How to Unredact the Epstein Redactions

Good morning!

Internet users have sleuthed out a decidedly low-tech way around the redactions in the Justice Department’s new release of files regarding the late pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein: Just highlight the blacked-out text and copy-paste it into Word, Futurism reports.

Oops?

[BRIEF]

The New York Times says no new incriminating information about President Trump emerged from the failed redactions, but they do reveal disturbing details about Epstein’s operations, such as his associates allegedly helping lure underage girls, with payments exceeding $400,000 to young models and actresses, and efforts to pay hush money, threaten victims and destroy evidence. Why such details were redacted is unclear, since they didn’t protect Epstein’s victims but Epstein’s network of accomplices.

This story never dies. I keep thinking about the Bible’s promises to expose every secret thing, make known all that is hid, bring every work into judgment (e.g. Ecclesiastes 12:14; Luke 12:2). As the Trumpet has said, Epstein is just a tiny slice of the sins for which America is being cursed. We all need to eliminate the shadows and secrets in our lives and to live lives of sincerity and truth.

Wait, isn’t America churching up? More evidence undermining the notion of America’s “religious revival”: Religiously unaffiliated people are fast increasing, and churches are closing by the thousands. Axios calls it the nation’s “fastest religious shift in modern history”:

The great unchurching of America comes as identity and reality are increasingly shaped by non-institutional spiritual sources—YouTube mystics, TikTok tarot, digital skeptics, folk saints and AI-generated prayer bots.

Key findings from recent data:

• Almost 30 percent of U.S. adults now report no religious affiliation, a one-third increase since 2013 (per the Public Religion Research Institute).
• Among 18-to-29-year-olds, the unaffiliated share has grown to 38 percent.
• 57 percent of Americans rarely or never attend religious services, up from 40 percent in 2000 (Gallup).
• An estimated 15,000 churches have closed this year, significantly outpacing new openings.

This shift away from institutional religion is leaving many church buildings empty and reducing their role as community centers for events, support groups and social services. Megachurches show some resilience but not enough to counteract the broader trend.

Axios reports that evidence of religious resurgence is anecdotal; prri ceo Melissa Deckman sees “no widespread academic or mainstream evidence of a large-scale national religious awakening.” The emerging religious map is “digital, more secular, decentralized and deeply fragmented.”

Those hoping and praying for a revival are going to find themselves disillusioned. Modern Americans are like their ancient Israelite forefathers, when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

But the nation’s direction need not dictate your individual choices. If you genuinely seek truth and are willing to submit yourself to it, you can find it. Read our free booklet Can You Prove Which Church Is God’s?

A new crusade in Nigeria? United States President Donald Trump launched a strike against Islamic State targets on Christmas Day in response to attacks on Nigerian Christians. Last month, Trump said Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and promised to defend Christians in the region.

• Fighters from the Islamist group Boko Haram and from an offshoot affiliated with the Islamic State called the “Islamic State West Africa Province” have been attacking Christian and Muslim civilians. Another group, called the Lakurawa group, has recently become more active. Iran also has a powerful proxy in Nigeria—the Islamic Movement of Nigeria—though it is not involved in the latest fighting.

President Trump provided few details about the strike, but an unnamed Defense Department official said it had been approved by the Nigerian government.

Nigeria’s population is split between the predominantly Christian south and the predominantly Muslim north. All manner of disputes, from the sharing of state oil revenue to arguments over grazing lands, can take on a religious dimension.

“Northern Africa is turning into a battleground with enormously important prophetic implications,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote more than 10 years ago.

Now, Mali has fallen to repeated coups, and large parts of the country have fallen to militant groups. Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Guinea have all experienced coups. Not all are related to Islamist groups, but the ensuing chaos gives these groups opportunities to expand.

Watch for North Africa to become a new battlefront in the intensifying struggle between Christianity and Islam. Bible prophecy forecasts that it will be Europe, not the United States, that will intervene powerfully and violently take over the leading role. This will escalate into the conflict prophesied in the passage starting in Daniel 11:40. To learn more, read Mr. Flurry’s article “Watch Algeria!”

IN OTHER NEWS

Terror attack in northern Israel: A Palestinian terrorist murdered two people and wounded others today in a rampage in northern Israel near Nazareth. The terrorist, who has been arrested and identified as Ahmed Abu al-Rov, ran over a 68-year-old man with a vehicle before fatally stabbing an 18-year-old woman. These kinds of attacks are more common near Israeli settlements in the West Bank rather than in Israel proper, but they are early warning signs that tensions between Israelis and their Arab neighbors are about to explode.

Polish forces intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft yesterday near Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea. The radar systems also detected several objects likely used for smuggling crossing the border from Belarus. Fearing increased Russian hybrid attacks, Poland is fortifying its defense systems and borders with help from Germany. Earlier this month, the German Air Force deployed an unspecified number of Eurofighters to Poland for a mission lasting until March, with about 150 personnel involved. Starting in April 2026, the German armed forces will assist with the construction of a protective barrier as part of Poland’s “Operation East Shield” initiative in the border region with Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Fear of Russia is prompting Poland to align itself with a militarized Europe, led by Germany.

Bundeswehr to deploy in Ukraine under EU flag? “I would like to see soldiers with the European flag on their uniforms working alongside our Ukrainian friends to secure peace,” Manfred Weber, the prominent German politician and leader of the European People’s Party, said in an interview posted today by Funke Media Group. “We cannot seriously expect Trump to secure a peace settlement solely with American GIs. And when we talk about European troops, Germany cannot be left out. … Europe stands naked in a cold world full of storms. We must stop basing our policies on documents from Washington. We must write our own security strategy, test the architecture of Europe, and finally act with confidence.” Growing distrust of the United States equates to growing support for an independent European military under German leadership. However, Bible prophecy shows that this force will not be established to support Ukraine or to keep the peace.

Record rainfall drenched Southern California on Wednesday, forcing evacuations and road closures. At least three people drowned, while dozens of others were rescued overnight amid flooding and mudslides. About 100,000 people in the state are without power. The mountain and foothill areas of Southern California received 6 to 14 inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, the wettest holiday span in many areas since 1971. Around the world, people are seeing dramatic swings between dry and wet conditions, which scientists are calling “hydroclimate whiplash.” The Bible specifies that such whiplash is a curse for sin. Amos 4:7 says, “… I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.”