Prophecy, the Bible and Jesus - by Matt Slick

Prophecy, the Bible and Jesus

by Matt Slick

How do you respond to someone's claim that the Bible is not inspired?  Is there a way to prove inspiration or, at least, intelligently present evidence for its inspiration?  The answer is, "Yes!"  One of the best ways to prove inspiration is by examining prophecy.  There are many religious books in the world that have many good things to say, but only the Bible has fulfilled prophecies -- with more fulfillments to come.  The Bible has never been wrong in the past, and it won't be wrong in the future.  It claims inspiration from God (2 Tim. 3:16). Since God is the creator of all things (Isaiah 44:24), then He is also the creator of time.  It is under His control.  Only God, then, would always be right about what is in the future, our future.

Fulfilled prophecy is strong evidence that God is the author of the Bible, because when you look at the mathematical odds of prophecy being fulfilled, you quickly see a design, a purpose, and a guiding hand behind the Bible.  If just one prophecy failed, then we would know that God is not the true God, because the creator of all things, which includes time, would not be wrong about predicting the future.  Deut. 18:22 says, "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken.  That prophet has spoken presumptuously" (NIV).Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

One approach to use with an unbeliever is to turn to Psalm 22 and read verses 12-18.  This is a detailed description of the crucifixion -- 1000 years before Jesus was born.  After you read the section ask him what it was about.  He'll say, "The crucifixion of Jesus."  Then respond with something like, "You're right.  This is about the crucifixion.  But it was written 1000 years before Jesus was born.  And on top of that, crucifixion hadn't even been invented yet.  How do you think something like this could happen?"  After a brief discussion, you could show him (or her) a few other prophecies like where Jesus' birthplace was prophesied (Micah 5:2), that He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), that His side would be pierced (Zech. 12:10), etc.

Born of the Seed of the Woman1
Gen. 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."	Matt. 1:20, "But after he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'"
Born of a Virgin
Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."	Matt. 1:18,25, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary...was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit... But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
Son of God
Psalm 2:7, "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.'"	Matt. 3:15, "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
Seed of Abraham
Gen. 22:18, "and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."	Matt. 1:1, "record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham."
Son of Isaac
Gen. 21:12, "But God said to him, 'Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant.  Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.'"	Luke 3:23-34, "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli... the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor."
House of David
Jer. 23:5, "The days are coming, declares the LORD, 'when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.'"	Luke 3:23-31, "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli... the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David."
Born at Bethlehem
Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."	Matt. 2:1, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem."
He shall be a Prophet
Deut. 18:18, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him."	Matt. 21:11,"The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'"
He shall be a Priest
Psalm 110:4, "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"	Heb. 3:1, "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Heb. 5:5-6, "So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' And he says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'"
He shall be a King
Psalm 2:6, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."	Matt. 27:37, "Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
He shall judge
Isaiah 33:22, "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us."	John 5:30, "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
He would be preceded by a Messenger
Isaiah 40:3, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'"	Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'"
Rejected by His own people
Isaiah 53:3, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."	John 7:5, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him." John 7:48, "Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?"
His side pierced
Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child,and grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son."	John 19:34, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water."
Crucifixion
Psalm 22:1, Psalm 22:11-18, "For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?... Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."	Luke 23:33, "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -- one on his right, the other on his left." John 19:33, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." John 19:23-24, "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 'Let's not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let's decide by lot who will get it.' This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, 'They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.' So this is what the soldiers did."

The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability.  Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, "we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷."  That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.  In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 10¹⁷ silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas.  They will cover all of the state two feet deep.

"Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state.  Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one.  What chance would he have of getting the right one?  Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."

Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10¹⁵⁷, or 1 in

100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10⁷⁹.  It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident."

from CARM

Destroy All Churches! says Muslim Grand Mufti

Obama silent while Saudi grand mufti targets Christianity

If the pope called for the destruction of all the mosques in Europe, the uproar would be cataclysmic. Pundits would lambaste the church, the White House would rush out a statement of deep concern, and rioters in the Middle East would kill each other in their grief. But when the most influential leader in the Muslim world issues a fatwa to destroy Christian churches, the silence is deafening.

On March 12, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is "necessary to destroy all the churches of the region." The ruling came in response to a query from a Kuwaiti delegation over proposed legislation to prevent construction of churches in the emirate. The mufti based his decision on a story that on his deathbed, Muhammad declared, "There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula." This passage has long been used to justify intolerance in the kingdom. Churches have always been banned in Saudi Arabia, and until recently Jews were not even allowed in the country. Those wishing to worship in the manner of their choosing must do so hidden away in private, and even then the morality police have been known to show up unexpectedly and halt proceedings.

This is not a small-time radical imam trying to stir up his followers with fiery hate speech. This was a considered, deliberate and specific ruling from one of the most important leaders in the Muslim world. It does not just create a religious obligation for those over whom the mufti has direct authority; it is also a signal to others in the Muslim world that destroying churches is not only permitted but mandatory.

The Obama administration ignores these types of provocations at its peril. The White House has placed international outreach to Muslims at the center of its foreign policy in an effort to promote the image of the United States as an Islam-friendly nation. This cannot come at the expense of standing up for the human rights and religious liberties of minority groups in the Middle East. The region is a crucial crossroads. Islamist radicals are leading the rising political tide against the authoritarian, secularist old order. They are testing the waters in their relationship with the outside world, looking for signals of how far they can go in imposing their radical vision of a Shariah-based theocracy. Ignoring provocative statements like the mufti's sends a signal to these groups that they can engage in the same sort of bigotry and anti-Christian violence with no consequences.

Mr. Obama's outreach campaign to the Muslim world has failed to generate the good will that he expected. In part, this was because he felt it was better to pander to prejudice than to command respect. When members of the Islamic establishment call for the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing, the leader of the free world must respond or risk legitimizing the oppression that follows. The United States should not bow to the extremist dictates of the grand mufti, no matter how desperate the White House is for him to like us.

from Washington Times

What Is God Like?- #14 - God Is Omnipresent

God is Omnipresent


    This last of the "omni" attributes is called Omnipresence,  and of all of the three this is probably the easiest to understand, but is still not as simple as just "being everywhere." Lets take a good look at Psalm 139: 7-12:
Psa. 139:7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Psa. 139:8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 
Psa. 139:9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Psa. 139:10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Psa. 139:11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
Psa. 139:12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 


    The first thing to notice is that God is actually present in every part of the universe(v.8). And secondly that God is available in each of those places(v.10). Furthermore, this can be said for every member of the Godhead. The Father is available and present in every part of the universe, and likewise the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Prophet Jeremiah quotes God as saying of Himself, “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD(Jer. 23:23-24). In the book of Acts Paul is explaining the kind of game of hide and seek that God plays with us by saying to his audience, "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’(Acts 17:27-28)." 
    I believe that as you understand God's omnipresence, and, in fact, all of His other aspects and attributes, you become ever more aware that you are always growing closer to the God that named you before you were ever born, and had a plan for every moment of your life. If you take the time to ask God to reveal His nature to you, I believe He will, gladly. And then you will know that you are never alone on the journey, and that your Guide on the journey is trustworthy and more than able to help you get from here to there, which is your place of fulfillment and destiny. 


 "This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."  Is. 48:17

Jimmy Carter v/s Barack Obama!

Peter Hitchens on Easter

Great comments from a great mind on the state of Western Culture and the importance of Easter.

Santorum's Nightmare! (cartoon)

Hugh Hewitt: One of Two Men Will Be President in January, 2013: Which One Do You Support?

With a sweeping win in Illinois that ranged across almost every demographic and income level, educational achievement or religious background, Mitt Romney has almost completely killed off the "zombie narrative" of a "brokered" convention.
That bizarre "story-line" isn't dead in every precinct of the media, but those who indulge it get rolled eyes and sudden smirks sent their way. "Really? You believe that?" serious analysts ask. "Please keep your investment advice to yourself," they add under their breaths.

This doesn't mean that unhappiness with the the former Massachusetts governor will go away, only that it will delineate the dead-enders and the Obama fanatics among the media, both new and old. There are still eight subsets of college basketball fans still bitter at Ohio's 8-0 record in this year's Mayan Calendar tourney, but that bitterness doesn't erase a single one of Ohio State, Ohio's, Xavier's or Cincy's wins. It just embarrasses the whining fan.

There were good reasons for every Republican who ran to get into the race.

There are even good reasons for Rick Santorum to stay in it a while longer as he is looking at a win in Louisiana, and it makes sense to maximize his potent list of small donors for his future political life and the best interests of other conservatives down the road. The former Pennsylvania senator also continues to bring much needed focus to the fanatical mullahs of Tehran and the butchers of Syria.

Ron Paul has never been in the race to win, and his quixotic campaign is ending gently and perhaps even with a positive impact on his supporters as they flow into Senator Rand Paul's national constituency and the very useful campaign to keep the national debt front and center.

Former Speaker Gingrich demonstrated how to deal with MSM in a way that ought to be part of every candidate training seminar offered by the RNC at any level. For this I am grateful, and I hope his exit will be as well managed as his best answer on his best night.

But even though the remaining candidates might have a reason to linger, the day is here for the GOP grassroots and elected officials to begin to rally to their nominee and to begin to appeal to donors across the board to get on board and catch up to the president's vast bankroll even as a network of volunteers is built in the dozen states that will decide whether or not America steps off the road to economic ruin.

The donors and volunteers can go to www.MittRomney.com. The entire party ought to go and watch Romney's victory speech in Illinois last night. It was a preview of coming attractions, and it was very good indeed.

On Monday I wrote a column fro the Washington Examiner on how 2012 could be 1980 all over again. Last night Governor Romney hit many of the themes that powered Reagan's big win 32 years ago. Reagan had to break some china to get the nomination back then, but the party came together because of the overwhelming, urgent need to defeat Jimmy Carter and his politics of despair.

That urgent need has returned. This isn't 1992 and President Obama isn't Bill Clinton. The fork in the road is sharp, the consequences of the choice in November almost irreversible.

Which is why, whether disappointed or even angry, it is time for everyone who cares about defeating the president to get behind the governor.

There's plenty of time for criticism of his campaign and his rhetoric, for pushes and pulls and Monday morning QBs --I will certainly be taking a few snaps from under that center-- but one of two men will be president in January of next year.

Which one will you be supporting?

Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt is host of a nationally syndicated radio talk show. Hugh Hewitt's new book is The War On The West.
via: TownHall

What Is God Like? #13 - God Is Omniscient

God is Omniscient


    The next of the "omni" words describing God is omniscient. To say that God is omniscient isn't just to say that He knows a lot of information, but rather to say that He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom as well. God is not just a big supercomputer with lots of memory, but He not only knows all things but that He thoroughly understands all of the implications and nuances and the wise uses of the knowledge that He possesses as well. God is in fact a know-it-all, but in a good way. God also possesses what we would call foreknowledge, which for HIm is just knowledge. Think about that one. At the moment God dictated the prophecies to the prophets about Jesus  and the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, in God's world, they were happening. This is another one of those examples of the multi-dimensionality of God. He is on a plane of existence that includes all times and all places, and is yet above and beyond them both.   "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”(Rom. 11:33-34) 
    God is fully aware of the positions of all of the stars in all of the galaxies, and He is aware of every situation you are in and how you feel about it, and He is concerned for you in all of this. When Hagar, who was the mother of Ishmael, was cast out by Sarah, Abraham's wife, God found her and her child and saved them from perishing in the desert. She responded by saying, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” For even though Ishmael was not the chosen son to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham, God did watch over and care him and his mother. In the story of the Exodus God makes it clear that He had compassion on his people and that He cared about their suffering. In Exodus 3:7 it says,  "The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering." Jesus also carried a message that included one of mercy, compassion, and concern. He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered(Mat. 10:29-30). God also is able to understand the depths of the human heart and will.  In 1Kings 8:39, in the middle of the prayer of dedication of the temple, is this statement, "Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men)." And when Peter was explaining to the Jewish believers that God had given His Spirit to Gentiles as well, he said, "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us(Acts 15:8)." 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints.
Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461.
Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone's Irish.


There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story.
Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.


As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.


During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."


He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).


Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.
Why a shamrock?
Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.


In His Footsteps:
Patrick was a humble, pious, gentle man, whose love and total devotion to and trust in God should be a shining example to each of us. He feared nothing, not even death, so complete was his trust in God, and of the importance of his mission.

Text via Catholic Online 

A Mighty Warrior Falls In The Night... Andrew Breitbart

Goodbye, Andrew
By Michael Walsh
March 1, 2012 1:45 P.M.
In the war against the institutional Left, Andrew Breitbart was the Right’s Achilles; the bravest of all the warriors, now fallen on the plain. There was no combat in which he would not engage, no battle — however small — he would not join with glee, and no outcome acceptable except total victory. His unexpected death last night at the young age of 43 is not the end of his crusade, but its beginning.


No figure on our side was more despised in the whited sepulchers of the media/academic/political Left, and Breitbart wore their loathing as a daily badge of honor. His refusal to grant even a glimmer of moral absolution constantly enraged them, and his very existence was an affront to their carefully constructed — to use one of Andrew’s favorite words — “narrative” of moral superiority. Naturally, they are already dancing on his grave, with the manic joy of being suddenly and miraculously delivered from one of their most potent enemies. 


Breitbart’s death is a tragedy, not only for those who delighted in following him into battle but for those who cheered him on as well. Andrew was larger than life, a charismatic natural leader, a big man in every way — physically, spiritually, and intellectually. He would meet a total stranger and immediately try to enlist him or her into his army, railing against the Left’s mendacity and misdeeds. He would practically pick you up by the lapels and shake you in order to make you understand the furious, urgent necessity of his fight.


Confrontation was his métier, and he routinely and gleefully waded into groups of lefties to challenge them face to face. Puckish humor was his stock-in-trade, and he would often disarm opponents with his boyish, goofy side. He was a virtuoso of the Twitterverse, a master of multi-tasking, and would think nothing of having a meeting with colleagues in his Westwood home while talking on the phone to someone else and working his Twitter feed. He joked that he had ADD, but what he really had was an outsized heart, fueled by courage and passion and, as the title of his recent book had it, by Righteous Indignation.


That indignation came to Breitbart in mid-life. A bluff Irishman who had been adopted as a baby by a Jewish couple in Brentwood (one of L.A.’s tonier neighborhoods), he moved to the right in college, at Tulane University in New Orleans, and crossed over completely with the Clarence Thomas hearings, which fueled his rage against the Left for their hypocritical treatment of American blacks. I can personally attest that no cause fired his righteous indignation more than the Left’s plantation attitude toward African-Americans.


Breitbart first made his mark on politics as Matt Drudge’s assistant on the influential Drudge Report, then honed his internet savvy by helping set up the Huffington Post — his impersonation of Arianna Huffington was uncannily spot-on — and, finally, created his collection of “Big” sites: Big Hollywood, Big Government, Big Journalism, and Big Peace. More “Bigs” were in the works. 


I first met Andrew at a monthly social group here in Los Angeles and, within five minutes, he was laying out his warrior ethos. A couple of months later, although we barely knew each other, he asked me to found and edit Big Journalism, which we launched in January 2010. In all, we spent about a year working together, but even after I left that post we spoke and saw each other frequently. The last time I saw him was on Valentine’s Day at a restaurant in Westwood where Hollywood conservatives gather; he was with his oldest son (he and his wife Susie have four children) and seemed uncharacteristically subdued.


Recently, he’d hired Joel Pollak to be editor-in-chief of all the Big sites; Pollak had quixotically run for Congress against Chicago’s Jan Schakowsky, which endeared him immediately to Breitbart. But that didn’t mean Andrew was slowing down. His company, Breitbart.com, had set up shop in Washington to cover the elections, and so he was constantly traveling between the coasts and stopping in between, giving speeches, picking fights, and never letting the Left forget that it had a mortal enemy. If you ever wanted to know where Breitbart was, the safest answer was: on a plane.


We don’t know the cause of death yet — he collapsed while taking a walk late last night — but he did suffer from heart trouble, and told me he had spent some time at UCLA Medical Center in the past year for treatment. As a heart patient myself, I often urged him to slow down and take care of his family — even Achilles had to spend time in his tent. 


It was advice he could not heed. It was not in his DNA ever to leave the field. He was the kind of leader the Right needs more of — not a go-along, get-along time-serving functionary but a tactical commander on the battlefield, ever ready to take the bridge, fire the village, and move on to the next objective. If he had a flaw, it lay in not distinguishing between tactics and strategy, and in fighting with targets (Media Matters and a host of other blogosphere hacks and nonentities) who were beneath him.


He did not live to make General, which is the Left’s gain and our loss. But his example lives on. Those of us who were his friends, colleagues, and allies remain standing, in the fight to the end. It is the very least we can do for him.


— Michael Walsh is a journalist and screenwriter. He is the author of Rules for Radical Conservatives: Beating the Left at Its Own Game to Take Back America.


via National Review Online

We have lost a mighty warrior! Be bold like Breitbart! - Cliff