This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
As millions of believers commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they may be stunned to learn one of the most famous Bible verses dealing with the event is actually packing additional meanings that make the episode even more spectacular.
This is according to a Christian author who is shining more light on the content of Scripture.
The line in question is from the beginning of the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John where it states: "On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb" (John 20:1 CSB).
"On the physical level, most people already understand what's happening in this passage," says Joe Kovacs, author of the best-seller, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything."
"There's a believing woman in the person of Mary Magdalene arriving at the tomb of Jesus early Sunday morning and she sees the rock had been removed from the tomb.
"But when we open our spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear, this verse is broadcasting a mind-blowing double and triple meaning that sums up the phenomenal message of the Scripture in one single sentence. Once you understand it, you can't unsee it!"
Kovacs says the sentence to focus on is: "She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb."
"Beyond the physical event that everyone already understands, there is a Spirit-based parable message being aired here, and to grasp its meaning, we only need to connect the dots with the rest of the Bible. It's actually quite easy and fun to do."
"Let's start with the stone. We all know what a stone is. It's a rock. And who famously is called a rock as well as a stone in the Bible? Yes, it's Jesus Himself!"
Just a few of the verses calling Jesus a rock or stone include:
Kovacs says the second word to focus on is "tomb."
"We all know what a tomb is. It's a grave. It's where dead people are," the author says. "And interestingly, Jesus even likens PEOPLE to tombs at times, especially when He's talking to hypocrites."
As He said: "You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity" (Matthew 23:27 CSB).
Kovacs says: "On the parable level using God's Spirit, tombs represent evil people. Even the apostle Paul calls our body of flesh the 'body of death'" (Romans 7:24 NKJV).
"Even though we think we're alive, unless and until we come to God, we're actually the walking dead, and Jesus called people that when He said, 'let the dead bury their dead'" (Matthew 8:22).
"So let's connect the dots now. When Mary saw the stone had been removed from the tomb, this is simply another way of saying that Jesus Himself had been removed from the tomb, as in resurrected from the dead! The stone or rock removed from the tomb ultimately refers to Jesus taken away not only from His gravesite but also from His body of death!
"To drive this point home, the very next verse of the Bible has Mary uttering these words confirming the thought: 'They've taken the Lord out of the tomb' (John 20:2 CSB).
"So yes, there's a secondary meaning in addition to the physical one of merely seeing a solid rock removed from the grave. It is the Ultimate Rock, Jesus, being removed from the tomb. But if that's not enough to astonish you, there's a third meaning as well."
The author, known for his "Shocked by the Bible" series, says not only do stones and rocks represent God Himself, they can also represent human people.
"Those who read the Bible know it's no secret that Jesus called Simon His apostle 'Peter,' a word meaning 'stone' or 'rock," says Kovacs. "And this stone called Peter can represent all believers who repent of their sins to follow God and feed the sheep, as he was famously told to do in John 21:17.
"Scripture also refers to all believing people as 'living stones' in 1 Peter 2:5.
"Even in the story of David and Goliath, the shepherd took 'smooth stones' (1 Samuel 17:40) as the weapon to defeat the evil giant, because we the believers are, on the metaphoric level, the fearless smooth stones prepared and polished by God to take on and defeat the evil giant, who is none other than Satan the devil."
"So let's again connect the dots from the Gospel of John, keeping in mind that God often is 'declaring the end from the beginning' (Isaiah 46:10 KJV). When the verse says 'the stone had been removed from the tomb,' this is also a prophecy for the future for all people who come to follow God. Because we ourselves are the stones that will be removed from our own personal tomb, our body of death, our grave of perishing flesh. Like Jesus, we will be removed from our grave when we are resurrected from the dead and granted everlasting life!"
"Yes, folks. One single verse from the Bible that we've been reading all these years is broadcasting so much more than has ever been trumpeted. It's so much more than just a physical stone being removed from the tomb. It is about the spiritual Rock Jesus being removed from the grave 2,000 years ago, as well as all of His other stones, the faithful believers, eventually being removed from our temporary tombs in which we walk around every day.
"With ears to hear, the glorious conclusion for your life is no longer hidden. So when we hear someone say, 'He is risen' (Matthew 28:6), it's not just directly referring to Jesus rising from the dead, it's also alluding to the wondrous immortality for every single person who truly follows Him in order to get out of his or her own tomb."
Endorsed by Chuck Norris and other Christian champions, "Reaching God Speed" is nothing short of a breakthrough work, as it probes God's hidden messages embedded in popular movies, hit songs from (Adele and the Beatles to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin), the stories we tell our children, everyday phrases we all say, historic news events, famous commercial campaigns, nature itself, and typical life activities such as inhaling every breath you take, sleeping, waking up and many more.
It features a myriad of stunning biblical revelations, as the book:
The book rocketed to the #1 position in several Amazon categories even before its official release.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
For about a week in early 2023, the United States was under a threat from a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon that flew across North American airspace, carrying intelligence-gathering equipment.
It eventually was shot down by the Air Force off the coast of South Carolina, and investigators then claimed it apparently had not sent information back to China.
Joe Biden described the situation as "not a major breach" and Chinese officials claimed it was a meteorological device that was blown "off course."
Now, however, a report from Fox confirms that Biden administration officials "held private talks with Beijing counterparts … and discussed the implications the balloon's publicity would have on the relationship between the U.S. and China."
This was before the American public was informed of the situation.
"An internal State Department readout of the talks between [then-Secretary of State Antony] Blinken and a top Chinese diplomat said Blinken stated that if the presence of the balloon were revealed publicly, it could have 'profound implications for our relationship' with China, particularly amid efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship with Beijing," Fox reported, citing Trump administration officials familiar with the documents.
"Former Secretary Blinken advocated strongly to tell the American people about China's rogue balloon, which is exactly what happened," a spokesperson for Blinken told Fox, in a statement that claimed he "has a long history of being tough on China while actually delivering results."
Another State Department official also consulted with "Chinese counterparts," according to the report.
"A readout from that discussion says that the official claimed the longer it took to mitigate the issue would only increase the likelihood that news of the balloon would become public, posing greater challenges managing the situation," the report said Trump officials explained.
Eventually, the Pentagon issued a statement that the balloon had been detected, but even then White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said Biden got a briefing, but she did not provide details in issuing a statement.
Fox was told by a "former Biden administration official" that State summoned Chinese Diplomate Zhu Haiquan Feb. 1, 2023, to tell him China should remove the balloon, and that the U.S. could take its own action.
Marco Rubio, then a senator and now secretary of State, said Biden's failure to address the threat earlier was the "beginning of dereliction of duty."
The Pentagon eventually confirmed China's claim it was a weather balloon off course was not the truth.
"This was a PRC surveillance balloon," a defense official said, explaining it was to monitor sensitive military sites across the U.S.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump has paused a new surge in higher tariffs for at least 75 nations who did not "retaliate" against his campaign to level the trading playing field for American companies and consumers, announcing a 90-day reprieve from those costs.
But for a combative China, which responded with 84% tariffs to Trump's campaign for fairness for Americans in international trading, he exploded the rate that Chinese companies will be charged for shipping goods into America to 125%.
Roughly, that would mean a Chinese car that costs $40,000 would be delivered to the United States for an estimated $90,000.
"Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World's Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable. Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non-Monetary Tariffs and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90-day PAUSE and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump said.
Making international trade fair again has been one of the main agenda points for a second Trump term in the White House.
Markets worldwide have been in turmoil for the past few days, following his announcement of reciprocal tariffs, essentially charging countries and companies that ship goods into the United States the same tariff as what those nations charge American companies for delivering goods to their consumers.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke to reporters after the president's announcement, as Leavitt chided the media for "clearly missing the Art of the Deal." Watch:
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal judge on Tuesday took the battle over the Gulf of America to a new level, ordering the White House to restore Associated Press access to the Oval Office and other spaces after President Donald Trump banned the news agency's reporters for their continued use of the Gulf of Mexico name instead of its new moniker, the Gulf of America.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, ordered access for the AP into the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited spaces when available to other members of the media pool.
"Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists – be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere – it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints," McFadden wrote.
"The Constitution requires no less."
However, the judge made it clear that AP is not getting "permanent access."
"The Court does not order the government to grant the AP permanent access to the Oval Office, the East Room or any other media event," he wrote.
"It does not bestow special treatment upon the AP. Indeed, the AP is not necessarily entitled to the 'first in line every time' permanent press pool access it enjoyed under the (White House Correspondents Association). But it cannot be treated worse than its peer wire service either."
"This injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the Government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events," McFadden added.
"It does not mandate that all eligible journalists, or indeed any journalists at all, be given access to the President or nonpublic government spaces.
"It does not prohibit government officials from freely choosing which journalists to sit down with for interviews or which ones' questions they answer. And it certainly does not prevent senior officials from publicly expressing their own views."
AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton responded to the ruling, saying: "We are gratified by the court's decision."
"Today's ruling affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation. This is a freedom guaranteed for all Americans in the U.S. Constitution."
The White House has not yet responded to the decision.
"For anyone who thinks the Associated Press' lawsuit against President Trump's White House is about the name of a body of water, think bigger," Julie Pace, the AP's executive editor, wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
"It's really about whether the government can control what you say."
Trump has previously called the AP a group of "radical left lunatics" and said that "we're going to keep them out until such time as they agree it's the Gulf of America."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Leftists recently attacked and destroyed a display assembled by Turning Point USA for students at the campus of the University of California-Davis.
While cops stood by and watched.
TPUSA said, "Our 'Prove Me Wrong' tabling event with @TheOfficerTatum at UC Davis was completely destroyed by violent protesters. They stole the canopy, ripped down banners, smashed foam boards, and even tried to steal the iPad and laptop of a @tpusastudents field rep. TPUSA students were shoved and had objects thrown at them—while police did nothing. Only after the damage was done did law enforcement finally form a perimeter. This is the reality of free speech on campus."
Constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who has advised Congress on the Constitution, and even represented Congress on constitutional issues, had a comment: "A mob of roughly 30 masked protesters at UC Davis attacked a tent for a conservative student group, the UC Davis chapter of Turning Point USA. It proceeded to destroy the tent and displays without any intervention from campus police, who were shown standing nearby."
He noted the police "followed the rampaging mob and did not attempt to detain anyone. The mob appears to have been led by Antifa members, a violent anti-free speech group."
He continued, "The university said in a news release that it is investigating. However, the university insisted, 'The event with the guest speaker took place on schedule and was completed without further incident. The university protected the free speech rights of the campus community throughout the event. 'Without further incident' has that feel of asking 'other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?'"
He wondered if the school would review "why the campus police stood and watched these protesters assault students and tear down a tent without trying to detain a single person."
He warned, "Political violence from the left is on the rise across the nation, fueled by the rage rhetoric of Democratic leaders and commentators."
And he said Antifa is a threat to free speech.
"Some Democrats have played a dangerous game in supporting or excusing the work of Antifa. Former Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison, now the Minnesota attorney general, once said Antifa would 'strike fear in the heart' of Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence and its website was banned in Germany," he said.
In fact, Ellison's son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, "declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer," Turley noted.
To such leftists, he said, free speech is "merely a bourgeois fantasy unworthy of consideration."
He warned that events like those at UC-Davis "will only encourage further attacks."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Puts out 2nd video saying Democrats 'have lost their minds'
Saying the left-wing media and Democrats "have lost their mind" over an earlier video of him posted on X, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., put out his own response Wednesday, saying he stands by his response to a fired federal bureaucrat who pursued him as he got on an elevator.
In the first video, Banks says the man taping him, a terminated HHS employee, probably deserved to be fired because he seemed "like a clown."
Subsequent to media outrage, Banks posted his own video, noting that the man questioning him earlier had a "left-wing, woke job in the federal government that should have never been a job to begin with."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Calley Means, one of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s advisers in the effort to MAHA, Make America Healthy Again, went into the lion's den Wednesday and shamed health care and pharma lobbyists sitting in the room as he responded to a question at a Politico "Health Care Summit."
Politico White House correspondent Dasha Burns asked Means about recent "massive cuts" to the number of employees at the Department of Health and Human Services.
"Fundamentally, what [Kennedy] has done is taken over a department that has utterly failed," Means said, pointing out that the federal health agencies have done nothing but preside over a disproportionately sick nation and "an abject devastation of American health."
Challenging lobbyists in the audience who laughed at his assertions, Means asked the media and others in the room to consider having some "humility" about the fact voters put Kennedy and Trump into office, "the two most popular political figures in America, by far."
Turning to Burns, Means stated, "It is insane for you to insinuate that the thing standing between us and better health is more government bureaucrats."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President Donald Trump is opening up about his thought process in agreeing to having dinner with one of his fiercest political critics, Bill Maher.
In a message posted on Truth Social Sunday night, Trump indicated: "I got a call from a very good guy, and friend of mine, Kid Rock, asking me whether or not it would be possible for me to meet, in the White House, with Bill Maher, a man who has been unjustifiably critical of anything, or anyone, TRUMP.
"I really didn't like the idea much, and don't like it much now, but thought it would be interesting. The problem is, no matter how much he likes your Favorite President, ME, he will publicly proclaim what a terrible guy I am, etc., very much like the Democrats at my recent Address to the Joint Session of Congress, where I stated, correctly, that no matter what I said or did, they wouldn't stand, they wouldn't applaud, they wouldn't smile or laugh and, certainly, they wouldn't be in any way 'nice.'
"Who knows, though, maybe I'll be proven wrong? In any event, I'm doing a favor for a friend. I look forward to meeting with Bill Maher, Kid Rock and, I believe, even the Legendary Dana White will be present. It might be fun or, it might not, but you will be the first to know!"
Maher himself is looking forward to the dinner at the White House, telling Chris Cuomo:
"I'm doing it because, first of all, it was presented as … maybe this is a beginning to heal America. Now, I don't have some sort of complex where I think I can heal America. I can't! OK, let's get that clear. I'm not going to be healing America.
"But if two guys who've been at each other for so long, I mean, it's kind of a Nixon-to-China thing. I have the credential. There was nobody who was harder on Trump, or more prescient about the fact that he wasn't going to leave office voluntarily than I was. I feel like I have the credentials.
"But they also respect me because I'm honest abut the woke train to Crazytown. And I don't shrink from that, and I've also lost a lot of fans for that. The woke people have left the building and I'm willing to make that sacrifice. But it does give you a certain credibility."
"First of all it's an honor to be invited to the White House," Maher explained. "I'm impressed by it a lot. I'm impressed the f*** out of it. I get to go to the White House. And yes, that is the structure of this dinner.
"It's just, let's talk. Let's talk to each other face to face. Let's stop shouting from 3,000 miles away. So, if they expect me to be leaving in a MAGA hat, they're gonna be very disappointed, but I know they don't.
"Look it probably will accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man. You gotta try."
As the Wrap reported, Bill Maher laid into Republicans during his "New Rules" segment on Friday's "Real Time," which he started by explaining to people who ask why, if he roasts "the woke nonsense peddlers, why don't you go all the way and join" the right wing.
"Let me give you the short answer," Maher said. "Because I don't want to live in North Korea."
"Republicans dance like Trump now. They may name weapons systems after him. They've even dressed like him with the trademark suit and tie, available exclusively at Banana Republic," he added. "All these super macho guys eating the a** of another man."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is well-known for prompting the ouster of anti-Semitic college presidents, is predicting the former CNN White House correspondent chosen to be the new president of Columbia University will be forced to resign in the coming weeks.
Stefanik made the prediction regarding Claire Shipman on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel.
"We have seen six high-profile university presidents resign, two of which are from Columbia because these university presidents have failed to show moral, strong leadership. And President Trump, as he campaigned on, is holding them accountable," Stefanik said.
"The decision to withhold federal funding from Columbia, that's what the American people wanted. That is what they voted for because these universities have failed to make sure that they are following their own rules. They have failed to protect Jewish students.
"But the fact that we're on the third Columbia University president, and this one, let's be honest, Maria is not gonna last as well. It's already come out that she has criticized and belittled the House investigation and the accountability measures and has failed to protect Jewish students."
As the New York Post indicated, Shipman, whose ex-husband is former Obama Administration press secretary Jay Carney, served as co-chair of Columbia's board of trustees before she was appointed Friday night to replace interim school president Katrina Armstrong.
The Post explained: "In a Dec. 28, 2023, text message, Shipman wrote to then university president Minouche Shafik she thought Columbia would be spared from the 'capital hill nonsense,' referring to December 2023 congressional hearings that saw the presidents of Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and MIT testify about campus protests against the war in Gaza."
Stefanik said of Shipman's Capitol Hill "nonsense" remark: "That is what this latest Columbia University president said. That's why it's untenable for her to be in this position. And I think it is only going to be a matter of weeks before she is forced to step down as well.
"They still don't get it, the faculty doesn't get it. These radical, far-left students [don't'] get it. But the fact that President Trump is not only revoking the visas for the pro-Hamas foreign agitators and anti-Semites on campus, he is also withholding those federal dollars.
"These universities are not entitled to those federal dollars. They have to ensure that they are protecting Jewish students on campus. So again, we are just seeing a failure within higher education."
Stefanik, whose name was removed from consideration for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to help bolster Republican votes in the House of Representatives, praised what she said is "strong leadership from President Trump."
"I am going to continue to lead this effort in holding higher ed accountable, standing up to be good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars, and combatting the rot and the scourge of anti-Semitism in higher ed."
WATCH Elise Stefanik's entire interview on "Sunday Morning Futures"
On the same broadcast, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon noted of the anti-Semitic events at Columbia, "Jewish students have told me they were afraid to go across campus."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
After his address to Marines Wednesday at the Quantico Marine Corps Base, Vice President JD Vance, himself a Marine, took some time to fire a machine gun at the base range.
Video of Vance's firearm acumen soon filled up X feeds.
After one shot, a voice can be heard shouting, "Hit – center chest."
WATCH: