Friday, June 24, 2022

Biden’s Open Door to Criminals, Drug Pushers and Human Traffickers

When President Joe Biden hung out the welcome sign at our southern border, he and his open-border cronies tried to portray his policy as an act of compassion. This is still their supposed rationale for allowing anyone and everyone unlawful access to the U.S.

However, when it became obvious the tidal wave of immigrants entering our country illegally includes violent criminals, drug pushers and human traffickers, Biden’s compassion rationale lost its luster. In response, he and his cronies ramped up the use of their favorite tactic: attacking not the problem but those who point out the problem. Biden’s use of this tactic to deceive, distract and distort continues, which should surprise no one. The Greek philosopher Socrates warned when the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers.

We warn of the potential consequences of open borders in our new book, “Tragic Consequences: The Price America is Paying for Rejecting God and How We Can Reclaim Our Culture for Christ” (available at all major booksellers). Those consequences include extending an open door to criminals, drug pushers and human traffickers.

Because of the Biden administration’s feckless immigration policies, violent criminals gaining access to the U.S. has become so problematic that 22 senators, led by Ted Cruz of Texas and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, sent a letter to Biden’s hapless Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding he immediately rescind the Guidance for Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law — a Biden administration policy that, according to the senators, deprioritizes the removal of dangerous criminal aliens. Their letter cites 16 examples of crimes committed by illegal immigrants including homicides, rapes, assaults, robberies, and deaths caused by drunk driving.

For drug pushers, Biden’s open-door policy is a dream come true, and they are taking full advantage of it. As a result, since Biden hung out the welcome sign, fentanyl deaths have skyrocketed in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses in the U.S. reached record-breaking levels in 2021 — more than 100,000 — and the trend continues. More than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at our southern border in 2021, and the movement of this deadly drug across the border has increased in 2022.

An unfathomably evil practice encouraged by Biden’s open door at our southern border is human trafficking. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Victims of human trafficking — typically women and children — are sold as sexual slaves, forced labor or human collateral for debt bondage. Debt bondage, or debt slavery, involves forcing an individual to work to pay off a debt incurred personally or by a family member. Those who hold the debt continually add to it, so what is owed becomes perpetual; it’s never paid off. Many of the immigrants who cross America’s southern border illegally wind up as debt slaves to the traffickers who transport them from their native countries.

In some cases, human-trafficking victims are forced to submit to having their organs extracted. The organs are then sold through a worldwide black market. The sale of human organs is a huge and thriving business worldwide.

The most common goal of human traffickers is recruiting and exploiting children as sexual slaves. All cases of human trafficking involve subjecting victims to human bondage, taking control of their lives, eliminating their autonomy, restricting their freedom of movement and denying them the right to make their own decisions.

Our message for Joe Biden and his open-border cronies is simple: There is nothing compassionate about opening the door to our country to violent criminals, drug pushers and human traffickers. Your job is to protect American citizens, not subject them to this kind of evil.

 

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Peace Be With You

 

We begin with the circular symbol representing the mid-1960s and 70’s protest culture — most notably against the Vietnam war. This now-iconic symbol first appeared in Great Britain during an anti-nuclear war march in 1958. Interestingly, its British graphic designer Gerald Holton said he “toyed with the idea of using the Christian cross as the dominant motif.” 

Next is the two-finger “V” sign synonymous with “peace” and humorously coupled with the hippie greeting, “peace, man.” The sign, also originating in Great Britain, signaled “V” for “victory” during the Second World War — made famous by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Then, decades later, the “V” morphed into peace. I speculate that Churchill could have been inspired by centuries-old Christian art depicting Jesus holding up two fingers

Circling back to the Bible, “Peace be with you,” often associated with Jesus, appears 32 times, with seven references in the Old Testament and 25 in the New. Continuing the tradition, today in Israel, “Peace be upon you” —“shalom aleichem” in Hebrew — is a standard greeting meaning “hello and goodbye.”

The phrase appears for the first time in Genesis, the Hebrew Bible’s first book, during the story of Joseph and his brothers:

“But he [Joseph’s steward] said, ‘Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.’ Then he brought Simeon out to them” (Genesis 43:23).

The phrase is found next in the book of Judges when the Lord spoke to Gideon:

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die’ " (Judges 6:23).

The concept of a peace greeting to balance fear was also recorded in the book of Daniel during his prophetic vision about a man: 

“And he said, ‘O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!’ So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me’ " (Daniel 10:19).

Turning to the New Testament, Jesus continues the Old Testament’s contrast of peace and fear. However, a significant difference appears in this verse: 

“'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’" (John 14:27).

We learn that Jesus IS the peace. And soon, He will be leaving, but giving HIS peace as a gift — spiritual serenity, no matter your circumstances. 

My NIV Study Bible explains: “The term [peace] speaks, in effect, of the salvation that Christ’s redemptive work will achieve for his disciples – total well-being and inner rest of spirit, in fellowship with God.”

But how do we interpret Jesus saying, “I do not give to you as the world gives”? Again, my Study Bible offers some insight: “In its greetings of peace, the world can only express a longing or wish. But Jesus’ peace is real and present.” 

Whoa, stop right there! How does what Jesus said in John 14:27 correspond with what he said in Matthew 10:34-36? Even the passage subtitle “Not Peace, but a Sword” is confusing:

"'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household’" (Matthew 10:34-36).

Yes, there appears to be a glaring contradiction until one recognizes that Jesus’s mission is a fight between Him and forces of evil. (Refer to Vols. 110 and 111 about Satan.)

Unfortunately, Jesus’s fight is so intense and multi-leveled that conflict does filter down to family members, creating enemies among our flesh and blood. (I can personally attest to the family conflict Jesus described — having been born Jewish and later accepting Him as my Lord and Savior.) 

The final “Peace be with you” passage is about a gathering shortly after Christ’s resurrection: 

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’" (John 20:19-21).

This post-resurrection appearance is also chronicled in Luke 24:36-49

Jesus’s traditional “Peace be with you” greeting took on greater meaning when Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” — informing His disciples that they were to bring His message to the world. And to help them succeed:

Jesus “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld’" (John 20:22-23).

From the moment the disciples were empowered to forgive sin on His behalf — continuing Jesus’s conflict with Jewish leaders who believed that only God granted forgiveness. Moreover, before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told his apostles: 

"'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’" (Matthew 28:18-20). (Refer to Vol. 12.)

And so, my readers, “Peace be with you” for finishing today’s study and, most importantly, believing Jesus when He says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age." Amen!

What Jesus Says About War

 

As a history buff, I have studied various wars and hate them all — a sentiment also voiced by World War II General and later President Dwight D. Eisenhower

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity." 

And from Machiavelli's 1513 classic book "The Prince”:

“There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.”

The sad reality that war is part of the human condition is found throughout the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible:

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven… A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). (See Vol. 102 about this passage and the famous song it inspired.)

Old Testament critics often point to the excessive amount of war and bloodshed therein. Yes, God allowed the battles and savagery to occur and determined the outcome — both victory and defeat of His people, the Israelites.

For example, in the book of Exodus, while Moses’s men led by Joshua fought the Amalekites — the Israelites' sworn enemy — Moses appealed to God by doing this: 

“Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses's hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it.” (Exodus 17: 11-12).

More astonishing in the book of Joshua is how God intervened in Israel's conquest of the Promised Land. General Joshua asked God to provide more daylight hours to help God’s people win a crucial battle: 

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies...The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel” (Joshua 10: 1-15).

Let’s repeat that final jaw-dropping verse: “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”  

To recap, there will always be war. God allows wars to happen, and His hand determines the winner and loser “for every purpose under heaven.” That is harsh, but don’t question God. He is in control. God is God, and you are not.

We move from the “Warrior God” of the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament’s war against evil under the command of General Jesus. (See Vol. 89 about the connection between “General Joshua” and “General Yeshua,” a.k.a. Jesus — who both established the Kingdom of God on earth.)

Always remember that Jesus’s ministry is about His war with the devil, as the apostle John reminds us:

“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

Previously in Vol. 104, I wrote about the war between Jesus and Satan during the “Temptation of Jesus”:

“Jesus rejects the devil’s offer to worship him and have power over ‘all the kingdoms’ with their ‘authority and splendor’ without first suffering and dying on the cross. Note that Jesus does not argue or contradict the devil’s claim that he possesses power over all the kingdoms.” And Jesus told the devil:

“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only’” (Luke 4:8).

Furthermore, in Matthew’s gospel Jesus says:

“‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell’” (Matthew 10:28).

Jesus’s war against the forces of evil was succinctly stated in a passage we discussed last week. However, that controversial passage appears contrary to the Jesus of “Peace be with you” and bears repeating:

"'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household’" (Matthew 10:34-36).

Since Jesus’s fight against the devil is all encompassing, family relationships could be considered collateral damage.

Also, in Matthew, Jesus talks about war unlike war in the Old Testament. Here the disciples asked Him about the “sign of your coming and of the end of the age”:

“Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains’” (Matthew 24: 4-8).

Those “birth pains” are the sufferings that will precede His return. Read how that works out in Revelation 12:7-11.

Today we know that upon His Resurrection, Jesus triumphed in His war against Satan. Therefore, no matter what wars are raging in the earthly world — including personal battles with Satan over a multitude of sins, addictions, or family conflict — Jesus tells us to look to Him for comfort:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Amen!

Number of Americans Who Believe in God Drops to Record Low

 

Everyday the nation is faced with more violence and hate than the day before. Schools have taken daily prayers out of classrooms and public institutions, while children no longer want to be the gender that God created them to be, and through the move of separating church and state, the government has succeeded in removing God from the American society almost entirely. It has become taboo to identify as Christian. 

According to a Gallup poll, the belief in God among U.S. adults have dropped to record low levels that proves America has turned its back on religion.

It found that as of 2022, only 81 percent of people believe in God. A six point drop since 2017, making it a historic low. 

Between the years of 1944 and 2011, more than 90 percent of Americans had faith in God above, leaving 17 percent not believing at all. 

The poll also shows that only 68 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 believe in God.

In an interesting take, the poll reveals that there is a distinct relationship regarding the belief in God and political party affiliation. 

94 percent of Republicans believe in God, while only 72 percent of Democrats were religious. 

Additionally, the results showed that younger, liberal Americans were less likely to follow a religion of God at just a mere 62 percent.

It has become clear that the nation is lacking biblical and moral principles to guide them, with many Republicans believe the removal of God has led to the recent mass shootings. 

Monday, June 13, 2022

What? Even Rachel Maddow Isn’t Drinking the J6 Committee’s Kool-Aid

 

The January 6 Committee Hearings are just the left’s latest efforts to distract the public from the nation’s economic woes before the upcoming midterm elections, yet the made-for-TV event put on by the partisan committee has failed to impress even the most ardently leftist figures in the media.

NBC News’ Lester Holt conceded there wasn’t much new being presented in these public hearings. “A lot of these shots will seem familiar to people,” he observed.

But perhaps even worse for the J6 Committee was that not even left-wing firebrand Rachel Maddow was buying their narrative. She even admitted that the Trump rally did not directly cause the breaching of the Capitol.

“Yes, there was a pro-Trump rally, at which the President spoke, and we can absolutely talk about all the things the President said there. But the idea that that rally is the thing that got out of hand and that somehow resulted in the breaching of the Capitol—that rally was very far from the capital, and the people who […] did the initial breach that allowed everybody else to come in, they never went to that rally.”

I guess Liz Cheney and her left-wing buddies are doing an even worse job than they thought if they can’t even get Rachel Maddow on board. That’s embarrassing.