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 been to the store lately you’ve likely noticed lots of heart-shaped products. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and vendors beckon consumers to purchase products for their loved ones. Whether or not you delight in or dread this Hallmark holiday, I think every believer can agree that true love is something to celebrate, particularly God’s love. If we’re honest, when we think about love, it’s easier to talk about or sing about than to actually carry out in word and deed. Thankfully the Bible does not leave us without help in understanding what it means to love God and one another well.
Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Of course, this commandment was not completely new (see Lev. 19:18), but it was new in the sense that Jesus deepened what it meant to love God and to love one’s neighbor (see 1 John 2:7-8). In 1 John 3:11-24 the apostle John, who loved Jesus and whom Jesus loved, writes about the importance of our love for one another flowing from our love for God. To illustrate his point John reminds his readers of Cain and Abel (vv. 12-15; see also Gen. 4:1-16). In contrast to Cain, who murdered his brother, Abel offered to God an acceptable sacrifice. John used this story to remind believers (represented by Abel) that the world (represented by Cain) hates them. However, instead of growing discouraged, believers can experience assurance of faith as we love one another. Our love for God and our love for each other reveals that we have “eternal life abiding in [us]” (v. 15).
Such grace is grounded in Christ’s love: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). Christ is the seed of the woman sent to crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15). He is the lamb who was led to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7). He is “the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Therefore, we are to love one another by laying down our lives and sacrificially serving each other.
John gives us a practical example of what sacrificial love looks like (1 John 3:17). If we have been blessed with the goods of this world, like food, shelter, and clothing, then our hearts should be open, kind, and compassionate whenever we encounter someone lacking these things. The love of God transforms us to love in thought, word, and deed. This is, after all, a reflection of His love for us.
However, on this side of glory we won’t do this perfectly. There will be times “our heart condemns us” (1 John 3:20). We will, on many different occasions, fail to love one another well. When this happens we need to repent and rest in the truth that “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything” (v. 20). Our salvation is not based on our verdict, but on God’s. We have “an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (2:1). When our hearts condemn us we must remember the grace of God. Our confidence is in Christ’s redemptive work—His obedience on our behalf and His atoning death.
Such confidence should strengthen our prayer life, “whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:22). Prayer is one of the ways that we love one another. We should continually bring one another’s needs before the throne of God.
Our confidence in Christ’s redemptive work should also strengthen our obedience (1 John 3:23-24). As we abide in God and God in us we are able to keep His commandments by the power of His Spirit. Keeping God’s commandments is also one of the ways we love one another. To do what is good and right not only honors God but also honors our neighbor.
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If we are going to love one another we must remember God’s love first and foremost. The more we understand how much God loves us, the more we will grow in our love for God and for one another. Also, we must remember that love is costly. We must be willing to serve others even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient for us to do so. Finally, in order to love one another we must abide in God. As we abide in Him and He abides in us His Spirit enables us to love the Lord and one another.
John 11:25 In this week’s lessons we look at what it means for Jesus to be the resurrection and the life.
Theme
Turning to Jesus First
Now trouble came into the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and Jesus was not there to help them. He had been there a few days previously, but He had gone away, telling them where he was going. While He was gone Lazarus took sick, and the sickness was serious enough for the sisters to send for Jesus. The messenger who bore the report told Jesus, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” There is a lesson at this point, and we should acknowledge it before we go further.
Happy is the Christian who has learned to turn to Jesus first in time of sorrow. Unfortunately, Christians often turn to other things and miss the comfort that is rightfully theirs as God’s children.
Some turn in upon themselves. Something happens in their lives—a death, suffering, or disappointment—and they withdraw into a private shell of mourning and contemplation. As a result, there is no victory.
Some turn to other people. Now there is a degree to which other people can help us in times of trouble, and their comfort is valuable. God has made men and women mutually dependent, and we do need to lean on others and learn from others. That is one reason why believers are placed together in a church and are given work by God to do jointly. But there is a limit to what other people can do for us, particularly in times of sorrow. And there is a sense in which people will always disappoint us. The Christian who is spiritually mature, who has lived long with the Lord and known Him and known what He desires of His children, will turn to Jesus Himself and will find in Him one who is truly a friend to the friendless and a father to the fatherless. He is the one who said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).
Now this is what these two women did. They turned to Jesus. They sent for Him, and they waited for Him to come. As they waited, Lazarus’ condition grew worse. Expectation turned to eagerness, eagerness to anxiety, and anxiety to blank despair as their brother Lazarus died. And all this time the source of their hope was absent. They did not know that He had received the news of the sickness, had reacted calmly, and had foretold that it would not lead to permanent death but would be an occasion by which the power of God would be known. They knew only that He had delayed in coming.
John says that after Jesus had received the message of Lazarus’ sickness, He stayed where He was for two days. Many people have misunderstood the Bible at this point. It has been said on the basis of this text that Jesus delayed His return from the Jordan Valley to Bethany in order to let Lazarus die, believing that a resuscitation of a dead man would be a greater sign than the healing of a man who was only sick. But this is not the way it actually happened. When Jesus returned to Bethany after the delay of two days He was told that Lazarus had been dead four days. This could only have been possible if Lazarus had already died by the time the message of his sickness first reached Jesus. And this means that Jesus knew of His death from the beginning and delayed His return for an entirely different purpose.
Study Questions
Why do even Christians sometimes turn to other sources of help in sorrow before looking to Jesus?
How have people misunderstood the reason why Jesus delayed two days before returning to Bethany?
Application
Application: During times of sorrow, difficulty, or uncertainty, is your first thought to turn to Jesus?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “With Jesus Forever.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
We must entreat God’s favorable acceptance of us and our poor performances.
There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?” But this I say, “O LORD, lift up the light of your face upon me, and that shall put joy in my heart, more than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Psalm 4:6-7(ESV)
I entreat your favor with all my heart, Psalm 119:58(ESV) for in this I labor, that whether I am at home or away, I may please the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:9(ESV)
Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my pleas for mercy; in your faithfulness answer me, Psalm 143:1(ESV) and be near to me whenever I call upon you; Deuteronomy 4:7(ESV) for you have never said to the offspring of Jacob, “Seek me in vain.” Isaiah 45:19(ESV)
You who hear the young ravens that cry, Psalm 147:9(ESV) be not deaf to me, lest if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Psalm 28:1(ESV)
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands be acceptable in your sight as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2(ESV)
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
Ecclesiastes 1:8
Solomon’s thesis here is, All things are restless. He has observed that there is an inherent restlessness in everything. In fact, it is so widespread that no one can possibly describe all the restlessness of life.
He has two proofs for this. First, human desire is never satisfied: The eye never has enough of seeing. When my wife’s mother was ninety-five years old, she was just a shell of a person, but her mind was still sharp and clear. One day she was in our home, and somebody mentioned a far-off place. Immediately she said, Oh, I wish I could see that. Despite her years, the eye was not tired of seeing; it longed yet to see other places, other realms, and other customs. The eye is never satisfied.
Nor is the ear ever satisfied with hearing. We are always alert to some new idea or something new that has happened. That is why news programs are always popular. Television, radio, and newspapers all cater to the ear’s hunger to hear something. Some juicy gossip about a Hollywood star will sell thousands of magazines and newspapers. Some new way of making a profit always makes its appeal. The Searcher’s argument is that the ear never tires because human desire is never satisfied; it is a consequence of the restlessness that is built into life.
But, second, he says, even though we long to see or hear something new, nothing new ever really shows up. Life is a rehash of what has happened before; it is the old played over and over again. This too is a result of the restlessness that is built into life. Although something looks new to us, actually, There is nothing new under the sun.
So the question is raised, Is this all life is about? Is it merely an empty pursuit of that which never satisfies? Can no breakthrough be made whereby something can be found that will continually meet the hunger of the human heart, to give an unending sense of delight, satisfaction, and joy? That is the search.
Lord, my heart is restless until it finds its rest in You. Thank You that in You all things are made new!
Life Application
Do we shop until we drop, always hoping to buy into the ultimate satisfaction? Is life simply an empty pursuit after things that never fully satisfy our deepest desires?
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Social media influencers are a big deal in today’s culture. These individuals have huge followings on their social media, and brands pay to have them promote their products on their channels. While this new method of advertising has been very successful, the influencers can’t force their followers to do what they say. They can only suggest; they have no authority to require obedience.As Jesus traveled the land of Israel, Luke records that He began to draw significant crowds (v. 17). People came for various reasons: some to see miracles (v. 18), others for healing, and still others hoping Jesus would start a revolution to drive out the Romans. But Jesus wasn’t interested in status or numbers. He was interested in changing hearts, so He challenged His audience to obey Him!In Luke 6, Jesus rebuked those who made a pretense of calling Him Lord but didn’t do what He said (v. 46). This hypocrisy is foolish. The Light of the world stood before people and taught them, but instead of obeying, they disputed Him. To press His point, He used an illustration of a builder who built his house on the solid foundation of rock (v. 48). This person is like one who does what Jesus says to do. The one who does not obey, is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. They lost everything—“it collapsed and its destruction was complete” (v. 49).Jesus’ point is clear. He did not come to earth as an influencer. The Son of God came to earth with a message to be obeyed. It is common today to suggest that Jesus was a nice Jewish Rabbi. But we must not forget that He was also an authoritative Teacher. His words required obedience. His most important teaching? The “good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1).
Go Deeper What message did Jesus bring to the people? What did they misunderstand? How does it compare to what people misunderstand about Jesus today? Extended Reading:Luke 5–6
Pray with Us Jesus, it’s easy to pay You lip service, but it’s not always easy to obey You in everything. Give us courage and determination to do what You say and to build our lives on the solid rock of Your Word.
2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
Legacy Standard Bible (Is 43:2). (2022). Three Sixteen Publishing.
Ver. 2. When thou passest through the waters.—Through water and fire:— I. Notice the frank and matter-of-course way in which your AFFLICTIONS AND TRIALS are mentioned. “The waters,” “the rivers,” “the fire,” “the flame”; it takes it for granted that you will meet with some or all of them before you have finished your course, and they are mentioned in a way, too, that will not suffer you to think lightly of them. “Waters,” many of them, and may be deep; “rivers,” rushing calamities that threaten to carry you away; “fire and flame!” hard words these, and I gather that your tribulations, Jacob, are great, various, and sure. II. But the words, “When thou passest,”—“And when thou walkest,” clearly intimate that “JACOB” IS TRAVELLING, MOVING FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER. We may be quite sure that the “waters,” “rivers,” “fire,” “flame” we read of here have reference only to such of them as are met with on Jacob’s proper track. If these perilous possibilities do not confront him on the way of duty; and if he makes a voluntary circumbendibus, to serve only his own pleasure, so that he confronts them; then, such waters and such fires are very likely to destroy him. Lot goes and settles down in Sodom; he had no more business there than has flour in a soot-bag; and the fire burnt him. The waters overflowed Jonah to some purpose; but that was because he went where he liked, and not where he ought. III. Not only shall Jacob be safe in the flood, and brought through the fire; not only shall both flood and fire become vanquished perils living only in the victor’s memory, but THE PASSING THROUGH THEM SHALL DO GOOD TO JACOB! He shall be a nobler soul for being tossed by waves; he shall be a purer being for being tried by fire, and like the finely tempered steel which was first in the red-hot furnace, and was then plunged into the ice-cold cistern, and so became the keen, invincible blade: so the trial, afflictions, testings of the Christian do mould and temper and shape and brighten Jacob’s character, and ennoble after the Christly pattern his moral manhood, which is the glory of his immortal soul! Note two things to be remembered in the day of the flood and fire.
Thy God has promised to be ever at thy side.
This gracious God, who controls the waters and restrains the fires and conducts His people through them both, reveals Himself here as “the Lord that created thee, O Jacob; and He that formed thee, O Israel.” He made thee, O Jacob; then He knows thee, knows thy frame; remembereth that thou art dust,—will not put upon thee more than thou canst bear, neither will He forsake the work of His hands. He raised us from the ruins of the fall, made us temples for Himself to dwell in. Then He will never suffer the structures He has erected at so much care and cost to be thrown down by violence, swept away by turbulent waters, or devoured by the ruthless flame. “Thou art mine!” He says. It is the language of complacency and delight. Thou art mine! My property! My charge! My joy! My jewel! And I will guard My own! Surely with such a text as this to fall back upon, O thou redeemed one, thou wilt not doubt or fear. (J. J. Wray.) Divine convoy:— I. THE PATHWAY THAT THE PEOPLE OF GOD TREAD. Through waters, rivers, fires, and flames. “It is through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom.”
If I look at the temporalities first, the wilderness through which we pass is full of troubles. Thorns and thistles has it brought forth ever since the curse was pronounced upon it; and you can scarcely look into a circle of your acquaintance without finding sicknesses, sorrows, losses, cares, broils, contentions, all the fruits of sin, constantly presented to your view. Is not this, then, a tribulated path?
Mark, among the tribulations, the rigour of a fiery law.
In this unceasing warfare “the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.”
Look at the grand adversary of souls, and his fiery temptations. That is another fire to pass through—Satan’s suggestions. II. THE UPHOLDING POWER. “I will be with thee.” Good company at all events. Was He not with all the worthies recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures, in their sharp conflicts, giving them all the victory? There are two views that may be taken of this precious promise. There is such a thing as God being with His people, and they not knowing it; and there is such a thing as their sensible enjoyment of it. There are two things to be considered. The immutable faithfulness of God has bound Him never to desert the objects of His love. But there have been many instances in which people have been groping in the dark; it has been a long while before they could find Him; and in many instances they have been ready to say, “My prayer is shut out”; and led to exclaim, “Hath God in anger shut up His tender mercies? Will His compassion fail?” III. THE TERMINUS. Heavenly rest—not a wave of trouble shall roll across this peaceful breast. (J. Irons.) God’s presence in crisis moments:— It is surprising to note how the facts of this people’s history have impressed themselves upon the language and thought of Christendom. I. THAT SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE IS THE SAME IN ALL AGES. These words were written by the prophet of the Exile, who could speak of himself and his comrades as passing through the waters. He shows in this way that he realises that the exiles are one in experience with their ancestors who passed through the waters of the Red Sea and the Jordan. Though their circumstances were different, the variation in outward detail was insignificant. The same parts of their nature were tested, and the same virtues were disciplined. Thus this prophet becomes the link between us, who are the disciples of Christ, and the Israelites who crossed the Jordan. II. THAT IN EVERY LIFE THERE ARE A FEW BRIEF BUT INTENSE TRIALS. There was the long and weary strain of desert life to be constantly borne. The passage of the sea and the river came but twice, and then lasted but a few hours, though the agony for the time was intense. They entered the sea in a night of awful storm, because the terror of their enemies was upon them. They entered the river in broad daylight in utter trust of God, knowing that only thus could the enjoyment of Canaan’s goodly land be theirs. One was a struggle of fear, the other the yielding of all to God in simple faith. In the Christian life peace only comes after this second struggle. III. THAT LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER SUCH A CRISIS IS WHOLLY DIFFERENT. The Red Sea was the boundary line between bondage and freedom; the Jordan between wandering and rest, between hope and possession. It seems as though such struggles were the birth-throes of a new life. To pass on to a higher plane such struggle must be encountered. It was such a trial as God called upon Job to pass through. IV. THAT ONE SUCH CRISIS IS DEATH. In the life of Christ it would appear that the temptation connected with His baptism was His Red Sea, just as St. Paul tells us that the sea was Israel’s baptism: “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” We know that this temptation was one of the crises of our Saviour’s life. Then the devil leaveth Him for a season, not to return with like power until he meets Him again at Gethsemane. This was Christ’s Jordan. Not until this was passed was His sorrow vanquished or His labour “finished.” When Christian reached this river he was dazed and despondent, and began to look this way and that to see if he could not escape the river. Truly, death is the last and not the least enemy. V. THAT HUMAN FRIENDSHIP CAN AVAIL BUT LITTLE HERE. Friends may say, “I am with you” in sympathy; but they can render no help. Viewing the struggle, they may long to share it, but here they must leave their friends in the hands of God. VI. THAT GOD IS WITH US IN ALL SUCH CRISIS MOMENTS. Hopeful’s comforting words did Christian little good. But he heard a voice say, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” Indeed, that is His name, Immanuel, God with us. And Christ has said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end.” If God has brought us through the sea, if He has commenced the good work within us, He will bring us through the Jordan, and thus complete what He has begun. In virtue of such a precious promise we need have no fear. (R. C. Ford, M.A.) The floods and the flames:— I. CONTEMPLATE THE SCENES THROUGH WHICH THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE CALLED TO PASS. No metaphor is more frequent in the Bible than that by which sudden calamities are represented by a deluge of waters (Psa. 42:7; 69:1, 2).
All must pass through— (1) The waters of temptation (James 1:12). (2) The waters of affliction, in circumstances, person, mind, family. (3) The river of death. “How wilt thou do in the swellings of Jordan?”
We are all familiar with affliction under the image of fire (Psa. 66:12; 1 Cor. 3:13; Isa. 48:10; 1 Pet. 4:12). It is the tendency of fire to— (1) Consume (Mal. 4:1). Affliction, like a fire, will tend to consume our corruptions, whilst we ourselves remain uninjured. (2) Melt. All metals can be melted, and receive whatever stamp the artificer may impress. (3) Try. Place any substance in the fire, and its nature and properties are made manifest. Thus Abraham was tried; Job (23:10); Israel (Deut. 8:2); Hezekiah. (4) Purify and refine (Isa. 1:25; Mal. 3:2, 3). II. CONSIDER THE PROMISES MADE TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD WHEN PASSING THROUGH THESE SCENES.
The Divine presence. We naturally look for sympathy in the day of trouble (Job 6:14). Sometimes friends who are with us in sunshine forsake us in storm (Job 19:21; Acts 28:15, with 2 Tim. 4:16). But God will never forsake us.
Divine protection. “The rivers shall not overflow,” &c. (Jos. 1:9; Acts 23:11; Deut. 33:25).
Divine deliverance. We are not always to be fording rivers, struggling with floods, or walking through fires. We are to leave them all behind. The rest of Canaan compensated for all the toils of the wilderness (Rom. 8:18). (Clergyman’s Magazine.) The godly in trouble:—
The godly have the best company in the worst places in which their lot is cast. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.”
The godly have special help in their times of deepest trouble. “And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.”
The godly are the subjects of miracles of mercy in seasons of greatest distress. “When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.” (C. H. Spurgeon.) God’s people not exempt from trouble:— If God has a favoured people whom He has chosen, upon whom His distinguishing grace has lighted to make them great and honourable, you would suppose that the verse would run thus: “Thou shalt not go through the waters, for I will be with thee to keep thee out of them; neither shalt thou pass through the rivers, for I have bridged them on thy behalf. Thou shalt never go through the fire, and therefore thou shalt not be burned; neither shall there be any fear that the flame shall kindle upon thee, for it shall not come near thee.” There is no such word of promise; it would be contrary to the whole tenor of the covenant, which ever speaks of a rod, and of the chosen passing under it. (Ibid.) Light on the billow’s crest:— There is a story of a shipwreck which tells how the crew and passengers had to leave the broken vessel and take to the boats. The sea was rough, and great care in rowing and steering was necessary, in order to guard the heavily laden boats, not from the ordinary waves, which they rode over easily, but from the great cross seas. Night was approaching, and the hearts of all sank as they asked what they should do in the darkness when they would no longer be able to see these terrible waves. To their great joy, however, when it grew dark, they discovered that they were in phosphorescent waters, and that each dangerous wave rolled up crested with light which made it as clearly visible as if it were midday. So it is that life’s dreaded experiences when we meet them carry in themselves the light which takes away the peril and the terror. (J. R. Miller, D.D.) Comfort found in God:— During the sixteen weeks in which Sir Bartle Frere was dying, though he was nearly always in great pain, not one murmur escaped him. Just at the end he said, “I have looked down into the great abyss, but God has never left me through it all.” “Name that Name when I am in pain,” he once said to his wife; “it calls me back.” (Quiver.) A heartening presence:— An exceedingly nervous man was once sentenced to twenty-four hours’ imprisonment in the dungeon of an old prison. Full of fear he sank to the floor. His brain throbbed as with fever, and mocking voices seemed to sound. He felt terror would drive him mad. Suddenly, overhead, he heard the prison chaplain’s voice calling his name. “Are you there?” he gasped. “Yes, and I am going to stay till you come out.” “God bless you,” he said; “I do not mind it at all now, with you there.” “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.” (J. R. Miller, D.D.) Triumphant dying:— In her last days Mrs. Booth, of the Salvation Army, sent this message to her friends,—it is a triumphant death-song: “The waters are rising, but so am I. I am not going under, but over. Do not be concerned about your dying. Only go on living well, and the dying will be all right.” When thou walkest through the fire.—Fire!— Walking through the fire here is put for the severest form of trouble. You have, in the commencement of the verse, trouble described as passing through the water. This represents the overwhelming influence of trial, in which the soul is sometimes so covered that it becomes like a man sinking in the waves. “When thou goest through the rivers,”—those mountain torrents which with terrific force are often sufficient to carry a man away. This expresses the force of trouble, the power with which it sometimes lifts a man from the foothold of his stability, and carries him before it. “When thou passest through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.” But going through the fire expresses not so much the overwhelming character and the upsetting power of trouble as the actual consuming and destructive power of trouble and temptation. The metaphor is more vivid, not to say more terrific, than that which is employed in the first sentence, and yet, vivid and awful though it be, it is certainly not too strong a figure to be used as the emblem of the temptations and afflictions through which the Church and people of God have been called to pass. I. THIS TERRIBLE PATHWAY. The sacramental host of God’s elect has never had an easy road along which to journey. I see the fields on fire, the prairie is in a blaze, the very heavens are like a furnace, and the clouds seem rather to be made of fire than water. Across that prairie lies the pathway to heaven, beneath that blazing sky the whole Church of God must make its perpetual journey. It started at the first in fire, and its very glory at the last shall take place in the midst of the fiery passing away of all things. When first there was a Church of God on earth, in the person of Abel, it was persecuted. Since that day, what tongue can tell the sufferings of the people of God! It hath fared well with the Church when she hath been persecuted, and her pathway hath been through fire. Her feet are shod with iron and brass. She ought not to tread on paths strewn with flowers; it is her proper place to suffer. II. There is AN AWFUL DANGER. The promise of the text is based on a prophecy that follows it. The chapter tells us how God taught His people by terrible things in the past, and how He hath terrible lessons to teach them in the future. The Church has had very painful experience that persecution is a fire which does burn. How many ministers of Christ, when the day of tribulation came, forsook their flocks and fled. Again: I see iniquity raging on every side. Its flames are fanned by every wind of fashion. And fresh victims are being constantly drawn in. It spreads to every class. Not the palace nor the hovel is safe. We may give the alarm to you, young man, who are in the midst of ribald companions. I may cry “fire!” to you who are compelled to live in a house where you are perpetually tempted to evil. I may cry “fire!” to you who are marked each day, and have to bear the sneer of the ungodly,—“fire!” to you who are losing your property and suffering in the flesh, for many have perished thereby. We ought not to look upon our dangers with contempt; they are dangers, they are trials. We ought to look upon our temptations as fires. III. Here is A DOUBLE INSURANCE. It strikes me that in the second clause we have the higher gradation of a climax. “Thou shalt not be burned,” to the destruction of thy life, nor even scorched to give thee the most superficial injury, for “the flames shall not kindle upon thee.” Just as when the three holy children came out of the fiery furnace it is said, “Upon their bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed; neither were their coats changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them”; so the text seems to me to teach that the Christian Church under all its trials has not been consumed; but more than that—it has not lost anything by its trials. Upon the entire Church, at the last, there shall not be even the smell of fire. (C. H. Spurgeon.) Fire harmful and harmless:— When Jehovah was angry the fire burned Israel (chap. 42:25), but now with Jehovah on its side it is invulnerable in the severest trials. (Prof. J. Skinner, D.D.)
Exell, J. S. (n.d.). Isaiah (Vol. 2, pp. 355–359). Fleming H. Revell Company.
43:2 Pass through the waters is an allusion to the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:21, 22) and the Jordan River (Josh. 3:14–17). Walk through the fire is a metaphor for protection in danger (Ps. 66:12); consider the Lord’s protection of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:25–27).
Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 851). T. Nelson Publishers.
43:2 waters … rivers … fire … flame. Many perils symbolized by these words have confronted the Israelites through the centuries and will continue to do so until the nation’s final redemption, but the Lord promises the nation survival through them all. The passage of Moses’ and Joshua’s generations through the Red Sea (Ex 14:21, 22) and the Jordan River (Jos 3:14–17) and the preservation of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace illustrate His care for Israel.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Is 43:2). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. (2 Kings 19:32)
Neither did Sennacherib molest the city. He had boasted loudly, but he could not carry out his threats. The Lord is able to stop the enemies of His people in the very act. When the lion has the lamb between his jaws, the great Shepherd of the sheep can rob him of his prey. Our extremity only provides an opportunity for a grander display of divine power and wisdom.
In the case before us, the terrible foe did not put in an appearance before the city which he thirsted to destroy. No annoying arrow could he shoot over the walls, and no besieging engines could he put to work to batter down the castles, and no banks could he cast up to shut in the inhabitants. Perhaps in our case also the Lord will prevent our adversaries from doing us the least harm. Certainly He can alter their intentions or render their designs so abortive that they will gladly forego them. Let us trust in the Lord and keep His way, and He will take care of us. Yea, He will fill us with wondering praise as we see the perfection of His deliverance.
Let us not fear the enemy till he actually comes, and then let us trust in the Lord.
I get lots of great questions, and sometimes, they’re the same questions from lots of different people. So I thought today it would be fun, instead of answering just one person’s question, to answer lots of people’s questions. Here are the top 10 Mailbag questions readers most frequently ask:
1.
“Do you know anything about [Christian pastor/teacher/author] or his/her materials? Is s/he doctrinally sound?”
The best way to find out if I’ve written anything on a particular teacher is to put her name (make sure you spell it correctly) into the search bar, which is located at the bottom of every page of the blog. You can also check the Popular False Teachers & Unbiblical Trendstab and the Recommended Bible Teacherstab (in the blue menu bar at the top of this page) to see if the teacher’s name is located there.
If you need answers on a certain teacher right away, and I haven’t written anything about her, you will need to do the research yourself, which is a skill every Christian needs to hone anyway. (You should never just take my, or anybody else’s, word for it that a particular teacher is or isn’t trustworthy.) In case you need a little help getting started, I’ve described how I do my research, complete with some quick litmus tests and shortcuts in my article Is She a False Teacher? 7 Steps to Figuring It Out on Your Own.
If I haven’t written an article about a teacher you see as problematic who’s reaching a wide audience, you’re welcome to send me her name along with any links you may have to her unbiblical teaching or behavior. If I get enough questions about a particular teacher, I’ll probably write an article on her.
2.
“Can you recommend a good women’s/children’s/teens/particular topic Bible study?”
No. On principle, I do not recommend what I call “canned” (book, workbook, DVD, etc.) Bible studies- not even doctrinally sound ones. The church has become so utterly dependent on books and materials written by others that the majority of evangelicals have no idea how to simply pick up the Bible and study or teach straight from the text of Scripture. I may be the only one to stand against that tide, but I’m standing against it. We need to, as a general practice, cut out the middleman and get back to learning and teaching straight from the Bible itself.
If studying or teaching directly from Scripture is new to you, I would encourage you to check out the Bible Studies tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page, which explains more about my philosophy of Bible study and provides numerous resources to help you learn how to study or teach the Bible itself.
One of the resources you’ll find is all of the Bible studies I’ve written. They are all free, all suitable for individual and group use, and you are welcome to print out as many copies as you need. My studies are learn-by-doing “training wheels” that teach you: how to study/teach the Bible in a systematic way, the kinds of things you should be noticing in the text, the kinds of questions you should be asking of the text, and how the various parts of the Bible fit together to tell God’s grand story of redemption through Christ. Work through a study or two. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be ready to unbolt those training wheels and study or teach on your own without needing to rely on anyone else’s materials any more – including mine.
I’m trying to find a doctrinally sound church. Can you help me?
It is my delight to help my brothers and sisters find a solid church. Please check out the Searching for a new church? tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.
If you’re newly saved and/or coming out of the New Apostolic Reformation, prosperity gospel, New Age, Catholicism, Mormonism, etc., I would strongly recommend reading through all of the resources in the “What to look for in a church” section of that tab before beginning your search for an actual church. You need to know what makes a church doctrinally sound (or not), and those resources can help.
Notice that there are multiple church search engines at the top of that tab. If you don’t find something in your area at the first search engine, go to the next one, and keep going until you’ve exhausted all of them.
Keep in mind that doctrinally sound churches are becoming scarcer and scarcer. You may have to drive longer than you’d like to get to one. It may not meet all your preferences. You might have to try a different denomination than you’re used to. The most doctrinally sound church you can find within achievable driving distance may have a few biblical “warts” (for example: a generally solid preaching/teaching church but the women’s ministry uses materials by false teachers). It is possible that God may put you in that less than perfect church to sanctify you, or for you to help bring about biblical change.
Sometimes people e-mail me asking if I can help them find a church. Your best bet is really to use all of the resources at the “Searching for a new church” tab. I want to reassure you that, unlike Walmart, I don’t have any churches in the back store room that haven’t been stocked yet. With the exception of a handful of churches my readers have recommended that I haven’t had a chance to vet yet, everything I have is out on the shelves at that tab. :0) (I would also encourage everyone reading this – if you attend a doctrinally sound church, click the link above and see if your church is listed on at least one of the three most popular church search engines: Founders, G3, and/or Master’s Seminary church search engines. If not, talk to your pastor about submitting your church’s information to one or more of these so people can find you! You are also welcome to submit your church for inclusion on my Reader Recommended Churches list, but that list doesn’t reach nearly as many people as the aforementioned other three do.)
If you’ve made a good faith effort at the “Searching…” tab and have exhausted all of the resources there, and you still can’t find a passable church within achievable driving distance, you have two options (one of which is not giving up on church and staying home): move to an area that has a solid, established church, or look into church planting.
If you’re considering moving for a church, do everything in your power to make sure that church is solid and is going to stay that way. Find out about their history. Watch their worship services online regularly for a few months. Set up a Zoom call with the pastor or elders, explain your situation, and “interview them”. Don’t be shy to ask any, and as many questions as you need to. You’re picking up your entire life and moving based on what they say. Churches are apostatizing at an alarming rate. The last thing you want to do is move somewhere for a church you thought was sound, only to have it take a turn toward sin or false doctrine six months after you get there.
Personally, I think church planting is the preferable option for at least two reasons. First, you don’t have to go through the hassle, logistics (“Will I be able to find a job in this new place?”), and emotional upheaval of leaving family and friends behind that comes with moving. Second, if you’re in an area where you can’t find a good church, neither can any of your neighbors. You could be the person God uses to bring a solid church to an area without a gospel witness. How amazing would that be? Pick up the phone or fire up your email and start contacting the church planting organizations listed. Explain your dilemma. Ask for their help. If none of the church planting organizations can help, contact the nearest doctrinally sound church, explain things to the pastor, and ask about his church planting a church in your area.
5.
(I’m combining two questions here because the answers to both, and the resources for both, are similar and overlap.)
The leadership at my church is kicking off a new Bible study using materials by a false teacher. What should I do?
My church uses … or I’m looking for a new church, and I found one that’s really sound, except they use… Bethel / Jesus Culture / Hillsong / Elevation music or other music from heretical sources. What should I do?
Whaddaya mean women can’t preach to men? Of course they can!
Again, sorry, but that’s not what the Bible says. I would strongly encourage you to read all of the articles in my Rock Your Roleseries, which examines the Scriptures dealing with the role of women in the church. (Remember, for Christians, God’s Word is our authority, not our feelings, opinions, and preferences.) I would suggest starting with these:
Why isn’t Teacher X listed at your Popular False Teachers tab? Does the fact that she’s not listed mean she’s doctrinally sound? Why isn’t Teacher Y listed at your Recommended Bible Teachers tab? Does the fact that she’s not listed mean she’s a false teacher?
Please understand that these are not comprehensive lists of every false teacher or doctrinally sound teacher in existence. There are thousands of both, so that would be impossible. Also, don’t jump to conclusions about any teacher who’s not on the list. The absence of a particular teacher’s name on either list says nothing definitive about whether or not I would recommend that teacher.
The articles I’ve written about false teachers have mainly been in response to readers inquiring about them. In other words, if you don’t see a particular teacher’s name on the list, it’s probably because I haven’t been asked about her, I’ve been asked about her but haven’t had time to get to it yet, or for one of the reasons below.
The teachers on the recommended teachers list are those I’ve personally listened to or read at enough length that I feel comfortable endorsing them. Most of the teachers on the list trend toward being Calvinistic/Reformed and cessationist because I believe this is the most biblically correct view of Scripture, and because, in my experience, those of these persuasions are generally more discerning about associating with false teachers, and more expository in their teaching. (Of course there are some non-Calvinist/Reformed pastors and teachers who are stellar in these areas. I’ve had the privilege of knowing a few personally.)
There are a few other reasons you might not see someone’s name on either the false teachers or the recommended teachers lists:
• My articles on false teachers are nearly always about teachers: who are well known (thus the “Popular” in “Popular False Teachers”), who women in my particular audience – average American evangelical women – are most likely to follow, and whose materials are being used in those average American evangelical women’s churches. It takes multiple hours of research to vet teachers, and I have to invest those hours into the teachers who are deceiving the greatest numbers women in my audience.
• I don’t tend to write articles on teachers who are so blatantly heretical and/or are so well known for being heretical that it should be obvious (unless I feel there’s some compelling reason to do so). This is why you won’t see, for example, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, or Nadia Bolz-Weber on the false teachers list. Kenneth and Benny are fairly well known for being prosperity gospel heretics, and a 30 second Google search should make it obvious to most Christians who aren’t already familiar with her that Nadia is a liberal heretic. And, again, your average American evangelical woman isn’t following people like this, and her church isn’t using their materials.
• Normally, I don’t write about contemporary teachers who are dead, especially if they’re not particularly popular with my demographic. This is why you don’t see names like Mother Teresa or David Wilkerson on the list.
9.
I have a dire and complicated family/marriage/church situation, can you help me? Can you mentor/disciple me?
I deeply wish I could answer “yes” to all of these inquiries. I’m a helper. I want to help people. But I also know that in most of these situations, I’m not the right person for the job. So my answer to these inquiries has to be “no”. I cannot engage in counseling or discipling/mentoring relationships via e-mail.
The first reason for this is that my primary duty before the Lord is to care for my husband, children, and grandchildren, to manage my household, and to be a faithful church member. That takes a lot of time and energy. And if you’ve ever read my e-mail policy, you know I don’t even have time to answer most of the e-mails I receive, let alone the time that’s required to properly disciple, mentor, or counsel someone through a difficult circumstance.
But the second reason I’m not the right person for the job is that all of these are the job of the local church. It’s not right for me to get between you and your pastor when you need counsel or between you and an older sister at your church when you need to be discipled. You need someone who can walk with you, face to face, for the long haul, through these situations. Relying on me would be cheating yourself out of connecting with the person at your church who could be there for you the best and help you the most.
And, finally, especially in dire counseling situations such as abuse, extreme marital problems, or complex issues at church, I’m not familiar with the laws and resources in your area, I’m only hearing your side of the story, I’m not getting all of the details, etc. Your pastor or an older sister at church is there. They can better help you navigate the intricacies of the situation and provide you with more effective solutions than I can.
10.
I’d love to come hear you speak in person. When will you be speaking in my area?
As soon as someone sets up an event and invites me! I am delighted to speak anywhere I’m invited and that can host me.
The best way to be sure you’ll be able to make it to one of my conferences or events is to set one up at your church (or in conjunction with another local church(es)) or parachurch organization. I know that probably sounds daunting, but I’ve spoken at lots of small churches with limited resources, and it might not be as difficult as you think! I’ve also provided lots of helpful hints and resources at my Speaking Engagements tab (in the blue menu bar at the top of this page) so you don’t have to break the bank or re-invent the wheel.
The second best way to keep up to date on whether or not I’ll be speaking in your area is twofold:
Go to my Speaking Engagements tab and scroll all the way to the end of the page where it says “202- Calendar”. I list all of my upcoming speaking engagements there, along with where they’re located and registration information.
Subscribe to my blog via email. From time to time, I’ll create an article listing all of my upcoming events, their dates, locations, and registration information.
Hope to see you soon at an event near you!
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
One of the greatest arguments for the existence of God is the human cell. Science is just beginning to unlock some of the mysteries of the cell but these tiny entities, possessing no intelligence, can perform amazingly complex functions in mere nanoseconds that leave our brightest scientists baffled as to their inner workings.
When you were conceived you started your journey in life as a single cell. By the time nine months passed, your original cell at the point of birth had multiplied by a factor of thirty trillion. While science can name the different parts of each type of cell as well as understand something of cellular duplication, it is at a complete loss to describe how your one original cell knew how to form heart cells and brain cells. Just listen to how apologist Frank Turek describes this amazing mystery: “As if they had minds of their own, your new cells-some of them eventually reproducing in the womb at a rate of more than 100,000 per second-knew where to go and what to do in order to become each of your major organs. How did certain cells “know” to become heart cells, while others “knew” to become brain cells? There is no known material explanation for their goal-directedness.”1
If this were not mysterious enough an even more unfathomable mystery seems to indicate that each cell has foreknowledge of the future. Let me explain. You see your original single cell back at conception not only had an almost limitless amount of knowledge, since it must have been pre-programmed with everything needed to create all thirty trillion of your cells by birth, but also the blueprints to orchestrate the creation of all of your organs and body parts.
But here is where the magic really takes place for you see your original single cell had to know that at a future point in time certain unknown substances, i.e., the nutrients from your mother, would have to be broken down and reformatted into useful tiny substances that could generate the cell multiplication process. Not only that, but the DNA in your cells had to have an incredible storehouse of complex bio-chemical knowledge to orchestrate this entire process. And the only way that your original single cell could be coded with the instructions to perform these incredibly complicated processes on certain unknown future substances is if that cell had foreknowledge. And the only way it could have this foreknowledge is if there is a God who placed it there.
I believe that the more an open-minded scientist examines these mysteries the more he will realize that the evolutionary mantra of nobody times nothing equals everything is a vastly inferior explanation to the origin of life question than the simple biblical statement: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1).
1Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 56.
Why does a good God allow so much suffering? It’s a question we all wrestle with at some point, especially when trials hit close to home. This article dives deep into biblical truths about the origins of suffering, its purpose in our lives, and God’s ultimate promise to end it.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).
Did you ever wonder what this means? I do.
Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown Commentary says,
be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves—Wonderful combination this! Alone, the wisdom of the serpent is mere cunning, and the harmlessness of the dove little better than weakness: but in combination, the wisdom of the serpent would save them from unnecessary exposure to danger; the harmlessness of the dove, from sinful expedients to escape it. In the apostolic age of Christianity, how harmoniously were these qualities displayed! Instead of the fanatical thirst for martyrdom, to which a later age gave birth, there was a manly combination of unflinching zeal and calm discretion, before which nothing was able to stand.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 36). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
So clear! I like this comment.
The Apostolic Age has passed, but in this day and age of the Church Age, how can we do our diligence and be wise as serpents and innocent as doves?
Firstly, we need to balance shrewd discernment with holy integrity in today’s challenging world. The world is one of the deadly enemies the Bible lists, along with the devil and our flesh. (1 John 2:15-17, Romans 7:15, Galatians 5:16). The world is against us and challenges us at every turn.
Christians must recognize danger- not solely physical danger but spiritual danger from false doctrines and deceitful teachers. We should use wisdom in all our relationships, act with integrity, and avoid compromise. Wise as a serpent means we combine caution with strategic awareness in a meek, non-aggressive spirit.
Following the directive to be wise and innocent given by Jesus really involves everything He and the Apostles said to do and doing all in life with Jesus in mind: such as having a meek and gentle spirit, being holy as he is holy, not lying, loving our neighbor… And so much more.
No one said the Christian life was easy. Pursuing all these things and then balancing them properly seems impossible. But we have an aid that no one else has: the Holy Spirit! Appeal to Him each day, multiple times per day, for wisdom tinged with gentleness, with gentleness tinged with shrewd wisdom. He is a good God and ready to help those who, with pure motivations, seek to obey and love Jesus with all our heart, mind, and soul.
EPrata painting. serpentEPrata photo: Eurasian collared dove
Just as man’s part in salvation is to come humbly, it is also to come in faith. Although finite minds cannot fully comprehend the truth, divine grace and human faith are inseparable in salvation. God sovereignly provides salvation, which includes the fact that man must give himself to the Lord Jesus Christ in commitment before it becomes effective. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me,” and then immediately added, “and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Salvation is not through a creed, a church, a ritual, a pastor, a priest, or any other such human means—but through Jesus Christ, who said, Come to Me. To come is to believe to the point of submitting to His lordship. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus declared; “he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Comes and believes are parallel just as are hunger and thirst. Coming to Christ is believing in Him, which results in no longer hungering and thirsting. Other biblical synonyms for believing in Christ include confessing Him, receiving Him, eating and drinking Him, and hearing Him. Peter declared, “Of Him [Jesus Christ] all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43). And the Lord Himself said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14–16).
REPENTANCE AND REST
all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (11:28b)
All who are indicates a condition that already exists. Those whom Jesus invites to Himself are those who already are weary and heavy-laden. Although this aspect of Jesus’ invitation is mentioned after faith (“Come to Me”), chronologically it precedes faith, referring to the repentance that drives the humble, seeking person to Christ for salvation. Kopiaō (to grow weary, or “to labor”) carries the idea of working to the point of utter exhaustion. John uses the term to describe Jesus’ fatigue when He and the disciples reached Sychar after a long, hot journey from Jerusalem (John 4:6). Weary translates a present active participle and refers figuratively to arduous toil in seeking to please God and know the way of salvation. Jesus calls to Himself everyone who is exhausted from trying to find and please God in his own resources. Jesus invites the person who is wearied from his vain search for truth through human wisdom, who is exhausted from trying to earn salvation, and who has despaired of achieving God’s standard of righteousness by his own efforts. Heavy-laden translates a perfect passive participle, indicating that at some time in the past a great load was dumped on the wearied person. Whereas weary refers to the internal exhaustion caused by seeking divine truth through human wisdom, heavy-laden suggests the external burdens caused by the futile efforts of works righteousness. In Jesus’ day, the rabbinical teachings had become so massive, demanding, and all-encompassing that they prescribed standards and formulas for virtually every human activity. It was all but impossible even to learn all the traditions, and was completely impossible to keep them all. Jesus spoke of the heavy loads of religious tradition that the scribes and Pharisees laid on the people’s shoulders (Matt. 23:4); and at the Jerusalem Council, Peter noted that the Judaizers were trying to saddle Christianity with the same man-made “yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10). Although the term itself is not used in the text, Jesus gives a call to repent, to turn away from the self-centered and works-centered life and come to Him. The person who is weary and heavy-laden despairs of his own ability to please God. He comes to the end of his own resources and turns to Christ. Desperation is a part of true salvation, because a person does not come to Christ as long as he has confidence in himself. To repent is to make a 180-degree turn from the burden of the old life to the restfulness of the new Repentance was the theme of John the Baptist’s preaching (Matt. 3:2) and the starting point of the preaching of Jesus (4:17), Peter (Acts 2:38; 3:19; cf. 5:31), and Paul (17:30; 20:21; cf. 2 Tim. 2:25). The person who humbly receives God’s revelation of Himself and His way of salvation, who turns from the unbearable burden of his sin and self-effort, and who comes to Christ empty-handed is the only person God will save. Anapauō (to give … rest) means to refresh or revive, as from labor or a long journey. Jesus promises spiritual rest to everyone who comes to Him in repentance and humble faith. God’s rest is a common Old Testament theme. The Lord warned Israel, “Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness; when your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work.… Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest” (Ps. 95:7–9, 11). After quoting that passage, the writer of Hebrews warns those who make a pretense of faith in Christ but have not really trusted Him: “Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). To intellectually acknowledge Christ’s deity and lordship is a dangerous thing if it does not lead to true faith, because it gives a person the false confidence of belonging to Christ. In the time of the early church many Jews were attracted to the gospel and outwardly identified themselves with the church. But for fear of being unsynagogued, ostracized from the worship and ceremonies of Judaism, some of them did not truly receive Christ as saving Lord. They went part way to Him but stopped before full commitment. “As a result” of such superficial allegiance, John says, “many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore” (John 6:66). Consequently they would not enter God’s rest, that is, His salvation, because they still possessed “an evil, unbelieving heart” (Heb. 3:11–12). Just as those Israelites who rebelled against Moses in the wilderness were denied entrance into the Promised Land because of unbelief, so those who refuse to fully trust in Christ are denied entrance into God’s kingdom rest of salvation for the same reason (v. 19). “Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, ‘As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest’ ” (4:1–3). The dictionary gives several definitions of rest that remarkably parallel the spiritual rest God offers those who trust in His Son. First, the dictionary describes rest as cessation from action, motion, labor, or exertion. In a similar way, to enter God’s rest is to cease from all efforts at self-help in trying to earn salvation. Second, rest is described as freedom from that which wearies or disturbs. Again we see the spiritual parallel of God’s giving His children freedom from the cares and burdens that rob them of peace and joy. Third, the dictionary defines rest as something that is fixed and settled. Similarly, to be in God’s rest is to have the wonderful assurance that our eternal destiny is secure in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It is to be freed from the uncertainties of running from philosophy to philosophy, from religion to religion, from guru to guru, hoping somehow and somewhere to discover truth, peace, happiness, and eternal life. Fourth, rest is defined as being confident and trustful. When we enter God’s rest we are given the assurance that “He who began a good work in [us] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Finally, the dictionary describes rest as leaning, reposing, or depending on. As children of God, we can depend with utter certainty that our heavenly Father will “supply all [our] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985–1989). Matthew (Vol. 2, pp. 274–276). Moody Press.
Ver. 28. Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.—
The burdened directed to Christ:— I. THE PERSONS WHOM OUR LORD HERE ADDRESSES. 1. As burdened with convictions of sin and the keen remorse of a wounded conscience. 2. That sinners under these circumstances labour to be released from their burden. (1) They resolve in their own strength to forsake their sins. (2) There are others who are ignorant of the righteousness of God, and go about to establish their own righteousness. (3) In looking to the mercy of God irrespective of Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice. II. OUR LORD’S TENDER SOLICITUDE FOR THE HAPPINESS OF SUCH. 1. The invitation is condescending. 2. It is extensive and unconditional. III. THE PROMISE ANNEXED. 1. Rest in your conscience from the dread of Divine wrath. 2. Rest in the will from its former corrupt propensities. 3. Heavenly rest for the people of God. (R May.)
Rest in Christ for the heavy-laden:— I. WHAT IT IS. “Rest,” not rest in sin, not rest from trouble. It is rest from sin—its guilt, misery, power. It is rest in trouble. II. OF WHOM IS THIS BLESSING TO BE OBTAINED. The conscious greatness these few simple words indicate. Have you ever tried to comfort a troubled heart? Beyond your power. It is the prerogative of Him who made the soul to give it rest. There is more power in Him to comfort than in the world to disquiet. III. WHO MAY OBTAIN THIS REST FROM HIM—“All that labour.” These words express the inward condition of man. We do indeed toil. Some weary themselves to work iniquity. The world has worn some of you out. The burden of affliction; guilt—our corruptions. IV. HOW THEY WHO DESIRE MAY OBTAIN IT—“Come.” 1. Literally, when lie was on earth. 2. Faith in operation. Hagar went to the well and drank, and was saved. Those who have found rest in Christ, remember where you found it. See on what easy terms we may find rest. Some know they are sinners, but are not weary of sin. (C. Bradley.)
Rest for the weary:—1. The promise is faithful. 2. It is a precious promise. 3. It is an appropriate promise. 4. It is one of present accomplishment. (D. Rees.)
The way of coming to Christ:—1. The most obvious is Christ historically taught. 2. Men seek to come to Him speculatively. Who can find out a being by a pure process of thought? 3. There are those who seek Christ by a sentimental and humanitarian method. This will not fire zeal. How then are men to come to Christ? Through a series of moral, practical endeavours to live the life which He has prescribed for us. (H. W. Beecher.)
Christ’s word to the weary:—There are three sorts of trouble. 1. There is head-trouble—to do what is right. 2. There is heart-trouble. The interior grief. 3. There is soul-trouble. Christ gives rest from these. (W. G. Barrett.)
A special invitation:—1. It is personal—“Come unto me.” God directs to Christ, not to His members. 2. It is present—“Come” now, do not wait. 3. So sweet an invitation demands a spontaneous acceptance. 4. He puts the matter very exclusively. Do nothing else but come to Him. Arguments which the Saviour used:—1. Because He is the appointed mediator—“All things are delivered unto me of My Father.” 2. Moreover the Father has given all things into His hands in the sense of government. 3. Christ is a well-furnished mediator—“All things are delivered unto Me.” He has all the sinner wants. 4. Come to Christ because He is an inconceivably great mediator. No man knows His fulness but the Father. 5. Because He is an infinitely wise Saviour. He understands both persons on whose behalf He mediates. 6. He is an indispensable mediator—“Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Invitation based on saving power:—In a previous verse our Lord had said, “All things are delivered unto me by My Father: meaning that all power is given unto Him for the instructing, ruling, and saving of mankind; from whence He infers those comfortable words in the text. I. A gracious invitation made by our Saviour. II. The persons invited. III. A promise of ease and benefit. IV. The way and manner of coming to Christ. V. A farther encouragement hereunto, from an inward sense and feeling of the promised rest. VI. A good reason to back and enforce it—“My yoke is easy.” (Matthew Hole.)
Ways of coming to Christ:—Coming to Christ and believing, are in Scripture used to signify one and the same thing. I. The first step in coming to Christ is by baptism. II. The next step is by prayer. III. A farther step is by repentance and confession of sin. IV. We are said to come to God by hearing His Word, and receiving instruction from Him. V. Also by receiving His Holy Supper: and—VI. By putting our whole trust and affiance in Him, relying upon Him for salvation, and placing all our hopes and confidence in His merits and satisfaction. (Ibid.)
Coming to Christ:—This implies three things. I. ABSENCE: for what need is there of oar coming to Christ unless we are previously at a distance from Him? Such is the condition of every man. Naturally, all are without Christ as to saving influence; as to a proper knowledge of Him, love to Him, confidence in Him, and union and communion with Him. II. ACCESSIBLENESS. We come to Him; we can find and approach Him. Not to His bodily presence. As man He is absent; as God He is still present. He said to His apostles, “Lo, I am with you always; even unto the end of the, world.” III. APPLICATION. For this coming to Him is to deal with Him concerning the affairs of the soul of eternity. (W. Jay.)
Christ’s rest:— I. A NEGATIVE DESCRIPTION. (1) Rest, not lethargy. A condition in which the powers of the soul are quickened, rendered alive to its capacities, duties, and privileges. (2) Rest, not inactivity. Release from weariness rather than from labour. (3) Rest, not confinement. Not isolation or routine. (4) Rest, not leisure. Not a brief season of relaxation, but a lasting state of peace and strength. II. A POSITIVE DESCRIPTION. (1) Rest, that is, peace. Conscience is at ease. The mind is satisfied. The heart is filled with love. (2) Rest, that is, fearlessness. Not only is there present satisfaction, but assured confidence in the future. (3) Rest, that is, fortitude. The burden may not be removed, but Christ gives us such a temper that we are as happy with our burden as though we were without it. (4) Rest, that is, security. He shields us from every adverse power. He gives us ground for our confidence. (Stems and Twigs.)
Christ relieving us of natural burdens:—1. Spiritual burdens. 2. Mental burdens. 3. Providential burdens. 4. Physical burdens. (Bishop Simpson.)
Christianity lightens physical burdens:—Go to-day into heathen countries, into Mohammedan lands, and what do you find? The village on the hill top, the old walls, the spring down near the foot of the hill, the water carried by hand, the pitcher, the goat skin—just as it was in ancient times. The burden is borne by men upon their backs. Go to China, and travel from place to place. It is difficult, and oftentimes the traveller must be carried by men, and, if not by men, by a rude cart. When I was in Palestine, a year ago, there was only one wheeled vehicle in the whole territory, and that had been brought there by the Russian Embassy. Burdens were borne on the back, and in the simplest way. Turn to Christian lands, and what are they? See what you call civilization—that is, Christianity affecting the minds and occupations of men—how it works! How is this city of a million and a quarter supplied with water? A great engine pumps it up from the river; iron pipes carry it to every house. You turn the tap and have it in almost every room. There is no broken back or burdened frame carrying from some spring this water. Go into countries partly civilized, and you find a few public pumps or wells, and the multitudes go there. It is a mere physical thing, you say. Yes; but it is God working in the subjugation of nature to man’s comfort. Moreover, you turn these taps in your room without thinking of it; and yet you have here a proof that God is taking care of the labour-burdened, and ought to remember how Christ has said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Go out into the fields. What was the old way? Men, bowed down in the heat of an August sun, took the sickle in hand, and tried to reap the harvest. Now the reaping-machine, drawn by horses, moves into the field, throws out its bound-up sheaves without human toil: and the harvest is gathered without man being bowed down to the earth. What is it? “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Go into the house: long ago, needlewomen, from early morn until night, and late into the night, stitched carefully, slowly, regularly, on their endless task. Now look at the sewing-machine, and see the amount of work that can be done without, comparatively speaking, human toil. Turn your eyes over to this light, and whence comes it, and how? Look at the little lamp of old, with its lard and wick, then the tallow candle; and now, wandering through all these pipes, comes this air or gas to be lighted, and what a change in human labour! From the darkness, from the atmosphere around us, men are gathering this electric fluid, and throwing light over the darkest of streets and alleys of your city, and thus enabling thousands of men to work as by daylight in your manufactories. What a change in human labour! There must still be labour, but it is not to be of that toilsome character that it once was. (Bishop Simpson.) It is not a local coming to Christ, which is now impossible, but a movement of heart and mind to Him. I. THE CLASS OF PERSONS that our Saviour wan supposed to have in view. 1. Such as were laden with the burden of ceremonial obedience. The observances of Christianity were few and simple, neither occupying much time, nor incurring much expense. They recommended themselves by their significance and force. 2. Such as are oppressed and burdened with a sense of guilt. 3. Such as are endeavouring to erect an edifice of righteousness out of their own performances. 4. Those who are overwhelmed with worldly calamities—the victims of worldly sorrow. 5. Those who are engaged in a restless, uncertain pursuit after felicity in the present state. 6. Those who are heavy laden by speculative pursuits in matters of religion. (Robert Hall, M.A.)
A word in season to the weary:—Causes of weariness. 1. Wounded affections. 2. The disappointment of our desires. 3. Vacancy of mind and the sense of monotony. 4. The load of a guilty conscience is fatiguing. 5. The burden of earnest thought and noble endeavour. (E. Johnson, M.A.)
Desire outruns faculty and causes weariness:—The result would be something monstrous if their energies and abilities grew as fast as their aspirations or their ambitions. As the eye carries the mind in the flash of a moment over a space of country which it would require hours to traverse in the body, so the hot speed of human Desire outruns our slow and pausing faculties. And this a great cause of fatigue; we cannot keep up with ourselves; one part of our nature lags behind another. Or, no sooner is the goal which we had thought a fixed one reached, than another starts up in the new distance, and Desire is still goading us on, refusing us rest. (Ibid.)
Rest not found in mere ceremonial observances:—Both the Wesleys, and Whitefield also, fell for a time into the same mistake. In their endeavours to obtain peace of conscience, in addition to attending every ordinary service of the church, they received the sacrament every Sunday, fasted every Wednesday and Friday, retired regularly every morning and evening for meditation and prayer; they wore the coarsest garments, partook of the coarsest fare, visited the sick, taught the ignorant, ministered to the wants of the needy; and, that he might have more to give away, John Wesley even for a time went barefoot. And yet, with all this, they did not obtain the peace for which their souls craved. (R. A. Bertram.)
The reality of rest:—“Come,” saith Christ, “and I will give you rest.” I will not show you rest, nor barely tell you of rest, but I will give you rest. I am faithfulness itself, and cannot lie, I will give you rest. I that have the greatest power to give it, the greatest will to give it, the greatest right to give it, come, laden sinners, and I will give you rest. Rest is the most desirable good, the most suitable good, and to you the greatest good. Come, saith Christ—that is, believe in Me, and I will give you rest; I will give you peace with God, and peace with conscience: I will turn your storm into an everlasting calm; I will give you such rest, that the world can neither give to you nor take from you. (Thomas Brooks.)
Rest only in God:—Lord, Thou madest us for Thyself, and we can find no rest till we find rest in Thee! (Augustine.)
The weary welcome to rest:—A poor English girl, in Miss Leigh’s home in Paris, ill in body and hopeless in spirit, was greatly affected by hearing some children singing, “I heard the voice of Jesus say.” When they came to the words, “weary, and worn, and sad,” she moaned, “That’s me! That’s me! What did He do? Fill it up, fill it up!” She never rested until she had heard the whole of the hymn which tells how Jesus gives rest to such. By-and-by she asked, “Is that true?” On being answered, “Yes,” she asked, “Have you come to Jesus? Has He given you rest?” “He has.” Raising herself, she asked, “Do you mind my coming very close to you? May be it would be easier to go to Jesus with one who has been before than to go to Him alone.” So saying, she nestled her head on the shoulder of her who watched, and clutching her as one in the agony of death, she murmured, “Now, try and take me with you to Jesus.” (The Sunday at Home.)
Rest for all:—There are many heads resting on Christ’s bosom, but there’s room for yours there. (Samuel Rutherford.)
Rest not inaction:—It is not the lake locked in ice that suggests repose, but the river moving on calmly and rapidly, in silent majesty and strength. It is not the cattle lying in the sun, but the eagle cleaving the air with fixed pinions, that gives you the idea of repose with strength and motion. In creation, the rest of God is exhibited as a sense of power which nothing wearies. When chaos burst into harmony, so to speak, God had rest. (F. W. Robertson.)
Rest in trouble:—I say that men want rest from their troubles, and that the only worthy rest is rest in our trouble. We have our first real impression of what toil is, when we begin, as an apprentice, to learn some trade. Our first real impression of toil brings the first real desire for rest. But all the rest the young man thinks of is the rest of laying down his tools, and leaving the workshop or the warehouse to spend the evening in manly sports. He has no thought yet of that higher rest, which will come, by-and-by, out of skill and facility in the use of tools. (R. Tuck, B.A.)
Resting on the Bible:—In Newport church, in the Isle of Wight, lies buried the Princess Elizabeth (daughter of Charles the First). A marble monument, erected by our Queen Victoria, records in a touching way the manner of her death. She languished in Carisbrook Castle during the wars of the Commonwealth—a prisoner, alone, and separated from all the companions of her youth, tilt death set her free. She was found dead one day, with her head leaning on her Bible, and the Bible open at the words, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The monument in Newport church records this fact. It consists of a female figure reclining her head on a marble book, with our text engraven on the book. Think, my brethren, what a sermon in stone that monument preaches. Think what a standing memorial it affords of the utter inability of rank and high birth to confer certain happiness. Think what a testimony it bears to the lesson before you this day—the mighty lesson that there is no true rest for any one excepting in Christ. Happy will it be for your soul if that lesson is never forgotten.
Exell, J. S. (1952). The Biblical Illustrator: Matthew (pp. 222–225). Baker Book House.
“If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, everyone pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check.” —Thomas Jefferson (1811)
Trump persuades House GOP to drop voter-ID demand: A group of House Republicans, led by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Tim Burchett, backed off their demand to include the SAVE America Act in the government funding package after President Donald Trump spoke with them on Monday. Trump is seeking to get the House to end the partial government shutdown by passing the funding package from the Senate, and while he is in agreement with the Republicans on the SAVE America Act — a bill that would require voter ID and proof of citizenship for all federal elections — he needs the government to be funded. Furthermore, Luna explained, “There is something called a standing filibuster that would effectively allow Sen. [John] Thune to put voter ID on the floor of the Senate. We are hearing that that is going well, and that he is considering that.” The House is reportedly now on track to vote on the funding package today.
Clintons agree to testify: Under threat of being held in contempt of Congress, Bill and Hillary Clinton have agreed to comply with subpoenas, forcing their testimony before the House. The former president and first lady announced their intention to appear before Congress on Monday night, but Rep. James Comer said he will not drop the criminal contempt of Congress charges yet, saying, “We don’t have anything in writing.” Former presidents have never before been forced to testify before Congress — although some have done so willingly — and this would represent the first time a president was held in criminal contempt. No former president had ever had his home raided by the FBI, either, until 2022.
Noem announces body cameras: The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will wear body cameras in the field, effective immediately. Surely Black Lives Matter and leftists everywhere are cheering! Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. Ron Johnson, have signaled their support. Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer pushed for body cameras and a few other reforms during his negotiations on DHS funding, which led to a partial government shutdown that is expected to end today. If Congress advances the proposed changes and the two-week DHS funding, then funding for the rest of Fiscal Year 2026 can be discussed. Leftists have begun to realize that, rather than showing the police brutality they expected, body cameras have instead demonstrated the extraordinary abuse law enforcement officers regularly put up with.
DC crime drops: Crime in the nation’s capital has continued to drop since President Trump aggressively addressed the issue last year, when he deployed the National Guard. In the first month of 2026, the Metropolitan Police Department’s crime data showed its lowest crime level in a decade, with just two recorded homicides, representing one of the lowest monthly totals on record. DC started 2026 with no homicides for over three weeks, a span not seen in over 30 years. By this time last year, there had already been nine homicides. Furthermore, violent and property crimes overall have dropped by 600 points from last January. The data demonstrate that Trump’s crime-fighting efforts have been highly effective and are making Washington, DC, a safer place.
U.S.-India trade deal: President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have announced a new trade deal whereby the U.S. will slash tariffs to 18% and India will invest $500 billion in the U.S. Trump also announced that Modi has agreed to “stop buying Russian Oil,” although India has yet to confirm that detail. If India divests from Russian oil, it would, as Trump says, “help END THE WAR in Ukraine.” Trump’s willingness to lower tariffs from 25% to 18% indicates that India has committed to change, since these tariffs were imposed because of its purchase and resale of Russian oil.
Epstein victims’ complaints lead to thousands of files pulled: Several thousand of the 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files that the Justice Department released on Friday have since been pulled down. The pulling of these pages was in response to complaints raised by Jeffrey Epstein’s victims over their identities and other information being revealed in the massive document dump. U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Jay Clayton admitted in a letter to U.S. District Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer that these victims’ identities should not have been exposed and blamed it on “technical or human error.” He noted that the Department was taking steps to review and identify any additional missed redactions.
Haiti flip-flop: In his first term, President Trump’s comments about Haiti being a “hellhole” country or other even more impolite terms were so offensive to celebrity leftists that many were pictured wearing shirts saying “Haiti is great already.” Of course, Haiti has never been great and has always been a failed state. President Trump is just among the few willing to say these things clearly. Now, however, Democrats insist that Haiti is so dangerous and such a failed state that deporting Haitian nationals back to their homes is a “death sentence.” In fact, U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes indefinitely paused the termination of the Temporary Protected Status of Haitians that was set to send some 350,000 Haitians who fled because of an earthquake over a decade ago back to Haiti. The Trump administration has promised to elevate this case to the Supreme Court.
DNC is $100M behind RNC: While Democrats appear to have the momentum going into the midterm elections later this year, there is one significant factor in which they currently find themselves on the losing end. The Republican National Committee has significantly outpaced the Democratic National Committee in fundraising. Currently, Republicans hold an almost $100 million advantage over Democrats, with the RNC pulling in $172 million in 2025 with $95 million cash on hand, versus the DNC accumulating $145 million last year with only $14 million in cash on hand, as well as holding $17 million in debt. The two parties’ congressional election committees also show a Republican lead in fundraising, with Speaker Mike Johnson noting that “we’re going to have a war chest to run on.”
French authorities raid X offices in Paris: French cybercrime authorities have executed a search of X’s Paris offices, and the Paris prosecutor has summoned both X owner Elon Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to appear before French authorities to answer questions. The French investigation into X claims that the algorithm is not in compliance with French laws, that it could lead to political interference, and, as CBS News reports, that “X was allowing users to share nonconsensual, AI-generated sexually explicit imagery, and holocaust denial content.” Musk called the investigation “baseless” and simply a political attack on free speech. In response to CBS’s request for comment, Musk’s xAI auto-reply stated, “Legacy media lies.” EU regulators have also launched an investigation into X’s “bikini-fy” tool, which they are calling on Musk to block. With all of France’s nude beaches, this isn’t about blocking bikinis, but rather censoring “far-right” speech and labeling it “political interference.”
Headlines
Bondi announces two more arrests in Minnesota church invasion (NY Post)
U.S. Olympic officials alter name of “Ice House” hospitality space amid protests against federal agents (Fox Sports)
Former Google engineer found guilty of espionage and theft of AI tech (CNBC)
Panama blocks Chinese-linked company from operating ports at either end of the canal (Washington Times)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.
Of all the issues that dot and roil our political landscape, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that enjoys more lopsided support than voter ID. (No, BOGO happy-hour appetizers are not a political issue.)
According to Gallup, a requirement to present photo ID before voting is favored by 84% of Americans. Talk about a slam-dunk issue. As for the party breakdown, it’s favored by 98% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats. And yet the Democrat Party is four-square against it. Hmm, why might that be?
So at first glance, it might seem like a surprise — indeed, a disappointment — that Donald Trump told his congressional allies yesterday to drop their demand for a Senate vote on a recently proposed election-integrity bill as a means of ending the latest Democrat-led government shutdown.
After all, Republicans desperately want to reform our fraud-ridden election system, right? So why would Trump back off from an effort to move the election-reform football down the field a bit?
Simply put, because forcing such a vote would play directly into the Democrats’ hands. Why? Because the Democrats oppose election reform, and because they also favor a government shutdown.
And why, you ask, might the Democrats favor another infantile government shutdown? After all, aren’t they The Party of Government, and don’t shutdowns just make our federal government look incompetent?
Yes, and yes. The Democrats are fully vested in Big Government, but they’re also fully vested in retaking the House of Representatives this November and retaking the presidency in 2028. And if it really is the economy, stupid — and it most assuredly is — then what better way to sew economic uncertainty than by shutting down the government? That’s what last year’s Schumer Shutdown was all about.
As things stand, and if history is any indicator, the Republicans are in for an electoral shellacking come November. It’s almost always the case for the party in power to lose House seats during a midterm election. As I noted last month:
The only exceptions to this rule in the modern era are Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. But FDR did so during the Great Depression, when the American people were soothed by his “fireside chats” and beguiled by his “New Deal” promise of free stuff. Slick Willie, of course, benefited from not only an unusually strong economy but from feminists and other reprobates who rewarded him for having made oral sex with interns great again. As for W, he was buoyed by an electorate that rightly saw the Republicans as the adults in the room in the aftermath of 9/11.
We saw the latest harbinger of this ill blue tide on Saturday in solidly red Texas, where a Democrat won a state senate seat in a district that Donald Trump had carried by a whopping 17 points in 2024.
The other reason why Republicans seemed to get slapped around in special elections that they ought to win is that once we elect our guy at the top of the ticket, we tend to think everything else will take care of itself. We tend to dial back from campaign mode until the next big election.
Democrats, though, are like rust. They never sleep. They never stop thinking about the next election, about returning to power.
So between now and Tuesday, November 3, we need to make sure that everyone we know who appreciates a good economy, low inflation, high affordability, cheaper gas, more take-home pay, closed borders, safer streets, and a strong America knows this one thing: Donald Trump is on the ballot this year. Because the final two years of his final administration are on the ballot.
If the Democrats gain control of the gavels, the purse, the legislative agenda, and the power to subpoena witnesses and hold impeachment hearings — just as they did during Trump’s first term — you can kiss the Trump agenda goodbye. For. Ever. Even if another impeachment seems unlikely, you can most assuredly say hello to two years of endless subpoenas and investigations and the hauling of Trump cabinet members before Democrat-controlled committees.
If the thought of Speaker Hakeem Jeffries doesn’t make you throw up just a little bit in your mouth, how about Maxine Waters berating Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a hearing of the Financial Services Committee, or purple-haired Rosa DeLauro haranguing OMB Director Russell Vought during an Appropriations hearing? Or worse, what if the Democrats decide to appease their hard-left base and infuse their committees with fresh leadership? What if AOC or Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib somehow get the gavels?
You get my point.
And if you’re thinking, Even if the GOP loses the House, Trump still has the veto pen, so he still has the ability to stop whatever awful legislation the Democrats try to pass, that’s true, but the Democrats will certainly scuttle any legislation that might help the economy or the American people during the final two years of Trump’s term, all the better to hurt the chances of a President Vance or President Rubio or President DeSantis.
After all, the Democrats are desperate to retake the White House in 2028, and their unstated goal between now and then is to sow as much chaos and inflict as much economic pain as possible upon the American people — and blame it on the Republicans. That’s what this nascent mini-shutdown is all about, and that’s what all these vile anti-ICE protests are all about.
No, Donald Trump’s proper name won’t be on the ballot this November 3, but his policies will all be on the ballot.
To be sure, part of getting out the vote is enticing folks to vote for your party, but an equally important part is to get them to vote against the other guy’s party. While it’s true that we elect a president every four years, we hold a nationwide referendum on his policies every two years, in the form of midterm elections.
So, yes, by all means, hold a midterm convention this summer and campaign tirelessly on the roaring economy and improved affordability and safer streets.
But the magic bullet isn’t a midterm convention. It’s to very publicly and painfully expose the Democrats as the pro-fraud party, the anti-voter-ID party, the party that’s against an issue that enjoys overwhelming support from the American people.
And how do we do that?
The Federalist’s Rachel Bovard has the answer. We force the Democrats to filibuster the SAVE Act, the voter ID act, and we force them to do it the old-fashioned way — by forcing a Democrat senator to give an endless speech against voter ID without leaving the floor, even to take a leak. No sitting, and no eating. Only talking. For hours on end. As Bovard writes:
Here’s how it would work. Leader Thune would call up the House-passed voter ID bill. At this point, the Senate would be “on” the SAVE Act. Senate rules would dictate that a vote on the bill — at a 51-vote simple majority threshold — must be the next thing the Senate does. The only way to delay that vote is for a senator to stand up and speak — indefinitely.
Incidentally, that same Gallup poll I mentioned above also reported that requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time is favored by 83% of Americans. And that fix is also part of the SAVE Act. So force the Democrats to denounce these wildly popular reforms, and force them to do it for hours on end. The campaign ad writes itself.
So that’s the foolproof plan for winning the midterms. Hopefully, someone on Capitol Hill reads The Patriot Post.
Michael Swartz: The Future Is on ICE — Tactical and strategic changes are afoot for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but Democrats aren’t entirely winning.
Jack DeVine: Trump’s Address to America’s Illegal Aliens — It hasn’t happened. So, call it conjecture. Or wishful thinking. Or just pure fantasy. But we have a serious problem, and something must be done.
Gary Bauer: A Dangerous Road — Democrats are creating databases to make it easier to track federal immigration police down for future prosecutions.
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“No one is illegal on stolen land.” —singer-songwriter Billie Eilish at the Grammys
“Land cannot be stolen if no one is illegal.” —Matt Walsh
Shot/Chaser II
“Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense. I mean, because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” —”comedian” and Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah
“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media. Noah, a total loser, better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast. It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C.” —President Donald Trump
Letting the Cat Out of the Bag
“This is cruelty, this is inhumane, and this is a death sentence. … Because in Haiti, there is open warfare and rape. There’s ravaging violence against women and children.” —Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) describing the deportation of Haitian nationals back to Haiti (“It’s an outrage that Trump called Haiti a s***hole.” —Frederica Wilson, 2018)
Pandermonium
“I’m, for whatever it’s worth, a pretty fervent Christian, and I feel completely comfortable here in the seat of Islam.” —political pundit Tucker Carlson in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Double Standards
“[Don] Lemon and his attorney claim that he is protected by the First Amendment as a reporter covering the [Cities Church] event. … If any conservative commentator — Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, or Mark Levin — stormed a mosque with a group of committed Christians, disrupted the service, and got in the face of the imam, do you think anyone would defend that commentator as being protected by the First Amendment? Of course not.” —Gary Bauer
For the Record
“On the whole, the U.S. has added 10.3 million people since the 2020 Census, bringing us to a nation of 341.8 million. Only a fifth of that growth — 1.9 million — has been from the natural increase of births over deaths; the other 8.3 million have been new arrivals. The low rate of births, by itself, is deeply concerning; the notion of a future in which we add four new immigrants for every net increase of one homegrown American is alarming.” —National Review
Re: The Left
“President Donald Trump ran on deporting illegal immigrants, and voters gave him a resounding victory in 2024. Unlike most politicians, Trump is actually keeping his promises. … The proper way to counter this would be for pro-illegal immigrant activists to win an election or two. Then, they could change the law. But the left’s commitment to democracy fades when its opponents are in power.” —Victor Joecks
Upright
“A pluralistic society does not promise to shield citizens from anything they might find unfamiliar or unsettling. It promises equal treatment under the law for people of many beliefs, even when civic space reflects traditions they do not share.” —Jeff Jacoby
ON THIS DAY in 1913, the 16th Amendment was ratified, authorizing the establishment of the federal income tax. It began as only a tax on the “wealthy” but expanded to include more and more Americans.
The U.S. is preparing for negotiations with Iran – and possible warfare – at the same time; President Trump urging Iran to abandon its nuclear program and make a deal; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Knesset “anyone who attacks us will face unbearable consequences;” news report says Hamas leadership sent a secret document revealing how the group plans to keep ruling and managing Gaza despite Trump’s plan which calls for the complete disarming and dismantling of Hamas; Avi Abelow of Pulse of Israel tells CBN News Iran and Hamas are employing an ancient Islamic tactic to stall, buy time and rebuild their strength; Chris Mitchell talks about whether or not President Trump realizes Iran is playing a delaying game and will eventually order a strike, Iran’s concerns that a strike could bring down the regime, how closely the US has been working with Israel on Iran, and concerns in Israel that Hamas is rebuilding; Congress trying work out a deal to end the partial shutdown; with faith the reliability of the Scriptures falling, the Museum of the Bible is putting some of the oldest copies of Biblical texts in existence on display- the Dead Sea Scrolls; and the Wonders Center shows how faith and science can exist together, from a creation perspective.
A person looks out of their vehicle as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk away, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray) ** FILE ** A person looks out of their … more >
ICE has hit a new record pace for deportations, averaging more than 1,450 deportations a day in the middle of January, according to the agency’s latest data.
It was also booking in migrants at a rate of more than 1,500 a day, which is also a record pace.
And as of Jan. 25, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had more than 70,000 migrants in detention, yet another record.
The data covers the period from Jan. 8 through Jan. 25.
ICE’s detention capacity has risen since last summer, when Congress pumped tens of billions of dollars into the agency to hire new officers and rent more bed space. Officials said they should eventually be able to maintain more than 100,000 beds.
The 70,766 beds occupied as of Jan. 25 is up dramatically from a year ago, when ICE had 39,328.
And 84% of those are ICE arrests from the interior of the country. Just 16% of those cases are from Customs and Border Protection.
By contrast, last year, 62% of the cases were CBP arrests.
Both book-ins and removals are also well above the rate at this point last year, which was just days into the new Trump administration.
At that time, ICE was averaging fewer than 300 book-ins a day. It’s now operating at five times that rate.
And it was formally removing about 630 people a day at this time in 2025 — and a large portion of those were border cases.
Now, it’s more than doubled that deportation rate, and given the calm at the border, almost all of the current removals were migrants arrested in the interior.
The author (not pictured) went with this wife to Disney World without their kids.Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Vacations to “the happiest place on Earth” are becoming increasingly expensive.
Ticket prices for Disneyland and Disney World have risen drastically over the years.
The cost of food, hotels, and merchandise has also increased.
A trip to Disneyland or Disney World is an annual tradition for many families and self-proclaimed “Disney adults,” but the cost of magic is rising.
The average cost of a single-day ticket to Walt Disney World climbed 5% year over year between 2014 and 2024, CNBC reported, outpacing typical inflation rates.
Disney has attributed the increased cost of visiting one of the parks to inflation, rising labor costs, heavy investment in new attractions, and changes to its pricing strategy. Other factors could be how it sets its prices and the cost of building its entertainment division.
Admission to Disney World and Disneyland has risen drastically since they opened decades ago.
Disneyland on opening day in 1955.Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
When Disneyland opened in 1955, tickets were $0.50 for children and $1 for adults, CNBC reported, though rides were extra — $0.10 to $0.35 in some cases.
Adjusting for inflation, that would be $6 and $12 for children and adults, respectively, with an additional $1.20 to $4.20 charge per ride.
When Disney World opened its gates 16 years later, admission for its one park (Magic Kingdom) was $3.50. Adjusted for inflation, that would be about $28 today.
As Disney added — and paid for — more parks, the price of admission rose. On Epcot’s opening day in 1982, for example, a one-day ticket to Disney World cost $15, or around $50 in today’s money.
The cheapest ticket to Disney World is a single-day, single-park ticket for $119.
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
Disney began implementing dynamic pricing in 2016, so days with higher demand, such as weekends or holiday breaks, are more expensive.
It means that at some points throughout the year, a one-day ticket to a single park in Orlando can cost $199.
Disneyland in Anaheim is slightly cheaper, with the lowest ticket costing $104.
Annual park passes also used to be a lot more affordable.
A “Star Wars” Disney ticket.kensocal7/Shutterstock
In 2015, an annual Disney World pass cost $829.
Now, annual park passes can reach upward of $1,629.
Jenna Clark
That’s a 44% increase after inflation.
Luxury add-ons have also made the parks more expensive, or free perks have disappeared altogether.
Yellow sign indicating ‘Shuttle Bus to Disney Parks’ at the Disneyland Toy Story Parking Lot, Anaheim Resort District, Anaheim, California, January 2, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
For example, Disney parks used to utilize a system called Fast Pass, which was a way to try to spend less time waiting in line. You would walk up to a queue, a machine would spit out a time slot, and you would return to the ride and wait in a shorter line.
This was once a free service, but now it costs money.
Another perk Disney World visitors used to have access to was the Magic Express, a free shuttle bus that took people back and forth from the Orlando airport to Disney’s resort hotels. The service was discontinued on January 1, 2022.
Now, the Lightning Lane system can add hundreds of dollars to your ticket.
Kent Phillips/Walt Disney World
Disney’s new system is the Lightning Lane, which is essentially just adding a Fast Pass to your ticket in advance — but it’ll cost you.
If you add Lightning Lanes to your tickets, it can add up to $429 to admission, depending on how many parks you’re visiting and how many rides you’re using it for.
And instead of the free Magic Express, visitors have to pay for transportation to the parks.
Vehicles pass the entrance to the Walt Disney World theme park and resort in Lake Buena Vista,Octavio Jones/Getty Images
In place of the Magic Express, you can take a rideshare, rent a car, or rely on other contractors such as Mears Connect, which is $32 per person, or the Minnie Van service, which can be $400 round-trip.
Snack prices have increased exponentially since 2009.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group via Getty Images
In 2009, a Mickey ice cream at Disney World was $2.75, a Mickey pretzel was $3.79, churros were $2.39, and the beloved Dole Whip was $2.89.
Now guests at Disney can expect to spend about $50 to $60 per person, per day, on food.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group/Getty Images
Accounting for inflation, the price of a Mickey ice cream bar should be $4.22, but the price has more than doubled to $6.50.
The cost of a Mickey Pretzel also increased from $3.79 in 2009 to $6.75 in 2025, and Dole Whip went from $2.89 to $7.29.
Merchandise and souvenirs have also drastically risen in price.
Disney Halloween merchandise available at the Disneyland Resort in 2021.MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group/Getty Images
The average cost of Mickey Ears at Disneyland was$11.95 in 2009, while the average cost of trading pins was $8.95.
The average cost of basic Mickey ears is up 67%.
New Mickey ears for Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure.MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/MediaNews Group/Getty Images
The cost of Mickey ears has increased to between $19.99 and $50 in 2025.
Pins are also more expensive, and cost between $14.99 and $19.99.
The average total cost of a Disney Vacation now ranges from $6,000 to $15,000 for a seven-night trip.
Maia Kealoha of “Lilo & Stitch” visited Disneyland Resort on May 24, 2025.Handout/Disney Resorts/Getty Images
NerdWallet reported that for a family of four, the average price of a Disney World vacation ranges from $6,463 to $15,559, depending on how frugal you are.
As the total cost of going to Disney continues to rise, people may limit their trips to once a year or less.
Visitors to Mickey’s Toontown ride Chip n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster inside Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, March 18, 2023.MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
In a 2025 Wall Street Journal survey, 74% of respondents said experiences like cruises, amusement parks, and trips to Disney resorts had become too expensive and were now financially out of reach.
“When you have a once-in-a-lifetime trip mentality, it’s really hard to have a good time on your vacation because you feel like if you miss something, it’s going to ruin the entire trip,” Sarah Rachul, a frequent visitor to the Disney parks, told Business Insider.
Attendance, however, remains stable across Disney’s domestic parks.
During an earnings call in early February, the company announced that attendance at its domestic parks rose 1% in the first quarter.
Two new polls suggest that Americans broadly support the Trump administration’s deportation agenda even as “ICE Out” rages at the Grammys, though with some possible reservations about illegal aliens who have not committed other serious crimes.
The polling firm Cygnal released the results of a late January poll on Monday that shows majority support for deportations of illegal aliens. Conversely, Democratic calls to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and partially shut down the government over deportations are politically toxic.
“Voters see illegal immigration as a simple question of law and order,” said Cygnal founder and CEO Brent Buchanan. “The data leaves no wiggle room. Americans want the law enforced, they want illegal immigrants removed, and they punish politicians who try to block ICE from doing its job.”
The Cygnal poll was conducted from January 27–28 and has a margin of error of 3.09%. Pollsters questioned 1,004 likely 2026 midterm general election voters.
The Cygnal poll found that Americans support deporting illegal aliens by 61% to 34%, nearly 2 to 1 in favor of deportations. An even greater share, 73%, agree that entering the United States without legal permission is a violation of law. A slimmer majority, 54%, support ICE enforcing federal immigration laws and conducting deportations.
The poll also shows that Democrats’ anti-ICE stance is likely to bring electoral trouble if Republicans can capitalize. Polling results show that after voters are told Democrats want to defund ICE or shut down the government over ICE funding, the generic ballot swings four points in favor of Republicans.
The results of a January Harvard-Harris poll, also released on Monday, show more mixed results for the Trump administration. The poll was conducted from January 28-29 and involved responses from 2,000 registered voters. The margin of error is 1.99%.
The results of the poll show that Americans support the administration’s approach to deportations in Minneapolis as long as they perceive that it is targeted against aliens who have committed significant crimes, not against random illegal aliens. In fact, “[d]eporting immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes” is Trump’s second most popular policy with 73% support.
If Americans perceive that ICE is taking a dragnet approach and sweeping up illegal aliens “randomly,” support for deportations falls to 44%.
Americans appear to disapprove of resistance to ICE’s mission. Two-thirds of Americans agree that elected state and local officials should cooperate with immigration authorities to deport criminal illegal aliens. The same percentage of Americans say that local jails should turn over criminal aliens for deportation.
Americans are split among those aliens who should be targeted by ICE. There is overwhelming support to deport those who have “committed serious crimes,” 82%. Green card holders and legal permanent residents who have committed serious crimes should also be deported, say 63% of Americans. Fifty-eight percent of Americans say aliens who have “overstayed their visas” should be deported.
But the numbers are almost evenly split for aliens “who crossed the border recently but [have] no criminal record” and legal residents who “organized activities undermining U.S. foreign policy.”
Americans are solidly against deporting illegal aliens who have lived in the country for years without committing serious crimes, who arrived in the United States as children, or who are legal residents who have only committed minor infractions.
Conservatives often make the mistake of mocking Hollywood entertainers for thinking they’re courageous when they’re really just repeating the approved slogans of their social class.
This isn’t a grassroots protest — it’s a coordinated, well-funded revolutionary movement.
What unfolded in Minnesota was not spontaneous outrage but a disciplined, well-funded campaign aimed at dismantling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and, by extension, the rule of law itself. The same radical networks, foreign-linked funders, and professional agitators are driving it — including China-connected billionaire pipelines and hard-left communist factions.
What’s new — and dangerous — is that these extremists are now marching openly alongside mainstream unions and legacy institutions. The firewall is gone. The revolution no longer hides at the margins.
This isn’t protest.
It’s insurgency — financed, coordinated, and sold to the public as “concern.”
‘Grassroots’ anti-ICE campaigns funded by left-wing billionaire donors: sources
Anti-ICE protests in Minnesota may appear to be “grassroots” campaigns organized by concerned citizens, but they’re really funded with megadonor money — some coming from China.
A so-called “ICE Out” march attracted an estimated 15,000 leftwing political activists to a frozen, snow-covered Minneapolis Friday, with attendees chanting “ICE out now” and demanding an end to federal immigration enforcement in the city.
Although framed as a spontaneous uprising of concerned, everyday people, the demonstration — like countless that have regularly metastasized during Trump’s presidencies — featured a familiar cast of politically-obsessed activists and terminally online characters.
A protest against ICE features a sign with a black bird shooting a red laser from its eye at a red star.
The demonstration was the latest civil unrest exploit in the Twin Cities positioned as a grassroots mass uprising of ordinary people opposed to federal immigration laws.
They organize on radical message boards and encrypted texting apps, but are backed by funds created by radical leftist billionaires.
“My team’s best judgement is that it’s the Neville Singham network that is most active [in Minnesota], partly because that’s the most crazy network. But they aren’t alone,” Scott Walter, president of Capital Research and an expert on dark money outfits, told The Post.
Walter was referring to The People’s Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, both funded by China-based former software exec Singham.
Both groups promoted the “ICE Out” protests — which were organized by another group, called 50501 — through social media and Walter said their members were in attendance, but he noted they have recently getting their members to blend in more with the crowds.
“What’s new is, we are seeing truly extreme communist splinter groups showing up alongside an American Federation for Teachers union or the Ford Foundation.
“That’s a disturbing trend for us who follow these things. Normally, they wouldn’t have been cheek by jowl publicly with those people,” Walter said.
“That kind of self-policing on the left seems to be disappearing.”
Singham, who did not respond to a request for comment, has become a major funder of left-wing activist networks, including protests in Minnesota and other cities, all coordinated from his base in Shanghai.
Communist agitation groups allegedly funded by China-based millionaire Neville Singham have been leading the insurgency in Minneapolis, influence experts tell The Post.
“They work together through Byzantine networks of understanding. An average protestor might have a dim understanding of the Neville Singham network, but [will be] friends with people in several other groups. He, himself probably belongs to half a dozen groups, because their groups are constantly metastasizing new names,” Walter said.
Lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee and other GOP members are investigating whether his financial support constitutes foreign influence or violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), exploring possible ties between his network and Chinese Communist Party propaganda efforts.
“Have you noticed there’s no pro-Palestinian and anti-ICE protests going on at the same time? If it was organic, you would see multiple protests going on simultaneously, but you don’t see that,” Ian Oxnevad, a senior foreign affairs fellow at the National Association of Scholars, told The Post.
Hungarian billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundation gives money to several protest groups witnesses claim have been operating in Minneapolis since the civil unrest began late last year.
“There’s no mass protests like this against what is going on in Iran, for example, or any of number of genocides that have happened. It’s always very specific causes that are anti-Western, essentially,” he added referring to anti-regime unrest in Iran that has allegedly seen 36,000 protestors killed in recent weeks.
Friday’s Minneapolis protest occurred under the umbrella of the 50501 network, which operates largely in the shadows.
50501 lists its nonprofit “partners” on its website, including the Ford Foundation-funded Voices of Florida, a “black and queer-led” pro-abortion nonprofit, and former Bernie Sanders PAC Political Revolution.
The New York-based Ford Foundation philanthropic endowment, which gave Voices of Florida $100,000, is the 90-year-old philanthropic network founded by the carmaker Henry Ford which now states its mission to be reducing inequality and promoting social justice.
Other prominent left-wing activist groups present across Minnesota since mass civil disruptions began late last year included Indivisible — funded by Hungarian billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundation — the Sunrise Movement, and Unidos Minnesota.
Tax filings and other records reviewed by The Post show since 2016 the Sunrise Movement took in at least $2 million from funders in the so-called Arabella network, a DC-based progressive network.
Indivisible got $107,000 from the Arabella network, $6.5 million from 90-year-old Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, and $7.6 million from Open Society Foundation.
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