{"id":761,"date":"2013-04-01T20:55:14","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T20:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kriesi.at\/themes\/enfold\/?page_id=761"},"modified":"2013-04-01T20:55:14","modified_gmt":"2013-04-01T20:55:14","slug":"blog-element","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?page_id=761","title":{"rendered":"Blog Elements"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section av-av_section-1fe1dac132ba18de53e08e9beafa61a2 main_color avia-section-default avia-shadow  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  avia-bg-style-scroll container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-761'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_half-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_half  avia-builder-el-1  el_before_av_one_half  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2989cb1a500f76248ec894598f4e8e5e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Half Sized Blog Element\u00a0(Single Author Style)<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-av_one_half-b51168870d26eac9084c0e2dc495efe0 av_one_half  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_hr  flex_column_div  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2989cb1a500f76248ec894598f4e8e5e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-8d157cb69b9bac724b7b660688c74680\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-8d157cb69b9bac724b7b660688c74680{\nheight:35px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-8d157cb69b9bac724b7b660688c74680 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_one_half '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_half-2a9015ff38129c418a3f2eafba3e9512 av_one_half  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_one_half  first flex_column_div  '     ><div  class='av-alb-blogposts template-blog  '  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Blog\" ><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4506 post-loop-1 post-parity-odd single-small with-slider post-4506 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-apologetics category-current-events category-muscular-christianity tag-ignatius tag-josephus tag-resurrection tag-simon-bar-kokhba tag-tertullian\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506' class='small-preview'  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\"   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-180x180.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-square size-square wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-36x36.jpg 36w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\">Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=35\" rel=\"tag\">Apologetics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>I) Intro Simon bar Kokhba (Hebrew: \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar K\u014d\u1e35\u1e07\u0101\u02be\u200e) or Simon bar Koseba (\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05b9\u05e1\u05b5\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar \u1e34\u014ds\u0113\u1e07a\u02be\u200e), commonly referred to simply as Bar Kokhba,[a] was a Jewish military leader in Judea. He lent his name to the Bar Kokhba revolt, which he initiated against the Roman Empire in 132 CE. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >2026-04-16 21:15:04<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-17 09:18:24<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4470 post-loop-2 post-parity-even post-entry-last single-small with-slider post-4470 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized tag-1-2-trillion tag-budge-committee tag-federal-deficit tag-joint-economic-committee\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470' class='small-preview'  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\"   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-180x180.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-square size-square wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-36x36.jpg 36w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: The Federal Deficit\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: The Federal Deficit\">The Federal Deficit<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=1\" rel=\"tag\">Uncategorized<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Many of those who despise President Trump justify their hatred by insisting that he&#8217;s a heinous human being and anyone who supports him is just as sinister. There was a question on Quora that I attempted to answer and it was, yet again, another situation where you feel as though no amount of facts can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>The Federal Deficit<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><div class='single-small'><nav class='pagination'><span class='pagination-meta'>Page 1 of 71<\/span><span class='current'>1<\/span><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2' class='inactive next_page' >2<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=3' class='inactive' >3<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2'>&rsaquo;<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=71'>&raquo;<\/a><\/nav>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div  class='flex_column av-av_one_half-b51168870d26eac9084c0e2dc495efe0 av_one_half flex_column_div  '     ><div  class='av-alb-blogposts template-blog  '  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Blog\" ><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4506 post-loop-3 post-parity-odd multi-big with-slider post-4506 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-apologetics category-current-events category-muscular-christianity tag-ignatius tag-josephus tag-resurrection tag-simon-bar-kokhba tag-tertullian\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\">Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=35\" rel=\"tag\">Apologetics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>I) Intro Simon bar Kokhba (Hebrew: \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar K\u014d\u1e35\u1e07\u0101\u02be\u200e) or Simon bar Koseba (\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05b9\u05e1\u05b5\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar \u1e34\u014ds\u0113\u1e07a\u02be\u200e), commonly referred to simply as Bar Kokhba,[a] was a Jewish military leader in Judea. He lent his name to the Bar Kokhba revolt, which he initiated against the Roman Empire in 132 CE. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >2026-04-16 21:15:04<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-17 09:18:24<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4470 post-loop-4 post-parity-even multi-big with-slider post-4470 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized tag-1-2-trillion tag-budge-committee tag-federal-deficit tag-joint-economic-committee\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: The Federal Deficit\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: The Federal Deficit\">The Federal Deficit<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=1\" rel=\"tag\">Uncategorized<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Many of those who despise President Trump justify their hatred by insisting that he&#8217;s a heinous human being and anyone who supports him is just as sinister. There was a question on Quora that I attempted to answer and it was, yet again, another situation where you feel as though no amount of facts can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>The Federal Deficit<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><div class='multi-big'><nav class='pagination'><span class='pagination-meta'>Page 1 of 71<\/span><span class='current'>1<\/span><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2' class='inactive next_page' >2<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=3' class='inactive' >3<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2'>&rsaquo;<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=71'>&raquo;<\/a><\/nav>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-761'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2989cb1a500f76248ec894598f4e8e5e '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='av-alb-blogposts template-blog  '  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Blog\" ><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4506 post-loop-5 post-parity-odd single-big with-slider post-4506 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-apologetics category-current-events category-muscular-christianity tag-ignatius tag-josephus tag-resurrection tag-simon-bar-kokhba tag-tertullian\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview single-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4506\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection\">Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=35\" rel=\"tag\">Apologetics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b>I) Intro<\/b><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-3285\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 10px; border-radius: 10pt; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-300x122.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"118\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Simon bar Kokhba (Hebrew: \u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05db\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar K\u014d\u1e35\u1e07\u0101\u02be\u200e) or Simon bar Koseba (\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05de\u05b0\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e8 \u05db\u05b9\u05e1\u05b5\u05d1\u05b8\u05d0 \u0160\u012bm\u2018\u014dn bar \u1e34\u014ds\u0113\u1e07a\u02be\u200e), commonly referred to simply as Bar Kokhba,[a] was a Jewish military leader in Judea. He lent his name to the Bar Kokhba revolt, which he initiated against the Roman Empire in 132 CE. Though they were ultimately unsuccessful, Bar Kokhba and his rebels did manage to establish and maintain a Jewish state for about three years after beginning the rebellion. Bar Kokhba served as the state&#8217;s leader, crowning himself as nasi (lit.\u2009&#8217;prince&#8217;).[3] Some of the rabbinic scholars in his time believed him to be the long-expected Messiah.<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Simon_bar_Kokhba#:~:text=Simon%20bar%20Kokhba%20(Hebrew:%20%D7%A9%D6%B4%D7%81%D7%9E%D6%B0%D7%A2%D7%95%D6%B9%D7%9F,by%20the%20Roman%20emperor%20Hadrian.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikipedia)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Why does no one know about Simon bar Kokhba (pronounced &#8220;COKE-bah&#8221;)?<\/p>\n<p>Well, because he died&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;and he didn&#8217;t come back to life.<\/p>\n<p>The Resurrection of Christ is the very archway of Christianity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Faith in the resurrection is the very keystone of the arch of Christian faith, and, when it is removed, all must inevitably crumble into ruin.<\/em>\u201d<sup>7<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s more than just a &#8220;point of doctrine,&#8221; it&#8217;s the very thing that Christ referred to as what would ultimately validate Him as the Son of God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.\u201d Jesus then left them and went away. (Matt 16:4)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>II) How Do You Prove It?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But how do you prove it? There\u2019s no film to refer to, all of the eyewitnesses are long gone so what\u2019s left as far as a credible source of information?<\/p>\n<p>And let\u2019s take this a step further.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s assume for the sake of this discussion that the Bible is not admissible as evidence, apart from those things that can be regarded as historical events. The approach that we take then is the same approach that is taken in academic circles when seeking to establish the historicity of a particular event or person. You assemble all those things that mention that person or event and then draw your conclusions based on the substance of their testimony.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, the fact that Jesus died and that His body was never recovered is not a matter of conjecture or speculation. The resurrection of Christ is an event in history where in God acted in a definite time-space dimension.<\/p>\n<p>Concerning this, Wilbur Smith says,<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>\u201cThe meaning of the resurrection is a theological matter, but the fact of the resurrection is a historical matter; the nature of the resurrection body of Jesus may be a mystery, but the fact that the body disappeared from the tomb is a matter to be decided upon by historical evidence.<sup>8<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Jesus did exist and He did die and His body was never definitively accounted for after He was laid to rest. That much can be determined from the wealth of literature, art and even the presence of the Christian church as an institution in that it is based on the historical as well as the theological reality of Christ.<\/p>\n<p>What happened to Christ\u2019s body is the question.<\/p>\n<p>Critics have either been looking for a corpse or insisted that one did exist for over two thousand years. But they make that assertion in the face of an overwhelming amount of evidence that cannot be overlooked without the risk of being less than objective in your analysis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>III) Secular Accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px; font-weight: bold; display: inline-block;\">A) Josephus on the Resurrection<\/div>\n<p>Josephus was a Jewish historian that lived from 37 to 100 A.D. He was employed by the Romans and he mentions this about Jesus in his \u201cAntiquities of the Jews\u201d:<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good, and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive.<\/em><sup>9<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4481\" style=\"box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/nero_mus_munchen-223x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/nero_mus_munchen-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/nero_mus_munchen.jpg 446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/>In many ways, this one quote is a slam dunk. Here\u2019s a man who had access to people who were contemporaries of Christ. He was born only seven year after Jesus died and the fact that he mentions Jesus\u2019 resurrection in what would be considered a secular text is equivalent to Christ\u2019s Resurrection being reported in the news. Some have very vehemently attempted to discount this quote as something that Josephus could not have written. However, this same passage written by Josephus was quoted by Eusebius in the fourth century and is included in the most recent Loeb edition of his works.<sup>10<\/sup> It is credible.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold;\">B) Tertullian\u2019s Apology<\/div>\n<p>Another example of a secular text that references Jesus\u2019 resurrection would be Tertullian\u2019s Apology.<\/p>\n<p>Tertullian (pronounced &#8220;ter-TUH-lee-uhn) lived from 160 \u2013 220 AD. He was born in Carthage, Africa when it was a Roman province. By this point, Rome had become violently opposed to Christianity thanks to Nero who blamed the great fire that decimated most of Rome on the Christians in 64 AD. Subsequent Caesars followed suit and while much of the more heinous persecutions had faded by the time Tertullian was championing the Christian faith, local proconsuls still made it very hazardous to claim Christ as Savior.<\/p>\n<p>It was in this cultural climate the Tertullian wrote his Apology. It was a letter written to the Roman government basically challenging them to consider the logic of their predisposition against Christianity. He crafts a very compelling defense and at one point when he is describing the Christian faith, he says:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>But the Jews were so exasperated by His teaching, by which their rulers and chiefs were convicted of the truth, chiefly because so many turned aside to Him, that at last they brought Him before Pontius Pilate, at the time Roman governor of Syria, and, by the violence of their outcries against Him, extorted a sentence giving Him up to them to be crucified&#8230;At his own free-will, He with a word dismissed from Him<\/em>\u00a0<em>His spirit, anticipating the executioner\u2019s work. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>In the same hour, too, the light of day was withdrawn, when the sun at the very time was in his meridian blaze. Those who were not aware that this had been predicted about Christ, no doubt thought it was an eclipse. You yourselves have the account of the world- portent still in your archives. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Then, when His body was taken down from the cross and placed in a sepulcher, the Jews in their eager watchfulness surrounded it with a large military guard, lest, as He had predicted His resurrection from the dead on the third day, His disciples might remove by stealth His body, and deceive even the incredulous. But, lo, on the third day there was a sudden shock of earthquake, and the stone which sealed the sepulcher was rolled away, and the guard fled off in terror; without a single disciple near, the grave was found empty of all but the clothes of the buried One. <\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 25px; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold;\">C) Ignatius&#8217; Last Words<\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 320px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 10pt; float: right; margin: 10px; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; font-size: 9pt; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"width: 320px; height: auto; padding: 10px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\">A Man of History<\/div>\n<div style=\"height: 250px; width: 320px; padding: 10px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><b>The Eclipse&#8230;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The eclipse that happened around the time that Jesus was crucified was documented by the Romans and you can read more about it by clicking <a href=\"http:\/\/www.astronomytoday.com\/ecl ipses\/ancient-part3.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>. Greek historian Phlegon wrote: &#8220;In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an eclipse of the Sun which was greater than any known before and in the sixth hour of the day it became night; so that stars appeared in the heaven; and a great Earthquake that broke out in Bithynia destroyed the greatest part of Nicaea.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>The Encyclopedia Britannica<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i>The latest edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica uses 20,000 words in describing this person, Jesus. His description took more space that was given to Aristotle, Cicero, Alexander, Julius Caesar, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed or Napoleon Bonaparte.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Concerning the testimony of many independent secular accounts of Jesus of Nazareth, it records:<\/p>\n<p>These independent accounts prove that in ancient times event the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time on in adequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries. (Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Here\u2019s Life Publishers, 1972, 1979), 87)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>But nevertheless, the leaders of the Jews, whom it nearly concerned both the spread abroad a lie, and keep back a people tributary and submissive to them from the faith, give it out that the body of Christ had been stolen by His followers. For the Lord, you see, did not go forth into the public gaze, lest the wicked by delivered from their error; that faith also, destined to a great reward, might hold its ground in difficulty. But He spent forty days with some of His disciples down in Galilee, a region of Judea, instructing them in the doctrines they were to teach others. Thereafter, having given them commission to preach the gospel through the word, He was encompassed with a cloud and taken up to heaven, &#8211; a fact more certain far than the assertions of your Proculi concerning Romulus.<\/em><sup>11<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Again, this is not \u201cbiblical.\u201d This isn\u2019t a Bible study. Rather, this is a concerned citizen appealing to the Roman decision makers on the basis of logic. In his explanation of the Christian faith, He refers to Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection as things that happened as opposed to things that are merely believed to have happened. The fact that he punctuates his account of Christ by referencing the eclipse that happened when Jesus was killed highlights how some of these things can be verified by referring to their own records. He is not laboring to convince his audience based on mere conjecture. Rather, he\u2019s providing an account of what happened and how those events provided the basis of the doctrine that Christians subscribe to.<\/p>\n<p>Another example that demonstrates the historical reality of Christ\u2019s resurrection that comes from a secular source would be the account of Ignatius who lived from 50-115 A.D. He was the Bishop of Antioch, a native of Syria and a pupil of the apostle John. Enroute to a martyr\u2019s death, he wrote his \u201cEpistles,\u201d and this is what he said of Christ:<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>He was crucified and died under Pontius Pilate. He really, nad not merely in appearance, was crucified, and died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. He also rose\u00a0again in three days&#8230;\u201d<\/em><sup>12<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>IV) Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no amount of facts or data that can change the mind of someone who&#8217;s personally invested in a lie. To alter the way they think, you first have to change who they are and only God can do that (Jer 17:9; Jn 6:65).<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, faith comes by &#8220;hearing&#8221; the Word of God and we are commanded to be His witnesses&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Rom 10:7<\/strong> [see also 1 Pet 3:15]<strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hopefully you can see how a part of your response to a skeptic can include the fact that there is a substantial amount of secular documentation that references the Resurrection, not as a spiritual fiction, but as a historical fact. And this is in addition to the Scriptures which are beyond authentic, which we&#8217;ll discuss in another session.<\/p>\n<p>He is risen!<\/p>\n<p>He is risen indeed!<\/p>\n<div style=\"border-top: 3px solid #000; border-bottom: 1px solid #000; width: 100%; height: 8px;\"><\/div>\n<p>To view the citations, refer to the &#8220;I Dare You&#8221; series which you can access by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4488\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T21:15:04+00:00\" >2026-04-16 21:15:04<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-17 09:18:24<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Prove It! | Part II: The Resurrection<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4470 post-loop-6 post-parity-even single-big with-slider post-4470 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized tag-1-2-trillion tag-budge-committee tag-federal-deficit tag-joint-economic-committee\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview single-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: The Federal Deficit\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4470\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: The Federal Deficit\">The Federal Deficit<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >April 16, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=1\" rel=\"tag\">Uncategorized<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" title=\"Posts by Bruce Gust\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-3285\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 10px; border-radius: 10pt; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-300x122.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"266\" height=\"118\" \/>Many of those who despise President Trump justify their hatred by insisting that he&#8217;s a heinous human being and anyone who supports him is just as sinister.<\/p>\n<p>There was a question on <a href=\"https:\/\/nomoretrump.quora.com\/If-conclusive-proof-is-ever-shown-that-Trump-is-guilty-of-unspeakable-felonies-as-a-result-of-the-Epstein-files-will-mi-13?__nsrc__=4&amp;__snid3__=97177897950&amp;comment_id=507672073&amp;comment_type=2&amp;qv_src=email\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quora<\/a> that I attempted to answer and it was, yet again, another situation where you feel as though no amount of facts can sway someone who&#8217;s determined to ignore anything other than what they want to hear.<\/p>\n<p>At one point in the exchange, she said this:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: auto; border-radius: 10pt;\">\n<p><em>&#8230;the US federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2026 (starting Oct 1, 2025) stands at approximately $1.17 trillion for the first six months, representing the third-worst first-half in history. While slightly lower than the same period in FY2025, the deficit remains historically high, with total FY2026 projections nearing $1.85.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When you read, &#8220;The US deficit is now at $1.17 trillion over the first 6 months of FY2026, the 3rd-worst first-half in history,&#8221; you are inclined to think the US economy is weak and getting progressively weaker.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with that perspective is that it doesn&#8217;t take into consideration other information that significantly changes the conclusion that number by itself would imply.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look&#8230;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 90%; margin: auto; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 10pt; border-collapse: separate; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: blue; color: #fff; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt;\" colspan=\"5\">Biden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2023<\/td>\n<td style=\"white-space: nowrap;\">1.695 trillion<\/td>\n<td style=\"white-space: nowrap;\" rowspan=\"2\">+ 138 billion<\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"961\">\u201cPresident Biden and Vice President Harris have ignored resounding messages from Iowans and Americans nationwide, as well as alarms from global credit ratings companies. By consistently choosing a spendthrift agenda over fiscal sanity, this administration has hamstrung our economy for generations to come,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cOur nation needs a change of pace from the one this administration has set. Vice President Harris\u2019 recent proposals, however, signal an unwillingness to meaningfully address Americans\u2019 concerns and a readiness to double down on policies that have caused major consequences, like prices rising over 20 percent in less than four years.\u201d<\/td>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"393\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.budget.senate.gov\/ranking-member\/newsroom\/press\/cbo-estimate-2024-deficit-reaches-18-trillion-under-biden-harris-spending#:~:text=CBO%20Estimate:%202024%20Deficit%20Reaches,the%20need%20to%20reverse%20course.\">United States Senate Committee on the Budget<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2024<\/td>\n<td style=\"white-space: nowrap;\">1.833 trillion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: red; color: #fff;\" colspan=\"5\">Trump<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2025<\/td>\n<td>1.78 trillion<\/td>\n<td>-50 billion<\/td>\n<td width=\"961\">WASHINGTON, DC \u2013Today, the Joint Economic Committee released its Monthly Fiscal Update. In FY2025, the nation ended with a $1.78 trillion deficit, $50 billion (2.8 percent) less than FY2024. Leading to the decreased deficit impact was the record-setting tariff collections of $195 billion for FY2025, increased tax receipts, and modifications to the student loan program authorized in the 2025 reconciliation act. While customs duties jumped significantly in FY2025, it still accounts for only 3.7 percent of total receipts.<\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jec.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/republicans\/2025\/10\/u-s-deficit-decreases-2-8-percent-to-1-8-trillion-in-fy2025-september-ends-with-198-billion-surplus#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20FY2025%2C%20net%20outlays,to%20a%20%241.776%20trillion%20deficit.\">United States Congress Joint Economic Committee<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom-left-radius: 10pt;\">2026<\/td>\n<td>1.2 trillion (first half)<\/td>\n<td>-139 billion<\/td>\n<td width=\"961\">WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 This week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published its monthly budget review which estimated the federal budget deficit totaled $1.2 trillion in the first half of fiscal year 2026. <span style=\"background-color: #000; color: #fff;\">That amount is $139 billion less than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.<\/span> House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) released the following statement:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The non-partisan CBO recently did a comparison of the first six months of last fiscal year (FY25) with the first six months of this fiscal year (FY26). <span style=\"background-color: #000; color: #fff;\">The report showed that the combination of savings from cutting bureaucratic waste and increased revenue from tariffs helped lower the deficit by $139b, which is over 10%.<\/span> If we continue cutting waste and fraud from the federal government as well as incentivizing economic growth, we will stabilize the debt and put our nation on a credible path to balance going to 3% deficit-to-GDP from 6% over the next several years.&#8221;<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-bottom-right-radius: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/budget.house.gov\/press-release\/under-republican-leadership-federal-government-reduces-deficit-year-over-year\">Budget Committee\u00a0<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>If you take a closer look at the 2025 statement made by the Joint Economic Committee, you&#8217;ll see how they highlight the fact that the 2025 deficit was 50 billion dollars less than the last year of the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>Then, if you take a look at what this year&#8217;s Budget Committee said,\u00a0 despite the sobering amount represented by the first six months of this year, we&#8217;re nevertheless 139 billion dollars less than the same time last year.<\/p>\n<p>So, would it not make sense to be encouraged by this number, based on the way it can be compared to last year&#8217;s situation which represented a 50 billion dollar improvement over the previous year?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely!<\/p>\n<p>But if you&#8217;re determined to ignore anything that doesn&#8217;t promote what you want to believe, not only will your conclusions never be accurate, but you&#8217;ve restricted yourself and anyone else impacted by your thought processes to a world of pain and problems.<\/p>\n<p>However nonsensical that may sound, it is precisely what happens when you&#8217;re resolved to define truth according to what you feel as opposed to what is real and that is the <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4229\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fundamental dispute<\/a> that fuels all of the political tension that exists in our society today.<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-04-16T20:40:07+00:00\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-04-16 20:40:07<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>The Federal Deficit<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><div class='single-big'><nav class='pagination'><span class='pagination-meta'>Page 1 of 71<\/span><span class='current'>1<\/span><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2' class='inactive next_page' >2<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=3' class='inactive' >3<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=2'>&rsaquo;<\/a><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpages%2F761&#038;paged=71'>&raquo;<\/a><\/nav>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":750,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-761","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/761\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}