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
I have not read a book that helped me understand the twentieth century Protestant theological landscape as much as this one in a long time. A good book of history describes something important; a great book of history opens up a whole host of important implications of the story it tells. This book is great because it describes changes in Evangelicalism that have far-reaching, even crucial theological implications for the future.
Will Evangelicalism Go Liberal?
In the late nineteenth century the main Protestant denominations were largely evangelical and orthodox, but by the mid twentieth century had become liberal and accommodated to the rapidly secularizing culture. After World War II there was a surge of evangelicalism fuelled by fundamentalists emerging from underground to re-engage culture and by refugees from the liberalizing mainline joining evangelicals in replacing the old mainline. That process is now almost complete as the old mainline denominations are fading away and have become irrelevant while the evangelical churches have now become the new mainline. The question I have been pondering recently is if the new evangelical mainline will also go liberal as well.
At first glance there would seem to be nothing to worry about. Evangelicalism is thriving numerically, although there are some clouds on that horizon. More importantly, the main characteristic of Liberal Protestantism, the denial of the supernatural, seems absent from Evangelicalism. Since the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy of the early twentieth century Evangelicals have been careful not to deny the virgin birth, miracles, atoning death, bodily resurrection and personal return of Christ. And the battle to affirm the inerrancy of the Bible seems to have been largely won. So, what would make anyone think that Evangelicalism is in danger of going liberal?
History of Worship in 20th Century Evangelicalism
In this book, “A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship” (hereafter HCPW), the authors describe two rivers of worship theology and practice that eventually merged into the Contemporary Praise & Worship industry that we have today. The great value of this book is the deeper understanding of the development of the changes in the twentieth century gained by the analytical precision the authors employ in distinguishing the two streams from each other.
The First Stream: Praise and Worship
The first stream originates in the Pentecostal revival of the Latter Rain in Western Canada beginning in 1948. In this stream, called in the book the “Praise & Worship” stream, there was a conviction that the key to good worship is to take Psalm 22:3 “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.” (KJV) Reg Layzell, a Pentecostal revivalist at the centre of the Latter Rain movement, began in 1948 to interpret this verse as meaning that, even though God is omnipresent, God’s presence is nevertheless manifest in a particular way when his people praise him. He emphasized that praising God is a choice we make and work we can do. The result is that an atmosphere is created in which there can be a direct encounter of the soul with God. This, for Layzell, is worship. Praise prepares the way for worship; hence the phrase “Praise and Worship.”
Worship in this tradition, as it developed outside the mainstream of Evangelicalism and later gradually infiltrated it, is the direct encounter of the soul with God. This is a kind of mysticism. Carl Trueman points out that “mysticism is alive and well within evangelical circles” and “evangelical mysticism is not really distinguishable from traditional liberalism at the level of its understanding of what constitutes truth.” (Crisis of Confidence: Reclaiming the Historic Faith in a Culture Consumed with Individualism and Identity, 24) Trueman points out that the liberalism of Schleiermacher was a kind of mysticism, rather than simply a denial of the supernatural. Certain strands of liberal theology, (if they did not take a turn toward reconceptualizing the faith in terms of “social justice”), were drawn to mysticism as a form of religion compatible with philosophical naturalism. Even as the old supernatural Christianity was emptied of meaning by naturalism, Christian words and symbols could be reinterpreted in terms of a mystical encounter with the Divine.
The interesting thing to note is that while liberal Protestants, having had their supernatural faith undermined by evolution and higher criticism, needed mysticism to make sense of continued religious practice, Pentecostals presumably had no such need. They cheerfully accepted the reality of the supernatural, yet they embraced mysticism anyway. The embrace of worship as an encounter of the soul with God that is not mediated by the Word (on the basis of an interpretation of a Bible verse!) set them up to fit nicely into the increasingly relativistic postmodern culture of the late twentieth century. The worldwide explosion of Pentecostal forms of Christianity can be seen as a new form of religion that matches up well with wider cultural trends.
The Second Stream: Contemporary Worship
The second stream identified by the authors of HCPW is that of “Contemporary Worship.” Here the key word is “pragmatism” and the key verse is 1 Cor 9:22b “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (KJV) Evangelicals like Ralph Carmichael became convinced that there was a gap between modern people and Christian music and that this gap was a barrier to the gospel. Carmichael believed that the gospel never changes but how the gospel is communicated (including the music used) much change continuously to keep up with secular trends. He argued that “all forms are morally neutral and thus potentially usable for proclaiming the gospel.” (HCPW, 207) He said that music is a language and just as any language can be used to proclaim the gospel so any kind of music can be used. This provided a rationale for liturgical pragmatism. Carmichael was supported by Billy Graham, who wrote a letter to him in April 1974 encouraging him in his composing work. (HCPW, 209) The idea that the primary purpose of the Sunday morning service is evangelism was widely accepted and so the music of worship was evaluated on the basis of how effective it was in evangelism.
This pragmatism in the service of evangelism was applied to worship “scientifically.” In the Church Growth movement headquartered at Fuller and the Seeker Sensitive movement promoted by Willow Creek this liturgical pragmatism drew on business models and sociological analysis to identify the target audience, the values held by this audience, and the best way to attract the attention of the audience. Contemporary music was seen by many mainline Protestants as a way to stem the declining attendance in their churches, but it was seen by Evangelicals as a way of reaching out and attracting unchurched people.
The final chapter of the book narrates how these two rivers, the Pentecostal/Charismatic Praise and Worship stream and the Evangelical Contemporary Worship stream, converged in the 1990’s into one gigantic river system that constitutes what we know today as the contemporary Christian music industry. And “industry” is the right word; it is a behemoth that cannot be ignored. As the subtitle of the book says these trends have indeed “reshaped the protestant church.”
Protestant worship underwent a major shift in the twentieth century from a Word-centered service in which there was a dialogue between God and his people to a mystical experience of direct encounter between the soul of the worshipper and God facilitated by contemporary music. The heart of worship was no longer a rationally exercised faith but rather a non-rational, emotional sense of connection. The mutation seems as drastic as the move from the medieval mass to Protestant preaching services in the sixteenth century. If doctrine follows liturgical practice, the long-term implications for Evangelical belief are still to be determined, but cannot be insignificant.
Marketers and Mystics Together
What is fascinating about these two streams is how they were able to merge even though superficially they seemed very different from each other. A business-oriented, marketing strategy would seem to have little to do with a mystical, emotional encounter with the Divine. Yet here we are; the marketers and the mystics lie down together in peace in the late modern kingdom of naturalism. The key to understanding how this could occur is to recognize that there is such a thing as functional naturalism, which is distinct from theoretical naturalism. In the former people just act as if everything in our experience could be reduced to natural laws and they do not take the supernatural into account. In the latter people pointedly proclaim that nothing exists beyond nature, so they believe there are no supernatural laws to consider.
As a result of the Enlightenment, Western culture adopted philosophical naturalism, which seemed to create an impenetrable barrier to Christian influence on culture. So, Liberal Protestantism adopted philosophical naturalism and immediately went into terminal decline. Evangelicalism rejected philosophical or theoretical naturalism, but adopted a functional naturalism, which made it compatible with the spirit of the age. Now what remains to be seen is if the functional naturalism of Evangelicalism will lead to secularization and the same fate as Liberal Protestantism. If the principle of “Lex orandi, lex credendi” (the law of prayer is the law of faith) turns out to hold for Evangelicalism, we may be looking at a looming catastrophe.
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Our security and unmindfulness of the changes we are liable to in this world.
I have put far from me the day of disaster; Amos 6:3(ESV) and in my prosperity have said, “I shall never be moved,” Psalm 30:6(ESV) as if tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure. Isaiah 56:12(ESV)
I have encouraged my soul to relax, to eat and drink and be merry, as if I had goods laid up for many years, when perhaps this night my soul may be required of me. Luke 12:19-20(ESV)
I have been ready to set my hope on the uncertainty of riches, more than on the living God; 1 Timothy 6:17(ESV) to say to the gold, “You are my hope,” and to the fine gold, “You are my confidence.” Job 31:24(ESV)
Our fretfulness and impatience and murmuring under our afflictions, our inordinate dejection and distrust of God and his providence.
When you have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, I have been like an untrained calf; Jeremiah 31:18(ESV) and though my own folly has brought my way to ruin, yet my heart has raged against the LORD; Proverbs 19:3(ESV) and thus, in my distress I have become yet more faithless to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 28:22(ESV)
I have either despised the LORD’s discipline or been weary of his reproof; Proverbs 3:11(ESV) and if I faint in the day of adversity, my strength is small. Proverbs 24:10(ESV)
I have said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight”; Psalm 31:22(ESV) and, “The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me”; Isaiah 49:14(ESV) as if God would never again be favorable, Psalm 77:7(ESV) as if he had forgotten to be gracious and had in anger shut up his compassion. This has been my infirmity. Psalm 77:9-10(ESV)
Nehemiah 6:15-7:73 In this week’s studies, we see how Nehemiah responded when the wall was finally completed.
Theme
Remembering God
What a thrill, to tackle something extremely difficult and to keep at it until you reach a triumphant conclusion.
This is what Nehemiah did. Therefore, it remains thrilling to read his story even today.
Nehemiah had come to Jerusalem from Susa with a single-minded objective: to rebuild the massive but ruined wall of Jerusalem. He was beset by obstacles. Nehemiah pressed on, and on. So great was the task and so great its accomplishment that we can hardly miss the thrill of the superb understatement in verse 15: “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.”
Nehemiah had received his brother’s report about Jerusalem when he was in Susa in the month of Kislev, that is, in the winter of 444 B.C. He received permission to go to Jerusalem in the month of Nisan, our April. Preparation and travel took time, so he arrived in Jerusalem and began the work on what we would call August 1. Now, fifty-two days later, on September 21, the reconstruction of the massive walls was done—one and a half to two and a half miles of masonry. From the time he had first heard about the problem when he was in Susa until the wall was finished was only nine months. The construction was completed within two months of his arrival in the city.
If there was ever a time when Nehemiah could have been tempted to sit back and take credit for his success, it was when the wall was completed. But he did not. What he did shows his greatness. First, at the end of chapter 6 we learn that Nehemiah gave glory to God. He says, “When all our enemies heard about this and all the surrounding nations saw it, our enemies lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God” (v. 16).
Since Nehemiah had come from the winter capital of Babylon, I cannot help but think of the contrasting words of that earlier Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, who had conquered Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar was proud of his accomplishments, and one day, when he was walking on the roof of his royal palace in Babylon, he looked out over the city and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as a royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30).
It was the exact opposite of what Nehemiah said. Nehemiah gave glory for his achievement to God. Why is it that so many people will acknowledge God and even pray to Him regularly and fervently on their way up the long ladder of success, but once they reach that pinnacle they forget their religion and regard success as their own exclusive achievement? It is inexplicable, unless the reason is that they conveniently “forget” God so they can indulge themselves without any higher responsibility. Nehemiah did not do this. He remembered God, and so retained his usefulness to God beyond the accomplishment of his initial objective. That is why the book does not end with chapter 6.
Study Questions
Review the chronology of the rebuilding of the wall, from the time Nehemiah was in Susa to when the wall was completed.
What is the first thing Nehemiah did after repairing the wall? How does that contrast with Nebuchadnezzar’s response to his great accomplishment?
Application
Reflection: Upon the completion of something important, is your first thought to give praise to God for the abilities He has given to you, or is it to give credit to yourself?
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message, “God’s Blessings on the City.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
Skeptics of the Bible have identified thousands of places in the ancient manuscripts where words or letters don’t agree or match. How can we trust these manuscripts if they seem to disagree in places?
To see more training videos with J. Warner Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
Why do the meek inherit the Earth? That seems … wrong. And inaccurate.
Meekness is not a word we use regularly. When I googled meekness, the example sentence provided was, no joke, “All his best friends make fun of him for his meekness.” Yikes. We associate meekness with timidity or mousiness, something closer to a vice than a virtue.
Yet Jesus states it baldly, in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5, NRSVue). He is indirectly quoting Psalm 37:11, where the meek also inherit the land.
Jesus even cites his own meekness as a reason for people to trust him. “Follow me,” he says later in that same gospel, “for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29, KJV). Surely Jesus is not calling himself a doormat. And even if he was, timid passivity is certainly not a good reason to follow someone, nor is it a reason to inherit the Earth.
Newer translations of Matthew 11:29 often use “gentle” instead of “meek,” as in the NIV, NRSV, and many others. But Matthew 5:5 often remains “meek,” even in the newer translations.
So, what is meekness with which Christ identifies himself? The kind that makes him worthy to follow to the end in our weariness, the kind of meekness that inherits the Earth, in the repeated phrase of the Beatitudes and Psalm 37?
We have clearly become squirmy around this word — but meekness actually expresses something central to the Christian life, something we would do well to reclaim as followers of Christ. Gentleness is a good word, but it doesn’t mean exactly the same thing as historical meekness. Let us become word nerds for a minute and look at the medieval meanings of meekness.
Medieval Meanings of Meekness
For medieval theologians and thinkers, meekness was a virtue, a habit of being in the world, that measured angry responses. In Thomas Aquinas’s words, meekness “moderates anger according to right reason,” regulating the desire for vengeance, destroying hatred itself.
In other words, meekness is not quite the same as gentleness. It can be quite stern. Meekness adapts anger as it needs to be adapted to contexts and circumstances. It is a form of patience specifically geared for handling anger. In a little fifteenth-century treatise with an evocative title, The Tree and the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost, the author writes that “patience ordains us to the fruition and use of endless peace.” As the type of patience measuring anger, meekness, too, ordains us towards cultivating peace. In practicing meekness, we become someone who can catch an elusive glimpse of the eternal peace of the Kingdom of Heaven even in anger and then chase that vision.
Meekness really has nothing to do with being a mouse or a doormat. A meek person is someone who handles her anger well. She is angry in the right contexts, with wise responses that are neither overheated nor too cold. The meek person is never bitter nor hateful, both of which are warped forms of anger.
The meek are not controlled by their anger, though they can still be angry. In fact, the anger of the meek has the power to change unjust social systems or to reset relationships, because it is oriented ultimately to the abiding peace of Jesus and towards recognizing the image of God in each person, however much of a jerk they may be.
Christ the King, the Meek Lamb
We begin to see why meekness is a virtue that Christ claims for himself. Christ the King is the meek lamb who did not open his mouth before the slaughter. We witness his crucifixion as the great final rejection of humanity’s wasting wrath.
The meek do not wilt under pressure, submitting to oppression because they are too weak to fight back. Only the meek are courageous and loving and powerful enough to refuse to return violence in the face of the sword that pierces the soul and the nails that perforate the hands and feet.
And yet they are no passive or repressed bystanders; they act upon their anger in moments and places where it would be wrong not to act upon anger at religious hypocrisy, at exploitation of the needy, at cultivated ignorance.
The Only Free Person
So then, back to my original question: why do the meek inherit the kingdom? A collection for preachers which offered material for sermons shockingly claimed that “meekness deserves to be a leader.” We can begin to see how this surprising statement can be true. Only the meek are not purely reactive to and within their contexts; they alone can reject an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and break the perpetual cycle of human violence. A meek person is a free person, the only truly free person.
The meek inherit the earth because they are the only ones who can be trusted with that truly kingly inheritance. Only meek Mary is mother of Jesus. Only the meek Jesus can judge hearts; only the meek Savior can rule the world.
In accessible and thoughtful chapters, scholar and writer Grace Hamman shows how learning about pairs of medieval virtues and vices can help us reevaluate our own washed out and insipid moral vocabulary in modernity. Our imaginations for the good life are expanded; our longing for sanctification sharpens. Old ideas can give us new fire in our practice of the virtue — and in that practice, we imitate Jesus and become more human.
In a reflective essay, I express sorrow over recent deaths and societal evils while finding peace and joy through faith in the Lord. I emphasize the Bible as a guiding manual for life and salvation, offering hope amidst darkness and urging readers to look to Jesus for comfort and understanding.
What a week this has been! What a sorrowful past few months. John MacArthur passed away, James Dobson too, the Catholic School shooting, the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, and of course, the assassination of Conservative and Christian Charlie Kirk.
It was a shocking few weeks and made more so by the reality of social media and the immediacy of seeing it happen live, and then seeing it circulated around the world in real time.
The world convulsed at the latest blatant evil of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. And convulsed in disgust again when so many little antichrists celebrated and applauded Kirk’s killing, which left behind two small children and a widow.
What is encouraging about all that? Why am I peaceful in the midst of horror and evil and death? Why do I have joy in the midst of the shadows encroaching on a rapidly darkening world?
Because of the gifts of the Lord.
I was 41 before the Lord’s grace and mercy captured me and gave me faith to repent. Before that moment, I had searched actively and persistently for answers to the big questions. They bothered me. Why are people so awful? Why are there Hitlers? Why are the Jews hated? Why is Israel always at war with aggressors? Why do we only live 70 or 80 years then die? Is there life after death? Do we go to heaven? Who gets to go?
I seriously wondered about these things and it was a torment not to know the answers, especially to this one: WHAT IS THE POINT OF LIFE?!
Then grace came and I saw my sin and the sin problem we all have. I was devastated by my own evil and the evil all around me I now saw. Literally the scales fell from my eyes. But I was also energized, relieved, and joyful. The BIBLE has the answers. The Author of this magnificent book wrote it all down and gave it to us. It is the manual to life on earth and to eternal life. It offers a relationship with its main character, Jesus. And this Author, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Creator of all, Transcendent and Self-Existent Living God, gives us access to Him!
Through His word in the Bible and through prayer and through other Spirit-filled Christians, we can KNOW. We know why things are the way they are. We know why we sin. We have the Spirit’s help to resist sin, the world, and the evil one. We have a hope and a destiny. We are His co-heirs!
You know, of all 66 books in the Bible and all 1,189 chapters, only 4 chapters in 2 books do not mention sin. Genesis 1-2, and Revelation 21-22. The entire rest of the Bible deals with sin, our problem of sin, and the remedy for sin. The only remedy is Jesus.
Romans 1:18-32 describes what happens to any society and individual who persistently rejects His gospel. Genesis 3 describes how sin came into our lives. Romans 3 shows us the problem and the solution to unrighteousness. Revelation 6 onward shows in graphic detail the reality of spiritual warfare and the horror of God’s anger and punishment for it.
James tells us what happens to us when we give in to our lusts and passions. Ephesians tells us how important it is to raise our children right. And so on and so on. It’s all in there! What a joy knowing we can turn to the Bible and see in tis pages wisdom, comfort, prophetic promises.
Aren’t you joyful knowing that we know the solution? Aren’t you peaceful knowing that no matter the world’s or our individual circumstances, we have peace and a hope and a future?
I created the collage below 20 years ago. It’s my representation of a world in chaos and turmoil, while the woman in the middle of it sips tea calmly. It was a sort of mood board, a personal hope that when the world was obviously in the state the collage depicts, that I would by then have grown in Christ enough to find peace, joy, and comfort in Christ to be calm (but not unemotional) about what is happening around me. I was thinking of how Paul and Silas in chains sang in prison.
What a comfort to read the facts and realities in His word and what a grace that He gave us a mind to understand them. It’s all in His word! As the world darkens what a contrast it will be when we reach heaven’s light! When we are free in total from sin and its evil effects.
Listen to this simply profound song by Dallas Holm. Put it on repeat. Really hear the lyrics. You have peace. You have hope. You have faith. You have joy. You possess these things. Look, I know how sad things are now. I cried over it all then cried again. Then I decided to look in His word. Look to Jesus.
This verse was enough to convert Charles Spurgeon. It is enough to relieve you and me of worry and fear,
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22, KJV).
Look, LOOK to Jesus.
FURTHER RESOURCES
Our Nation’s Descent into Depravity (sermon) What’s happening in our country? How did we get to this point? What’s the cause of our nation’s descent into depravity?
The reality of God’s wrath (sermon) The truth is, a biblically accurate understanding of God’s righteous wrath can only increase our appreciation for His tremendous grace. Understanding the depth of our spiritual needs and the punishment due for our sinful rebellion enriches our understanding of the full majesty of His grace to us.
When God abandons a nation (sermon) This section is about the wrath of God. Admittedly not a popular subject, certainly not a popular subject in the world and not even a very popular subject in the church. But an absolutely critical and central subject to any understanding of the gospel, the wrath of God.
THE WORLD HATES BELIEVERS BECAUSE IT HATED JESUS CHRIST
you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.… Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (15:18b, 20)
Christians should not be surprised at the world’s hostility toward them, since it hated Jesus (cf. 7:7) before it hated them (cf. 17:14). That hatred has been manifested throughout John’s gospel. In 5:16 “the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath”; in verse 18 “the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God”; in 7:1 “the Jews were seeking to kill Him”; in verse 32 “the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him”; in 8:59 and 10:31 “they picked up stones to throw at Him”; in 11:47–53 they plotted to kill Him; eventually they arrested Him, beat Him, scourged Him, and crucified Him. No wonder, then, that the writer of Hebrews called on his readers to “consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself” (Heb. 12:3). Jesus’ word that He had earlier said to the disciples, A slave is not greater than his master, refers to His statement in 13:16. There, however, the Lord was speaking of humblest service of a slave. He, “the Lord and the Teacher” (v. 14) had humbly washed their feet, and the disciples were to follow His example (v. 15). Here Christ’s point was that the disciples should expect to follow His example of suffering (cf. 1 Peter 2:21); they had no right to expect better treatment from the world than He had received. If they persecuted Me, Jesus reiterated, they will also persecute you. Earlier in His ministry Jesus had told them, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!” (Matt. 10:24–25). Believers identify with Jesus Christ in the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10; cf. 2 Cor. 1:5; Gal. 6:17; Col. 1:24). But the picture was not entirely bleak; the Lord went on to add, If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. As was the case with Jesus, the majority would reject the disciples’ teaching and persecute them. But there would always be a minority (cf. Matt. 7:14; 22:14; Luke 13:24) who would accept the disciples’ message. The joy of seeing those few come to faith in Christ far outweighs the sorrow caused by the hatred and hostility of the many who reject the gospel.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2008). John 12–21 (pp. 172–173). Moody Publishers.
Hated for No Cause
John 15:18–25
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ ”
The complaint is sometimes made against some American evangelists that, while they may faithfully proclaim the advantages of Christianity, they nevertheless do not adequately confess the disadvantages from the human point of view. In particular, they do not stress the cost of discipleship nor that the one who faithfully follows Christ will be persecuted. I cannot say how true this criticism is. It is probably less true today than it was a few years ago. But whatever the case, the failure does not stem from Jesus. He was totally honest about discipleship. True, he taught the many and great advantages of following him—eternal life, access to the Father through prayer, the gift of the Holy Spirit, a home prepared by him in heaven. But at the same time he never glossed over the fact that love for him would mean the world’s hatred. We have a prominent example of this in the verses that form the second half of John 15. Up to this point Jesus has stressed the blessings that naturally come to one who has left all to follow him. He has been doing this in order to comfort the disciples, for they were rightly distressed at thoughts of their Lord’s pending departure. But now the emphasis changes, and instead of privileges Christ speaks of persecution. The dominant theme is the hostility of the world to Christ and his followers, the word “hate” or “hatred” being repeated seven times. Earlier he had spoken of “his own,” now of “the world.” Before, it was “friends,” now “enemies.” First he declared his “love” for them and exhorted them to love; in these verses he warns of the world’s “hatred.” These verses are of great importance, if for no other reason than that we might learn of the great gap between those who are Christ’s own and the world. If we understand it, we will not raise so many questions as to whether there is harm in this or that. We will not ask how worldly we can be. Rather, we will seek the will of God in all things and strive for God’s glory.
The World’s Hatred
Christ begins by talking about the hatred of the world for the disciples. But the thrust of the verses is not only to say that they will be hated; it is also to show why. There are three reasons. First, the disciples of Christ will be hated because they are not “of the world” (v. 19). When John uses the term “world” (as he does five times in just this one verse), he is using it not of the world globe, the earth, or even of the human race that populates the earth. Rather, he is using it of the world system. It is the world of men in rebellion against God, and consequently, it is inclusive of the world’s values, pleasures, pastimes, and aspirations. It is said of the world in this sense that it does not know God (1 John 3:1) and that it rejected Jesus (John 1:10). This is the world that hates Christ’s followers, and the reason it hates them is that they are not of it. The world hates them for the difference. In Barclay’s commentary on John there are several illustrations of this principle, all from purely secular sources. The first concerns the man who invented the umbrella. Today umbrellas may be seen everywhere and are not at all unusual. But when Jonas Hanway first tried to introduce the umbrella into England and walked down the street beneath one he was pelted with dirt and stones. He was actually persecuted. Again, there is Aristides of Athens. Aristides lived during Athens’ golden era and was an outstanding man. He was called Aristides the Just. Yet he was banished from Athens. Why? When one of the citizens was asked why he had voted for Aristides’ banishment, he answered, “Because I am tired of hearing him always called the Just.” A third illustration is Socrates. Socrates was known as the human gadfly because he was always calling upon others to examine themselves and think deeply, but for this they hated and killed him. Barclay concludes, “To put it at its widest—the world always suspects nonconformity. The world likes a pattern; it likes to be able to label a person and to classify him and to put him in a pigeon-hole. And anyone who does not conform to the pattern will certainly meet trouble.” If this is true of any difference at all, as it seems to be, how much more true is it of that radical difference caused by the transformation of some individuals by the Spirit and power of Jesus Christ. Here is a difference that makes the unusual qualities of Hanway, Aristides, or Socrates pale by comparison. Christians have been with Jesus and have become like him in part. They are not like the world—at least they had best not be. They have other experiences, loyalties, and goals. So the world hates them. There is a second reason Jesus gives for the world’s hatred of his disciples, and this is that he has “chosen” them out of the world. He says, “You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (v. 19). What is the meaning of this? It is merely the old subject of election. Christ elected the disciples to salvation. He chose them for a specific work in this world. Therefore, although the world rejects Christ’s salvation and despises his work, it also hates those who have been chosen by him for it. There is probably nothing that the world hates more than the doctrine of election. Certainly it was this more than anything else that caused the world’s virulent hatred of Christ during the days of his ministry. In John 6, after Jesus had begun to talk about election, pointing out that no man is able to come to him unless drawn by the Father and that those who do not come to him do not because they cannot, we read that many of his disciples “turned back and no longer followed him” (v. 66). Similarly, in John 8, after he had taught the same thing, we read, “Then took they up stones to throw at him” (v. 59). Nothing so stirs up the hatred of the worldly mind than the teaching that God in sovereign grace elects some and does not elect others. Third, because it hates Christ, the world hates Christians because of their identification with Christ. This truth is probably present in verse 19 of our text also, as we see when we read the verse with an emphasis upon the word “I.” “I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” This emphasis is justified because of the drift of the verses that follow. There Christ says, “If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they have obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name” (vv. 20–21). Here is the crux of the matter. Why does the world hate Christians? It hates them because it hates their Master. Hatred does not exist because of what Christians are in themselves; they are nothing. It does not exist because of what they have done; they are harmless (or at least they should be). Hatred exists because the world hates Jesus and because Christians are identified with him by virtue of his call.
Christ Hated
But in a sense, this only pushes the problem back one step, for having explained the first hatred by the hatred of Jesus, we immediately ask: But why does the world hate Jesus? It is a perfectly valid question. Jesus answers it in verses 22–24. The first reason is that the world hates Jesus because of his words. Jesus states this by saying, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guily of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well” (vv. 22–23). Why should they hate Jesus for his words? There are people whom we might hate for their words. Some men’s words are arrogant, and people are opposed to them for their arrogance. We all hate pride and show it no pity, save in ourselves. But Jesus was not arrogant. Rather, he was entirely humble, the most perfectly humble man who ever lived, who even when he was afflicted “did not open his mouth” (Isa. 53:7). Some men’s words are selfish. Everything revolves around themselves, and they are rightly despised for that. But Jesus was not selfish. He actually gave up his divine prerogatives in order that he might become like us and die for our salvation. Some person’s words are mean. But can we hate Christ for that? He was not mean. Instead, he was loving and gentle. He said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). In still other cases the words men speak are hypocritical, and they are hated for that. But the Lord was not hypocritical. Instead, he is the only man who ever lived whose word could always be trusted, who never said one thing while meaning another. Then what does Christ mean when he says that his words are one cause of men’s hatred? How can this be if they were not arrogant, selfish, mean, or hypocritical? That is just the problem. Before Christ came and spoke, men and women could get by with relative goodness. They could have a little arrogance, but not too much; a little selfishness, but not too much; a little meanness, a little hypocrisy. Moreover, they could be thought good because of the limitation. After Christ came this was revealed for what it is: sin. People hated the exposure. Ironside tells a story to illustrate this point. Years ago, at the time of the opening up of inland Africa by missionaries, the wife of an African chief happened to visit a mission station. The missionary had a little mirror hung up on a tree outside his home, and the woman happened to glance into it. She had come straight out of her pagan environment and had never seen the hideous paintings on her face, or her hardened features. Now, gazing at her own face, she was startled. She asked the missionary, “Who is that horrible-looking person inside the tree?” “It is not the tree,” said the missionary. “The glass is reflecting your own face.” She could not believe it until she was holding the mirror in her hand. When she had understood she said to the missionary, “I must have the glass. How much will you sell it for?” The missionary did not want to sell his mirror. But she insisted so strongly that in the end he thought it would be better to sell it to her and thus avoid trouble. A price was set, and she took the glass. Fiercely she said, “I will never have it making faces at me again.” She threw it down and broke it to pieces. Men and women hated the Lord Jesus Christ for much the same reasons. That is why they hate him today and hate the Bible. Christ and God’s Word reveal our true selves, and we do not like the revelation. There is a second reason why the world hates Christ, and that is his works. He indicates this by saying, “If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father” (v. 24). In this case, as in the previous verses, it is not that men and women actually were sinless before Christ’s coming; that is clearly untrue. It is that his works, like his words, brought sin to light. This word “miracles” is very significant in John’s Gospel. Earlier in these studies we looked at the important term “signs,” John’s characteristic term for a miracle. John uses “signs” seventeen times, but he uses “miracles” (often translated “works” in the NIV) twenty-seven times; and of those twenty-seven times, eighteen apply exclusively to what Jesus has done. On occasion this word refers to what we would term miracles, for example, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished” (7:21). But it also refers to all that Christ does, as when he prays to the Father, saying, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (17:4). The distinct characteristic of this term is that the works are God’s works. Thus, we find Christ saying, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (5:19). Just before healing the man who had been born blind he said we “must work the work of him who sent me” (9:4). When we put the term in this context, we see that the works of Jesus are the works of God and, therefore, the revelation of God. The works of God and the revelation of God are brought to their proper climax and completion in the ministry of Jesus. This is precisely why the world hates Jesus. It hates him because he was doing the works of God; and the works of God, like the words of God, reveal our spiritual bankruptcy. Before we had Christ’s works for comparison, our works looked pretty good. But next to his deeds, even the best of ours looks shabby. In the final analysis, then, the hatred of the world for Christ’s followers may be reduced to this. The world hates Christ’s followers because it hates Christ, and the world hates Christ because it hates God the Father.
Two Judgments
What will our reaction be at that point? If it is the reaction of the world, it might be that we should write off discipleship as a bad bet. Discipleship? That is a fine thought if it leads to glory with Christ. But hatred? Persecution? A cross? Who wants those? Would it not be better to simply walk a bit closer to the world and its ways and so escape the world’s judgment? That reaction seems wise, so long as we give no thought to God’s assessment of the situation. Write God off, and the option of a pleasant and favored life seems preferable. But place God in the picture, give attention to his judgment, and the balance changes. For what is God’s judgment? It is suggested at the end of this passage by that verse in which Christ quotes from the Old Testament saying, “But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason’ ” (v. 25). The quotation here is either from Psalm 35:19 or Psalm 69:4, but the source is not significant. The significant thing is that in these verses God himself expresses a judgment upon the world’s hatred of Christ and Christ’s followers, saying that it is entirely without cause, groundless, unfair, without any justification. It is therefore blameworthy and culpable. What will God do in the face of that situation? Will he ignore the injustice? Can he ignore it? He cannot. Rather, he will move against those who have hated or ignored his Son. He will judge them. And he will receive and honor those who have taken their place alongside Jesus and who in quiet faith and determination have borne the world’s ridicule with him. Finally, there is also a word for those who have taken their stand with Jesus and have known the world’s hatred. If this has been true of you, you will know that the favor of the world is not worthy to be compared with the favor of Jesus toward his own and that the world’s fellowship, for all its joviality, cannot compare with our fellowship with Christ. You would not think of returning to what you were before you met Jesus. But hatred from others can have the effect of making one hard, and out of that hardness there can arise a desire to strike back in fierce retaliation. This is not Christ’s way. Therefore, if you are in danger of this, remember that it is said of Christ, “They hated me without reason.” Then, in imitation of him, make sure that you give no cause to hatred either. Let such enmity as there is be provoked only by your fellowship with your Lord.
Boice, J. M. (2005). The Gospel of John: an expositional commentary (pp. 1189–1194). Baker Books.
As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.Isaiah 31:5
With hurrying wing the mother bird hastens up to the protection of her young. She wastes no time upon the road when coming to supply them with food or guard them from danger. Thus as on eagle’s wings will the Lord come for the defense of His chosen; yea, He will ride upon the wings of the wind.
With outspread wing the mother covers her little ones in the nest. She hides them away by interposing her own body. The hen yields her own warmth to her chicks and makes her wings a house, in which they dwell at home. Thus doth Jehovah Himself become the protection of His elect. He Himself is their refuge, their abode, their all.
As birds flying and birds covering (for the word means both), so will the Lord be unto us: and this He will be repeatedly and successfully. We shall be defended and preserved from all evil: the Lord who likens Himself to birds will not be like them in their feebleness, for He is Jehovah of hosts. Let this be our comfort, that almighty love will be swift to succor and sure to cover. The wing of God is more quick and more tender than the wing of a bird, and we will put our trust under its shadow henceforth and forever.
He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is brokenPsalm 34:20
This promise by the context is referred to the much afflicted righteous man: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” He may suffer skin wounds and flesh wounds, but no great harm shall be done; “not a bone of him shall be broken.”
This is great comfort to a tried child of God, and comfort which I dare accept; for up to this hour I have suffered no real damage from my many afflictions. I have neither lost faith, nor hope, nor love. Nay so far from losing these bones of character, they have gained in strength and energy. I have more knowledge, more experience, more patience, more stability than I had before the trials came. Not even my joy has been destroyed. Many a bruise have I had by sickness, bereavement, depression, slander, and opposition; but the bruise has healed, and there has been no compound fracture of a bone, not even a simple one. The reason is not far to seek. If we trust in the Lord, He keeps all our bones; and if He keeps them, we may be sure that not one of them is broken.
Come, my heart, do not sorrow. Thou art smarting, but there are no bones broken. Endure hardness and bid defiance to fear.
Don’t forsake the power of prayer and worship. These practices are not optional extras but vital rhythms that strengthen believers to live with courage, grace, and perseverance in a challenging world.
True faith is not meant to be lived only on Sundays or in moments of crisis. It is a daily journey shaped by conversation with God, expressions of worship, and the sustaining promise of hope. Don’t forsake the power of prayer and worship. These practices are not optional extras but vital rhythms that strengthen believers to live with courage, grace, and perseverance in a challenging world.
The Power of Prayer and Worship
Prayer and worship are the lifeblood of everyday faith. Prayer connects believers directly to God, while worship directs hearts and minds toward His greatness. When hope is added to these disciplines, the Christian life becomes resilient, enduring hardship with confidence in God’s promises.
Prayer as Daily Communion with God
Prayer is more than a list of requests; it is communion with the Creator. Through prayer, believers pour out their hearts, seek direction, and receive peace that surpasses understanding. Morning prayers can set the tone for the day, asking God to guide steps and words. Evening prayers provide space to reflect, confess, and rest in His care. Short prayers throughout the day—often called breath prayers—help keep God at the center of daily life.
This rhythm of conversation with God cultivates awareness of His presence. It reminds believers that they do not face their responsibilities, relationships, or struggles alone. Prayer also provides strength in weakness, aligning human will with God’s purposes. Over time, consistent prayer reshapes the heart, softens attitudes, and deepens trust.
Worship as an Offering of the Whole Self
Worship is not confined to music or Sunday gatherings. True worship is the offering of one’s entire life to God. Singing songs of praise lifts the spirit and magnifies God’s name, but acts of service, generosity, and obedience are equally forms of worship. When worship flows from gratitude, it reminds believers of God’s goodness and helps them focus beyond present difficulties.
In community settings, worship unites people across backgrounds and differences, giving them one voice to glorify God. Alone, worship provides a sanctuary for the heart, drawing the believer into intimacy with God. Together and individually, worship is a posture of humility and awe that keeps faith vibrant.
Hope as a Steady Anchor
Hope is what sustains faith through trials. It is not wishful thinking but confidence in God’s promises. Hope looks forward to the fulfillment of God’s kingdom, even while facing present pain or uncertainty. When believers fix their eyes on the hope found in Christ, they gain perspective that steadies their hearts.
Hope fuels endurance, reminding Christians that suffering is not the final word. It inspires courage to keep serving and loving when circumstances seem bleak. By clinging to hope, believers live as witnesses of God’s faithfulness to a world often marked by despair.
How Prayer, Worship, and Hope Work Together
Prayer, worship, and hope are deeply interconnected. Prayer feeds worship, as communication with God leads naturally to adoration. Worship strengthens hope, as songs and acts of devotion remind believers of God’s unchanging promises. Hope, in turn, enriches prayer, giving confidence that God hears and answers according to His will.
Together, these three practices create a cycle of renewal. A believer who prays consistently, worships wholeheartedly, and clings to hope will not easily be shaken. Faith becomes more than belief—it becomes a lived experience that transforms the ordinary moments of life into opportunities for encountering God.
To experience the full impact of the power of prayer and worship, believers can establish small but intentional rhythms. Setting aside a few minutes each morning to pray and read Scripture can frame the day with spiritual clarity. Singing hymns or worship songs in the car or while working at home can lift the heart and reorient attention toward God. Keeping a journal of answered prayers and testimonies of God’s faithfulness builds hope when challenges arise.
Families can pray together at meals or bedtime, weaving faith into daily routines. Churches can encourage members to carry worship into workplaces, neighborhoods, and homes, demonstrating that faith is not bound to a building but expressed in every aspect of life. These practical steps help make prayer, worship, and hope more than ideals—they become habits that sustain faith in all circumstances.
Living with Faith That Endures
The Christian journey is not free from struggle, but the power of prayer and worship, rooted in hope, makes faith resilient. Prayer keeps the heart connected to God, worship keeps the soul lifted in praise, and hope keeps the mind fixed on the promises yet to come. Together, they form a foundation that equips believers to face each day with confidence in God’s presence and purpose.
Everyday faith is strengthened not by extraordinary moments but by ordinary practices lived faithfully over time, like the power of prayer and worship. When prayer becomes conversation, worship becomes lifestyle, and hope becomes anchor, believers reflect the reality of God’s kingdom in their lives. In this way, faith endures, grows, and shines brightly in a world longing for hope.
Description:In this episode, Dr. Clark discusses Heinrich Bullinger’s Teaching on the Lord’s Supper supported from documents such as Consensus Tigurinus and the Second Helvetic Confession.
And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” (18:24–30)
The Lord’s comment on this tragic incident may be summarized under two headings. He first described the poverty of riches. After Jesus looked at the rich young ruler walk away, He turned to His disciples (Matt. 19:23) and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” They were no doubt shocked by that statement, since the idea that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing was deeply entrenched in Jewish theology. Accordingly, the rich were thought to have the inside track to salvation, since they had received greater divine blessings and could give more alms. That errant viewpoint was articulated by Job’s useless friends. Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, they assumed there was a causal connection between wealth and God’s blessing. Conversely, they saw suffering as a sure sign of God’s punishment for sin, and therefore pressured innocent Job to confess and repent of his sins. In reality, it is impossible for the rich to buy their way into the kingdom, as the proverbial statement “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” indicates. The Persians expressed impossibility by using a familiar proverb stating that it would be easier for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle. The Jews picked up the proverb, substituting a camel for an elephant, since camels were the largest animals in Palestine. Some, unwilling to face the stark reality that the saying implies, have attempted to soften it. Noting the similarity between the Greek words kamelos (camel) and kamilos (a large rope or cable), some suggest that a copyist erred by substituting the former for the latter. It is unlikely, however, that all three Synoptic Gospels would have been changed in the same way. Nor would a scribe make the statement harder rather than easier. He might change the wording from “camel” to “cord,” but not from “cord” to “camel.” But even a rope could no more go through the eye of a needle than a camel could. Others imagine that the reference is to a small gate in Jerusalem’s wall that camels could only enter with great difficulty. But there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed. Nor would any person with common sense have attempted to force a camel through such a small gate even if one had existed; they would simply have brought their camel into the city through a larger gate. The obvious point of that picturesque expression of hyperbole is not that salvation is difficult, but rather that it is humanly impossible for everyone by any means, including the wealthy (cf. Mark 10:23–24). Sinners are aware of their guilt and fear, and may even desire a relationship with God that would bring forgiveness and peace. But they cannot hold on to their sinful priorities and personal control and think they can come to God on their own terms. The young man illustrates that reality. Those who heard the Lord’s words understood what He meant. They were astonished and exclaimed, “Then who can be saved?” The rich could afford to give more alms than other people, and the Jews believed that almsgiving was key to entering the kingdom. The apocryphal book of Tobit expressed that view when it said, “It is better to give alms than to lay up gold: for alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life” (Tobit 12:8–9; cf. Sirach 3:30). The Lord’s reply, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God,” reiterated the truth that salvation is humanly impossible, and that only a sovereign act of God can change the heart (John 1:11–13; 3:3–8; 6:44; Eph. 2:8–9). In contrast to the rich young ruler, the disciples had abandoned everything to follow Christ. As Peter noted, “Behold, we have left our own homes (no word for homes is in the Greek text, so that all their possessions are in view) and followed You.” Matthew 19:27 records that Peter followed up this statement with the question, “What then will there be for us?” The Lord’s reply introduced the second point in His comment on this incident, the riches of poverty. Peter’s comment and question were legitimate, and Jesus did not rebuke him for them. Instead, He gave the wonderful promise, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” The Lord affirmed that, unlike the rich young ruler, the disciples (and all who forsake everything for the sake of the kingdom of God), had been granted by God the full blessings of eternal life. To yield up everything in this life to gain access to the blessings of His kingdom is the greatest wealth (cf. Luke 9:24–25). God, in His lavish grace, promises that the redeemed will receive many times as much at this time in addition to receiving, in the age to come, eternal life. This is the great exchange: believers receive the treasure hidden in the field (Matt. 13:44) and the pearl of great value (Matt. 13:46) when they willingly give up the right to all that they possess. Matthew’s account adds another dimension to the believers’ rewards. In Matthew 19:28 Jesus added, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” In addition to the spiritual blessings God pours out on them in this life, and the full blessings of eternal life in heaven, there is a third sphere in which believers will be blessed. The “regeneration” of which our Lord spoke is His earthly, millennial kingdom, “when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne.” That kingdom will be the rebirth of the world; paradise regained. Those who have been granted a spiritual rebirth at salvation will participate in the rebirth of the earth; the “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19) and the “period of restoration of all things” (v. 21). It is the kingdom about which Jesus taught the disciples for forty days between His resurrection and ascension (Acts 1:3). In that kingdom, the apostles will “sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” The Lord’s answer to the disciples’ question, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:7) is revealing. Instead of rebuking them for failing to understand amillennialism, which teaches that He spoke only of a spiritual kingdom in which the church presently replaces Israel, Jesus affirmed the kingdom coming to Israel when He replied, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” The apostles were correct in assuming that the kingdom would be an earthly one involving Israel; but the historical time when it would be established was not for them to know. All the saints from all of redemptive history—the Old Testament saints (Dan. 7:18), New Testament saints (1 Cor. 6:2), and, as noted above, the twelve apostles—are going to be gathered into that glorious kingdom to enjoy all the bounty of paradise regained.
MacArthur, J. (2014). Luke 18–24 (pp. 40–43). Moody Publishers.
Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It is, of course, entirely impossible for a camel, hump and all, to pass through the eye of a needle. Think of it: a camel, Palestine’s largest animal, passing through the very tiny opening of a needle! Ridiculous! It cannot be done. The reason Jesus expressed himself in such a dramatic fashion was that he wanted the disciples to take notice. He wanted the truth of human total inability to sink in. To explain what Jesus means it is useless and unwarranted to try to change “camel” into “cable”—see Matt. 23:24, where a real camel must have been meant—or to define the “needle’s eye” as the narrow gate in a city wall, a gate, so the reasoning goes, through which a camel can pass only on its knees and after its burden has been removed. Such “explanations” (?), aside from being objectionable from a linguistic point of view, strive to make possible what Jesus specifically declared to be impossible. The Lord means that for a rich man in his own power to try to work or worm his way into the kingdom of God is impossible. So powerful is the hold which wealth has on the heart of the natural man! He is held fast by its bewitching charm, and is thereby prevented from obtaining the attitude of heart and mind necessary for entrance into God’s kingdom. See Luke 16:13; cf. 1 Tim. 6:10. It should be noted that Jesus purposely speaks in absolute terms. A moment ago we used the phrase in his own power. Though in view of verse 27 this qualification does not need to be retracted, yet it should be pointed out that here in verse 25 Jesus does not thus qualify his assertion. He speaks in absolute terms in order all the more to impress upon the minds of the disciples that salvation, from start to finish, is not a human “achievement.” The fact that “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity” is reserved for later (see verse 27).
Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (Vol. 11, pp. 835–836). Baker Book House.
Speaker Johnson calls out Rep. Ilhan Omar’s rhetoric on Charlie Kirk assassination Ilhan Omar’s rhetoric on Charlie Kirk reflects the current mindset of the Left, with many of its members celebrating the assassination of the conservative icon, House Speaker Mike Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday.” “She clearly has no idea what she’s talking about. She has not followed Charlie,” Johnson stated. Omar, D-Minn., has doubled down on the idea that Kirk’s message was divisive and offensive, claiming that he “was someone who was willing to debate and downplay the death of George Floyd.” Ilhan Omar (D-MN) mocks, insults, lies, and even laughs about Charlie Kirk following his as**ssination. Speaker Johnson needs to have Omar censured, expelled, and deported. She’s shamefully implying that Charlie got what he deserved. “There are people actually celebrating his murder online, and that tells you everything you need to know.”
Israeli Minister Dichter: ‘Days since the strike and no Information – It’s possible Hamas leaders were hit more than reported’ Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter commented this Sunday morning on the failed assassination attempt of senior Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s capital. In an interview with Arieh Golan on the “This Morning” program on Kan Reshet Bet, Dichter expressed cautious optimism about the operation’s results – less than a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu essentially admitted its failure. “The fact that it’s been days since the strike and there’s still no information might indicate that perhaps they were hit more than has been reported,” said Dichter.
Hamas officials try to flee Gaza City while forcing civilians to remain Hamas officials are trying to flee Gaza with their families while ordering residents to remain in Gaza City as human shields. “While Hamas calls the residents of Gaza City not to move south, its operatives fear for their own lives and are seeking to leave the Gaza Strip,” COGAT wrote on X. “They are using residents of northern Gaza as human shields while looking out for their own interests.”
How AI fuels global belief in unverified claims of Israeli atrocities It may be too late now – AI is already echoing recycled stories from legacy media – but the evidence of Israeli atrocities at Gaza Health Foundation (GHF) food sites has always been hanging by a thread. And now, that thread seems to be snapping. The entire mound of accusations against Israel, suggesting that they were wantonly gunning down hungry Gazans at food distribution sites, was largely based on the testimony of one man: a sacked GHF worker with a grudge. … and only later found to be riddled with falsehoods.
After 800 Years of Silence, the Oldest Organ in Christendom Sings Again in Jerusalem In a moment that united centuries of history, faith, and music, the ancient echoes of a Crusader-era pipe organ once again reverberated through Jerusalem’s Old City this week. After lying silent for nearly 800 years, what researchers believe is the oldest surviving organ in Christendom was unveiled on Tuesday at the Terra Sancta Museum, inside the Saint Saviour’s Monastery. “This organ was buried with the hope that one day it would play again,” Catalunya told the press ahead of the unveiling. “And the day has arrived, nearly eight centuries later.”
World Events Testify That We Live In Biblical Times The Bible says that the last days would look exactly like what we see all around us today. How can anyone miss how closely world events align with what God prophesied for the days leading up to Jesus’ glorious return to the earth? The many distractions of modern life effectively blind the multitudes, and even most believers, to the multitude of signs pointing to the rapid approach of God’s judgment upon the planet. The lawlessness and corruption of our day already far exceed what I thought possible before the Rapture. We know that he cannot begin his reign of terror until after the restraining work of the Holy Spirit ends with our departure from planet Earth. How much longer can it be before Jesus comes for us?
Britain bans Israelis from prestigious military academy MoD says Israel’s actions in Gaza are ‘wrong’ and its personnel will be excluded from Royal College of Defence Studies. Israelis have been banned from one of Britain’s most prestigious defence academies over the war in Gaza…
DEA Seizes 7500Kg Of Coke, Arrests 617 Members Of Sinaloa Cartel In Global Operation The week-long operation aimed to dismantle the Sinaloa cartel, which has been flooding the United States with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin, the DEA said in a statement. In addition to the 617 arrests, the DEA seized narcotics, including 480 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 714,707 counterfeit pills, 2,209 kilograms of methamphetamine, 7,469 kilograms of cocaine, and 16.55 kilograms of heroin. As Alicia Márquez reports below for The Epoch Times, the DEA also seized more than $11 million in currency, over $1.6 million worth of assets, and 420 firearms.
Homeless Camps Are Morphing Into Larger Homeless ‘Cities’ In LA A massive homeless encampment in Koreatown has grown into what neighbors describe as a “city” of its own — complete with a tennis court, garden, barbecue pit, and even illegally rigged electricity, according to the NY Post. “The reason why people are sleeping here is because you leaders are sleeping on not taking initiative and action to clean this place up,” resident Daniel King told ABC7. And so, in true Los Angeles fashion, liberal leaders have managed to turn “housing the homeless” into letting them build a better-planned city than the one City Hall runs—
Europe On “High Alert” As Polish Moms Train For War Against Russia A recent incident in Polish airspace involving at least three Russian drones has inspired hysteria in greater Europe (stoked by EU politicians and the media). The event, which involved what appear to be Russian reconnaissance drones, is similar to previous incidents of purported Russian UAVs shot down after crossing into NATO skies.
They Will Be Judged These individuals are directly responsible for radicalising young people into political violence and murder. They will be JUDGED. Democratic figures have downplayed or justified such acts, framing them as resistance against “fascism,”
Satellite Images Appear To Show Secretive Construction Of ‘Strategic’ Base In Belarus Construction is under way on a site in Belarus experts say looks like a military facility that could potentially house Russian strategic missiles, according to satellite images … Belarusian authorities have been secretive about the project, which is located on a site that housed nuclear-capable missiles during the Soviet era …
US and Norway Tested New American Precision Weapon in Northern Norway Last week, the US Air Force partnered with Norwegian allies to test next-generation precision maritime strike capabilities in the Norwegian Sea off Andøya, Northern Norway. The test integrated an American B-2 Spirit bomber, four Norwegian F-35 fighters, and a Norwegian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft in a long-range strike scenario. The weapon has been developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory for efficient and cost-effective torpedo-like sinking of ships from the air.
Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits Assam, India A shallow M5.8 earthquake of struck Udalguri district, Assam, at 16:41 LT (11:11 UTC) on September 14, 2025, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The agency reported a depth of around 5 km (3 miles). The USGS registered it as M5.5 at a depth of 29 km (18 miles).
Authorities in Shandong deny claims of shoot-down after fireball-like event A fireball-like luminous event was observed over Weifang and Rizhao in Shandong Province, China, between 12:45 and 13:02 UTC on September 12, 2025. Videos showed a bright object crossing the night sky followed by a flash, leading to speculation on social media that it was intercepted or shot down.
National Guard Deployment Planned For Memphis, Says Trump President Donald Trump announced that the National Guard would be heading to Memphis to deal with crime. During his comments, Trump said that Memphis is “deeply troubled,” and added that the national guard presence would fix the problem, “just like we did in Washington.”
Paramount rejects Israeli film boycott supported by Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix and nearly 4,000 others After nearly 4,000 industry figures signed a pledge vowing not to work with Israeli film institutions, Paramount issued a statement rejecting the boycott on Thursday. “At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,” reads a statement issued by Paramount chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman.
“Fight Back or Die” – Millions Swarmed London Streets Led by Tommy Robinson, it’s been labelled one of the largest right-wing demonstrations in modern UK history and is a significant demonstration of how the population’s priorities have shifted. Reports released by the Met Police and mainstream media outlets estimate around 110,000 attendees came together, but Robinson’s claims, seemingly backed up by footage online, dwarf the official numbers.
Political Persecution of Detective Helen Grus: Canada Punishes Truth-Seeking on Infant Deaths After mRNA Rollout …one of the most shocking cases in Canada for over three years: the political persecution of Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus — a case that has become one of the clearest warnings of how far Canada has drifted from the rule of law. Her “crime”? She noticed a disturbing spike in infant deaths following the rollout of federally mandated mRNA injections in 2021. She launched an internal investigation into whether nursing mothers had been injected with the experimental gene therapy shots. For daring to ask these questions, she became a target of the system.
Canada’s Medical Inquisition: Dr. Mary O’Connor Speaks Out on Raids, Entrapment, and Her Forced Exile from Medicine “…I had wonderful patients, everything was going along fine,” she said. “And then COVID came.” Like countless physicians worldwide, O’Connor found herself inundated with pleas for medical exemptions — first for masks, then for PCR tests, and finally for what she bluntly calls “that experimental injection.” Hundreds called her office, many reporting that they or loved ones had already suffered strokes, neurological disorders, or sudden death after receiving the shots. “Right away, I began to hear all the adverse effects,” she said.
Charlie Kirk’s assassin was dating a trans-identifying man: Tyler Robinson, the now infamous assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, was living with and had a romantic relationship with a man who identifies as a woman. The roommate, Lance Twiggs, is cooperating with the police and is not accused of any criminal activity. Twiggs shared a message believed to be sent by Robinson on the social app Discord about Robinson’s need to “retrieve a rifle from a drop point,” with the authorities. Robinson was raised in a conservative Mormon family but had turned sharply toward leftist ideas in recent years. The source of Robinson’s indoctrination and radicalization is still under investigation.
Stephen King retracts lie about Charlie Kirk: The responses to Charlie Kirk’s assassination have been both heart-warming on the one hand and downright disgusting on the other. Famed author Stephen King posted on X, “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.” King’s post, which was blatantly false, received an avalanche of criticism, including from Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, who said he had crossed a line and encouraged the estate of Kirk to sue. King deleted the post and issued an apology, writing, “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages. I was wrong, and I apologize.” It’s emblematic of the false narrative surrounding Kirk, created by misquoting or deliberately misunderstanding him. As a result, people who never actually listened to him felt justified in criticizing him.
Trump to send National Guard to Memphis: Donald Trump announced on Friday that, with the support of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Memphis Mayor Paul Young, he would be deploying the National Guard to Memphis. The city has the highest per capita violent crime rate in Tennessee, with 2,500 incidents per 100,000 residents. The move comes after California and Illinois Democrats challenged Trump to look at (blue) cities in red states before coming to their failing blue states. In his announcement, Trump said that Democrat Mayor Paul Young is “happy” with the deployment. In a statement to the press, Mayor Young said, “That was an overstatement,” but he does plan to work with the National Guard.
DOJ rewrites asylum rules/CA Dems act to unmask ICE: Attorney General Pam Bondi recently issued new rules surrounding illegal aliens making asylum claims. The rules effectively eliminate the possibility of bogus asylum requests from bogging down the courts. Former immigration Judge Andrew “Art” Arthur called the new rules a “game changer” and a “huge time savings,” noting that they will help quickly eliminate asylum cases with no chance of success and, in turn, speed up legitimate asylum case hearings. Meanwhile, Democrat lawmakers in California are doing everything in their power to diminish immigration enforcement, as the state Senate passed SB 627, a bill dubbed the “No Secret Police Act,” which bans law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on duty. This would expose ICE officers, who have already experienced a 413% increase in targeted attacks, and their families to even more threats of harm from criminal illegal aliens.
Illegal alien commits brutal beheading: Another horrific murder by a criminal illegal alien occurred last week in Dallas, Texas. Yordanis Corbos-Martinez beheaded the manager of the motel where he worked after he took offense when the manager spoke to his coworker to translate instructions not to use a broken washing machine. Corbos-Martinez attacked the manager, Chandra Nagamallaiah, with a machete in front of his wife and child, who sought to intervene, and behead Nagamallaiah. Corbos-Martinez, who is from Cuba, had a criminal record for aggravated assault and attempted carjacking, among other things. Corbos-Martinez had been held by the Biden administration’s ICE until January 13, when he was released back on the streets because Cuba refused to take him.
Illegal killed after striking ICE officer with vehicle: An ICE officer was struck and dragged “a significant distance” by the car of Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, an illegal alien, after Gonzalez refused to cooperate with a traffic stop on Friday. Fearing for his life, the ICE agent shot Gonzalez, who was pronounced dead at the hospital they were both taken to. The agent suffered severe injuries but is in stable condition. DHS issued a statement decrying the activists who have posted online, encouraging illegals to resist arrest, which leads to incidents like this one. President Trump launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago last week to arrest the criminal illegal aliens who have flocked to Illinois and Chicago due to sanctuary policies.
Missouri legislature passes redistricting: Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature has passed a new redistricting map, which Republican Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to sign into law. The new map favors Republicans and could lead to the GOP picking up another House seat in the Show Me State, where they currently hold a 6-2 seat advantage. The new map puts the seat of long-time Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in jeopardy in the upcoming midterms. Democrat lawmakers in the state have responded by launching a petition to hold a statewide referendum on the new map.
Kathy Hochul endorses Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor: New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote an op-ed over the weekend, stressing how seriously she takes the New York mayoral race and how important it is to work with the incoming mayor. Therefore, she effectively reasoned, New York should celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks under the leadership of socialist Muslim Zohran Mamdani. She said she spoke to Mamdani and urged him to ensure the NYPD has strong leadership, “and he agreed.” Mamdani grudgingly walked back his long-held belief in defunding the police over the course of the campaign. Hochul emphasized that she needed to be sure that the new mayor would not be someone to surrender “one inch” to Donald Trump. Hochul said that she did not agree with Mamdani on every issue, but she is looking forward to working with him.
Cook continues to battle Trump: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is likely to remain in her post in the short term despite White House efforts to remove her. The Trump administration says it can remove Cook “for cause” due to what initially appeared to be mortgage fraud, where she claimed two homes as her primary residence. On Friday, reports showed that Cook had been upfront with her credit union that her home in Atlanta, Georgia, would be a vacation home. Cook won a decision last Tuesday that prevented the administration from removing her, although the administration appealed the decision. Cook is likely to participate in the Tuesday and Wednesday Federal Open Markets Committee meetings, where the decision to finally cut interest rates is anticipated.
Trump wants NATO to stop buying Russian oil: On Saturday, Donald Trump called on NATO countries to stop buying oil from Russia, arguing that canceling purchases would end the war in Ukraine. In his posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “NATO’s commitment to WIN has been far less than 100%, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking!” Turkey, in particular, is a concern as it has become the third-largest purchaser of Russian oil, behind only China and India. Trump also called for 50% to 100% tariffs on China, stating that doing so would “also be of great help in ENDING this deadly, but RIDICULOUS, WAR.” Meanwhile, another NATO nation, Romania, scrambled jets over the weekend after Russian drones and missiles crossed into its airspace near the Black Sea. This latest incident represented the eleventh time this has occurred since Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
It is sometimes very challenging to reconcile the heart of a warrior with the heart of a Christian, and I find myself at one of those junctures this week.
A few years ago, when my son commissioned as a Marine Infantry Officer, I reminded him that a warrior without a heart is just a mercenary. Only some of us are called to be warriors, and if you are not among them, that is OK. But none of us are called to be mercenaries.
This past week, I faced great personal loss with the death of a very dear family member, compounded by concern for two close friends who just told me they are facing significant health issues — all just days before the murder of Charlie Kirk. Some seasons are tough.
Seeking to fully understand Charlie’s murder, there are four things I know about his confessed assassin.
First, Tyler Robinson was a deranged sociopathic narcissist, and like all of those who commit or attempt to commit high-profile murders, he was mentally ill. Second, he was inspired by the now-ubiquitous hate rhetoric being propagated by Democrat Party leaders and their ilk over the last five years. Third, he was radicalized by the so-called “antifa movement” of self-styled “anti-fascist” fascists. And fourth, as is the case with an increasing number of high-profile murderers, he is linked to gender-confusion pathology issues.
Let me start with what I believe was the most important causal factor — the chronic infusion of leftist hate rhetoric.
Democrats have become consummate hate hustlers and have spent years fomenting the division upon which their political fortunes depend, and promoting a metastasizing culture of violence.
Donald Trump didn’t create their hate; he exposed it.
We have covered in detail over the last decade the claims launched against Trump and his “MAGA base,” first by Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi ahead of the 2016 election. They repeatedly claimed that Trump, and by extension his supporters, are all “deplorables, fascists, NAZIs, racists,” etc. That rhetoric was then amplified by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ahead of the 2020 election, and used to incited the destructive and deadly “summer of rage” riots across the nation, resulting in a surge in violence in the following years.
Biden and Harris folded that hate rhetoric package into their endlessly repeated mantra over the next four years that Trump and the MAGA movement were an “existential threat to democracy.” Former CNN commentator Scott Jennings said of the Biden/Harris campaign, “The entire thesis of the campaign was ‘democracy is on the ballot.’”
That thesis was subsequently adopted by Harris and Tim Walz ahead of the 2024 election, with Pelosi and Chuck Schumer spewing a background chorus of incendiary rhetoric.
Recall that Harris, when asked in a high-profile town hall if she believed Trump was a fascist, replied, “Yes, I do. Yes, I do.” She added, “[Voters] care about our democracy and not having a president of the United States who admires dictators and is a fascist.”
And recall how Walz repeatedly asserted Trump and his followers are fascist: “Donald Trump’s tendencies now are fascist tendencies…”
Of course, on a few occasions, Trump labeled Harris and Walz “Marxist,” but that is much closer to the truth than labeling Trump a fascist.
Leading Democrats, including now-House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have accelerated the “threat to democracy” and other hate slogans since Trump’s second election.
For the record, most Democrat constituents can’t define “fascism,” much less why we are a Republic, not a “democracy,” as incessantly claimed by Demo leaders. But the epidemic of deranged hatred for Trump and hatred for his grassroots MAGA movement has grown exponentially.
Of the resulting high-profile violence over the last year, Commentary Magazine’s Abe Greenwald offered this assessment: “The suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk is 22 years old. The perpetrator of the Annunciation Church mass shooting was 23 years old. The alleged gunman in last December’s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was 26 years old. The shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was 20 years old. What happened to Gen Z?”
This is not a “Gen Z” problem. It is an affliction of a subset of Gen Z, what I labeled last year as “Gen N: The Narcissist Generation.”
This subset of emotionally unstable young people, in addition to all the other cultural garbage they ingest, has been infused with endless streams of hate rhetoric from the most high-profile Demo Party leftists in our nation — and that is a major factor in the demographics of leftist violence.
After Charlie’s murder, Pelosi, the titular head of the Trump/MAGA hatefest, attempted to dodge any responsibility, saying: “We just have to change the rhetorical nature of our debate. People don’t have any intention of saying something that leads to something dangerous. We cannot take responsibility for the minds that are out there.”
“Change the rhetorical nature of our debate”? Really, now Pelosi figures that out? Her rhetoric has been a significant causal factor in all the leftist violence over the last decade — to include two assassination attempts against Trump.
Of such claims, commentator Clay Travis correctly concludes, “You cannot call your political adversaries Nazi fascists and modern-day Hitlers and then say political violence is wrong when your deranged lunatic supporters act on your statements and kill or attempt to kill the people you’ve attacked.”
Politically, the Demo hate claims are sinking in. An ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that “half of Americans see Donald Trump as a fascist.” And those who make such specious claims about Trump are also calling the half of America who voted for him “fascist.”
There is now ample bloody evidence that the Demo rhetoric has deadly consequences.
As Charlie would say, “PROVE ME WRONG”: Charlie Kirk’s blood is on the hate rhetoric hands of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, et al. This is the terminus of years of leftist hate rhetoric, and Charlie’s murder is the new cancel culture.
Further, indicative of how empowered leftists have become — believing they can spew hatred with impunity like their Demo leaders, there are now countless thousands of cases of haters being fired for posting assertions that Kirk deserved to be murdered.
One post by a media executive with our local CBS affiliate here in Chattanooga, (who has yet to be fired), is typical of the hate being posted by thousands of others: “If you don’t have something nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. So, about Charlie Kirk…man what a marksman! 200 yards away, directly in the left carotid artery…impressive.”
Beyond the hate rhetoric from Demo leaders, what seems to have lit the fuse on the delusional slide of Kirk’s assassin were online posts by leftist Antifa radicals. Utah Gov. Spence Cox told The Wall Street Journal, “It’s very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.” The FBI is investigating those leftist groups to determine what they knew about this assassination and when they knew it.
The second most powerful thing prosecutors can do is go after those who had knowledge of Robinson’s plans — arrest and charge anyone who had any advanced knowledge of this and did not report it. That example needs to be set.
And the last factor I mentioned: the alleged assailant was in a relationship with a “transgender” man, who believes he is a woman. Gov. Cox also confirmed that relationship. Notably, the association between high-profile murderers and those with gender pathology, those connected to the gender-confusion cult, is now well established, even prompting AG Pam Bondi to raise the issue of whether this pathology should fall under the mental health prohibitions to purchase firearms.
And that leads me to the stark contrast between how conservatives have responded to Charlie’s murder versus leftists responses to perceived injustice.
Patriot feature writer Samantha Koch noted: “When George Floyd died, a man with a history of drugs, crime and violence — the Left took to the streets to burn cities to the ground. When Charlie Kirk died, a man with a history of service, love of God, and open conversation — the Right took to the streets to pray. We are not the same.” Our friends at The Daily Wire posted a visual representation of that stark contrast.
So, how do I choose to respond to Charlie’s murder?
As I noted in the opening paragraphs above, “None of us are called to be mercenaries.”
A year ago, I wrote a column a week after the first assassination attempt against then-candidate Trump, titled “Hate, Division, and a Resolution to Rise Above,” It was a reflection on a resolution passed by our Tennessee legislature and signed by Gov. Bill Lee, calling for Americans to rise above the moment, “Seeking God’s blessing and humbling ourselves to receive His Grace and Mercy, transforming ourselves, our communities, our State, and our Nation.”
I believe this is again one of those moments — and it will not be the last.
Another man martyred for speaking the truth declared: “Hate is too great a burden to bear. … Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.” That, of course, was Martin Luther King.
There is no doubt in my mind that if Charlie could speak to us right now, he would advise the same, and that is the only conclusion one could draw from his testament about his faith over the years.
Further, I am wrestling with forgiveness of Tyler Robinson because he was a mentally deranged sociopath. That does not mean we don’t seek a full measure of justice, but it does mean that embracing hatred for him only inflicts our hearts.
Finally, I would ask that you join me in a prayer I send up every morning for the Lord’s blessing upon our nation, that good and righteous leaders would rise and prevail, and that division would be healed so we would be united as Americans.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
Douglas Andrews: Charlie Kirk and the Turning Point — A hate-filled leftist assassin took this too-young Christian Patriot from us, but as his widow made clear — and as viral outpourings across the country attest — Kirk’s mission is more alive than ever.
Thomas Gallatin: Putin Pushing NATO’s Buttons — Russian military drones “accidentally” wander into Polish airspace, in an escalation between Moscow and NATO that has dangerous implications for broader war.
A Life of Faith, a Legacy That Endures: Remembering Charlie Kirk — Charlie loved America, its people, its Constitution, its freedom, and the limitless good all of them have done for the world. But above all, Charlie lived every day with an overflowing love of the Christ he knew he would one day get to see.
25 Minutes of Black Americans Supporting Charlie Kirk — These Americans understand that freedom of speech should be protected, or the Republic that we all know and love will cease to exist in the very near future.
Christians, These Reactions Should Disturb You — Something shifted after the Charlie Kirk incident — and the reactions were darker than most people realize. What’s even more disturbing is that some of those voices came from Christians and conservative Christians.
A Message to the People Insulting Charlie Kirk — I’m convinced that the majority of Charlie Kirk’s haters have never watched a single one of his debates. So today, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
Professor Shows Students How Close Civil War Really Is — You can see it in their eyes. This professor tries to communicate the gravity of the situation. Some of the students seem to understand what is really at stake, and some seem to be oblivious.
They Can’t Stop This Now — Charlie Kirk has not only inspired millions to join his cause in America, but now the entire world is joining the movement. With mass marches in the UK, South Korea, and Australia.
“I shouldered the blame for the porous border.” —Kamala Harris
Grand Delusions
“Joe Biden looks like an Olympic athlete compared to the illnesses that [Donald Trump’s] hiding.” —Rep. Eric Swalwell
Yellow Journalism
“Whereas activists like Nick Fuentes and Milo Yiannopoulos went too far too early in their embrace of baldly racist and homophobic ideas, [Charlie] Kirk had an innate polish and was able to tack quickly among far-right activists, establishment Republicans and skeptical young voters. … He created a new group, Turning Point Faith, to amplify the role of Christian nationalism within the Trump movement.” —The New York Times’s Clay Risen
Credit Where It’s Due
“Political violence, in fact, is political cowardice. It means that you cannot convince people of the correctness of your ideas, and you have to impose them through force.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders
For the Record
“[Charlie Kirk’s] events on campus should be viewed as a public service. All of the best, most creative college deans could have gotten together to figure out how to routinely get thousands of energized students to events about public affairs, and never managed it. No worries. Kirk figured it out for them. That he was shot while he engaged in act of peaceful persuasion makes his murder all the more devastating.” —Rich Lowry
“Data consistently shows progressives are the most mentally fragile people in the nation, overwhelmed with despair, and Democrat politicians are grooming that fragility for violence.” —Erick Erickson
“Calls to ‘tone down the rhetoric’ presuppose that the Left wants to stop the violence. But many on the Left don’t want the violence to stop.” —Gary Bauer
“The point of the left labeling speech as violence was always to justify violence against speech.” —Frank J. Fleming
And Last…
“If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you’re illiberal. If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you’re a fundamentalist. If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you’re a totalitarian. If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you’re a terrorist.” —author J.K. Rowling
ON THIS DAY in 1776, General William Howe and British forces took control of New York City.
Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our uniformed Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to support and defend our legacy of American Liberty and our Republic’s Founding Principles, in order that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Israeli leaders call for annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank after the United Nations votes for a Palestinian state, which the US calls “a gift for Hamas” and Israel’s Justice Minister says “The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel;” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels Israel and appears with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as both countries say relations remain strong after the Israeli strike on US ally Qatar; Chris Mitchell talks about the UN vote, possible Israeli annexation in the West Bank, the US response to Israel’s strike on Qatar, and the war in Gaza; the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination is not cooperating with investigation, as Kirk’s widow Erika speaks out and thousands honor him at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC; and how Brazil is now the number two country, behind only the US, in sending missionaries out to the world – with some unique methods.
(NewsNation) — Vice President JD Vance will fill Charlie Kirk’s now-vacant podcast seat Monday for an episode of the political activist’s eponymous show.
“Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” Vance wrote on social media Sunday night.
It’s unclear where the episode will be recorded, but Vance included a photo of his empty office chair with a microphone nearby.
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, started the podcast in October 2020, and the last episode he hosted aired the day before he was killed during an event at Utah Valley University last week.
As of Monday, the podcast was ranked No. 1 on Apple and No. 26 on Spotify.
On Thursday, Vance and second lady Usha Vance flew to Utah to return Kirk’s casket to Phoenix on Air Force Two.
Tomorrow, I will have the honor of hosting the Charlie Kirk Show. Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend.
Utah’s governor says investigators are not ready to discuss a motive in the killing of conservative activist and Christian advocate Charlie Kirk, but he said the suspect’s family says he had been indoctrinated into a leftist ideology and…
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