SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at China’s Orwellian facial recognition camera network.
Pandemic Will Cause Businesses to Flee Large Cities
The editors of Wolf Street recently posted this: The “Post-Plague” Office: There Could be Quite a Run on the Suburbs. Related news: How People and Companies Feel About Working Remotely. Here is a snippet:
“Every thinking company in America is drawing up war plans to double the office square footage allocated to its employees. They know they must not only make their employees safe but also feel safe. Plans include more private offices, less density in open areas and making hallways, exits and other pinch points unidirectional. The long dining table approach with headphoned workers cheek by jowl is now a relic.
Bottom line, if half the employees stay home, but the footage is doubled for everyone else, you’ve achieved an equilibrium. Your tenants’ space needs stay roughly constant.”
39 Injured in Chinese Kindergarten Knife Attack
Tim J. sent us this: At least 39 injured in knife attack at China kindergarten
No Guns For You: The West Palm Beach “Emergency”
Several readers mentioned this news: West Palm Beach declares State of Local Emergency. Here is an excerpt:
“The city of West Palm Beach declared a State of Local Emergency on Sunday just as local protests took a destructive turn.
‘There is reason to believe that there exists a clear and present danger of a riot or other general public disorder,’ wrote Mayor Keith James in his proclamation.
During a State of Local Emergency, the sale of firearms and alcohol is prohibited. Stores also cannot intentionally display ammunition or guns. It’s also against the law to possess a firearm in a public place.”
JWR’s Comment: Since when is the right to keep and bear arms conditional? I have an emphatic message for Mayor Keith James: “Lex Mala, Lex Nulla.” I’m also making a promise: I will continue to ship antique cartridge guns from my online store to any SurvivalBlog readers who live in West Palm Beach. I’ll even give you folks a 15% discount. And I’ll do the same for the residents of any other city where similar edicts are made, that abrogate state and Federal constitutional rights. Just contact me via e-mail, and I’ll make arrangements to send you what you need, post haste.
China’s Facial Recognition Network is All About Control
Michelle sent this link to a video produced by The Economist: China: facial recognition and state control — The Economist. From the description:
“China is the world leader in facial recognition technology. Discover how the country is using it to develop a vast hyper-surveillance system able to monitor and target its ethnic minorities, including the Muslim Uighur population.“
‘Strategic’ Well-Orchestrated Heists Seen Amid Protests
‘Strategic’ well-orchestrated heists seen amid protest chaos. (A hat tip to D.S.V., for the link.)
Philippine Dissenters May Be Labelled “Terrorists”
Reader C.H. sent this: Philippine Dissenters May Face Terrorist Designation. This article begins:
“President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines is expected to sign sweeping antiterrorism legislation that critics said on Thursday would allow the authorities to classify government opponents as terrorists and detain people for critical social media posts.
The measure, which has passed both houses of Congress, neared finalization as the United Nations released a scathing report that cites widespread human rights violations under Mr. Duterte, including the extrajudicial killing of more than 8,000 people.”
Airlines to Drop Service to 75 Domestic Airports
Linked over at Whatfinger: Airlines gain final approval to drop services to 75 domestic airports
WHO’s Catastrophic Mortality Rates Were a Scam
At The Gateway Pundit: Sorry, America – Those Catastrophic Mortality Rates Sold to Us by the WHO, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx Were a Huge Scam.
Healthcare Workers Now Cheer Protesters
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You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) Thanks!
An interesting piece at The Economist about the possible impact to total deaths caused by the coronavirus.
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/16/tracking-covid-19-excess-deaths-across-countries
RE: West Palm Beach’s emergency declaration: my memory is fuzzy, but IIRC, Florida has a strong state pre-emption statute prohibiting exactly this sort of local shenanigans, and also IIRC, there’s a clause in it making local officials personally liable for $5,000 fines.
That won’t stop ignorant or biased local officials from occasionally charging into forbidden territory, but more then one has gotten smacked down over it.
I hope you are right about Florida law, It may not stop them, but a few $5000 fines will certainly get their attention. I hope the folks in Palm Beach pursue complaints to the state over this.
“WHO’s Catastrophic Mortality Rates Were a Scam”
This story is old news. Some of us here on SurvivalBlog were pointing out those same numbers back in February and early March. When antibody studies started coming out at the end of April, showing that in the sampling areas large percentages of the people sampled had gotten the virus but never shown any symptoms, that dropped the mortality rate way below ½% and I quit worrying about the Mexican beer virus altogether. I don’t wear a mask when I go out and I don’t clean the shopping cart handle. The sooner I get the virus, and therefore immunity, the better.
We’re ALL going to get it sooner or later. It’s a conornavirus so 1.) the chances of them coming up with a vaccine are slim to none (they have failed on the other 6 CoV’s that infect humans) 2.) it’s almost certainly seasonal like the 4 that cause colds in humans so it’ll be back during cold/flu season 3.) the sooner we all get it and build herd immunity, the quicker we can get back to normal and stop worrying about it.
The lock downs were supposed to flatten the curve, meaning, slow down the infection rate so hospitals could handle the influx of patients. Instead, it has flattened it way too much and we’re slowing down the whole process of herd immunity. The one benefit of all the protests and riots is that it may speed that up, but the warm weather and sunshine will be counterproductive so we’ll still have a spike in the the fall when cold/flu season starts back up.
Anybody under the age of 50 has almost no chance of dying from the virus, so unless they have old people they go home to who have diabetes or high blood pressure, they should throw their masks away and help build herd immunity as quickly as possible to get this country back on track! We’ve had plenty of pandemics in this country, the Asian flu in 1957, Hong Kong flu in 1969, and those killed millions without destroying the economy in the process. This virus is no different. We’ve been sold a bill of goods, as usual.
If you are old with other conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, it may be a good idea to continue to take precautions, hoping that by the time you get the virus it will be a mutated, gentler strain. But for the rest of us, many have already been infected and didn’t even know it. In his autopsy, George Floyd was found to be a symptomless carrier. When home testing kits get down to $10 like they are in England, we can test ourselves for antibodies (to find out if we had it and were symptomless) and then quit wearing masks and washing shopping cart handles.
Just my 2¢
But now Montpelier VT has declared that masks have to be worn in all stores! Burlington VT had already done this. So some are moving in the other direction. The science doesn’t matter. I’m still wearing a mask when I go into any store in any town here as most people are doing so and I’m trying to be respectful of other shoppers and the staff but yeah, at this point it might be better to just get it already. I don’t know. But panicked older people with medical issues are posting online in my state fingering any stores where the staff or shoppers aren’t wearing masks or wearing them “improperly” and fingering runners, bikers etc if they’re not wearing masks. It’s brutal to wear a mask that lacks a valve for hour after hour, especially when doing strenuous work outside. Still, it’s become part of virtue signalling to wear one I suppose. I only have 1 client that still expects me to wear a mask when I’m working(although she doesn’t); I’m going to refuse to do this from now on.
Hi Ani, that’s some crazy stuff and it’s downright scary where some of this is headed. It’s straight out of Orwell’s 1984. Hopefully there will be a lot more antibody surveys published in the next few months so people can start to realized that a good percentage of the population has already had the virus and wasn’t even aware. The entire response the virus has been so insane I have to wonder if it was even about the virus at all.
Greetings St. Funogas! We always enjoy your posts, your sense of humor and perspective. I would like to add a couple of thoughts to yours that come from a different assessment of the situation before us, adding to the conversation about coronavirus, SARS-COV-2, and COVID-19. We are all trying to sort out the truth, and none of us will know for sure until we’re looking in the rear view mirror. With this in mind, I am encouraging everyone to exercise great caution with regard to this virus.
There are many reasons for this position, but the one I would like to share today is that there are people (many people) with risk factors they may not even know they have. One example is a fellow we know who had some generally typical seasonal allergy symptoms. These were more a nuisance than anything else, and he mentioned these to his doctor on an otherwise routine visit. Just to be on the safe side, the doctor sent this fellow to a pulmonary specialist who determined quickly with lab work that he had α1-antitrypsin (also called antitrypsin or “Alpha-1”). He had no idea, nor did anyone else, that he had this hereditary concern.
This fellow is otherwise very healthy without any significant history of health issues. He has none of the typical comorbidity factors when it comes to the checklist for COVID-19. …and yet, he may be at great risk because of a genetic condition he has always had, but was not aware of until just a few years ago. At the time he thought it was strange that his doctor sent him to a specialist who uncovered this finding based on a history that was more a nuisance than anything else. It may have been that God was revealing this to him to protect this man, knowing as only God could know, what was coming.
Please. Do not take unnecessary and avoidable risks with life. It’s a precious gift from our Loving God. It’s easy to wear a mask, protective eye coverings or face shields and gloves.
A few more thoughts…
* We do not yet know whether the virus is mutating to become less virulent, or whether there are multiple strains. Either explanation can account for some of what we are seeing — or think we are seeing. If there are multiple strains, no one among us gets to choose the one to which we are exposed. But! We can take steps to prevent exposure.
* The numbers of infected appear to be going up, and we do not yet know what the implications of this will be. There have also been stories of data reports that may have been manipulated in a number of directions. Be cautious about the data on which you’re relying. We will all be thankful if there turns out to have been a lot of worry, and little or no additional loss. We should prepare for the possibility that the outcome could tragically be otherwise.
* Testing technology may yet be producing both false positives and false negatives (depending on the test in question). Some levels of testing are more reliable than others, and some are less so. Not everyone is getting the same level of testing, but this is not necessarily reflected in the infection count.
* Early mitigation slowed the progression of this illness through the population such that medical science could learn more about the virus. Treatment protocols are still in development, although there remain no therapeutic options in which we can generally have strong confidence (or maybe yet any confidence). Absence of mitigation (or abandonment of mitigation practices) may yet have serious adverse consequences.
* Remember this… Despite the efforts to make this virus political or to use it for political advantage, the virus itself has no politics. It is a virus. Understand it as a virus, and treat it as a virus. Address political issues as a separate matter. These are also important, but should be aggressively decoupled from matters of health and wellness.
Remain steady. Be safe. Stay well everyone!
Hey T of A, don’t worry about me, I’m impossible to insult or offend! 🙂 I always enjoy hearing others’ viewpoints.
Even if the worst case scenarios about the CoV were true, one of my very strong beliefs is this: We can’t make public policy, and as individuals we can’t back government policy, based on our individual family members. If I am backing the government on lockdowns because I am worried about my dearly beloved ancient old dad dying, then it becomes an emotional decision instead of a rational decision. We have to stand back and look at what’s best for the country as a whole, not what’s best for my dad. We have way too much emotion in this country and we are seriously lacking in logic and critical thinking when it comes to making public policy and spending taxpayer dollars.
Even if this virus had a higher mortality rate, what species besides humans would possibly throw their younger generations under the bus, the ones who have to carry the torch forward in the future, the ones who pay most of the taxes, the ones who support the older generations with social security taxes and medicare taxes taken out of their paychecks each week, in order to save very old people who have other debilitating diseased to begin with? It sounds cold and cruel from an emotional point of view, I know, but it’s rational and logical and it angers me to no end that we’ve put 40 million younger people out of work, who can no longer pay their mortgages or their rent, many of whom have committed suicide, many of whom have lost all hope of a better life in the future, so that we could save some very old people who are probably being kept artificially live in the first place by medications which didn’t even exist in 1969 when the last pandemic went through.
I LOVE old people. Since I was a young man I’ve sat down with many of them and listened to their stories, and recorded their life stories. I’ve published books on their lives so that future generations could enjoy their stories too. I have very strong emotional feelings about them (and not just because I’m getting to be one myself!) But I don’t let those emotions overcome my sense of logic and sensibility to the point of sacrificing the younger generations for the older ones. It doesn’t makes sense from a biological point of view or a sociological once either.
Just my 2¢. I’m not trying to offend anyone and trust me, no government officials at any level are going to read this and change their policymaking decisions! 🙂
I remain a believer that we can accomplish both… Good health and safety precautions AND good decisions related to the economy. These are not mutually exclusive.
I share a great concern for all people, regardless of age. I am further concerned that this virus may have serious implications that will travel with those affected for a very long time, and perhaps a lifetime. I continue to urge caution, understanding that everyone must make their own individual choices.
I remain steadfast.
From my personal experience, it is most assuredly NOT easy to wear a mask. I will continue to NOT wear one at every oppoortunity!
Corona or not I suggest if you live in a heavily populated area and you shop anywhere thousands shop I suggest you sterilize shopping carts handles before you use them. This pandemic hasn’t stopped the use of drugs. Fentanyl is more of a Killer than Covid-19
EMT MIKE. Thank you for the reminder about cart handles and the risk of fentanyl. A terrifying thought, and a greatly appreciated safety warning. We have talked often about the risks of fentanyl as a weapon of terrorism, and concerns that for all those caught, many more carrying it get through without being caught. We had not considered shopping cart handles, but you raise an important point — and an insight. Again, our thanks!
I wear a mask because I’m high risk and more importantly because I don’t want to be an asymptomatic carrier spreading the virus to other people. The mask captures a good portion of the viral particles I exhale so other people don’t catch the virus. I respect other people, I care about other people and I feel a responsibility to the community.
I haven’t read of proof that everyone who recovers from COVID-19 has enough antibodies not to catch it again, important for herd immunity. It’s still early in the research. Let’s hope it can happen. Based on antibody testing even in countries and cities where the virus ran rampant the actual number testing with antibodies is low, no where near herd immunity.
I looked up population numbers and something over 30% of the population is higher risk, something like 100,000,000 people, maybe more. Surveys suggest they are risk adverse. To restart the economy you need demand, but will there be enough if 1/3 of the country isn’t spending much discretionary money in the economy? My retired mom used to travel 4-6 weeks a year, now she is staying home. She’s not going out to eat either. I haven’t bought a tool from Harbor freight since March. I will walk out of any store that has employees or customers not wearing masks and I will go spend my money at stores that require masks.
The gateway pundit has a very obvious political agenda. They have problems with their numbers too. They quote 3.4% fatality rate. I heard that number months ago when testing wasn’t widespread, but current rates are calculating much lower. Actual fatality rates wont’ be known until we look back in future years. The danger of and high fatality rate of COVID-19 can be seen in various observations. I’ve never heard of hospitals requiring reefer trucks to store dead bodies, I’ve never heard of so many deaths that funeral homes can’t keep up, I’ve never heard of hospitals filling up and running out of beds just for a single disease. It’s showing up in excess death counts. China quarantined 60M people and shut down enormous economic output to stop COVID-19. They are a dictatorship, they control internal media, they looked bad to the outside world something very important to avoid, and its going to cost them long term as some companies second source their supply lines. They would not have done all this if COVID-19 wasn’t serious. The US has lost something over 100K people so far after taking drastic steps to slow the virus. We do nothing to slow the flu each year. You can’t compare deaths from the flu and COVID-19 because the flu was allowed to spread freely while we took drastic steps that stopped potential COVID-19 infections.
Young people may not be dying but we really don’t know the long term damage it might be doing to those that recover. What if its scaring lungs, maybe its damaging blood vessels, who knows what the long term damage might be or how many will have medium to long term damage. Damage is showing up. It’s serious enough that the Military stopped accepting recruits that have or have recovered from COVID-19 (they need a waiver). Why would the military make this decision?
As to the steps taken to slow the virus, looking at other countries is informative. Some chose to ignore the virus and were hurt for it, others mounted vigorous public health initiatives quickly, didn’t have nearly the per capita number of cases or deaths that the US had and didn’t have to totally shut down their economies. Ponder that, there are ways to slow the spread of the virus besides shutting down the economy. The Federal Government is responsible for protecting our borders. Decisions at the White House and other Federal agencies contributed to Governors being forced to shut down the economy to slow the spread of the virus and now we live with the consequences of those early decisions.
Be alert and aware. The brainwashing that had once been tucked quietly into the classrooms of our children, and more recently has been in the forefront of public policy debate, has become a revolutionary call to violent action.
https://www.breitbart.com/social-justice/2020/06/06/watch-kneeling-protesters-told-to-recite-revolution-is-the-solution-not-voting/
As for us, we kneel only before God. We will never kneel before any political revolutionary. This will not be happening in so far as we are concerned.
What concerns us is that anyone is kneeling before the very people who have committed wanton acts of violence, acts without mercy, injuring and killing people, destroying property and the livelihoods of innocent bystanders who have become collateral damage.
I agree. In the eyes of God we are all created equal. No man should ever bow before another man. We all kneel only to the Living God and His son Jesus Christ from Nazareth. This kneeling reminds me of the stories of Daniel, where everyone was required to worship the image at the sound of the musical instruments. Nope, not me. I agree that, if it wasn’t a Crisis acting scenario, that it was awful to kill George Floyd and that police officer needs to go before the justice.
This is a communist take over. Go read the Ten Planks of Marxism/Communism and you’ll see that every plank but one has already been accomplished in our country. What has happened in Venezuela is now here, only it will be many times worse. Many times worse than what Hitler, Mao, and Stalin did. Go and read up on the history of the Holodomor famine. This was the genocide of Ukrainian Christians. Who were the Bolsheviks?
https://www.info-quest.org/documents/TenPlanks.html
Pray!
100% agree. I will only kneel before the Almighty God.
To kneel is to submit. It is not to show “solidarity” with the protestors.
It is a psychological manipulation.
Yep! Too many are not understanding this. Woe, woe woe. 🙁
Yes… A psychological manipulation. Well stated, SaraSue!
A good link, Avalanche Lily, and important reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_dnRA5NFhs&list=PLwCzouksDNdTJL62k3M2bpg5gn6WB2gkp
Holodomor: Harvest of Despair
Patriotic gun owners won’t let it happen. But it’s not our turn YET.
Hi T of A. My Appalachian friend. WV Joe (retired nurse) here. Ive worn too many masks for too many years. Lol No more masks for me. And definitely no kneeling for ANYONE except our Lord.
God bless
WV Joe
WV Joe. It’s true… There is a wonderful friendship among many of the people of Appalachia. I smiled as I read your greeting: “My Appalachian friend”, and I thank you. I will keep you, and all the SB community in my prayers (as will my family) first and foremost for salvation, but also for health and well being, safety, and prosperity. I just hope you will also take earthly precautions in so far as this virus is concerned. Please remain safe and well.
So, if you are enjoying your day, and do not want to become enraged at the stupidity and total brainwashing of our culture, DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK… YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/06/cult-police-officers-white-protesters-wash-feet-black-protest-organizers-beg-forgiveness-video/
I feel sick.
Fahrenheit 451,
NPR Advises Readers to ’Decolonize” Their Bookshelves by Removing White Authors
AWR Hawkins
6 Jun 2020
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/06/npr-advises-readers-to-decolonize-their-bookshelves-by-removing-white-authors/
Sent by BDC
This does not come as a surprise, but it does raise the level of concern.
NPR and every other communist will one day have to be dealt with the old-fashioned way.
I like that comment.
My memory may be a bit off, but… As I recall a little while ago, there were several decisions from Federal Courts up to SCOTUS declaring that the Second Amendment and Right to [Bear] Arms was a Right that local and state governments could NOT infringe during times of emergency. There were quite a few from hurricane Katrina and others. Look them up and arm yourself with knowledge as well.
Currently ‘the boogaloo’ is a current media fascination while incomplete stories are passed off as ‘the whole’ truth (see Buffalo NY PD) while the quiet removal of statues and other’ offensive’ items continues to re-write the nation’s history to the new narratives.
The last straw is now happening- the call to get rid of police departments. No matter how one views the police, giving this request even the remotest consideration may be the last warning of future interesting times.
Meanwhile, I STILL can’t find N95 masks. You would think they would have caught up with production by now. That right there is a mystery to me. Forget the virus hoax, I have a lot of sanding to do that I’ve been putting off. It’s sounding more and more like Ron Paul was – who’s been calling this whole thing a hoax from the very beginning.
“Lex Mala, Lex Nulla”
I remember reading Jim’s 2018 article – seems like yesterday. It’s just as apropos today as back then, maybe even more so. If you live in West Palm Beach and didn’t have a personal armory before now, then I don’t see how you have any choice but pre-1899. God bless you Jim.
The problem they’ll have is getting ammo if they don’t already have a supply. California makes it almost impossible to buy ammo even during times of peace and even when its in stock. I wonder if their “State of Local Emergency” also prohibits the sale of ammo?
Increasingly there is more & more pressure to succumb to the wishes of the left & their socialist agenda, whether it be in the form of town/city mayors, state governors or Feral (feds) elected and unelected (alphabet agency) officials. I see the biggest issue as one in which few people (the average citizen) and specifically elected/public holders of office & civil service jobs, know little about the contents of Our Declaration, Bill of Rights as defined in Our Constitution. This is increasingly NOT taught in our school system for a reason. Few have knowledge of these documents, fewer know what they say, and increasingly more could care less about them and even more totally ignore their contents. Deeming that the courts say what the law is, which is about as backwards as can possibly be.
The virus lockdown is completely against the Founding documents. No one has the right to define what is and is not an essential service or say you cannot work to provide for yourself/family. Every single job is essential for someones well being.
Regarding these so called decrees that everyone wear a mask – consider that no mask will suffice unless it has an airtight facial seal. Plus they are inherently not healthy due to the fact you continue to breath in a certain amount of exhaled air with every breath. IE: if for some reason you do get a bug in you are recycling it over and over again ensuring you have it fully embedded. (Immune systems were a gift from God upon our creation for a reason).
Now on to my pet peeve, the 2nd & basic infringement of the rest of our rights. ANY law, regulation, edict, proposal, whatever you prefer to call it, that even hints at denying or limiting our Rights, as defined but not limited to those listed in our Constitution is 100% illegal and unlawful – PERIOD. It matters not the reason they were made. We cannot defeat those who would infringe upon our rights until we start understanding this and start holding those who do infringe upon those rights accountable and sending them to the showers post haste…..
MS. Lily has it correct: I will NOT kneel down to any other than God my creator and savior. Which also include groveling for forgiveness from any.
As JWR continues to say, ensure your resources are in order, the time is getting short. People seem to be getting stupider by the minute, especially the younger generation(s) that have little first hand knowledge of the evils of succumbing to any master other than our Creator.
@NS
I was wearing an N95 no-valve mask on all of my outdoor work jobs plus any store runs I did. I noticed I was getting sick a lot with sore throats etc after wearing them. I suspect I was sort of recycling the germs as you noted plus the masks got really dirty. I decided this wasn’t at all healthy so I started wearing a washable cloth one for outside jobs and only using the N95 for rare grocery store runs. Now I’m not wearing a mask at all on my jobs(except for one and I’m not going to do that anymore!). This has definitely helped. I still wear a mask into the stores as this is mostly required. I worry for the health of all of our store clerks required to wear masks all day. Some let their noses stay uncovered and then people finger them online. I have no idea what to think anymore. I just wish we knew the truth and had trusted government officials. Sadly that isn’t the case.
Okay. So, share this with all of the sniveling, traitorous cowards you know (if you know any… hopefully few considering the subject matter and the commentary of participants… I am honored to occasionally be among you).
https://jrnyquist.blog/2020/06/04/to-the-americans-who-are-on-their-knees/
“…And so, even the Army generals have bent the knee. The Chinese troops, when they arrive, will tell them to get off their knees. The Chinese will give them shovels, and order them to dig. And when the holes are sufficiently deep, shots will ring out; then body after body will fall into the holes. And the People’s Liberation Army will, with soft dirt, cover the holes into which the corpses have dropped.”
Here’s the money line for the people who are gleefully submitting to tyranny: “You betrayed your country for thirty years of peace and prosperity. When your enemy took over the schools, you didn’t care. When everything at the store was made by your enemy, you liked the low prices. When your enemy ran for Congress and the White House you voted for him. And you congratulated yourself on being virtuous. But you aren’t virtuous. You are cowards.”
Time is short.
A statement was made in regards to ” We all kneel only to the Living God and His son Jesus Christ from Nazareth” and it brings to mind something Jesus often asked his disciples and even the apostles, “Who do people say I am” and also “Who do you say that I am?” It was recorded that Peter replied “Thou art the Christ the son of the living God”.
This question still rings down the centuries to all who are at the very least interested in Jesus; who is he really?
Colossians 2:9 says “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
I ponder this revelation everyday and sometimes throughout the day; who is Jesus of Nazareth and how does this apply to me?
If Jesus was just a man then he was quite a man, but to borrow a term from today’s English (one I find distasteful but more accurate for the times) is Jesus the product of some sperm donor as the local folks in Nazareth most likely were led to believe? Or was he something special?
There are two instances in scripture where Jesus used a Hebrew word Ben and the Aramaic word Bar (Do they say I am the Son man, or the son of God) and Hebrew scholars have argued for centuries about this question.
Ben is Hebrew, and Bar is Aramaic.
Although they can both mean son (flesh) of, they have other meanings depending on context, which is sort of related to son of but not exactly.
Ben chamesh (lamikra) doesn’t mean someone is the son of Chamesh; it means a child the age of 5 is the right age to start learning Torah text.
Bnei (plural joining form of ben) Yisrael doesn’t mean sons of Israel but rather descendants of Israel.
Bnei Neviim does not mean sons of the prophets but rather students of, or the next generation training to be, prophets. (sort of related to al tikri banim ala bonim).
Bnei Elohim doesn’t mean sons of gods but rather descendants of those in power, OR people walking in the path of/dedicated to God.
Bar means not only son (flesh) of, but also master of, or joining up with. Bar mitzva is the age of being responsible to keep the mitzvot, but also (hopefully) mastering or ‘owning’ the mitzvot.
For me as I ponder this question I have come to believe that Jesus is not only the flesh of God, a temple made not by the normal human reproductive process, but by the very act of creation by God, a form of self procreation if you will.
God the creator formed the flesh temple in which HE could dwell (Jesus according to the Gospel of John “For by Him were all things created”) so he could dwell here in the flesh among us and know from our level the harshness and futility of life in this world. No no one will ever be able to look him in the eyes and say “you don’t know how difficult, or you can’t understand …” for truly he does know.
The Catholic church introduced the doctrine of the trinity, Tertullian introduced the term “trinity, the New Bible Dictionary goes on to explain that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity was the result of several inadequate attempts to explain who and what the Christian God really is … To deal with these problems the (Catholic) church priests met in [A.D.] 325 at the Council of Nicaea to set out an orthodox biblical definition concerning the divine identity.” However, it wasn’t until 381, “at the Council of Constantinople, [that] the divinity of the Spirit was affirmed.”
I however have come to believe that the terms “Father (Creator), Son (Flesh) and Holy Ghost (Spirit of the living God) are only titles. I myself am a Father (to my children) a son ( to my parents) and well … not the holy ghost myself, but in my relationship to God His Holy Spirit dwells in me, and that my dear friends, to me, is a really difficult mystery to comprehend. I do believe it was Paul who said the same thing.
Just one old codgers thought as we enter into what I believe are the birth pangs of the end times just as Jesus foretold; it would seem to me that all the prophecies leading up to the end times are fulfilled, especially since Israel became a nation once again.
So, whenever you see the words son of God, substitute the word flesh for son, and see how it fits the scriptures and remember to keep all in context as a whole. I have for myself rejected most of all doctrines I could and remain committed only to that which the Holy Spirit will reveal to me; I am just a human and do lack in any biblical training other than to read the word, pray, and ask daily for knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the word so my little post here is just for the sake of searching for more.
No matter your faith or doctrines, just remember that without repentance and the leading of the Holy Spirit there is no salvation and this my precious brothers and sisters is the very first and uppermost essential prepping tool we must have no matter the circumstances; anything else is superfluous efforts that could keep us from step one in survival both here and in our true home world with Christ.
Lt. Mike… TY so much for the thought provoking spiritual insights you have shared… the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in Scripture tell us the Holy Spirit will “ teach you all things “ ( John 14:26 ) and that “ He will guide you into all truth “ ( John 16:13 ) …I believe The Father will reveal to us who Jesus is just as He did to Peter as recorded in Matthew 16:16-17…May we all continue to ask, seek, and knock… Lt.Mike, if you would agree I would like to communicate further with you as we continue our pilgrimage…Lily and JWR, would you assist in this endeavor if Lt. Mike is willing…
Dear Lt. Mike,
Jim and I just had a telephone conversation and spoke together about your teaching comment. We really enjoyed reading it. It is an excellent teaching of the “tri-unity” of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the flesh of God. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. I like the idea that they are “Titles” for the essence of God to help us understand him better. It brought more clarity to our minds. Jim said to tell you that he was very impressed with your explanation and the depth of understanding you shared with us. Truly, those hungry for God’s truth and diligent in studying His Word will be rewarded with understanding.
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. You are welcome to share any insights on scripture with us any time you feel lead to share.
I enjoyed the Hebrew word study of “son”.
I have a question: How do you translate, “al tikri banim ala bonim” ? “Don’t tell boys about builders?” I tried typing different Hebrew words for this in Google Translate and none made sense. Of course Google Translate doesn’t deal with Religious/Ancient Hebrew Biblical meanings of words and idioms. Do you know how to use the Hebrew font in your computer system? Could you type the Hebrew or give the scripture reference for it?
Many Blessings to You and Yours,
Lily
JWR,
I recall that you wrote a piece (maybe last year? It’s driving me crazy that I can’t find it) and it was a list of words or phrases that had the meaning/definition of each one.
Can we PLEASE add these to it?
“Woke” – I actually had to look it up!!
“Plandemic”. Speaks for itself
“Social Distancing “ I get it but I’m sooo tired of hearing it, I am not a baby
Any one else have any? I’m sure I missed a bunch
Thank you
Have a Rockin great day!!
My comment to the West
palm Beach mayor-
‘oo-yay uckin-fay irk-jay !
uur-yay ays-day ar-ay umbered-nay !
op-ray is-ay eep-chay !”
Far more heat than light around here. One side is in the streets; the other side is waxing melodramatic in the comments. Guess which side will win? Neither, of course!
“ Why rage the heathen? and vain things
why do the people mind?
Kings of the earth do set themselves,
and princes are combin’d,
To plot against the Lord, and his
Anointed, saying thus,
Let us asunder break their bands,
and cast their cords from us.
He that in heaven sits shall laugh;
the Lord shall scorn them all.
Then shall he speak to them in wrath,
in rage he vex them shall.
Yet, notwithstanding, I have him
to be my King appointed;
And over Sion, my holy hill,
I have him King anointed.
The sure decree I will declare:
The Lord hath said to me,
Thou art mine only Son; this day
I have begotten thee.
Ask of me, and for heritage
the heathen I’ll make thine;
And, for possession, I to thee
will give earth’s utmost line.
Thou shalt, as with a weighty rod
of iron, break them all;
And, as a potter’s sherd, thou shalt
them dash in pieces small.
Now therefore, kings, be wise; be taught,
ye judges of the earth:
Serve God in fear, and see that ye
join trembling with your mirth.
Kiss ye the Son, lest in his ire
ye perish from the way,
If once his wrath begin to burn:
bless’d all that on him stay.” -Psalm 2
Myself, I’m looking for a mask in the image of Governor Whitmer of Michigan. She has ordered that we all wear face coverings. Such a mask would be a face covering. Me? I am in (technical) compliance. If only I could find the darned mask!