple, clear, and rock-solid conversation with the American public about economic realities. No exaggeration, no spin! We can handle it.
Hawaii Wants to Say ‘Aloha’ to Second Amendment Rights Thomas Gallatin Several Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical that Hawaii’s restrictions, which pit private property rights against gun rights, meet constitutional muster.
Hatchet Jack ‘Defends’ Himself Douglas Andrews Donald Trump’s former persecutor had his day before Congress yesterday, but he couldn’t shake the stench of a prosecution that was both purely political and constitutionally dubious.
Profiles of Valor: Col Lee Ellis (USAF) Mark Alexander “Leadership is not about rank, status, or even success [but] about the impact we have on others and the legacy we leave behind.”
QUOTES Dumb & Dumber “This is First Amendment activity.” —Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison regarding the storming of a church (Now do mosques…) “None of us are immune to the voice of the public. … It’s just something you’ve got to live with in a society like this.” —Keith Ellison The BIG Lie “We did not rush into that church. We actually went and sat down and participated in the service.” —Nekima Levy Armstrong, organizer of the protest meant to spread terror at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday Justifying Terrorism “ICE has led the way in their charge of going onto school properties and detaining people from places that should be just as well kept sacred. … They cannot expect residents who are feeling terrorized and sieged to be operating under any different circumstances or any different rules than they are operating in.” —St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her Lack of Self-Awareness Award “ICE should not be able to storm houses of worship.” —House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Demagogue “I am in support of abolishing ICE. … What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We’re seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it’s doing is terrorizing people no matter their immigration status.” —New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Shot/Chaser “ICE just detained a 5-year-old child. Don’t tell us this is about ‘the worst of the worst.’ That’s a lie. Absolutely vile.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) “ICE did NOT target a child. The child was ABANDONED. On January 20, ICE conducted a targeted operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias an illegal alien from Ecuador who was RELEASED into the U.S. by the Biden administration. As agents approached the driver Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot — abandoning his child. For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.” —DHS Persona Non Grata “The one place where we thought we would never experience this is the U.S. Godd**n States.” —Ilhan Omar Praetorian Guard “Donald Trump says you’re a criminal and you belong in prison … not because you did anything wrong, mind you, but because you did everything right.” —Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) sucking up to former Trump inquisitor Jack Smith Lawfare Tsunami 2.0 “The blue tsunami means that Congress is going to haul Elon Musk, ‘Big Balls,’ and a bunch of other people’s [rear ends] in front and say, ‘What crimes did you commit?’ And it’s going to get really serious. And the same with Trump. … We are serious about this. We are prosecuting. We’re going to uncover every document, every phone call, everything you did. We will be relentless about it.” —podcaster Jennifer Welch “That means adding seats to the Supreme Court so that [its] immunity decision can be overturned and so Donald Trump can be held accountable for his crimes.” —former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta Braying Jenny “It’s time to do something about [Donald Trump], because he’s leading us into World War III.” —”The View” co-host Joy Behar Letting the Cat Out of the Bag “We’re one of 16 states to provide care to people regardless of their immigration status.” —California Gov. Gavin Newsom admitting that American taxpayer dollars are going to illegal aliens Race Bait “Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.” —Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “I think that they’re entitled. And that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy. And they think that this country was built for them.” —former CNN anchor Don Lemon speaking of the congregation of the church where he led protesters to invade and shut down worship “We are seeing a sustained effort to eradicate the Voting Rights Act. That is the crown jewel … of the civil rights movement and an essential part of Dr. King’s legacy. … There is a concerted effort to re-segregate America.” —former Attorney General Eric Holder “They about to outlaw the idea of white supremacy and white hate. Like, they are about to be like, ‘Oh, that’s not a thing.’ … We have seen these random black bodies be strung up down south. … You embolden everybody to take off their hoods. That is what [Trump] has done.” —Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) Village Idiots “If you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading American cities and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens — if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest — then send a message to this president.” —singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen “We’re seeing our neighbors being kidnapped, peaceful protesters being assaulted and murdered, our civil rights being stripped, resources to fight the climate crisis being cut for fossil fuels and animal agriculture destroying our planet, and people’s access to food and healthcare becoming a privilege for the wealthy instead of a new basic human right for all Americans.” —singer-songwriter Billie Eilish For more insightful quotes, see our Short Cuts.
The New Tolerance Protesters in St. Paul (ironic name for this story) disrupted a church service at a church where the pastor is also a local official with ICE. The DOJ is threatening to investigate, but the group is defiant. They don’t think a church should be allowed to have an ICE official as its pastor and they will defend their right to dictate who can or can’t be a pastor to a church.
Unclear on the Concept High school and college students walked out of class this week in protest to Trump’s immigration policies. One veteran attended the protest … to protest the protest. “I’m a veteran. And when I saw a bunch of illegals crossing the border over the last four years under Biden, it broke my heart. I support legal immigration.” He gets it. They don’t. What do the students hope to accomplish? What do they want if they did? Open borders? No law enforcement? Or just to be allowed to choose for themselves who gets in and who doesn’t? Do they even know?
Like Paul Said Clergy, in direct opposition to Scripture (Rom 13:1-6), got themselves arrested in Minneapolis when they decided to protest the government. They didn’t get a sword (Rom 13:4), but suffered the consequences anyway.
Global … Warming? Essentially everything from Arizona to New England is encountering one of the most potentially dangerous storms in a long, long time because of … global warming? I’ve said it before … if this global warming keeps up, we’re all going to freeze to death.
A Matter of Interest A federal judge in Minnesota is facing questions about conflict of interest after refusing to approve criminal charges against Don Lemon who was involved in the protest at the Christian church there earlier. The judge’s wife works as an Assistant Attorney General in Keith Ellison’s office and is a vocal critic of the DOJ’s efforts.
Your Best Source for Fake News (It’s all Minnesota, today.) In protest of ICE actions in Minnesota, law enforcement arrests churchgoers for interfering with the protest. I guess the protesters should be allowed their freedom of religion … where they worship their right to subjugate others’ freedom of religion. Dems take a different approach. They argue that ICE crackdowns will make illegal immigrants afraid to vote. They probably have a point … right there on the top of their heads. So it’s understandable that Trump has plans to convert the entire city of Minneapolis into an insane asylum. Some would call that extreme … others, “a good start.”
From the state of Minnesota to Mayor Mamdani of New York City, this edition of Crosstalk takes listeners around the nation and the world to bring you up-to-date on what’s happening. Here’s a selection of stories from the past week:
–America has officially withdrawn itself from the World Health Organization.
–The Department of Homeland Security joined the Department of Justice in arresting 3 individuals in connection with the planned riot at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday.
–A Minnesota federal magistrate judge has refused to sign a criminal complaint connected to former CNN host Don Lemon for his role in the church riot incident in St. Paul.
–There’s a disturbing report coming out of Minnesota that dogs belonging to an immigration officer are being targeted.
–In a chilling series of social media posts on Saturday evening, Minnesota state senator and former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh pledged to make the Cedar Riverside neighborhood a “no-go zone” for “white supremacists.”
–A Biden appointed judge issued a whack ruling last week, essentially hamstringing how federal law enforcement deals with peaceful protesters in Minnesota.
–Minnesota parents Destiny and Shawn Jackson claimed that their truck was lifted off the ground by a teargas canister as they were peacefully driving home with six kids from a basketball game. The problem? The couple was allegedly filmed participating in the mob that was harassing federal officers.
–Federal officials on Monday announced the seizure of more than $14,000 in undeclared cash from a pair of Somali-born American citizens heading out of Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport on Sunday.
–A racial equity and restorative justice non-profit funded by Minnesota taxpayers is calling for donations to a new bail fund that’s helping free anti-ICE agitators and illegal immigrants detained in Minneapolis.
–A federal law enforcement officer was injured Wednesday in California when a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador allegedly rammed officials with his car, prompting shots to be fired.
–U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday that it was surging people into Maine to conduct arrests of illegal immigrants there, looking to push back on the sanctuary politicians who run the state.
–A leading China analyst is warning that the recent surge of anti-ICE protests across the U.S. may not be as organic as they appear. He alleges that networks, tied to the Chinese Communist Party, could be covertly financing and directing the unrest.
–Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed on Tuesday that he supports abolishing ICE. On the “The View” TV show, he accused ICE of “terrorizing” people and violating the law while disregarding people’s “humanity.”
–New York City lost nearly 5,000 businesses early last year as employers closed their doors or left for other low tax states.
–Independent journalist Nick Shirley has testified before the House Judiciary Committee concerning widespread fraud. Jim provided audio from his testimony.
Super Bowl LX 2026 is being called the ‘gayest’ ever played, and their main target will be the indoctrination of the millions of child who will be watching, your children
By the time Super Bowl LX kicks off on February 8, 2026, Americans will not merely be watching a football game — they will once again be subjected to a carefully curated cultural sermon. The NFL, NBC, Peacock, and their corporate partners are no longer subtle about the message: America must celebrate what God condemns. Let the Gay Games begin!
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 (KJB)
The increasing and intentional inclusion of LGBTQ+ performers, themes, and advertising narratives is not accidental, and it is not about “representation.” It is about redefinition — redefining morality, redefining identity, redefining truth itself. The Super Bowl has become one of the most powerful propaganda tools in the modern era, reaching over 100 million viewers in a single night, many of them families and children. This is not entertainment. This is indoctrination. The Bible warned us plainly that this day would come.
NFL Super Bowl LX 20206 Halftime Performers:
Bad Bunny – openly LGBTQIA+ queer affirming performer. Bad Bunny is planning to make his Super Bowl half-time show as queer as possible including wearing a dress, sources claim
Brandi Carlile – lesbian country singer. A proud lesbian artist and outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Carlile has consistently used her platform to champion equality and inclusion.
Billie Joe Armstrong – bisexual singer for Green Day. Armstrong says that the 1994 song, “Coming Clean”, is about contemplating his sexuality as a teenager in San Francisco.
For decades, the NFL wrapped itself in its phony patriotism — military flyovers, flags, anthems, and slogans about “unity.” But now the mask has come off. The league has openly aligned itself with a worldview that celebrates sexual confusion, rejects God’s created order, and openly defies Scripture. Take a good look at the colors in the Super Bowl LX 2026 logo at the top of this article, and you will clearly see the same colors of the LGBTQIA flag woven throughout.
Make no mistake: when advertisers pay millions of dollars to push these messages during the most-watched broadcast of the year, they are not “taking a risk.” They are following the spirit of the age. And what spirit is that? Glad you asked.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” 1 Timothy 4:1 (KJB)
Mark it down. It is the duty of every Christian to discern the spirit of the age that they find themselves in, and to stand against it. Christians are meant to be salt – a cleanser and irritant – and light, to a lost and dying world. Don’t just ‘not watch’ the demonic Halftime Show, turn the entire thing off and go open your King James Bible and spend the same amount of time that you would have wasted watching football in the study of God’s preserved word. Your spirit will thank you for it.
This is not about individual performers, and it is not about personal feelings. Scripture commands us to love people — but it never commands us to affirm sin. What we are witnessing is the normalization of rebellion against God, packaged in bright lights, celebrity worship, and billion-dollar branding.
The NFL does not want neutrality.
The networks do not want tolerance.
The advertisers do not want coexistence.
They want celebration. And celebration is endorsement.
Super Bowl Sunday has quietly become one of America’s most effective altars — not to God, but to self, identity, and defiance. That is why believers should not be surprised, shocked, or confused. We were warned. This is exactly what an end-times culture looks like when a nation abandons biblical truth.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 (KJB)
The question for Bible believers is not whether the Super Bowl has changed — it has. The real question is whether Christians will continue to sit silently, excuse it as “just entertainment,” and allow their children to be discipled by corporations with agenda instead of Scripture.
The world is choosing its side openly now. So must we. I turned the NFL off back in 2017, come join me.
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