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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, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 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— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:10-14

Now we begin to see the beauty of this Holy City. Notice the names of the tribes of Israel on the gates and the names of the twelve apostles on the foundations. If this New Jerusalem is the Church, then that description should sound instantly familiar:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Ephesians 2:19-21

Both Paul and John understand the Church contains both the Old and New Covenant believers within its "walls." There is only one Way of salvation. Repentance and faith in Christ.

My son Ethan likes to sing "Forever and For Always" by Shania Twain with my wife. Its "their song." So the other night, he said I needed to find a song to sing with my daughter Anna Kate.

I think I may have found it. Be sure to listen to the very end.

My wife and I recently noticed that we're an unnusual couple in that we enjoy the same shows and movies. We both watch "24", "Prison Break", "NCIS", and "The Unit." I enjoy "Smallville" and she likes Lex Luthor. And we both enjoy the mathematics on "Numb3rs".
We've even enjoyed the same movies. She recently tried to think of her favorite movies from high school and came up with "Robin Hood", "The Rocketeer", "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken". I had not seen the "Wild Hearts" movie when I was in high school, but I definitely agreed with the other two and would say "The Rocketeer" was still one of my favorites. I added anything with "Indiana Jones" and she agreed.
But, alas, it had to happen. I've watched many "chick flicks" with her (by the way, is it required to include "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" in the soundtrack of every chick flick???) and enjoyed them. I enjoyed "You've Got Mail" and "Hitch." (I'm getting a hankering for Benadryl just thinking about that last one).
But last night we attempted to watch "Pride & Prejudice" together.
Didn't work.
I fell asleep.
My wife suggested I should try watching it when I wasn't falling asleep. I'm not sure if that's possible. I'm afraid that watching the movie is immutably connected to falling asleep.
If it happens to be your favorite movie, I hope you enjoy it and watch it often. I'll just be in the next room with "The Rocketeer."

I recently posted on the Senate plugging their ears with Senate Bill 1 (Section 220) silencing grass roots activist organizations. I wrote to both of my senators and here is the response from Senator DeMint (who has never plugged his ears and is always swift and thorough in responding):

Dear Mr. Byars ,

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to Section 220 of S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 . I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you may know, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada introduced S.1 at the start of the 110 th Congress. This bill would amend the Senate rules to enhance the disclosure of legislative earmarks, as well as travel and meals provided to Senators and staff by lobbyists. This bill would also modify statutes governing the disclosure of lobbying activities, limitations imposed on travel and meals provided by lobbyists, and post-employment restrictions for Senators and staff.

In part icular, Section 220 of S.1 would require grassroots lobbying firms to report to Congress paid efforts to stimulate grassroots lobbying if they recei ve payment in excess of $25,000 per quarter for the effort and the lobbying is directed to at leas t 500 members of the public. This requirement would not apply to communications by an organization directed only to its own members, employees, officers, or shareholders.

As you mentioned, several valid concerns have been raised with regard to Section 220 of S.1. Grassroots organizations are concerned that they would be forced to restrict access to information on what Congress is working on and also that they would be limited in their ability to petition Congress on important issues. As a result of these concerns and with my full support , Senator Bennett of Utah introduced an d passed an am endment to S.1 that removed Sec tion 220 from the bill prior to final passage .

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and concerns with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about anything else important to you or your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of South Carolina .

Sincerely,

Jim DeMint
United States Senator

My how times have changed.
Remember when mothers told their little boys to eat their breakfast so they could do well in school and grow up to be President some day? Well, okay, I don't exactly remember that either (exept for re-runs on Nick-at-Nite), but a recent survey found that more boys between 5th and 8th grade would rather be famous than intelligent. In girls the margin was even greater. The survey also showed that girls would rather be a celebrity assistant than the president of a university or major corporation.
We have a culture obsessed with fame.
But consider this: in the 1950s, the proverb was "Children should be seen, not heard." Today, you can walk into almost any house in America (including Christian homes) and what do you find? Toys covering the floor, and mom and dad rushing the kids into the minivan to drop them off at Little League and soccer practice every weekend. Now the children live like celebrities and the parents are their celebrity assistants.
They go off to school to find out that they are all "very important people." They are all special. It doesn't matter if they still wet their pants or pick their noses. Its all about the self esteem.
Then they end up on prime time television, singing their hearts out only to find out they never could carry a tune, and have never actually hit a note on key. Or worse, they're one or two cupcakes over the limit tolerable appearance.
As cruel as he can sometimes be, I think perhaps Simon Cowell deserves an award for being one of the last honest men in a generation of mollycoddlers.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19

"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.”
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.” 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."

Revelation 21:4-6

Some of this is true already.
Three years ago, a young man in our church died in an automobile accident. He was only 19, just a freshman in college.
But what really rocked those outside our church who attended the funeral was that it was a celebration. Everyone who attended our church had the image of that young man rising triumphantly from the baptistry fresh on their minds. It had only occurred a few months before.
Even those who attened other churches in the area seemed shocked initially. As the funeral celebration progressed they began to realize this was how it was supposed to be. After all, do they really believe what the Bible says is true, or not? See, we do not "grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Already He has wiped our tears away. He says, "the former things have passed away. Behold, I am making all things new."
Sound familiar? It should.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul states clearly that the believer is a new creation. John states clearly that the church is a new creation. To us He has given the spring of the water of life.
Consider also what Jesus said:

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:14

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37-39

In Revelation 21:7, He says, "The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son." Our lives as Christians are to be characterized by victory. "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4)
Eternity in Heaven will be wonderful. But do not miss the wonders now. Do not miss the new heaven and the new earth. Do not miss your citizenship in the New Jerusalem, the Church. Look around. See life through God's eyes: "The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

I found this article and knew some of you would find it interesting. There is a chart here of superheroes listing their religious affiliations. You may have known Nightcrawler was Catholic from the X-Men movie. But did you know that Superman was a Methodist?

Here's the link.

Then you'll love this!

http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf

After this Sunday morning, I couldn't resist:

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:2

Yesterday, I saw that the New Heavens and New Earth are the Kingdom--this age. Today, I want to look at what that makes the new Jerusalem.
In just a few verses, that becomes clear:

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.” 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...

Revelation 21:9-10

The new Jerusalem is the Church. So, we are in the new Jerusalem now. Huh? Check this out:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect...

Hebrews 12:22-23

The Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

Galatians 4:26

The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Revelation 3:12

Why is it coming down from heaven? Note that the phrase born again in John 3:3 and 3:7 can also be translated born from above. (See the footnotes in your Bible). Ephesians 2:19 says we "are no longer strangers and aliens, but [we] are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." Philippians 3:20 says "our citizenship is in heaven."
John goes on to record a loud voice saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

Revelation 21:3

Notice how Paul also connected these ideas:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Just as God promised in Leviticus 26:11, "I will make my dwelling among you..." and 2 Corinthians 6:16, "we are the temple of the living God..."
We, the Church, are the new Jerusalem.

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.

Revelation 21:1

The Old Testament also speaks of new heavens and a new earth:

“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent's food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

Isaiah 65:17-25

Observation: If this new heaven and new earth is heaven or a time after the end of the world, then why is there still death? (Some of you might wonder why they are building and working. But I would remind you that there was work in the Paradise of Eden before the Fall, so work is not punishment). Why are they having children?
Didn't Jesus say, "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven"? (Matthew 22:30)

Might this passage refer to this age, before the end of the world? Read Deuteronomy 28. This passage in Isaiah reflects the ultimate fulfillment of those blessings here on earth. Might the new heavens and new earth symbolicly refer to the blessings of salvation?

Something to think about.

From the AFA:

Without a doubt, this could be the most important letter I have written you.

The U.S. Senate is poised to pass Senate Bill 1 (Section 220), which would effectively keep AFA and every other pro-family organization in America from providing you information on bills in Congress. Under Senate Bill 1 (Section 220), we would only be able to provide you information on a bill at a high cost and at great danger of being penalized by Congress.

To put it bluntly, members of Congress are tired of getting your e-mails and phone calls, and Senate Bill 1(Section 220) is designed to keep information from you that might inspire you to call or write your senator.

Click Here to read AFA's review of Senate Bill 1 (Section 220).

The new Democratic Senate thinks that if it can keep you from getting information—which is what Senate Bill 1 (Section 220) would do—then it will not be getting e-mails and phone calls from you.

Senators favoring this bill are simply tired of hearing from you. That is the bottom line. They don’t want to hear from you. They don’t want you to be informed. They want to silence you. How? By simply keeping you from receiving information that AFA provides.

I know that language is strong, but Senate Bill 1 (Section 220) will do exactly what I’ve said.

Take Action

1. Send an e-mail to your two senators now! 2. Call your two senators at 202-224-3121. (Simply ask for one senator. Then call the other one at the same number. Ask your senators to vote against Senate Bill 1 (Section 220). 3. Please forward this to your friends and family. It is vitally important that they know what members of the Senate are trying to do. 4. Print this information, and share it with members in your Sunday School class and church and urge them to send an e-mail and call.

If you think our efforts are worthy, would you please support us with a small gift? Thank you for caring enough to get involved.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

P.S. Please forward this e-mail message to your family and friends!

Ascribe to the Lord Glory

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29

Back from the in-laws.

My father-in-law gave me a hardback copy of The Complete Works of Josephus. My mother-in-law gave me some dairy digestive supplements that have allowed me to return milk products to my diet. (A truly wonderful gift). And, last, but not least, my brother-in-law gave me a terrific cold that developed into a bacterial infection so that I woke up Saturday morning with my eyes sealed closed.

But after three days of powerful antibiotics, I feel I am truly on the mend.