Seeing the signs

“And the Pharisees and the Sad'ducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, 'it will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening'. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation sees for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah”.
So he left them and departed”.
(Matthew 16:1-4)

Before we get started, please see my previous article, here; Stop trusting the untrustworthy! and check out my latest on Locals; Coffee and Christianity: Episode 78: The WHOLE armour of God
Okay, so, let's talk about a few things here, I'm not going to talk so much about the sign of Jonah (see Matthew 12:38-19, amongst other places).
No, I want to talk about discernment.
Now, let's look up what this means, discern.
This is important. As I write this, it's the anniversary of the liberation of Bucha (Zelenskyy and foreign officials commemorate victims on third anniversary of Bucha's liberation – photos)
There are still people who will claim that it was really the CIA, and it was staged, and a bunch of other annoying things that are easily disprovable.
I won't be sharing the russian propaganda (because it's rubbish), why would they CIA stage it? I've seen the pictures, actors don't look like dead bodies (it's quite easy to tell a dead body from a live one, if you know what you're looking for).
I won't share that either, but, having actually reviewed the records, I find that claim to be nonsensical.
Anyway, I want to make a point about discernment. Sometimes, people are so quick to just believe whatever they're fed without questioning why. Russia's war in Ukraine is something I have studied extensively. I'm not an expert, I just don't automatically trust something because Tucker Carlson told me it's true. One point I make (and the very reason I used communist symbolism for my last article) is that Putin HIMSELF said he admires communism and socialism (Truth matters). Yet, somehow, I'm told that Putin is fighting globalism (globalism), this, in spite of the fact I think Putin fits the definition of a globalist (Vladimir Putin Remarks “Russia’s Borders Do Not End Anywhere” As the World).
My point isn't about russia, or Ukraine, or even the war. It's about being able to choose right from wrong. It's about being able to read context. And it's about seeing the signs.
And so many people, don't even want to see the signs.

Adam Charles Hovey is the founder of the Catholicism, news, and whatever community and the host of the weekly Bible study, Coffee and Christianity

*All verses from Revised Standard Version Bible, Ignatius Edition, Copyright 2006, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.