Priest and prophet Zechariah, 520-470 B.C., receiving God's plan for Zion and Jerusalem 

The Lord Almighty says:

     "I am burning with jealously for Zion     

     "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem (the city of truth, Holy Mountain) 

     "Men and women of ripe old age will sit on the streets of Jerusalem. Streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there 

     "It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time 

     "I will save my people from the countries of the East and West. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem 

     "You who hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord Almighty; let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built

     "Just as I had determined to bring disaster upon you and showed no pity...so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah 

     "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace

     "Many people and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come. Many people and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty 

     "In those days, ten men from all languages and nations will take firm the hold of one Jew and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you." 

                                                          *

     Zechariah chapter 8. The key to Israel's restoration is Christ's return in glory and begins his earthly reign over all the nations. It's called the millennium - a thousand years. Jerusalem will be a city of truth and faithfulness. The mountains of the Lord will be holy. (They will be rearranged.)  

     Much will happen before Christ returns - a world hatred of Israel - but we're getting closer. 

 

Fauci in Contempt 

     We've been occupied with other topics. So, six weeks after the fact, August 6 a Senate committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. That came after Fauci had invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times. He had been forgiven of any wrongdoing by outgoing President Joe Biden, so the Governmental Affairs Committee had reason to question him.   

     It all has to do with the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Fauci helped lead. The committee also released portions of a diary Fauci kept during the pandemic. Sen. Rand Paul argued the pardon nullified Fauci's Fifth Amendment rights. Whatever. Fauci retired as the wealthiest government employee. The pandemic helped some people. 

Social Security's shortfall 

     Lawmakers are running out of time to fix Social Security's funding shortfall. By 2032, payouts will exceed payroll taxes, leading to an automatic reduction of benefits. Most Americans expect to get Social Security when they retire. Many say they aren't saving anything else. (All three of our "kids" are not expecting SS to last and are working and saving accordingly.) 

      Some 77% of respondents to a survey opposed a $1,300 payroll tax increase. Even that wouldn't close the funding gap. And 77% of respondents oppose benefit cuts to save the program. 

     This year, 71 million Americans receive SS benefits. Workers paying into the program in 2025 outnumbered the beneficiaries 2.9 to 1. 

# 

Prayer often is triggered by adversity.  

When we face great difficulty, we come to the end of ourselves.

There are times when only the Holy spirit can pray for us and with us.

Jack Graham

     Lynn Vincent: "Paul told the Romans how they should respond to the spiritual journeys of other Christians. 

     'We have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another...that together you may with one voice glorify God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.'" - Romans 15:1, 5-6

There is only one ground upon which man may 

meet God with joy and not with despair. 

That ground is the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

 

Ukrainians beginning to win?

     "Ukraine has been pummeling Russian oil sites and warehouses that are part of Russia's military supply chain. In 2026 Ukraine has achieved an 8-1 casualty ratio. This could create a window of opportunity for peace talks. But Russia is preparing a move which may include 30,000 new (more) troops from North Korea. (What a shame for men who never volunteered for war.) 

WORLD magazine

     "Starting in 2022, both sides have intensified their tactics. Russia's drone and missile strikes nearly killed 300 civilians and wounded another 1,800. Destruction of Ukrainian energy and heating capacity set conditions for a brutal winter. Russia's economy suffers from inflation and high costs of war. 

     "The supply of Ukraine weapons is dwindling, and America's involvement in Iran adds to the problem. The Senate passed a bill in August to impose sanctions against Russia. If approved, the bill includes extreme measures against Russia's economic machinery, oil and natural gas. America runs a charity in Ukraine. 

     "In Washington, William Taylor notes that 'Putin is still the biggest obstacle to peace. When he finally concedes that too many Russians have died, the economy is too weak, and Europe and the U.S. are against him...he will lay aside the might of the Russian military.'" 

Views isn't convinced Vladimir Putin will ever give it up. He is placing images of Joseph Stalin all over the nation. Stalin was born in Georgia with a very long name and became Russian dictator from 1924 to 1953. Stalin was a Marxist. Russia controlled numerous nations in its Soviet Empire. He welcomed America's help in stopping Hitler's invasion; then he tried to force the U.S., England and France out of Germany, where we/they were sent to restore civilization.* Russia then built a large wall around its German territory (apparently to keep Germans from escaping for freedom. Gun men saw to it.) Putin has nukes which his military wants him to use. Doesn't he want to be remembered, like Stalin?    

* That's when I and many others were drafted. 

     Turley, conclusion

Is reason itself cancelled?

     "One of the greatest triumphs for free speech came in the Supreme Court's 2023 decision that a Christian could refuse to provide service for a same-sex marriage. Justice Gorsuch wrote, 'the framers designed the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to protect the freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think.' The justices believe this is among our inalienable human rights.  

     "We are living in a time of rage. America was born in rage. It was rage that fueled the Boston Tea Party. The judiciary must stand in defense of our natural rights. Especially, it is during such times that we must stand as a people to prevent extremists of any ideological bent from politicizing or destroying our constitutional judicial system. Those establishment figures trying to cancel the Court today are delusional - not foreseeing that they will undermine their own freedom and security. 

     "The history of canceling courts is a history replete with unhappy endings. Courts are by necessity one of the first targets of revolutionaries. Following the Revolution that brought Bolsheviks to power in Russia, one of their first decrees was the 'Abolition of Existing Legal Institutions.' Soon after came the establishment of the infamous People's Courts. In revolution after revolution, newly established courts carried out the purported will of the people with terrible consequences. 

     "In an age of rage, it is too often reason itself that is canceled." 

Readers, if your family or friends need these truths, pass it on.

In the Beginning

   Jonathan Turley part 2

     Surprise. "In our beginning, there were few professional standards governing the American court system. Our 'experiment' began with courts openly biased. Judges and justices routinely ran for political office and openly engaged in political commentary from the bench. This would change with the first law schools: William & Mary in 1779. The first independent law school, Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1784. Quickly, the partisanship in the courts came to be absent of political associations. 

     "Today, what the Right and the Left call partisanship is actually deep and good faith jurisprudential differences on both ends of the Court. This was also the case when the Court had a liberal majority. During the years of the Warren Court in the 1950s and 60s, when conservative precedents were overturned in large numbers and conservatives were often outraged, there were virtually no calls to pack or eliminate the Court. The attack on the Court is disconnected from its voting record. 

     "Some 44 percent of cases are decided unanimously. Including 8-1 and 7-2 margins, that figure jumps to over 60 percent. Liberal justices refuted claims that the Court is a partisan institution. Justice Kagan rejected claims that the conservative majority is in President Trump's corner. The enthusiasm for packing or eliminating the Supreme Court is based less on voting records and views of the justices...than on Senator Warren's 'widely held public opinion.' 

     "On both ends, judicial restraints can be frustrating, even infuriating. And sometimes the Court can get things wrong. Consider the attacks on free speech that came to a head during the Biden administration. Government, academia and corporations created the largest censorship system in our history. There was an aggressive campaign between 2020 and 2024 to curtail free speech on the Internet and elsewhere, labeling it 'disinformation,' 'misinformation,' 'Malin formation,' or 'hate speech.' Those standing for free speech were dismissed as members of a 'cult of the Constitution.'" 

Tomorrow: Cancel the Court, lose your freedom and security

Across the country, protesters have dragged around makeshift guillotines as they call for "revolutionary" changes to our constitutional systems. The French Revolution is a reminder of how revolutions devour their own. Even more unnerving is the increase in calls for radical changes - elimination or packing the Supreme Court, trashing the Electoral College, and cancelling the U.S. Senate - by establishment figures on the Left. - Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College. 

Why We Shouldn't Cancel the Supreme Court 

Jonathan Turley, professor at George Washington University Law School. Views this week will summarize his speech at Hillsdale...what we all must know. 

     "Today's attacks on American judiciary harkens back to 'The Terror' in revolutionary France. Mobocracy - the Founders sought to avoid by designing our constitutional order. The Constitution, including the independent court system, were to protect God-given individual rights. 

     "There is a radical movement in the U.S. with chilling parallels to the French Revolution: eliminate or pack the Supreme Court. This is a litmus test for Democratic presidential candidates. Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Ro Khanna have embraced it. Gavin Newsom claims 'nostalgia' for the Court is not working. The Democratic Socialists of America call for dissolving the Supreme Court and eliminating the U.S. Senate. Strategist James Carville said, 'If Democrats win the presidency and both houses of Congress on day one they should expand the Supreme Court to 13.' 

     "Sen. Elizabeth Warren characterized the Court as illegitimate because it renders decisions against 'widely held public opinion.' Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell said, 'the Court defies the will of the people.' U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - of presidential interest - asks why we even have a Supreme Court. 'How much does the current structure benefit us?' Buttigieg's Court would have 15 justices operating like the Federal Election Commission, with party loyalists voting the party line. 

     "Our non-partisan, independent judiciary serves two purposes: it plays a vital role in preserving the separation of powers, which prevents government power from being concentrated in one place. And it stands as a bulwark in defense of minority rights. It performs these essential roles without being threatened by the political branches - Congress and the executive branch."

Tomorrow: Court system corrections