Has the Gospel Been Preached to All the World?
Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached to all the world and then he shall return.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:14.
Has this statement been fulfilled?
Most folks will say, “Nope.” That’s why we have Wycliff Bible Translators and similar groups. Only when the Bible has been translated into the native tongue of every people group on the planet will Jesus return.
Is this what Jesus meant? Let’s take a look.
First, what is the word translated “world’ in this text. Based on the English, you would expect it to be cosmos (κόσμος) meaning the whole of planet earth. However, it is our old friend oikumene (ŏikŏumĕnē) which means inhabited earth, usually Roman Empire in the New Testament. Remember the Christmas story about Ceasar Augustus wanting to tax the whole world? Same Greek word. While I’m sure Ceasar would like to have generated tax revenue from the whole planet, he could only tax the political divisions of Rome.
When you couple Matthew 24:14 with verse 34 then the time window begins to take shape.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Matthew24:34.
Remember that the chapter and verse divisions were added a thousand years after Matthew was written. Look back at the previous chapter.
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
Mattthew 23:35–36.
The judgment would come upon this generation. Those that heard the voice of Jesus. The statement about the Gospel being preached is bracketed before and after by Jesus’ claim that the generation living in his day would see this fulfilled. So, did Jesus lie or was the Gospel preached to all the oikumene in the First Century?
Some of you may laugh at this but this is a serious and important question. Remember your C.S. Lewis. Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord of all. If Jesus was “mistaken” then he was wrong and therefore is not really God and thus we are all dead in our trespasses and sin.
Many that grew up in the Church have gone to college and been confronted with this very claim of Jesus and left the faith as a result of believing that Jesus was deluded. Most Christians don’t believe that this claim is true. They kick it way into the future, but clearly Jesus did not. So, is the modern church wrong or was Jesus?
Is the prophetic clock paused until the Gospel is preached to every nation or was this event fulfilled as Jesus prophesied.
As always, the best interpreter of the Bible is the Bible so let’s look and what the Apostles had to say.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
Romans 1:8.
World here is cosmos.
18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Romans 10:18.
Earth is Greek word gē.
World here is oikumene.
For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Colossians 1:5–6.
World here is cosmos.
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Colossians 1:23.
But it gets better. Paul says he preached the Gospel to every creature which is under heaven.
25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Romans 16:25–26.
The Gospel is made know to all nations.
Folks, it’s clear that the New Testament claims the Gospel was “preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations” Just as Jesus said.
This agrees with Acts 2:5
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
Then look at the last part of Matthew 24:14 where it says “then shall the end come.”
The Gospel was preached to all nations and then—in First Century Palestine—the end came.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:3.
My Greek Interlinear version has completion or consummation of the age (suntĕlĕia hŏ aiōn).
So, in Greek Matthew 24:3 is not end of the world. This is a mistranslation and a sloppy one; think Elizabethan paraphrase.
Bottom line:
The Gospel was preached to all nations and then, just as Jesus promised, the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed in 70 A.D. This was the conclusion of the Old Testament age. From that point foreward, biblically speaking, God is done with the nation of Israel. Salvation was secured, God’s Bride—the Church—was revealed, and the Kingdom of God was established and begun on earth. The mustard seed of the Gospel is growing to fill the earth. Heavenly Jerusalem is here now and slowly bringing healing to the nations as they are discipled.
CA Governor’s Race Commentary
So, we, out here in the People’s Republic of California, are picking a new Governor this November. Governor Newsom is running for President and can’t wait to vacate the Capital!
This is where things get whacky. There are like 9 serious Democrats running for the job! Contrast that to the Republican side where there are 2 serious candidates. You are probably wondering why that is a concern. Well, in California, it’s the top two finishers that move on regardless of Party. So yes, Republicans have a chance to do the funniest thing!
While it is highly unlikely, if the Republicans were to take the top two slots, big change for the better would come to California. Democrats would likely repeal that law, and elections would go back to the way they were when this State was actually competitive. This would actually be a very good thing. Traditionally, in certain parts of California, third parties like; Green, Libertarian, and Peace and Freedom, can get a few percent of the total, meaning that they could play spoiler. Back to the Governor’s race!
In order to accomplish that feat, the Republicans would have to almost evenly split the roughly 34-37% of the vote. That is likely the size of the vote for a Republican candidate in the primary. If Sheriff Bianco and Steve Hilton can pull that feat off, they likely will be advancing to the General.
Here is why.
Democrats have a mess on their side, a big one.
They have 2 congressmen (1 former) from the Los Angeles area running; Katie Porter and Eric Swallwell. Both are known to the voters: as Porter ran for Senate 2 years ago. Xavier Becerra is a former Attorney General and he will get a few percent as well. Tom Steyer is a billionaire who is spending a lot of money and running a lot of ads. He will also get several percent of the vote. Matt Mahan is the Mayor of San Jose who is kind of a populist, he will also garner a few percent. Tony Thurmond, and Betty Yee were both elected statewide a few times, again they will register a couple percent. Antonio Villaragosa is the former LA mayor; he could get a couple percent as well. Problem for the Democrats is all of those 8 names are going to split up the vote, and it could lock them out of the top two.
Polling has been scarce, but it appears Steve Hilton (former Fox News Host) is leading the entire field with some combination of Swalwell, Porter, and Steyer a few points behind, and Sheriff Bianco in that mix as well. One has to wonder, when will the knives come out on both sides. Let’s be real for a minute here. There is zero chance of a Republican being elected Governor, zero; unless both Republican candidates make the top 2. At what point, if you are advising Swalwell, Porter, or Steyer do you say, “rip the gloves off and go scorched earth on each other?” The goal being get yourself and a Republican into the top two and voila you win. One thing for sure, it’s a very fluid race, and will change a bunch over the next few months. Steyer’s ads will show his support rising; however, he is all in on the billionaire tax, quite a few Democrats are not in support of it. Swalwell is probably the moderate of the group, Porter being the far-left progressive pick. Porter has documented anger issues and Swalwell slept with a Chinese spy, so they are flawed.
Wild card. Who will Trump endorse? Don’t get it twisted, even in a state like California, his endorsement will move the numbers; however, I would prefer that he stay out. Neither GOP candidate is great. Actually, both are seriously flawed. Neither have raised much money. Hilton is doing better in the polls as he likely has higher name identification due to his years hosting a show on Fox during the weekends. Bianco is an elected Sheriff from Riverside County (near LA) so he has name I.D. too.
Needless to say, it could be a fun couple of months out here in CA. One thing is for certain; the Democrats do not want 2 Republicans getting through, but if the top three Democrats take the gloves off, it could happen. If Trump doesn’t weigh in, again the top 2 Republicans could split 38% of the vote or so. The other thing that is for certain, if 2 Democrats make the top two, there is a solid chance the GOP could decide the outcome.
Get your popcorn ready!
The Chief
A Defense of Dave Ramsey
Folks, I was at the men’s Bible study at church last night when one of the Elders starts capping on Dave Ramsey.
They were talking about pop psychology and pointing out that it is a substitute for Biblical council. After a few jabs at Joel Ostein, a fellow brought up Dave Ramsey. I was like, hold it. Dave is a man dedicated to helping folks get out of debt. I said that Dave Ramsey often quotes the proverb about the debtor being the slave of the lender. I said that Dave is carried on many secular radio stations and probably is one of the only Christian voices that some folks may ever listen to on a regular basis.
Furthermore, I mentioned that his teaching helped my wife and I pay off $125K in debt (not counting the mortgage) and I tried to bring up the fact that many young people, following the advice of their parents, are getting out of college with huge amounts of debt and that it affects their ability to get married and start a family.
This guy was not moved at all. His only comment was that he was happy to be living off of his Social Security and that was good enough for him.
Folks, if you need another example of the worthlessness of the Baby Boom generation, here you go. Please understand that this guy may be an Elder in the church that I am currently attending but for many decades he was a pastor leading a flock.
As you know, money is one of the leading causes of divorce in our country and he has no empathy for folks that followed the advice of his generation, who went to college because they were expected to, and are now hopelessly upside down financially for the rest of their lives. WTF? When he was in the pulpit, did he never help people in such circumstances? Probably not, but he should have. Isn’t that part of the job description, to apply God’s Word to every area of life; unless he thought God is silent on the subject.
Dave Ramsey tries to offer people in such circumstances a lifeline, and somehow Ramsey is the villain. Whiskey Tango!!
I guess this pastor guy is so cocksure the Jesus is coming any second that his parishioners don’t need to pay their bills, save for the future, or help their fellow man. Sorry dude, but that attitude is both arrogant and unbiblical.
The Bible has much to say about marriage. Arguably, the second most discussed topic is money and commerce. Here are a few verses to wet your whistle on the topic.
Debit is bad.
The rich ruleth over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7.
Debt is a sign of God’s judgment.
6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
Deuteronomy 15:6.
43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
Deuteronomy 28:43.
If you are in debt, get out ASAP.
1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, If thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou art come into the hand of thy friend; Go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Proverb 6:1–5.
Dave Ramsey is right that no one should be in debt.
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8.
Furthermore, you should save up to give an inheritance to your children and grandchildren.
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Proverbs 13:22.
Bottom line is that Dave Ramsey is in fact teaching God’s Word to people that otherwise would never hear it even if they go to church every Sunday.
Every area of life should be placed under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If your church doesn’t teach it, they are not preaching the whole counsel of God.
Get out debt, yet another reason that eschatology matters.
US at War Again
Folks, we may have a new President but once again we are at war in the Middle East. Somehow Mossad manages to push all the right buttons to get us to fight on behalf of Israel. I frankly don’t trust them.
Remember Iraq and weapons of mass destruction? Colin Powell did a wonderful PowerPoint show at the United Nations, but it was a total fraud. G.W. Bush could never explain why we hit Iraq and Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks. Heck nobody can explain why two of the tallest structures on the planet collapsed neatly on top of each other after being struck by commercial airliners.
Truth is compartmentalized in our country and unfortunately, we are often left with only the official narrative as history. Sadly, this side of Covid, the conspiracy theories have a higher accuracy rate than our government.
That being said, if anybody deserved to be bombed into oblivion it is Iran. Jimmy Carter tried a “measured response” and all we got was a crashed helicopter and a bunch of special forces guys killed in the desert. Iran had enough good sense to fear Ronald Reagan and let the hostages go.
Iran has been a destabilizing force in the world for my whole adult life. The fact that Obama gave them billions on pallets and Biden did likewise stupid stuff is criminal, in a sane world anyway.
Power abhors a vacuum. The head of the snake has been cut-off in Iran, so what takes its place?
Are you ready for lots of U.S. troops invading Iran? It’s underway now.
At least with Trump, you are more likely to get an overwhelming show of force instead of lawyers overseeing drone pilots in Las Vegas approving every act of the military, and crippling rules of engagement for guys deployed in the theater of battle. The military’s purpose is to kill people and break things, but what happens next?
Oh, the best thing I saw about the war so far was this, the first week of our military operations in Iran cost less money that the amount of fraud overseen in Minnesota by Governor Tim Walz.
Color me skeptical.
Abraham In New Covenant
As stated previously, all promises that God made to Abraham were literally fulfilled by the conclusion of the book of Joshua. I also stated that ultimately, the blessing of Abraham’s seed was fulfilled with Christ.
A few folks aren’t satisfied with what I said previously so let me add the following:
In an ultimate sense, Abraham was promised the whole world which is exactly what Christ was given upon his enthronement in heaven. Also, the New Testament is clear that the heirs or descendants of Abraham are not those descended biologically or genetically but those who have faith in Christ.
Lastly, all remaining promises made to national Israel were fulfilled in Christ. There are no unfulfilled biblical promises to Israel that have yet to be fulfilled now or sometime in the future. Claiming that God is not done with Israel invalidates the clear teaching of the New Testament. Such a claim is false. The replacement Theology advocated by Dispensationalists who maintain that the Church replaces the Jews in the current dispensation of the “Church Age” has zero biblical support. Thus, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Jack Hibbs, Billy Graham, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHay, and a host of others are wrong when falsely bifurcating Jews and the Church.
The Church is Israel because at its root, it is built upon the believing remnant of First Century Jews. The Church is a continuation of the faithful with the Gentiles added to its numbers. This is the whole point of the Book of Acts which documents this very transition.
In Old Covenant terms, God divorced His unfaithful bride, national Israel, the whore of Babylon where Jesus was crucified. She was executed via fire, the death of the daughter of the high priest. God took for himself a pure bride, the Church and consummated the marriage with her. Like most of the New Testament, the marriage to Christ was completed in the past, is still happening today as more people are added to the number of the Church and will be fulfilled in its final form at some point in the future. This is the clear teaching of the New Testament; especially, the Revelation.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion is a celebration of Christ’s sacrifice and participation in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Properly understood, we enter into God’s Throne Room when we partake of the bread and wine in Communion. Sadly, many Christians don’t understand the theology associated with the Sacrament.
By claiming that God has both the Church and the Jews as his chosen people, Dispensationalists are advocating a perverse form of polygamy by saying God has two brides. That is not New Testament theology; thus, it is a false gospel.
Attorney Mario Delivers
Attorney Mario has finally written up the necessary documents to get my girlfriend’s annulment underway. He has had the necessary reports that he needed since December 9th of last year, but it wasn’t until earlier today that he got the documents filed with the court.
Folks, we are grateful that Mario is finally moving forward. Our frustration is that he moves with roughly the same speed as John Thune trying to bring the SAVE Act to a vote in the Senate.
So now the Court attempts to notify felon Dennis that his piñata wife finally has the means to dump him. My girl and I are expecting that Dennis will not be notified (for reasons stated below) and will not dispute the proceedings. Last I heard, Dennis, is hanging out in South Korea, except when seeing his new girlfriend. He can’t return to his home country due to an outstanding warrant for hospitalizing his wife when they last saw each other. Yep, you’re a class act when you cheat on your wife, abandon her, and then beat the shit out of her just for fun.
Oh, Dennis does know the annulment is happening because he was convinced to unblock his ex on social media long enough to be told. That was in November. Oh, his reply was that if she gave him the house and two million pesos (~$35,000) that he wouldn’t object. Yo! Dennis, who’s the scumbag in this equation?
Not to be out done, Dennis has a sister or two that is harassing both me and my new girlfriend online via fake accounts of Facebook. The sisters are sending anonymous messages to us via these fake accounts. Oh, the newer accounts are using photos of my girl as their profile pictures. One profile picture is one that my girl put on Facebook in November of the two of us at the beach, and the other is one of her after being beaten; said photo was only shared with the police and her ex as part of the arrest warrant process. It was never posted on social media.
It appears that the sister[s] are upset that my girl will get half of the money when the house, which is jointly owned, is sold after the annulment is completed. We (my girl and I) agreed months ago not to go after the other assets that her ex has hidden just to get this unpleasant mess behind us. Instead of being thankful that we are not attempting to extract every last farthing from him, he and his family are being vindictive that my girl gets a few crumbs off the table. They are mad that she gets anything.
Anyway, after the notification attempted box is checked, then the court process can begin. As of now, it will be three hearing dates spread over a few months. The process is crippled to prevent a fast process. Hopefully, at some point, we are hoping that the judge will issue a summary judgment in my girl’s favor and truncate the process, so we don’t have to go the distance with all the hearings. Anyway, her freedom is coming. It’s been nine years since he was first caught cheating. The marriage cratered from that point. By any metric, the marriage is dead and has been for many years.
Bible Study Leader Accused Apostle Peter of Lying
Yep. You read the headline correctly. I keep saying that when you come to the Bible with a predetermined interpretive system, that you can’t read the actual text and understand the plain meaning of it. Your system gets in the way. A correct biblical hermeneutic is that the Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible.
Last night at the church Bible study that I have been attending for several weeks, we read the second chapter of Joel. I was thinking to myself, great, here is the prophecy and Acts chapter 2 is the fulfillment. It explicitly says so. Surely, they will see that when the Bible uses the phrase “the last days” that it is not always some far off future event.
Nope. Part of me knew this would be the case but I have hope that these people will see beyond their prejudice. Not happening yet.
Let’s look at the text. Being that Peter had just been given the Holy Spirit, it would seem difficult to say that Peter didn’t know what he was talking about, but apparently folks born 2,000 years after the fact think they know better than those that were eyewitnesses to Jesus and his ministry.
Compare these two passages for yourself.
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:16–21.
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:
Joel 2:28–32.
Peter is claiming that Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. That “the last days” was 2,000 years ago.
The people in my Bible study were appalled. They would not take Peter at his word. The last days can’t be then. That is impossible. Peter was wrong. He didn’t know what he was talking about.
I was then accused of being disruptive to the harmony of the group and asked why I even bothered attending. I also was essentially told that I was going against the Holy Spirit by disrupting their harmony.
So, when I quote Scripture that says another Scripture was fulfilled, I’m disrupting the group because it’s not what they presuppose that the Bible ought to say. Makes perfect sense, right?
Asking why I am there is a fair question. Partly, it’s to see if pointing people, that claim to be Christian, to the Bible for answers is even possible.
Their little bubble is just an echo chamber of nonsense. Their creed seems to be, “Get saved and pray for the Rapture.” Christians have nothing else God expects of them but hiding out in the church while the world goes to hell. The sooner the world burns, the quicker Jesus will return. Also, they are convinced that they will never experience hardship or persecution because Jesus will rescue them before things get really bad.
This is a complete inversion of the Reformation and the Puritans and Western Culture in general, yet they think they are on the side of light. Ha!!
The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God not the doorstep of the heathen.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1 Pe 4:17–18.
Folks, eschatology is not a secondary issue. It is a primary issue. Eschatology colors every aspect of life and your understanding of the world. Bad eschatology leaded to a defective worldview. Bad eschatology is like trying to navigate with a broken compass and then thinking that you arrived at the correct destination.
When I side with the Apostle Peter, I’m wrong? Dude, I quoted him verbatim. The unbelief of others illustrates just how far off the mark our Christianity has fallen. As I’ve said before, the devil only owns the turf that the Church has freely ceded to him.
We are commanded to subject all of the world to the Lordship of Christ. Yep, every area of life and every square inch of the planet belongs to Jesus now not in the sweet bye-and-bye.
Literal Piece of Trash Released from North Carolina Prison
I came across this piece of news in my feed the other day and had to blog it.
The woman who falsely accused Duke lacrosse players of raping her two decades ago walked free from a North Carolina prison on Friday after serving time for the slaying of her boyfriend.
Crystal Mangum, a 47-year-old former exotic dancer, wore a gray sweatshirt and khaki pants as she left the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh at about 9:49 a.m. ET.
First thing that came to mind is what did she do now? But to refresh your memory Crystal Mangum is the woman who falsely accused the Duke lacrosse players of rape years ago as listed above. Well, she apparently killed her boyfriend and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. To help you understand just how much of a piece of trash this person is, look at the folks whose lives have been ruined around her.
First, while I do not condone her work as a stripper, my guess is when you have nowhere else to turn after your application to be a community organizer is turned down, you strip.
She performed for the Duke lacrosse team and accused 3 boys of raping her. The outcry was huge, as you could imagine. In a state like North Carolina with a large black population, 3 white boys raping a poor black girl was huge news. More so, Duke is a private and very wealthy prestigious university. The local County District Attorney, Mike Nifong, picked up the case and charges were filed. The boys were “convicted” long before the trial in the court of public opinion. Oh, and this case was spoken about almost nightly on national cable networks. These boys were dragged through filth, if memory serves correctly, they were kicked off the team and expelled.
The DA essentially used this case to try to grab a higher office, he now had a very public profile. With all the attention, pressure is ratcheted up, he knew he could not lose this case. Well, it backfired. Mangum admitted the rape never happened, but not until about a year later. The charges were dropped by the State Attorney General. The boys were declared “innocent.” Folks, one thing to remember is, in the case of OJ Simpson, he was declared “not guilty;” however, that is not the same as innocent. It means the state did not prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. These boys were declared innocent, as in falsely charged. Huge difference.
DA Mike Nifong was investigated and tried for prosecutorial misconduct; he was subsequently disbarred (lost his law license). He was charged with contempt and served a day in jail as a result. Nifong was no saint in the matter, but I do feel a little bad for him. This case attracted so much attention that he was under pressure for a conviction. Local sergeant from the Durham police department, Mark Gottlieb, the head investigator of the case took heat too. Again, he was no saint as he had an axe to grind with students at Duke University. Again, there was immense pressure here. Does the white cop want to doubt a black girl’s story of rape by rich white kids? Gottlieb later killed himself, likely due to his role in this and his life altering involvement.
The university settled with all 3 players for, I believe, 20 million each. Compared to the hell they went through and likely continue to go through, that’s a pittance.
The coach of the team had to resign, another piece of collateral damage in this women’s bullshit life. Oh, Mangum was never charged for her role in this made-up story.
So, if you are keeping score at home:
3 lacrosse players live’s altered massively.
1 coach who had to resign and really never recovered.
1 DA disbarred and publicly shamed.
1 police sergeant who killed himself.
1 university that paid out likely over 100 million in damages.
She was never charged.
Oh, then she murdered her boyfriend:
Mangum was convicted in 2013 for second-degree murder in the stabbing of her boyfriend, Reginald Daye, to death in April 2011. She was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison.
Let us add him to the tally above.
She is out of prison on parole. Somehow that feels really wrong that she can breathe the same air as you and I. When you leave this many people in your wake, do you really deserve to be let out of prison? Mangum is going to pull another stunt soon. When she does, I hope her and her abettors pay the price. History has a weird way of repeating itself folks, just watch. This woman is not sorry, she is lucky. Not too many people get the same chance as her. I would have given her life, no parole and ordered the department of prisons to bury her under the jail when she passes.
Piece of trash!
By The Chief
PS, I am not excusing the behavior or DA Nifong or Sgt Gottlieb, I am just saying they were pawns in her game. They were literally collateral damage.
SAVE Act
Photo above Senate majority leader John Thune
Folks, I get the arguments against the SAVE Act. Yes, it should be a matter left up to the States, but what are we to do when the States fail to do their job? Just wring our hands and say, “Oh well.”
Let’s be honest and say Minnesota is corrupt and California is corrupt as hell; and so are many other States. Are we simply expected to pretend to be impotent and let the large Liberal States drag the rest of us the rest of the way into Communism and Socialism. We’ve been heading that way since FDR so please don’t make this a choice between freedom and tyranny. We are a long way from freedom, but it seems every year it gets a bit farther out of reach.
Most of what the Federal government does is unconstitutional. I get that, but to invoke the idea to oppose the SAVE Act because it is an over-reach seems like a cop-out to me. We are over the cliff and on the verge of loosing the Republic if we don’t force the States to limit voter participation to American Citizens. If States won’t do that voluntarily then only the Federal Government can compel them to do what is right. That’s just reality. Only when both political parties agree to this premise can a State level solution be pursued. The Liberal States don’t want to limit voting to citizens because their biggest constituent group is foreigners that are here illegally. This was Biden’s immigration strategy all along. Anyone saying differently is a liar.
Guys, we have a small window of time to get our country back or it will be lost forever.
But why the SAVE Act? Did you know it is piggybacked onto the 1993 motor vote law? Yep, I hate that law too, but … The motor voter law has been litigated. By changing its requirements, the hope is to avoid a protected amount of litigation which would be the case if the SAVE Act was created out of whole cloth. What good would it be to pass the law and then have it blocked by a Federal court judge?
The biggest obstacle to passing the SAVE Act is Republicans, specifically John Thune. Thune was opposed to the idea and still is. He signed on to support the measure only after 49 Republican Senators got on board with it. Thune did not do this to lead but to obstruct. By signing on to the Act and being the highest-ranking Republican, he gets to call the shots as to when, where, or if, it ever has a chance to become law. He will either block it or shake-down the rest of his Senate colleagues to extract concessions on swamp goodies to allow a vote. Thune is purposely screwing-over the country by blocking the SAVE Act. As usual, he is turning the Constitution into a suicide pact.
Congress is a hopelessly corrupt organization whose job is to fix nothing because if they did, they would have no crisis requiring them to be elected to fix anything. When out of power, Democrats are always the champions of immigration, but when they control the levers of power, they never fix the issue. If they did then they couldn’t fundraise on the issue and campaign against the other party for stopping their solutions which are actually and purposely nonexistent. Didn’t you notice that they never introduce a bill to fix their issues, they just point fingers at other side once they lose power. Ditto for Republicans, just different issues.
Itching Ears, Jack Hibbs, and Israel
My sister thinks Jack Hibbs is so wonderful. Hibbs can find biblical prophecy being fulfilled when the local fire department rescues a kitten. Wow. Just think what Jack can do to the Bible when Donald Trump drops bombs in Iran.
Actually, Sunday, I got to find out just that. My sister sent me an hour and 38-minute video from Hibbs about all the wonders of Israel and the USA teaming up to liquidate a few Ayatollahs.
Hibbs was so excited that he started off his church service with his Middle East Bible Prophecy update. Guess he wanted to go on record before the Rapture happened so when the rest of us were left behind, he could say, “Told ya.”
I endured about 55 minutes of his presentation, at which time he seemed to be done dazzling the audience with bullshit. In the entire time, he quoted one Scripture as proof that these events were all predicted in the Old Testament. Oh, said Scripture was not cited until 49 minutes into his song-and-dance routine. I’ll have more to say about this lonely passage in a few minutes.
The sloppiness and misrepresentation of biblical theology was staggering to behold. Talk about a guy appealing to itching ears. Any time Hibbs got close to a biblical theme, he spouted distortions, lies, and half-truths.
I will not give you a play-by-play review of his talk, but I did make a few notes as I listened. I shared these with my sister. My problem is that my sister will take Hibbs over the Bible any time a conflict or contradiction is mentioned. She thinks that she is a “good Christian” but simultaneously denies that Scripture is the final interpreter of Scripture. How can you win a biblical argument with someone that denies biblical authority?
Here are a few gems from Hibbs’ talk that caught my attention:
Hibbs talked about Iran and other nations being run by evil principalities. Sorry, Jack. These principalities were overthrown at the Cross. Jesus is ruler of all the nations and has been for about 2,000 years. Check out Michael Heiser’s Unseen Realm if you really want a deep dive on the spiritual world.
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
Hebrews 2:5.
Oh, and we are rulers with Christ.
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Daniel 7:27.
Later, Hibbs talked about the Roman Empire. Jack claimed that the Roman Empire “just fell apart.” No Jack, biblically, it was struck by a rock which was Christ and His Gospel that destroyed the old pagan order and is growing into a rock that will one day fill the earth. It’s a dominant part of prophecy in Daniel.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel 2:44–45.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:35.
Or if you prefer a New Testament analogy, the Gospel is the yeast that is leavening the whole world.
33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Matthew 13:33.
20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Luke 13:20–21.
After talking extensively about Esther, Hibbs gets to Jeremiah 49:34-39. Again, this is a Bible prophecy update and the only Scripture that Hibbs quoted is 49 minutes into his presentation. He claims that Jeremiah’s prophecy is a future event that we see fulfilled before our eyes in the attack on Iran. Sorry Jack but the footnote in my Bible says the passage in Jeremiah was literally fulfilled in 595 B.C. Using the prophetic scissors on biblical texts mind trick doesn’t work on me.
The footnote for Jeremiah 49:34-39 reads: “A prophecy against Elam, an important power to the east of Babylon, subjugated by Assyria, but resurgent in the Babylonian period. The prophecy possibly relates to a Babylonian containment campaign against Elam in 595 B.C.”
As I was writing this, I found a related post from Gary DeMar that takes a well-deserved whack at Hibbs.
Such a belief is pushed 24/7 on Facebook, Christian television, numerous pop-prophecy books, and articles. Jack Hibbs, Amir Tsarfati, David Jeremiah, and numerous online prophetic end-time “experts” are promoting the belief that the rapture is near, citing passages such as Jeremiah 49:34-39. Hibbs said in a recent message, “God has a plan for Elam…. There is no historian and no biblical scholar that will tell you that the prophecy of Elam was fulfilled, and it’s done and completed…. Remember the bucket you saw about the past—it doesn’t go there—but it does go in the bucket of the present.”
You might wonder what Elam has to do with Iran? Nothing. Jeremiah is not describing modern-day Persia. Elam was the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22). The Elamites are mentioned in Abraham’s time (Gen. 14), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Acts. Hibbs wants to turn a fulfilled prophecy into events surrounding Iran with no justification by ripping texts out of their historical context…
Like so much of what Jack Hibbs teaches on Bible prophecy, he is incorrect. Jeremiah 49:34-39 goes in the bucket of the past. “This prophecy was fulfilled by Cyrus,” Theodore Laetsch states, “the shepherd and anointed of the Lord (Is. 44:28; 45:1), who incorporated Elam as a province in his vast empire. Elamites and Medians formed part of the army of Cyrus and aided him in conquering the Babylonian Empire (Is. 21:2; Jer. 50:3, 29, archers; v. 22 bow).” There is also a New Testament counterpart where the redemption of Elam is accounted for, as Laetsch and other commentators point out. “In the New Testament era, Elam also will participate in the spiritual deliverance and salvation of God’s kingdom of Grace (cp. 2:9), for Jehovah is the God not only of judgment, but of salvation for Jews and Gentiles.”
Then, like a good dispensational/premillennialist, Hibbs plays the futurism card and starts talking about Jesus sitting on a literal throne in literal Jerusalem. Hey Jack, biblical Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. The Apostle Paul says our citizenship is heaven, we belong to the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem above is free, the one below is the slave, the fraud, the apostate, the shadow. Jesus is sitting on the throne now in the true Jerusalem, he has no need of a literal chair in a literal Jerusalem to fulfill His purposes.
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; wbut he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Galatians 4:22–26.
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Hebrews 12:22–23.
I just get tired of every new generation of advocates for dispensational/premillennialist thinking they will get it right when all others before them have failed. If only we stoned false prophets like they did in the Old Testament … They are just as stuck on stupid as Liberals thinking, when we get our chance to try socialism, it will finally work. Both are equally tilting at windmills of their own creation.
No matter how much prophecy pimps like Jack Hibbs can itch your ears and dazzle you, you are still being led away from the Truth. Repent means turning around. Try it sometime.