Reading Leviticus and Remembering the Cross: From Unending Sacrifices to the Perfect Sacrifice | Elizabeth Prata

Reading Leviticus and Remembering the Cross: From Unending Sacrifices to the Perfect Sacrifice

By Elizabeth Prata

Like many others, I read the Bible in a year through an annual Bible Reading Plan. I am currently using the John MacArthur Daily Bible. And like many others, I find Leviticus hard to get through. I become confused with all the sacrifices. I think about the burdensome level of the priestly work, the relentlessness of the People needing to know and perform the offerings…it’s a bit much. I needed to sort through these once and for all.

A friend sent me a link to a sermon she had heard at Grace Community Church in the Sundays in July series held there. It’s by Abner Chou and he preaches a survey of the difficult books of the Old Testament, including Leviticus. I found this very helpful. I’ll link to it here, it is called “The Road Less Traveled“. I summarize part of it below. These are near quotes but not total quotes.

From Abner Chou: ‘There are 5 major sacrifices presented in the book of Leviticus and 3 of them are not for sin. That means only 2 are for sin. What are the other 3 for? They are for worship. These 5 sacrifices then mix and match in different combinations for the purpose of theology. So if you understand the underlying theology of these 5 you’ve got the theology behind all of them’.

Mainly, Leviticus is about God’s holiness.

1. Burnt offering. The whole offering is burned, representing our desire to wholly offer ourselves to God. It represents Dedication.
2. Grain offering. Grain was commonly cultivated and represents how God took care of them and provided, so it is for thanks. It represents Thanksgiving.
3. Peace offering. (Fellowship offering). Thanking God that we have a relationship with Him. This sacrifice represents Fellowship.
4. Sin offering, it’s about Sin.
5. Guilt offering. Different from sin offering because it includes times when restitution has to be made. It involves times when repentance deals with how you sinned against God or your neighbor in a way that has injured them, and part of repentance is making that right in an economic fashion. (In Isaiah 53:10 we read Jesus offered himself as a guilt offering, and this is because He dealt with sin AND its consequences on the cross).

“While other Old Testament sacrifices focused on specific aspects of redemption—the burnt offering on self-surrender, the sin offering on guilt removal—the guilt offering uniquely emphasized restitution and the restoration of what sin had damaged,” says Don K. Campbell, “Sacrifice,” in The Theological Wordbook, ed. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, Inc., 2000), 311–312.

Back to Chou from his sermon: ‘The sacrifices show “the way we become holy must be holy”. We can’t just do the sacrifices any which way we want; we can’t go about salvation any which way I want, it has to be done God’s way and it has to satisfy HIM. And He has a standard. The example is Nadab and Abihu killed for offering strange fire. What is strange fire? It’s fire that deviates in any fashion from what God prescribes. They were supposed to mix the incense and ingredients in a certain way through certain steps. Any one that is off or different makes it strange. If you don’t offer the right sacrifice, you become the sacrifice.”‘

I also used my Logos Software to look up the offerings. Here is a short summary and the addresses for each of the 5 main offerings mentioned above:

Burnt: Lev. 9:2. Its purpose was to make an atonement for sin, Lev. 1:4; 7. Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:15–18; Lev. 1; 5:7–10; 6:9–13; 17:8, 9; 23:18, 26–37; Num. 15:24, 25; 19:9; 28:26–31; 29. Accompanied by other offerings, Num. 15:3–16. Skins of, belonged to priests, Lev. 7:8. Offered daily, morning and evening, Gen. 15:17; Ex. 29:38–42; Lev. 6:20; Num. 28; 29:6; 1 Chr. 16:40; 2 Chr. 2:4; 13:11; Ezra 3:3; Ezek. 46:13–15. Music with, Num. 10:10.

Grain: The grain offering in ancient Israel functioned primarily as an act of worship and dedication rather than atonement. Unlike sacrifices that addressed sin, the grain offering’s purpose centered on worship, allowing Israelites to express their relationship with God through voluntary giving.

Peace: Laws concerning, Ex. 29:19–22, 31; Lev. 7:11–15, 18; 9:3, 4, 15–21; 23:19; Num. 6:14; 10:10.

Sin: Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:10–14 with Heb. 13:11–13; Lev. 4; 5; 6:1–7, 26–30; 9:1–21; 12:6–8; 14:19, 22, 31; 15:30; 23:19; Num. 6:10, 11, 14, 16; 8:8, 12; 15:27; 28:15, 22–24, 30; 29:5, 6, 11, 16–38. Temporary, Dan. 11:31; Heb. 9, 10.

Trespass: (AKA in certain translations the Guilt Offering). Ordinances concerning, Lev. 5; 6:1–7; 7:1–7; 14:10–22; 15:15, 29, 30; 19:21, 22; Num. 6:12; Ezra 10:19. To be eaten by the priests, Lev. 7:6, 7; 14:13; Num. 18:9, 10. Offered by idolaters, 1 Sam. 6:3, 8, 17, 18. See SIN OFFERING, above.

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Here are other offerings mentioned in Leviticus-

Vow: Lev. 7:16, 17; 22:17–25; Deut. 23:21–23.

Wave: Placed in the hand of the priest and waved before the Lord. Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:22, 26–28; Lev. 7:29–34; 8:25–29; 9:19–21; 10:14, 15; 23:10, 11, 17–20; Num. 5:25; 6:19, 20. Belonged to the priests, Ex. 29:26–28; Lev. 7:31, 34; 8:29; 9:21; 23:20; Num. 18:11, 18. To be eaten, Lev. 10:14, 15; Num. 18:11, 18, 19, 31.

Wood: Fuel for the temple, Neh. 10:34; 13:31.

Thank: Ordinances concerning, Lev. 7:11–15; 22:29; Deut. 12:11, 12.

Drink: Libations of wine offered with the sacrifices, Gen. 35:14; Ex. 29:40, 41; 30:9; Lev. 23:13, 18; Num. 6:17; 15:24; 28:5–15, 24–31; 29:6–11, 18–40; 2 Kin. 16:13; 1 Chr. 29:21; 2 Chr. 29:35; Ezra 7:17.

Free Will: Must be perfect, Lev. 22:17–25. To be eaten by priests, Lev. 7:11–18. With meal and drink offerings, Num. 15:1–16. Obligatory when signified in a vow, Deut. 16:10; 23:23.

Heave: Given to the priests’ families as part of their emoluments, Lev. 10:14; Num. 5:9; 18:10–19, 24. Consecrated by being elevated by the priest, Ex. 29:27. Consisted of the right thigh or hind quarter, Ex. 29:27, 28; Lev. 7:12–14, 32, 34; 10:15; spoils, including captives and other articles of war, Num. 31:29, 41. When offered, Lev. 7:12–14; Num. 6:20; 15:19–21. In certain instances this offering was brought to the tabernacle, or temple, Deut. 12:6, 11, 17, 18. To be offered on taking possession of the land of Canaan, Num. 15:18–21.

Meal (or Meat): Ordinances concerning, Ex. 29:40, 41; 30:9; 40:29; Lev. 2; 5:11, 12; 6:14–23; 7:9–13, 37; 9:17; 23:13, 16, 17; Num. 4:16; 5:15, 18, 25, 26; 8:8; 15:1–16, 24; 18:9; 28:5, 9, 12, 13, 20, 21, 26–31; 29:3, 4, 14. To be eaten in the holy place, Lev. 10:13; Num. 18:9, 10. Offered with the sacrifices, Num. 15:3–16. Not mixed with leaven, Lev. 2:4, 11; 6:14–18; 10:12, 13; Num. 6:15, 17. Storerooms for, in the temple reconstructed by Ezra, Neh. 12:44; 13:5, 6; provided for in the vision of Ezekiel, Ezek. 42:13.

Special Sacrifices: In consecration of the altar, see ALTAR; of priests, see PRIESTS; of the temple, see TEMPLE, DEDICATION OF; for leprosy, see LEPROSY; for defilement, see DEFILEMENT.

Animal Sacrifices: A type of Christ, Psa. 40:6–8, with Heb. 10:1–14; Isa. 53:11, 12, with Lev. 16:21; John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:19–28; 10:1, 11, 12; 13:11–13; Rev. 5:6.

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Jesus warned that any sacrifice whether Old Testament or New testament is worthless if unaccompanied by repentance. Rote offerings without the heart involved are rejected:

Unavailing When not Accompanied by Piety: 1 Sam. 15:22; Psa. 40:6; Psa. 50:8–14; Psa. 51:16, 17; Prov. 21:3, 27; Isa. 1:11–14; Isa. 40:16; Isa. 66:3; Jer. 6:20; Jer. 7:21–23; Jer. 14:12; Hos. 6:6; Hos. 8:13; Amos 5:21–24; Mic. 6:6–8; Mark 12:33

Swanson, J., & Nave, O. (1994). New Nave’s Topical Bible. Logos Research Systems.

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My overwhelming thoughts as I read through Leviticus are several: Blood-blood-blood. It definitely makes us remember the verse in Hebrews 9:22, “And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Holy-holy-holy- as we read through this book we should have a solid understanding about how holy God is- and how UNholy we are.

It makes me think of how burdensome it was to attempt to atone for sins through endless sacrifices, which of course makes us value and understand the necessity of Jesus to make a once-for-all sacrifice (of Himself!) for our sins AND to declare us righteous through His imputed righteousness. If you watch a lot of cops videos or court TV we understand the recidivism rate is high. We may be declared innocent, or not guilty in court, but then how many people turn right around and go sin/break the law again?

As Chou mentioned there was a once-a-year reset on the Day of Atonement, but if you sinned the next day, what then?

Leviticus makes me grateful. The Lord saw fit to knit me in my mother’s womb in 1960 AD and not 960 BC when I would be under the Law in Solomon’s time.

As HA Ironside wrote in his 1929 book “Lectures on the Levitical Offerings, “He had been so continually misrepresented by the first man to whom He had committed lordship over the earth, and by all his descendants, that it was necessary that some man should be found who would live in this scene wholly to His glory. God’s character must be vindicated; and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Man, the Lord from heaven, was the only one who could do that.“

Praise God he sent His Son to atone for us and impute His righteousness unto us! Jesus FULLY glorified God. Our blessing is that if we repent and submit to Him, we will be saved.

5 Things That Lead to an Active and Effective Prayer Life | What Christians Want To Know

What five things can you do to activate your prayer life?

Fellowship with God

One thing about an active prayer life is that you stay in fellowship with God. For those who have repented and put their trust in Christ, they already have a relationship as His child (1 John 3:10; Gal 3:26). When we abide in daily prayer with God, we connect with Him in an intimate way that is closer than that of best friends. There is joy in knowing that God hears our prayers and that He is interested in having an intimate relationship with us, so the first thing you can do, is make every day, a day for prayer. Anytime is a good time to pray.

Cleansed by God

In 1st John 1:9 it says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” so when we confess our sins to God we have the assurance that He will cleanse us from all of our sins and we will remain in a right standing before God and our relationship will be close. To confess means that we agree with God about our sins. Since God already knows about our sins anyway, why not confess them and have a clean conscience? There’s something refreshing in knowing that when we’re forgiven, we’re made whiter than snow in the sight of God (Psalm 51:7; 2 Cor 5:21), the second thing you must do is confess all known (and even unknown) sins.

Effectual Prayer

The third thing we can do comes from James who writes, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b), and I have seen direct results to my prayers and have heard dozens and dozens of testimonies of answered prayers that changed lives. What’s the common factor? They were living righteously before God. They had confessed their sins (step two). No, we’re not perfect, as that’s not possible, but living a holy life as much as humanly possible, and then with God’s own strength through our weakness, walking in the Spirit, then our prayers have more power. Why not tap into the very power of God and pray earnestly for what is on your heart; a lost family member, a grieving widow, etc. Life changes when we pray to God and it is not that we change God’s mind but that God’s mind changes us. He uses our prayers as a means to reach His ends.

Godly Wisdom

The fourth thing we can do again comes from James. This time James tells us that we ought to pray for godly wisdom and we all need it. James writes “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Solomon prayed for wisdom “And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1 Kings 3:11-12). Why would God refuse your prayer to have more of His wisdom…the wisdom that comes from above, not below (James 3:17).

Laborers for the Harvest

The final and fifth thing you can do is to understand that we are told to pray. I know and you know that prayer works. Jesus said “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt 9:37-38). Clearly God would answer that prayer and I’ve seen that answered before my eyes. It seems there are few if any laborers in the church of today, but that didn’t keep me from praying. I prayed for other laborers to enter into the harvest and witness to those I’ve already shared Christ with. There are few laborers but there is such a great harvest, so pray for God to send forth more laborers and He will.

Next [below], there are three ways to see more power in your prayer life and results. How can I say that? Because when we pray according to God’s will, He’s for that and He’s more likely to answer that prayer.

3 Ways to Tap the Power of Prayer

According to His Will

When you find God’s will, you will find exactly what you need to pray for. It’s not rocket science. God’s will is found in His Word, the Bible. When you read the Bible, you can know at least some of God’s will, like it’s His desire that others be saved. The Apostle Paul wrote that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), so if you are praying for this too, then you are praying according to God’s will (Matt 6:10). That’s good. He’s more than willing to answer that prayer, so when you pray for God to save someone, you can tap God’s potent power knowing that it’s God’s will and God will hear and answer those prayers. That doesn’t mean everyone who we pray for will be saved, but we know God desires us to witness to those who are lost so that they might be saved. If you pray according to God’s will, you can unleash God’s power and God can answer your prayers by means of you praying them!

Praying in Faith

Any reading of the Bible proves that men and women in ancient times had great faith and God was well pleased with them (Heb 11:6). For them, God’s power was unleashed in response to their faith because they knew of His ability to answer it. This is not a “name it and claim it” faith where we ourselves command things to be done, but this is a prayer that trusts God and His answer, even if it’s no and even if it’s a different answer from what we prayed for. Have faith in God answering our prayers for what is for our ultimate best (Rom 8:28).

For His Glory

Jesus told us to pray in His name so that His name would be glorified. The Father is always seeking to glorify Jesus Christ’s name, so when we pray, pray in Jesus’ name and that His name will be glorified. There is one important point though; we must be abiding in Christ because, as Jesus says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Our prayers are affected by our abiding or not abiding in Him (and His Word, the Bible). Of course, praying in Jesus’ name, so that His name will be glorified, must be according to the will of God. It must also be a prayer that was prayed in faith, but either way, Jesus’ name will be glorified because it was in His name that we prayed.

Conclusion

There are other ways that we can tap God’s power through prayer and also other ways to improve our prayer life. At least we now know that our prayers should be in alignment with God’s will; we should be praying with believing faith; and we must be seeking to glorify Jesus’ name in our prayers, because nothing else matters but the glory of God (Psalm 115:1). God is willing to hear our prayers and wants to answer them to not only change our lives but to change the lives of those around us…only if we would ask (James 4:2). God wants to change our lives and have us see the results of an active prayer life. It is up to us, but are we willing to seek Him daily in prayer and in His Word?

Here is some related reading for you: Bible Verses About Prayer: 20 Important Scripture Quotes

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Source: 5 Things That Lead to an Active and Effective Prayer Life

Obedience and Legalism: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

Is it legalistic for Christians to seek earnestly to keep the moral law of God? Today, R.C. Sproul clears up common misunderstandings about legalism and helps us understand the place of obedience in the Christian life.

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

Hear more from Ultimately with R.C. Sproul: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30acyfm60fWxph9skWjvcCF41XqShypw

Source: Obedience and Legalism: Ultimately with R.C. Sproul

February 26 Afternoon Verse of the Day

THE EFFECTS OF MONEY LOVE

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (6:9)

The sin of loving money is dangerous not only because of its nature, but also because of its effects.

LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN SINFUL ENTRAPMENT

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare (6:9a)

People who want to get rich are tempted strongly and often caught in painful, debilitating sin like an animal in a snare. Boulomai (want) refers to a settled desire, one born of reason, not emotion, and describes clearly those guilty of the sin of greed. The present tense of the verb empiptō (fall) indicates a continual falling into temptation and traps. Greedy people are continually entrapped by their consuming drive for more. Their pursuit of what they want is their passion. Their sinful behavior becomes compulsive and controls their lives.
The Bible cautions against becoming entrapped by material things. In Deuteronomy 7:25 Moses warned the Israelites, “The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.” Love of money is a trap that needs to be carefully avoided.

LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN SUCCUMBING TO HARMFUL DESIRES

and many foolish and harmful desires (6:9b)

Loving money leads to the trap of crippling sin, which results in one being controlled by foolish and harmful desires. Epithumia (desires) usually speaks of evil desires. They are foolish because they are irrational, senseless, illogical. Those controlled by them thrash around like an animal in a trap, victims of their own evil lusts. When their desires are thwarted, they may even resort to violence (James 4:1–2). Their sinful desires are thus harmful to them. Those desires lead to the opposite of true happiness, because they have nothing whatsoever to do with the spiritual realm or the service of God. That alone is the source of true joy.

LOVING MONEY RESULTS IN ETERNAL JUDGMENT

which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (6:9c)

The wholehearted pursuit of material wealth ultimately ruins one’s spiritual life. Plunge is from buthizō, which means “to sink,” “submerge,” or “drag to the bottom.” The pursuit of riches ultimately drowns men. Olethros (ruin) is often used of the body, though it can have a more general meaning (cf. 1 Thess. 5:3). Apōleia (destruction) usually refers to the eternal ruin of the soul (cf. Rom. 9:22; 2 Thess. 2:3; Heb. 10:39; Rev. 17:8). The three terms together paint a picture of the total devastation of both body and soul. Love of money destroys people.
The Scriptures contain many tragic examples of those destroyed by money love. Achan’s love for money brought defeat to Israel, and death to himself and his family (Josh. 7:1–26). Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for a paltry sum of money (Matt. 27:3–5). In Acts 8:20–23, Peter sternly rebuked Simon, who sought to buy the Spirit’s power:

But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

James condemned in no uncertain terms those who love money:

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (James 5:1–5)

“Neither their silver nor their gold,” sums up Zephaniah 1:18, “will be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF MONEY LOVE

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. (6:10)

The phrase the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, is the theme of this section. Everything else is an exposition of the significance of that statement. Love of money translates philarguria, a compound word that literally means “affection for silver.” As already noted, money is not intrinsically evil. Paul condemns the love of money, not money itself. That love becomes the root from which develops all sorts of evil. It is hard to imagine a sin that has not been committed for love of money. Such love causes people to indulge themselves, show off, distort justice, take advantage of the poor, lie, cheat, steal, and murder.
Paul closes this passage by illustrating the danger of loving money. Some by longing for it, he warns, had wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. Paul does not name names, but he would shortly have an example from his inner circle. Demas was perhaps even then turning aside to pursue the things of this world (cf. 2 Tim. 4:10). He, and others like him, have wandered away from the faith. Here, as in Jude 3, the faith refers to the body of Christian truth. For these apostates, gold replaced God.
Not only have they become apostates, but they have also pierced themselves with many a pang. Like an animal placed on a spit, they have skewered their own souls and brought themselves consuming grief. A condemning conscience, unfulfilled desires, dissatisfaction, and disillusionment are their lot. As Psalm 32:10 says, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked.” The ultimate pang they will suffer may well be eternal torment in hell.
Believers must pursue God, not money. Like David, they should be able to say, “As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake” (Ps. 17:15).
C. T. Studd was one of nineteenth-century England’s greatest cricket stars. After his conversion to Christ, he decided upon a missionary career. Before leaving for the mission field, he decided to give away his inheritance. His biographer picks up the story:

So far as he could judge, his inheritance was £29,000. But in order to leave a margin for error, he decided to start by giving £25,000. One memorable day, Jan. 13, 1887, he sent off four cheques of £5,000 each, and five of £1,000.… This was no fool’s plunge on his part. It was his public testimony before God and man that he believed God’s Word to be the surest thing on earth, and that the hundredfold interest which God has promised in this life, not to speak of the next, is an actual reality for those who believe it and act on it.
He sent £5,000 to Mr. [D. L.] Moody, expressing the hope that he would be able to start some Gospel Work at Tirhoot in North India, where his father had made his fortune. Moody hoped to carry this out, but was unable to, and instead used the money to start the famous Moody Bible Institute in Chicago …
£5,000 he sent to Mr. George Müller, £4,000 to be used on missionary work, and £1,000 among the orphans; £5,000 to George Holland, in Whitechapel, “to be used for the Lord among His poor in London,” … and £5,000 to Commissioner Booth Tucker for the Salvation Army in India. (Norman P. Grubb, C. T. Studd: Cricketer and Pioneer [London: Lutterworth Press, 1953], 65–66)

Various other organizations received the remainder of the £25,000. His actual inheritance turned out to be a few thousand pounds more than he originally figured. He gave some of that money to other organizations and the rest to his fiancee as a wedding present. Not to be outdone, she gave that money away. The couple then went to Africa as missionaries with nothing (Grubb, C. T. Studd, 66–67).

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 1 Timothy (pp. 255–258). Moody Press.

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9. But those who are eager to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and numerous senseless and hurtful cravings.
   Paul does not condemn “desire” as such. He is not a Stoic but a Christian. What he condemns is the desire to be rich. Such people fall into temptation. (The word in the original means either trial or temptation. Classic example illustrating first the one and then the other meaning is James 1:2, 12. In the present instance the meaning temptation is clear from the context.) As a snare (see on 1 Tim. 3:7) keeps an animal imprisoned, so the ungovernable passion for wealth fastens its clutching tentacles about “those who pant after the dust of the earth” (Am. 2:7). Cf. Ps. 39:6; Prov. 28:20; Matt. 6:19–21, 24–26; 19:24; James 5:1–6.
   Moreover, Sin never walks alone. The desire to become rich causes the man who, in today’s terminology, is “an incarnation of fat dividends” to fall into numerous cravings. One kind of craving easily leads to another. The person who craves riches generally also yearns for honor, popularity, power, ease, the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh, etc. All spring from the same root, selfishness, which, being the worst possible method of really satisfying the “self,” is both senseless and hurtful (cf. Matt. 20:26–28; see N.T.C. on John 12:25, 26).
   In the original the sentence is conspicuous by virtue of its beautiful alliteration. The constantly recurring letter p (π) strikes the eye and then the ear, and probably serves to fix the saying more firmly in the mind, as if we were to say:
   “Those who desire to be opulent precipitate themselves into evil promptings and perilous pitfalls and into numerous precarious passions.”
   These cravings, passions, or lusts of which the apostle speaks are described as such as plunge the members of the human race into ruin and destruction.
   Instead of the gain which they were seeking (see verse 5), the men whose hearts are set on riches experience only loss. In the original the words ruin and destruction are both derived from a verb whose secondary meaning is to lose.
   Note the progressive and climactic character of the movement which is portrayed here. First, these men are described as desiring the wrong thing, namely, material wealth. Soon they lose their footing and fall into temptation and a snare and numerous senseless and hurtful cravings. Finally, these cravings plunge them into ruin and destruction. Wretched men! They have guided their vessel to the very brink of the cataract, which, in its turn, plunges them into the awesome depths. For examples see the next verse.
10. The situation as described is correct, For a root of all the evils is the love of money.
    The apostle does not say that the love of money is the (one and only) root of all existing evils, but that it is a root. Though it is true that a word does not always have to be preceded by the article the to be definite, it surely is not wise to apply the exception when this would bring Paul’s words into conflict with the facts of daily experience and with other passages of Scripture. There are other roots or sources of evil besides the love of money, for example, “bitterness” (Heb. 12:15; cf. also James 1:15). But avarice is, indeed, a root “of all the evils,” or “of all kinds of evil.” It caused the man with very many flocks and herds (in Nathan’s parable) to steal the poor man’s one little ewe lamb, the rich young ruler to turn away from Christ, the rich fool (of Christ’s parable) to deceive himself into thinking that all was well, the rich man (of another parable told by the Lord) to neglect poor Lazarus, Judas to betray his master and commit suicide, Ananias and Sapphira to tell lies, and the rich oppressors of James’ epistle (cf. Amos 2:6, 7) to exploit those who worked for them. None of these escaped punishment. The desire for riches, moreover, has been the cause of innumerable frauds, dollar-sign marriages, divorces, perjuries, robberies, poisonings, murders, and wars. And in the heart of man this sinful craving has led to “numerous pangs” (see below).
    In the present connection Paul is thinking especially of church-members, as is also clear from what follows: and some people, reaching out after it, have wandered away from the faith, and have pierced themselves with numerous pangs.
    People who thus reach out after (or “aspire after,” see on 1 Tim. 3:1) money are like the planets. They have wandered away from, literally “planeted away from” (ἀπεπλανήθησαν) the faith. The word planet means wanderer, for that is exactly what a planet is. Not in the sense that the earth or the other planets are “thrown out of their appointed orbits.” Their orbits have been fixed, so that it is possible by means of six or seven “elements of a planetary orbit” to predict exactly where in the sky each planet will be. But in relation to the “fixed” stars, the planets, revolving around the sun, seem to wander about. This accounts for their name.
    Now it is from the faith, the truth as confessed by the church (for this objective sense of the term faith see p. 11), that these people have wandered away. They have gone astray in inner attitude, in outward conduct, and even in the profession of the lips, that is, in the things which they are now teaching. But in so doing they have pierced themselves (as a man pierces himself with a spear) with numerous pangs. Among these pangs are unrest, boredom, dissatisfaction, gloom, envy.—In the pocket of a rich man who had just committed suicide was found $30,000 and a letter which read in part: “I have discovered during my life that piles of money do not bring happiness. I am taking my life because I can no longer stand the solitude and boredom. When I was an ordinary workman in New York, I was happy. Now that I possess millions I am infinitely sad and prefer death” (Quoted by W. A. Maier, For Better Not For Worse, p. 223).

Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles (Vol. 4, pp. 199–201). Baker Book House.

Mid-Day Digest · February 26, 2026

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

THE FOUNDATION

“Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” —John Adams (1798)

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

• Executive News Summary
• Featured Analysis: Candace Owens: The Persecutor
• More Analysis
• Reader Comments
• Best of Right Opinion
• Podcast
• Best of Videos
• Short Cuts
• Today’s Meme

EXECUTIVE NEWS SUMMARY

The Editors

• Hillary Clinton set to lie to Congress: Bill Clinton is mentioned in the “Epstein files” — really just a collection of any emails or files even vaguely related to Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex trafficker — tens of thousands of times. He flew on Epstein’s private jet and is pictured with various young women in skimpy swimsuits along with Epstein, but he won’t be appearing for the interview with the House Oversight Committee today; his wife will. Hillary has little to no connection to Epstein, although she does have some history with his sex-trafficking accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Hillary’s appearance before Congress comes only after the former first couple ignored a subpoena and were threatened with contempt-of-Congress proceedings. Today, House members will have the chance to privately question Hillary, although her answers will likely prove unhelpful.
• Larry Summers resigning, other Epstein fallout: After months of stepping back and avoiding the spotlight at Harvard, Larry Summers is giving in and resigning his professorship at the university where he was once president. After some emails from the Epstein files were released in November confirming that Summers continued his close relationship with Epstein right up until his arrest in 2019, Summers had stepped back from some roles and his teaching positions. Now, at the end of this academic year, he will leave the university entirely. Meanwhile, Bill Gates, who developed a relationship with Epstein in 2011 after the pedophile pleaded guilty to child prostitution, has issued an apology to his staff at the Gates Foundation. Gates maintains that he neither participated in nor was aware of illicit activities, but that his ex-wife, Melinda, was always skeptical of Epstein, to her credit.
• More judicial activism to protect illegals from deportation: Judge Brian Murphy has ruled against President Donald Trump several times in his efforts to deport the tsunami of illegals allowed into the country by the Democrats, and now he’s attempting to stop deportation to “third countries.” The Trump administration has been deporting illegals to willing third countries when the home country of an illegal is unwilling to accept their return, usually due to criminality. Judge Murphy argues that illegal immigrants have insufficient time to argue against their deportations in court. Holding up immigration proceedings for as long as possible seems to be the Democrats’ preferred strategy for a group they hope to turn into lifelong Democrat voters. Homeland Security points out that Murphy’s ruling would allow adversarial countries to wield veto power over deportations. The administration has 15 days to appeal.
• Kash Patel fires 10 involved in Trump docs case: Ten FBI agents and analysts who were involved in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of Trump’s handling of classified documents were fired on Wednesday. The reported reason was that while FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were private citizens, the FBI had secretly subpoenaed their phone records as part of Smith’s investigation. Patel said the subpoenas used “flimsy pretexts” and buried the “entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight.” The FBI Agents Association called the firings a violation of FBI employees’ due process rights, “destabilizing the workforce.” This follows last year’s Arctic Frost controversy in which the FBI had secretly subpoenaed several Republican lawmakers’ phone records. The FBI fired agents implicated in that investigation, too.
• Expanding government-run retirement plans: President Trump is not a small-government conservative. He proved that again during his State of the Union on Tuesday night, promising to give Americans without employer-sponsored retirement benefits access to government-run plans. He also promised to match up to $1,000 in annual contributions. How Trump intends to make the government-run plans available or meet his contribution-matching promise is unclear, and Congress would almost certainly need to pass legislation to support the initiative. The state of retirement planning for many Americans is certainly abysmal, with the average worker having less than $1,000 saved for retirement. The philosophy behind Trump’s promise makes some sense, as 401(k)s and similar plans are tied to the stock market, which is the best way to protect investments against inflation. The administration believes tying more average Americans to the stock market will boost the economy overall.
• VP targets Minnesota fraud: At the State of the Union, President Trump charged Vice President JD Vance with leading the “War on Fraud” across the country. On Wednesday, Vance took action, announcing that a quarter of a billion dollars in Medicaid funding for Minnesota would be withheld until the state proves that it can be a “good steward” of national funds. This funding was appropriated by Congress but is under the executive’s purview to divvy out to the states, allowing Vance to halt it for now. Vance explained that this funding was specifically a reimbursement to the state after healthcare providers had already been paid. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz explained that Minnesota has 60 days to provide a corrective action plan, after which the funds will be unfrozen.
• “Free” childcare for illegals: In a comical display of communism caught on camera, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released an ad to New Yorkers illegal aliens, encouraging them to sign up for “free” childcare. The two comrades teamed up to take taxpayer money — not to make life better and more affordable in New York, but to hand it to noncitizens. To add insult to injury, they spoke entirely in Spanish. Apparently, the “warmth of collectivism” only applies to non-Americans. This won’t go over well with already incensed New Yorkers after Mamdani announced new property and other tax hikes to cover the city’s massive deficit. But somehow they have money to cover illegal aliens’ expenses? Something doesn’t add up. No wonder Bill Maher called Mamdani “a walking commercial for the Republican Party nationally.”
• Don Lemon sued: “Journalist” Don Lemon is in more hot water following his recent “protest” stunt that disrupted a church service in Minnesota. One of the church attendees, Ann Doucette, is suing Lemon for “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” when he interfered with her First Amendment right to freely exercise her religion. Lemon caught himself on camera admitting, “It’s uncomfortable and traumatic for the people here, but … that’s what protesting is about.” Protesting is not about breaking the law. Lemon already faces charges from the DOJ of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act. The lawsuit alleges that Lemon was a party to the “clandestine operation” called “Operation Pullup,” where he and the other conspirators “oppressed, threatened, and intimidated” the church congregants and the pastor. An “act of journalism” is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Headlines

• Trump admin sues UCLA for creating “antisemitic hostile work environment” (WFB)
• Ex-Air Force pilot arrested for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorization (Fox News)
• Kim Jong Un hands teenage daughter control of North Korea’s missile forces (Fox News)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.

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FEATURED ANALYSIS

Candace Owens: The Persecutor

Emmy Griffin

Candace Owens, the supposedly right-wing Christian political commentator and podcaster, has been spouting off increasingly wild conspiracies of late. Drunk with the attention she received from her slanderous accusations against French First Lady Brigitte Macron, she pounced on her next opportunity to destroy someone for her own gain.

With each passing day, it becomes increasingly clear why Owens is no longer welcome at outfits like The Daily Wire.

Owens just released the first episode of a new investigative series titled “Bride of Charlie,” which is marketed — like everything else she says and produces — as “just asking questions” about TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk and her grieving after the cold-blooded murder of her husband, Charlie last September. The trailer for her series was meant to get everyone talking because it’s provocative and it’s heinous. The very title, “Bride of Charlie,” is meant to evoke the horror flicks of a similar name, “Bride of Chucky” or “Bride of Frankenstein” — films that conjure up a monster, which is the point.

Erika Kirk, by the way, was a special guest at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday. The timing of the Owens series is no accident.

While Owens may not be directly accusing Erika of her husband’s assassination, what she is doing is intentionally dragging a widow through the mud, defaming her, and slandering her. She wants her audience to be clued in to the fact that she thinks Erika is a monster, and her so-called investigative series will show that as well.

Owens is leading her millions of followers down the rabbit hole of disbelief and attacks on everything without proof. In fact, many of them are accusing her critics of being paid to say she’s “evil.” That’s some next-level chutzpah.

As Not the Bee’s Joel Abbot put it, “I know we have this intense distrust of institutions and public figures, and I know we don’t believe the ‘official narrative’ anymore, but some people have gone from ‘I don’t trust the government about that experimental vaccine for the sniffles’ to ‘Erika Kirk had her husband assassinated by aliens/Egyptians/Jews and they framed a gay guy with a trans boyfriend for it’ in just a few short years.”

It seems that Owens is in flagrant violation of the Ninth Commandment. As Exodus 20:16 says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” In this case, false witness includes lying about someone for personal gain. With each fresh conspiracy regarding her “investigation” into Kirk’s murder, Owens is earning millions of dollars because she’s trending and earning clicks.

Writing in The Free Press, investigative journalist Ashley Rindsberg reports:

Last month, her podcast was ranked third, behind Oprah and Joe Rogan, for downloads and views per episode. Podcast metrics platform VidIQ estimates Owens now earns between $163,000 and $489,000 per month from her YouTube channel. (On YouTube, revenue is tied to watch time, which is not publicly disclosed. But a rule of thumb is that a creator’s total watch time is a simple multiple of two variables: how many people click on the video, and the average amount of time each viewer stays.) An analysis by Fortune found that Owens’s podcast sponsorships alone could net between $2 million and $10 million annually. Then there’s her merchandise and fees for speaking engagements, for which she charges $10,000 to $100,000 each. When I sought to confirm her show’s monthly earnings and sponsorship revenue, Owens responded that “estimates are like a**holes…”

Like Tucker Carlson, Owens has discovered that conspiracy pays very well thanks to the nature of social media. I have made the deliberate decision not to link to the “Bride of Charlie” episode because I do not want to contribute to this mendacious feedback loop.

The commentary on Owens has been rather decisive. Those of us with a moral conscience recognized immediately that Owens’s attack on a widow — and by extension her children — is evil. Owens has always said that her purpose in digging into Charlie’s assassination was to find out who did it. Yet she has insinuated evil against countless innocent people and centered her bile on Erika. Why?

Well, conspiracy theories abound on that, and since Owens loves theories so much, here are some of them:

Some speculate that Owens hated Charlie and that this is her revenge.

Others believe Owens was in love with Charlie but was rejected. Ergo, these are the actions of a woman scorned.

Still others see this as an attempt to take control of the MAGA movement.

As former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino explained on a recent podcast, churning out this type of garbage is heinous, opportunistic, and vile. Owens and Carlson, who is also hiding behind this “just asking questions” facade, are needlessly dividing the Right. They want followers and influence while cursing anyone who is just trying to live in peace. “This is not infighting,” Bongino added. “This kind of stuff is not in any movement I am a part of or want to be a part of.”

He is correct. Owens and Carlson are not on the same page as the rest of us conservatives. They have a much more profit-focused agenda, and it’s unconscionable that they are attacking innocent and vulnerable people simply because it brings in the bucks. Charlie Kirk was murdered, and it was live-streamed for the world to see, meaning his children may see that video one day. Erika is attempting to run the company her late husband started and to be a mother to her fatherless children. She did not ask to be thrust into the spotlight, but now that she has been, she’s choosing to honor Charlie’s legacy and forgive his killer.

As The Daily Wire’s Jeremy Boreing posted, “Erika met the moment of her husband’s assassination with a grace unimaginable. Candace met the moment of her so-called friend’s assassination as she meets every moment — focused on herself and her insatiable hunger for fame and aggrandizement.”

Ironically, Owens is slandering anyone she can conceive of with accusations of murder — except the actual murderer, who was caught, confessed, and is currently being tried.

Candace Owens is acting like a person who is either mentally ill, virulently evil, or both. Her conspiracy theory contagion has blighted otherwise thoughtful people into believing that anything that comes through official channels is not to be trusted. She’s living like a person who does not fear God at all, content with breaking the Ninth Commandment by persecuting a widow and her fatherless children. Whatever her reasons, none of them justify this attack. The best thing everyone can do is tune her out.

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MORE ANALYSIS

• Thomas Gallatin: Leftists Can’t Handle U.S. Men’s Hockey Team — The inherently self-centered and anti-American Left struggles to express joy over America’s Olympic hockey team’s championship glory.
• Nate Jackson: Where to From Here on the Economy? — President Trump boasted a lot in his State of the Union, but he didn’t offer much in the way of plans for the way forward.
• Sophie Starkova: What Will It Take to Strike Iran? — Trump is asking for Iran’s nuclear programs to be eliminated, regional proxy forces to be disbanded, and ballistic missiles to be dismantled.
• Samantha Koch: The Divorce Wardrobe: When Ending a Marriage Becomes a Trend — Those who still see marriage as an institution meant to be honored are left asking: how did we get here?
• Gregory Lyakhov: Trump’s State of the Union Address Prioritized the Next Generation — The president’s annual address was many things, but in one sense, the theme was a message to the younger generation that the country will be okay.
• Patrick Hampton: Black History Month: Celebrating the Progress of Black Conservatives — Winning the cultural conversation is just the beginning. The next step is to develop policies that actually make a difference in our communities.

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Can Trump Move the Needle?

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email every Wednesday, update your subscription here.

Reader Comments

Editor’s Note: Each week we receive hundreds of comments and correspondences — and we read every one of them. Click here for a few thought-provoking comments about specific articles. The views expressed therein don’t necessarily reflect those of The Patriot Post.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

• Ben ShapiroMamdani’s NYC Flirts With Chaos
• Victor Davis HansonThe Graveyard of Destructive Ideas
• Gary BauerTrump Owned the Leftist Haters
• Laura HollisRestoring Britain
• Larry ElderCarville Trashes Trump — Maybe Carville Should Sit This One Out
• The Babylon Bee8 Most Horribly Divisive Statements From Trump’s State of the Union

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

PODCAST

Latest PodcastPopCon #135: Video Games Aren’t Good For You…On today’s episode of “The Pop Culture Contrarian Podcast,” we’re here to tell you why video games aren’t good for you … they’re great for you!

BEST OF VIDEOS

• The World May Never Know — How many guns did the U.S. government supply to the Mexican cartels?

SHORT CUTS

Demagogue

“[Tuesday] night was not America’s State of the Union. It was Donald Trump’s state of delusion.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Friendly Fire

“I don’t believe, as a Democrat … dancing frogs really moves the ball for us as a party.” —Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Virginia Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s response to the State of the Union

Dezinformatsiya

“Abigail Spanberger, as a congresswoman and now as governor, has been very much a moderate.” —CBS’s “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan

For the Record

“The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” —President Donald Trump

“Why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason: because they want to cheat.” —Donald Trump

Upright

“Regarding the Medal of Honor awards to CAPT Royce Williams (USN) and CWO Eric Slover (USA), predictably some Trump-deranged Demos have politicized the awards by demeaning the recipients as political props. In fact, the heroic recipients of these Medals of Honor received high-profile recognition at a high-profile event by a president who has restored integrity, mission, and morale to our Armed Forces. Presenting the awards on behalf of Congress at a State of the Union was a fitting venue before a proud nation.” —Mark Alexander

Belly Laugh of the Day

“We need an immediate investigation to find out if anyone in the Democrat party has ties to the United States of America.” —Logan Hall

Re: Gavin Newsom’s Racism

“Black Americans aren’t your low bar. We’ve built empires, created movements, outworked, outhustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize communities. Its ridiculous!” —Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)

“Brother Newsom could’ve taken a humanistic approach! … But instead, when he thinks of Black people, he brings up low SAT scores.” —leftist Cornel West

Parents Matter

“Kids want to be seen. When they aren’t seen by their parents, they resort to social media and gaming, where their presence is validated and celebrated. One multi-year study found that as gaming increases, the perceived quality of family relationships tends to deteriorate — especially when parental bonds are weaker. If dad doesn’t see his kids, the algorithm will.” —Gates Garcia

The Bottom Line

“I don’t know Erika Kirk. I do know Candace Owens. Erika met the moment of her husband’s assassination with a grace unimaginable. Candace met the moment of her so-called friend’s assassination as she meets every moment — focused on herself and her insatiable hunger for fame and aggrandizement.” —Jeremy Boreing

And Last…

“I would much rather confuse this world and not make any sense to it than be a reflection of it.” —TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk

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TODAY’S MEME

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For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.

ON THIS DAY in 1993, Islamofascist terrorists detonated a bomb in the garage of the World Trade Center, killing six. A few years later, more jihadis would take down both WTC towers, killing thousands. The U.S. has faced these threats for decades and must remain vigilant.

“From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”

$845 Trillion Derivative Crisis as U.S. Banks Prepare for Bail-Ins

02-23-2026 • https://www.zerohedge.com, by ITM Trading

Derivative exposure up 16% in 2025 alone.

Shadow banks now hold 50% of all global financial assets. No regulation. No oversight. No transparency.

Banks are using synthetic risk transfers to move losses off their books and onto your pension fund.

Regulators are just now raising red flags. The market has already metastasized.

The FDIC’s deposit insurance fund can’t cover more than 2-3 midsize bank failures.

Bail-in laws making depositors the backstop are already legal in the United States.

They passed them quietly after 2008. They knew this day would come.

Taylor Kenney breaks down the architecture that’s already in place, who’s really holding the risk, and why the next crisis won’t look like a bailout. It’ll look like a seizure.

About ITM Trading: ITM Trading has spent nearly 30 years helping clients prepare for monetary resets, inflation, and systemic risk using physical gold and silver. We focus on education, historical context, and strategies designed to protect wealth when trust in the system breaks down.

 

Read Full Story

Experts Sound Alarm Over Chinese Biolabs on American Soil | IFA

In January, authorities discovered a Chinese-linked biolab in an unassuming American neighborhood, seizing over 1,000 suspicious biological agents. Now, experts are warning that similar covert labs could lead to biological warfare right in Americans’ backyards.

From CBN:

On January 31, SWAT teams and hazmat crews swarmed a Las Vegas home. What they found was shocking: a secret biological lab hidden in a garage, right in the middle of a neighborhood.

The lab was tied to the same Chinese national who was arrested back in 2023 for operating an illegal biolab in Reedley, California. That’s where authorities discovered deadly pathogens—Ebola, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria—and even genetically modified mice.

BlackOps Partners CEO and counterintelligence expert Casey Fleming said these two labs are just the beginning of something much more dangerous. He believes Chinese biowarfare is no longer some far-off threat.

According to Fleming, these biolabs are part of a larger CCP plan, and they are far from the only ones. He said, “You have to assume that there are more out there. The intended purpose is to kill Americans and to emanate it from U.S. soil.”

At IFA, we have covered extensively China’s unconventional warfare methods against the U.S. These biolabs are yet another way that the CCP is working undermine, oppose, and eventually defeat America. With these labs, Chinese Communists could start another pandemic, this time on American soil.

According to Fleming, the CCP is already working on “Covid-2 and Covid-3, and other very, very lethal viruses in the Wuhan lab.” Furthermore, Fleming claims these viruses are “a combination of those that have been stolen from U.S. labs.” In other words, the CCP is creating deadly diseases on American soil.

How should we respond? According to Fleming, we should “stop buying Chinese goods and services” and “stop investing in companies that are doing business in China.” More importantly, however, Fleming contends that this is a spiritual issue, stating, “If you want to boil it completely down. This is God versus Satan in all of its forms.”

Let’s ask God to expose the truth about these dangerous biolabs, and let’s pray for protection from all diseases and the CCP!

How are you praying? Share your prayers and scriptures below.

(Excerpt from CBN. Photo Credit: Alexandra Lee on Unsplash)

Source: Experts Sound Alarm Over Chinese Biolabs on American Soil

LIVE: Breaking Updates: Hillary and Bill Clinton Testify Over Epstein Files, and More – 2/26/26

Join RSBN LIVE as we cover the Latest News regarding the Clinton’s Deposition and the Trump White House. Tune in at 11:00 a.m. ET on February 26, 2026.

Source: LIVE: Breaking Updates: Hillary and Bill Clinton Testify Over Epstein Files, and More – 2/26/26

STATE OF THE UNION SHOCK: GOP senator calls Dems’ silence “astounding”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the ongoing DHS funding stalemate, the push to pass the SAVE America Act and fallout from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Source: STATE OF THE UNION SHOCK: GOP senator calls Dems’ silence “astounding”

Biden’s FBI Subpoenaed Phone Records of Wiles, Patel | The Daily Signal

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that the Biden administration subpoenaed records of phone calls that both he and now-White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles made in 2022 and 2023.

The subpoenas were part of the FBI’s probe of Donald Trump.

“It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records – along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles – using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” Patel said in a statement to Reuters.

Under President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as a special prosecutor to investigate Trump in 2022 over alleged mishandling of classified documents and allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election.

Smith produced a two-volume report on his investigation into the classified documents case, although a federal judge blocked him from releasing the second volume.

Both Patel and Wiles were private citizens when their records were subpoenaed.

The FBI recorded a phone call between Wiles and her lawyer. The lawyer was aware of the FBI’s involvement, but Wiles was not.

Patel said he did not know the FBI’s purpose in seizing the phone records of him and Wiles, who became a top Trump adviser after he left office in 2021 and eventually co-campaign manager for his 2024 run against Biden. Patel also was a Trump political ally during this time.

Patel said the collection of phone records extended into Wiles’ time as Trump’s co-campaign manager, though he did not say when exactly the record collection began or ended.

At least 10 current FBI employees have been dismissed due to targeting Patel, Wiles, and others, FBI sources told the New York Times.

Trump officials told Axios the news might be just “the tip of the iceberg.”

“I am in shock,” Wiles reportedly told associates in response to learning about the subpoena.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The post Biden’s FBI Subpoenaed Phone Records of Wiles, Patel appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Source: Biden’s FBI Subpoenaed Phone Records of Wiles, Patel

Sen. Johnson to Newsmax: Dems Block SAVE America Act to ‘Cheat’ in Elections

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax on Thursday that Democrats are blocking the SAVE America Act because they “want to cheat” in U.S. elections. Appearing on “Wake Up America,” the Wisconsin Republican said the fight over election integrity is about protecting legitimate…

Source: Sen. Johnson to Newsmax: Dems Block SAVE America Act to ‘Cheat’ in Elections

Trump’s State of the Union speech explains Republican values to mid-term voters | WINTERY KNIGHT

Trump’s State of the Union speech explains Republican values to mid-term voters

I watched the State of the Union address to the nation by President Donald Trump on Tuesday night. I really enjoyed it, and thought it was an excellent showcase of Republican party priorities, as well as showing voters Trump’s vision for the future, heading towards the mid-term elections. I was shocked to hear that polls show that Trump is under 50% popularity. Honestly, Trump was not my guy in the 2024 primary, but he has seriously outperformed.

Let’s start with the video of the speech itself:

I have to say that I like a tight speech, and this speech could have been a double-episode of Knight and Rose Show. He didn’t deliver it “scripted” but there was no rambling. For the first time since Trump became a high-profile Republican, I actually thought “this is a person who does a good job advocating for many of the things I care about – not just with words, but with achievements”. So let’s see some of Trump’s demonstrated achievements.

This article from The Federalist by Brianna Lyman lists a few of the things that he highlighed in the speech:

• The Duty of American Government Is to Protect American Citizens
• Flow of Fentanyl Across Southern Border Plummets
• Decline in Murder Rate
• Inflation Coming Down
• Justice for Iryna Zarutska
• Washington D.C.’s Safer
• Protecting Children From Satanic Trans Cult

The speech was crafted in a way that it would appeal to 70-80 percent of voters, regardless of party. But even so, the Democrat legislators refused to stand up and applaud for all these good things.

Let’s look at one of the things in Brianna’s list:

The president… spoke out about the satanic, left-wing efforts to mutilate children suffering from gender dysphoria.

Trump spoke about Sage Blair, who was 14 years old in 2021 when “school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Blair was placed into an all-boys state home following an order from an activist judge after Blair’s parents refused to affirm their daughter’s gender dysphoria, Trump said. Eventually, Blair was returned to her parents and is now comfortable in the body God gave her.

“We can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’ will,” Trump said. “We must ban it and we must ban it immediately.”

But Democrats refused to stand.

“Look, nobody stands up,” Trump said. “These people are crazy, I’m telling you. They’re crazy.”

They didn’t stand for any of the 7 achievements. So what do we get from this? Well, Trump can decide to prioritize lots of things as President. But what he prioritized was protecting innocent people from criminals and protecting innocent children from greedy child abusers. These things are popular with American voters. But Democrat legislators wouldn’t stand for them.

Let’s get out of the tactical weeds, and look at strategy. An article by Elle Purnell from The Federalist talked about the big differences between the two political parties.

The big difference is that Republicans think that American citizens are their bosses, and Democrats thin that illegal immigrant criminals are their bosses. Trump proved it with his speech:

[I]n Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Donald Trump urged every member of Congress to “stand up and show your support” for the statement: “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Cameras panned to show nearly the entire left-hand side of the chamber awkwardly remaining in their seats. After two minutes of Republican cheering and Democrat scowling, Trump suggested that Democrats should “be ashamed of yourselves,” and the cameras showed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Mogadishu, shouting angrily in response.

Another big difference between the parties is that Republicans think that people in the armed forces who take risks and pay a price to serve their country deserve to be honored. Democrats don’t think that people in the armed forces should be honored.

The article notes:

Throughout the address, Trump handed out medals to American heroes left and right: Medals of Honor to 100-year-old war hero Navy Captain Royce Williams and to Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, a pilot in the recent capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.

I have to mention that Slover served with the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), a very prestigious unit that does all the flying for covert operations, including hostage rescues. I read an entire book about them called “The Night Stalkers”. I read this book because I wanted to be more informed about them so that I could be more thankful and respectful about their deeds. This particular pilot Slover had both of his legs shot up by foreign security forces during the mission to deliver Venezuela from the tyranny of communism. He was standing on crutches.

Yet the Democrats would not stand up and applaud – for a Medal of Honor recipient. I doubt that Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib even know what a Medal of Honor is! I’ve read three books about Medal of Honor recipients. It should be required reading for immigrants. How can you live in this country and not know anything about the sort of people who make it safe for you to live here? When I am in a grocery store, I always go up to people who have Vietnam War or Korean War caps on, to talk to them. I want to praise them for their actions in our noble wars against communism. Republicans are people who know history and who respect heroes in the armed forces.

So, why post something about this speech? Well, this might sound crazy to people who think that Trump is a bad guy with bad character, but I think they should watch the speech. The corporate news media has been carefully indoctrinating voters with left-wing stories about the Trump administration. But the speech put the lie to all of that. I highly recommend sending the speech to people you know ahead of the mid-terms. Now is the time to get people in the middle to be aware of what the Republican party actually stands for. Don’t wait for the corporate news media to speak to your family and friends, they’re not going to do it fairly. You will have to do it.

Joe Biden’s ‘science’ was built on leftist ideologies | WND

Joe Biden

Leftist ideology was embedded in “scientific integrity” initiatives during the Biden administration, according to documents recently unearthed by a government watchdog group.

Protect The Public’s Trust (PPT) received documents that show how former President Joe Biden’s 2021 memorandum on “scientific integrity” was guided by a report or “framework” promoting diversity, equity inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). The memo, titled “Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking,” was to be implemented based on the 2022 “Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice,” according to the documents.

The framework states that promoting DEIA is “equally important” as scientific integrity policies among researchers.

“Once again we find more evidence that the Biden administration’s commitment to science was not nearly as strong as its commitment to its politics,” PPT Director Michael Chamberlain told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Science must help us discover all the truths of the natural world. That is simply not possible when it is hemmed in by political fads.”

Biden’s 2021 memo directed the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to “ensure the highest level of integrity in all aspects of executive branch involvement with scientific and technological processes,” adding that “scientific findings should never be distorted or influenced by political considerations.”

PPT told the DCNF that the framework’s DEIA initiatives contradicted Biden’s directive that politics should not interfere with scientific integrity. The draft itself states it “may be shared only internally within agencies.”

“Equally important as a scientific integrity policy are policies, practices, and agency culture to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the scientific workforce and Federal workforce at large and to create safe workspaces that are free from harassment,” the documents read. “Because of existing power structures, racism, sexism, discrimination and other forms of bias in the workplace, scientific integrity and DEIA policies may intersect in many places. Similarly, scientific integrity entails greater transparency into research processes and policy-making outcomes.”

The report also includes an April 4, 2022, chart outlining potential scientific integrity metrics for federal agencies, with one of the criteria including DEIA benchmarks as a measure of success.

“Potential measurement methods [include] … evaluation of policy content for alignment with model policy/framework. For instance, whether the policy reflects DEIA as a critical component,” the documents show.

Additionally, the documents show that the Biden Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity was to “coordinate, accelerate, and advise agencies and [Executive Office of the President] components on important and emerging issues with scientific integrity implications, including but not limited to those identified in the 2022 Report such as: diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of science; scientific engagement with underserved communities.”

While the Biden administration championed DEI initiatives, the Trump administration has emphasized “gold standard science” and returning agencies to their core missions.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Source: Joe Biden’s ‘science’ was built on leftist ideologies

Gutfeld: The Angrier And More Sullen The Democrats Are, The More Effective And Successful Trump’s Policies Are | RealClearPolitics Videos

‘The Five’ co-hosts discuss President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and some of the reactions from Democrats:

GREG GUTFELD: Laken Riley. The only reason why you guys know about these victims is because we have to throw it in your face.

And it’s and you notice it when he makes a mistake. Oh, my God. He lied about the heinous killer.

Oh, who’s the villain here? I have to give credit where credit to at least these Democrats, you know, showed up. There were 70, like Jesse said, that were missing.

I don’t know where they were at a red roof in playing. I don’t know. Quarters with Kamala.

But they work for us. Yeah, that’s their job. Like what else do you do?

You know, oh, they have other things. You know, they see enough of Trump. B.S., man. That would be like me skipping the five because I found out Shannon Bream is in for Dana. You know, it’s like because I don’t get along with somebody doesn’t mean I just like skip. Oh, I’m not going to do this show because of no, I get paid to be here.

That is that’s actually the fact that they think they can do that shows you how little respect they have for the American people. It’s almost two hours long this thing. I felt like Trump is like a maitre d at a restaurant who is so proud of the specials that he’s going to go through them no matter whether you like.

I got the veal scallopini. I got the lobster Thermidor. I got the quail surf and turf.

If you need to lose some weight, we got the Cobb salad and Ilhan. We have some goat on the menu. He’s just proud of everything.

And this is the consequence of having so many successes. It’s easier just to have one or two or in Biden’s case, have none and just lie. But he’s had a mind numbing amount, whether it’s a crime, the border economy, foreign policy.

It’s incredible. The equation for me is simple. The angrier and more sullen than Dems are, the more effective and successful Trump’s policies are.

It’s almost like watching that carnival game where you take a large mallet and you hit the hit the lever and it rings a bell. It’s like anything Trump says, his success is measured by this explosion of envy and resentment that you see on the other side, that every instance Dems become like the villain in the climax of a movie where the hero saves the town and gets the girl. The evil conspirator is glaring from a police car window.

Sometimes at the end, he’ll smile and go, you know what? Maybe he is right after all, but they never will. Trump’s figured out the secret sauce.

If you want to do America right and own the libs, just succeed because the Dems hate your success and will reveal their dark hearts by not applauding the good things you do. So you help the country, you own the libs. It’s like a win win.

Last I have to point out Ilhan Omar, she repulses me and I’m trying to find out why because she’s not unattractive. It’s she has an unusual amount and kind of anger. She has no right to that level of rage in the United States of America, the country who gave her corrupt ass a new life.

It’s not like she’s a homeless Vietnam vet who can’t get services and should be enraged at the government. She should be kissing the ground. She walks on instead of spitting on it.

And her anger is also reminds me of the radical who given power would destroy you. She would show no mercy for you if you were below her. Like the look on her face is somebody who would step on your neck instead of giving you a hand.

And that is not the kind of person we should have in our leadership. It’s not the type of person we should have in this country. And if we find out that she screwed up on her immigration stuff, she’s got to go.

Source: Gutfeld: The Angrier And More Sullen The Democrats Are, The More Effective And Successful Trump’s Policies Are

Trump Taps Vance to Lead ‘War on Fraud’ | IFA

For months now, stories of welfare fraud in places like Minnesota have dominated the headlines. Recently, however, President Trump tapped Vice President JD Vance to lead a nationwide response to this fraud.

From Just the News:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Vice President JD Vance would the administration’s nationwide response to public welfare fraud.

“So tonight, although [it] started four months ago, I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great Vice President JD Vance,” Trump said.

Trump made the remarks during the State of the Union Address, highlighting recent high-profile revelations of large-scale public fraud linked to the Somali expat community in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

While President Trump highlighted the Somali-led fraud in Minnesota as the most “stunning example” of welfare fraud in America, he acknowledged that other states are suffering in similar ways. The President named “California, Massachusetts, Maine and many other states” as examples, highlighting the need for a nationwide campaign against fraud.

While the President did not elaborate on exactly what the Vice President’s new role would entail, it is clear that his role is necessary. According to President Trump, fraudsters in just Minnesota have taken an estimated $19 billion from American taxpayers. In this war against fraud, Vice President Vance has the chance to save Americans tens of billions of dollars.

Let’s pray for the Vice President as he takes on this new role, and let’s pray for an end to fraud in the United States!

Share your prayers and scriptures for Vice President Vance below.

(Excerpt from Just the News. Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – J. D. Vance, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149633356)

Source: Trump Taps Vance to Lead ‘War on Fraud’

First republican ad from State of Union meltdown.

First republican ad from State of Union meltdown.

No Justice, No Peace? How Judicial Activism Invites Vigilantism | Standing for Freedom Center

CREDIT: Shutterstock

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When activist judges follow ideology over the law, when they put emotion before reason, and when they’re partial to the wicked over the innocent, there is no justice — only distrust, despair, and the risk of vigilantism.

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Aristotle is quoted as saying, “Justice is the bond of men in states, and the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society.”

So, what happens when that bond is torn asunder by partiality and misplaced compassion?

The United States may soon find out.

Seemingly every day, Americans read the news of a gross miscarriage of justice, leaving them feeling helpless, frustrated, and angry. A serial criminal turned loose on the streets commits murder, an illegal immigrant who should have been deported commits a heinous offense, someone who can’t even identify road signs is given a CDL and causes a fatal crash.

And routinely, soft-on-crime district attorneys and judges let criminals walk free or with nothing but a paltry excuse for justice, all in the name of racial equity or restorative justice.

Take, for example, just two recent cases.

A Heinous Crime and a Callous Criminal

In Louisville, Kentucky, a judge is being accused of racial prejudice in granting a light sentence to a truly unremorseful defendant.

In 2023, Christopher Thompson, now 24, wore a ski mask while armed with a gun, forced his way into a woman’s car, and ordered her to drive him to a school parking lot where at gunpoint he forced her to perform sexual acts. He then forced her to drive to an ATM where he robbed her, then required her to drive back to the school and sexually assaulted her again.

Thompson was offered a plea deal of 18 years by the prosecution so as to spare the victim from testifying in court, but he declined the deal. After a trial, the jury found Thompson guilty and recommended a 65-year prison sentence.

Thompson has a long list of prior offenses, among them theft, robbery, felony gun charges, and resisting arrest. When he attacked his latest victim, he was on probation and in a diversion program.

In court, Thompson was belligerent and repeatedly threatened and denigrated the victim and Judge Tracy Davis, profanely threatening to assault them both.

He repeatedly interrupted the judge, who was trying to coach him into showing remorse. He made It very clear that he “did not care” and had “no sympathy” for the victim. “Boohoo,” Thompson said mockingly.

Despite this, Judge Davis decided to sentence Thompson to just 30 years in prison, claiming, “Unfortunately, he fell through the cracks and ended up before this court as an 18 or 19-year-old. This court does not believe that Mr. Thompson, if given the resources that he can get while incarcerated, is beyond being rehabilitated.”

Davis is now being accused of racial bias after she characterized Thompson as “a 20-year-old African-American male that has been…you know, experienced this society.”

Thompson’s trial lawyer, Clay Kennedy, said that in his 13 years of practicing law, he had never seen a judge ignore a jury’s sentencing recommendation.

“Doesn’t Feel Like Justice”

In San Francisco, Mary Lau, 80, will soon receive her sentence from Judge Bruce Chan. In 2024, Lau drove her SUV the wrong way down a one-way street, hitting speeds of about 70 miles per hour, and plowed her vehicle into a family of four sitting at a bus stop, killing Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40, his wife Matilde Ramos Pinto, 38, and their one-year-old son, Joaquin, and 3-month-old son, Caue Ramos Pinto de Oliveira.

Lau first pled not guilty to four charges of vehicular manslaughter before changing her plea to no contest.

Reports say that Judge Chan is likely to let Lau off without jail time or even home detention or community service.

Instead, he is expected to give her just three years’ probation, after which she will be eligible to drive again.

Chan has cited Lau’s age as the reasoning behind such a sentence, claiming that the prison system would kill her. He also claimed that Lau’s own sense of guilt was sufficient punishment, insisting that she is “going to spend the rest of her days living with the knowledge of the harm she has caused to others.”

However, just how remorseful Lau is has been the subject of intense scrutiny.

The families of the victims filed a civil suit in May accusing Lau of moving her assets to avoid having to pay restitution in a civil lawsuit and seeking an injunction to stop her from moving any further assets. Lau’s attorneys claim the timing of her asset rearranging was merely coincidence.

The victims’ families believe that justice won’t be done.

Denise Oliveira, Diego’s sister, stated, “It feels like we have no rights. I feel deeply disrespected by this process. It doesn’t feel like this is justice.”

Unmerciful Mercy

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That isn’t justice.

Of course, there is a place for mercy in the justice system, but it should be reliant on the remorse shown by the defendant, the nature of the crime, and the defendant’s prior record.

Otherwise, as C.S. Lewis, the famed author and philosopher, put it, “Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful.”

Lewis criticized the idea that criminal behavior was like a disease rather than a sin, and he argued that simply pardoning crimes without acknowledgement of their evil and dealing with it would be to take mercy and make it wicked.

Where is the concern for Thompson’s victim? She will never recover from this and now she knows that one day Thompson will be out of prison and he may try to pay off on his claim to hurt her again.

Where is the concern for other women who may be similarly tortured by Thompson in the future or by another pervert who sees this light sentencing and feels emboldened to also attack?

And that is where this misplaced mercy, this toxic empathy, as it is now popularly known, has led us: to think more about the criminal and less about the victim.

It is this type of unmerciful mercy that has resulted in scores of new victims like Iryna Zarutska, who was barbarically murdered on a Charlotte train by a serial violent criminal.

It is this unmerciful mercy that has shuttered mental institutions, where men like Zarutska’s killer should have been locked up.

And it is this unmerciful mercy that leaves victims’ families, like Denise Oliveira, feeling powerless and wronged. And that feeling can create a dangerous situation.

 Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted the dangers of the government shirking its responsibility to the law in Olmstead v. United States, a 1924 case in which the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that evidence collected by illegal wiretapping was permissible in a case against bootleggers. In his dissent, Justice Brandeis warned,

“In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our Government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.”

The Bible teaches that government’s main role is to punish evil and to protect the innocent — in other words, to deliver justice. (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2 and 3, Proverbs 18:5, Proverbs 21:15, Proverbs 24:24-25, Isaiah 61:8)

If Government Won’t, Someone Else Might

So, what happens when government fails to do its chief duty?

What happens when citizens know that violent criminals will be released back on the streets? What happens when they know that we’re supposed to be equal under the law but some are more equal than others depending on their political affiliation, skin color, tax bracket, or name?

Well, you’ll eventually get vigilantism.

America, like most civilizations, craves justice. One need only look at the meteoric popularity of superheroes in the U.S. since their introduction in the 1930s. Fiction figures like Batman, who is technically a vigilante, are hailed as heroes.

Why? Because Batman does what the justice system can’t or won’t: protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Gotham City’s gross corruption necessitates the existence of a defender who is outside the law. We celebrate such fictional vigilantes because they are righteous men and women imposing a good standard of justice.

But in the real world, not all who would take on the mantle of vigilante are morally righteous or even sane. Most notably, in recent years, we have seen the left descend into this type of vigilantism that seeks justice not under the law but to according to their own personal morality.

The examples are numerous, but they include pro-abortion groups like Jane’s Revenge that firebombed pro-life pregnancy centers and those individuals who tried to assassinate President Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and who actually did assassinate Charlie Kirk. In their minds, such horrors are right, but their belief does not magically transform terrorism and cold-blooded murder into a justified crusade.

But vigilantism is wrong even if done under the auspices of enforcing the law. It might avenge a crime, but it invites only societal destruction and chaos.

It’s why the Bible warns explicitly against individuals taking the law into their own hands or exacting their own revenge. God established civil government as his tool for punishing wrongdoers, and the Founders built on that principle by ensuring that accused criminals have the right to due process and jury trials. True justice requires judges and juries to apply reason, evidence, fairness, and sober-mindedness, all while acting in accordance with God’s moral law.

Vigilantism is wrong, and we must discourage it in all circumstances. But equally wrong are judges who rely on their own personal beliefs over the law and who judge with emotion rather than righteousness. As Proverbs 18:5 warns,

“It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.”

Our nation must have law and order, equal justice, and the societal trust that when someone commits a heinous crime they will be held accountable for it.

Otherwise, we may find ourselves a nation of people who are each a law unto themselves — and that will be a nation that no one will want to live in.

Source: https://www.standingforfreedom.com/2026/02/26/no-justice-no-peace-judicial-activism-vigilantism/

Swamp Panic Incoming: Rep. Nancy Mace Moves to FORCE House Vote to Release Shocking Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Reports Involving Members of Congress and their Staff | The Gateway Pundit

Swamp Panic Incoming: Rep. Nancy Mace Moves to FORCE House Vote to Release Shocking Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Reports Involving Members of Congress and their Staff

“Nancy Mace” by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0

The corrupt Washington Swamp is in full-blown PANIC mode!

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has just dropped a legislative MOAB on the Capitol, moving to FORCE a vote that could expose the darkest, dirtiest secrets of the Washington elite.

Mace, a fierce survivor of sexual assault herself, dropped H.Res. 1072 on Tuesday, demanding the House Ethics Committee preserve and publicly release ALL reports, drafts, conclusions, and materials from investigations into sexual harassment or improper relationships between members and staff, with victim info redacted.

According to the press release:

“The resolution directs the Committee on Ethics to preserve all documents and investigative materials related to violations or alleged violations of sexual harassment rules under clause 9 and clause 18 of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives. The Committee would be required to publicly release all reports, conclusions, draft reports, recommendations, and accompanying materials within 60 days of adoption. Personally identifiable information of victims or alleged victims would be redacted to protect their privacy.”

This move comes hot on the heels of the disgusting scandal engulfing Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who’s accused of sending sexually explicit texts to a former female aide who tragically took her own life.

Gonzales denies an affair, whining about “blackmail” and “political attacks,” but the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Workplace Rights is wrapping up its review and sending findings to Ethics any day now, just in time for his March 3 primary.

“If you sexually harass someone in Congress you do not get to hide behind closed doors. Tony Gonzales showed us what is happening in Congress. But he is not the only one,” said Congresswoman Mace.

“The American people deserve answers. Staff deserve answers. Women deserve answers. No more protection for predators in Congress. We are going to shine a light on every single one of them,” she added.

Mace is set to file this as a “privileged” resolution on March 4, forcing House leadership to schedule a vote within two legislative days. That means every slimy member will have to go on record, vote to expose the truth or vote to cover it up. The House could pass it, table it, or bury it in committee, but the drama is guaranteed.

Rep Nancy Mace wants to release the names of all members of Congress who have used the sexual harassment slush fund.

I think we deserve to know the names of the deviants.

We pay their salaries and they supposedly work for us.

Release the names! pic.twitter.com/zrqWtKWDmX

— Glockford Files (@GlockfordFiles) February 24, 2026

But with the GOP’s razor-thin majority and other representatives like Reps. Lauren Boebert and Anna Paulina Luna are backing Mace’s call for accountability.

I support this and will be fully backing @RepNancyMace . The AMERICAN PEOPLE deserve to see the rot in their house! https://t.co/uMdjmkN3yH

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) February 26, 2026

Boebert: I support releasing the congressional hush money slush fund. Tens of millions of dollars have been paid out over the years here in Congress to keep staffers quiet about alleged sexual misconduct. I would love to find out about every member who has ever had to pay a… pic.twitter.com/vFQEim8x1Q

— Acyn (@Acyn) February 25, 2026

The post Swamp Panic Incoming: Rep. Nancy Mace Moves to FORCE House Vote to Release Shocking Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Reports Involving Members of Congress and their Staff appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Karoline Leavitt: Dems fell RIGHT into this trap

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says that Democrats are on the side of ‘career criminals’ following the standing controversy during the State of the Union on ‘Hannity.’ #fox #media #breakingnews #us #usa #new #news #breaking #foxnews #hannity #politics #political #politicalnews #government #democrats #democraticparty #democrat #trump #donaldtrump #whitehouse #crime #crimenews #crimes

Source: Karoline Leavitt: Dems fell RIGHT into this trap

Iranian Escapees Describe Atrocities, 12,000 Shot as Regime’s Deadly Crackdown Rages

Tensions between the United States and Iran are reaching a boiling point as nuclear talks stall and the Iranian regime continues a brutal crackdown on its own people. CBN News visited Armenia, where Iranian refugees are sharing their stories.

Source: Iranian Escapees Describe Atrocities, 12,000 Shot as Regime’s Deadly Crackdown Rages