Articles by PGF

Shockingly, this article at CBS New York is not hyperventilating over Bruen.

As CBS2’s Alecia Reid reports, in New York, carry permits are getting easier to come by. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s restrictive handgun laws.

[…]

Applications are expected to skyrocket, but it doesn’t mean crime will increase.

“The vast majority of gun crimes in New York are committed by people who do not have gun permits at all,” Feldman said.

The reforms go into effect Sept. 1. People who were recently rejected because of the current statute can reapply within the next 60 days, all free of charge.

Bravo to Alecia Reid for playing it straight down the line. Although according to her bio, she’s a communist. Via The Gun Feed.

“13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 3:13-18

He who delivered the law was veiled that the end of the law could not be looked upon, which veil remains over the heart of all that have yet to believe, and also those who have heard but disbelieve the Gospel of Christ Jesus. For if the Gospel is hidden, it is hidden from them that are lost: the wrath of God abides on them all. But the Gospel is the end of the law for them that accept the Lord.

Look to verse 16; “Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord” What is it that must turn to the Lord? It’s the heart in verse 15. But to all them that accept, their heart has turned to behold not a man veiled with punitive measures of law, but beholding Jesus plainly as though in the mirror, we who have faith see Him that delivered us not into the bondage of law but to freedom. For the Lord is He who offers liberty by the Holy Spirit, that by faith, with open face, the veil of ignorance, which is a blinded mind, stands taken away and we, being made sighted, eyes filled with confidence are now fixed on our Saviour.

And today, the god of this world has blinded the minds of all who believe not the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Salvation in Christ is not only liberty from the law, but from the law of the sin and death that in Christ Jesus you might overcome the world and the devil; for Jesus defeated all these in the resurrection.

Being changed over time in obedience to the calling of Christ, we serve our Master, recreated a little more each day into the image of Christ, transformed into a son of God. Therefore, we ought to attend to God with purpose, to tell the Gospel to all we encounter, praying with hope toward heaven for the veil of unbelief to be removed from their eyes, that they too would behold Christ plainly.

Eternal salvation is delivered by faith in Jesus. He died for all who turn by repentance of the heart to live forgiven in liberation from sin, and He rose again the third day. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” – John 11:25

Jesus is the life and the resurrection of the soul now, and unto life everlasting in the eternal glory of heaven to come. Turn in your heart toward Him that is able to open your eyes to the truth; Jesus is life.

You may be familiar with the headline or others similar. But this article is data-rich, with charts and graphs. Folks here at TCJ may find it useful.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) attempted to delay the release of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine safety data for 75 years despite approving the injection after only 108 days of safety review on December 11th, 2020.

But in early January 2022, Federal Judge Mark Pittman ordered them to release 55,000 pages per month. They released 12,000 pages by the end of January.

Read it and try not to weep, or weep, then get angry, perhaps.

I have been remiss; promising a post on Church, Family, and State as ruled by men of God, it remained undone. It’s a complex topic firstly, and effort posting about the word of God is not advised; teaching the laws of men as though they were God’s can be the result. Except the Lord allow, this primer will have to suffice that I will not be found a liar; so my yea, may be yea (Matthew 5:33-37, especially 37), while primarily seeking to please the Lord our God. There are pages of scrap; perhaps more posts on this subject will follow.

“25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28

We could say much about these verses and our current state of affairs. The government no longer serves the people; all get this. Neither do men serve their family well by giving them all they desire, letting the help meet and children rule. And handing the churches to the government by “law” and taking debt from bankers is no service to our King at all. Most churches now are full of unrepentant sinners trying to control each other.

The Church in America is dead, and the people in them don’t know it yet. The problem with the American churches is not one of structure; the crisis from the fall in the garden to this very moment is sin. Sin is broadly defined as disobedience to Holy God. If they are Christians, we can suppose that they will be beaten with few stripes, for they indeed seem ignorant (Luke 12:47-48). The American churches are self-licking ice cream cones. They serve the corporation instead of building the Kingdom of God. They have done what Christ told the Pharisees they should not have done (Mark 7:7-9). They have taken the form and structure of a top-down managerial corporate enterprise by running things like a business (which is what they are) under the laws of men. They sell an experience while turning Christ into little more than a minstrel show. Their leaders are corporate heads, serving the corporation.

The problem with men is a problem of the heart. Creating a formal structure, or abolishing any legal system of rule, does nothing to address the root cause at the core of all that is wrong with the world. The problem is sin, it’s the problem with everything, and it’s the problem with you. Nobody in government follows the formal government that we have. It’s lawlessness by falsely claimed authority; it’s anarchy. It’s been this way because no structure, type, or outward form of a governing body can solve the problem with a man’s heart. The State, by its law, is only punitive, not preventative, and not restorative. The law can only punish. By the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The law makes criminals, and that’s all it can do.

Sin is the start of what’s wrong with families in America. There’s no reason to list all the issues; we know them. Fathers that are known of God teaching their children the word of God, and not as intellectual exercises, but as doers of the word is what’s lacking.

The sin in these three governing bodies of civil society stems from a failure to serve God, seeking Him first, so “all these things” (Matthew 6:33) will be added as blessings from God. “All these things” will be taken away because we have failed to seek His righteousness first in the Kingdom of God, making church, family, and state His. The instruction in Matthew 6:24-34 has specific application as Jesus began to train His men to die for His holy name. Still, we must make an application today of verses 24 and 33.

The New Testament is primarily about the birth of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. Today we are supposed to be building His kingdom, the Kingdom of God, while our Master is in the far country (Parable starting in Luke 19:12). Undoubtedly, He returns to us.

Anarchy isn’t a lack of formal government; is not your very government the source of anarchy in the West, which is lawlessness? Government is punitive. That’s all it can do is punish. Government cannot create a just State, restore a man, or be a child’s or woman’s family head and leader.

The Church (body of Christ) is restorative. Only God can change a man’s heart, filling him with the fruit of the Spirit to make him a minister and servant of the good. The family, not the State, is preventive in the proper training and raising of the generations.

These three only function to serve, or minister, to bring good when the individuals in them are Christ’s. And no man, in any capacity, can perform the good and minister in these ordained institutions of Holy God except he studies God’s word as though his life and the lives of those under his care depended upon it; because they do. Being converted and made Christian isn’t enough; you must read and first submit to His Law-word (Matthew 6:33).

It is the family ordained by God at the start (Genesis 2:4-5), by the proper raising of children (Proverbs 22:6, and Fifth Commandment – Exodus 20:12) that prevents crime (sin) and civilizational decay (judgment – removal of God’s blessings).

The Church, by salvation in Christ, is restorative, bringing the lost sinner to repentance by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, giving him the saving faith of Christ Jesus, and establishing the knowledge of sin in his conscience. Salvation first, then a desire to be as Christ through studying His word and assembling with other believers. Only the Gospel can save Western Civilization because the men need to be converted first.

The man, having been begotten again in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 1:3), a type and picture of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3) as the head of the family, is to be priest and king (Revelation 1:6). Christian men are not only the priest (spiritual leader) of the family. The man is to be submitted to Christ and head of the local body of Christ (epistles to Timothy are replete). And yes, we are to take over all government (Exodus 18:19-27, especially 21) for God’s great and abundant purposes in judgment, grace, and mercy, and for instruction in righteousness that it may go well with our people upon the land.

Under the New Covenant, do these: build the Kingdom of God now while preparing every man his heart, his family, his church body, and his governments in anticipation of the great and terrible day of Christ’s return to claim all that are His. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10

Dominion is not only about the planet. Christian men are the just judge, ministers, servants, teachers, priests, and kings of all Christ gives to them; government, church, and especially in their family; this is dominion in the New Covenant. God adds thereunto when you do well with little (Matthew 25:14-30). It’s a hard job. In fact, without Jesus, it can’t be done.

Christ’s Church, family, and state are all to be submitted to God, but men love to make for themselves false gods erecting governments that usurp His throne and ungodly home authority structures. And other pride-filled men are all too happy to abridge the Law-word, constructing governments to usurp family and religion. And the churches are capital enterprises instead of teachers of the nations as Christ commands (Matthew 28:18-20). The moral law is supposed to emanate from the Church (teach all nations Matthew 28:20).

Family is the primary government with the Christian man as head. Civil authority (Governments) are to support the liberty (keep the peace for He is the Prince of Peace) given by Christ for men to function in community one with another, keeping all that Christ commands. Family is supposed to be presented to God, and so too government and every gathering of believers. All these, in fact, will be handed up; may they be found of Him well and pleasing in His sight.

You say this is challenging. Not if every man believes and studies the Scriptures with purpose. Immediately the minds of men go toward how to structure society; that’s an error of approach. You can’t; the lost must be saved, sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, and sanctified (Galatians 2:21), the law following after. This is not an organization of men in which we set out to subjugate (again) one another. Nor are we to try to change the minds of the world. Jesus Christ saves souls; faith unto salvation (repentance) changes their minds. The job is to preach the Gospel to every creature and teach the nations which must first believe. You can’t do it; government can’t do it. Jesus does it. Only under Christ are all men made one before the majesty of His throne (Revelation 7:9-10).

Several months ago, we posted a note about the destruction of Jerusalem. Below we find a well-researched and accessible snapshot of the temple system being replaced by Christ. Not only is Jesus the final sacrifice once for all, ending the necessity of the temple system, but the articles contend that Jesus was teaching and preparing His disciples for all aspects of the temple system to be completed in the person of Jesus Christ. That is something I had not considered.

AD 70 & THE TEMPLE’S FAILURE part 1 and part 2

AD 70 is an important date in redemptive-history. In that year the ancient temple of Israel was destroyed, never to be rebuilt.

[…]

In the Gospel record Jesus’ subtle conduct and overt teaching prepare us for the removal of the temple as both theologically unnecessary and as spiritually corrupt. John’s Gospel is especially interesting in this regard: In Jn 1:14 Christ appears as God’s true “tabernacle” (eskēnōsen en ēmin). [1] This theme of Jesus replacing the religious features of Israel recurs repeatedly in his ministry: In 1:51 he, rather than the temple or high priest, is the nexus between heaven and earth because…

These posts provide an excellent example of why the temple was to be destroyed; judgment loomed in the first century. There will be at least one more part of the series on the linked website.

Many in my area are already preparing for deer season, scouting out spots, readying weapons, and so on. We have a bow season, a muzzle season, and a rifle season. I’m woefully under-educated in the use of a bow for any purpose. It pays to listen as I learned there is a local bow guy who “everybody” goes to see. He will fit you to the proper pull based on your strength, etc.

Also, having learned something new the other day might change some plans. There is a youth rifle hunt between bow season and muzzleloader season. Now that seems interesting. The deer (theoretically) have not been shot at yet this year, and some will not have heard the crack of a rifle shot since last season. This seems like an opportunity to be first in the field.

Deer, like most creatures, take the path of least resistance. That’s why animal trails exist. They, like us, don’t want to go through sticker bushes and challenging terrain, although in the calculous of a deer, terrain difficulty is measured differently than by a man. Getting an early start is paramount to some hunters.

People love to talk about which cartridges are the best deer cartridges, and many work just fine.

But what about tactics?

Everybody is getting their spots picked and making travel plans if they’re going any distance.

Deer hunting in America is massive; it may be the largest participant event in the country. (Notice how I didn’t call it a sport!)

“THE BEST DEER HUNTING STATES IN 2022” includes a list of deer population by state.

The desired State’s website is where to find up-to-date and accurate info. This link has a season dates and bag limit link for each state. Deer Hunting Season 2022 Forecast: A State-by-State Guide.

Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

Matthew 18:1-6, 10, 14

“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:14

In Matthew 18, we find several parables put forth by our Lord Jesus Christ. And, there is the example to the disciples that they should have the humility of a child, the simple faith demonstrated by those little ones that are Christ’s. Indeed, if only we would have such simple, humble belief as a child’s trust toward God; that He is who and what He says.

There is the parable of removing body parts that offend and the parable of the one and ninety-nine sheep. Those are woven through the text in a beautiful display of the grace of God both for salvation and the earnest approach of the believer toward Christ. But, the instruction on treating children in the kingdom is quite valuable and tangible. Jesus sets a small child in the midst and makes several statements for edification about how God views little ones and His expectations for adults in the Kingdom of God concerning children.

It’s not the will of holy Father God that children should perish. We take the meaning to be spiritual death in eternity, although judgment against that generation loomed. There’s not much more significant in the Kingdom of God than showing a little one how Jesus loves them, dying for them that they need not perish, and rising from the grave in majesty, might, and power to be King of all.

Children so readily take to the story, the mystery of the revelation of Christ hidden throughout the ages and to us, blessed beyond measure with life after the cross, and the historical record of the suffering of Christ that we might go free. It’s elementary to create a word picture of Christ the victorious King that little ones will listen to with rapt attention, fascinated. There is no Disney production, no fairy tale, no story of a gallant prince that compares to the level of Jesus Christ fulfilling the thousands of years of prophecies concerning His coming. It’s the best because it’s all true. And to think, as good as the story is now, just you wait until His return!

And so warning, there are the protectors of children to the detriment of the child’s eternal soul. Here’s the problem, the root of the problem is very disturbing in its scope and results among children of the churches; the lack of trust in the Holy Spirit by adults, especially their parents and relatives. We’ve seen several problems manifest from this distrust.

Intensely bothersome are those parents and other relatives that when their child is confronted with the truth of the Gospel, they seek to shield them, petting them, drawing them close as though the Holy Spirit of God or a verse of Scripture were a monster to pollute their mind and corrupt their body. We’ve seen this on too many occasions; it’s painful to watch the ignorance of the adults. The Holy Spirit of God knows exactly what He’s doing. There is no reason to guard children against the sound of the word of God or the story of Christ. On the contrary, these adults risk losing the child to damnation forever.

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” – Hebrews 10:31

Children are not alone; we all may experience the full range of emotions under the sound of the Gospel, especially the fear that can grip a soul under the pressure of the Holy Spirit about their station in eternal torment.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 19:14

It’s trust, do adults, can they, with their most precious of loves, trust upon unconditional terms that the Holy Spirit knows just the right amount of conviction in each individual child to bring them to Christ? If those children perish in eternity because their parents or loved ones protected them from the fear of God Almighty as the Holy Spirit presses upon them, heaven help them; may their millstone lay lightly (Matthew 18:6).

And we’ve another equally disturbing yet different treatment of children by loved ones. Those convinced beyond the evidence of their child’s salvation, of all ages, but even little ones. As a practical warning, I can coerce a confession and prayer out of just about any child, and so can most adults. Many thousands, perhaps millions of parents, are convinced of the salvation of their loved ones without any basis in fact, prima facie, all evidence to the contrary.

A parent’s hope is Christ indwelling the child. The hope is lovely; hope above measure and never cease to pray, but the reality of the lost child’s soul is what’s paramount if a child remains dead in their trespasses and sin. Please listen to this carefully; children that are saved know they’re saved, and the Holy Spirit in them will confess it, even with reason and evidence, without prompting or help.

Many children, maybe millions, have made a profession of faith, and no man knows their heart; but the Holy Spirit will change them and bear fruit of the Spirit as evidence. The Holy Spirit in the believer continues to convict of sin. This changes the believer’s mind over time; changes their likes, dislikes, and desires of the heart. The believer grows in love and knowledge of Christ, and when it’s genuine, it shows. It’s ridiculous above measure; the proposition that saved children are doing drugs, getting pregnant, watching porn, and going to jail. They’re not saved; they’re just not! People that are in Christ, of all ages, desire the things of God.

How many times have we asked a child how they know they’re going to heaven and gotten blank stares as though they were asked to calculate the proper route of a Mars landing craft? If they are saved, the Holy Spirit in them will testify of Christ, for this is one of His essential functions: He witnesses of Christ through the believer (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit of God knows His own.

Parents, sadly, will begin to prompt their children and coach them to say the right words when the child is obviously lost as a goose. It’s heartbreaking to watch. They’re likely headed to hell. Everybody has a bad day, but consistent ignorance of the knowledge of salvation is – evidence of consistent ignorance of the knowledge of salvation.

Then there is the instance, strange as it may sound, that unless the child gets saved the exact way, under the same verses, circumstances, or prayer as the adult, they are forbidden to come to Christ. It’s weird and hard to understand.

Everybody’s salvation testimony is unique; there are as many stories as saved souls. Why would parents care if the child gets saved at an altar, in Sunday School, at home, in a restaurant parking lot, or hanging upside down from monkey bars at the park? If a verse from Genesis three and not John 3 pricks the child’s heart, why forbid them? The word of God brings faith (Romans 10:17). When the Spirit is hot in pursuit of a lost soul, that is the time to strike at the heart with the extraordinary story of Christ, afresh and anew, while sharing Scripture. It’s God that saves souls under the conviction of the Holy Spirit; it’s not locations, circumstances, a parent’s favorite pet doctrine, or bible story; Christ saves!

The ignorance is astounding in each of these instances. It’s not the will of the Father that these littles should perish, and millions of professing adults are working counter to the will of God for the children in their families. It’s shocking to consider what’s happening in heaven’s throne room while relatives interrupt the sound of the Gospel in favor of their predilections!

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 18:10

If that verse doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, you’re too hard-hearted to reach. What can a preacher, youth pastor, witness, or soul winner do? It makes one want to grab them and scream; your child will burn in hell for eternity, and you’re making it happen! It’s so very frustrating.

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6

If you have children, tonight, take them one at a time to bed and tell them of Christ; plainly and with love, share the truth of the Gospel and offer to pray with them.

But, there are great moments in the Kingdom of God; we’ve seen obedient parents wait in prayerful silence while their child hears a thorough explanation of the Gospel. That’s always a blessing. There’s no reason to dumb down the Gospel or try to make it less scary for children. It is scary; hell is horrible. The Holy Spirit does the work, leaving the pure word of truth in their soul.

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4

Smith & Wesson has issued a statement amid unprecedented attacks on the gun industry. Read the whole thing.

Next, Duke University is out with an analysis of lower court decisions in the aftermath of Bruen. You can read their summary.

Since Bruen was issued on June 23, lower courts have begun to apply its new framework to Second Amendment challenges.  As of today there are no major developments in the four cases that the Court GVR’ed shortly after Bruen, which include a challenge to Hawaii’s proper-cause analogue, two magazine-capacity cases, and a challenge to Maryland’s assault weapons ban.  However, in the month following Bruen, some state and lower federal courts have issued decisions invoking Bruen.  This post summarizes a handful of notable decisions.

Bruen is being ignored by a Federal Judge in Minnesota. Nobody is surprised that the Left ignores the law; they are anarchists top to bottom.

Next, Missouri Sheriffs continue resisting the FBI’s CCW list audit. They want the list; make no mistake. It has nothing to do with crime or public safety; they want you in a database.

Wheatley is among the sheriffs who received an email from Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office on Aug. 9 in which he reminded law enforcement officers not to comply.

“We’re the highest ranking freely elected law enforcement of the state and it’s up to us to stand up for the rights of Missouri citizens,” Wheatley told the Epoch Times.

“The federal government, they overstep some, and it’s our job to put them in check and stand up for what we know is right.”

Also, the Washington Times has an opinion piece about BATFE’s new NICS denial and delay procedures. Any third grader can see this will eventually lead to every purchase being delayed, the purchaser being investigated, and serial numbers captured. They want to attain their holy grail database, implemented so they can make you turn them in. How do we know this? Because that’s what they’ve done the world over for generations.

Gun owners and constitutionalists at large are growing increasingly concerned by an invasive new policy to be enforced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which will mandate the reporting of background-check delays and denials to local law enforcement when someone tries to purchase a firearm. We can already predict the negative consequences of this poorly designed policy, with innocent individuals trying to buy a gun being inadvertently flagged by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and, shortly after, angrily greeting law enforcement at their front door.