Last Sunday of 2017: Revelation 21: The New Heaven and New Earth

COMMENTARY:  IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS

21 THEN  I SAW A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place^[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,^[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.^{[c] 4} He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵ And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ⁶ And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. ⁷ The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

⁹ Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ¹² It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— ¹³ on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. ¹⁶ The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.^[d] Its length and width and height are equal. ¹⁷ He also measured its wall, 144 cubits^[e] by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement. ¹⁸ The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

²² And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, ²⁵ and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. ²⁶ They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷ But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Prince Harry, Ever the Party Boy, Searches for His Own Identity As An Adult

UPDATE: MEGHAN'S ESTRANGED SISTER PUSHES BACK ON HARRY'S THOUGHTLESS RADIO QUIP: Actually she has a large family who were ALWAYS there for her...

WHO OF US WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT WHEN QUEEN ELIZABETH WAS CORONATED  IN 1953, that the British royal family and its progeny would become the source of endless global fascination, attention and entertainment?  The more dysfunctional this family became in all its iterations, the more it attached to our collective attention spans like super-glue.  With some exceptions, the royals are England's answer to our endlessly debauched Kardashians, I suppose.

Now with another royal wedding vying for an all-out assault on our attention this spring,  we need to gird our loins for the non-stop three ring circus ahead.  This time it's Prince of Playboys, Harry, who is marrying a beautiful middle class, divorced, mixed-race American TV actress named Meghan Markle which you already know,  if you're breathing.
 
This should be really interesting.  We all love a good 'love story' with castles, princes and princesses,  crowns, jewels, ball gowns and happily ever after endings.  Yet we rarely see it in the real world today.  Queen Elizabeth and Phillip notwithstanding.

While I truly wish Meghan and Harry the best,  I'm not nearly as sanguine about their long-term prospects as I am about William and Kate's abiding happiness and true compatibility. For one thing,  Harry seems less grounded and certainly less mature and self-directed than his older brother.  He seems to me to have less of a real identity and more of a borrowed one from his family.  He's certainly cute and fun even as he tries hard to morph himself now into a bunch of politically correct liberal causes---like his daddy's global warming fixation and  his fiancee's feminism and liberal politics---but it remains to be seen if any of these things are really the stuff he's made of.  Meghan seems to be more of a real person, yet who knows what she'll have to give up to become and remain a royal over the long haul.

Being a royal, in my opinion, is like living in a gilded, scripted, stodgy, well-dressed old cage.  I couldn't do it then, now or ever.

Honestly,  I think Meghan and Harry are from such diverse backgrounds that it will be very hard, as time goes on, for them to adjust. It all seems romantic and glamorous now with all the royal and media fanfare,  but as time goes on and a baby or two arrive, it's hard to see that the patina won't wear off.  Again,  this is a partial projection on my part, so take it with a grain of salt.

One more thing: today when I saw Harry bragging on his radio stint that Meghan's Christmas had been fantastic and she had been with the family she never had,  I was appalled by his thoughtlessness of Meghan's mother and father too.  While I understand what he was attempting to convey---that she was well-received in his larger-than-Meghan's family (but certainly not more functional)---his statement came across as arrogant and condescending to me and insensitive to her eclectic family on the west coast which clearly did a pretty good job of raising her. If I were Meghan,  I would not have been happy about his well meaning mouthing off that way.

Anyway,  time will tell.  I give it less than five years. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it all while it lasts.  Right? And who knows,  maybe I'm wrong.

One thing's for sure,  the royal soap opera will go on.

Merry Christmas!

WISHING EVERYONE a joyful,  Merry Christmas!  We have so much to be thankful for.  And with the Son of God, our Savior Jesus Christ,  we have everything, and so much more.

Thank you for coming by! Oh and have some healthy Christmas crunch (below). An idea from Marks Daily Apple.

Twas the Night Before Christmas, Paris Edition, Waiting for Santa

IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY,  you'll see there are cookies for Santa,  as well as a carrot stick for each named reindeer,  including Rudolph.  Is this fun or what!?  Anyway, Girly-G who concocted these delicacies was not about to offend Santa or any of his herd and risk getting short-changed in the presents department this year.  G-Boy just wants LEGOS, LEGOS, LEGOS in any shape, size or color.

Can You Imagine? Angels Appear To Shepherds To Announce the Birth of Christ

THE SHEPHERDS AND THE ANGELS,  Luke 2: 8-20   

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[a]

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

 ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

A Bluegrass Christmas Medley

 
THE US ARMY BAND....great fun after over a month of banal, exhausting Christmas music played and replayed ad nauseum, designed to make us shop and go stark raving mad. I think playing O Holy Night at 7 am in between Jingle  Bell Rock and All I Want For Christmas tends to trivialize a truly holy holiday that's far from trivial.

 Maybe we could decide to listen to Christmas music on the four Sundays of Advent and a few days before and through Christmas. Anyway, here's a little real Christmas merry!

The Deepest Darkness Of the Year is Passing----Now What?

DID YOU KNOW THE LONGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR IS COME AND ABOUT TO GO SLOWLY INTO THE ER...NIGHT?

What happens now? In a nutshell, for the next 17 days and nights, until exactly the 7th of January, days will get longer exactly 1 minute each day, only in the afternoons. Then starting January 7, daylight will increase 2 minutes each day--in the mornings AND afternoons. Once the two minute/per day commences, daylight in the northern hemisphere will increase one hour each month! No matter how cold, that extra daylight makes a profound difference on our mood, our outlook and ability to see hope in the days to come. So happy winter solstice! It's only getting better from here. If you're having a bit of a down time, don't forget to get out and exercise, take some vitamin D and get sun in your eyes. Every little bit helps.  Oh, and cut down on the carbs, sugar and booze.  It does make a difference.

Pastor John Piper: How Did the Miraculous Conception Happen?

CLICK HERE FOR THE MESSAGE ON THE MIRACULOUS CONCEPTION OF CHRIST. 

 This is Luke 1:30–38.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Roy Moore's Defeat Tonight In Alabama Is As It Should Be

ROGER L. SIMON:  BANNON'S BIG LOSS IN ALABAMA

EVEN THOUGH A DEMOCRAT BEAT ROY MOORE TONIGHT FOR THE VACANT SENATE SEAT OF JEFF SESSIONS, in my opinion, this not a big political win or an unexpected upset.  Nor is it the end of the world as we know it.  And with all due respect to the Daily Mail,  Alabama has not gone blue by a long shot.

Rather, it's a vote for decency in the face of mounting unattractive allegations against Moore and simplifies the way going forward for conservative politics in Alabama and on the national level in 2018 and beyond. 

I  do not think this is a repudiation of Trump or the Trump agenda, no matter what the frothy MSM and desperate Democratic party try to make of it.  It's a setback, no doubt, but a lesson that should be well taken. And yes,  Luther would have won.

Who knows what other shoes will drop publicly in the sexual harassment arena in Congress on both sides of the political aisles? I shudder to think what's next. It's enough to make you want to flee the country's news to Tahiti for the winter, isn't it?  For the most part,  these myriad old allegations are beginning to bore the bejebbers out of me. And I don't think I'm alone in this.

Time for a good nights sleep.

Mark 1: 1-11

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE---PIPER
CHURCHILL FILM 'DARKEST HOUR' OFFERS COMPELLING VISION OF LEADERSHIP

THE GOSPEL OF MARK HITS THE GROUND RUNNING IN TELLING THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST.  The first chapter alone is so chocked full of Jesus life and miracles, it could almost stand alone in showing Christ's deity, if there were nothing else.  Of course there is much, much more. For that we can be eternally grateful.

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; ² As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (See Isaiah 40:3)

⁴ John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
⁵ And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
⁶ And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
⁷ And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
⁸ I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
⁹ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
¹⁰ And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
¹¹ And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Freezing Cold, Flaming Color Sunset

News Flash! He's Not Dead Yet Former Dem TN Governor Phil Bredesen Is Running For Napoleon's Senate Seat

WHAT CAN I SAY except it's now ONLY a two person race for Napoleon's seat in the Senate between Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former governor (and Nashville mayor) Phil Bredesen?  It will be quite a horse race since Phil is very rich and can self-fund his campaign.  But is he too old and over the hill politically?  He will flat out carry liberal Nashville, but past that,  only time will tell Phil won't get my vote or much of anyone in the country....

Billy Swan On Roy Moore, John Conyers et al Theme Song

GREAT OLD SONG....Who knew---Every child needs a daddy...I got two strong arms....

That was then, back in the early days of the sexual revolution. Who knew it would all come to this...

Supermoon Rising With Clouds In the Country

Advent: Piper On The Long-Awaited Miraculous Visitation Prophesied Over a Thousand Years Earlier

BELOW, PRIEST ZECHARIAH IN THE TEMPLE WITH THE ANGEL GABRIEL WHO SUDDENLY APPEARED AND ANNOUNCED HE AND WIFE ELIZABETH WOULD HAVE A BABY TO BE NAMED JOHN (THE BAPTIST).HE IS THEN STRUCK DUMB FOR NINE MONTHS FOR DOUBTING THE SUPER ANGEL'S IMPENDING PROPHECY

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.” (Luke 1:68–71)

Notice two remarkable things from these words of Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, in Luke 1.

First, nine months earlier, Zechariah could not believe his wife would have a child. Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, he is so confident of God’s redeeming work in the coming Messiah that he puts it in the past tense: “he has visited and redeemed his people.” For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done. Zechariah has learned to take God at his word and so has a remarkable assurance: God “has visited and redeemed!” (Luke 1:68)
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Second, the coming of Jesus the Messiah is a visitation of God to our world: The God of Israel has visited and redeemed. For centuries, the Jewish people had languished under the conviction that God had withdrawn: the spirit of prophecy had ceased; Israel had fallen into the hands of Rome. And all the godly in Israel were awaiting the visitation of God. Luke tells us that another old man, the devout Simeon, was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). Likewise, the prayerful Anna was “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

These were days of great expectation. Now the long-awaited visitation of God was about to happen — indeed, he was about to come in a way no one expected.

Listen to the devotional @ Desiring God

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The Back Story of Zechariah, his wife Elizabeth and the miraculous birth of John the Baptist:

 Answer: Zechariah (also called Zacharias or Zachariah) was a priest from the tribe of Levi who served the Lord during the reign of Herod in Judea. Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was also a descendant of Aaron, and the Bible says they were godly, devout people (Luke 1:5–6). When the Bible begins their story in Luke 1, they are both old and childless (verse 7), although they had prayed for children.

Luke 1:8–9 records that it was Zechariah’s turn to enter the temple and burn incense as part of his priestly duties. This was a once-in-a-lifetime honor. While Zechariah was in the holy place, the angel Gabriel appeared to him “standing at the right side of the altar of incense” (verse 11). Gabriel told Zechariah that his prayers had been answered. God had chosen him and Elizabeth to bear a son who would be the forerunner of the promised Messiah (verses 13–17). They were to name him John, and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit and dedicated to the Lord’s service even before birth.

But Zechariah doubted the angel’s words, and he reminded Gabriel, “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1:18). Because of his lack of faith, Zechariah was struck mute until the time when his son would be born (verse 20). When Zechariah exited the temple, he stood before the crowd unable to speak. From his gestures, the people understood that he had seen a vision while in the temple (verse 22).

Zechariah returned home, and Elizabeth became pregnant, just as the angel had said. When she was in her sixth month, the angel Gabriel also appeared to Mary, her relative, and told Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus (Luke 1:30–31). Mary went right away to spend time with Elizabeth, where she received further confirmation of the angel’s words: at the sound of Mary’s voice, the baby John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb (verse 41). Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! . . . Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (verses 42 and 45).

When Elizabeth gave birth to her son, the friends and relatives assumed he would be named after his father, Zechariah. But Zechariah made motions asking for writing tools, and when he received them he wrote, “His name is John” (Luke 1:63). Immediately, Zechariah was able to speak again, and he praised God for His redemption (verse 68), for His faithfulness to His promises (verses 69–73), and for His salvation (verse 74). Zechariah then prophesied concerning his son, John: “You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him” (verse 76). Zechariah closed out his inspired utterance by returning to the messianic theme, praising God for His “tender mercy” and anticipating the Christ: “The rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (verses 78–79).

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s baby grew up to be the man we know as John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1). The repentance John preached prepared people’s hearts for faith in Jesus Christ.

Supermoon Sunday, Sensational Moon Rising Tonight

Remember this from long ago?

In Spite of the Mueller News Hype Regarding Flynn, It's Still a Dud, A Tempest In a Teapot

MUELLER STILL HAS NOTHING ON ANY ELECTION COLLUSION IN THE TRUMP-RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

THIS MUELLER MADNESS MAY BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST BOONDOGGLES OF MY LIFETIME. Try as I might, I simply cannot find one iota of evidence that the Trump campaign did anything wrong. Time will obviously tell, however. Glad other writers/pundits far, far wiser than I have come up with the same conclusion after reading Mueller's complaint against Michael Flynn:

 John Hinderaker at Powerline blog writes:

NEWS MEDIA are breathlessly reporting that Gen. Michael Flynn has agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI. You can read the Statement of the Offense here. The false statements alleged by the government seem rather pathetic: 1) Flynn falsely told an FBI agent that he didn’t ask the Russian ambassador to “refrain from escalating the situation in response to sanctions” the U.S. had just imposed, and 2) that he didn’t recall the ambassador subsequently telling him that the Russians had moderated their response per his request; 3) Flynn falsely said that he didn’t ask the Russian ambassador to delay or defeat a pending U.N. Security Council resolution, and 4) that the ambassador never subsequently described his country’s response to that request. (Flynn tried, unsuccessfully, to convince several members of the Security Council, including Russia, not to proceed with an anti-Israel resolution. This is to his, and President Trump’s, credit.)

That’s it, after a year of huffing and puffing. Nothing about the election, nothing about the long-awaited “collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia. I have no idea why Flynn apparently lied to an FBI agent, assuming that he did. But the communications described in the information are exactly the sorts of contacts that a national security advisor to an incoming president should be having with foreign powers.

In short, the allegations against Flynn suggest that Robert Mueller has nothing significant against President Trump or other members of his administration. 

The press, of course, is gleeful. ABC‘s headline blares, “Flynn Prepared To Testify Against Trump, Trump Family, White House Staff.” Really? Testify to what?

Here's Mueller's statement of Flynn's offense.

Andrew McCarthy weighs in:

For all the furor, we have a small-potatoes plea in Flynn’s case — just as we did in Papadopoulos’s case, despite extensive “collusion” evidence. Meanwhile, the only major case Mueller has brought, against former Trump-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate, has nothing to do with the 2016 election. It is becoming increasingly palpable that, whatever “collusion” means, there was no actionable, conspiratorial complicity by the Trump campaign in the Kremlin’s machinations.

Finally, Ed Rogers writing today in the WaPo says Flynn's plea doesn't prove collusion, and the Dem's collusion outrage is running out of steam:

Friday morning’s guilty plea from former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is a major disappointment for Democrats. Flynn admitting to having made false statements is nowhere near where the Democrats want this to go. Of course, the story is big and the fact that a former White House official has been charged with anything and pleaded guilty is consequential, but it doesn’t suggest any collusion occurred and it doesn’t even get close to confirming that Donald Trump or his campaign was somehow complicit in a nefarious scheme. Democrats are already straining themselves trying to suggest that Flynn’s plea is just the beginning and that there is more to come. But as far as Flynn is concerned, that is unlikely. It is just wishful thinking on their part. It’s not as though he pleaded guilty only to leave unresolved matters for later. Commentators are saying Flynn’s plea couldn’t come at a worse time for the president. As Republicans are on the brink of passing this administration’s most important legislative initiative with the GOP-led tax reform bill, some in the media have gone so far as to suggest Flynn’s admission of guilt may disrupt the tax bill’s vote count in Congress. Well, a note to the political geniuses in the liberal mainstream media: There isn’t one Republican member of Congress thinking, “Gee, Flynn pleaded guilty to something or another. Maybe I won’t vote for a tax cut.” It just doesn’t work that way.