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New Huma Emails Reveal Hillary Sold Access To The State Department For Clinton Foundation Donations
“These new emails confirm that Hillary Clinton abused her office by selling favors to Clinton Foundation donors,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Crown Prince of Bahrain Forced to Go Through Foundation to See Clinton, after Pledging $32 Million to Clinton Global Initiative
Judicial Watch today released 725 pages of new State Department documents, including previously unreleased email exchanges in which former Hillary Clinton’s top aide Huma Abedin provided influential Clinton Foundation donors special, expedited access to the secretary of state. In many instances, the preferential treatment provided to donors was at the specific request of Clinton Foundation executive Douglas Band.
The new documents included 20 Hillary Clinton email exchanges not previously turned over to the State Department, bringing the known total to date to 191 of new Clinton emails (not part of the 55,000 pages of emails that Clinton turned over to the State Department). These records further appear to contradict statements by Clinton that, “as far as she knew,” all of her government emails were turned over to the State Department.
The Abedin emails reveal that the longtime Clinton aide apparently served as a conduit between Clinton Foundation donors and Hillary Clinton while Clinton served as secretary of state. In more than a dozen email exchanges, Abedin provided expedited, direct access to Clinton for donors who had contributed from $25,000 to $10 million to the Clinton Foundation. In many instances, Clinton Foundation top executive Doug Band, who worked with the Foundation throughout Hillary Clinton’s tenure at State, coordinated closely with Abedin. In Abedin’s June deposition to Judicial Watch, she conceded that part of her job at the State Department was taking care of “Clinton family matters.”
Included among the Abedin-Band emails is an exchange revealing that when Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain requested a meeting with Secretary of State Clinton, he was forced to go through the Clinton Foundation for an appointment. Abedin advised Band that when she went through “normal channels” at State, Clinton declined to meet. After Band intervened, however, the meeting was set up within forty-eight hours. According to the Clinton Foundation website, in 2005, Salman committed to establishing the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Program (CPISP) for the Clinton Global Initiative. And by 2010, it had contributed $32 million to CGI. The Kingdom of Bahrain reportedly gave between $50,000 and $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation. And Bahrain Petroleum also gave an additional $25,000 to $50,000.
From: Doug Band
To: Huma Abedin
Sent: Tue Jun 23 1:29:42 2009
Subject:
Cp of Bahrain in tomorrow to Friday
Asking to see her
Good friend of ours
From: Huma Abedin
To: Doug Band
Sent: Tue Jun 23 4:12:46 2009
Subject: Re:
He asked to see hrc thurs and fri thru normal channels. I asked and she said she doesn’t want to commit to anything for thurs or fri until she knows how she will feel. Also she says that she may want to go to ny and doesn’t want to be committed to stuff in ny…
From: Huma Abedin [Huma@clintonemail.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:35:15 AM
To: Doug Band
Subject:
Offering Bahrain cp 10 tomorrow for meeting woith [sic] hrc
If u see him, let him know
We have reached out thru official channels
Also included among the Abedin-Band emails is an exchange in which Band urged Abedin to get the Clinton State Department to intervene in order to obtain a visa for members of the Wolverhampton (UK) Football Club, one of whose members was apparently having difficulty because of a “criminal charge.” Band was acting at the behest of Casey Wasserman, a millionaire Hollywood sports entertainment executive and President of the Wasserman Foundation. Wasserman has donated between $5 million and $10 million to the Clinton Foundation through the Wasserman Foundation.
From: Tim Hoy [VP Wasserman Media Group]
Date: Tue. 5 May 2009 10:45:55 – 0700
To: Casey Wasserman
Subject: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
Casey: Paul Martin’s [popular English footballer] client [Redacted] needs to get an expedited appointment at the US Embassy in London this week and we have hit some road blocks. I am writing to ask for your help.
The Wolverhampton FC is coming to Las Vegas this Thursday for a “celebration break.” [Redacted] so he cannot get a visa to the US without first being “interviewed” in the visa section of the US Embassy in London …
I contacted Senator Boxer’s office in SF for help … They balked at the criminal charge and said they “couldn’t help.”
I’m now trying to get help from Sherrod Brown’s office but that’s not going well either. So do you have any ideas/contacts that could contact the US Embassy in London and ask that they see [Redacted] tomorrow?
From: Casey Wasserman
To: Doug Band; Trista Schroeder [Wasserman Media Group executive]
Sent: Tue May 05 2:23:50 2009 [PT]
Subject: FW [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
Can you help with the below [Hoy email], or maybe Huma??? I am copying trista as I am on the plane in case I lose connection … thx.
From: Doug Band
Sent: Tue May 05 7:08:21 2009 [ET]
To: Casey Wasserman; Trista Schroeder
Subject: Re: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
Will email her.
From: Doug Band
To: Huma Abedin
Sent: Tue May 5 7:26:49 2009
Subject: Fw: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
[As per subject line, Band apparently forwarded Abedin material sent to him by Casey.]
From: Huma Abedin [Huma@clintonemail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 7:39:38 PM
To: Doug Band
Subject: Re: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
I doubt we can do anything but maybe we can help with an interview. I’ll ask.
From: Huma Abedin
To: Doug Band
Sent: Tue May 05 5:50:09 2009
Subject: Re: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
I got this now, makes me nervous to get involved but I’ll ask.
From: Doug Band
To: Huma Abedin
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 7:43:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Redacted] Wolverhampton FC/visa matter
Then don’t
The Abedin emails also reveal that Slimfast tycoon S. Daniel Abraham was granted almost immediate access to then-Secretary of State Clinton, with Abedin serving as the facilitator. According to the Clinton Foundation website, Abraham, like the Wasserman Foundation, has given between $5 million and $10 million to the Clinton Foundation. The emails indicate that Abraham was granted almost immediate access to Clinton upon request:
From: Huma Abedin
To: H
Sent: Mon May 04 4:40:34 2009
Subject: Danny
Danny abraham called this morning. He is in dc today and tomorrow and asked for 15 min with you. Do u want me to try and fit him in tomorrow?
From: H
To Huma Abedin
Sent: Mon May 04 5:14:00 2009
Subject: Re: Danny
Will the plane wait if I can’t get there before 7-8?
From: Huma Abedin
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 5:15:30 PM
Subject: Re: Danny
Yes of course
Additional Abedin emails in which the top Clinton aide intervenes with the State Department on behalf of Clinton Foundation donors include the following:
- On Friday, June 26, 2009, Clinton confidant Kevin O’Keefe wrote to Clinton saying that “Kevin Conlon is trying to set up a meeting with you and a major client.” Clinton wrote to Abedin, “Can you help deliver these for Kevin?” Abedin responded, “I’ll look into it asap” Kevin O’Keefe donated between $10,000 and $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation. Kevin Conlon is a Clinton presidential campaign “Hillblazer” who has raised more than $100,000 for the candidate.
- On Tuesday, June 16, 2009, Ben Ringel wrote to Abedin, “I’m on shuttle w Avigdor Liberman. I called u back yesterday. I want to stop by to see hrc tonite for 10 mins.” Ringel donated between $10,000 and $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
- On Monday, July 6, 2009, Maureen White wrote to Abedin, “I am going to be in DC on Thursday. Would she have any time to spare?” Abedin responded, “Yes I’ll make it work.” White donated $75,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
- In June 2009, prominent St. Louis political power broker Joyce Aboussie exchanged a series of insistent emails with Abedin concerning Aboussie’s efforts to set up a meeting between Clinton and Peabody Energy VP Cartan Sumner. Aboussie wrote, “Huma, I need your help now to intervene please. We need this meeting with Secretary Clinton, who has been there now for nearly six months. This is, by the way, my first request. I really would appreciate your help on this. It should go without saying that the Peabody folks came to Dick [Gephardt] and I because of our relationship with the Clinton’s.” After further notes from Aboussie, Abedin responded, “We are working on it and I hope we can make something work… we have to work through the beauracracy [sic] here.” Aboussie donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
- On Saturday, May 16, 2009, mobile communications executive and political activist Jill Iscol wrote to Clinton, “Please advise to whom I should forward Jacqueline Novogratz’s request [for a meeting with the secretary of state]. I know you know her, but honestly, she is so far ahead of the curve and brilliant I believe she could be enormously helpful to your work.” Clinton subsequently sent an email to Abedin saying, “Pls print.” Jill and husband Ken Iscol donated between $500,000 and $1 million to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton subsequently appointed Novogratz to the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
The newly obtained Abedin emails also contain a memorandum sent to Cheryl Mills from State Department White House liaison Laura Pena revealing that Rajiv Fernando was proposed for his controversial appointment to the sensitive International Security Advisory Board as early as June 2009. Fernando was not actually appointed until 2011, and his appointment raised a firestorm because, according to an ABC News report, “he had no obvious experience in the field.” Fernando donated $1 million to the Clinton Foundation.
The Abedin emails reveal that even U2’s Bono got into the act when former Bill Clinton aide Ben Schwerin, who helped set up the Clinton Foundation, urged Abedin to help the aging rock star broadcast from the international space station. In a May 27, 2009, email with the subject line “Bono/NASA,” Schwerin wrote, “Bono wants to do linkup with the international space station on every show during the tour this year.… Any ideas? Thks.” Bono has been a donor to the Clinton Global Initiative. And in 2011, he gathered top entertainers for “A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation.” According to USA Today, “Some tickets were sold to the public for $50 to $550, and premium seats went for $1,000 to $5,000 on the Foundation website.”
“These new emails confirm that Hillary Clinton abused her office by selling favors to Clinton Foundation donors,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “There needs to be a serious, independent investigation to determine whether Clinton and others broke the law.”
This is the tenth set of records produced for Judicial Watch by the State Department from the non-state.gov email accounts of Huma Abedin. The documents were produced under a court order in a May 5, 2015, Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit against the State Department (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00684)) requiring the agency to produce “all emails of official State Department business received or sent by former Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin from January 1, 2009 through February 1, 2013, using a ‘non-state’.gov email address.”
In June, Judicial Watch uncovered two batches (here and here) of new Clinton email records through court-ordered discovery. Twice in May, Judicial Watch uncovered new Clinton emails, including emails that show Clinton knew about the security risk of her BlackBerry (see here and here).
Recently, Judicial Watch released other State Department emails (one batch of 103 pages, the second of 138 pages), with newly discovered Clinton emails also going back as far as January 2009.
In March, Judicial Watch released Clinton State Department emails dating from February 2009 that also call into question her statements about her emails. Those emails contained more evidence of the battle between security officials in the State Department, National Security Agency, Clinton and her staff over attempts to obtain secure BlackBerrys.
On August 9, Judicial Watch produced a 2009 email in which Band directed Abedin and Mills to put Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire and Clinton Foundation donor Gilbert Chagoury in touch with the State Department’s “substance person” on Lebanon. Band noted that Chagoury is “key guy there [Lebanon] and to us.”Chagoury has donated between $1 million to $5 million to the Foundation, according to foundation documents. He also pledged $1 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative.
Hillary Clinton has repeatedly stated that she believes that the 55,000 pages of documents she turned over to the State Department in December 2014 included all of her work-related emails. In response to a court order in other Judicial Watch litigation, she declared under penalty of perjury that she had “directed that all my emails on clintonemail.com in my custody that were or are potentially federal records be provided to the Department of State, and on information and belief, this has been done.” This new email find is also at odds with her official campaign statement suggesting all “work or potentially work-related emails” were provided to the State Department. source
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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: I Quit
I Quit: When God’s Mightiest Servants Reached Their Breaking Point, Lost Their Courage And Discovered That Their Calling Was Stronger Than Their Discouragement
“I Quit” are two words that nearly every servant of God will be tempted to say at some point in the ministry. The Bible does not airbrush its heroes or pretend that men of faith never collapse beneath the burden. Jeremiah decided to stop preaching, Peter returned to his fishing boat, Elijah asked God to let him die, John the Baptist questioned Christ from prison, Moses could no longer carry the people, David became convinced that Saul would eventually kill him, and Paul despaired even of life. These were not weak men playing at ministry; they were mighty servants who discovered that calling does not make the flesh indestructible. The difference was not that they never reached the breaking point—it was that God met them there and refused to allow their darkest moment to become the final chapter. Christian, do you feel like quitting today? This message is for you.
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.” Jeremiah 20:7 (KJB)
The Bible Believers Sunday Service: I Quit
I Quit
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (KJB)
God’s calling does not make His servants immune to exhaustion, fear, disappointment, loneliness, or doubt. God sometimes allows His servants to reach the end of their own strength so they will learn to trust “in God which raiseth the dead.”
MAIN POINT: The breaking point does not have to become the quitting point.
Dispensational Note: Jeremiah and Elijah ministered to Israel under the law and the prophetic program. John the Baptist and Peter ministered in connection with Israel, Messiah, and the kingdom. Paul is our apostle and doctrinal pattern for the present Church Age. These men did not occupy the same dispensational position, but the spiritual principle remains: God’s servants are weak, but God remains faithful.
I. Jeremiah: When Faithful Preaching Brings Reproach
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:7-9 (KJB)
A. Jeremiah was faithful, but faithfulness did not protect him from discouragement
Jeremiah preached exactly what God told him to preach. Instead of producing repentance, his preaching produced mockery, opposition, persecution, and reproach. His discouragement was not caused by disobedience. It came while he was faithfully carrying out his calling.
B. Jeremiah allowed his circumstances to distort his perception
When Jeremiah accused the LORD of deceiving him, he was speaking out of anguish, not giving a doctrinal statement about God’s character. God had already warned Jeremiah that the people would fight against him. Jeremiah had not been deceived; he had become overwhelmed by the cost of obeying God.
C. Jeremiah attempted to resign
Jeremiah said:
- “I will not make mention of him.”
- I will not “speak any more in his name.”
- I am finished preaching.
- I will remain silent.
D. The Word would not release the prophet
Jeremiah could close his mouth, but he could not extinguish the Word burning inside him. The pain of holding back the message became greater than the pain of delivering it. Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the message would not release the messenger.
II. Peter: When Personal Failure Makes You Go Backward
“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:3 (KJB)
A. Peter had once appeared fearless
Peter had promised to follow Jesus even unto death. But when confronted during the Lord’s trial, Peter denied Christ three times. His confidence in himself was shattered. That’s a great starting point for the Christian, to have your self-confidence broken. You must decrease, He must increase.
B. Peter returned to something familiar
Peter did not formally say, “I quit.” Nevertheless, his actions indicate retreat. Not knowing what place remained for him, Peter returned to the occupation he had known before Jesus called him.
He could return to the boat, but he could not return to his old life as though Christ had never called him.
C. Peter’s retreat influenced other people
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” the others answered, “We also go with thee.”
A discouraged leader rarely retreats alone. Other people are watching, and they may follow him into his withdrawal.
D. The Lord allowed Peter’s nets to remain empty
Peter had years of fishing experience, but “that night they caught nothing.” The empty nets demonstrated that Peter could accomplish nothing independently of Christ. Jesus already had fish and bread waiting on the shore. Christ did not need Peter’s catch; Peter needed Christ’s provision.
E. Christ restored Peter through love and recommissioning
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” John 21:15 (KJB)
“He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:16,17 (KJB)
Jesus did not ask Peter whether he still felt brave. Peter’s self-confidence was gone. The question was, “Lovest thou me?”
Peter’s restoration was followed by a renewed commission:
- “Feed my lambs.”
- “Feed my sheep.”
- “Follow me.”
Teaching Truth: Failure said, “Go back.” Jesus Christ said, “Follow me.”
III. Elijah: When Exhaustion Follows a Great Victory
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4 (KJB)
A. Elijah’s collapse came immediately after his Mount Carmel victory
Elijah had confronted 450 prophets of Baal. God had answered by fire. The people had confessed that the LORD was God.
Then one threat from Jezebel sent Elijah running.
- Yesterday, Elijah faced 450 prophets.
- Today, he was afraid of one woman.
- Yesterday, he prayed for fire to fall.
- Today, he prayed for his life to end.
- Yesterday, he stood before a nation.
- Today, he sat alone beneath a tree.
B. Great victories can be followed by dangerous emotional lows
Spiritual victory does not make the flesh indestructible. Elijah had expended tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. When the excitement ended, exhaustion, disappointment, fear, and isolation descended upon him.
C. God addressed Elijah’s physical exhaustion
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” 1 Kings 19:5-8 (KJB)
God did not begin by rebuking Elijah. He allowed him to sleep, provided food and water, and allowed him to sleep again. Sometimes a servant does not immediately need another sermon. He needs rest, nourishment, and time in the presence of God.
D. Discouragement distorted Elijah’s perception
“And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19:10 (KJB)
Elijah felt alone, so he concluded that he was alone. But feelings are not facts.
“Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18 (KJB)
Elijah saw no one. God saw seven thousand.
E. God restored Elijah in five ways
God gave Elijah:
- Rest for his body.
- Food for his strength.
- Truth for his distorted perspective.
- Work for his prophetic calling.
- Elisha for companionship.
MAIN POINT: Elijah’s juniper tree was a terrible moment, but it was not the conclusion of his ministry.
IV. John the Baptist: When Circumstances Contradict Expectations
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:1-6 (KJB)
A. John had been a mighty and fearless preacher
John had publicly identified Jesus Christ:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (KJB)
John had seen the Spirit descend upon Christ. He had identified Jesus as the Son of God. Yet confinement, uncertainty, and approaching death brought him to a moment of doubt.
B. John struggled to reconcile his circumstances with his preaching
John had announced:
- The coming King.
- The approaching kingdom.
- The axe laid to the root.
- The fan in Christ’s hand.
- The coming judgment by fire.
Yet Herod remained on the throne, and John remained in prison. The King had come, but John was still bound. Other people were receiving deliverance, but John’s prison door remained shut.
C. John did not understand the interval between the Advents
John belonged to Israel’s prophetic and kingdom program. He saw the prophecies concerning Messiah’s coming, His kingdom, and His judgment, but he did not yet understand the gap between the First and Second Advents or the still-unrevealed mystery of the Church Age.
The prophetic timetable was unfolding differently than John expected.
D. John took his question to the right Person
John did not send his disciples to Herod, the Pharisees, or public opinion. He sent them directly to Jesus Christ.
Faith is not the absence of painful questions. Faith takes those questions to the right Person.
E. Jesus answered John with scriptural evidence
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:4-6 (KJB)
Jesus did not explain every detail or promise that John would be released. He directed John back to the evidence of fulfilled Scripture.
The answer was essentially: Do not judge who I am by the bars surrounding you. Judge who I am by the Word of God.
F. Jesus did not define John by his weakest moment
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:11 (KJB)
John was questioning Jesus, but Jesus was not questioning John’s faithfulness. Christ knew the difference between hardened unbelief and a faithful servant suffering through a dark hour.
MAIN POINT: John’s question did not erase his calling, his courage, or his entire ministry.
V. Moses: When the Burden Becomes Too Heavy
“I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:14,15 (KJB)
A. Moses became overwhelmed by responsibility
Moses was attempting to carry the burden of the entire nation. The work truly was too heavy for one man.
B. Moses saw death as his only escape
Overwhelming pressure can narrow a person’s thinking until he can no longer see any solution except escape.
C. God provided shared responsibility
God instructed Moses to gather seventy elders. The LORD did not remove Moses from his calling; He provided other men to help carry the burden.
MAIN POINT: Sometimes the answer is not quitting the work but sharing the weight.
VI. David: When Fear Becomes Greater Than the Promise
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.” 1 Samuel 27:1 (KJB)
A. God had promised David the throne
Saul could not kill David without overthrowing the promise and purpose of God.
B. David listened to his heart instead of God’s promise
The verse begins, “David said in his heart.” David looked at Saul’s repeated attacks and concluded, “I shall now perish.” His circumstances appeared more powerful than God’s Word.
C. Discouragement drove David into enemy territory
When a servant stops resting in God’s promises, the world begins to look like a place of safety. David fled into the land of the Philistines because fear told him there was “nothing better.”
MAIN POINT: Discouragement causes us to calculate the future without including the faithfulness of God.
VII. Paul: When a Church-Age Servant Reaches the End of His Strength
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:” 2 Corinthians But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:8,9 (KJB)
A. Paul was pressed beyond his natural ability
Paul did not say that God would never allow something beyond human strength. He said that he was “pressed out of measure, above strength.” The pressure exceeded Paul’s natural ability to endure it.
B. Paul “despaired even of life”
This was not an immature believer. This was the apostle to the Gentiles. Yet he reached a place where death appeared certain.
C. God was destroying Paul’s self-reliance
The purpose is stated plainly:
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
God brought Paul to the end of himself so that Paul would place his complete confidence in the God of resurrection.
D. Paul also experienced abandonment
“At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 2 Timothy 4:16,17 (KJB)
Every human companion may leave, but the Lord remains.
MAIN POINT: When no man stood with Paul, the Lord stood with him. As it turned out, that was all he needed.
Spiritual Application
- Recognize the Different Causes of Discouragement
These servants became discouraged for different reasons:
- Jeremiah: mockery and rejection.
- Peter: personal failure and shame.
- Elijah: exhaustion, fear, and isolation.
- John: confinement and unmet expectations.
- Moses: overwhelming responsibility.
- David: prolonged persecution and fear.
- Paul: suffering, pressure, and abandonment.
The cause may differ, but the temptation is the same: stop, retreat, isolate yourself, or abandon the calling.
- Do Not Make Permanent Decisions During Temporary Collapse
Jeremiah decided never to preach again.
Peter decided to return to fishing.
Elijah asked to die.
David fled into enemy territory.
None of them was seeing clearly at that moment. Exhaustion, fear, humiliation, and loneliness are terrible counselors. Do not make a permanent decision while standing inside a temporary storm.
- Distinguish Between Rest and Retreat
Elijah needed sleep and food. Moses needed help carrying the burden. Peter needed restoration. John needed reassurance from Scripture. Rest is not quitting. Receiving help is not weakness. Stepping back long enough to regain strength is not the same as abandoning God’s calling.
- Do Not Turn Feelings Into Facts
Elijah felt alone, but seven thousand remained.
David felt certain that Saul would kill him, but God had promised him the throne.
John felt confused by the prison, but Jesus was still the Messiah.
Peter felt finished, but Christ still intended to use him.
Feelings are real, but they are not always reliable.
- Return to the Word of God
Jeremiah had the Word burning inside him.
Jesus directed John to the scriptural evidence.
David needed to remember God’s promise.
Paul learned to trust the God who raises the dead.
Discouragement grows when circumstances interpret the Bible. Faith returns when the Bible interprets the circumstances.
- Take Your Questions Directly to God
Jeremiah poured out his complaint before the LORD.
Elijah spoke honestly to God.
Moses cried unto the LORD.
John sent his question directly to Jesus.
God already knows the condition of the heart. Honest anguish brought into His presence is better than silent bitterness carried away from Him.
- Accept God’s Provision
God may provide:
- Rest, as He did for Elijah.
- Help, as He did for Moses.
- Correction, as He did for David.
- Scriptural reassurance, as He did for John.
- Restoration, as He did for Peter.
- Strength in loneliness, as He did for Paul.
- Renewed fire for the message, as He did for Jeremiah.
Do not reject the form in which God sends His help. He knows best, let HIM do it.
- Remember That Your Retreat Can Affect Others
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” others followed. Leaders must remember that their responses to discouragement can influence families, churches, ministries, and younger believers. This does not mean pretending to be invincible. It means taking weakness to God before that weakness becomes a path others begin following.
- Do Not Define a Servant by His Weakest Moment
Jeremiah was more than his complaint.
Peter was more than his denial.
Elijah was more than his juniper tree.
John was more than his prison question.
Moses was more than his frustration.
David was more than his fearful retreat.
Paul was more than the moment when he despaired even of life.
God recorded their weakness, but He did not allow their weakness to write the final chapter.
- Understand What God Is Accomplishing
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
The ultimate purpose is the destruction of self-confidence. God does not need invincible men. There are none. He uses weak men who have learned that His grace, His Word, and His strength are sufficient.
Closing Challenge
Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the Word burned within him.
Peter tried to return to fishing, but Jesus stood on the shore.
Elijah asked to die, but God fed him and sent him back.
John questioned Christ, but Christ answered him with the Word.
Moses wanted to escape the burden, but God sent men to help him.
David feared he would perish, but God’s promise remained unchanged.
Paul despaired even of life, but the Lord stood with him.
The common thread is not the strength of these men. The common thread is the faithfulness of their God.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJB)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJB)
Final Questions
- Are you interpreting God through your circumstances, or your circumstances through the Word of God?
- Are you calling yourself alone when God still has seven thousand?
- Are you returning to old nets because of one terrible failure?
- Are you making permanent decisions while physically and emotionally exhausted?
- Are you looking at prison bars instead of the works of Christ?
- Are you trying to carry a burden God never intended you to carry alone?
- Are you trusting in yourself, or “in God which raiseth the dead”?
Final Challenge: Do not quit in the dark what God called you to do in the light. Rest if you must. Receive help when it is offered. Pour out your heart before the Lord. Return to the Word. Then arise, go back to the work, and continue in the strength which God supplies.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39 (KJB)
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Free Bible Program
Life At The Crossroads: Bibles Behind Bars Is Bringing King James Bibles And The Gospel Of Jesus Christ To Men Living Inside A Maximum-Security Missouri Prison
At Crossroads Correctional Center In Missouri, Bibles Behind Bars Is Putting The Preserved Word Of God Into The Hands Of Men Who Need Truth And Hope Before It Is Too Late
Crossroads Correctional Center is not an abandoned relic from Missouri’s prison history; it is once again an active maximum and medium-security institution housing roughly 1,250 men behind concrete, steel, electrified barriers and coils of razor wire. Closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022, the facility stands as a grim monument to the consequences of choices made, laws broken and lives forever altered. From the air it resembles a cold, mechanical wheel, with cellblocks radiating outward from central corridors and every road ultimately ending at another locked gate. For the men living inside, however, this is not some trivial architectural curiosity or bland government statistic—it is daily life at the Crossroads.
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” Psalms 68:11 (KJB)
There is something hauntingly appropriate about that name, Crossroads, because every man inside that prison has arrived at a crossroads far greater than the one that brought him before a judge. The State of Missouri can confine a man’s body, regulate his movements and determine the hour when his cell door opens, but it cannot prevent the word of God from reaching his heart. This is why the work of Bibles Behind Bars is so necessary and needed, placing the preserved word of God into the hands of prisoners who desperately need truth, hope and the gospel of the grace of God. These men do not need another watered-down paraphrase, religious pamphlet or empty program, they need a King James Bible they can open, read and believe. Some will leave Crossroads through the front gate, while others may never leave at all, but the blood of Jesus Christ can save any sinner who believes. No man is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and no prison wall is thick enough to stop his preserved word. Chaplain Matt at Crossroads wrote to us and said “We have had an influx of inmates hungry for the Word of God and they have been asking for Bibles in mass requests and we about out of Bibles and would appreciate a donation for as many as you can give!” There it is, waist-high and over the plate, let’s hit this thing out of the park.
In addition to Crossroads, we also have pending requests for Bibles from:
- Orange County Department of Corrections – FL
- Torrance County Detention Facility – CA
- Macon County Sheriff’s Office – IL
- One Bible requested by Mom Nancy for her son in Bay County Jail, Panama City – FL
Christian, the only way this works is if you will lift this ministry up in prayer as often as the Lord brings it to your mind and heart. The only way this works is if you will go above and beyond to help us with this “great commission” the LORD has given us. Come help us, we need you!!
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:
NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Headline News
THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: American Intelligence Warns Putin Could Strike NATO As The Ukraine And Iran Wars Converge And Weapons Stockpiles Collapse
US Intelligence Warns Putin May Attack NATO As President Trump’s Iran War Collides With Ukraine And America’s Enemies Prepare To Open Multiple Global Fronts At Once
For four and a half years, NTEB has warned that Vladimir Putin’s slow-moving war in Ukraine was never merely about capturing Ukrainian territory. Ukraine was the bait, NATO was the target, and the restoration of Russian domination over the former Soviet sphere was always the larger prize. Now Putin’s grinding European war is beginning to overlap President Donald Trump’s expanding war against Iran, placing the United States between two interconnected conflicts while American weapons stockpiles are being rapidly depleted. We told you this was coming, and now it’s here in all its end times glory. How ya liking the “golden age” so far? Welcome to Day 161 of World War Trump.
“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:” Joel 3:9 (KJB)
On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, according to a new Wall Street Journal report, American intelligence officials believe Putin could attempt to test NATO’s resolve with anything from a cyberattack and sabotage operation to an incursion by unmarked troops or a small-scale land assault against an Eastern European NATO member. The warning window reportedly begins in the autumn of 2026 and extends through 2029. The most dangerous part of this new assessment is not merely that Russia might attack NATO. It is that the warning comes as President Trump’s war with Iran moves into its sixth month, forcing the United States to sustain military operations in the Middle East while simultaneously supplying Ukraine and attempting to deter Russia, China and North Korea. These are no longer isolated regional wars, the battlefields are beginning to overlap. Russia and Iran are not unrelated adversaries operating in separate corners of the world. They are military partners. Iran supplied Russia with drones and military technology for use against Ukraine. Russia has provided Iran with diplomatic cover, military cooperation and economic support. Both nations have grown closer to China and North Korea as they work to weaken American influence and break the Western-controlled global order. Now Ukraine has reportedly begun striking military supply routes connecting Iran and Russia through the Caspian Sea, demonstrating that the Ukraine and Iran battlefields are physically converging. Think about what that means.
Ukrainian forces, using Western-supported technology, are attacking supply lines connecting Russia and Iran while American forces are bombing Iranian targets and NATO is preparing for a possible Russian attack in Eastern Europe. Russia is fighting Ukraine. The United States is fighting Iran. Iran is supporting Russia. The United States and NATO are supporting Ukraine. Ukraine is attacking the supply network between Russia and Iran. These wars are no longer merely occurring at the same time. They are beginning to touch, merge and feed one another.
Here is the nightmare scenario: Russia challenges NATO while America is fighting Iran, and China uses the distraction to move against Taiwan. Three fronts, interconnected adversaries and one increasingly stretched American military. This is not science fiction, this is the actual strategic situation being assembled in real time. You are looking at WWIII square in the face. Today, we give you everything you need to know about how all this affects the end times timeline.
Study Helps And Links For Today’s Podcast
- Stand With NTEB As We Take The Truth To The Highways And Place “Jesus Is God” Billboards Near Every Sign Publicly Denying The Deity Of Jesus Christ
- The War That Donald Trump Started In Iran Is Rapidly Spinning Out Of Control As The United States Appears To Be Heading ‘Strait’ Into A Strategic Defeat
- The Bible Believer’s Guide To The Two Different Wars As Found In Ezekiel Chapters 38 And 39
- The Terrible Truth That Donald Trump Won’t Tell You Is That His Department Of War Has Fired Years Worth Of Munitions In Weeks, Leaving America Exposed
- 2022: Is Putin Using His Invasion Of Ukraine As A ‘Hook In The Jaw’ With America And The West To Pull Them Into WWIII? It Already Seems To Be Working
We Are Broadcasting Live Four Days A Week
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The BIBLE BELIEVERS Sunday Service
Every Sunday morning, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST, we invite you to join us live and in-person at the Bible Believers Church here inside the Bible Believers Bookstore in Palatka where we lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and preach a message from the pages of the King James Authorized Version Holy Bible. If you’ve been looking for a First Century house church, you’ve found it.
OUR MOST RECENT SUNDAY SERVICE VIDEO: The Secret Of The LORD
• The RIGHTLY DIVIDING Radio Bible Study
Every Sunday evening from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, we offer an in-depth rightly dividing and dispensationally correct rocket ride through the preserved word of God as found within the pages of the King James Holy Bible.
- SUNDAY NIGHT: Our original Sunday Night Radio Bible Study, it’s from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, and we have praise, singing, testimony and of 90-minute King James Bible study. All our King James bible study programs are archived here.
• The NTEB PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST Hour
Every Monday Wednesday and Friday afternoons from Noon to 1:30 PM EST, we examine breaking news and current events in light of bible prophecy.
- The Prophecy News Podcast: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Noon EST, we review all the latest news and events related to bible prophecy, and examine what is happening in light of what is written. If you miss the live show, all of our Prophecy News Podcast programs are archived here.
Your Generous Donations Make These Live King James Radio Bible Studies & Prophecy News Podcasts Possible!
HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
Listen to What Our Donation Angels Have to Say About the Ministry of Now The End Begins
- “You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
- “Jesus. I am now 64 years old and never in all the years I’ve been a Christian was I able to grow in the Lord as much as I have in the last past year. All because of our blessed brother’s work Geoffrey Grider who as the bravery of standing fast forward without fear of claiming the truth of God by the power of his love in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly to the end my dear brother… ROMANS: 8: 36,37,38” Mireille Anderson
- “I met you at the car dealership earlier this year. We spoke briefly, then you handed me a card and told me to check out the website. You left. A few minutes later, you returned to tell me not to forget to look up the website. I told you…” I already did. I already subscribed.” In that short time we spoke, I experienced from you…a total stranger…peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love. I am convinced that God sent you to share the Good News that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. For that, and for the work you are doing for the Kingdom of God, I say…Thank you and God Bless You.” Sonia Merced
- “I really enjoy the emails and Bible studies! I haven’t found a church and enjoy your services very much! Be blessed brother!” Marcia Mann
- “You and your organization are on the front lines in the Battle For Truth…. current events, end times, and trying to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. Thank you brother for fighting for us and all your teaching and insight God bless…” Daniel Cartrette
- I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio. You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures. I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to. I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too. You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture. Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
- “Thank you for the work you are doing brother. Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time. Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord. God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation. How can we praise Him enough? How can we not share this good news!? I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to. Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
- “Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
- “I give because not many news outlets are brave enough or Godly enough to tell these stories from a Christian’s point of view. I see stories here that will not be seen anywhere else.” William Grayshaw
- “It’s hard to find solid biblical teaching in America these days. It’s a blessing to be able to take part in a ministry financially without being concerned about false teaching. All glory to God! God bless!” Maximilian Swan
- “I donate because you are reporting the truth about the increasing wickedness of our time, as God’s word foretold. In so doing we are reminded to “Keep looking up” as we wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming, Maranatha! ” Anthony Sloane
- “Geoffrey has the best End Times News out there. I have been receiving his emails for years now and always enjoy his Sunday night messages although I don’t always think exactly as he thinks. We are all in this “boat of life” together and as I come to the end of my life’s journey here, I am more aware of Jesus’s call for us to be one as He and the Father are One.” Deborah Cleaveland
STREET-TESTED NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS:
This is the official gospel tract of NTEB, used here on the streets of Saint Augustine and sent around the world as they are purchased through our website. We ask you to prayerfully consider supporting the work of Now The End Begins by purchasing a box of these full-color, high-quality gospel tracts. Thank you in advance!
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
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