There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15:7
God had done great things for King Asa and Judah, but yet they were a feeble folk. Their feet were very tottering in the ways of the Lord, and their hearts very hesitating, so that they had to be warned that the Lord would be with them while they were with Him, but that if they forsook Him He would leave them. They were also reminded of the sister kingdom, how ill it fared in its rebellion and how the Lord was gracious to it when repentance was shown. The Lord’s design was to confirm them in His way and make them strong in righteousness. So ought it to be with us. God deserves to be served with all the energy of which we are capable.
If the service of God is worth anything, it is worth everything. We shall find our best reward in the Lord’s work if we do it with determined diligence. Our labor is not in vain in the Lord, and we know it. Halfhearted work will bring no reward; but when we throw our whole soul into the cause, we shall see prosperity. This text was sent to the author of these notes in a day of terrible storm, and it suggested to him to put on all steam, with the assurance of reaching port in safety with a glorious freight.
A reader recently wrote us to ask, “In your book you state that when a Christian dies part goes to the grave and part goes to the feet of Jesus Christ. Where can I find that in the Bible?”
Jesus told the dying thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The apostle Paul said that to die was to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23), and to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). After their deaths, martyrs are pictured in Heaven, crying out to God to bring justice on Earth (Revelation 6:9-11).
I mentioned the analogy of someone stepping outside a room, and how they’ve simply changed locations, not ceased to exist. In my book Heaven, I share a story about five-year-old Emily Kimball, which over the years, readers have told me has helped them and their loved ones:
When Emily was hospitalized and heard she was going to die, she started to cry. Even though she loved Jesus and wanted to be with him, she didn’t want to leave her family behind. Then her mother had an inspired idea. She asked Emily to step through a doorway into another room, and she closed the door behind her. One at a time, the entire family started coming through the door to join her. Her mother explained that this was how it would be. Emily would go ahead to Heaven and then the rest of the family would follow. Emily understood. She would be the first to go through death’s door. Eventually, the rest of the family would follow, probably one by one, joining her on the other side.
The analogy would have been even more complete if the room that Emily entered had had someone representing Jesus to greet her—along with departed loved ones and Bible characters and angels. Also, it would’ve helped if the room she walked into was breathtakingly beautiful, and contained pictures of a New Earth, vast and unexplored, where Emily and her family and friends would one day go to live with Jesus forever.
Every person reading this article is dying. Perhaps you have reason to believe that death will come very soon. You may be troubled, feeling uncertain, or unready to leave. Make sure of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Be certain that you’re trusting Him alone to save you—not anyone or anything else, and certainly not any good works you’ve done. And then allow yourself to get excited about what’s on the other side of death’s door.
I’ve often read at memorial services this depiction of a believer’s death:
I’m standing on the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She’s an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and the sky come down to mingle with each other. And then I hear someone at my side saying, “There, she’s gone.”
Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There, she’s gone,” there are other eyes watching her coming, and there are other voices ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”
And that is dying.
The place of our arrival will be a beautiful, though temporary, place where we’ll await the culmination of history: the return of the risen Jesus, who will resurrect us. When His millennial reign is accomplished (whether that’s a nonliteral present reign or a literal thousand-year future reign), we’ll join Him in ruling the New Earth, free of sin and the Curse.
Five months before he died, C. S. Lewis wrote to a woman who feared that her own death was imminent. Lewis said, “Can you not see death as a friend and deliverer? . . . What is there to be afraid of? . . .Your sins are confessed. . . . Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. . . . Our Lord says to you, ‘Peace, child, peace. Relax. Let go. I will catch you. Do you trust me so little?’ . . . Of course, this may not be the end. Then make it a good rehearsal.”
Lewis signed the letter, “Yours (and like you, a tired traveler, near the journey’s end).”
We see life differently when we realize that death isn’t a wall but a turnstile; a small obstacle that marks a great beginning.
So evil had Israel become under Eli’s feeble rule, that God had almost wholly withdrawn His influence from the land. The divine voice was no more heard; prophecies had ceased. Then one night there came to the boy Samuel a voice calling him from his bed. The lad thought the summons came from his aged master, Eli, and hastened to him. Bul Eli sent him back. Thrice the call roused Samuel, until Eli realized what the child did not, that this was God’s voice come back to Israel. He bade Samuel listen again; and when the fourth summons came, the lad answered, tremulous amid the awestruck silence, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.”
Then the voice foretold a coming punishment upon Israel land particularly upon Eli and all his family, because he had so neglected his high duties. Next morning Samuel disclosed the revelation to Eli, and the aged high-priest bowed himself in sorrow and submission. The rest of the people of Israel gave little heed to the vague menace against themselves. Instead all the tribes rejoiced exceedingly that there was again a prophet among them, who might rescue them from the philistines.
I don’t eat a lot of sushi, but when I do, one of the ingredients is usually imitation crab. To me, “traveling mercies” is imitation crab in Christian lingo. The phrase communicates something, but it’s a cheap substitute for biblical truth.
A basic tenet of marketing is that the more exclusive a service is, the more valuable it is. No one understands this better than American Express. They offer the most exclusive credit card on the market: the Centurion, also known as the Amex Black Card.
Anyone with a good credit score and a moderate income can apply for the Amex Green, Gold, or Platinum cards. But nobody can apply for the Black card. It’s by invitation only. The criteria for invitation … unknown. Rumor has it you have to consistently spend over a half-million dollars a year on another Amex card to be invited. But that is only speculation.
What is known, is that if you are lucky enough to get a Black Card, you have to pay $10,000 to initiate the card. And you have to pay $5,000 a year to keep it. Why would someone pay that much to have a piece of plastic? First, it’s not plastic, it’s made of stainless steel. But what you are paying for is the exclusivity. The status. The cachet.
Membership secures you exclusive access to certain airport lounges, elite status at certain hotels, and ten times the points on any purchase, which you can convert to airline miles that never expire.
One Black Card member, Liu Yiquian, learned this inadvertently when he charged to his Black Card a $36 million teacup at a Sotheby’s auction. He was pleasantly surprised that the purchase earned a bonus of 422 million Amex points, the equivalent of 22 million frequent flier miles. This gave him an idea.
Yiquian used the Black Card to buy a painting for $170 million, which earned him so many miles that he and his wife can fly, for free, anywhere for the rest of their lives. He can sell the painting for what he paid for it and keep the miles that never expire.
I have good news for you today: an offer of more value than anything else in the world. It is very exclusive, by invitation only. The perks are out of this world, and they don’t expire.
The best part is, membership is absolutely free!
Jesus is talking to his disciples the night before he goes to the cross. He has told them that he will be betrayed and that he is going back to the Father. We saw last time that Jesus offers them comfort that they will be with him again, and this sparks a question from Thomas and a request from Philip…
3 EXCLUSIVE PRIVILEGES ONLY AVAILABLE TO BELIEVERS
1. EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE FATHER
John 14: 4-6 And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This verse contains the tenet of Christianity that is most off-putting to non-Christians. No matter who you talk to, you will find that the well-known teachings of Christ are not offensive. People don’t mind that we believe Jesus is the Son of God. They don’t care that we are convinced that he healed people. They love that he taught us to turn the other cheek, to be generous, to be loving, to be forgiving, to be submissive to government, and to be joyful.
But the one thing people hate to hear from Christians is that we believe our way is the only right way. They hate to hear that we believe our faith is the only right one. They call it intolerance.
And yet if you do not believe that Christianity is the only way to be saved, then you are not a Christian.
The exclusivity of Christ is an indispensable tenet of the Christian faith. And there is just no way around it…because of this verse…
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• I am the way. What Jesus is claiming is that for access to the Father, you must come through the person and work of Christ. And only Christ.
• …and the truth. Jesus is claiming that his words are the only access to God’s truth, not one of many truths.
• …and the life. A relationship with Jesus, faith in his atoning work, and belief that he is the Son of God, is the only access to eternal life.
This is the great privilege of believers in Christ: we have exclusive access to the Father. That is an offer that sells itself. But that’s not all…
Faith in Christ secures you…
2. ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE FATHER
John 14: 7-9 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
An obstacle to acquaintance with God is that we are spirit and flesh, but he is Spirit only, and so he is invisible. But we can know the Father because we have the revelation of Christ in Scripture…
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
What Jesus explains to Philip and us is that the only way to know God fully is to know Christ … If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” …Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Hebrews 1:1-3 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.
Christ is the exact imprint of his nature, because, being the Son of God, he has the Father’s nature. John has been teaching us that Jesus is the Son of God. The phrase “son of” means sharing the same nature as. e.g. sons of thunder, or son of encouragement.
Since Jesus is the Son of God, that means he is the same nature as the Father. In the incarnation, Jesus took on a second nature and added that human nature to his divine nature for eternity. Now we can know God as a human, because God the Son took on the nature of humanity.
Which is why Jesus could say to Philip, …Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
So, to know Jesus is to know the Father.
Conversely, if you don’t know Jesus you do not and cannot know the Father. It is faith in Christ that gives you exclusive acquaintance with the Father.
To put it bluntly: Jews are not worshipping the right God. Since Yahweh revealed himself in Christ, to reject Christ is to reject Yahweh.
Muslims are not worshipping God. Allah is not just another name for the Creator. They are worshipping a concoction of Muhammed’s imagination.
If you want to know if you have the right God, read the gospel descriptions of Jesus and the New Testament explanation of who he is.
CONCLUSION:
This is an exclusive offer. It is only for those who believe in Jesus. But the best part is that it is freely available to anyone at any time.
If you are reading this now and want to have access to the Father and have acquaintance with the Father, you can. It’s free. There is an initiation fee, but it was paid once for all by Jesus himself, when he bled and died for the sin of the world.
You may have racked up a debt of sin that would outweigh anyone else. You may have lied, gossiped, murdered, had an abortion, committed theft, treason, pedophilia, or any of the most wretched sins. But the grace of God in Christ Jesus is more. He paid it all.
Trust in him and he will save you from your debt.
Then you get the perks of access and acquaintance with the Father, perks that are out of this world and will never expire.
But there is another exclusive privilege of believers I didn’t tell you about…
There are exclusive abilities of God, through Christ.
Twisted Scripture John 3:3 Many who embrace reincarnation point to this verse and verse 7 (“You must be born again”) to support their belief. But Jesus was speaking of a spiritual birth (v. 5), not a second physical birth (vv. 4–6).[1]
3:3 Since Jesus knew what was in the man, He answered Nicodemus’ question before it was asked. “Most assuredly” (amen, amen, Gk., the doubling of the affirmation being unique to John’s Gospel) is Christ’s way of introducing a statement of utmost importance (cf. Matt. 5:26, note). “Born again” can also be rendered “born from above” (cf. v. 31), which emphasizes the origin of salvation (Gal. 4:19). See also Luke 1:3 and Acts 26:5, in which the Greek word anōgthen (translated “again” or “from above” in this verse) is rendered “beginning.” “Cannot” does not imply a prohibition but moral and external incapability. Jesus’ emphasis is on heavenly things (v. 12).[2]
3:3 born again. See text note. The translation “born from above” accords well with the discussion of “earthly” and “heavenly” things in v. 12, and the discussion of ascending and descending in v. 13. This is the meaning of the Greek adverb in other places in this Gospel (19:11, 23). Nicodemus apparently understood it to mean “a second time.” It is possible that both meanings are intended—a new birth that is a birth from above. See theological note “Regeneration: The New Birth” on the next page.[3]
3:3Truly, truly See note on 1:51.
born from above Nicodemus’ misunderstanding (v. 4) stems from the ambiguity of this phrase. The Greek adverb used here, anōthen, can mean “from above” (i.e., heaven), “from the beginning,” “for a long time,” or “again.” That is, the term can indicate either timing or location.
kingdom of God A prominent theme of the Synoptic Gospels (e.g., Matt 3:2; see note on Mark 1:15). For Nicodemus, the phrase would have evoked the prophetic images of a future universal reign of Yahweh or the Messiah (Obad 21; Dan 7:12–14; Ezek 34:23–24), which were symbolic of Yahweh’s future plan to redeem Israel. John uses the phrase only in this passage (John 3:3, 5; see note on Acts 1:3). For Jesus, the idea of coming to God through His saving work is about transitioning from the earthly kingdom (as articulated in the temple scene in John 2:13–21) to God’s kingdom as articulated in a transformed life lived out of love for God and other people.[4]
3:3 born again. The phrase lit. means “born from above.” Jesus answered a question that Nicodemus does not even ask. He read Nicodemus’ heart and came to the very core of his problem, i.e., the need for spiritual transformation or regeneration produced by the Holy Spirit. New birth is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the believer (2Co 5:17; Tit 3:5; 1Pe 1:3; 1Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). Chapter 1:12, 13 indicates that “born again” also carries the idea “to become children of God” through trust in the name of the incarnate Word. cannot see the kingdom of God. In context, this is primarily a reference to participation in the millennial kingdom at the end of the age, fervently anticipated by the Pharisees and other Jews. Since the Pharisees were supernaturalists, they naturally and eagerly expected the coming of the prophesied resurrection of the saints and institution of the messianic kingdom (Is 11:1–16; Da 12:2). Their problem was that they thought that mere physical lineage and keeping of religious externals qualified them for entrance into the kingdom rather than the needed spiritual transformation which Jesus emphasized (cf. 8:33–39; Gal 6:15). The coming of the kingdom at the end of the age can be described as the “regeneration” of the world (Mt 19:28) but regeneration of the individual is required before the end of the world in order to enter the kingdom.[5]
3:3born again: The Greek word translated “again” can mean either “from above” or “anew.” The new birth, or regeneration (Titus 3:5), is the act by which God imparts spiritual life to one who trusts Christ. Without this spiritual birth, a person cannot perceive spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:10, 13–16), nor can he or she enter the kingdom of God (v. 5).[6]
3:3. In His omniscience, Jesus knows the question on Nicodemus’s mind and He answers it: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The word cannot (ou dunatai, literally “is not able”) is a verbal link between Nicodemus’s comment and Jesus’ answer (no one can versus he cannot, vv 2, 3). Dunatai occurs six times in vv 2–9 and is a clue to the theme of the whole passage. John, by his careful repetition of this word and the negatives and interrogative particle used with it, is focusing on man’s inability to bring about his own salvation/new birth.
Since the Greek word translated again (anōthen) means either again or from above (cf. 3:31; 19:11, 23), and the context supports both meanings, Jesus probably means that this birth is both a second birth and is a birth from above (i.e., from God; cf. 1:13).
Seeing the kingdom refers to entering and participating in it (cf. 3:5, 36; 8:51). Jesus has not yet told Nicodemus what he must do so that God would regenerate him (cf. vv 14–18). Jesus first shows him his need for the new birth.
While the expression the kingdom of God is common in the Synoptic Gospels, it occurs only in John’s Gospel here and in v 5 (cf. 18:36). This can be explained by the emphasis in John on eternal life as the present possession of all who believe in Jesus. In these verses John reveals the future aspect of regeneration, the kingdom of God which Jesus will inaugurate when He returns.[7]
3:3 At first sight, the answer of the Lord Jesus does not seem to be connected with what Nicodemus had just said. Our Lord is saying, “Nicodemus, you have come to Me for teaching, but what you really need is to be born again. That is where you must begin. You must be born from above. Otherwise, you can never see the kingdom of God.”
The Lord introduced these wonderful words with the expression: “Most assuredly” (literally Amen, amen). These words alert us to the fact that important truth is being given.
As a Jew, Nicodemus had been looking for a Messiah to come and free Israel from the bondage of Rome. The Roman Empire was then in control of the world, and the Jews were subject to its laws and government. Nicodemus longed for the time when the Messiah would set up His kingdom on earth, when the Jewish people would be chief among the nations, and when all their enemies would be destroyed. Now the Lord informed Nicodemus that in order to enter this kingdom, a man must be born again. Just as the first birth is necessary for physical life, so a second birth is necessary for divine life. (The expression born again may also mean “born from above.”) In other words, Christ’s kingdom can only be entered by those whose lives have been changed. Since His reign will be a righteous one, His subjects must be righteous also. He could not reign over people who were going on in their sins.[8]
3:3. But Jesus was not on the same level with Nicodemus. He is “from above” (anōthen; v. 31); therefore Nicodemus must be born “from above” (v. 3, niv marg.; anōthen). To be born again or born “from above” (anōthen has both meanings; e.g., “from above” in 19:11 and “again” in Gal. 4:9) is to have a spiritual transformation which takes a person out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God (cf. Col. 1:13). The kingdom is the sphere or realm of God’s authority and blessing which is now invisible but will be manifested on earth (Matt. 6:10).[9]
3:3. If we view these first fifteen verses of chapter 3 as a series of questions and answers, the first question might look like this: “Are you here to bring in the kingdom?” And Jesus’ first answer is, “You will never see the kingdom without being born again.”
Nicodemus demonstrates that religious training without spiritual insight is useless. Jesus wasted no time getting to the heart of the problem. He told the teacher he must be born again or from above (anothen), a word which appears again in verses 7 and 31. This popular expression can be applied to almost anything in our day. A football team gets a new coach, and sportscasters tell us it is born again. A company languishing in bankruptcy issues new stock and shows profit under a new CEO, and we read that it is born again. Buildings get a renovation, changing their appearance and function, and people say they have been born again.
The actual words describe a garment torn from top to bottom. Unless God changes our hearts his way, from the inside out, any discussion of the kingdom is useless. All devout Jews connected the Messiah with the kingdom; Jesus drove to the heart of the matter immediately.
Nicodemus had not mentioned the kingdom, but the Lord knew his true interest. As we noted in connection with chapter 1, the word translated again really means “from above.” In other words, to belong to the heavenly kingdom, one must be born into it just as one is born into the earthly kingdom. Morris offers a helpful paragraph on the concept of the kingdom.
“The kingdom of God” is the most common topic of Jesus’ teaching in the Synoptic Gospels. As such it has attracted a great deal of attention, and the literature on the subject is enormous. Most modern students hold that the term “kingdom” is to be understood in the dynamic sense. It is “reign” rather than “realm.” It is God’s rule in action. We are probably not meant to put much difference between seeing and entering (v. 5) the kingdom. But it will be appropriate that Jesus speaks here of seeing it. So far from entering into the kingdom and enjoying all its privileges, the man who is not reborn will not even see it. This passage incidentally is the only one in this Gospel which mentions the kingdom of God … But John frequently speaks of eternal life, and for him the possession of eternal life appears to mean very much the same thing as the Synoptic Gospels mean by entering the kingdom of God (Morris, pp. 213–14).[10]
3. Jesus answered and said to him, I most solemnly assure you (see on 1:51), unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus has not asked any question. Nevertheless, Jesus answers him, for he read the question which was buried deeply in the heart of this Pharisee. On the basis of Christ’s answer we may safely assume that the question of Nicodemus was very similiar to the one found in Matt. 19:16. Like “the rich young ruler,” so also this Pharisee, who came to Jesus one night and who by some is considered to have been a “rich old ruler,” wanted to know what good thing he had to do in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (or: in order to have everlasting life, which is simply another way of saying the same thing). However, Nicodemus was never even given the chance to translate into actual words the question of his inner soul.
The answer which Jesus gives is another mashal (see on 2:19). It must have sounded like a riddle to the ears of Nicodemus. This remains true whether the conversation was conducted in Greek or in Aramaic. The Greek text as it lies before us immediately raises a problem. When Jesus said, “Unless one is born ἄνωθεν,” what is the meaning of that last word? It can mean “from above” (from the top). In fact, everywhere else in John’s Gospel it has that meaning (3:31; 19:11; 19:23). It seems probable, therefore, that also here (in 3:3, 7) it has that significance. Moreover, also in Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38, and James 1:17; 3:15, 17, it has that sense. Jesus, then, we may believe, was referring to the birth “from above,” i.e., from heaven. However, the word can also have a different connotation; namely, “anew,” or “again” (Gal. 4:9). And, in the third place, it may mean “from the first,” “from the beginning” (Luke 1:3; Acts 26:5). Nevertheless, the third meaning may be dismissed, because it would not be suitable to the present context. Nicodemus, then is faced with the choice between the first and the second connotation.
However, all that has been said so far is true only on the basis of the Greek. If it be assumed that the conversation was conducted in Aramaic, which seems probable, the riddle, in slightly modified form, remains. It may be argued that there was no Aramaic word identical in ambiguity to the Greek ἄνωθεν. But even if that should be granted, Nicodemus would still be faced with this great difficulty: how can a man experience another birth in any sense whatever? Of course, we know what Jesus meant; namely, that in order to see the kingdom of God it is necessary that a person be born from above; i.e., that the Spirit must implant in his heart the life that has its origin not on earth but in heaven. Let not Nicodemus imagine that earthly or nationalistic distinctions qualify one for entrance into this realm. Let not this Pharisee think either that improvement in outward behavior—a conduct more precisely in keeping with the law—is all that is necessary. There must be a radical change. And unless one is born from above he cannot even see the kingdom of God; i.e., he cannot experience and partake of it; he cannot possess and enjoy it (cf. Luke 2:26; 9:27; John 8:51; Acts 2:27; Rev. 18:7).
When Jesus speaks about entering the kingdom of God, it is clear that the expression is equivalent to having everlasting life or being saved (cf. 3:16, 17). The kingdom of God is the realm in which his rule is recognized and obeyed and in which his grace prevails. Before one can see that kingdom, before one can have everlasting life in any sense, one must be born from above. It is very clear, therefore, that there is an act of God which precedes any act of man. In its initial stage the process of changing a person into a child of God precedes conversion and faith. (See also on 1:12.)[11]
3. While Nicodemus associated himself with others in his approach, Jesus’ initial response was to Nicodemus alone. Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you [sing.], no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ The emphatic way in which Jesus’ response is introduced, Very truly I tell you (amēn amēn legō soi), indicates the importance, both for Nicodemus and for later readers of this Gospel, of what Jesus said: no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. To see the kingdom is synonymous with entering the kingdom (cf. 3:5). Jesus’ Pharisaic contemporaries believed that all Jews would enter the kingdom of God through resurrection on the last day, the only exceptions being those who denied the faith and committed acts of apostasy (m. Sanh. 10:1–4). To be born a Jew was to be an inheritor of the kingdom of God. Nicodemus would have been astounded by Jesus’ statement that he as a Jew would not see the kingdom of God unless he were born again.
The word translated again in 3:3 and also in 3:7 is anōthen, which when used elsewhere in this Gospel means ‘from above’, that is, from heaven/from God (3:31; 19:11, 23). Elsewhere in the New Testament it also usually means ‘from above’ (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Jas 1:17; 3:15, 17). Jesus was saying what the prologue foreshadows: that children of God (and therefore inheritors of the kingdom) are those who have been born of God, that is, from above. However, Nicodemus took Jesus to mean he had to be physically born ‘again’, as the next verse indicates.[12]
3. Verily, verily, I say to thee. The word Verily (ἀμὴν) is twice repeated, and this is done for the purpose of arousing him to more earnest attention. For when he was about to speak of the most important and weighty of all subjects, he found it necessary to awaken the attention of Nicodemus, who might otherwise have passed by this whole discourse in a light or careless manner. Such, then, is the design of the double affirmation.
Though this discourse appears to be far-fetched and almost inappropriate, yet it was with the utmost propriety that Christ opened his discourse in this manner. For as it is useless to sow seed in a field which has not been prepared by the labours of the husbandman, so it is to no purpose to scatter the doctrine of the Gospel, if the mind has not been previously subdued and duly prepared for docility and obedience. Christ saw that the mind of Nicodemus was filled with many thorns, choked by many noxious herbs, so that there was scarcely any room for spiritual doctrine. This exhortation, therefore, resembled a ploughing to purify him, that nothing might prevent him from profiting by the doctrine. Let us, therefore, remember that this was spoken to one individual, in such a manner that the Son of God addresses all of us daily in the same language. For which of us will say that he is so free from sinful affections that he does not need such a purification? If, therefore, we wish to make good and useful progress in the school of Christ, let us learn to begin at this point.
Unless a man be born again. That is, “So long as thou art destitute of that which is of the highest importance in the kingdom of God, I care little about your calling me Master; for the first entrance into the kingdom of God is, to become a new man.” But as this is a remarkable passage, it will be proper to survey every part of it minutely.
To see the kingdom of God is of the same meaning as to enter into the kingdom of God, as we shall immediately perceive from the context. But they are mistaken who suppose that the kingdom of God means Heaven; for it rather means the spiritual life, which is begun by faith in this world, and gradually increases every day according to the continued progress of faith. So the meaning is, that no man can be truly united to the Church, so as to be reckoned among the children of God, until he has been previously renewed. This expression shows briefly what is the beginning of Christianity, and at the same time teaches us, that we are born exiles and utterly alienated from the kingdom of God, and that there is a perpetual state of variance between God and us, until he makes us altogether different by our being born again; for the statement is general, and comprehends the whole human race. If Christ had said to one person, or to a few individuals, that they could not enter into heaven, unless they had been previously born again, we might have supposed that it was only certain characters that were pointed out, but he speaks of all without exception; for the language is unlimited, and is of the same import with such universal terms as these: Whosoever shall not be born again cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
By the phrase born again is expressed not the correction of one part, but the renovation of the whole nature. Hence it follows, that there is nothing in us that is not sinful; for if reformation is necessary in the whole and in each part, corruption must have been spread throughout. On this point we shall soon have occasion to speak more largely. Erasmus, adopting the opinion of Cyril, has improperly translated the adverb ἄνωθεν, from above, and renders the clause thus: unless a man be born from above. The Greek word, I own, is ambiguous; but we know that Christ conversed with Nicodemus in the Hebrew language. There would then have been no room for the ambiguity which occasioned the mistake of Nicodemus, and led him into childish scruples about a second birth of the flesh. He therefore understood Christ to have said nothing else than that a man must be born again, before he is admitted into the kingdom of God.[13]
3 A casual reading could suggest that Jesus simply ignores what Nicodemus has just said, but this is not the case. Rather, the form of Nicodemus’s comment, “no one can do these signs … unless God is with him” (v. 2), anticipates the form of Jesus’ immediate response (v. 3): “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (italics added). Jesus’ words echo, even mimic, Nicodemus’s words of praise, reversing the clauses so that together the two pronouncements form a chiasm. Far from ignoring Nicodemus’s comment, he matches one impossibility with another. Just as it is impossible to do what Jesus has been doing unless “God is with him,” so it is impossible to “see the kingdom of God” unless one is “born from above.” With this a dialogue begins, clearly marked off like the dialogue between Jesus and “the Jews” at the temple in 2:18–20. That is, Jesus “answered and said to him” (v. 3); Nicodemus “says to him” (v. 4); Jesus “answered” (v. 5); Nicodemus “answered and said to him” (v. 9); Jesus “answered and said to him” (v. 10). The last answer concludes the dialogue as Nicodemus fades from the scene.
This second “Amen, amen” pronouncement, like the first (1:51), is Jesus’ reply to an acknowledgment of who he is by someone addressing him as “Rabbi” (Nathanael in 1:49, and now Nicodemus). This time he speaks to Nicodemus alone rather than to a group, as in the case of Nathanael. Yet the necessity of rebirth is not just for Nicodemus but for “someone” or anyone (tis), and the intended audience will become more inclusive as the dialogue proceeds (see vv. 7, 11, and 12), maintaining the impression that Nicodemus is representative of a larger group. The phrase “born from above” (that is, anōthen) recalls for the reader the elaborate characterization of God’s “children” as those born “not of blood lines, nor of fleshly desire, nor a husband’s desire,” but “born of God” (1:13). It is not a matter of physical birth, but of divine rebirth or transformation.27 The reader can recognize, therefore, that “from above” means simply “of God,” or “from God.” God must become Father29 to those who would “see the kingdom of God.”
While Jesus has been hailed as “King of Israel” (1:49), the phrase “the kingdom of God” is mentioned only twice in the entire Gospel of John: here and in Jesus’ attempted clarification in verse 5 (compare “my kingdom,” repeated three times in 18:36). To “see the kingdom of God” could mean either to have a visionary experience like that promised to Nathanael and his companions (1:51), or to experience salvation. Jesus speaks often in the synoptic Gospels of “entering” or “inheriting” the kingdom of God, but only once of “see[ing] the kingdom of God.” Some of “those standing here,” he said, “will not taste of death until they see the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:27). Luke implies that this was fulfilled eight days later when three of the disciples “saw his glory” (9:32). Here in John’s Gospel it is those who were “born of God” who “looked at his glory” when “the Word came in human flesh” (1:13–14), and to whom “he revealed his glory” in Cana of Galilee (2:11). “Seeing glory” (17:24) or “seeing life” (3:36) are also expressions for final salvation, however, and the same is true of “seeing the kingdom of God” (compare v. 5, where Jesus explains “seeing” as “entering”). Nicodemus (unlike the “ruler” who questioned Jesus in Lk 18:18) has not asked about salvation or eternal life, but Jesus responds to him as if he had: salvation is impossible—unless a person is “born from above.”[14]
3 Jesus declines to carry on with courteous exchanges that get nowhere, but plunges immediately into the very heart of the subject. Clearly Nicodemus is seeking instruction in the way to life. Jesus’ first words tell him about it. He underlines the importance of his words by introducing them with the solemn “I tell you the truth” (see on 1:51). Then in one sentence he sweeps away all that Nicodemus stood for, and demands that he be remade by the power of God. The word rendered “again” might equally be translated “from above.”16 Both senses are true, and in the Johannine manner our author probably intends that we understand both (Barclay gets the best of both worlds with “unless a man is reborn from above”). Anyone who would enter the kingdom of God must be born17 in a radically new fashion, and this second birth is from heaven. Entry into the kingdom is not by way of human striving (cf. 1:13), but by that rebirth which only God can effect. “The kingdom of God” is the most common topic of Jesus’ teaching in the Synoptic Gospels. As such it has attracted a great deal of attention, and the literature on the subject is enormous. Most modern students hold that the term “kingdom” is to be understood in a dynamic sense; it means “reign” rather than “realm.”19 It is God’s rule in action. We are probably not meant to make much of a distinction between seeing and entering (v. 5) the kingdom. But it will be appropriate that Jesus speaks here of seeing it. So far from entering into all that its privileges mean, anyone who is not reborn will not even see the kingdom. This passage incidentally is the only one in this Gospel that mentions the kingdom of God (though Jesus speaks of “my kingdom,” 18:36). But John frequently speaks of eternal life, and for him the possession of eternal life appears to mean very much the same as entering the kingdom of God as the Synoptists picture it.[15]
3 It is reasonable to assume that Nicodemus had come prepared to ask Jesus much the same question as did the rich young man—“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17 par.). But even before the question can be asked Jesus provides the answer. It is prefaced with the double amēn (“I tell you the truth,” GK 297), which stresses the validity of what is about to be said. Unless a person is “born again” he cannot see the kingdom of God. Anōthen (GK 540) is an adverb either of place (“from above,” as in Mt 27:51) or of time (“again,” “anew,” as in Gal 4:9). In this context the former meaning is primary. To be born “from above” means to be born of God (cf. the use of anōthen, 3:31). However, since spiritual birth is in fact a second birth, the temporal idea of “again” is included. Unless a person is reborn from above he or she is unable to “see the kingdom of God.” To see God’s kingdom means to enter into and have a part in the final establishment of God’s sovereign rule. As a Jew, Nicodemus would understand the kingdom of God as the long-awaited age to come. To “see” this kingdom would mean to experience resurrection life at the end of the age. What he did not understand was that to have a part in that kingdom required a second birth.[16]
[1] Nash, R. H. (2007). Aren’t the Gospels the Product of Greek Thinking? In T. Cabal, C. O. Brand, E. R. Clendenen, P. Copan, & J. P. Moreland (Eds.), The Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith (p. 1575). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] 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., Jn 3:3). Thomas Nelson.
[4] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Jn 3:3). Lexham Press.
[9] Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 281). Victor Books.
[10] Gangel, K. O. (2000). John (Vol. 4, p. 49). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] Mounce, R. H. (2007). John. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 395–396). Zondervan.
“Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need” Psalm 23:1
One night, just before bedtime, I was reading my Bible–Psalm 23. I meditated on the words of that Psalm. Because I was going through a particularly difficult time and felt very much alone, I wondered how to apply this Psalm to my life at this time .
Through the years, the Lord has at times given me forewarning of changes coming in our lives. Sometimes He speaks in a dream, sometimes through what other people say, and of course, the word. On this particular night, as I sat meditating on Psalm 23, God put a picture in my mind that was almost like a video clip.
In this picture I was a child – His child – and I was holding His hand as we were walking. He was very friendly and kind and I was very happy and content. We were climbing a hill out of a valley. We were near the top, but not quite there yet.
I looked up at Jesus and very excitedly asked Him, “What are we going to do now, Jesus?“. Again He looked at me with that wonderful, kind smiling face. He didn’t answer my question but I knew our life would continue the great adventure with Him. A few months later, the truth of that picture began to become a reality.
Life is changing continually. We are not sure what God has planned for us, but we know that Jesus is holding our hands as we go. We know that God is always with us. Psalm 139:17-18 tells us,
“How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly. I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me!“
Father, thank You for thinking about us all the time. There is no one who cares for us as much as You do. Amen.
Truth, like the sunrise, moves away night; It enters the soul sending demons to flight. Truth, like a hammer, breaks every chain; It works like an ointment to heal every pain.
Truth, like a locksmith, sets captives free; It touches the heart causing blind eyes to see. Truth, like a searchlight, exposes the lie; It soars as the eagle to lift you on high.
Truth is the captain that knows no defeat. Truth is my portion, my milk and my meat. Truth is the music that lets my heart sing. Truth is my Savior, He’s Lord and He’s King!
To little Samuel, the high-priest Eli displayed only the better side of his somewhat feeble character. He took the child into his own care at once. The boy became to him as an adopted son, replacing his own thankless offspring. It does not seem that Eli had established those regular “temple schools” which afterward became celebrated under Samuel. But at least the aged high-priest devoted himself to the instruction of the eager child.
And marvellously did Samuel repay the care bestowed upon him. Through all the biblical account of those evil days and of the crimes of Eli’s sons, runs like a poetic refrain, like a shining star amid the gloomy night, the repeated thought, “And the child Samuel grew on and was is favor both with the Lord and also with men.” Soon he became Eli’s personal attendant, caring for the altar in the tabernacle, lighting the sacred candles, sleeping in a chamber adjoining that of his aged master, so as to be of service if called upon at night. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that Samuel thus passed twelve years at the temple, waiting upon Eli up to the age of fifteen.
New and not new; nothing new under the sun and yet God will make everything new under the SON. Another month is about to dawn. We are again one day closer to eternity. Are you ready?
Believers, in spite of their sin, struggle and pain, live in the strong confidence that God, in grace, gives new life to all who trust in Christ’s finished work of salvation. Do you share in that trust?
The book of Revelation closes with a picture of eternity. All tears wiped away, death will be no more—no pain or sorrow—for all the former things have passed away. And what is more, true believers shall fully be with our Triune God—body and soul. As Christ dwelt (tabernacled) for a time on earth, we shall enjoy the eternal blessing of the dwelling place of God that is with man.
This is not simply a reunion, but an eternity of fellowship and friendship with God and His people—covenantal fullness! How marvellous! What wonder to behold! Eye-popping glory! Heart thumping wonder! A new Jerusalem (the temple in heaven above) whose description is beyond describing. A new creation, the new heavens and the new earth (Isaiah 65:17) prepared for a prepared people.
Suggestions for prayer
Give praise and thanksgiving for a life to be lived in anticipation of the glory of the life to come.
Rev. Peter Vellenga is presently serving as itinerant preacher waiting upon Lord for continued assignment.
13 volcanic quakes recorded at Taal Volcano Thirteen volcanic earthquakes were recorded in Taal Volcano in Batangas in the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said on Monday. The volcano also had a volcanic tremor lasting 3 minutes, it said. Taal Volcano also emitted 4,829 tonnes of sulfur dioxide on Saturday, and a plume was observed rising up to 1,000 meters tall
Feds: Kansas Woman Led All-Female Islamic State Battalion A woman who once lived in Kansas has been arrested after federal prosecutors charged her with joining the Islamic State group and leading an all-female battalion of AK-47 wielding militants. The U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, announced Saturday that Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization.
Mutant stem cells defy rules of development It sounds like a practical joke, but this kind of shocking transformation is what really happened to a dish of mouse stem cells when scientists at Gladstone Institutes removed just one gene—stem cells destined to become heart cells suddenly resembled the precursors to brain cells. “This really challenges fundamental concepts about how cells stay the course once they embark on their path to becoming heart or brain cells,”
NASA Reveals New Plan To Stop ‘Doomsday’ Asteroids That Could Wipe Out Earth The idea that a giant asteroid could hit the Earth and make humanity go the way of the dinosaurs is one which always looms over us, and plenty of movies have enjoyed showing us how screwed we’d all be if one did hit the planet.
North Korea appears to test biggest missile in five years North Korea appeared to have fired one of its biggest ballistic missiles in almost five years, adding to its largest series of tests since Kim Jong Un took power as he tries to force his nuclear arsenal back on to the Biden administration’s agenda. The missile reached an altitude of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and flew for about 30 minutes.
Traces of an ancient solar storm are causing scientists concern Their analysis showed A major solar “tsunami”, much larger than anything recorded in recent history, struck the Earth’s atmosphere about 9,200 years ago. A period that completely disrupts our knowledge of these volcanic eruptions is one of our star’s least active. Why is this finding worrying scientists? Although the latter did not yet understand how to predict these catastrophic events, they thought they occurred during intense activity of the sun. This finding shows that large explosions can actually occur at any time, making them even more unpredictable and dangerous.
Canada rally against vaccine mandates blocks Ottawa as Trump praises protest trucks and other vehicles blocked the downtown area of Ottawa for a second day after thousands descended on Canada’s capital city on Saturday to protest against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Trucks remained parked on the streets near parliament on Sunday, a day before lawmakers are due to resume work after the holiday break. Hundreds of protesters were out on Sunday, too. Some truckers said they will not leave until the mandate is overturned.
Macron tells Iran’s Raisi more effort needed in nuclear talks Emmanuel Macron has told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi that a deal lifting sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear activities are still possible but talks need to accelerate, Macron’s office said on Sunday.
Houthi missile intercepted over Abu Dhabi as Herzog visits UAE Air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis over Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as Israeli President Isaac Herzog was conducting an official visit to the country on Sunday night.
Turkey appears to be backing Ukraine in potential war with Russia In the standoff between Russia and Ukraine, the latter seems to have another ally ready to back Kyiv in a potential war against Russia – Turkey. Al-Monitor reports that Ukraine is on a buying spree purchasing fleets of the Turkish Bayraktar TBT 2 drones at a discounted price for a possible war against Russia.
Eastern US in emergency as ‘bomb cyclone’ unleashes powerful blizzard Blinding snow whipped up by powerful winds pummeled the eastern United States on Saturday, as one of the strongest winter storms in years triggered severe weather alerts, transportation chaos and power outages across a region of some 70 million people.
Batsirai Intensified Into A Tropical Cyclone, Rodrigues Still In Class 1 The latest satellite images indicate that Batsirai has intensified into a tropical cyclone. At 2200 hours, tropical cyclone Batsirai was centered at about 660 km almost east-northeast of Rodrigues, in latitude 17.8 degrees south and longitude 69.3 degrees east. It is moving in a general westerly direction at about 15 km/h.
Africa’s tropical storm Ana kills at least 88 Tropical Storm Ana has killed at least 88 people across southern and eastern Africa, with recovery operations still ongoing as another storm threatened more severe weather.
Lightfoot Brutally Mocked After People Notice Something Odd on Her Couch in Pic Bribing People to Get Vax …Lightfoot — now stuck in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — comes up with a way to get her citizens vaccinated: She’ll give away money! She announces it via a tweet in which “Get Vax’d” is spelled out in cash on the floor of what appears to be her office. However, she ends up looking like a comic-book villain in the photo, and it’s taken in front of an inexplicably dirty couch.
Horowitz: The very concerning data from Scotland ..Scottish data shows that the COVID-19 age-standardized case rate is highest among the two-dose vaccinated and lowest among unvaccinated! It further shows this trend of negative efficacy for the double-vaccinated persisting for hospitalizations and deaths. Something is very wrong here
Your Body… their Battlefield: COVID “vaccines” are biological warfare via 5 major fronts Here are five major fronts that serve as the battlefield for the war on humans waged by the Covid vaccine manufacturers and communist China. #1. Blood clots caused to form #2. Graphene micro-device nano-bots (look like octopus) assemble inside the body #3. Cells are recoded (mRNA) to produce toxic prions that cause blood clots and cancers #4. Vital organs and the immune system are attacked, including the heart and brain (myocarditis and CNS disorders, plus ADE from boosters) #5. Blood is invaded by billions of prions at once (non-mRNA “payload” Covid jabs, like J&J) that cause blood clots and cancer
British media claim “stealth disease,” not COVID-19 vaccines, could kill nearly 200,000 people in UK over the next five years …“We have countless examples of people having heart attacks and having myocarditis and pericarditis … and it happens to 100 percent of people who got the jab,” said Sigurdson. He also pointed out how records from the United States show that there were only a handful of cases of myocarditis in children in both 2019 and 2020, and then there were suddenly thousands of new cases in 2021. “And people are going to pretend that there’s no correlation?”
‘Crusader Kings 3’ adding same-sex marriage Paradox Development Studio, the company behind the widely acclaimed historical grand strategy game ‘Crusader Kings 3’, has announced that a same-sex marriage option will be included in the next free update, following backlash and accusations of homophobia over game mechanics that prevented players from forming official homosexual relationships.
Loomer Exposes Buses of Illegal Immigrants Arriving in Florida Conservative journalist and congressional candidate Laura Loomer (R-FL) has exposed illegal immigrants being bussed into Florida, this after Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) vowed to stop all Biden administration transports of illegal immigrants into Florida.
O, Canada! Prime Minister Trudeau Flees To Secret Location As Monster 50,000 Truck Convoy Protesting Vaccination Mandates Rolls In To Town • Now The End Begins Canada is our sister nation to the North, and a lot of the time they take some heat because of the weak, liberal policies that govern their nation, and quite honestly they’re an easy target. That was then, but this is now, and the people of Canada are flexing some serious muscle as a convoy of 50,000 trucks converge on the nation’s capital to peacefully register their protests against vaccination mandates and immunity passports. Now this is what I call “to the fight!!!”, it is a thing of beauty, and it’s something we would do well to emulate here in America.
Pedophilia is misunderstood, USA Today claims, then deletes tweets USA Today posted a Twitter message on Tuesday to promote an article on pedophiles, titled ‘What the public keeps getting wrong about pedophilia’. The newspaper said in a series of posts that pedophiles are likely born with a predisposition to be attracted to children and don’t have control over their sexual desires.
In a moving tribute, cops from across the nation turned out to pay their respects to yet another officer killed in the line of duty.
Douglas Andrews
“Although you won’t be here anymore, I want you to live through me.”
So said Dominique Luzuriaga, widow of slain NYPD officer Jason Rivera, to mourners at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. “This system continues to fail us,” she went on. “We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now.”
That new DA she mentions is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, one of numerous hard-left big-city DAs whose campaigns were funded by billionaire anarcho-socialist George Soros. Bragg ran on a soft-on-crime platform that emphasized decarceration — which is to say, putting fewer bad people behind bars and instead employing “reformist” and “abolitionist” strategies to more gently encourage criminals to change their wicked ways.
Luzuriaga and Rivera, who at 22 is one of the youngest NYPD officers ever killed in the line of duty, had known each other since grade school and had been married less than five months. In the cruelest of fates, they’d had a fight that afternoon when Rivera went to work for the last time. That evening, he and his partner, Wilbert Mora, 27, responded to a domestic violence call and were murdered by a violent career criminal named Lashawn McNeil. Rivera died that night. Mora died last Tuesday, a day after McNeil, who’d been shot by a third officer at the scene.
The turnout for Rivera’s funeral was massive, and it reflected the feelings of a brotherhood under siege in New York City and elsewhere.
As Caroline Downey writes in National Review: “While the religious service was conducted inside the church and broadcasted to the public over speaker, the massive brigade of cops stood outside in the falling snow and freezing weather, paying no mind to the winter storm warning. Badges on their shoulders read ‘Newark, ‘Philadelphia,’ ‘Darien,’ ‘Baltimore,’ and the names of many other cities. There was overwhelming solidarity and camaraderie among them, some strangers, many already or soon-to-be friends. Bundled up in the bitter cold, officers exchanged handshakes, embraces, and laughs as they waited to say farewell to someone that easily could have been them had they been assigned to Harlem last Friday.”
Sadly, that show of solidarity wasn’t universal. In a grotesque display of moral equivalence, Harlem city council member Kristin Richardson Jordan, a socialist and an “abolitionist” like DA Bragg, posted: “My deepest condolences to the families of Officer Rivera, Officer Mora and Lashawn McNeil.”
Let that sink in, and then let it go. And remember that officers Rivera and Mora honored the NYPD motto, fidelis ad mortem, faithful unto death.
The flap with aging musicians and Spotify over the popular podcaster’s content is a lesson for all Americans.
Nate Jackson
Joe Rogan may be the host of the biggest podcast in the country, but no one is forcing anyone else to listen to his program. Fortunately, the same is true of old musicians like Neil Young. America is a free country where everyone is free to say what they think and to listen to what they choose. Right? Right?
Not if Young and the growing gaggle of fascist censors have their way. You can’t say that! has become increasingly replaced by No one can listen to that person! Cancel Culture has metastasized horribly in recent years, driven primarily by the Rainbow Mafia (especially over the “transgender” issue) and the COVID Thought Police. The latter are to blame for what began as an ultimatum from Young last week: “[Spotify] can have Rogan or Young,” he wrote in an open letter. “Not both.” His dissatisfaction was driven by Rogan’s discussions of what Young considers “misinformation” about COVID.
Even with Rogan’s massive audience and $100 million exclusive contract with Spotify, we wouldn’t have been surprised to see the platform succumb to Young’s demand, especially considering Joe Biden’s Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared that social media companies “have still not stepped up to do the right thing and do enough, I should say, to reduce the spread of misinformation.” Because everyone trusts the government to be honest, especially about COVID.
Spotify knows that Rogan could go elsewhere and might even gain popularity and money. So instead, it’s Young who was forced to cancel himself. Other aging hippies who cut their teeth on free expression — Joni Mitchell, Liza Minelli, Peter Frampton, and Nils Lofgren — likewise decided that Spotify listeners weren’t good enough for their music and self-censored because Rogan is still free to speak his mind on Spotify.
Nevertheless, the usually spicy Rogan posted a conciliatory video. “If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s a strange responsibility to have this many viewers and listeners. It’s nothing that I’ve prepared for. I’m going to do my best to balance things out.” That means more guests with different opinions on hot-button topics.
On Sunday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote that the company will make public its “long-standing Platform Rules,” as well as work to “add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19.” That advisory, he noted, “will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub.” We’re sure Spotify’s hub will contain nothing but the party line on vaccines and masks, all while dismissing or not even mentioning treatment options.
“It is important to me,” Ek said, “that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.” In other words, no censorship today, but tomorrow is a new day.
Rogan has come under fire — in some cases falsely — for things he or his guests have said about coronavirus treatments or vaccines. First, it was Ivermectin, which Rogan said helped him “feel great” when he contracted COVID last year. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Rolling Stone published erroneous claims about Rogan’s story, and other news outlets have pushed a false narrative about him and the drug Ivermectin. No one has canceled any of those fake news pushers.
Then it was the COVID vaccines. Rogan hosted Dr. Robert Malone, a virologist whose work contributed to mRNA vaccine technology but who now questions The Narrative™. He also hosted widely published cardiologist Peter McCullough, who discussed vaccine effects. The Party says such things must not be discussed.
We’d love to live in a world where no one was dishonest or spread false information. Heck, we’d settle for a planet where the news media simply treated information fairly and without bias, or where people didn’t insist that a man can be a woman. Alas, we do not live in that world. Thus, we’re left with a choice: Either allow free speech and let the best argument win, or submit to the authority of those with the power to silence opinions they don’t like.
Any economic boom in recent months has been thanks largely to Republican-run states.
Robin Smith
When a political novice named Donald Trump governed using conservative principles, history was made in wage growth across all genders and races. Low unemployment, manufacturing, and endless opportunities returned to the U.S. with an economic expansion that benefited more Americans, reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. Now every economic boom is heralded as great news for the Biden-Harris administration, when in truth the progress is occurring in Republican-led states.
News stories report the fastest recovery and most robust GDP with Joe Biden, but Biden’s policy has been to flood the economy with government money, triggering historic inflation — a universal tax that redistributes wealth.
The robust recovery actually comes from Republican-led states, where we find the 10 lowest unemployment rates: Nebraska (1.7%), Utah (1.9%), Oklahoma (2.3%), Idaho (2.4%), Montana (2.5%), Vermont (2.5%), Georgia (2.6%), South Dakota (2.6%), New Hampshire (2.6%), and Indiana (2.7%). Conversely, the states performing most poorly in employment are 10 Democrat-led states and one Republican state in a tie. California (6.5%), Nevada (6.4%), New Jersey (6.3%), New York (6.2%), and Connecticut (5.8%) are the bottom worst and, not coincidentally, the most heavily taxed with continued lockdowns related to COVID measures.
As Americans figure out that state policies can ruin their lives and businesses, movement has been spurred by the fluidity of the COVID economy and the ability to work remotely. According to Zillow early in January, eight of the top 10 housing markets are in states led by Republicans (TX, TN, GA, FL, AZ) and the other two top markets are in North Carolina — a state with a Republican legislature.
The Census Bureau backs this up with population growth seen in red states and a mass exit from California, New York, and Illinois, all three led by heavy-handed labor union and Democrat policies. The largest domestic population losses recorded by the Census Bureau were in California (-367,299), New York (-352,185), and Illinois (-122,460).
The South still leads in economic growth and freedom and has a net growth via in-migration of 657,682 from 2020 to 2021 versus the net out-migration of the Northeast of 389,638.
Policies, politicians, and people in these red states honor law enforcement; expect their children to be educated, not indoctrinated; and leave the freedom for capitalism to offer jobs, promoting hard work and economic rise. Companies cannot operate in oppressive states that regulate jobs out of existence; hence, the major movement from blue to red states. As “Biden Money” competes with those who work and invest, the Consumer Price Index for December 2021 was 7.0%, a massive increase from the 1.4% in January 2021, when the Biden-Harris administration and the Democrat-controlled House and Senate took office.
It matters who governs. Ideological principles prevail in governance. The 2020 elections were all about personalities and the effective communications of the Center-Left and the media. We all desire respectable morals and upstanding personalities in our political offices, but neither party has offered that in the recent past. Instead, we must choose the ideologies that can at least protect our freedom to choose what is right.
America certainly has a choice in 2022. The choice is not about personality, wokeness, or even identity politics. In the upcoming midterms, Americans must look at the hard data and vote for policies that empower citizens, allow economic growth, and encourage freedom.
Uncovering the devious ways in which Critical Race Theory is concealed in daily lessons.
Emmy Griffin
There is a new battle line forming in the culture wars. Parents are sick and tired of schools claiming they don’t teach Critical Race Theory (CRT), and yet these schools are using its teachings as the malignant undertone in every lesson. The rallying cry is the demand for schools to be transparent in their curriculum. After all, if you’ve got nothing to hide, then why would you fight the call for honest and open knowledge of curriculum and lesson plans?
Naturally, the left-wing activists in the media, school boards, and school staff have fired back with a push for less transparency. They don’t believe parents should have a say in their children’s education. If they are teaching your kids, then the kids belong to the state. Parents who object are no better than domestic terrorists, to quote the infamous NSBA letter. They hold that this call for transparency is anti-“free speech.”
Furthermore, these CRT pushers want parents to believe that CRT is not taught in grades K-12. Hogwash. They are just going to hide it better and hope that the parents aren’t astute enough to really look.
CRT ideology has infected both private and public schools. How is it hidden in curriculum? CRT is a worldview, a lens through which any topic can be viewed. It hinges on the premise that there is a hierarchy (or privilege) and that people are either oppressors or oppressed based on their surplus or lack of privilege. All institutions are based on white supremacy and are therefore needing to be destroyed. Teachers are very creative in the ways they express these ideas. At Fox News’s “MisEducation of America” summit, several stratagems were unveiled.
Teachers have introduced the CRT worldview by playing games with students to sus out those who have the most privilege (no prizes for the winner). CRT is in children’s books, text books, and history lessons. They teach that math is racist and grades are racist. Episcopal School of Dallas — an elite private school that has an enormous admission fee — teaches CRT while lying to the parents and saying it doesn’t. In Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Schools took down a syllabus that demonstrated their intention to teach an AP Language class through the lens of CRT.
Leftists justify this move to hide CRT from parents as a protection of free speech. Besides being as twisted as a pretzel in terms of logic, free speech does not mean anything goes. There is such a thing as a moral standard. Without this caliber of merit, education loses its value. This can already be seen in the dismal decline of student readiness for higher education and the workforce.
There is such a thing as good ideas and bad ideas. There is a reason that Mein Kampf is not required reading. There is a reason you cannot shout “Fire!” in a movie theater.
In the spirit of transparency, parents who discover that their school has lied and is teaching their children CRT should have the right to move their child to a school that will do right by the values of the parents. This is called school choice. But just as the powers that be don’t want transparency, they also don’t want to give parents the power to vote with their feet. And it’s a crying shame.
Yet the recipe for saving America’s future may just be found in allowing parents to choose.
Thomas Gallatin
The purpose of a school is to provide an education for students, and the job of a teacher is to facilitate and guide students in their learning of a variety of subject matter. Good teachers don’t teach students what to think, they teach them how to think.
In the case of a failing teacher, the most logical decision would be to replace the teacher with a better one. But all too often, thanks to teachers unions, failing and subpar teachers are protected from dismissal and, consequently, students’ education suffers. The problem of poor teaching can quickly compound throughout other classrooms, and the result is a failing school.
So what are parents to do when their children are stuck in a failing school simply because of their zip code? Parents who have the means can pay to send their children to a private school. But the larger majority of parents who can’t afford to do so are left with little choice, which seems to be exactly how Democrat politicians want it.
School choice has increasingly become a leading political issue, and one that had much to do with Virginia Republican Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial election victory. Last week, governors across the nation recognized and celebrated National School Choice Week by donning yellow scarves. They are responding to a growing movement of parents who are fed up with their children’s schools and who desire to see changes made. Changes come when greater choices are available.
A recent poll found that 52% of parents are considering sending their children to a different school. The reasons vary — everything from masking mandates and inconvenient school closures from COVID to the teaching of Critical Race Theory and the hard push for radical sexual and “gender identity” ideology. Increasingly, parents are finding themselves cut out of the schools’ education decisions and they don’t like the results.
Of course, Democrat politicians are all about protecting their biggest supporters, the teachers unions. Thus, they claim that supporting school choice programs such as charter schools or allowing a grant program that would allow parents to send their children to a private school would end up destroying public education. Such claims are demonstrably false, which reveals that the interest of the schools and teachers are being put ahead of any consideration of providing the best opportunity for children to receive a good education.
In many cases, public schools are failing students, and the solution is not to prevent greater school choice opportunities and simply throw more money at already failing public schools. That’s a reward for poor performance. Instead, competition results in a wider variety of opportunities while at the same time producing a better product. If public schools are forced to compete with charter and private schools for students, they will not only create a better product but also be more in tune with parents. Bad teachers will either get better or get out.
Studies have repeatedly shown that charter schools outperform public schools and are hugely popular with minority communities, as those parents see their children learning and performing, not simply languishing and failing.
School choice will help to remove the rot that has been allowed to set in and fester in too many public schools — especially inner-city ones — for far too long. In many ways, school choice is a recipe for saving America’s future.
The more we learn about this case, the more troubling the bureau’s involvement becomes.
Douglas Andrews
“Thank you to the fearless FBI agents,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a press conference on October 8, 2020, shortly after it came to light that a group of 14 knuckleheads calling themselves the Wolverine Watchmen had been busted by the feds for plotting to kidnap her.
We wonder, though: Would Whitmer still thank those “fearless FBI agents” if she knew that at no time was she ever in danger, and that the FBI itself was driving the plot to kidnap her? Because that’s the truth.
According to the state, the would-be kidnappers decided to plot against Whitmer because of her oppressive — and, as it turns out, deeply hypocritical — COVID lockdown policies. Six of them were charged in connection with the plot, and one of those six, 26-year-old Ty Garbin, has already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to six years in prison. Garbin is expected to testify against his fellow plotters. In addition, the state has charged eight others with aiding a terrorist plot.
The group’s lawyers claim that FBI agents and federal prosecutors invented a conspiracy and entrapped their clients. So far, though, their claims have fallen on deaf ears. As The Detroit News reports: “A federal judge Tuesday refused to dismiss the indictment against five members of an alleged plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, calling defense claims of entrapment and government overreaching a ‘heavy burden to carry.’ U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker filed his order less than two months before the five men are scheduled to stand trial on kidnapping conspiracy and weapons of mass destruction charges that could send them to federal prison for up to life.”
Up to life in prison? Really? For the crime of — what? — being gullible enough to let some overzealous FBI agents push them toward a criminal conspiracy that the feds themselves had concocted? Since when does being duped by the FBI warrant a life sentence? As Reason’s Robby Soave notes:
The government’s case against these 14 alleged extremists relies on work done by at least a dozen government informants and undercover FBI agents whose extensive involvement in the plot calls into question whether it would have moved forward at all without the government’s prodding. Some of these government actors took lead roles in organizing the supposed plot — one of the informants was even paid $54,000 by the FBI for roughly six months of subterfuge.
The recipient of that FBI largesse, an Iraq War vet and postal worker named “Big Dan,” had alerted the feds to the anti-cop and anti-government discussions of the Wolverine Watchmen Facebook group he’d stumbled upon. After agreeing to become an FBI informant — one of as many at least 12 in the case, as well as several undercover agents — he then went on to train the other men in military tactics and led two separate trips to surveil Whitmer’s northern Michigan vacation home.
So that’s “Big Dan.” As for his FBI handler, an agent named Jayson Chambers, he has credibility problems of his own. It seems Williams had a side hustle going during the investigation — an effort to build a security consulting business. Talk about a conflict of interest. The more sensational the plot he foils, the better the case study for his consulting services.
Yet another government informant, a 58-year-old dirtbag named Stephen Robeson, has a rap sheet of felonies and other crimes dating back to the 1980s, and defense attorneys say it was Robeson who first suggested kidnapping the Michigan governor. Even The New York Times is troubled by the FBI’s strange bedfellows. Robeson, they report, has become so toxic that prosecutors want to bar some of his recorded statements from the trial.
If you don’t think this case could be any more troublesome, think again. As Soave writes: “The government’s star witness, FBI Agent Robert Trask, was fired by the agency after beating his wife following an orgy at a swingers party. Suffice it to say, it’s very hard to tell the cops from the criminals in this matter.”
What we have here, then, is a kidnapping plot that never materialized — a plot that appears to have been hatched and driven by FBI agents and their informants. Taken together with the bureau’s rigged investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email server, its disgraceful conduct in the Russia collusion hoax, its willful inaction regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop, and its still mysterious role in the events of January 6, two things have become crystal clear: The FBI isn’t what it used to be, and Rule of Law is the worse for it.
Americans eschew Biden’s race-based limit for SCOTUS pick: The vast majority of Americans reject Joe Biden’s decision to play identity politics by pledging to nominate a black woman to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. According to a recent ABC News-Ipsos poll, 76% of Americans, including a majority of Democrats (54%), want Biden to consider “all possible nominees” regardless of their race or sex for his Court pick. In fact, just 23% agree with Biden’s decision to restrict his pick to a black woman. Dr. Ben Carson blasted Biden’s decision to inject race into his SCOTUS choice, arguing that “to create that kind of situation in the highest court in the land is really abominable, and very detrimental to our freedoms.”
Biden doubling down on his war on energy: Evidently, Joe Biden likes the idea of Americans having to shell out more of their hard-earned yet increasingly lower-valued dollars (inflation is at 7%) to pay for energy. Biden’s EPA is in the process of creating new rules for fossil fuel-based energy plants that will raise the price of electricity. Furthermore, Biden is set to revive the Obama-era “clean energy” debacle that created the $500 million Solyndra disaster, only this time the amount is doubled. Biden’s attempt at picking winners and losers will give $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to a Nebraska company to make “clean” hydrogen. Meanwhile, Americans are still paying an average of $3.33 at the pump, and heating oil prices have risen 40+% over last year. The cherry on top? None of this stops China’s and India’s continued increase of CO2 emissions.
Trump-backed Cheney challenger rakes in big bucks: Rep. Liz Cheney, the most senior of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Donald Trump, finds herself facing a tough primary challenger. Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming native backed by Trump, has hauled in over $1 million since she entered the primary race last September. Beyond impeachment, Cheney has further angered constituents by participating in Nancy Pelosi’s sham January 6 Committee. Hageman, who once supported Cheney, explained, “Wyoming deserves to be represented by someone who cares about Wyoming, not someone who is consumed by her own personal war with President Trump.” Yet Cheney still has a big war chest of roughly $4.5 million, and much of it is thanks to Trump’s attacks against her.
U.S. “already in a warfare state” with Russia: R.P. Eddy, CEO of cybersecurity firm Ergo, recently told a bipartisan group of governors that if Russia does invade Ukraine, and the U.S. follows through on promised sanctions, then Russia is “very likely to increase cyberattacks,” which he noted would be “an easy move for them.” Eddy warned that “U.S. states and U.S. private companies need to be taking this very seriously … [as] we are already in a warfare state right now, and we need to be aware of that.” Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, says the agency is taking the threat of a Russian invasion “very seriously,” but urged the American public not to view it as signifying an imminent cyberattack.
Security
Biden says he’ll send troops to Eastern Europe in “near term” (The Hill)
Pentagon leaders warn of a horrific aftermath if Russia invades Ukraine (CNBC)
White House calling liquid natural gas suppliers for help in case Russia cuts off Europe (Fox Business)
North Korea tests longest-range missile since 2017 (AP) | Latest missile shot raises fears of a breakout (Washington Times)
“Social Justice”
Anti-Defamation League, founded to combat anti-Semitism, goes woke, changes definition of racism (Daily Wire)
“They don’t actually care about women at all”: Penn swimmer slams school’s handling of Lia Thomas saga (Fox News)
Penzey’s spice company called all Republicans racist, then lost 40,000 customers in two weeks (The Federalist)
Pregnant “man” emoji coming to Apple iPhones (Fox Business)
Around the Nation
Blizzard of ‘22 produces hurricane-force winds, dumps feet of snow in New England (Fox Weather)
Nashville cop stripped of authority after interstate killing (Tennessean)
Around the World
Thousands of truckers and ordinary Canadians gather on Parliament Hill to protest mandates (PJ Media)
Trudeau government plans to hit truckers again, implement interprovincial vaccine mandates (Daily Wire)
No peace in Myanmar one year after military takeover (AP)
Odds & Ends
DNC chair reportedly looking to leave amid tensions with Biden White House (Fox News)
Biden’s absenteeism from the White House surpasses Trump and Obama (Washington Times)
Closing Arguments
Policy: The dark truth about America’s agricultural system (FEE)
Humor: Trudeau claims truckers only hate him because he’s black (Babylon Bee)
For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.
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“Democracy is more cruel than wars or tyrants.” —Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D. 65)
Upright
“The people in contemporary America who most pride themselves on their alleged commitment to science and public health are also the most superstitious and immune to evidence. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the debate over masking kids at school, an ongoing, flagrant example of collective irrationality. … Mask mandates should join the litany of cast-aside school mitigation measures. If we are worried about the welfare of teachers, there’s nothing to stop them from getting vaccinated and boosted, and the vast majority are indeed vaccinated. Meanwhile, kids are at very low risk, and parents should be free to send their children to school masked if that makes them more comfortable. But many on the left have a deep attachment to masks that isn’t based on evidence or on a calibration of costs-and-benefits but an a priori commitment to them as a totem of public safety and private virtue.” —Rich Lowry
“Health officials and the media have done more to corrode trust in science and government during the COVID era than any conspiracy theorist on social media. Americans aren’t sure where to turn, so they often turn to unreliable sources.” —David Harsanyi
“Why can’t the left comprehend the difference between ‘vaccines are good,’ and ‘vaccines are mandated’? Exercise, losing weight are healthy; church makes you happier; intact families prevent social chaos — should they all be forced on us? What is it about freedom they don’t get?” —Andrew Klavan
Breath of Fresh Air
“Lia [Thomas] has every right to compete. But I think, black and white right now, you compete as what you were biologically born until we get to a point where we’ve expanded opportunities. … There are other ways I think we can be accommodating and making opportunities for Lia without hurting … others. I just feel like we’re bowing to, in this particular instance, to one person. And really to the detriment of thousands of other athletes potentially. And I don’t think that’s right.” —Rice University swim coach Seth Huston
“I was in DC [last] weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing. I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of: violent attack, arrest or detention without trial, loss of employment, homelessness, starvation, loss of education, alienation from loved ones, excommunication from society … under any threat whatsoever. This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems.” —actress Evangeline Lilly
Re: The Left
“Joe Biden is formalizing a custom Democrats have implemented in the last four or five years of racial do-overs. Democrats opposed President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement to end Jim Crow Laws. Now, nearly 60 years after Republicans fought to eradicate racist laws, Democrats are taking a mulligan on racism. Led by Biden, Kamala Harris, and their allies in corporate media and Big Tech, Democrats are pretending 2022 is 1942, the year Biden was born, when numerous state laws reduced black people to second-class citizenship. Democrats are formally rewriting their own history. … Who needs the Klan when Democrats concocted a scheme to control, manipulate, and destroy black people through politics? Who needs blatant, in-your-face racism, when corporate media, social media, and Big Tech can manufacture an endless supply of faux racism?” —Jason Whitlock
Missing the Mark
“Our fixation with guns in our country is destroying our children.” —New York City Mayor Eric Adams
The Left’s fixation with eradicating the nuclear family is destroying our children.
The BIG Lie
“If your concern is prices in the economy right now, which is certainly a concern for the White House and this president, then the most immediate and direct action we could take is to lower costs that families are facing — child care, health care, prescription drugs — and do that in a commonsense way that’s fully paid for, doesn’t affect or put upward pressure on inflation. That’s what we’re trying to work with Congress to do and that’s what is the economic need for the country.” —National Economic Council Director Brian Deese regarding Build Bilk Back Better
SCOTUS Demagoguery/Race Bait
“The fact that [this] court decides whether women have control over our bodies, with two men on it like [Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas], is scandalous for a democracy.” —MSNBC’s Joy Reid
“I’m not sure if I remember this right, but when Clarence Thomas was confirmed, there was no discussion about his race as I recall. … He called it a high-tech lynching against him. He’s the one who brought race into it, I believe.” —”The View’s” Joy Behar
“But they’re already drooling to call us racist over a Supreme Court nominee who hasn’t even been announced yet.” —Jim Treacher
And Last…
“We need a Supreme Court justice who supports reproductive justice for all menstruating people with beards.” —Amber Athey
Project Censored is an amazing project that collects all of the most important stories from the last year that the corporate media chose not to tell us about. Lee Camp reports some of the highlights from this year with stories about rising prescription drug prices killing the elderly, the strike wave that has shocked big business, the plight of the journalists who’re exposing our ruling class, and more. #QuestionMore #RTAmerica #RedactedTonight
The term “mansion Marxist” is an oldie and a goodie. It’s right up there with “limousine leftist,” but richer (pun intended) because it denotes an especially outrageous kind of left-wing hypocrite: For instance, the Soviet party apparatchik basking in the warmth of his seaside dacha while the masses shiver in breadlines. Or the self-proclaimed fighter for the working man who yaps about income equality while filling his pockets with profits pilfered from party coffers. Gus Hall, the corrupt head of Communist Party USA from 1959 to 2000 was a master of the craft, dutifully stuffing his wallet with cash from the Kremlin before sparing a dime for his union brothers on the factory floor.
I wrote a long piece on this phenomenon for The American Spectator last fall. Titled “Marxist Greed,” it looked at cases from the Kims of North Korea to Xi Jinping to Nicolai Ceausescu, who had castles all over Romania. Fidel Castro, for instance, was worth a cool $900 million at the time of his death, while all Cuban workers subsisted off an annual salary of $120. You couldn’t own a home or boat in Cuba, but Fidel damn well owned the island. Raul Castro, too, is a multi-millionaire.
Marxism, you see, is for the ruled, not the rulers; it’s for the masses, not the masters.
When I Googled “mansion Marxist” yesterday, what popped up were three news articles about the founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrice Cullors, a homegrown American Marxist.
“We are trained Marxists,” said Patrisse of her and BLM co-founder Alicia Garza. “We are super-versed [in] ideological theories.” Particularly critical race theory.
Patrisse is also super-versed in buying properties. When Marx and Engels proclaimed that “the entire communist theory may be summed in a single sentence: abolition of private property,” Patrisse evidently wasn’t interested. Quite the contrary.
In “Marxist Greed,” I wrote about the purchase of several news homes and properties by Patrisse and her wife in just the last few years. The New York Post broke the story, reporting that “the group’s co-founder went on a real estate buying binge, snagging four high-end homes for $3.2 million in the US alone.” Among them was a $1.4 million spot in Topanga Canyon outside Los Angeles, and another a lovely “custom ranch” resting on 3.2 acres of rural woods in Georgia (see here for photos). Also on Cullors’ wish-list was an opulent celebrity beachfront at a resort in the Bahamas, where her neighbors would be not the Proletariat but Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods.
Well, now there’s more. The BLM comrades are literally moving into mansion Marxist territory.
“Black Lives Matter transferred millions to a Canadian charity run by the wife of its co-founder to purchase a sprawling mansion that had once served as the headquarters of the Communist Party, public records show,” reported the New York Post this past weekend.
Yes, the Communist Party.
The Post continued: “M4BJ, a Toronto-based non-profit set up by Janaya Khan and other Canadian activists, snagged the 10,000 square foot historic property for the equivalent of $6.3 million in cash in July 2021, according to Toronto property records viewed by The Post.”
Janaya Khan is Patrisse’s wife.
Patrisse was most recently the executive director of Black Lives Matter Global Foundation Network, until she resigned in disgrace under pressure from BLM staffers expressing outrage over her buying spree and ongoing questions about the organization’s finances and how much money she had personally pulled.
As the Post notes, “The purchase of the Toronto property, named the Wildseed Centre for Art and Activism, came to light amid mounting concerns over the US activist group’s lack of transparency in its finances.”
The key word there is “mounting.” This has been ongoing with BLM, especially as the organization (according to an exclusive investigation by the Associated Press) raised a staggering $90 million in donations in 2020 alone. The ugly summer of 2020, with protest upon protest, generated a financial windfall for BLM. Countless Americans wrote checks to the organization. BLM soon had more money than it knew what to do with, or that anyone could keep track of. Patrisse Cullors clearly knew what to do with hers. A poor girl raised in Van Nuys, California, she apparently became very wealthy and did not hold back in expressing it.
As for the latest reported property pickup, the Toronto mansion is a beauty, right down to its captivatingly Marxist-Leninist large red doors.
As for the capitalist reptiles who dared to report this at the New York Post, they no doubt will be declared racists, again. In fact, that was Cullors’ predictable defense last time. She blasted the allegations of her buying spree as the product of “right-wing media.” She protested, “The fact that the right-wing media is trying to create hysteria around my spending is, frankly, racist and sexist.”
Yes, racist and sexist.
But once again, those most offended by Patrisse and her spouse’s opulence happen to be her erstwhile allies—that is, fellow members of Black Lives Matter.
“If you go around calling yourself a socialist,” objects Hawk Newsome of BLM New York, “you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to charitable causes.” He urged: “It’s really sad because it makes people doubt the validity of the movement and overlook the fact that it’s the people that carry this movement. We need black firms and black accountants to go in there and find out where the money is going.”
BLM itself is up in arms. The Post reports:
In Canada, the purchase was criticized by two senior members of the group [BLM] who resigned earlier this month over the building’s funding.
“For BLM Canada to take money from BLM Global Network for a building without consulting the community was unethical,” tweeted Sarah Jama earlier this month. “For BLM Canada to refuse to answer questions from young black organizers goes against the spirit of movement building.”
The questions were raised as BLMGNF is going through its own internal turmoil as two activists who were put in place to manage the organization after Khan-Cullors’ resignation, abruptly left in September, according to a report in the Washington Examiner.
Makani Themba and Monifa Bandele told the newspaper that they didn’t know who was managing the group’s more than $66 million windfall from Thousand Currents, a non-profit that managed its donations.
Once again, blowing the whistle aren’t stuffy white guys in fancy suits in Manhattan skyscrapers, or even the odious police — “we know police don’t keep us safe,” BLM insists — but fellow BLM members who continue to feel betrayed.
But that abuse of trust hasn’t deterred Cullors. She’s enjoying the ride.
To that end, if Cullors and her wife are looking to snatch a few more old Marxist haunts, I have a few suggestions:
First, they might check out where the American Communist Party started. I actually have the starting document with the address. I found it in the Soviet Comintern Archives on Communist Party USA. It hails from the party’s founding Chicago convention in September 1919. It was issued on the letterhead of the newly established Communist Party of America, at 1219 Blue Island Avenue, Chicago. It was signed by the party’s excited executive secretary, Charles Ruthenberg, who ultimately found eternal residence in Moscow. Old Chuck is buried in the wall of the Kremlin (yes, seriously).
Anyway, again, the address: 1219 Blue Island Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
I don’t know what sits there today. Perhaps a Starbucks.
That said, the address is near a black neighborhood in Chicago, which would likely rule it out for Patrisse. Her purchases have been in white neighborhoods, despite her longtime BLM campaign urging black Americans to “buy black.” That includes the recent BLM “Black Xmas” campaign, which denounces “white-supremacist-capitalism,” given that “capitalism doesn’t love Black people.”
Capitalism seems to love Patrisse, and she it.
If the Chicago environs are not suitable, there are other well-worn Marxist residences that I can suggest for Patrisse and her wife. In New York, CPUSA is located at 235 W. 23rd Street. But the comrades there are relegated to the seventh floor, given that their membership today is down to a paltry 5,000 or so. For better digs, Patrisse might go back to the old days when the party was ten times that size and had its headquarters on 35 East 12th Street. There, Patrisse could sit in the same room where party stalwarts like Earl Browder and William Z. Foster schemed their plans for a “Soviet America.”
I can be a helpful resource, can I not, dear comrades?
My bona fides as a longtime anti-communist researcher make me a unique asset. I have historic party locations at my fingertips. Many an old Marxist mansion no doubt stands ready for purchase. I can be like a real estate agent in this endeavor, Patrisse. And best of all for you, I’m not licensed and will not charge a commission.
A Japanese conglomerate has found that the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin is effective and safe for the treatment of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, according to a phase III clinical trial. Kowa Co. Ltd., a conglomerate with interests in trading, hospitality, electronics, along with health and medical applications, issued a press release (pdf) on Jan. 31 stating that ivermectin has been found to be effective against Omicron.
OTTAWA—Socialists around the world are condemning the trucker freedom protest in Canada as the working class unites to defend their human rights.
“When workers of the world unite against overbearing government mandates, that’s literal fascism,” said a sobbing socialist Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from deep within his top-secret bunker underneath Washington, D.C. “True, compassionate socialism is when the government partners with private corporations to force experimental drugs on the populace and threaten their very livelihoods if they don’t. Everyone knows that.”
According to sources, socialists were initially thrilled by the trucker convoy, as they had mistaken it for a bread line. To their dismay, they soon found out that it was a toxic freedom march organized by the working class against the Canadian bourgeois.
“As compassionate leaders, we must send heavily armed military and police personnel to stop these united working-class people before they take over and spread their freedom-loving fascism everywhere. It’s the moral thing to do,” said Trudeau.
Reports say Trudeau is weighing his options to quell the protest, including calling them Nazis, hitting them with drone strikes, or releasing a herd of angry moose into the crowd.
Hours after Spotify said in a statement that it would modify its content policies – which Joe Rogan did not violate, the company clarified – and adopt a “content advisory” for certain podcast episodes in an effort to placate the snowflakes, Joe Rogan finally broke his silence on the uproar over his podcast in a 10-minute video shared to Instagram.
In the video, a kind of frank confessional apparently shot by Rogan himself using his own phone, Rogan apologized to those he had unwittingly offended, before launching into a poignant, carefully crafted explanation that gently nudged and reminded objectors about why Rogan’s show is a must-listen, and a leader in the modern-day podcast gold rush.
But first, Rogan asked listeners to ignore certain “disparaging” headlines that he said misrepresent what he’s doing.
“I wanted to make this video first of all because I think there are a lot of people who have a distorted misconception about what I do maybe based on soundbites or headlines of articles that are disparaging. The podcast has been accused of spreading ‘dangerous misinformation’…specifically about two episodes, one with Dr. Peter McCollough and one with Dr. Robert Malone.”
Both doctors are highly credentialed, while also harboring views on SARS-CoV-2 and how to combat it that are “different” from the mainstream narrative.
“Both of these people are very highly credentialed very intelligent highly accomplished people and they have an opinion that’s different from the mainstream narrative. I wanted to hear what their opinion is.”
Unfortunately, there are others who are fearful of what these two doctors have to say, and believe that they are somehow personally responsible for the ongoing COVID pandemic (despite the fact that “the science” shows it’s quite obvious that there’s nothing humans can do to stop the pandemic, although they can take steps to limit fatalities).
Rogan says something similar, claiming that practically every piece of “misinformation” has later been proven correct – everything from whether the vaccinated can still spread the virus, to whether COVID may have been created in a Wuhan laboratory, a view that once saw Zero Hedge banned from Twitter for months.
“The problem I have with the term disinformation, especially today, is that 8 months ago, many of the things that were considered ‘disinformation’ are now accepted as fact. For example, 8 months ago, if you said ‘if you get vaccinated you can still catch COVID and you can still spread COVID, you would be removed from social media, they would ban you from certain platforms.”
He continued: 8 months or a year ago, “…if you said ‘I don’t think cloth masks work’ you would be banned from social media, now that’s openly and repeatedly stated on CNN. If you said ‘I think it’s possible COVID may have come from a lab’ you would be banned from many social media platforms – now it’s on the cover of Newsweek.”
Again, Rogan insisted that he isn’t endorsing the views of his guests, nor proclaiming them to be somehow correct or immutable: he’s simply exploring a range of viewpoints to help his audience arrive at their own conclusions, instead of being indoctrinated with viewpoints favorable to the masters of whatever corporate-owned media they consume.
“I don’t know if they’re right? No…I’m not a doctor, I’m not a scientist…I’m just a person who sits down with people and have conversations with them. Do I get things wrong? Absolutely…but when I get things wrong I try to correct them…because I’m interested in finding out what the truth is, and I’m interested in having conversations with people who have different opinions. I’m not interested in talking with people…who have only one perspective.”
Rogan then name-checked several more mainstream COVID experts – from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President Biden’s COVID advisory board), to others – as evidence that he is truly interested in hearing a diverse range of opinions and views, not just those who parrot the government-endorsed “official” narrative.
As for the situation with Neil Young, Rogan gamely noted that he’s “sure there are other things going on behind the scenes.” For example, might Young be doing this to try and fetch a higher price for his lifetime music catalogue ahead of a sale (like Bob Dylan did).
But still, Rogan insisted that he has always been a huge Neil Young fan, even recounting an amusing story about a Neil Young show he attended while working concert security in his youth.
As for the “interviews” he conducts with his guests, “…they are just conversations…often times I have no idea what I’m going to talk about until I sit down…that’s also the appeal of the show, it’s one of the things that makes it interesting.”
Toward the end of the video, Rogan said this to sum up:
“I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to do anything controversial, I’m just trying to have regular conversations with these people.”
“My pledge to you is that I will do my best to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so that we can maybe find a better view. I don’t just want to just show the contrary opinion to what the prevailing narrative is. I want to show all kinds of opinions so that we can figure out what’s going on – and not just about COVID, about health, about fitness, wellness, the state of the world itself.
And finally, he even thanked “the haters” for helping to keep him sharp.
“Even thank you to the haters, it’s good to have some haters because it makes you reassess what you’re doing…and I think that’s good, too.”
Rogan is the reigning king of podcasting: Episodes of his show, which typically last for three hours, are downloaded millions of times. His audience dwarfs everybody else in the commentary business, right, center, or left.
U.S.—Health experts are sounding the alarm over thousands and thousands of uncensored Joe Rogan-style conversations happening between millions of private citizens across the nation. Public health officials warn that if these conversations are not stopped, they may be powerless to halt the spread of opinions they don’t agree with.
“Joe Rogan is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Fredricka Boogflarp, an expert on misinformation from Harvard. “Every day around the country and around the world, people are having private conversations that contain dangerous misinformation, and there is no one there to correct it or put a stop to it. This is an existential threat to democracy and public health! THE PEOPLE MUST BE SILENCED!” Dr. Boogflarp then lifted her head and screamed at the sky.
Studies estimate that there are approximately 300-500 million conversations containing misinformation conducted every day in the U.S. alone. Experts have put forward potential solutions to this very serious problem, such as secret recording equipment, secret police, and just imprisoning everyone in gulags so they can’t talk to each other without approval anymore.
“If it weren’t for humans, maybe we’d finally be able to usher in our healthy and scientific utopia,” said Boogflarp before screaming at the sky once again.
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