The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.Psalm 68 : 11
John Bowden
Mon, May 19, 2025 at 3:37 AM GMT+34 min read
The Qatari royal family on Sunday.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;1 Peter 2 : 9
And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.Zechariah 14 : 17
Two top administration officials took turns defending Donald Trump’s decision to accept a $400m jet as a “gift” from the Qatari royal family on Sunday.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.Hebrews 4 : 12
Steve Witkoff and Scott Bessent appeared for separate interviews on ABC’s This Week and CNN’s State of the Union, where both offered similar defenses for an exchange that even Republican senators and House members have openly said carries the optics of bribery.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.Matthew 11 : 11
Witkoff, the Trump White House’s Middle East envoy, spoke to ABC as efforts continue by the administration to engage with Iran in the first direct talks between the US and Iran since the Obama administration. President Trump returned from a trip to the region on Friday after touting a new major deal for Boeing in Qatar; he also visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The Protestants have accepted the spurious Sabbath, the child of the papacy, and have exalted it above God’s holy, sanctified day; and our institutions of learning have been established for the express purpose of counteracting the influence of those who do not follow the word of God. These are sufficient reasons to show the necessity of having educational institutions of our own; for we must teach truth rather than fiction and falsehood. The school is to supplement the home-training, and both at home and at school, simplicity of dress, diet, and amusement must be maintained. An atmosphere must be created that will not be deleterious to the moral nature. Line upon line, precept upon precept, our children and households must be educated to keep the way of the Lord, to stand firmly for truth and righteousness. We must maintain a position against every species of sophistry that bewilders in this degenerate age, when error is glossed over, and so mingled with truth that it is almost impossible for those who are not familiar with the distinctions that the Scriptures make between the traditions of men and the word of God, for them to distinguish truth from error. It has been plainly stated that in this age “some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” RH January 9, 1894, par. 8
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His envoy insisted that the gift of a $400m Boeing 747-8 to be used as a replacement for Air Force One “just has to be seen” as a development that will benefit America without any downsides.
[26] Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: [27] So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. [28] And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.Acts 19 : 26-28
“It’s a perfectly legal, government to government, Department of Defense, to Department of Defense transaction that happens in the normal course and has been happening in the normal course throughout … our existence,” Witkoff claimed. “They decided to donate something because of all the wonderful things that we’ve done for them in the past.”
“I’m not sure how anyone would see this as the Qataris looking to gain some sort of advantage,” added Witkoff, who previously did business with the Qatari government’s sovereign wealth fund before joining the White House.
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The Treasury secretary, meanwhile, likened the gift to the French government’s donation of the Statue of Liberty to the US.
“The French gave us the Statue of Liberty. The British gave us the Resolute Desk,” Scott Bessent said on CNN’s State of the Union. “I’m not sure they asked for anything in advance.”
Host Jake Tapper responded by pointing out that the statue was not for the personal use of a president, unlike the plane, which is set to be moved to Trump’s presidential library upon his departure from the White House.
“I think this plane would be a gift to the American government,” Bessent said in response.
The optics of the Qatari government’s gift of a palatial upgrade to the current, aging Air Force One is not lost on many, including in the GOP congressional caucuses. Others have tripped up attempting to avoid answering.
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Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican senator, warned on Sunday that the president risked undermining his own message by accepting the gift.
“I think my fear is that it detracts from a largely successful trip where the president is talking about opening up and doing more trade with the Middle East, which is a good thing, particularly amidst all the protectionism and directing away from trade that we’ve had going on,” Paul said on ABC.
Mike Pence, Trump’s former running mate, also urged the president to reconsider during a separate interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Pro-Trump commentator Ben Shapiro, on his podcast this past week, told listeners: “I think the technical term is ‘skeezy.’”
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On Friday, the president lashed out at a Fox News reporter for asking him about the growing unease over Qatar’s gift.
“I just want to say, it was a radical left story,” Trump told Fox’s Bret Baier. “I made a good deal.”
“This goes to the United States Air Force for whoever is president, and at some point, it’ll be like Ronald Reagan. It’ll be decommissioned, because they won’t want it,” he added.
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