As we have seen many times, there is no moment so grave that our current president will not to use it to get up on his high horse, take a shot at Western civilization, and emphasize his own moral superiority.

That’s the opening line of David Galernter’s important and devastating piece posted over at National Review Online.  I encourage you to read the whole thing. 

Bankers at major European financial institutions are turning up dead under mysterious circumstances in astonishing numbers. Via the American Thinker blog . . .

“Who is Killing the Great Bankers of Europe.

The reigning King of Christmas looks anything but joyful here. I’m not sure why, really. I think I was just very focused on framing the selife “just so” in order to get the background festivities in the shot. Those festivities — a sumptuous Christmas Eve-Eve feast prepared by my amazing bride — included “Christmas crackers,” the British holiday tradition that invariably contains a riddle or joke, a prize and a paper crown. (Thus the headgear.)

The fact is, the last couple of weeks have indeed been filled with joy. And life. And good friends. And laughter around tables heaped with delicious foods encircled by all my favorite faces. All of them.

That’s no small thing when two of your favorite faces reside half a world away. It has been roughly a year since I had seen the Aussie Lassies. And we said goodbye to one of them a couple of days ago with the knowledge that it would probably be another year before we’d see her again.

In another week or so it will be just me and the Mrs. once again. And that’s just fine. We’re good together—and much living remains to be done.

But even the happiest empty nest needs to be refilled from time to time.

My previous post made the case that Jesus was born to be a king. Of course, there is nothing controversial about that assertion. Jesus’ kingly-ness is affirmed and taught in every corner of Christendom. However . . .

. . . within the Protestant world, there are two very different understandings about when that king’s reign begins in earnest.

Much of the Evangelical world views “the kingdom”—i.e., Jesus’ rule on earth—as primarily a future prospect. The position held (in varying forms) is that, although Jesus is currently recognized and honored as “King” throughout heaven, His kingdom will not be present and active on earth until He physically returns. Upon returning, Jesus basically kicks tail; takes names; sets everything in order; and sets up His throne in Jerusalem from whence He reigns for precisely 1,000 years.

There is another view. This one views Jesus’ reign as rightful, ruling King of Earth (as well as Heaven) as beginning when he “sat down at the right hand of the Father” (Mark 16:19). In other words, the rule of King Jesus is primarily a present prospect.

Which view does the witness of Scripture support? And what difference does it make which view one holds?

I’ll be addressing these questions in a series of blog posts to come. (An exciting promise, I know. Try to contain yourself.)

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.

Genesis 49:10 (NLT)

Jacob, the patriarch, is dying. His twelve sons have gathered around his bed to hear from their father one last time.

In his final hours a powerful spirit of prophecy settles upon the 147-year-old grandson of Abraham. Beginning with the eldest, Jacob prophesies in turn over each of his sons. When he reaches his fourth-born, Judah, he concludes his prophecy with the lines from Genesis 49 cited above.

The “scepter” and “ruler’s staff” speak of kingship. The implication is that all the legitimate Israelite kings would hail from Judah’s descendants, a.k.a., the tribe of Judah, “until . . .”

Until the coming of “the one to whom it belongs.”

A thousand years later a similar spirt of prophecy falls upon one of Judah’s descendants. Gifted with special vision, Isaiah looks down through seven more centuries of history and sees the coming of that “one whom all nations will honor.” He writes:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:10,11 (NASB)

 These words foretell the arrival of more than a mere messiah. More than a military genius who will deliver the oppressed from their oppressors. More than a temporal leader with a finite, albeit wonderful, term of administration.

No, Isaiah sees a king.

The “government” rests upon his broad, strong shoulders. He sits “on the throne of David” and rules “over his kingdom.” But there are two distinct and unique aspects to this king’s rule.

The first is that this king’s reign is eternal. “From then on and forevermore . . .” the prophet reveals.

The second is that this kingdom never stops expanding. Ever. The borders of His domain are forever and always moving outward. New territory is constantly being brought under His rule of peace. And this expansion continues for eternity.

Seven hundred years later, the imminent arrival of that extraordinary king was announced by an archangel to the woman who would carry Him for nine months. The words of the messenger are a direct and unambiguous reference to Isaiah’s prophecy:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Luke 2:31-33 (NLT)

 Within the first two years of His birth, sky watchers from Mesopotamia will arrive seeking the recently born “King of the Jews.” They had seen the signs indicating His royal birth in the stars.

Jesus—this one who was foretold, foreseen and ultimately born—is many things. He is a Savior; a kinsman Redeemer; a Deliverer; an Elder Brother; a once-and-for-all Sacrifice; a High Priest and Intermediary. Yes, He is all these things.

But we do well to remember. He is, and ever will be, a King.

. . . He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named,

not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet,

and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:20-23 (NASB)

Welcome to my new bloggy home–a place formerly known as Blather. Wince. Repeat (dot com).

The “Blather” blog broke nearly two years ago (8/31/2012 to be precise) and I’ve been blogless ever since. I made numerous attempts to repair/restore the blog over the last two years. All were exercises in teeth-grinding frustration. I only recently learned that the heart of the blogging software (WordPress) had been commandeered by some pirate invader hack which disabled the Admin and proceeded to use the host server as a spam generator.

Efforts by smart, tech-savvy friends to recover all the content I’d created over the previous five-and-a-half years have all failed. This is profoundly disappointing. It’s a little like losing all the family pictures and videos in a fire.

The blog launched back in March 0f 2007. I remember the content of that very first post:

A day is coming in which this will be a place characterized by incisive cultural commentary, startling wit, and gratifying prose.  This is not that day.

In the years that followed I periodically ranted, preached, taught, mused, snarked, joked and observed. But I believe the best writing I did sprang from family life and milestones:

• Three beloved daughters growing up and, one-by-one, leaving the nest.
• My father’s diagnoses with Alzheimers–his noble handling of the news, his heart-breaking decline, and his passing.
• Anniversaries, engagements, weddings and funerals.
• Tributes, remembrances, regrets and givings of thanks.

I remember every one of these posts. Alas the Internet does not. Well, that’s not entirely true. The “Wayback Machine” and the wonderful Internet Archive has a few pages cached from various dates–here.

I’m still clinging to a sliver of hope that I’ll be able to recover those years of writing. Nevertheless, the last few years of my life have very much been about starting over from scratch. So perhaps it’s appropriate that there is no history behind this blog post.

As before, if you’re so gracious as to pop by here from time to time, I’ll do my best to make you glad you did.

Haven’t seen the film yet but Jonah Goldberg’s (spoiler-free) review of Dark Knight Rises is interesting and worthwhile. He points out the movie’s strong anti-Occupy Movement message. This is an aspect that most reviewers are either blind to (slaves to the narrative) or simply refuse to acknowledge.

An excerpt:

In a society of ordered liberty the physically powerful cannot compel the physically weak for their own ends (at least in theory). Strength and the will to do evil do not grant the license of arbitrary power over others. The rule of law may seem more constraining than anarchy (or even pure democracy which, after all, can be just as tyrannical as any other system), but it’s more just and ultimately more liberating as well. If men were angels, then anarchy would be the only just system of governance, for we could all govern ourselves.

But men are not angels, and that raises the dark irony and appeal of Batman. The old saw goes that Marvel comics are about flawed humans grappling with superpowers while DC comics are about gods who fight other gods. While I think this distinction is a bit overstated, Batman was always the most notable exception. Batman believes that the rule of law, which is so vital for preserving society, can become its own worst enemy when it gives too much freedom to evil men. He is the bully who keeps the bullies at bay. He is the man of will who declares that we will not live in a society ruled by men of will.

(emphasis mine)