Free Republic

Most Christians think of the Second Coming of Jesus as a five-foot-five Jewish man (with long hair and ancient Jewish clothing) literally riding on a cloud down to earth—and walking around the streets of Jerusalem. But is this the correct understanding of what the Bible teaches? Interestingly, of the two dozen passages about the Parousia in the New Testament, only one (Acts 1:9-11) does not have a specific or implied time limitation to occur during the lifetimes of those living in the first century. Many Christians have misunderstood what Jesus meant by his Parousia, because they do not know their...

The plants are native to southeastern North Carolina. "They only grow naturally within a 100-mile radius of Wilmington," Sgt. Matt Criscoe with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission told the news station. "This time of year they start to bud flowers," making it easier to find them and prompting increased patrols for poachers, Criscoe said. He said the plants are sold on the black market or locally. Wildlife officers responded to a complaint last month about two people digging for flytraps in Boiling Spring Lakes. They were stopped at a local gas station and officers searched their backpacks. They're accused...

The African Matabele ants are often injured in fights with termites. Their conspecifics recognise when the wounds become infected and initiate antibiotic treatment. A Matabele ant tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites. (Image: Erik Frank / Universität Würzburg) The Matabele ants (Megaponera analis), which are widespread south of the Sahara, have a narrow diet: They only eat termites. Their hunting expeditions are dangerous because termite soldiers defend their conspecifics – and use their powerful mandibles to do so. It is therefore common for the ants to be injured...

Exotic species such as pythons, Asian carp and cane toads often dominate the invasive species discourse. Few biological invaders, however, have wreaked as much ecological havoc as one of our most cuddly companions: cats. Despite their small stature and memeable mugs, domestic cats (Felis catus) are perfectly adapted killing machines, armed with retractable claws, sharp fangs and night vision. And these potent predators are anything but picky. As humans have spread cats around the world over the past 9,000 years, these ferocious felines—which were likely domesticated thousands of years ago in the Near East—have terrorized native creatures on every...

Nature Ping. Vicious bear fight. Not for the squeamish. Recorded 3 June 2023 Filmed from a boat... We were watching a tranquil scene of 2 bears shagging on the beach…we thought how lovely…something you don’t see very often. Then we noticed another bear making its way towards them…he was on a mission…and he went in for the attack while our 2 lovers were still joined. She made a hasty departure. The guide we were with said the aggressor had killed and eaten a cub the day before…he seemed to have the blood lust…it was the longest 20 minutes of my...

Former Obama adviser David Axelrod doubled down after President Biden reportedly called him a "pr---" and argued that the president has a "real problem" if he thinks he can "cheat nature." New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd defended Axelrod in a column published on Sunday, criticizing Biden for engaging in "petty feuds." "I don’t care about them thinking I’m a prick — that’s fine," Axelrod told Dowd. "I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong, because they’re not." Axelrod, who Dowd noted has defended Biden in the past, told Dowd that Biden thinks he can "cheat nature," drawing a...

Last week, an 8-foot-tall, golden statue was unveiled atop a New York state courthouse in New York City. It stands alongside several other, older statues of classical design.According to the artist, Shahzia Sikander, the statue is meant to be a representation of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her support of abortion rights.This is a statue of a demon. Not only that, it’s OBVIOUSLY a demon, horns and all. It’s like something terrifying from an archeological dig of a civilization that practiced human sacrifice. It is designed to unsettle & spread ugliness. It’s on top of...

Lest we forget the life soldiers died for, we should establish Green Freedom Parks full of memorial trees to remember and respect those who have served for us. Places where culture, environment and heritage unite as one. As an example, I want the vacant 127 hectare Defence Department Site in Maribyrnong, Australia, and adjacent public lands to become a national park. I predict that fusing environmentalism and military heritage will establish conservatives as the best conservationists. God Bless Freedom God Bless Life

American Bully XL dogs are to be banned in the UK by the end of the year, the country's Prime Minster Rishi Sunak has announced. It comes after a man in England died following what Mr Sunak described as "another suspected XL bully attack" on Thursday. It was the latest in a series of deadly incidents. *** The XL is the largest of four types of American Bully: standard, pocket, classic and XL. Strong enough to overpower an adult, the American bully XL can weigh more than nine stone (60kg). American Bullies are said to have originated in the US...

It has been clear for a long time that the science is not settled regarding humans and our use of natural resources in relation to temperatures and climatic changes. The only thing that is settled is job and financial security for “scientists” who support the left’s “climate change” narrative. They’re guaranteed taxpayer-funded grants; jobs from Democrats, colleges, or the media that uses their authority to regurgitate leftist talking points and to push for the radical leftist agenda to destroy companies that produce reasonably priced energy and other products. Here, a scientist admits that he essentially cooked the books to get...

A lost little bird wobbles onto a riverbed, right where a leopard cub is busy playing. The bird, knowing nothing better, walks right up to the leopard!

Evidence suggests the heartbreaking Maui wildfire was preventable. That should enrage the Democrat voters of Hawaii. I fear it will not. This is the 21st century. We know how to do land management. We know how to prevent wildfires, or at least ensure they can be controlled and extinguished long before a Maui occurs. Sadly, we choose not to. Actually… It’s Democrats who choose not to. You see, Democrats have become the equivalent of pagan sun worshippers. Nature has become their god. Therefore, in their pagan minds, human beings are nothing more than viruses, a threat to their god. This...

Talk about pulling above your weight… Back in 2009, AT&T California was perplexed when one of their transmission towers suddenly wasn’t emitting signal anymore. Its strength had been weakening for a little bit, but it appeared the antenna had finally kicked and needed some maintenance. When they arrived, technicians were surprised to see the antenna cover bulging, apparently stuffed with, well… they didn’t know, but it was obviously a lot of something. When they inspected it closer, it turned out the antenna had mysteriously been completely filled with an insane amount of acorns. In fact, around 300 POUNDS of acorns...

President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, reportedly bit or attacked Secret Service agents as many as 10 times between the months of October 2022 and January 2023. One incident involving the dog reportedly required a hospital visit for the Secret Service agent, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security that were released following a FOIA request by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch. Per the Associated Press: On Nov. 3, 2022, a Secret Service official emailed colleagues that Commander had bitten a uniformed officer twice — on the upper right arm and thigh. Staff from the White House medical...

Multimillion dollar solar project gets reduced to a heap of toxic rubble by one single hail storm. The Scottsbluff, Nebraska 5.2 MW Community Solar project was part of the NPPD’s Sunwise program that consisted of an array has over 14,000 solar panels. It’s reported that it had been put into operation in 2019. Surely the project had been ceremoniously put into operation, with dignitaries and proponents proclaiming it would reliably deliver cheap and clean energy, reduce the state’s carbon footprint and contribute to a bright and climate-friendly future. Now it has been just recently reported that the multimillion dollar solar...

Drone aerial nature vid nuts listen up! This is about the most awesome vid ever! Tell me I'm wrong! If there's a pulitzer for aerial photography, this has gotta be up there!

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Most medical textbooks claim that atherosclerosis — the process by which plaque accumulates inside blood vessels and slowly chokes off blood flow, eventually leading to heart attack or stroke — is irreversible. This claim may not be accurate. In a landmark study, research has established a therapeutic role for an obscure herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, berberine, for the treatment and even possible reversal of arterial plaque, one of the main drivers of heart disease. The presumed mechanism by which berberine may reduce atherosclerosis is by tamping down production of a compound called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) that has been...

I understand that nature is cruel at times but this live Eagle cam is heartbreaking to watch. She its sitting on two eggs in a historic blizzard.

If someone claimed to have seen a two-legged fox running across the garden, you'd tell them to pull the other one. And Phil Carter did indeed assume it was a joke when his wife Jane said she'd seen a fox with two legs 'bolt upright like a human' on their lawn this Christmas.... ...'This animal showed no signs of being underfed. It can clearly hunt and eat. You just wouldn't believe how fast it is'...