Month: October 2023

Scam Targets Senior Citizens and Results in Victims Losing Their Life Savings

Guidestone is a financial organization that provides retirement and insurance for pastors. This article, however, is relevant to all senior citizens. Be careful with your communication to all who pose as a governmental agency, financial institution, technical on line support, etc. It is always best to know their respective contact points and call them yourselves. Pertinent agencies should have a Bonafide phone number and/or Website that you can verify. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Steve <><

The FBI is warning the public of a recent nationwide increase in “Phantom Hacker” scams, significantly impacting senior citizens. This Phantom Hacker scam is an evolution of more general tech support scams, layering imposter tech support, financial institution, and government personas to enhance the trust victims place in the scammers and identify the most lucrative accounts to target. Victims often suffer the loss of entire banking, savings, retirement, or investment accounts under the guise of “protecting” their assets. Between January and June 2023, 19,000 complaints related to tech support scams were submitted to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), with estimated victim losses of over $542 million. Almost 50% of the victims reported to IC3 were over 60 years-old, comprising 66% of the total losses. As of August 2023, losses have already exceeded those in 2022 by 40%.
Phantom Hacker Scam Diagram

THE SCAM

 Phase 1 – Tech Support Imposter

1. A scammer posing as a tech or customer support representative from a legitimate company contacts the victim through a phone call, text, email, or a pop-up window on the victim’s computer and instructs the victim to call a number for “assistance.”
2. Once the victim calls the number, a scammer directs the victim to download a software program, allowing the scammer remote access to the victim’s computer. The scammer pretends to run a virus scan on the victim’s computer and falsely claims the computer has been or is at risk of being hacked.
3. Next, the scammer requests the victim open their financial accounts to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges – a tactic the scammer uses to determine which financial account is most lucrative for targeting. The scammer chooses an account to target and tells the victim they will receive a call with further instructions from the fraud department of the respective financial institution hosting that account. 

Phase 2 – Financial Institution Imposter

1. A scammer posing as a representative of the financial institution mentioned in phase 1, such as a bank or a brokerage firm, contacts the victim. The scammer falsely informs the victim their computer and financial accounts have been accessed by a foreign hacker and the victim must move their money to a “safe” third-party account, such as an account with the Federal Reserve or another US Government agency.
2. The scammer directs the victim to transfer money via a wire transfer, cash, or cryptocurrency, often directly to overseas recipients. The scammer may instruct the victim to send multiple transactions over a span of days or months.
3. The scammer tells the victim to not inform anyone of the real reason they are moving their money. 

Phase 3 – US Government Imposter

1. The victim may also be contacted by a scammer posing as an employee at the Federal Reserve or another US Government agency. If the victim becomes suspicious of the government imposter, the scammer may send an email or a letter on what appears to be official US Government letterhead to legitimize the scam.
2. The scammer continues to emphasize the victim’s funds are “unsafe” and they must be moved to a new “alias” account for protection until the victim concedes. 

TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1. Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups, links sent via text messages, or email links or attachments.
2. Do not contact the telephone number provided in a pop-up, text, or email.
3. Do not download software at the request of an unknown individual who contacted you.
4. Do not allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer.
5. The US Government will never request you send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards.​​​​​​

REPORT IT

The FBI requests victims report these fraudulent or suspicious activities to their local FBI field office and the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Be sure to include as much information as possible.
1. The name of the person or company that contacted you.
2. Methods of communication used, to include websites, emails, and telephone numbers.
3. The bank account number(s) where the funds were wired to and the recipient’s name(s).

 For additional information on similar scams, please see previous Public Service Announcements published on the FBI IC3 website.

1. IC3 | Technical and Customer Support Fraud
2. IC3 | Increase in Tech Support Scams Targeting Older Adults and Directing Victims to Send Cash through Shipping Companies
3. IC3 | Scammers Using Computer-Technical Support Impersonation Scams to Target Victims and Conduct Wire Transfers

Let’s fight fraud together. Visit and bookmark our Security website for the latest fraud and security insights at: GuideStone.org/About-Us/Security.

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I Believe ~ Phil Wickham

Lyrics
I believe there is one salvation One doorway that leads to life One redemption, one confession I believe in the name of Jesus ChristI believe in the crucifixion By His blood, I have been set free I believe in the resurrection Hallelujah, His life is death’s defeatAll praise to God the Father All praise to Christ the Son All praise to the Holy Spirit Our God has overcome The King who was and is and evermore will be In Jesus mighty name I believeI believe, I believeI believe in the hope of heaven He’s preparing a place for me Far beyond what hearts imagine Ears have heard or eyes have seenI believe that a day is coming He’s returning to claim His bride Light the altar, keep it burning See the Lamb who rose a roaring LionAll praise to God the Father All praise to Christ the Son All praise to the Holy Spirit Our God has overcome The King who was and is and evermore will be In Jesus mighty name I believeOh, I believe in YouNo, I’ll never be ashamed Of the gospel of Jesus Christ How could I ever walk away From the One who saved my life?No, I’ll never be ashamed Of the gospel of Jesus Christ How could I ever walk away From the One who saved my life?Oh, no, I’ll never be ashamed Of the gospel of Jesus Christ How could I ever walk away From the One who saved my life?All praise to God the Father All praise to Christ the Son All praise to the Holy Spirit Our God has overcome The King who was and is and evermore will beIn Jesus mighty name I believeAll praise to God Our Father All praise to Christ the Son All praise to the Holy Spirit Our God has overcome The King who was and is and evermore will be In Jesus mighty name I believe In Jesus mighty name I believeI believe, I believe I believe, I believe
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jonathan Smith / Phil Wickham / Chris DavenportI Believe lyrics © Be Essential Songs

US Debt Spiral Is Reaching Terminal Phase – Economic Reset Is The Only Way Out 　 　    

Finally an honest article about our hopeless financial situation in America. Politicians tell us that we are leaving a huge debt to our children. Baloney. We are 33 TRILLION dollars in debt and paying it off will never happen. 99% of people have no clue as to how much one trillion dollars is. (One million times one million!). The United States has dug its own grave but globalists could not care less because an economic reset, Agenda 2030 and One World Order is what they truly desire. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Steve <><

Breaking News Updates – October 05, 2023
 
US Debt Spiral Is Reaching Terminal Phase – Economic Reset Is The Only Way Out
 BY MICHAEL SNYDER/ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG OCTOBER 05, 2023
At the beginning of June, our national debt was sitting at $31,467,639,287,894.39. Today, it has risen to $33,442,148,619,617.43. That means that we have added almost two trillion dollars to the national debt in just three months. It is the largest single debt in the entire history of our planet, and it will never be paid off.

If you are going to go out, you might as well do it with a bang.  At the beginning of June, our national debt was sitting at $31,467,639,287,894.39.  Today, it has risen to $33,442,148,619,617.43.  That means that we have added almost two trillion dollars to the national debt in just three months.  

It is the largest single debt in the entire history of our planet, and it will never be paid off.  Our debt spiral has reached a terminal phase, and all we can do now is prolong the agony.  

If we keep taking on more debt at an exponential rate, we may be able to extend our seemingly endless party for a little while longer.  As for the bright future that our children and grandchildren were supposed to have, we destroyed that a long time ago, and so it doesn’t really matter what we do now.

What our politicians are doing to us is truly a crime against humanity.

And I am not just talking about the United States.  All over the world, politicians have been on the greatest debt binge in the history of the human race, and for quite a few years it seemed like they were getting away with it.

But now interest rates are rising and there is great turmoil in the bond markets.  The following comes from CNN…

A slump in government bonds around the world has pushed up the cost of some nations’ debt to levels not seen in more than a decade. That’s bad news for governments in the red but also for the wallets of millions of mortgage borrowers, stock investors and businesses.

The sell-off has been fueled by expectations among investors that the world’s major central banks will keep interest rates “higher for longer” to bring inflation down to their targets.

It works like this: Governments looking to raise cash for public services and investments issue bonds. A bond provides a way to borrow money from investors for a set length of time, with the obligation to make regular interest payments.

In recent weeks, bond yields have reached very alarming levels.

If this continues, governments all over the world will soon be facing enormous problems…

When official interest rates rise, so do investors’ expectations for returns on bonds, known as yields. This creates an incentive for investors to sell the bonds they currently hold and buy newly issued ones that offer higher interest payments. Selling bonds reduces prices. So, in short, when yields rise, bond prices fall.

And yields have most definitely been rising: The yield on 30-year US government bonds, also known as Treasuries, hit 5% on Tuesday for the first time since 2007. In the United Kingdom, the yield on 30-year bonds also reached 5% this week, the highest level in more than two decades.

Yields on German long-dated bonds are back to levels last seen on the eve of the eurozone debt crisis in 2011. Yields on Italy’s 10-year bonds hit 5% on Wednesday, the highest level since 2012, when that crisis was in full swing.

There is no way out of this mess now.

If we would have acted responsibly all along, we would have gotten a much different outcome.

But at this point our fate is pretty much sealed.

Of course our politicians never intended to change course.  In fact, they continue to spend money like drunken sailors.

As Zero Hedge has aptly noted, the U.S. government recently added 275 billion dollars to the national debt in a single day…

The US added – checks notes – $275 billion in debt in, uh, ONE DAY

Total US debt is now $33.442 trillion, hit $33 trillion just 2 weeks ago, and on pace to rise by $1 trillion in 1 month.

What makes all of this even more frustrating is that they aren’t even spending the money efficiently.

And in many instances, it is being wasted on extremely frivolous things…

Federal officials have been criticized after splashing $3.3 billion on swanky new office furniture during the pandemic, when almost all staff worked from home.

The egregious spending habits of the US government included almost $250,000 on solar-powered picnic tables for the CDC, and $120,000 on plush Ethan Allen leather chairs.

We are borrowing and spending money at an exponential pace, and we all know how this is going to end.

It is going to end with the U.S. dollar becoming worth little more than toilet paper.

This is a point that author Robert Kiyosaki made very eloquently during a recent interview…

Robert Kiyosaki, renowned author of the phenomenal personal finance book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” shared a piece of his mind on how to decentralize from the fiat currency in these scary times of a broken banking system. According to him, the dollar has been losing its purchasing power and not long from now, it would just be worth less than “toilet paper.”

During his appearance on the recent episode “Decentralize.TV” hosted by Mike Adams and Todd Pitner, Kiyosaki pointed out how the lack of financial education in the United States blinds the people and even President Joe Biden’s administration in tackling the current economic downturn. “Just recently they raised the debt ceiling again… and because our schools have no financial education, no idea of credit rating, our debt increased by $1.8 trillion. The United States via Fitch Rating services downgraded the U.S. debt from AAA to AA-plus. We are on a collision course for disaster.”

It is true.

We really are on a “collision course” with disaster, but most Americans don’t realize what is happening.

Most Americans seem to believe that there will never be any serious consequences for all the borrowing and spending that we have been doing.

And that is because most Americans don’t understand basic economics.

When your debt rises much faster than your income does for an extended period of time, it is always going to result in pain.

Every single time.

If you have ever found yourself drowning in debt, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Well, now our entire country is drowning in debt, and our politicians are adding hundreds of billions more to that debt every single month.

This is not going to end well, and that should be obvious to everyone.

For the moment, our politicians are doing their best to keep the debt spiral humming, but the clock is ticking and time is quickly running out…

Originally published at The Economic Collapse Blog – reposted with permission.

Stark Differences Between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine Protests

This is no surprise. Radical Islam is hell bent on the destruction of Christians and Jews. The Jews just want to live in peace. Antisemitism and the worldwide hatred for Jews, especially among the Muslims, is reminiscent of the Nazis in the 1930’s. This religious insatiable hatred goes back to the loins of Abraham and his sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Younger people on college campuses are totally brainwashed by this propaganda. Claiming to be the intelligent arm of culture and society; in actuality they are the largest bigots and racists.

Pastor Steve <><

Breaking News Updates – October 21, 2023

By Lucy Gilbert/Daily Signal October 21, 2023

Following the Hamas attacks on Israel, thousands of protestors across the world have been coming out in support of either Israel or Palestine. But the differences in the demonstrations between the two have been stark, with mostly mourning from pro-Israel demonstrators and justifications for violence and even calls for Jewish genocide from among the pro-Palestine protestors.

On Oct. 7, Hamas militants began an attack on Israel, leaving 1,400 dead and roughly 200 abducted. Mostly civilians, including the elderly, women, and children, were among those who were killed or tortured.

Many pro-Palestinian protests have shocked the world, such as one in Australia where demonstrators chanted, “Gas the Jews,” “F-k the Jews,” and “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic). The protest drew roughly 1,000 people who chanted in front of the Sydney Opera House holding flares and Palestinian flags.

Across the world in the U.S., many smaller protests took place in cities and on college campuses. In Indianapolis, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protestors faced off.

The pro-Israel protesters sang songs while carrying signs that said things like, “There is no excuse to killing babies” and “Hamas=ISIS.”

Meanwhile, the pro-Palestine protestors echoed a common chant: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” This chant is a call to action to make the State of Palestine occupy the land from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. Israel is in between, so if this actually happened, Palestine would become the 57th Islamic state by fully eradicating Israel, including “ethnically cleansing” the Jewish people who currently live there, as the Palestinians have decreed that they refuse to live alongside the Jews.

At George Washington University, dozens of students gathered for a planned “Vigil for the Martyrs of Palestine.” Many of the attendees covered their faces. Daily Signal Reporter Mary Margaret Olohan was given a face mask and told to wear one by the pro-Palestine participants so “they” wouldn’t identify her later in pictures.

On the George Mason University campus, an alum said the pro-Palestine protest there was “terrifying” for the Jewish students on campus. She added that the protests were “enabling Hamas to continue to oppress the Palestinian people.”

On Oct. 17, a pro-Palestinian group called for a cease-fire outside the White House. Forty-nine of these protestors were arrested for allegedly blocking entrances and crossing barriers.

The following day, pro-Palestinian protestors entered a House of Representatives office building protesting and calling for a cease-fire. Over 300 were arrested, and at least three were charged with assaulting a police officer, according to the Capitol Police.

“Demonstrations are not allowed inside congressional buildings,” Capitol Police said on X (formerly Twitter) before the protests. “We warned the protestors to stop demonstrating, and when they did not comply, we began arresting them.”

Many American college students have come out in support of Palestine, including over 30 Harvard student groups that said they held Israel “entirely responsible” for the Hamas attacks.

At George Mason University in Virginia, many of the students denied the atrocities that happened to Israelis or tried to justify it.

“The one time Hamas decides to fight back because it is their land, they’re just going to make a big deal of it, that doesn’t make any sense to me,” one student said.

Originally published at The Daily Signal – reposted with permission.

The US military discharged over 8,000 service members who rejected the COVID-19 shot. Only 43 have rejoined.

NEWS

JOSEPH MACKINNON

October 04, 2023

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The Pentagon’s vaccine mandate is no longer in effect, but its repercussions continue to be felt. Of the over 8,000 service members discharged for refusing the shot, only 43 have rejoined over the past eight months.

What’s the background?

After first rolling out a vaccination program on a voluntary basis, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the mandate in 2021, penalizing all service members who resisted.

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The Military Times indicated that roughly 17,000 service members ultimately refused to take the vaccine.

While around 1,200 secured exemptions, Defense Department records indicate that 3,717 Marines, 1,816 soldiers, and 2,064 sailors were discharged for refusing the vaccine, reported Reuters. Further, 834 Air Force/Space Force service members were apparently also discharged.

Approximately 70% of those ousted for their refusal to take the novel mRNA vaccine reportedly received general discharges.

The mandate and the ousters were roundly criticized.

Twenty governors, in a Nov. 30, 2022, letter demanding the mandate’s repeal, stated, “The Biden vaccine mandate on our military creates a national security risk that severely impacts our defense capabilities abroad and our state readiness here at home.”

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About-face

The mandate remained in effect from August 2021 until January 2023, when Republicans ensured its nullification as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Republican Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Ted Cruz (Texas), and others also proposed that military members who had been discharged for refusing the vaccine be reinstated, reported CNN. However, this amendment to the defense bill in the Senate did not pass.

Following the passage of the NDAA, Austin wrote in an unapologetic memo, “Section 525 of the NDAA for FY 2023 requires me to rescind the mandate that members of the Armed Forces be vaccinated against COVID-19, issued in my August 24, 2021 memorandum, ‘Mandatory Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination of Department of Defense Service Members.’ I hereby rescind that memorandum.”

Accordingly, troops would no longer have to take the vaccine against their will or undergo segregation “on the basis of their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination if they sought an accommodation on religious, administrative, or medical grounds.”

Despite this reversal and the provision of general discharges, thousands of ousted troops have not returned.

Gone for good

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) wrote to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth last month demanding answers about how many service members have rejoined as well as about the services’ plan “to ensure continued readiness after the mandate went into effect, knowing that thousands of service members would be discharged.”

Tuberville said in a corresponding statement, “Joe Biden firing thousands of healthy and dedicated service members made us weaker and never had any basis in science.”

“The Senate — and, more importantly, military families — deserve a full accounting of the effects of this policy up and down the chain of command. The Pentagon needs to stop stonewalling and give us the answers we deserve.”

CNN reported that, according to data provided by the military branches, since January, only 19 soldiers have rejoined the Army and 12 have rejoined the Marines. As for the Air Force and Navy, only one and two have returned, respectively.

Some analysts have suggested that the lost manpower is a drop in the bucket.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN the numbers are “minuscule.”

“I don’t think there was ever any real evidence that it was getting in the way of recruitment or retention,” said Morrison. “There was some grumbling, but you know the reality if you enter the military and you submit to a whole battery of different medical measures.”

Last year, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger suggested the mandate had in fact impacted recruitment, particularly “in parts of the country [where] there’s still myths and misbeliefs about the back story behind it,” reported Military.com.

Outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing in early 2022, “I think if 2,000 are kicked out [of the Army], I think that would hurt.”

In addition to having trouble luring back those able-bodied patriots it discharged during the pandemic, the military appears to be struggling with recruitment and retention.

For instance, TheBlaze reported Tuesday that the Army has found itself having to make “sweeping changes” to its recruiting enterprise after struggling to meet its end-strength goal.

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The Sword Of The Lord ~ Dr. Shelton Editor ~ September 1, 2023

Judges 7:20 King James Version (KJV)
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

An Independent Christian Publication, Standing for the Verbal Inspiration of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, His Blood Atonement, Salvation by Faith, New Testament Soul Winning and the Premillennial Return of Christ; Opposing Modernism (Liberalism), Worldliness and Formalism.

The Amen Corner

“Be sure you will do God’s will, no matter what His will for your life may be. Many people are curious to know God’s will so they can decide whether or not they will do it. But you must decide you will do His will before you know it. It means you must trust Him completely and know that whatever He leads you to do is the best thing you can do, and wherever He leads you is the best place you can be.” -Curtis Hutson

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life….” -Ps. 27:4.

“If the average business tried to operate like the average church, it would go out of business quickly. How many businesses could operate with half its employees present on any given working day? Someone has said that a church is like an ailing lung – only a few cells are working! So, it is not faithfulness here that I refer to, but the desire to be in the house of God! “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord” (Ps. 84:2). By the grace of God, I have missed only a few services in the house of God in the last 25 years, but it is because I earnestly desire to be there and therefore I do not find excuses to lay out but look for reasons to go! When that desire is low, it is an early warning for me!” -Dr. Dan Reed

“Other books pass out of date, but the Bible is never out of date. The Bible fits all men of all ages.” -John R. Rice

“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts’ (Hag. 2:8). And so we give Him of what we have, not that it might become His but because it is His by creation and by redemption and by every other right.” -Herbert Lockyer

“The faithful dependability of God is beyond question; and happy are the people who trust in His care.” -Ivor Powell

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, who emancipates from the burden and thralldom of sin as a strong and sufficient Saviour, expects in return the loyalty of our love and labor.” -Charles J. Rolls

Exclusive: Andy Stanley Tells ‘Unconditional Conference’ Attendees He REFUSES to Say ‘Homosexuality is a Sin’

One could write a book on the trainwrecks of famous Southern Baptist Convention pastors (SBC) whose sons come up with doctrine straight from the pit of hell. Andy Stanley is a rank heretic who is totally oblivious to the five scriptures listed below, as well as much more of the Bible. The tutelage from his father did him absolutely no good. (Charles Stanley excelled in expounding on living the Christian life, but he never did come down on sin with a hammer). Andy is right, homosexuality is not correctly called sin because Jehovah calls it an abomination, (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13) and He repeats the statement throughout the scriptures, (I Corinthians 6:9, Revelation 21:8, Galatians 5:18-21, etc.) that those who engage in such practices will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Oh, right, there is only one other kingdom for sodomites to inherit. An abomination, of course, is a special affront to God, as those who engage in such despicable practices are performing activities that the Lord never intended for man. An abomination, Andy, is sin on steroids. And you cannot even call homosexuality / sodomy sin? Yikes! For the Israelites, death was the penalty for engaging in such activity. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:13 KJV

Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><

GREG SMITH·

Andy Stanley joined Debbie Causey for the second main session of the Unconditional conference. Causey is a pastor and the long-time Care Director at North Point Community Church. She is a board member of Renovus, an LGBTQ activist group led by her and other gay-affirming leaders within North Point church, and she recently revealed that when parents from church come to her looking for resources for their struggling and confused LGBTQ children, she recommends they attend The Christian Closet, a counseling collective where literally all the counselors and therapists are on the LGBTQ spectrum and are gay-affirming. 

Rather than give a long detailed article, this will be a brief overview of things overheard and said by Stanley. All the direct quotes are italicized.

Andy Stanley said he cried reading Debbie Causey’s book about her gay son.

He said she’s been his counselor for many years,

Stanley said he gets so much Twitter hate, which doesn’t bother him: “it doesn’t hurt my feelings, because I don’t know these people.” But he says he has a little file on his phone called ‘Andy Haters’ that he and his family read out loud and laugh at when they get together.

Stanley said he has a foster daughter that came out as gay in the ninth grade.

He had a long-time friend who loved Jesus and did not want to be gay, and so “the category was established many, many years ago that this isn’t either/ or.”

Stanley says he’s had many conversations with gay people and they were all raised in church. Says he’s grateful for his Southern Baptist heritage, but “the whole category, the whole topic is just a four word response: ‘homosexuality is a sin.” Stanley says that sort of response- ‘homosexuality is a sin’- works fine until your child comes out to you and “suddenly it’s irrelevant. And before long you realize this sentence doesn’t even make sense.”

“And I still get this constantly; ‘Andy, YES or NO?’ We had a Television network kick us off the air this year- just ‘YES or NO, is homosexuality a sin?’ I’m NOT going to answer that question!”

“We have to have new language that creates the potential for a sane, realistic dialogue” regarding homosexuality, because “until we can change the language we can’t have a conversation.“

Talking to parents at the conference who have gay children: “You had four words, homosexuality is a sin,” that’s your whole vocabulary. And then your child comes out, and you have no vocabulary to even have the conversation.” He says: “you have to throw that away- ‘homosexuality is a sin’ -because it’s irrelevant in that moment.”

References a study that says 96% of people who find themselves to be gay have prayed that God to take it away and make them straight, says those stats have a deep impact on him.

Stanley condemns evangelical and conservative churches for saying that people in the LGBTQ community are going to hell, arguing “you should do a word study on hell and realize only Jesus uses it. And he doesn’t mention any of this.” (No Andy, evangelicals and conservatives do NOT say homosexuals are going to hell, but the Bible tells us that those who engage in such practices without repentance are. Three verses that say thusly are in the first paragraph of this article. Pastor Steve).

“Our lives have naturally continued to intersect with gay kids and gay adults- the whole gamut.” Stanley says he feels “some kind of a strange way” that this is what he’s supposed to do.

In that context he reveals “I’ve never talked about this, but the challenge is I can’t make my personal thing the church thing.” He say that “there is a built in tension” and that Mohler’s article and the conference and some other things have “brought it to a head” and maybe they’re at a tipping point.

Says he’s “no martyr” and he’s not “trying to be a hero” but believes maybe he’s here “for such a time as this.“

That’s a lot to take in for now. We’ll continue the rest of his Q &A in our next article tomorrow.

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‘Gut Instinct’ Cause for Numerous Sensory Symptoms in Long COVID, Doctors Offer Comprehensive Treatment

The Epoch Times / Part V of V

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NEW RELEASE
 
Unsettling ‘Long COVID’ Symptom—Real Cause Revealed

Long COVID

‘Gut Instinct’ Cause for Numerous Sensory Symptoms in Long COVID, Doctors Offer Comprehensive Treatment

COVID-19 and long COVID may be linked to impaired sensory neurons, a recent study Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study finds.

'Gut Instinct' Cause for Numerous Sensory Symptoms in Long COVID, Doctors Offer Comprehensive Treatment
(nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock)
Marina Zhang

By Marina Zhang

9/15/2023

Updated:

9/19/2023

0:00

COVID-19 and long COVID may be linked to impaired sensory neurons, as a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study finds.

Sensory neurons are responsible for smell, taste, touch, pain, and changes in temperature. Damage to them may lead to impaired senses.

Surprisingly, the study found that infected neurons released viral proteins like the spike protein and nucleocapsid proteins rather than the virus releasing them.

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8/9/2023

COVID-19 Vagus Nerve Inflammation May Lead to Dysautonomia: New Study

Not all neurons were infected. All lab-made neurons were exposed to the Wuhan, delta, and omicron strains, but only up to 30 percent of the neurons were infected, with the omicron variant having the lowest infection rate.

Sensory neurons infected with SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. (Courtesy of Rudolf Jaenisch)
Sensory neurons infected with SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. (Courtesy of Rudolf Jaenisch)

Sensory Symptoms in Long COVID and Vaccine Injuries

Some doctors have suspected that the sensory problems, such as lost or impaired smell, taste, and hearing, and muscle pains, numbness, burning, and electrical shock sensations, seen in long COVID and vaccine-injured patients are due to the spike proteins on the COVID-19 virus’ surface. The mRNA and adenovirus vaccines similarly instruct the body to produce spike proteins.

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The MIT study shows what “our clinical gut instinct” tells us is the cause of symptoms, neurologist Dr. Diane Counce told The Epoch Times.

Other factors may also be at play.

A common driver is inflammation. Inflammation occurs as immune cells clear out viruses and their proteins. Yet a constant state of inflammation is not viable for normal neural function, and neurons can become hyperreactive and damaged.

Some patients may also develop mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). In MCAS, patients become highly sensitive to any change in the environment. The histamine released in such a scenario irritates the nerves, causing neuropathic pain and itching. Swelling and mucus production due to this allergic response can also impair the senses if sensory neurons are near the site of histamine release.

Another increasingly recognized driver is microclotting.

“The nerves form a webbing around the blood vessels … If you have clotting, then you’re not feeding the nerves correctly,” Dr. Counce said, adding that this could cause something close to “infarcts in the nerves.”

Sensory problems from microclotting often manifest alongside other symptoms, including chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath.

These mechanisms can be affected simultaneously and overlap; therefore, several different therapeutics must often be prescribed to manage all the different systems, said internal medicine physician Dr. Keith Berkowitz.

Treatments That Clear Spike Proteins

Ivermectin

Ivermectin is a first-line therapy in both treating COVID-19 infections and chronic long COVID and vaccine injuries.

The drug has a high affinity to the COVID-19 virus, including its spike protein, and can immobilize the proteins for immune clearance.

Dr. Berkowitz has found ivermectin to be very helpful in clearing acute COVID-19 infection, which also alleviates the infection’s loss of taste and smell.

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been shown to impair and break down spike protein. Augmented NAC may be particularly potent in its effects.

Nurse practitioner Scott Marsland at the Leading Edge Clinic told The Epoch Times that long COVID and vaccine-injured patients may experience flare-ups of symptoms, and treatment with augmented NAC has been particularly helpful in controlling these.

Nattokinase

Nattokinase is an enzyme derived from natto made from fermented soybeans. Japanese studies have shown that it can break down spike proteins in cell culture.

Apart from that, nattokinase also has robust anti-clotting capabilities. Therefore, the supplement can aid in the breakdown of blood clots that obstruct the sensory nerves from receiving adequate oxygen and nutrients.

Some of Mr. Marsland’s patients have reported improvements in their senses of smell and taste after taking a high dose of nattokinase twice daily.

Treatments That Reduce Inflammation

Intravenous Fluid Therapy

“When you have a virus, what do they first do in the hospital when you go in? Hydrate them,” Dr. Berkowitz told The Epoch Times.

He has observed that around 80 percent of his long-COVID and vaccine-injured patients would be more responsive to treatment after a few hydration sessions.

Dr. Counce explained that patients who need intravenous fluid therapy likely have small fiber neuropathy, which can affect sensory neurons.

Low-Dose Naltrexone

Naltrexone, when administered in lower doses—usually 1 to 5 milligrams per pill—exhibits anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties.

In managing long-COVID- and vaccine-related injuries, Dr. Counce and pulmonary critical care specialist Dr. Pierre Kory have found the drug effective in treating neuropathies. Since the drug can reduce inflammation in neurons, doctors think it may have promise in treating smell-, taste-, and other related sensory problems.

Treatments That Inhibit Neural Overactivity

Dr. Berkowitz has observed that some patients’ nervous systems appear hyperreactive.

These patients are insomniac, anxious, have gastrointestinal problems, and often have neuropathic symptoms like pain and experience electric shock-like feelings. Some patients are also unresponsive to various long-COVID and vaccine-injury treatments like low-dose naltrexone.

Dr. Berkowitz found hydration therapy and gabapentin helpful treatments in these cases.

Gabapentin

Gabapentin helps soothe the nervous system by mimicking gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which works as an inhibitor in neurons.

GABA slows and blocks nervous activity, creating a calming effect. Since the gut is a major producer of GABA, patients with gut problems may benefit from gabapentin.

Dr. Counce has observed that patients with severe neuropathic pain also tend to respond well to it.

Stellate Ganglion Block

Stellate ganglion blocks, an invasive operation that involves an anesthetic injection into the autonomic nerves, can reset hyperactive nerves, reduce stress, and return smell and taste to affected patients.

A study published in May examined the effect of stellate ganglion block on 195 long-COVID patients at a pain clinic and found that 87.4 percent reported an improved sense of smell after receiving the injection.

Treatments That Repair Neurological Damage

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

Dr. Counce has found that patients tend to respond well to therapies that improve brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein related to neural growth and survival.

The mushroom lion’s mane boosts BDNF. In an animal study, rats had their sciatic nerves cut, making them unable to walk. After being supplemented with lion’s mane mushrooms, they could walk again.

Rhodiola rosea, a type of herbal medicine, can also increase BDNF levels.

NAC and resveratrol, commonly recommended supplements for long COVID and vaccine injury, also carry BDNF properties.

Treatments That Prevent Clotting

Curcumin

Curcumin is a phytonutrient derived from the ginger plant turmeric. Studies show that curcumin has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects. Therefore, many doctors have added curcumin to their treatment regimen, judging it to be helpful in breaking down blood clots.

The phytonutrient can also cross the blood-brain barrier to alleviate neuroinflammation. Research has shown it to help reduce neuropathic pain; other reports suggest it may also help treat loss of smell and taste in COVID.

Bromelain

Bromelain is an enzyme derived from pineapples. Since bromelain can digest gelatin, jelly companies advise against adding fresh pineapples to their mixtures to prevent the jelly from “setting.”

In the body, bromelain can break down fibrin, a component of blood clots, and is known to prevent coagulation and platelet aggregation, all of which may help to break down blood clots. Cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough recommends bromelain as part of his spike protein detox protocol (pdf).

Triple Therapy

Combining anticoagulants may create a more substantial synergistic effect than using one anticoagulant alone.

Professors Resia Pretorius and Douglas Kell have found the triple combination therapy of anticoagulants—clopidogrel and aspirin, anti-platelet apixaban, and proton pump inhibitor (PPI)—to be successful in treating blood clots.

Researchers placed a group of 24 long-COVID patients on this regimen for a month, and all patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms, including muscle pain.

In March, the same researchers published a second preprint (pdf) on 91 patients, most of whom experienced a resolution of symptoms. The authors emphasized that “such a regime must only be followed under expert medical supervision in view of the risk of bleeding.”

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Top Two Comments:

Jan

2023-09-16

Last year, I listened to a GI doctor that studied the guts microbiome before getting the jab to compare post vaxed.
Bottom line the jab DESTROYS the guts microbiome.
Long Covid appears to be code for a vax injury.
Since the mRNA technology we now have long Covid.
I used to be a nurse and have never heard of any other virus that has the word “long” before the diagnosis…Long Flu, Long Pneumonia, Long AIDS etc.

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American Woman

2023-09-16

11 dead vaccinated friends.
Many chronically ill vaccinated friends.
Unvaxxed friends enjoying good health.
That is my “science”.

Reply

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Marina Zhang

Marina Zhang

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Marina Zhang is a health writer for The Epoch Times, based in New York. She mainly covers stories on COVID-19 and the healthcare system and has a bachelors in biomedicine from The University of Melbourne. Contact her at marina.zhang@epochtimes.com.

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The Day Israel Changed Forever – A Prophetic Perspective 　 　    

The Psalm 83 War has been forecasted by prophecy watchers for a long time. In a nutshell, this prophecy tells us that prior to the Great Tribulation period and the War of Gog and Magog (with Russia, Iran and Turkey), Israel will defeat her local enemies and increase her land mass. This could be the beginning of that period. Maranatha, Pastor Steve <><

logo Breaking News Updates – October 08, 2023   Dear PNW subscribers,

We have entered into a new era in which the Middle East will never be the same.  Every major news organization is covering current developments going on in Israel and we will do our best to include stories and links to the most important developments. 

We have been blessed to develop many friendships and associations with people and organizations on the ground in Israel and hope to bring you stories from those living through the current situation so that you can receive first hand information.  Much of this information will change rapidly and our updates may be more frequent or at different times of the day to keep you informed on new developments.

While the mainstream news is analyzing the geopolitical realities on the ground we also plan to bring you a prophetic perspective on what is happening.  How do such events tie in with God’s Word about Israel and the end times?  How will the involvement of other nations such as Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Russia, the United States as well as the United Nations impact the prophetic picture?

While we are still in the early days of analyzing how all of this will play out in the bigger picture we believe there are several prophetic themes to be watching at this time.  One of those that we believe every person should familiarize themselves with is the potential impact of the Psalm 83 war.

The Psalm 83 War

In Psalm 83 Asaph petitions the Lord about about a confederacy of nations that will rise up against Israel.  There are many prophetic scholars who argue that this event is a reference to a future event and not something that has happened in the past.  If this perspective is right then Israel will find itself in another multi front war against several nations and groups of people in the Middle East.  Those groups include not only the Palestinians/Hamas/Islamic Jihad but also Hezbollah/Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria. 

Many people are familiar with the war of Gog/Magog found in Ezekiel 38 which involves Iran, Turkey and Russia invading Israel.  However where are Israel’s other traditional enemies?  None of those named in Psalm 83 confederation are included in the Ezekiel 38 Gog/Magog Confederacy.

Many prophetic scholars believe the Psalm 83 war will precede the Magog Invasion and result in Israel defeating many of it’s neighboring countries, acquiring expanded territory and then proceeding to dwell safely in the Land (for a time).  In essence the Psalm 83 war sets the stage for the Magog Invasion. We are already hearing intelligence reports that the Hamas attack had the support of Iranian and Russian intelligence.

Will the current conflict with Hamas expand to include other nations and if so, will this set the stage for this prophetic battle of Psalm 83?

We encourage you to go here and watch Prophecy expert Bill Salus give an interview on the background to the Pslam 83 War and what might be coming next in the Middle East.

If you have not been able to catch up with latest developments please watch this video from our friends “The Israel Guys” who are based in Israel and provide a Christian perspective on events with boots on the ground.  We will be sharing their regular updates here.

Lastly, we know that God is in control and prayer can change things.  Let’s lift up those in Israel in prayer and we will be providing opportunities for you to contribute directly to those in need as well.

Sincerely,

Kade Hawkins
Prophecy News Watch