AFRICAN PLUME

By Akin Ojumu If indeed God is sovereign, of what purpose is the human will? If God is in control of absolutely everything, how then are human beings held responsible for their deeds? If the future is already preordained, how is it that man is held culpable for an already predetermined outcome? “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34). Throughout the Bible, God’s unsearchable judgments leave us bewildered. As we journey through Scripture, we find ourselves befuddled with the inscrutable ways of God. In our voyage through God’s Word the seeming contradictions in the ways of God leave our puny minds puzzled. Here are just a few of the divine paradoxes we struggle with as we traverse through the vast expanse of His Word in our odyssey of faith. Pharaoh’s Hardened Heart God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, yet He punished

By Akin Ojumu Weeks after unceremoniously ousting Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and following the embarrassing debacle of multiple failed attempts to elect a Speaker Designate, Congressional Republicans have finally settled on Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker. Mike Johnson's ascension to the Speaker of the House was made possible because his fellow Republicans had beaten themselves up to pulp. Exhausted and with no strength left to continue the familicide, House Republicans were left with no choice but to settle on the last man standing after 22 days of speakerless chaos and MAGA catastrophe. Much more than the exhaustion, though, Mike Johnson’s choice as Speaker was informed by his impeccable record as a loyal MAGA warrior. His allegiance to the MAGA cause is firmly rooted in his stance on the 2020 presidential election. Mike Johnson is a fanatical believer, unflinching supporter, and unabashed promoter of the debunked lie that Donald Trump wo

By Akin Ojumu This is a video clip of the interrogation of a Hamas terrorist captured by the Israeli Defense Force during the terrorist attack by Hamas on several Israeli kibbutzim along the Israel-Gaza border that took place on Saturday, October 7, 2023.  On that fateful day, an invading horde of Hamas terrorists poured into the quiet farming Israeli communities from Gaza. They left in their wake beheaded babies, burnt children, and butchered elderly. By the time the bloodbath ended, close to 1500 were brutally murdered and more than 200 kidnapped included children, elderly, and invalid. Looking at the Hamas terrorist under interrogation, there’s nothing particularly extraordinary or unique about him. Nothing distinguishes him from anyone we meet in the course of our daily lives. So unremarkable is the guy that his face wouldn’t register in your amygdala if you run into him on the streets. You’d even walk past him and not pay him the slightest attention. In fact, he looks just like an

By Akin Ojumu Those of us who aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer are suckers for brilliance. There’s this warm thrill of excitement that always runs down our spine whenever we encounter exceptional talents. You can imagine the exponential increase in the magnitude of the wattage of the titillation when the genius is one of our own. Oreofe Anthonia Ojo-Lanre, Bachelor of Science, Mass Communications, First Class (Honors). Now, that certainly has a nice ring to it – i.e., a certain je ne sais quoi . As it rolls over your tongue, there’s a beautiful mosaic that starts to take shape. When you then add the multiple awards for being the overall best graduating student in her field, suddenly a beautiful portrait of a genius springs to life. (1) The Vice Chancellor's Award for the Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Arts, Social, and Management Sciences. (2) The Overall Best Graduating Student in the Faculty of Arts, Social, and Management Sciences. (3) The Professor Adeyemi O.

Sidney Powell, Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign lawyer, has pleaded guilty to her role in the efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election in the State of Georgia. The Kraken, as she once described herself, was charged alongside Donald Trump and 17 others with violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. Powell entered the plea just a day before jury selection was set to start in her trial. As part of her plea deal, Sidney Powell must “testify truthfully about any codefendants” involved in the matter and “provide all documents to the district attorney's office” relevant to their case against the other co-defendants. Powell will also serve six years of probation and pay a restitution fee. Nemesis is that recoil of nature, not to be guarded against, which ever surprises the most wary transgressor (Emerson). Sooner or later, the long arm of the law will catch all those who try to steal elections. This is how it works in civilized societies.

By Akin Ojumu Ever since Abraham heard the call of God to leave his idolatrous people in the Ur of the Chaldees and go to Canaan, a land God promised to give him and offspring, the Jewish people have had a bright target of hate painted on their back. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3). When the LORD singles you out for His providence, the fumes of malevolence will rise up against you. Those upon whom Elohim bestows his benevolence are bound to face the ire of reprobate minds set against God. It’s inevitable that you’d draw the fire of hate the moment you enjoy the beneficence of YAHWEH. “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has cho

By Akin Ojumu “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed…” When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”” (Genesis 12:1-7). There are those who, when they read the above passage, would squirm and wobble. They’ll try to muddy the clarity of those divine utterances to make them seem like a murky grey area of indeterminable meaning. Some may even suggest that God's promise only applies to Biblical

By Akin Ojumu In the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2023, waves of Hamas terrorists flooded southern Israel like a hurricane. They came by land on trucks and motorcycles, by air on motorized paragliders, and by sea on motorboats and fishing boats. As the ground forces sweep through the Israeli kibbutz, an avalanche of rockets rained down from Gaza wreaking unimaginable devastation.  By the time the terrorists were done, more than 1,000 civilians had been slaughtered and entire families slain. The murderers butchered parents as they used their bodies to try to shield their children. Babies were snatched from mothers’ arms and beheaded in front of their parents. Hundreds of young people were brutally massacred at a musical festival to celebrate peace. Abducted women were assaulted, raped, and paraded as trophies. President Biden aptly captured the sheer brutality and inhumanity of it all in his speech addressing the attack:  “Infants in their mothers’ arms, grandparents in wheelchai

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh Adonai, Elohim Tz’ Va’ Ot Adonai, Elohim Tz’ Va’ Ot Asher Hayah, V’ Hoveh V’Yavo Asher Hayah, V’ Hoveh V’Yavo Revelations 4 “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.  “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6and before the throne there was as it were a se

By Akin Ojumu Thousands of years ago, David and six hundred of his men and their families fled from king Saul to Gath, one of five major cities belonging to the Philistines. Achish, the king of Gath, allowed David and his fellow fugitives to settle in Ziklag. To show his appreciation, David and his men joined forces with Achish and he fought alongside the Philistine king in battle. And the time came that while David and his men were away on one of those battles, the Amalekites invaded Ziklag and took as hostage, children, women, and elderly. The account of this event is recorded in 1 Samuel 30:1-20.  The similarity between that event and the recent invasion by Hamas terrorists of Israeli kibbutz bordering Gaza is uncanny. “Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no

By Akin Ojumu “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:1-3). If you believe God and you know His Word, you’d not be rooting for cowardly violent marauders who slaughtered civilians in a musical concert, raped young girls and violated elderly women, kidnapped babies and children to use as human shields, and paraded their bloodied and battered civilian hostages on the streets in celebration of their pyrrhic victory. Hamas is a terrorist organization out to serve its own selfish interest and not the interest of the Palestinian people. They are not interested in diplomacy or peace. These are hateful animals impervious to reason and resistant

This is a video clip of CNN Chief International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward, and her team at the Israeli-Gaza border earlier today. They were forced to take cover at a roadside ditch following a barrage of rocket fire coming their way. Despite being in harm’s way, and with her life in real danger, she was able to maintain enough professional composure in order to continue to report on what was going on around her. Unlike the pepper-soup licking and pot-bellied lazy bums who call themselves journalists in Nigeria, Clarissa Ward’s professionalism is what real journalism looks like. She demonstrates to the faux journalists in Nigeria, who are nothing but apologists and propagandists for corrupt politicians, what genuine journalists do. It’s my hope that the bunch of pretend journalists in Nigeria, who are bought and paid for by crooked politicians, will learn a thing or two from this incident.

Isaiah 41:8-16 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. “You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’ “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. “Behold, I have made you a new, sharp thres

Jeremiah 47 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh conquered Gaza. Thus says the LORD:             “Behold, waters are going to rise from the north             And become an overflowing torrent,             And overflow the land and all its fullness,             The city and those who live in it;             And the men will cry out,             And every inhabitant of the land will wail.       “Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions,             The tumult of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,             The fathers have not turned back for their children,             Because of the limpness of their hands,       On account of the day that is coming             To destroy all the Philistines,             To cut off from Tyre and Sidon             Every ally that is left;             For the LORD is going to destroy the Philistines,             The remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.

National Anthem of Israel - "התקוה" (The Hope) Kol od ba’le’vav p’nima, Nefesh yehudi ho’miyah. U’lefa-atei mizrach kadimah, Ayin le’Tziyyon tzofiyah. Od lo avda tikva-teinu, Ha’tikvah bat sh’not al-payim Lih-yot am chofshi b’ar-tzeinu Eretz Tziyyon v’Yerushalayim. As long as within our hearts The Jewish soul sings, As long as forward to the East To Zion, looks the eye – Our hope is not yet lost, It is two thousand years old, To be a free people in our land The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

By Akin Ojumu For me, Bible study is much more than reading daily devotionals or daily guides. My approach to Scripture is not just so I check a religious box to appease God or to adhere to a daily religious routine as proof of religious commitment. I’m not the “a verse a day chase the devil away” kind of Christian. Sunday-Sunday regimen is not my preferred way of studying Scripture. Knowing how to study the Bible is something I consider to be serious business. It’s a pretty tasking and tedious undertaking to want to understand Scripture. When I study the Bible, I go all out and all in, pulling out all the stops. To aid my Bible study, I take advantage of all available tools I can lay my hands on. We are in the twenty-first century. You’d be shocked by the mountain of resources out there at your disposal. There are Bible softwares of all kinds, Bible concordances in diverse formats, and Bible dictionaries loaded with assorted linguistic translations, imageries, and graphics. Many of th

By Akin Ojumu Have you noticed how time seems to slow to snail speed whenever you are eagerly looking forward to something to happen? Surprise, surprise, there’s actually a saying for that.  It goes like, “A watched pot never boils.” This is an idiom that means time seems to slow down when you are anxiously waiting for something to happen. For example, if you wait and watch anxiously to see something happen, it will seem to take a very long time, or it will not happen at all. The phrase is not literal in meaning because scientifically, a pot kept to boil will have absolutely no effect if one is watching it. The idiom can also mean that anticipation of an event that will eventually occur is a waste of time as it has no effect on when that event will occur. It’s fascinating, don’t you think? It reminds me of Jesus’ reassuring words to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about you