Sean Feucht album was dropped by distributor but was later reversed. Johnson and Johnson gets FDA approval. Church fined $83,000 for holding church service. Peaceful Protests in Myanmar Despite Deadly Violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
Heritage Visiting Fellow Chad Wolf joined Fox News, Monday, March 1, to talk about the latest on illegal immigration, the Biden administration’s claim there is no border crisis, and why the administration needs to get serious about border security.
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
Biden’s DHS secretary claims there’s no crisis at the border; ‘The Five’ reacts. #FoxNews #TheFive
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
Former president tears into Biden, GOP critics at the conservative conference; reaction on ‘The Five.’ #FoxNews #TheFive
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
The US has recorded just 925 flu cases this season. England has recorded zero. WHO reports that cases are dropping everywhere around the planet. What gives? …
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
TONIGHT, THE ROLLOUT: JOHNSON AND JOHNSON’S NEW VACCINE JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19.
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CPAC HOMECOMING AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
PLUS, NEW ACCUSATIONS AGSINT THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, ALREADY …
— Read on m.youtube.com/watch
Grant Stinchfield on President Biden’s dangerous policies that will ‘destabilize’ America, former KGB member on the ‘plan’ to take down western culture and more – via Newsmax TV’s ‘STINCHFIELD.’
— Read on www.youtube.com/watch
by Mike Ratliff
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Luke 12:4-7 (NASB)
We are told not to fear earthly things or other people no matter how evil or violent they are. However, we are told to fear God. Much of the fear Christians have, however, is not based in their fear of God, but in the fear of their own failures being exposed or their own spiritual deficiencies being exploited by the devil’s seed. Of course some of that fear comes from the spirit of fear that dominates some Christians.
I shared in an earlier post that I had watched a recent sermon by John MacArthur in which he shared the truth of what happens when Christians are obedient in preaching the Gospel the way we are commanded to do in God’s Word. What happens? Sinners get angry because we tell them they are what they are and what is going to happen to them if they do not repent and come to Christ. This very thing has caused many Christians to find ways to soften the Gospel message so they can avoid that. However, by doing that they aren’t preaching the Gospel. So, if we are to be obedient then we must share the Gospel correctly and that means preaching about sin and its consequence. If we commit to doing this then aren’t some of us going to become fearful of the whole witnessing enterprise? Of course!
I believe that God uses our obedience and the resultant emotional upheavals that come from that to create points of contention to bear in our’s and other people’s lives. These points of contention are His truth that we either believe and obey or we disbelieve and disobey. Our enemy keeps people blind to these truths and, therefore, in bondage and in darkness. When we are obedient in telling the truth in the face of those who hate the truth and love the darkness, our enemy attacks trying to cause us to fear. God creates these points of contention and everyone who reads what we write or hears what we preach or teach are brought to that point. How they respond to these truths is of eternal consequence. Many respond in anger and unbelief. Many respond in repentance and faith by obeying the truth. How should we respond when the fear grows and we see that our obedience will certainly bring conflict?
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:26-33 (NASB)24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. Matthew 16:24-27 (NASB)
So what will it be? Are we going to believe God and obey Him or are we going to continue to live half-hearted, so-called Christian lives safe from the real battle in our country club churches that are nothing more than entertainment venues! God is calling each of us to repent of playing it safe with innocuous lives that never count for anything in the Kingdom of God. It’s time to get into the battle folks. You may not want to right now, but I promise you that a point of contention from God is headed your way soon and you had better be ready to respond with godly courage and resolve because if we do not confess our Lord before men, He will deny us before the Father in Heaven.
Soli Deo Gloria!
— Read on mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/have-no-fear/
Date: March 01, 2021
Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Mark Krikorian
MP3 | Order
https://embed.sermonaudio.com/player/a/3121229346652/
With the inauguration of President Joe Biden, a very leftist agenda was put into place. This has had ramifications concerning immigration and particularly what’s taking place at our nation’s southern border.
Joining Jim to examine this issue, and what’s at stake for the future, was Mark Krikorian. Mark is a nationally recognized expert on immigration issues serving as the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies. They are an independent, non-partisan research organization examining and critiquing the impact of immigration on the United States. He’s testified numerous times before Congress and has published articles in many outlets.
Mark recently wrote a column about proposed legislation from the Biden administration that was formally introduced in the House and Senate last week. It would legalize virtually all illegal aliens, increase legal immigration, and weaken immigration enforcement.
What could the agenda possibly be behind such legislation? Mark indicated it began with a press call with legacy media reporters. He described how a New York Times reporter asked one of the congressional staff members what this would do to legal immigration. In other words, what would the numbers be. The answer of the people who supposedly sponsored this bill was that they didn’t know.
Mark believes they never figured out what the increase would be because they see the legal immigration issue as ‘…a way of giving things out to different special interest groups. So what it adds up to just doesn’t interest them.’ One interest group concerned about one issue gets its visas and another group concerned about something else gets their visas.
What this legislation basically does is give the Biden administration great leeway concerning who gets to stay and who doesn’t. Behind this is the principle of many on the left who don’t believe you should be made to leave the country if you don’t want to.
As this program progressed, Jim had Mark comment on the following:
There’s more to learn, including hearing what listeners had to say, on this packed edition of Crosstalk.
More Information:
Episode #2823
Are you anxious or worried about what’s going on in our nation? In today’s episode, Todd encourages us to not worry about the coming persecution of the church. This was foretold in Scripture, and Jesus will never leave us or forsake us.
God Loves Because He Loves
Deuteronomy 7:7–8; Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 4:8
The only ground of God’s love is his love. The ground of God’s love is only and wholly in himself. There is neither portion nor proportion in us to draw his love. There is no love nor loveliness in us that should cause a beam of his love to shine upon us.
THOMAS BROOKS
Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Blessings Perish Through Ingratitude
2 Chronicles 20:26; Psalm 100:4; 145:10; 2 Corinthians 4:15
Every blessing that God confers upon us perishes through our carelessness, if we are not prompt and active in rendering thanks.
JOHN CALVIN
Ritzema, E. (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Reformation. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Pe 1:22–25). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
1:24, 25 Quoting Is. 40:6–8, Peter stresses the enduring nature of the word of the Lord. Flesh and all other material things are destined for destruction. In none of these can one afford to place his trust. But what God says is permanent, enduring, and trustworthy.[1]
| 1:24–25 In these two verses, Peter quotes Isa 40:6–8 to contrast the assured and lasting nature of God’s message of redemption with the temporary suffering of His people. |
1:25 word that has been proclaimed to you The Greek word used here, euangelizō, describes the proclamation of good news and often references the gospel in the nt. Peter may have equated the word of the Lord from Isa 40:8 with the gospel (compare Luke 4:16–30).[2]
1:24–25 Peter cites Isa. 40:6, 8 to contrast the weakness of human flesh with the power of the word of the Lord that has granted new life to believers.[3]
1:24 withers … falls away: Peter reminds his readers of our transitory nature with an OT quote, comparing us to the temporary things of this world—a direct contrast to God’s permanent work and His eternal word (vv. 23, 25; Is. 40:6–8).
1:25 the word which by the gospel was preached: A better understanding of this phrase is “the word, the gospel which was preached.” Thus, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the gospel, is that which will last forever.[4]
1:24. This quotation from Isa 40:6–8 is a contrast between the faithfulness of God and transitoriness of men. Isaiah uses a pair of similes to say that, compared to the eternal God, men are just as transitory as “grass” and its “flower”.
1:25. The word but emphasizes the contrast between man’s inability to keep any promise forever and God’s eternal ability to keep His word. Confidence in one’s spiritual birth (regeneration) is based on the truthfulness of God in keeping His promises, called “the word of the Lord which endures forever”.
The eternally enduring word is the message preached to Peter’s readers in the content of the gospel. This shows how important it is to preach a clear gospel. Works are not the means of assurance of salvation (“fruit proves life”). If they were, then believers must look to themselves for their hope rather than to the trustworthiness of God in keeping His promises.[5]
1:24 The transitory character of human nature is emphasized by a quotation of Isaiah 40:6, 7. Human life is as impermanent as grass. Physical beauty is as short-lived as the flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers droop and die.
1:25 In contrast, the word of the Lord endures forever (Isa. 40:8). Therefore, the new life of the believer is equally incorruptible. This incorruptible word is the message of good news which was preached to Peter’s readers and which caused them to be born again. It was the source of their eternal life.[6]
1:23–25. Peter again reminded his readers that they had experienced the new birth (cf. v. 3): For you have been born again. This supernatural event made it possible for them to obey the truth, purify themselves, and love the brethren. This change in their lives would not die, because it took place through God’s Word, which is imperishable (aphthartou, the word in v. 4 that described a believer’s inheritance), living and enduring. Peter supported his exhortation (v. 22) by quoting Isaiah 40:6–8 (1 Peter 1:24–25). All that is born of perishable seed withers and falls, but God’s Word stands forever. This imperishable Word was the content of Peter’s preaching (cf. v. 12). His hearers must be affected by its life-changing power, as indicated in 2:1–3.[7]
1:22–25 Loving other Christians
In vs 2 and 14 Peter has already spoken of the place of obedience in the Christian life. As a response to the proclamation and hearing of the truth, it has a twofold effect: it purifies the soul from the sins of the past and it develops a genuine love for other believers which is not a piece of play-acting. The reality of this love should be seen in its intensity and depth. Such love is prompted by the fact that Christians share a new birth made available by the living and enduring word of God. This regenerating word is declared when the gospel is preached.
Notes. 22 Deeply is used here and in 4:8 of love, and in Lk. 22:44 and Acts 12:5 of prayer. It denotes supreme effort, lit. ‘with every muscle strained’. The niv mg. shows that some early mss add the word pure to heart. This is quite a possible reading; as the Greek words ‘pure’ and ‘heart’ both begin with the same two letters it would have been easy for copyists to have overlooked one. 23 The Greek is unclear whether it is God or his word that is living and enduring. In a sense both are true, as the word proceeds from God. 24–25 Quotation of Is. 40:6–8 stresses the enduring and dynamic quality of the word of God.[8]
1:22–25. Since Peter’s readers have responded in saving faith, a change has occurred in their lives. Peter pictures their souls as having been purified (“to be set apart,” “to consecrate” is the sense). One result of this consecration must be unqualified love (v. 22). By loving surrounding individuals, that quality is best demonstrated. This love must be sincere, not pretended, and fervent, used of competing athletes straining every muscle. The readers had been born again (v. 23; cf. 1:3) through an imperishable seed, the living and enduring word of God. Isaiah 40:6–8 was written originally to encourage the Jewish people that God would enable them to return to their land after the Babylonian exile, and that His promise would be fulfilled. The promise made through Isaiah would be equally encouraging for Peter’s audience who were also in exile (see 1Pt 1:1), and that as persecuted Jewish believers, they were promised not only that their salvation was certain, but that they too would some day be restored to their land. This would surely take place because the word of the Lord endures forever. word (v. 25) is the Greek rhema, an uttered word, which had been preached to Peter’s readers.[9]
1:23–25. We can demonstrate this love in such fashion only because we have entered into a new way of life with Jesus Christ by faith. Everything in our lives turns on this axis, which explains Peter’s constant reference to this subject. Verse 23 reminds us that we have been born again. We have been given a new start spiritually. Part of the demonstration of that new start appears in the way in which we relate to each other.
The new birth is brought about through the agency of the Word of God. The Word of God is the instrument for the communication of the new birth. The word here includes the Old Testament Scriptures, the New Testament apostolic proclamation, and the presentation of both in the message of the first-century evangelists.
Living suggests the power of the Word of God to awaken new life and to initiate change in our lives through the application of its teaching. Enduring reinforces the idea of the permanence of the new life that God’s Word generates as well as the permanence of the Word itself.
This latter focus is emphasized in verses 24–25. The permanence of the Word is contrasted with the impermanence of people and vegetation. The focus of this section is the Word of God that endures or stands forever; it can never be made ineffective. It is an unchanging, vital, ever-present word of truth. It meets people’s needs, providing them with a sense of direction and wholeness. This is of crucial importance when everything around us seems to be coming apart. The Word of God stands forever because the God who speaks it is the eternal, faithful, powerful one who always keeps his promises. This Word stands as the foundation for Christian preaching. Through it you may come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and receive the eternal, living hope.[10]
1:24 Verses 24–25a are a quote from the LXX of Isaiah 40:6–8 (cf. Job 14:1–2; Ps. 90:5–6, 103:15–17) which also emphasized the frailty and finitude of human life (cf. James 1:10–11) versus the eternality of God’s Word (cf. James 1:21). In their original context these verses referred to Israel, but now they refer to the church (cf. 2:5, 9). This is characteristic of I Peter.
1:25 “the word of the Lord” There are two Greek words usually translated “word” or “message.” In Koine Greek logos (cf. John 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:23) and rēma (cf. the OT quote from the Septuagint in 1:25a and alluded to in v. 25b) are usually synonymous. Context, not a lexicon, determines synonymity.[11]
24. For,
“All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25a. but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
Peter appeals to the Old Testament Scriptures to substantiate his teachings. Admittedly, he does not introduce the quotation from Isaiah’s prophecy with the formula it is written (v. 16) or in Scripture it says (2:6). Yet the conjunction for is sufficient to demonstrate that the quotation is from the Old Testament Scriptures. Throughout his epistle Peter repeatedly quotes them. He seems to have a preference for the prophecy of Isaiah, because he cites it more than any other book.
The wording of this quotation differs slightly from the text in Isaiah. Peter omits the lines “because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass” (Isa. 40:7). And in the line “but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8), he has changed the words our God to “Lord.”
“All men are like grass.” The term all excludes no one. Furthermore, man is frail, as the literal translation of the text shows: “All flesh is like grass.” Man’s frailty is compared with grass that is here today and gone tomorrow (Ps. 103:15; and see Matt. 6:30).
“And all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” The beauty of a flower is short-lived, especially in a tropical or subtropical climate; so is the glory that man radiates because of his talents, achievements, or riches (see James 1:11). The winds of change blow and quickly remove all glory and honor. Peter gives no reason for the passing of man’s glory. He uses the illustration of the grass and the flowers only to stress the contrast between temporal man and the abiding Word of God.
“But the word of the Lord stands forever.” Even if we should forget everything else in this quotation, its concluding sentence is etched in our memories. In the Greek, the term word differs from its earlier use in verse 23, “the living and enduring word of God.” In verse 25 it can mean “utterance.” However, because Peter may have intended to do no more than use a synonym, we ought not to be dogmatic in our translation (e.g., see Acts 10:36–37, which gives one translation for these two different words in Greek).
Peter’s change from the wording “but the word of our God” to “but the word of the Lord” is deliberate. In the Old Testament, the word Lord signifies “the self-disclosed name of the covenant-God of Israel, Yahweh, ‘Jehovah.’ In the New Testament it is a standard designation for Jesus Christ.” With the term Lord Peter highlights Jesus’ divinity; he shows that the word of God is identical with the word of the Lord Jesus. For that reason, Peter concludes this section in these words:
25b. And this is the word that was preached to you.
The word the apostles preached was the gospel of Jesus. God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, whose gospel the apostles proclaimed to Jew and Gentile. This abiding word of God’s revelation in his Son also was brought to the recipients of Peter’s letter, for they themselves had heard the authoritative message of Jesus’ gospel (see v. 12). In fact, a literal translation of verse 25b is, “This word is the gospel that was preached to you.”[12]
Vers. 24, 25. All flesh is as grass.—
Change and continuance:—“What is wanting here?” said a courtier to an illustrious prince, as they stood together, the spectators of a most splendid triumph in the city of Rome. To him who spake, there appeared to be nothing wanting. The gaiety and splendour of the spectacle were in his sight complete. The supreme power represented by the entire body of the senate was there. The spoils taken from the enemy, filling many carriages and piled upon movable platforms, were there. The ministers of justice, clad in official costume, and bearing the insignia of their office, were there. And there was the victorious general, attired in the triumphalia and crowned with laurels. “What is wanting here?” “What,” answered the prince, as he watched the procession pass along, and in passing pass away, “What is wanting? This is wanting, continuance.” The procession would pass along the appointed route, and then all would be dispersed, and the triumph would be a thing of the past. All thoughtful men feel seriously, if not sorrowfully, the changeful character of all the things which we see and handle on this earth. Where is continuance upon this planet? God has established the earth, and it abideth, but what beside abideth? Yea, even the earth is doomed to be burned up; and while it abides, great changes are continually occurring, even in the crust of the earth, and in the waters which fill its hollow places. And where continuance would be most valued, and where one should have expected it, even there it is not. The difference between poor men and rich men, famous men and men without renown, is just the difference between grass and the flower of grass; but as both grass and the flower of grass wither, so it is appointed unto all men once to die. There are things, however, which continue, good and precious things with which men have to do, and one of these things is mentioned in our text. Let us examine it. Words are lasting things. The breath which inspires them perishes, the lips which form them return to dust, the instruments which inscribe them are destructible, but words spoken and heard, written and read, have a boundless life and an immeasurable power. A good word may continue to enlighten, to invigorate for ever and for ever. All this is true of the words of man, but still more enduring in all their effects and influences are the words of the Lord. Many words has God spoken to us men. Among these words of God there is one communication which, on account of its singularity and importance, is called “the Word of the Lord,” and which, by reason of its pleasantness and graciousness, is called “the gospel.” Now, the Word of the Lord endureth for ever, and this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you. It lives in God’s mind; it lives, in fact, as a thing done and a provision completed; and it lives in the life of those who have been born again. 1. The nature of God, as revealed to us in the Scriptures, is the nature from which a gospel might be expected. 2. The gospel, so far as we appreciate it, and so far as we understand the thirsts and wants of human nature, is an all-sufficient gospel for man. 3. A gospel less than the gospel of the grace of God must have left some thirst unslaked, or some necessity unmet, or some wound unhealed, or some tears unwiped away; and while those tears were falling, that wound smarting, that want craving, that thirst burning, there could not have been the experience and enjoyment of complete salvation. 4. A gospel more real and substantial, or more worthy of the world’s acceptation, could not have issued even from God. 5. And this gospel is abiding, because it is the incorruptible seed of life everlasting. The old spiritual nature is impregnated with the seed of a new man, a Divine seed and incorruptible, the seed of the truth of the gospel; and the man who has thus received the gospel enters upon a new and eternal life. The gospel now lives in a living mind, and in a living heart, and in a living character; it repeats itself in the believer; and as the character and mission of Jesus Christ may be learned from the written life of Christ, so the gospel may be learned from the spiritual life of him who believes it. Let us now indicate the practical bearing of this doctrine. 1. The text magnifies the gospel. Let us be devoutly careful to preserve its gloriousness in our own eyes. And in order to do this we must reverence the gospel. 2. The text shows that the gospel is intended to be to us personally, and thereby furnishes us with a test of our religious state. The gospel is intended to be the germ of a Godlike life within us, and if it fail of this, it fails of its chief effect. 3. The text points out that in which is continuance; let us take care to handle perishable things as perishable, and to demean ourselves toward the gospel as everlasting. 4. The text suggests the strongest motives for the immediate and universal preaching of the gospel. Flesh is as grass. The man whose days are as grass is dying daily. And it is only here, while he is breathing out his brief life, that his nature can be impregnated with this incorruptible seed. 5. The text encourages us to sustain, and in all respects to provide for, the continuous preaching of the gospel. One after another the preachers of the gospel enter that valley, and are seen no more. But what do they leave behind? The sanctuaries in which they ministered? Yes; but something more. The flocks they tended? Pleasant memories? Yes; but much more. They leave that gospel, written not on tablets of stone, but upon the fleshy tablets of the heart; they leave that gospel more than written—they leave it in many hearts, a seed with a germ of Godlike and eternal life in it; they leave it as a new man, in many who have been born again by it as by incorruptible seed; they leave it in the rich experiences and holy activities of the new man; they leave it in a state imperishable, and they may leave it without anxiety. (S. Martin.) Autumn: life’s contrast:—The form of thought here used illustrates a common principle in the operation of the human mind—that principle of contrast by which one thing suggests its opposite. Life is made up of contrasts. The secret of this influence of contrast lies in man’s twofold nature, allied on the one side to the frail and perishing, on the other to the stable and enduring; one hand grasping dust and ashes, the other seizing upon the very throne of God; the outward eye seeing only what fades and passes away, the inward eye beholding glories which nothing can destroy or dim. There is something beyond the reach of change and decay and mortality—God’s truth, as it has been revealed to man; God’s promise, which by His Son He has made—this cannot fail. It will outlast all the forms of outward life, and all the splendours of nature; and, though heaven and earth pass away, it shall not pass away. The connection of the text makes it more emphatic. The apostle had been speaking of Christ’s resurrection, and of the faith and hope which this fact excites; and he alludes to the wasting away of all material things, so as to fix attention more joyfully on the soul’s undying nature. He leaps from the vessel that is sinking with all earth’s treasure in the sea of time, to the firm shore of immortality. Let the grass then wither, and the glory of man fade away. God willing, we would not have the present scene to be our permanent dwelling. The transient and the abiding in the nature and experience of man—this is, indeed, a contrast which it well becomes us to consider. The great mistake that human beings make is in regarding perishable things as though they were imperishable, and so fastening on them the feelings and expectations which belong only to the imperishable. Christianity does not forbid us to have any regard for what is perishable and passing away. Jesus Christ brought no ascetic religion into the world. He does not bid us dig a cave, and hide ourselves from all that is bright and gladsome around us, fleeting though it be. But what He and His apostles insist on is, that we shall graduate and proportion our interest in all things according to their worth. To put in its right light the contrast, I would bring out, suppose some inhabitant of that upper world—as it is thought departed spirits may—to lift the curtain, and look in upon these scenes in which we mingle. To one whose eye looks from his high station, how small and obscure this lower world, the dim, narrow entrance-way to the more glorious mansions of the Father’s house! He knows that authentic tidings of the great region He dwells in, have reached the ears of that crowd of mortals who move along through this entry of the spiritual world. As the sickly generations of creatures advance, the angel-spectator scans the occupations in which they engage. What a thrill of amazement shoots through his breast to observe such multitudes living as though these narrow earthly steps to the great temple beyond were themselves the whole universe, studiously averting their eyes from the gate that leads to the immense splendours of the inner sanctuary. One is wholly absorbed in giving free scope to sense and appetite and superficial fancy. Another seems taken up entirely with swelling his pile of gold. He bends steadily down over it, and, as he stoops, gives up the lustre of heaven for its glitter. But yet another sight that angelic witness as surely beholds, and oh, there is not a pleasanter sight beneath the sun than that of a rich man for this world and for the world to come; yea, of a man who rejoices more than an old alchemist over the supposed discovery of the philosopher’s stone, at the opportunity to transmute his temporary into everlasting treasure. Here surely the principle is illustrated aright in a contrast just and holy. This, then, without further illustration, is the lesson of our text. Be not deceived in your estimate. Distinguish the things that differ. Observe the contrasts that God has established. Is the New Testament true? Shall these great scenes of judgment and doom, according to the deeds of the flesh, be soon ushered in? Make not, then, the enormous miscalculation of leaving so vast an element out of your account. Even in this life, the contrast between things earthly and things heavenly sometimes demonstrates itself in striking results. The distinct consequences of diverse characters are especially marked, as men advance in life towards old age; and the rewards and retributions already bestowed seem to anticipate the judgment-day. As I walked through the lanes of yonder growing forest, on our beautiful common, the dry leaves crushing under my feet, and the sinking sun taking his last look at the bare boughs of the trees, I met a man on whom the blow of grief had descended as sorely as upon any, and with oft-repeated stroke. A new sorrow had just fallen on his grey head and long-diseased, emaciated frame. He spoke of faith. He spoke of loyalty to God and duty. He spoke of heaven as though it were near. He said nothing of being hardly dealt with, nor hinted aught about not understanding why he should be selected for such trials, but seemed to think there was nothing but God’s mercy and kindness in the world. But he seemed to me, as I looked upon him, to have an inward stay that would hold him up when all earthly props had fallen to the ground. For once, the contrast between earth and heaven was revealed to my mind; and the dissolving emblems of mortality under my feet, and the cold, shifting mists over my head, were transformed from sad tokens into symbols of hope and joy. (C. A. Bartol.)
The death of a servant of God:—Two doctrines naturally arise from this text—
Man compared to grass:—We are like “grass.” 1. We are like grass in our relation to the earth. 2. We are like grass in the frailty of our nature. 3. We are like grass in the uncertainty of our lives. The blade dies in all seasons. 4. We are like grass in the unnoticeableness of our dissolution. Blade after blade withers and dies, and the landscape appears as ever. (D. Thomas, D.D.)
The fleeting and the durable:—
Man and his glory—the grass and its flower:—These verses institute a comparison and bring out a contrast between the natural life and the spiritual. Every son of man is born into one life, and every son of God is born again into another. There is a mystery in every man, but a greater mystery in every Christian. Nature is deep, but grace is deeper. The two lives brought into contrast here are the natural life of man in the body which soon fades away, and the new life of the regenerated which will for ever flourish. These two lives are not in all their aspects opposite, for the same person may at the same time possess both. He holds them, however, by different tenures: the first or natural life will soon depart, but the new or spiritual life will be his for ever. The analogy employed is exact and full and beautiful—“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.” Man is like the grass, and his glory like its flower. Life is short, and the period of its perfect development is shorter still. The history of a man consists of a gradual growing to maturity, and a gradual declining to the grave. Such is his best estate, when no accident cuts him off in mid-time of his days. But if this is true of the flesh—the sensitive nature which man has in common with the brutes—what shall be said of all his distinguishing features as a moral and intelligent being? Although the mere flesh is evanescent, what of the glory wherewith his Maker has crowned his head? The text has two things to say of this glory—the first, that it greatly excels in worth and beauty the animal structure on which it grows; the second, that it is still more short-lived. If all flesh be as grass, all its glory is only as the flower of grass. The flower is indeed the glory of the grass, but it comes up later and withers earlier. What shall we say, then, of all that is peculiar to man—of all that distinguishes him from the beasts of the field—of that human face divine, and that articulate speech, and that calculating mind, which mark him off as chief of God’s creatures here and ruler of His world? Can the glory of man be compared to the herbage as well as his sentient nature? No; for though it is more brilliant while it lasts, it is sooner over. Beauty of form is one of the distinguishing glories of humanity. It has pleased God our Father so to arrange the features of our frame, and so to constitute our minds, that we count them comely. We admire the flower of the herbage, and devoutly see in it the Creator’s wisdom. Shall we not look with deeper interest on a lighted human countenance, and see in that glory of man a glory to the Lord? This glory does not last long; it is a flower—fragrant, attractive; but it withers soon. The flower is later blown and earlier faded than the frail green stem that bears it. But the beauty of the new creature in Christ does not fade like a flower. It is an interesting speculation—although it can be nothing more—to imagine the beauty of man unfallen. The peculiar sweetness sometimes imparted to the countenance of an ordinary person by the sudden influx of a “great peace” in periods of spiritual revival suggests the probability that we lost by sin an external loveliness so great that we lack now the power of conceiving fully what it was. But, great though the loss be, Christians sorrow not over it as those who have no hope; for their gain is greater. Where sin abounded to mar, grace will much more abound to renew. Whatever is lost by sin is more than restored by redemption. The risen Christ is glorious, and risen Christians will be like Him. Humanity redeemed will be humanity perfect. I would fain realise the beauty of the resurrection body, as well as the spiritual purity of the saints in light. (W. Arnot.) The Word of the Lord endureth for ever.—
The living and enduring Word:—On what grounds does the apostle assign to the gospel exclusively this high character, that it endureth for ever?
III. The honour to which the gospel raises believers, and the beauties with which it adorns them, are unfading. It dignifies them with intimate relations to Christ, introduces them into God’s favour, exalts them to be His sons, gives them access with confidence to His gracious presence, a claim on His protection and care, and makes them kings and priests unto God. And these are not only enduring, but ever-increasing honours; at least their transcendent excellence and glory shine with increasing lustre, and the longer and the more fully they are enjoyed they are the more highly valued, and their power to ennoble and to bless is more abundantly experienced and more humbly and gratefully acknowledged. They are enduring, for the lovingkindness of God, which is the sum of them all, is immutable, and the charter which conveys them is irrevocable, for it is confirmed by the blood of Christ and the oath of God.
The Word of God a living thing:—
Human changes and the Divine unchangeableness:—Human changes and the Divine unchangeableness—this is the subject suggested by our text. Its first clause is an utterance of the despondency which comes over us as we contemplate the frail lives of men. The second clause answers that despondency by affirming that the Word of the Lord is not changeful like the thought of man, but enduring as God Himself. The third clause declares that in the gospel we have the abiding Word of God; and the whole passage is intended to illustrate the foregoing declaration that faith in the gospel makes men as immortal as God; we are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Now the Bible is not a despondent book. Prophets and apostles give expression to our despondency only to correct and to console it.
III. It is not of the eternity of God or of God’s rule over the world that our text speaks; it is “the Word of the Lord,” which “endureth for ever.” We need a revelation; an unrevealed were an unknown God. And yet how can we dream of abiding truth in a changing humanity? As mankind advances will not men’s thoughts vary concerning even such fundamental things as moral obligation, the character of virtue, the objects of our devotion, the very being of God? The answer is, there will be development in the Christian faith; a fuller apprehension of its truths, a deeper sympathy with its spirit, a larger experience of its power, a broader application of it to the varying wants of men. But it will be from the old founts that the new inspirations will be drawn; men will turn to Christ and His gospel in every social complication, every conflict of faith, every spiritual need. The world’s morals must be Christian morals; the world’s religion the Christian faith. We are able to apply the test of history to this prediction. What book is there, eighteen hundred years old, which has the interest for all sorts and conditions of men the gospel has? We look inward, and we find the reason of its perpetuity to lie in its appeal to what is deepest in the soul of man.
The enduring Word:—
III. We have an unchanging gospel, which is not to-day green grass and to-morrow dry hay, but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah. Opinions alter, but truth certified by God can no more change than the God who uttered it.
The Word of the Lord everlasting:—I am glad to have a deliverance like this, so distinct, so comprehensive, and at the same time so authoritative. Men sometimes ask us what it is that we mean when we speak so positively about the Word of the Lord. In one phrase, we answer, we mean the glad tidings of great joy which are unto all people, that unto them was born on a given day in a city of David a Saviour, who was Christ the Lord. This emphatically is the Word of the Lord. The facts which relate to the sufferings of our Redeemer and the facts which relate to His subsequent acts of everlasting glory are a message from God unto man. And the predictions, the narrations, the explanations, the invitations, and the promises altogether make up what the apostle is here designating; put altogether, they constitute the glorious gospel of the blessed God. The adversaries of the Christian faith tell us that our old gospel will presently be disproved. Strange, if it is to come to nothing, that it has survived for nineteen centuries already!
III. The old gospel is in no danger from the discoveries of our scientific men. I know of no statement so popular amongst the foes of the Christian faith as this, that the teachings of our sacred books are at variance with the teachings of the natural sciences; at variance, for example, with the teachings of astronomy, of archaeology, and especially of geology. Not one of those sciences whispers a coming contradiction to your Bibles; not one of them foretokens a coming time when you will have either to give up that book or to deny indisputable facts.
The Word of God everliving:—How wonderfully has the Lord provided for the continuance of the vegetable world; He causes the plant to scatter broadcast a multitude of seeds, and bids the winds convey them far and wide. The fowls of the air are commissioned to bear berries and fruits to their proper soils, and even to bury them in the earth; while scores of four-footed creatures, engaged in storing up food for themselves, become planters of trees and propagators of plants. Seeds bear a charmed life about them; they will germinate after being buried for centuries; they have been known to flourish when turned up from the borings of wells from the depth of hundreds of feet, and when ponds and lakes have been dried the undrowned vegetable life has surprised the beholders by blossoming with unknown flowers. Can we imagine that God has been thus careful of the life of the mere grass of the field, which is the very emblem of decay, and yet is negligent of His Word, which liveth and abideth for ever? It is not to be dreamed of. Truth, the incorruptible seed, is ever scattering itself; every wind is laden with it, every breath spreads it; it lies dormant in a thousand memories; it preserves its life in the abodes of death. The Lord has but to give the word, and a band of eloquent men shall publish the gospel, apostles and evangelists will rise in abundance, like the warriors who sprang from the fabled dragon’s teeth; converts will spring up like flowerets at the approach of spring, nations shall be born in a day, and truth, and God the Lord of truth, shall reign for ever. (C. H. Spurgeon.) This is the Word which by the gospel is preached.—
The same gospel for us:—1. The same Word of the Lord—the same glorious gospel—is now preached to you. And it is this day as young and fresh, and strong and imperishable, as ever it was. It “abideth for ever.” And the flesh is still as frail, and all the glory of the flesh still as fleeting, as of old. There is no spot on this round earth where we can escape the admonition and the rebuke to our levity and pride. It startles the wayfarer in the bright savannas of the south, and amid the sands of the desert and the icy desolation of the pole. It whispers from the green mounds of western forests, and is repeated by the billows of ocean as they roll above the multitudes that have gone down to slumber in the silent depths. There is no hope for man, save only what is provided by that Word of the Lord which in the gospel is preached unto you. 2. But remember that even this mighty Word has power to bless and save only as it is believed and obeyed. Alas! how is this simple truth wilfully forgotten by multitudes who may yet be said to be exemplary in their attendance on public ordinances! 3. Let me ask those of you who profess faith in the gospel whether your obedience of the truth is such as purifies your souls from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit; whether, in particular, it has tended in any measure to a brotherly love unfeigned. (J. Lillie, D.D.)[13]
24–25. The permanency of the word of God, mentioned in verse 23, is emphasized in these two verses. Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6–8 to contrast the frailty of human nature with the permanence of God’s words. All flesh means ‘all natural human existence’ or perhaps ‘every person’—the sense is nearly the same. Grass is a general word for grass (Matt. 6:30; 14:19) or hay (1 Cor. 3:12) which lasts for a season and is gone. All its glory refers to all human beauty, splendour, or fame. As the grass withers and the flower fades and dies, so man’s glory and greatness quickly disappear (cf. Jas 1:10–11). What then can give hope of permanence or significance? The word (rhēma, the actual spoken or written word) of the Lord abides for ever, and it is that word which Peter’s readers have heard and believed. That word—apparently including Old Testament Scriptures, New Testament apostolic proclamation, and the presentation of both in the message of first-century evangelists—is the word which quickened new life within them. Therefore, in contrast to the temporality of the withering grass and the fading flower, believers have an eternally abiding nature (cf. 1 John 2:17). (Peter here uses rhēma, ‘word’, to refer to the same thing as logos, ‘word’, in v. 23, suggesting that he saw little difference between them in meaning.)
These verses intensify the idea of the permanence of God’s word by contrasting it with the fading glory of human achievement. Strength, power, wealth, beauty, fame—all the ‘glory’ of man—will quickly fade. Christians who have been ‘born anew’ (v. 23) will live with God for ever.[14]
24. For all flesh. He aptly quotes the passage from Isaiah to prove both clauses; that is, to make it evident how fading and miserable is the first birth of man, and how great is the grace of the new birth. For as the Prophet there speaks of the restoration of the Church, to prepare the way for it, he reduces men to nothing lest they should flatter themselves. I know that the words are wrongly turned by some to another sense; for some explain them of the Assyrians, as though the Prophet said, that there was no reason for the Jews to fear so much from flesh, which is like a fading flower. Others think that the vain confidence which the Jews reposed in human aids, is reproved. But the Prophet himself disproves both these views, by adding, that the people were as grass; for he expressly condemns the Jews for vanity, to whom he promised restoration in the name of the Lord. This, then, is what I have already said, that until their own emptiness has been shewn to men, they are not prepared to receive the grace of God. In short, such is the meaning of the Prophet: as exile was to the Jews like death, he promised them a new consolation, even that God would send prophets with a command of this kind. The Lord, he says, will yet say, “Comfort ye my people;” and that in the desert and the waste, the prophetic voice would yet be heard, in order that a way might be prepared for the Lord. (Isaiah 40:6.)
And as the obstinate pride which filled them, must have been necessarily purged from their minds, in order that an access might be open for God, the Prophet added what Peter relates here respecting the vanishing glory of the flesh. What is man? he says—grass; what is the glory of man? the flower of the grass. For as it was difficult to believe that man, in whom so much excellency appears, is like grass, the Prophet made a kind of concession, as though he had said, “Be it, indeed, that flesh has some glory; but lest that should dazzle your eyes, know that the flower soon withers.” He afterwards shews how suddenly everything that seems beautiful in men vanishes, even through the blowing of the Spirit of God; and by this he intimates, that man seems to be something until he comes to God, but that his whole brightness is as nothing in his presence; that, in a word, his glory is in this world, and has no place in the heavenly kingdom.
The grass withereth, or, has withered. Many think that this refers only to the outward man; but they are mistaken; for we must consider the comparison between God’s word and man. For if he meant only the body and what belongs to the present life, he ought to have said, in the second place, that the soul was far more excellent. But what he sets in opposition to the grass and its flower, is the word of God. It then follows, that in man nothing but vanity is found. Therefore, when Isaiah spoke of flesh and its glory, he meant the whole man, such as he is in himself; for what he ascribed as peculiar to God’s word, he denied to man. In short, the Prophet speaks of the same thing as Christ does in John 3:3, that man is wholly alienated from the kingdom of God, that he is nothing but an earthly, fading, and empty creature, until he is born again.
25. But the word of God. The Prophet does not shew what the word of God is in itself, but what we ought to think of it; for since man is vanity in himself, it remains that he ought to seek life elsewhere. Hence Peter ascribes power and efficacy to God’s word, according to the authority of the Prophet, so that it can confer on us what is real, solid, and eternal. For this was what the Prophet had in view, that there is no permanent life but in God, and that this is communicated to us by the word. However fading, then, is the nature of man, yet he is made eternal by the word; for he is re-moulded and becomes a new creature.
This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you, or, which has been declared to you. He first reminds us, that when the word of God is mentioned, we are very foolish if we imagine it to be remote from us in the air or in heaven; for we ought to know that it has been revealed to us by the Lord. What, then, is this word of the Lord, which gives us life? Even the Law, the Prophets, the Gospel. Those who wander beyond these limits of revelation, find nothing but the impostures of Satan and his dotages, and not the word of the Lord. We ought the more carefully to notice this, because impious and Luciferian men, craftily allowing to God’s word its own honour, at the same time attempt to draw us away from the Scriptures, as that unprincipled man, Agrippa, who highly extols the eternity of God’s word, and yet treats with scurrility the Prophets, and thus indirectly laughs to scorn the Word of God.
In short, as I have already reminded you, no mention is here made of the word which lies hid in the bosom of God, but of that which has proceeded from his mouth, and has come to us. So again it ought to be borne in mind, that God designed by the Apostles and Prophets to speak to us, and their mouths is the mouth of the only true God.
Then, when Peter says, Which has been announced, or declared, to you, he intimates that the word is not to be sought elsewhere than in the Gospel preached to us; and truly we know not the way of eternal life otherwise than by faith. But there can be no faith, except we know that the word is destined for us.
To the same purpose is what Moses said to the people, “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, &c.; nigh is the word, in thy mouth and in thy heart.” (Deut. 30:12.) That these words agree with what Peter says, Paul shews in Rom. 10:6, where he teaches us that it was the word of faith which he preached.
There is here, besides, no common eulogy on preaching; for Peter declares that what is preached is the life-giving word. God alone is indeed he who regenerates us; but for that purpose he employs the ministry of men; and on this account Paul glories that the Corinthians had been spiritually begotten by him. (1 Cor. 4:15.) It is indeed certain that those who plant and those who water, are nothing; but whenever God is pleased to bless their labour, he makes their doctrine efficacious by the power of his Spirit; and the voice which is in itself mortal, is made an instrument to communicate eternal life.[15]
1:24 / All men are like grass: The contrast between the frailty and transience of all human life (men translates sarx, flesh), the product of perishable seed, and the eternal nature of the divine is underscored by a quotation from Isa. 40:6–8 lxx. This chapter in Isaiah was much used in early nt preaching (Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 1:68; 2:25, 30–31; 3:4–6; John 1:23; 10:11; 11:40; Acts 17:29; 28:28; Rom. 11:34; 1 Cor. 2:16; James 1:10–11; Rev. 1:5; 18:6; 22:12). See C. H. Dodd, According to the Scriptures (London: Nisbet, 1952), p. 84.
1:25 / Word is rhēma in this verse (twice), though logos is used in v. 23, but no distinction seems to be intended. See TDNT, vol. 4, pp. 69–136; NIDNTT, vol. 3, pp. 74–89, 325–37, 1078–123.
That was preached (euangelizomenai, to preach good news) echoes the “good tidings” of Isa. 40:9 lxx, where the same Greek word is used.[16]
22 Obedience and purification, two important subthemes in the letter, as we noted earlier, are said by the writer to result in a brotherly love (philadelphia, GK 5789) that is “sincere”: “Now that you have purified [hagnizō, GK 49, as opposed to hagiazō, “sanctify,” GK 39, suggesting the need for cleansing] yourselves by obeying the truth …” Love that is “sincere” (anypokritos, GK 537)—i.e., unfeigned or unhypocritical—is hearty and affectionate among the saints. To love one another “deeply” and “from the heart” is particularly important in a social climate of hostility, wherein mutual encouragement, affection, and support would be indispensable to be able to withstand persecution. As Hillyer, 53, and John Piper (“Hope as the Motivation for Love: 1 Peter 3:9–12,” NTS 26 [1980]: 212–31) fittingly observe, a community of love will produce and necessarily preserve a community of hope.
23–25 Reinforcement of the enduring nature of love, which undergirds communal bonds, is found in Isaiah 40:6–8. This citation follows Peter’s reiteration of abiding, imperishable seed (spora, GK 5078) of the new birth, i.e., the regenerative and living “word of God” (cf. Mt 4:4; 13:1–23; Mk 4:1–20; Lk 8:1–15; Heb 4:12). The link between community and new birth is not to be lost on the readers. Mutual love cannot exist in unadulterated, unfeigned fashion without the element of purification that only comes by way of a new (i.e., spiritual) birth.
But the citation from Isaiah 40 is important for another reason. Its historical context concerns the experience of exile foreseen by the prophet. The prophetic word of God “comforts” the people of God (40:1) in the midst of sojourning as resident aliens. The message is intended to encourage Israel, to offer hope at a time of social hostility in her exilic experience. This point of contact with Peter’s audience is readily recognized. The purposes of Almighty God stand, and he has not forgotten his Diaspora people, even though their sufferings would seem to suggest such. “The word of the Lord stands forever,” Peter recalls, and this word, furthermore, is that which was “preached to you.” This preached word, let it be remembered, is “good news” (cf. Isa 40:9). And the good news remains: the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him (40:10). His care for his people, declared by the prophet Isaiah, is never far from the mind of Peter (2:25; 5:2): “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (Isa 40:11).[17]
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you. (1:23–25)
Believers are to love one another to the fullest extent because it is consistent with new life in Christ. The apostle John wrote, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments” (1 John 5:1–2; cf. 3:14; 4:7).
It is almost as if Peter anticipated his readers’ asking why they should love the way he had commanded them. He therefore told them they should be expected to love that way because they had been born again. The perfect tense of the participle anagegennēmenoi (have been born again) emphasizes that the new birth occurs in the past, with ongoing results in the present. One of those results is that believers will show love for one another.
Paul defined this transformation as a death with subsequent new life in Christ:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3–4)
The truth of that text is actually a “dry” one. That is, Paul is not speaking of water baptism, but of spiritual immersion into Christ Jesus, symbolized by water baptism. Immersion into Christ means believers are placed into His death, by which they die to the old life and God considers them as participating in Christ’s resurrection, by which they share new life in Him. Thus the new birth entails a complete, radical, decisive transformation that has to be described in the extreme terms of death and new birth (2 Cor. 5:17). Believers “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:10). Those who are born again go from being godless, lawless, and selfish (Rom. 3:9–18; 8:7–8) to manifesting genuine repentance, trust, and love. The Holy Spirit enlightens them to discern spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14–15; 2 Cor. 4:6) and empowers them to serve the law of God (truth contained in His Word) rather than the law of sin (Rom. 6:17–18).
The new birth is monergistic; it is a work solely of the Holy Spirit. Sinners do not cooperate in their spiritual births (cf. Eph. 2:1–10) any more than infants cooperate in their natural births. Jesus told Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8; cf. John 1:12–13; Eph. 2:4–5; Phil. 2:13).
Seed represents the source of life. Everything that comes to life in the created order begins with a seed, the basic life source that initiates plant and animal existence. But nothing in the material world has the capacity to produce spiritual and eternal life. Thus God did not effect the new birth using seed which is perishable. In contrast to how an earthly father initiates human birth with his corruptible seed, God initiates the spiritual birth with an imperishable seed. Everything that grows from natural seeds is a sovereign creation of God (Gen. 1:11–12), but it all eventually dies (Isa. 40:8; James 1:10–11). However, sinners born again of God’s Spirit gain eternal life. That is because He uses the imperishable seed of the living and enduring word of God. Peter’s words echoed what James earlier wrote to his readers about the new birth, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures” (James 1:18; cf. Rom. 10:17).
To strengthen his point, Peter quoted from Isaiah 40:6, 8, which contains a familiar biblical principle about life’s transience (cf. Job 14:1–2; Pss. 39:4; 103:15; Matt. 6:27, 30; James 4:14). All flesh refers to all humans and animals, and grass refers to the wild grass of the typical Middle Eastern countryside. The phrase glory like the flower of grass denotes the beauty of that scenery in which colorful flowers (cf. Matt. 6:28–29) occasionally rise above the grass. So Peter noted that whether something is as common as grass or as uniquely lovely as a flower, it eventually withers or falls off—it dies. Human life is brief in this world. People pass away like dry grass under a withering east wind. In their graves, the poor and illiterate of no influence are equal to the wealthy and highly educated of great influence (cf. Job 3:17–19). In Christ, however, whether people are common or uncommon, they will never deteriorate or die spiritually. Instead they are like the word of the Lord which endures forever.
That saving word is the gospel, as Peter’s choice of words indicates. He used rhēma for word (rather than the usual logos, the more broad reference to Scripture), which denotes specific statements. Preached is euangelisthen, from the same root word that means “good news,” or “the gospel.” He is referring, then, to the particular message of the gospel, that scriptural truth which, when believed, is the imperishable seed producing new life that also endures forever.
Though believers possess new life in Jesus Christ and the capacity to love in a transcendent, godly manner, the continued presence of their unredeemed flesh (cf. Rom. 7:14–25) causes them to fail to love as they should. Thus, as in all matters of obedience, the New Testament contains a number of other exhortations for believers to genuinely love (John 13:34; 15:12; Rom. 12:10; Phil. 1:9; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Peter 1:7; 1 John 3:23; 4:7, 21). Those are admonitions for the church to do what it, by God’s grace and power, is already capable of doing. The call in this text is for saints to manifest an undying love for fellow believers, which is consistent with an imperishable new life in Jesus Christ by the power of the gospel word which is itself imperishable.[18]
[1] Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., 1 Pe 1:24). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Pe 1:24–25). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[3] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2407). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[4] Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1679). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
[5] Derickson, G. (2010). The First Epistle of Peter. In R. N. Wilkin (Ed.), The Grace New Testament Commentary (pp. 1150–1151). Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society.
[6] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 2256). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[7] Raymer, R. M. (1985). 1 Peter. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 844). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[8] Wheaton, D. H. (1994). 1 Peter. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., pp. 1375–1376). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
[9] Barbieri, L. A. (2014). 1 Peter. In M. A. Rydelnik & M. Vanlaningham (Eds.), The moody bible commentary (p. 1960). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
[10] Walls, D., & Anders, M. (1999). I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Vol. 11, pp. 15–16). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[11] Utley, R. J. D. (2000). The Gospel according to Peter: Mark and I & II Peter (Vol. Volume 2, p. 225). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.
[12] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Epistles of Peter and the Epistle of Jude (Vol. 16, pp. 73–74). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
[13] Exell, J. S. (n.d.). The Biblical Illustrator: I. Peter (pp. 114–124). London: James Nisbet & Co.
[14] Grudem, W. A. (1988). 1 Peter: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 17, pp. 97–98). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[15] Calvin, J., & Owen, J. (2010). Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (pp. 57–60). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[16] Hillyer, N. (2011). 1 and 2 Peter, Jude (p. 55). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[17] Charles, D. J. (2006). 1 Peter. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, pp. 311–312). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[18] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2004). 1 Peter (pp. 91–93). Chicago: Moody Publishers.
Prepare for a Hard Life
Hebrews 12:6
Those whom the Lord has chosen and honoured with his fellowship must prepare for a hard, laborious, troubled life, a life full of many and various kinds of evils; it being the will of our heavenly Father to exercise his people in this way while putting them to the proof. Having begun this course with Christ the first-born, he continues it towards all his children.
JOHN CALVIN
Ritzema, E. (Ed.). (2012). 300 Quotations for Preachers. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
God Grants Salvation, Freedom Receives It
Acts 16:31; Titus 2:11; Hebrews 5:9
God is the author of salvation; free will is merely receptive thereof; none can grant it save God alone, nothing can receive it save the free will. Thus then salvation is given by God alone, and it is given only to the free will; even as it cannot be wrought without the consent of the receiver, so cannot it be wrought without the grace of the giver.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX
Ritzema, E., & Brant, R. (Eds.). (2013). 300 quotations for preachers from the Medieval church. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“The Patriot Post” (https://patriotpost.us)
Three volcanoes erupt at the Same time in Guatemala
Guatemala’s three most active volcanoes have magnificently erupted simultaneously. The last time the phenomenon occurred was in 2018. That event took the lives of hundreds of locals when communities were hit by gas, ash, and rock. Volcanoes are explicitly mentioned by the prophets as playing a role in the end of days, preparing the world by burning away impurities as a crucible is used in metallurgy to purify metal. This process is described in Zechariah.
95% of former COVID patients suffer no irreversible damage, Israeli study finds
A new Israeli study released Tuesday indicates that 95 percent of recovered COVID-19 patients do not suffer any irreversible respiratory or cardiac damage, helping to answer one of the key questions about the disease that has infected more than 100 million people worldwide.
“We can cautiously report that based on our study, the majority of symptoms passed within a period of three to six months,”
Israel Strikes Syria “In Response To Iranian Attack” On Israeli Commercial Ship
state news said that Syrian air defenses were active in response to an “Israeli aggression in the vicinity of Damascus” after explosions were heard above the capital, according to Reuters. The strike was reportedly near the international airport. It appears Israel is seeking to punish both Iran and Syria for Thursday’s incident in the Gulf of Oman.
‘Bad Optics’: Pelosi’s Office Reportedly Opposed National Guard On Capitol Grounds Leading Up To Riot
In the months leading up to the Capitol riot, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her office opposed having National Guard on Capitol Grounds due to “optics,” according to Tuesday comments reportedly made to House Admin by former Sergeant at Arms, Paul Irving, while making what he described as a “blender of decision making” before the inauguration. Pelosi’s Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill did not deny the allegations in a statement to the Daily Caller. “If you believe Irving’s timeline that he testified under oath to, how could he ask for permission from the Speaker 20 minutes before he got the request?”
“You’re The F**king Nuts” – Bill Maher Blasts New York’s “Insane” Woke School System
Kelly told Maher that, when one of her sons was in third grade – that is, 8 years old, the school “unleashed a three-week experimental trans-education program.” Not only did the children find it terribly confusing, but Kelly also said that what was going on was more like coercion than teaching tolerance. Thus, she said, “It wasn’t about support — we felt that it was more like they were trying to convince them. Like, come on over.” Maher then chimed in that he’d been hearing from parents – leftist parents – about the relentless anti-white activism the New York schools, both public and private, are pushing.
Minnesota Republicans Call For Environmental Activist’s Resignation
Minnesota Republican lawmakers are calling on prominent environmental activist Winona LaDuke to resign from her environmental group after the Washington Free Beacon revealed that LaDuke dismissed allegations of pedophilia leveled against one of her top organizers. State representative Steve Green … called the environmentalist’s behavior “deeply troubling” and told the Free Beacon that he had previously “heard rumors” of inappropriate behavior by Honor the Earth leadership.
It’s time for Biden to halt ‘what looks like a COVID-19 cover-up’
China is testing President Biden, but his party is still preoccupied with Donald Trump. Chinese authorities refused to provide World Health Organization investigators with raw data on early COVID-19 cases that could help them determine how and when the coronavirus spread in China.
Syria reports Israeli missile attack near capital, Damascus
State TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that most of the Israeli missiles, which originated from the Golan Heights, were shot down before reaching their targets near Damascus. In a briefing to supporters of his party on Friday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel was taking action “almost weekly” to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria.
Gender identity run wild
The varieties of gender and race have led us to lose all reason and certainty, while our pc society is bannng books that dissent.
Trump: We’re going to unite and be stronger than ever before
“As we gather this week, we are in the middle of an historic struggle for America’s future, America’s culture, America’s institutions, borders and most cherished principles. Our security our prosperity and our very identity as Americans is at stake like perhaps at no other time,” Trump said “We have the Republican party. It’s going to unite and be stronger than ever before. I am not starting a new party. That was fake news. Wouldn’t that be brilliant? Let’s start a new party and divide our vote,” he added. “Joe Biden has had the most disastrous month in history. They are anti-borders, anti-women, and anti-science. We went from America First to America last in one month.”
Israel Demolishes home of Jordanian Waqf Guard for Harassing Jews on Temple Mount
a half year ago, a Shabak (GSS) official warned Oleyyan against his behavior cautioning him that if he continued, his home would be demolished. On Monday, the Jerusalem municipality ordered his home to be demolished on the grounds that it did not have the proper permit. This development comes despite the fact that for a year already, the city halted demolitions of illegal homes in Isawiya because they wanted to rebuild in a different location.
Arab Israeli Faces Treason Charges for Reporting Iron Dome Locations with Hamas
An Israeli citizen acted as a Hamas agent in Israel and worked for the terrorist organization’s military wing in Gaza, the Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed on Friday. The citizen, who was arrested on Feb. 3, is 43-year-old Muhammad Abu Adra, whose father is a Bedouin and whose mother hails from Gaza.
Jordan, PA accuse ‘Jewish extremists’ of storming Temple Mount
Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have condemned visits by Jews to al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or Temple Mount, dubbing them provocations and a violation of the status quo at the site. The Jordanian foreign ministry, in a statement released on Sunday, described the visits as “an incursion by extremists into the mosque’s premises.”
Iran and Turkey appear to be on collision course in Iraq – analysis
While the region’s eyes are on recent tensions with Iran in the Gulf of Oman and Syria, a simmering dispute between Iran and Turkey in Iraq appears to be growing. The dispute has origins going back years as Iran has sought greater influence in Iraq, and Turkey has long viewed northern Iraq as its area of influence.
Armenia opposition breaks into government building
Armenian opposition protesters calling for the prime minister’s resignation have burst into a government building in the capital Yerevan and held a rally there, Russian media report. Several dozen activists were involved, Interfax news agency said. Last week PM Nikol Pashinyan warned of an attempted military coup.
Iran nuclear deal: Tehran rules out informal talks on reviving accord
Iran has ruled out holding an informal meeting with the US and European powers on ways to revive a nuclear deal, insisting that America must lift all of its unilateral sanctions first. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said it was not an appropriate time for the talks proposed by the European Union. The US said it was disappointed but that it remained ready to “re-engage in meaningful diplomacy” on the issue.
Russian warship enters Sudan port in new military deal
A Russian warship has entered a Sudanese port where Moscow plans to build a naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast. The Admiral Grigorovich is the first Russian warship to enter Port Sudan, state news agency Interfax reported citing the Russian fleet on Sunday. Russia previously announced a deal in November which outlined the creation of a logistical support center in Sudan…
7th spectacular paroxysm at Etna volcano produces heavy ashfall, Italy
A sudden increase in volcanic tremor detected at Etna’s Southeast Crater at 07:44 UTC on Sunday morning, February 28, 2021, quickly led to another spectacular paroxysm — the 7th since February 16. This paroxysmal episode was characterized by a remarkable intensity and short duration, with the activity of tall lava fountains lasting about 30 minutes.
The Great Reset, Part V: Woke Ideology
Woke ideology has tilled the soil and planted the seeds for the harvest that the Great Reset represents to the ruling elite…
NJ teen confesses to spearheading plot to vandalize Midwestern synagogues
Richard Tobin called his plan ‘Operation Kristallnacht,’ saying he was triggered by state of US after seeing crowds of Black people at a New Jersey mall
The GayBC’s Book Targets Toddlers
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that “many” people in Saudi Arabia want normalized relations with Israel, expressing hope the kingdom will join the Abraham Accords which were negotiated during former President Donald Trump’s administration,
Pompeo: Many people in Saudi Arabia want to normalize ties with Israel
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that “many” people in Saudi Arabia want normalized relations with Israel, expressing hope the kingdom will join the Abraham Accords which were negotiated during former President Donald Trump’s administration, AFP reported.
Wasteland: The Mad Max Festival That Makes Burning Man Look Lame
For a Fun, wholesome weekend activity, you really can’t beat the apocalypse. Chaos is the norm at Wasteland, the “world’s largest post-apocalyptic festival” that turns the Mojave Desert into a glorious vision of hell on earth. For four days each September, thousands of survivors maraud a patch of dirt and sand east of Bakersfield, California, in wild jalopies and wage epic bungee-battles in a two-story Thunderdome.
Israel said to hit Iranian targets in Syria after Tehran blamed for ship blast
Syrian state media reported Sunday that air defense systems were activated around Damascus due to an Israeli attack. A report carried on the official SANA news agency claimed the Syrian military intercepted several Israeli missiles.
Christians forced to eat pages of the Bible during horrific knife attack
Christians in Venezuela are reeling from a shocking knife attack in which they were forced to eat pages of the Bible and had crosses cut into their skin.
HUMAN LAB RATS: UK to infect volunteers with coronavirus in world’s first human challenge trial
The world’s first COVID-19 “human challenge trial” will begin in the United Kingdom in a few weeks, following approval from the country’s clinical trials ethics body on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Pfizer CEO: ‘Every Year You Will Have to Get Your Annual Shot for COVID’
Despite the purported 95% effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla announced Thursday that the vaccine maker is testing a third dose of its vaccine in anticipation of annual booster shots.
Trump hints at 2024 White House bid in CPAC speech as he shoots down third-party speculation
Former President Donald Trump delivered his first public remarks since leaving office at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, pushing back on the notion he might start a third party while hinting at, but declining to announce explicitly, a 2024 White House bid.
The Alleged Racism of ALL White People Is the Newest Excuse Being Used to Impose Global Governance
…there is a new genocidal mentality in this country that has the potential to resemble the worst days of Nazi Germany or anything perpetrated by the Bolsheviks. The evil that underlies these genocidal tendencies resides, most commonly, within the Democratic Party.
“Slippery Slope” – Vaccine Passports Are A Technical & Ethical Minefield
…requiring digital proof of jabs could revive the economy but undermine equity and privacy…
Tigray survivors share horrors of mass killings as Sunday school kids are among thousands dead
Troops went house to house slaughtering civilians in the war-torn region of Tigray in northern Ethiopia as children and priests are among those killed in the conflict that began last November, witnesses say.
Biden adviser Cedric Richmond sees first-term progress on reparations
White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond told “Axios on HBO” that it’s “doable” for President Biden to make first-term progress on breaking down barriers for people of color, while Congress studies reparations for slavery.
Source: 1 Mar 2021 – Rapture Ready
Former US secretary of state Pompeo: Many Saudis want normalization with Israel
IDF chief: Blast on Israeli-owned ship was a ‘reminder’ from Iran
Israel said to hit Iranian targets in Syria after Tehran blamed for ship blast
Multiple Air Strikes Target Iranian Military Positions in Damascus
Biden tells Congress Syria strikes are consistent with U.S. right to self-defense
Iran rejects offer for informal nuclear talks with US, demands sanctions relief
US ‘disappointed,’ but still open to Iran nuclear talks after Tehran’s rejection
Saudi Arabia Says It Thwarted Yemeni Rebel Missile Attack Over Capital
Myanmar security forces open fire on protesters, killing at least 18, according to U.N.
Hong Kong police charge dozens of dissidents with security crime
In first speech since leaving office, Trump flirts with another run in 2024
CPAC Orlando: Trump hints at running again in 2024 as a Republican, but only 68% of attendees agree
GOP senator warns Republicans will lose future elections if party continues to ‘idolize’ Trump
Trump proposes new voting limits, rails against “monster” voting rights bill
CPAC Panel Rips Supreme Court, Judiciary for Failure to Hear Election Fraud Evidence
Judge Rules Arizona Senate Can Access 2.1 Million 2020 Election Ballots and Equipment
Trump: Big Tech Companies ‘Should Be Punished’ for Censoring Conservative Voices
Facebook Censorship Has Become ‘Outrageous,’ Whistleblower Says
Goya CEO: Critics Want to ‘Cancel God,’ Redefine the Family
Growing tension in Minneapolis as trial looms in Floyd death
$3 gasoline could be around the corner – unless OPEC and Russia start pumping more oil
Air Force Base Prepping for EMP Vulnerability Tests
Cluster of small quakes rattles Big Sur on California coast, USGS reports
5.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Port-Vila, Vanuatu
5.5 magnitude earthquake hits southeast of the Loyalty Islands
5.4 magnitude earthquake hits near Sola, Vanuatu
5.4 magnitude earthquake hits near Adak, Alaska
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits south of Africa
Mt Etna volcano in Italy erupts to 33,000ft
Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 25,000ft
Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 19,000ft
Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 19,000ft
Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000ft
Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft
Pacaya volcano in Guatemala erupts to 12,000ft
2 feet of snow to bury portions of Korean Peninsula, Japan
Heavy rain leaves wide swaths of Kentucky flooded
Energy company to breed endangered California condors to replace birds killed by turbine blades
It’s the US’ deadliest avalanche season in years. Experts say Covid is partially to blame
Uninfected Chinese Die Under Extreme COVID-19 Lockdown Measures
Danger of mRNA vaccines to elderly under spotlight after 16 deaths in Switzerland
AstraZeneca has sold its stake in Moderna for more than $1 billion
Once Trump’s ‘enemy,’ Fed emerges as White House ally in rejecting concerns about overdoing stimulus
Supreme Court blocks county’s ban on indoor worship gatherings, calls 9th Circuit ruling ‘erroneous’
Gov. Kemp aims to make Georgia ‘sanctuary state for people of faith’
Nancy Pelosi calls sexual harassment claims against Cuomo ‘credible’
Democratic NY State Senator Calls for Cuomo’s Resignation
Source: Tracking the Birth Pangs – News and Links (trackingbibleprophecy.org)
Mike Ratliff – Spiritual Adultery
Charismatic Prophet Jeremiah Johnson Suspends All Online Ministry After Visitation from Jesus
Local youth pastor, arrested for indecent behavior with juvenile
Lancaster County youth pastor arrested, charged with distributing child pornography
Three Christians Charged in NJ for ‘Intimidating’ Salon Owner by Preaching ‘Homophobic Rhetoric’
Dem Leader Says the Quiet Part Out Loud ‘…God’s Will is No Concern of this Congress.’
Student Suspended From Education Program For Saying, ‘A Man Is A Man, A Woman Is A Woman’
Singapore pastor apologizes for asking women to dress modestly
Quebec river granted legal rights as part of global ‘personhood’ movement
Dave Ramsey Lists Nashville Home for $15.45 Million
Tigray survivors share horrors of mass killings as Sunday school kids are among thousands dead
“The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” —Thomas Jefferson (1816)
Nate Jackson
Over unanimous Republican opposition, House Democrats barely passed their pork-loaded COVID-but-not-COVID relief bill Saturday. Two Democrats joined every opposing Republican in a 219-212 vote. As outrageous as it is, this kind of crisis-exploiting “stimulus” has been a Democrat specialty since Barack Obama’s first effort in 2009.
As we wrote last week, less than half of the bill is even arguably related to COVID, while the rest is a grab bag of spending on leftist constituency groups.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says it’s even worse: “Congress won’t actually vote on this bill until 2 a.m. Saturday. Why? Because Democrats are so embarrassed by all the non-COVID waste in this bill that they are jamming it through in the dead of night. We ran the numbers. The amount of money that actually goes to defeating the virus is less than 9 percent — Less than 9 percent! So don’t call it a rescue bill. Don’t call it a relief bill. Call it the Pelosi Payoff.”
The relief portion includes $1,400 checks for all Americans earning less than $75,000, more “enhanced” unemployment benefits of $400 per week, more business loans, more bailout money for industries particularly hard hit by Democrat-led shutdowns, and billions for health-related items. The other $1 trillion is decidedly not related to COVID.
“Yes this package is big, but the scale that families face is enormous,” insisted California Democrat Barbara Lee. “Half measures just won’t cut it.”
Actually, half of this measure would still be too high.
“The numbers speak volumes. 18 million Americans on unemployment. 24 million people are going hungry,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared. “The time for decisive action is long overdue.”
If it’s so urgent, why is so much of the spending deferred for the next few years? In fact, 10% of it won’t be spent until 2024 or later. If that’s an “emergency,” the word has no meaning.
Moreover, anyone else wonder why, if unemployment is already sky high, Democrats have included a measure to kill 1.4 million jobs? That’s exactly what their $15 minimum wage would do, according to the CBO. On top of that, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the wage hike cannot be included in a bill under budget reconciliation. The House included it anyway.
That poison pill isn’t really about getting workers more money, of course. It’s a strategic play for Democrat votes against those mean old Republicans who just don’t want to pay workers more. Washington Democrats are counting on voters being ignorant of the resulting economic devastation such a drastic wage hike would produce.
Then again, as our Arnold Ahlert argues today, for Democrats, economic devastation is the point.
Arnold Ahlert
“Warning lights should be flashing. Less than a month in, it’s becoming evident that President Joe Biden’s economic policies are likely to end in disaster.” —columnist Rupert Darwall
Mr. Darwall is half right, and no one (inadvertently) explains it better than columnist Keven Williams. He wonders aloud about a “mystery economy” that has simultaneously produced a “U.S. GDP plunging at a rate of 32 percent while unemployment spiked to 15 percent,” and “12 million renting households who collectively owe back rent that may add up to more than $70 billion,” even as the “Dow closed at a record high last week, car dealers and art dealers both are enjoying record profits, commodities prices from oil to soybeans to copper are soaring, and, as though some rank symbolism were needed, the display cases of the nation’s Rolex boutiques are stripped as bare as a San Antonio supermarket after a polar vortex.”
In reality, there’s no mystery about it. While millions of Americans struggle — with no real end in sight other than a $1,400 stimulus check — the wealth of the nation’s billionaire class has skyrocketed. “After 11 months of pandemic misery, where millions have lost their jobs, health and wealth, total US billionaire wealth increased $1.3 trillion since mid-March, 2020, an increase of 44 percent,” Inequality.org explains on its website.
In other words, there are really two economies: one for the select few who have amassed historically unprecedented levels of wealth, and the other for everyone else. Tragically, that bifurcation has also produced something else: a progressive-dominated, government-corporate cartel determined to make sure it remains that way.
Forever.
In the meantime, Americans will be fed a steady diet of “bread and circuses” designed to obscure it all. In service to “saving the planet,” one of the first executive orders enacted by President Biden was to kill the Keystone XL pipeline project, costing the nation thousands of jobs. The skilled workers who lost those jobs were told by climate czar John Kerry they could “transition” to making solar panels in some unspecified future.
Soon, there will be a lot more transitioning going on, as this is only the opening gambit in the administration’s efforts to impose a Green New Deal on America — one that will inevitably produce a dubious trifecta of rising gas prices, soaring energy bills for millions, and a return to energy dependence along with the inevitable permutations (read: Middle East conflicts) that arise when we go back to needing energy from nations that hate us.
Next up, a $15 minimum wage. Much to Nancy Pelosi’s disappointment, the Senate’s chief parliamentarian ruled that such a wage hike could not be included in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, because major economic bills cannot be passed via “budget reconciliation” — a process that allows passage of bills with a simple Senate majority.
Nonetheless, House Democrats included it anyway when they passed the bill early Saturday morning, undoubtedly based on the idea that Vice President Kamala Harris, who can override the parliamentarian’s ruling, will do so. Never mind that the CBO estimates raising the minimum wage would cost America another 1.4 million jobs, as many small business operators who can’t afford such an increase will lay off workers.
Eliminating those small businesses is okay with California Democrat Representative Ro Khanna. When asked by CNN’s Abby Phillip what affect this will have on “mom and pop businesses who are just struggling to keep their doors open, keep workers on the payroll right now,” Khanna made it clear they were completely expendable. “We don’t want low-wage businesses,” he asserted. “Most successful small businesses can pay a fair wage.”
Undoubtedly in Khanna’s universe, Target, Amazon, and a host of other multinationals will fill the gap created by the extermination of these “unfair” small businesses, further enriching the mega-rich at the expense of those foolish enough to believe that risk, hard work, and determination are the real elements of success.
Which brings us to the next effort to crush the future of millions of Americans, namely the Biden administration’s determination to legalize “11 million” illegal aliens. The quotation marks are intended to be sarcastic, as that number has remained unchanged for 17 straight years despite sustained caravans, border surges, and visa over-stayers. Even the most basic economic reality — when you have more of something, each unit of that something is worth less — will not deter a Democrat Party wholly determined to make sure its power remains unassailable, even if millions of lower- and middle-class Americans see their wages remain stagnant or get cut, or have their jobs taken by those who have no business being here in the first place.
But don’t worry, America. That $1,400 stimulus check will be arriving in short order, courtesy of that $1.9 trillion stimulus package. One that follows the $900 billion stimulus package passed in December — even as Democrats are discussing another $2 trillion in additional stimulus spending. “In order to grow the economy a year or two, three, and four down the line, we can’t spend too much,” said President Biden said during a CNN town hall. “Now is the time we should be spending. Now is the time to go big.”
How big? “We are looking carefully, very carefully, at the question of whether we should issue a digital dollar,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress last Tuesday. Powell further noted that it’s a “very high-priority project for us.”
Who’s “us”? Certainly not the millions of Americans who understand the implications of moving to the cashless — and wholly totalitarian — society envisioned by those who wish to control every aspect of peoples’ lives.
Can Universal Basic Income or some more “creative” alternative that produces the same wholesale dependency on government be far behind?
Looking at the above, many Americans might wonder why Democrats and more than a few Republicans would sign on to policies virtually certain to produce disaster for millions of Americans. It might be better if they wondered something else: What if it’s all intentional? What if crushing the middle and lower classes — along with the American Dream itself — is the real purpose here?
Too farfetched? If there is one thing above all else our Ruling Class learned during the pandemic, it’s that frightened and desperate Americans are increasingly pliable Americans, millions of whom have been more than willing to trade Liberty for security. So, we could endure a long recession/depression, buffeted by stimulus after stimulus. All the while, leftists know their corporate allies in media and Big Tech can control the national conversation and weed out everything they deem “misinformation” — as well as any remaining recalcitrants still naïve enough to believe the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the integrity of the election process still matter.
It’s what the quest for unabashed tyranny is all about.
Thomas Gallatin
Of Black History Month, actor Morgan Freeman famously said it was “ridiculous.” In a 2005 interview with Mike Wallace of “60 Minutes,” Freeman contended, “You’re going to relegate my history to a month? … Which is White History Month? Come on, tell me. … I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”
A clearly flummoxed Wallace wondered, “How are we going to get rid of racism?” Freeman shot back, “Stop talking about it.”
Well, the mainstream media led the charge in doing the exact opposite, elevating the Left’s insistence of identity politics above all else. In truth, Black History Month is really not about celebrating the accomplishments of black Americans. Instead, it is yet another instrument cultural leftists have used to further their political agenda of identitarianism.
A demonstration of this reality comes from tech giant Amazon, which suddenly removed the highly acclaimed and popular 2019 PBS documentary “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” from its Prime streaming service — during Black History Month. This action was taken despite the fact that Amazon’s streaming service actively promoted an entire section titled “Amplify Black Voices,” which it advertised as “a curated collection of titles to honor Black History Month across four weekly themes (Black Love, Black Joy, Black History Makers, and Black Girl Magic).” Why isn’t the nation’s lone living black Supreme Court justice worthy of a slot? (That’s rhetorical.)
Making matters worse, Amazon’s “Amplify Black Voices” featured two films celebrating Anita Hill, the woman who famously and falsely accused Thomas of sexual harassment during the confirmation hearings he called a “high-tech lynching.” Meanwhile, the only other black American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, is highlighted in two docudramas and two documentaries. This, of course, has everything to do with the fact that Marshall is an icon of the Left, whereas Thomas, a brilliant conservative thinker, serves to undercut the racial identitarianism of the Left.
The “Created Equal” DVD is still technically for sale but is no longer available on Amazon (sold out?). This is similar to Amazon’s recent move to suddenly, without notice or explanation, scrub Ryan T. Anderson’s book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment from its site.
The Left uses race as a cudgel to promote and popularize stereotypes onto groups in order to divide Americans along identity and ideology lines. By conflating identity with ideology, the Left aims to deflect legitimate criticism of its bankrupt ideology. Since identifies are intrinsically personal and therefore emotive, and ideologies are not, to criticize an identity is to attack an individual’s personhood, whereas criticizing an ideology is to contend with a person’s ideas.
That’s ultimately the reason Amazon black-holed Justice Clarence Thomas during Black History Month, lest any black American identify with someone other than those espousing the Left’s ideology.
Robin Smith
Most of us on the Center-Right are endeavoring to make a positive impact on our communities and families and to protect our Liberty for this and future generations. But as often happens after a campaign loss, internal fighting has erupted on the Right, which inadvertently but directly aids the Left. It’s important to have “family discussions” to plan for the next election, but it’s not just the next election that matters. What we do now affects the actual survival of a belief system that guards our history, learns from it, and ensures that rights and responsibilities are protected by government.
The Left effectively employs the cancel culture for the purpose of silencing speech with which it disapproves, especially anything related to the Judeo-Christian faith, conservative principles, and traditional family values. As vividly evidenced over the last 24 months, Big Tech has joined the national media not just to become and operate as weapons of the Democrats but to be synonymous with the Democrat Party itself.
Instead of infighting, Republicans must take up the fight against those who control the flow of information as well as political candidates and campaign operations.
As Democrats support and pass legislation that spends almost $2 trillion, claiming it’s COVID financial relief when only a fraction of that incomprehensible sum goes to truly support issues related to the coronavirus, are we on the Center-Right rallying around common values and goals? Are Republicans working together to get our kids back in classrooms and address our nation’s abysmal literacy rate of only 35% in the fourth grade and 33% in the eighth grade while teachers unions continue making their unending demands at the expense of students? Are we on the Center-Right joined together to fight against the blurring of truth with the passage of the “Equality Act” that destroys religious liberty and targets Judeo-Christian beliefs by reengineering most every aspect of our society? Or will we continue to bicker as biology is redefined by politics and women’s rights and accomplishments are negated?
While Republicans fixate on who “truly” supported Donald Trump, who’s still with Trump, and who’s the most vocal in opposition, our largest institutions are being reconstructed by Democrats — education, healthcare, and mass communications, just to name a few. Rather than looking in the rearview mirror, Republicans would be best served to unify around efforts to counter the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris agenda and offer thoughtful solutions at every level of government for winsomely moving our nation forward.
This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) featured former President Donald Trump, who declared that he was “not starting a new party” despite rumors. “Wouldn’t that be brilliant?” he sarcastically noted. “Let’s start a new party so we can divide our vote and never win.” That’s in contrast to various Leftmedia articles that feature individuals like Cindy McCain, Senator Mitt Romney, and others calling for a split in the GOP.
The great British statesman Winston Churchill once advised, “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” The truth of this admonition rests with the ability of the Republican Party to be a fortress for Liberty, a refuge for those who rally around common beliefs and goals. Quoting Jesus in Mark 3:25, Abraham Lincoln said in his debates with Stephen A. Douglas, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
If the Center-Right is to govern, we must have the capacity to stop the internal fussing, fighting, and power plays. Republicans have to do more than talk about unity; we must work to realize and maintain it. If the Republican Party divides, the Democrats win. And Americans lose.
Douglas Andrews
Those who expected a humbled, gentler, more statesmanlike Donald Trump were no doubt disappointed. But those who expected the former president to come out swinging for the first time since Joe Biden took office got exactly what they wanted.
Yesterday, during a much-anticipated 90-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Trump lit into the many first-month failures of President Biden and relitigated the 2020 presidential election in a way that felt in every respect like a 2024 campaign speech.
Those in attendance were thrilled.
Trump began his speech by interrupting the raucous crowd and its chants of “USA, USA, USA” to ask, “Do you miss me yet?” He then declared the journey that began four years ago “is far from over.”
Trump continued, “Our security, our prosperity, and our very identity as Americans is at stake like perhaps at no other time. So no matter how much the Washington establishment and the powerful special interests may want to silence us, let there be no doubt: We will be victorious, and America will be stronger and greater than ever before.”
As Fox News reports, “Former President Donald Trump on Sunday tore into President Biden on issues ranging from the brewing crisis at the border to foreign policy — while mapping out what he believes is the future of the conservative movement, and pledging not to create a new party. ‘Joe Biden has had the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history,’ Trump said, calling the new administration ‘anti-jobs, [anti-family, anti-borders], anti-energy, anti-women, and anti-science.’”
For Democrats, the chickens had finally come home to roost. American presidents have, historically, refused to criticize those who succeeded them in office. Jimmy Carter, though, broke with this tradition, saying that Ronald Reagan had failed to accept “the awesome responsibilities of the presidency,” calling the foreign policy of George W. Bush “the worst in history,” and calling Trump “a disaster” among other things. Barack Obama pretty much picked up where Carter left off. So it was perhaps altogether fitting that Trump, the counterpuncher, walloped Biden at every turn.
Twelve minutes into his speech, Trump gave the first indication that he’s open to challenging the Democrats again in 2024: “What the Biden administration is doing to push young migrants into the hands of human traffickers and coyotes is dangerous, immoral, and indefensible,” he said. “Biden has failed in his number-one duty as chief executive: enforcing America’s laws. This alone should be reason enough for Democrats to suffer withering losses in the midterms and to lose the White House decisively four years from now. Actually, as you know, they just lost the White House. … But who knows? Who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time.”
Trump focused largely on Biden’s immigration failures, but he also hit him hard for failing to reopen our nation’s schools — a promise that Biden has failed to live up to as he struggles to stand up to the teachers unions.
Trump’s speech was preceded by the CPAC straw poll, which surveys attendees about who they’d like to see on the ballot in the next election. Trump got 55% of the vote in the poll, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis second at 21%. CPAC also polled attendees without Trump in the mix. DeSantis won that poll with 43%, followed by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem with 11%, and Donald Trump Jr. with 8%.
Looking ahead to 2024, Trump put an end to speculation that he’d launch a third party. “I am not starting a new party,” he reiterated. “That was fake news. … Wouldn’t that be brilliant? Let’s start a new party and let’s divide our vote so that you can never win. No, we’re not interested in that.”
He also called for “comprehensive election reform” to help ensure that the Republican candidate in 2024 doesn’t suffer the same fate he did in 2020. “I received almost 1.5 million more votes than all of the Republican House candidates combined,” he said among a litany of other improbable election statistics that the Left has never bothered to address. “So how the hell is it possible that we lost?”
He closed by saying, “With your help, we will take back the House, we will win the Senate, and then a Republican president will make a triumphant return to the White House. And I wonder who that will be…”
Douglas Andrews
“The Republican Party is not the party just of the country clubs. The Republican Party is the party of steelworkers and construction workers and pipeline workers and taxi cab drivers and cops and firefighters, and waiters and waitresses and the men and women with callouses on their hands who are working for this country. That is our party and these deplorables are here to stay.”
So said Texas Senator Ted Cruz on Friday to loud cheers from attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference. We discussed this switcheroo just before the 2020 election, and it’s great to see we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed that the formerly blue-collar Democrats are now the elites, the academics, the paternalists, the critical race theorists, the Chardonnay-sippers, the theater-goers, the media darlings, the foundation favorites, and the party preferred by Wall Street.
The Democrats have, quite simply, thrown in with the affluent and the special interests, and they’ve left the regular folks behind. And the GOP seems to have taken notice.
On Saturday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem praised Donald Trump’s economic record, then drew a stark contrast between conservative governance and statism. “Most governors shut down their states,” she said. “What followed was record unemployment, businesses closed, most schools were shuttered, and communities suffered. And the U.S. economy came to an immediate halt. Now let me be clear: COVID didn’t crush the economy; government crushed the economy.”
She then noted that government, having created the problem, rode to the rescue by printing more money. Then she drew a sustained roar from the audience when she said, “For those of you who don’t know, South Dakota is the only state in America that never ordered a single business or church to close. We never instituted a shelter-in-place order. We never mandated that people wear masks. We never even defined what an ‘essential business’ is, because I don’t believe that governors have the authority to tell you that your business isn’t essential.” BOOM, as we say here in our humble shop.
“Truthfully,” she said, “I never thought that the decisions I was making were going to be unique. … We have to show people how arbitrary these restrictions are, and the coercion, the force, and the anti-Liberty steps that governments take to enforce them. … Now, many in the media, they criticized South Dakota’s approach. They labeled me as ill-informed, that I was reckless, and even a denier. … At one point, I appeared on George Stephanopoulos’s show. … He had just wrapped up a segment with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, where he asked Cuomo to give me some advice on how to deal with COVID.”
From there, the jokes write themselves. Governor Noem, though, couldn’t be a more serious presidential candidate, and her limited-government approach and the inarguable results she’s delivered for South Dakota speak for themselves.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it seems, will also have plenty to say about the Republican Party’s future. His state is “leading on the issues that matter to conservatives,” he said. “We don’t spout hollow rhetoric. We take decisive action. We cannot, we will not, go back to the days of the failed Republican establishment of yesteryear. We reject open borders and instead support American sovereignty and the American worker. Building a movement on amnesty and cheap foreign labor is like building a house on a field of quicksand.”
Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also at CPAC, and he spoke forcefully about Trump’s “America First” agenda. He also noted the slings and arrows he’d taken as our previous president’s best cabinet pick, and demonstrated why no Republican in attendance has stronger foreign policy chops than Pompeo.
“America First is right for America,” he said. “It’s right for each of us. America First secures our freedom and the entire world benefits when America is fearless and bold and strong.” He called the Paris climate accord “a fantasy” for virtue-signaling elites. “And when President Biden reentered this deal, I can tell you that Xi Jinping was smiling every single minute. And the American workers lost.”
Pompeo then rattled off a succession of foreign policy achievements that succeeded despite the elite naysayers in the It’ll never work crowd. And in doing so, he positioned himself as yet another Republican poised to help determine the party’s “America First” future, with or without Donald Trump.
To sum it up, the GOP has some heavy hitters not named Trump, and the CPAC audience heard quite a show.
Thomas Gallatin
It’s the question everyone in Washington and across both sides of the political aisle is asking — some more quietly than others: “How long will Joe Biden last as president?” As we noted recently, the most recent example is the letter from three dozen House Democrats calling for Biden to give up sole authority over the nation’s nuclear arsenal. But wait … there’s more.
Further evidence that questions are swirling over Biden’s longevity, especially given his recent disastrous town hall, comes courtesy of a Politico article noting that Harris’s role has quickly expanded into taking the lead in communicating with foreign leaders and dignitaries. While the reason is supposedly that Biden simply wants to help Harris gain experience, Democrat-friendly Politico pointedly observes, “Another, more strategic reason for the encouragement: as the heir apparent to the Democratic Party — especially if Biden, who is 78 years old, doesn’t run for re-election — Harris needs to bulk up her foreign policy expertise, and fast.” Four years for Ole Joe is a generous assumption. In reality, it may be far less than that.
The Spectator’s Kate Andrews observes, “Harris is more than a spare spokesperson for the administration. She’s active in policy formation and delivery. The party’s keyholders only whisper it, but no one is banking on a second Joe Biden term — not even Biden himself. It’s hardly a secret that Harris has presidential ambitions. The question is, what is her vision for the country — and will Americans endorse it?”
And here’s another question: What can Americans expect from a (likely sooner rather than later) Harris presidency?
One thing that will change is the energy level from the Leftmedia. The press corp is often embarrassed by Bumbling Biden’s clearly diminishing acuity, but it would suddenly and vociferously praise and celebrate Harris as a messianic figure. With Biden no longer giving it heartburn, the Leftmedia would be free to celebrate the first female president, highlighting her ethnic minority status, while labeling any criticism of her policy decisions as personal attacks due to her sex and race.
More importantly, remember that Harris was the most leftist of all Senators by voting record. Biden has been carpet-bombing America with executive orders and actions, demonstrating that he is anything but a moderate Democrat. Policy-wise, however, Harris would be even worse (though one can’t help but wonder if she’s already running the Oval Office). She would instantly become the “woke” face of the radically leftist Democrat Party.
What remains to be seen is how easily Harris will be able to distance herself from her record as California’s top prosecutor. It’s a record rife with heavy-handed abuse, disproportionally affecting black Americans. We’d guess it’ll be fairly easy with a sycophantic Leftmedia to sweep all that down the memory hole.
Willie Richardson
When you think of a picket fence, you might imagine pristine curb appeal situated in a neighborhood that displays a sense of community. A fence protects what is inside, including a happy family, pets, and personal belongings. In Old Europe, pickets — from piquet, French for “pointed stick or board” — were logs sharpened to shield archers from cavalry. To defend their land, colonists installed fences of pickets bare or painted white.
Today, there is a black picket fence used to “defend” a culture of failure. In this neighborhood, the black middle class makes the rules. The black picket fence is used to defend thuggery, theft, and thickheads. The inner city is the most apprehensive place in America to be after dark. It’s not because people of color live there but because of the behavior of the people of color who live there. Did you catch that? BEHAVIOR.
The black middle class is composed of those who have gone to college and manage to make from $25,000-$100,000 a year and who live in the suburbs or outside the metropolitan areas with black picket fences. These black picket fences aren’t to protect something inside the home but the slum of the inner cities. For tribal reasons, the black middle class lives with guilt. Those in the black middle class once lived in inner-city slums, but they got a grasp of the English language, managed to maintain good grades, graduated from college, and got out of “the hood.” They believe they have somehow left their “kindred brothers and sisters” alone to suffer.
The black middle class loves the American Dream, but there’s just one problem: It can’t act like it. The middle class can live in gated communities and still defend the bad boy behaviors that wreck every major city in America. These middle class folks had nothing to do with the struggle of the masses, but they feel responsible. Although they fear driving through these inner-city shooting ranges after dark, they won’t say one word about it. Black pastors, principals, politicians, and police officers stand behind this black picket fence arm to arm.
The black pastors will be a character witness to a thug, since one of his “paying customers” asked him to. Although the juvenile hasn’t stepped foot in the doors of the church since he was in middle school, the black pastor will defend him. “Your honor, I taught this boy in Sunday School and baptized him at the tender age of 11. I stand behind him 100%” The boy could have cut up four bodies and thrown them into the nearest river, but the pastor will co-sign him with a straight face.
The black principals will tell fellow employees to keep a hush on what’s really going on behind the scenes. “Keep the press out of our mess. It’s our mess and nobody needs to know what’s going on!” The black politicians know the high crime rates of their constituents and still speak against law enforcement if the officer is the “wrong color.” Black police officers catch it if they say anything that shines light on an obvious dark situation. The “black picket fence” isn’t used to defend anything good or well meaning. It is designed to hide the obvious. The black middle class has a fear of the black lower class, so it plays its part to protect those in it. It’s like the middle class believes the rest of America can’t see what’s going on, so it stands there as the great pretender it has become.
Many of the inner-city programs that Americans openly fund are doing nothing but making the black picket fences bigger, but the communities aren’t getting any better. Many resources are basically being thrown into a black hole of no return on investment.
The black picket fence hides “everything.” See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil … although evil is all around. I have to say something.
Patrick Hampton
People assume that because I’m a conservative, I think black history is irrelevant. Quite the contrary. I actually admire looking back at a time when black people thrived despite key injustices being hurled upon them. Before the 1960s, black Americans were credited with a number of successes in the arenas of philosophy, the arts and entertainment, and practical inventions. In addition, more black families were intact half a century ago than are intact today. So my wish is that the month of February serves as an ode to what actually worked for us.
Instead, Black History Month has turned into a ceremonial roast of white Americans. Large corporations and company brands pile on their guilt as they use this month to justify their own racism toward others. The television is plagued by “woke” narratives, as commercial after commercial and show after show seethe with anger toward anyone who is not a “person of color.”
Perhaps there’s a widespread misunderstanding of the meaning of the month-long observance. What was once about prestige is now about exacting punishment on people with different skin — a concept that would be widely rejected among blacks from a bygone era.
No longer is there discussion about moving the black community forward. Instead, black progressives are becoming the very thing they hate. Black power symbolism and black supremacy are surfacing, as socialites call themselves “kings” and “queens.” Churches are steeped in the ideology of race instead of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, corporations are taking the bait, thinking that these notions are acceptable in the name of atonement for white guilt. And like Coca-Cola, these companies are receiving the backlash that is rightfully due. They forget that casting sweeping generalizations over their consumers can be rather costly. It’s not that cancel culture should be promoted, but we can’t be surprised when people no longer shop where they are not wanted. But I digress…
What’s saddening about Black History Month is how white leftists have made the month about their own neurotic desires. Instead of actually spending time in the black community, they pass laws they think will help the same black people they’ve yet to meet. Instead of actually hearing black voices, they speak on behalf of whole communities, suggesting the “solutions” they feel are right for them — resulting in more “family planning” clinics and non-governmental organizations that do nothing but worsen the state of underserved black families. Where’s the “black power” in that?
Rather, Americans should be seeing how far this country has come in racial reconciliation. We should be promoting policies that encourage healthy families, school choice, and free enterprise and capitalism among black Americans — the same as for Americans of all backgrounds. Ultimately, the month should be a testament to true progress in race relations found nowhere else in the world. Removing Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben from packaging can’t do that.
Jordan Candler
“About 4 million doses of the new vaccine should be made available [this] week, 20 million total during March, and another 80 million by the end of June. Because the vaccine requires only one dose, it will help protect 100 million people and take effect more rapidly than the two-dose vaccines.”
“U.S. District Judge James Donato approved the deal in a class-action lawsuit that was filed in Illlinois in 2015. Nearly 1.6 million Facebook users in Illinois who submitted claims will be affected. Donato called it one of the largest settlements ever for a privacy violation. ‘It will put at least $345 into the hands of every class member interested in being compensated,’ he wrote, calling it ‘a major win for consumers in the hotly contested area of digital privacy.’”
“Democrats passed a $1.5 trillion package in the House last year, but it went nowhere with the Trump administration and the Republican-led Senate. A Senate panel approved narrower bipartisan legislation in 2019 focused on reauthorizing federal transportation programs. It, too, flamed out as the U.S. turned its focus to elections and COVID-19. … During the presidential campaign, Biden pledged to deploy $2 trillion on infrastructure and clean energy, but the White House has not ruled out an even higher price tag.”
“The legal challenge was brought by landlords who argued the mandate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Congress is unconstitutional. … The issue could ultimately end up in the Supreme Court.”
“The top 10 Democrats have a current reach of just over 200 million followers across Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. GOP leaders, in comparison, have an audience of just under 42 million.”
“Officials initially said Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher, but later said there was no evidence to suggest that he died from blunt force trauma. Federal investigators then launched a probe to look into whether bear spray … could instead have played a role in Sicknick’s death.”
“San Francisco has seen a sharp rise in violent crime over the past year, with homicides alone rising 35%. Homelessness and drug use has also risen to historic levels.”
“Appeals to the decision are pending, but should they reach the Supreme Court, it appears the majority favors allowing churches to reopen.”
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.
The Patriot Post is a certified ad-free news service, unlike third-party commercial news sites linked on this page, which may also require a paid subscription.
Hate Crime Hoax Ruins Lives — Even with a growing number of hate crimes exposed as hoaxes, the Leftmedia continues to push the false narrative of racism everywhere.
Trump Was Right All Along — Donald Trump was right and Joe Biden was wrong … again.
Obama Ignored Reparations, Says It’s the White Man’s Fault — He blames “white resentment” for his reluctance to speak about reparations during his eight years in office.
Scared Stupid — How classical ideas frightened us into banning the word “breastfeeding.”
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.
Insight: “I had regarded the Communist Party as a poor man’s party, and thought the presence of certain men of wealth within it accidental. I now saw this was no accident. I regarded the Party as a monolithic organization with the leadership in the National Committee and the National Board. Now I saw this was only a facade placed there by the movement to create the illusion of the poor man’s party; it was in reality a device to control the ‘common man’ they so raucously championed.” —Dr. Bella Dodd (1904-1969)
For the record: “Evangelical bench-warmers who now are quibbling about the potentially devastating effects of the ‘Equality Act’ on their ministries make me laugh. They’re some of same individuals who openly lauded voting for the very people who are going pass that horrid legislation into law.” —Darrell B. Harrison
Political futures, part I: “The social justice warriors of the left are angry. Their corporate and academic allies have fed the rage. The woke have cultural, institutional clout that conservatives do not have. To match anger with anger is not the smart play for conservatives. Instead, match anger with a smile and an outstretched hand. Right-wing activists who misinterpreted both Trump’s win and his loss might be surprised to learn being nice and loving your neighbor is not only Christlike but also gets more votes than Woke-O Haram’s censoriousness and riots.” —Erick Erickson
Political futures, part II: “The Democrats had one benefit that prevented a pure takeover by the socialist wing: Trump. Your average Democratic voter’s top three priorities were to get rid of Trump. Deep down, though many Democrats wanted radical change, they knew nominating a radically left candidate would endanger the goal of getting rid of Trump. Joe Biden was the great beneficiary. Anyone who reads this last election as a statement of strength for this corporatist wing of the Democratic party would be missing the point, though. Take Trump out of the equation and it’s very likely a radical, anti-corporate leftist winning the Democratic primary.” —Neil Patel
Political futures, part III: “On both sides of the aisle, the insurgents have the voters and the energy because regular Americans are not happy about our state of affairs. Incumbent politicians need to think hard about this. In what ways is our system not working for regular people? That’s a hard question to answer, and it’s telling how little it’s discussed. It’s much easier to say they’ve all just gone crazy. The pictures from the Capitol on Jan. 6 support that theory, but those were a tiny percentage of the people in question. These are the same people who voted for Barack Obama and George W. Bush. They are not deplorables or irredeemables. They are Americans who do not see the current structure of their economy working for them.” —Neil Patel
Friendly fire: “Look, these allegations [against Andrew Cuomo] are really disturbing, let’s be clear about that. When a woman comes forward with this kind of very specific allegations, we have to take it seriously. This kind of behavior, if true, is unacceptable.” —Mayor Bill de Blasio
Circling back, part I: “What is the legal authority for strikes? Assad is a brutal dictator. But Syria is a sovereign country.” —Press Secretary Jen Psaki, April 6, 2017
Circling back, part II: “I strongly support our men and women in uniform and believe we must hold Assad accountable for his unconscionable use of chemical weapons. But I am deeply concerned about the legal rationale of last night’s strikes.” —Kamala Harris, April 14, 2018
The BIG Lie: “We’re moving in the right direction now, despite the mess we inherited from the previous administration, which left us with no real plan to vaccinate all Americans.” —Joe Biden
Alpha jackass: “Every single person speaking at CPAC has chosen the wrong side of history. Remember their names.” —The Lincoln Project (“You aided and abetted the molestation of children.” —Steven Crowder)
Non compos mentis: “Trans people exist.” —OREO Cookie on Twitter
And last… “The only true definition of equality is Imago Dei.” —Jenna Ellis
For more of today’s memes, visit the Memesters Union.
For more of today’s cartoons, visit the Cartoons archive.
“The Patriot Post” (https://patriotpost.us)
In a recent commentary, Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church predicted that one positive result to come from the “string of calamities” that occurred in 2020, is the coming demise of frivolous religion in America.
Source: Pastor John MacArthur says 2020 is hastening the demise of “frivolous religion”
#LionelNation #Truth #DeathOfFreeSpeech Freedom of speech, thought, expression and belief. Unfettered, unencumbered and unplugged.
On Newswatch AM March 1: Trump lays out his priorities for the Republican Party in his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces growing political pressure after a second former aide accuses him of sexual harrassment. —
How many people have died in part to taking the COVID vaccine, it’s a topic the media won’t talk about, and social media has banned. Celia Farber has written about all of this, she’ll join us.
