Lost Mandate of Heaven, Part 1H [Ideas Series, #8]

Exodus 32:2-4

"And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

As we saw in the previous post, the people lost patience with Moses (and with God) and confronted Aaron about making them gods. He acquiesced. However, God gave Moses instructions for taking a free-will offering to be used in making a holy place for God (Exodus 25:1-7). Here Aaron received a collection, an offering of gold to make an idol.

All the people broke off the golden earrings and turned them over to Aaron. Suddenly there was a gold rush! It was more important to have something to look at (ie, a golden idol) than Someone to look to.

Aaron fashioned the gold with an engraving tool. It was all manual labor; that is, all hands and no heart. I'm talking about how this wasn't the Spirit-inspired craftsmanship of Bezaleel and Aholiab. It was the flesh-inspired work of Aaron. He thought it out, melted the gold, molded it, and fashioned it carefully with an engraving tool.

Upon completing his community project, he said, "This is your god". Again, notice that Aaron did not anoint this thing as their god. He simply went along with the people as they proclaimed it as their god. Also, take note that he deflected the idol worship on the people as if he was washing his hand of the entire spectacle. Pontius Pilate attempted to do the same thing, but history has not been kind. It was after all his hands that wrought the idol. Aaron in just as culpable in creating the idol as the people were in demanding one.

True leadership would have cried out, "This is idolatry! We must destroy this golden calf. You people are wrong in calling this creation of man your god!" But Aaron wasn't a true leader. He is an example of the one who leads by following popular opinion. If you put yourself in Aaron's shoes and you were accosted and confronted by hundreds, if not thousands, of men demanding an idol, what would you have done? Consider where you're at right now at work or your sphere of influence: Are you being a light in a dark, wicked world (Matt. 5:16) or a you like Aaron, hiding behind the idolatrous veneer of conformity?

Leading From Behind

President Barack Obama's infamous saying caught the attention of many here in the U.S. as well as abroad. To be clear, the "Leading from behind" quote was not stated by the president, but did in fact come from a White House official who was quoted in a a "journalistic" piece in "The Consequentialist: How the Arab Spring Remade Obama’s Foreign Policy" by Ryan Lizza. So, even though it was explicity stated, the president sure has practiced this philosophy quite consistently. The only people who "lead" from behind, as far as I can tell, are the carnival workers who follow elephants at a parade, if you catch my drift.

From Syria to Iran and the broader Middle East policy, Mexico, Russia, and China, America has been less assertive in the world. The attitude behind this line of thinking is that the relative power of the U.S. is declining, as rivals like China rise, and that the U.S. is reviled in many parts of the world. Therefore, the logic follows, if the U.S. is weak and hated then we have to lead from behind, taking the back seat to atrocities that are committed around the world (Syria as a case in point). Thus, the U.S. gains power by "acting modestly", by acting powerless. Huh?

Truly, the liberal line of thought is corrupt, dishonest, childish and dangerous. Heaven help us if we're going to face another 4 years of this debacle of a presidency.

Put simply, someone who leads from behind is a coward.

The Cult of Personality

As Barack Obama did not become president until January 20 of this year, it seems irrefutable that his cult of personality was bestowed upon him by so-called journalists who in order to help him get elected abdicated their solemn responsibility to report the truth to the American people.

As this typically occurs in a totalitarian nation, that country's ruler, with complete control of the media, is able to mandate what images of him or herself are being disseminated thereby furthering his cult-like status. Think of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong Il.

The Obama team is formulating its campaign strategy convinced that their guy's charisma and delivery combined with a willingness to say anything will result in re-election.

The Obama Team knows it will not be able to honestly campaign on the President's record of accomplishments. Their campaign will be solely based on blaming everything on President Bush and the mantra that things would have been worse if they had not pursued their policy agendas.

The Cult of Personality strategy works something like this:

1. Contrasting Obama against the dull and bland personality of the Republican candidate.

2. In concert with the once-mainstream media and the unions, leveling the well-worn and threadbare accusations of the Republican nominee as being mean-spirited and in league with the "rich" will be on full display. Consider the Bain Capital attacks presently being waged on Romney by the press.

3. Racist accusations being used to create headlines and sidetrack the Republicans whenever the opportunity, real or imagined, presents itself.

The Murder of Naboth

In I Kings 21, Naboth is murdered for his vineyard because he refused to give up his land.

King Ahab wanted the vineyard near his royal house in Jezreel that he might have it as a vegetable garden, and was willing to trade for the land or pay for it. Naboth's response was an emphatic "No." His rejection of the otherwise reasonable offer was rooted in the ancient Israelite idea of the land. They believed that the land was an inheritance from God, parceled out to individual tribes and families according to His will. Therefore land was never really sold, only leased - and that only under the most dire circumstances. You can imagine that the Real Estate offices in ancient Israel didn't do very good business.

See Leviticus 25:15, 25:23, 25:25; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18 for further study.

What does Ahab do to this legitimate decline to sell him the property? He pouts before Jezebel.

So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food. He seemed to be a spineless, pouting man who reacted this way when he met any kind of adversity or denial of self-fulfillment. He was like a sulking child who could not get his own way. Trust me, I've got eight kids. I know what sulking looks like!


"You now exercise authority over Israel . . . I will give you the vineyard of Naboth" Men, take note. Jezebel's manner of speech revealed who really exercised authority in the palace of Israel (Michelle Obama, are you listening?).


Friends, Jezebel plotted the plan and Ahab executed it. It's a little stretch, but see it this way if you can: President Obama is trying to steal our great Nation right from under our noses. What are you going to do about it? Believe the mainstream media? Or, put your trust back in the only One who is trustworthy: Jesus Christ?


The choice is yours. Make no mistake, though. I'm not referring to the choice of voting between a Muslim or a Mormon. What I'm talking about is humbly & quickly returning to God and begging for mercy on this great land.

America's Prestige Is On the Line

America is weak because we have a weak leader in Obama. But, he's doing it purposely, to transform this Nation from being a Superpower to an Impotent One. America needs to be taken back from the godless Liberals, Progressives, Democrats, Republicans and yes, the carnal-worldly Christians.

A weak leader who depends on God for strength and wisdom is truly a strong leader.

A weak leader who perceives himself as strong, because he sees himself as the answer to the nation's problems is in reality a fool.

Brace yourselves, folks. We're in for a rough landing come November 2012. Stay on your knees and keep looking up. Christ is on the way. God bless you!

The Plan of Salvation

Sources: The New Yorker; newsbusters, Washington Free Beacon, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fox News, Smith's Encyclopedia

The Lost Mandate of Heaven, Part 1F [Ideas Series, #6]

Matthew 11:20-24

"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

Thus began Christ to upbraid . That is, to reprove, to rebuke, to denounce heavy judgment on the cities. Why?

When He had sent forth His disciples to preach, and had been in these several cities Himself, and had taught and preached in them, and confirmed His doctrine by many wonderful works; when He had observed how ill they had used both John the Baptist and Himself, (accusing the one as having a devil, and the other as a licentious person); when they could not be pleased with the ministry of the one, nor of the other, Christ began to reproach them and their ingratitude to Him, their unbelief in Him, the hardness of their hearts. These people - witnesses to His goodness and miraculous acts - could not be moved to repent of their evil ways, and believe in Him, and acknowledge Him as the Messiah. What a tragic, pitiable breed these folks were!

The more God has done to draw men unto Himself, the less excusable are they if they continue in iniquity. If our blessed Lord had not done every thing that was necessary for the salvation of these people, there might be a glimmer of excuse. But, there isn't. Christ condemned these unbelieving cities because they repented not. All He did was, in order to bring men to repentance of their sins, and faith in Himself, was to work miracle after miracle in those same cities that they might be saved. He did not come to be applauded and to entertain, but to bring men to repentance. Lo, it never happened because of men's hardened hearts. What they wanted and didn't get were freebies.

As this great Nation slides into oblivion, it is sad to note that we are in the very position of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. God indeed has wrought a miraculous work in America. To ascend into incredible heights in such a short time can only be attributed to His providential hand.America has stood for the promise of escape from tribal loyalties and hatreds, the limitations of social heredity, and from the cruelties of religious intolerance. To be sure, America remains true to its cultural underpinnings - founded upon Judeo-Christian values - while still welcoming new citizens through a legitimate assimilative process. Generations of people came here not merely in search of new space to grow, but on a quest to realize the American Dream that defines this Nation. The institutions established by the U.S. Constitution take their cue from Biblical sources.

Our Founding Fathers acknowledged God as the source of our rights. In fact, they were careful to place Biblical morality directly into our founding documents and laws, and into our values and culture precisely to help prevent a future of totalitarian or tyrannical rule in America. The Founding Fathers declared that our political and human rights come from a power higher than human government; they come from God Himself.

If we are to avoid the same fates of the aforementioned cities, then we need to forsake the path that we're on and humbly seek God. Think about it: In November 2012, the Nation will vote for either a Muslim or a Mormon to lead this Christian Nation. Read II Chronicles 7:14 and beg God for mercy!

The cities in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee had, thus far, heard and seen the most of the Lord and had the least excuse for rejecting him. Interestingly, from the 4th century to the 11th century Capernaum had 3 earthquakes, which successively leveled the town until the people decided to stop building and instead moved away.

A Tempest In A Teapot?

A dangerous heat and electrical storm with winds over 80 MPH blasted Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC June 29 2012. The storm left over 61,000 residents in our county with out power, in the sweltering heat. Homes and businesses across Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia lost power June 29 as one of the most powerful and punishing storms in months swept across the region.

More coverage here.

We know a number of facts about the June 29 derecho now. As many as 5 million lost power from near Chicago to the East Coast, at least 22 were killed, and it caused a yet uncounted millions or billions in damage. Yet, as of 24 hours prior and even the morning of, very little in the way of mass indication that it was coming.

While the United States moves toward becoming a weather ready nation, how could something like this happen with half a day or less of warning? Is it destined to happen again?

How apropo that this storm would hit the D.C. area the day after Judge Roberts turned the healthcare fight upside down with his siding with the radical left wing of the SCOTUS! Coincidental? I guess it's one question we can ask the Lord on that Great Day when we leave earth and join Him in Glory.

America Has Forgotten the God of the Bible

Back in 1993, an Appeals Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for Gideon International to hand out Bibles in public schools in Indianapolis. It was all right to hand out condoms to 13-year-olds. It was all right to graphically instruct junior high school kids on how to have safe sex. It was all right to give free abortion counseling to 14-year-olds without parental consent. And yet, it was wrong to give them a Bible in America in 1993. Guess what, folks? The landscape remains the same except godlessness is more rampant now than ever before. Without God's Word, we are truly lost and adrift.

Now to an extent you can understand why our children need to be protected from the dangerous doctrines contained in the Bible. Have you looked at it lately? After all, it has such "dangerous" concepts as "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "Do not covet your neighbor's wife". And of course, young ears should never hear such words as "Do not commit adultery" or "Flee fornication". Oh, no we cannot, even under the principle of academic freedom which says that all competing ideas have a right to be heard, allow someone access to the Bible. Why, they might read and believe, and live by some of those "dangerous concepts."

If that were to happen, the world as we know it would come to an end! Think of the deadly ramifications of obeying the Bible. Parents would be respected and obeyed, as would teachers. We wouldn't need policemen (i.e, school resource officers) in every school. No need for metal detectors to check for guns and knives. Hatred and racism would die. Teenage pregnancy and the perceived need to hand out safe-sex materials would soon be gone. By all means please have the godless liberals protect us from such a horrific fate!

In the 1960's we forgot God by removing prayer and the Bible from our schools.

In the 1970's we forgot God by legalizing abortion in our hospitals.

In the 1980's we forgot God by removing the King James Bible from our churches and replacing It with the corrupted New International Version (NIV) that removes the important word “begotten” from John 3:16! There are more atrocities in the NIV but there is not enough space to delineate them here.

In the 1990's America forgot God by introducing the vile “Gay Agenda” into society.

And now in the 21st Century we are facing the abominations of legalized same-sex marriages and infanticide. Because of evolution, American has chosen to ignore God's revelation through His Holy Word (Rom. 1:20). Because of it, they have blown open the door to godlessness. Hypocritically, the same humanists who relentlessly place God on trial, unquestioningly accept the unproven theories of evolution.

America voted for a Communist U.S. president and is on the brink of re-electing him to a 2nd term.

Heed the warning in Psalm 9:17, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

Woe unto America!

 

I Want No Part of Godlessness!

Sources: Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary; International Standard Bible Dictionary; Washington Post; Washington Times; myFOXDC.com

Dear Reader

Ecclesiastes 3:1
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

I'd like to tell everyone out there in cyber-land that during these upcoming months, I'm going to be focusing almost exclusively on two series that focus on issues & matters that have been in my heart and mind for some time now. Thus, it's time for a change.

The summer months are especially busy for almost everyone, my family included. So, with the exception of updating you all about Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's situation in Iran and abortion-related news, I will be blogging less this summer due to the time constraints related to conducting the necessary research for the upcoming series that I'm excited about.

As you all know, the general election is underway in earnest and the United States of America is at a critical juncture. In what will certainly be the most expensive, most divisive and most contentious election in a generation, the American people will be assaulted with lies, damned lies and prevaricated statistics so as to confuse them and mislead them.

In my humble opinion, the choices this Nation faces couldn't be more stark. It will be a contrast between over-regulation and freedom; a handout and a hand up; opportunism and opportunity; racial division and National unity; restriction and liberty; ruling bureaucrats and rule of law; immorality and morality; godlessness and Jesus Christ. The list could go on, but everyone out there gets the picture.

The path this Nation takes will have unintended consequences for a long, long time, both here Stateside and abroad. To be sure, other countries will feel the impact of this presidential election cycle. The implications couldn't have more gravitas; the stakes can't be any higher for America.

And, to the international readers (you know who you all are!), there are timely lessons for you and your nation as well.

Without further ado, I'd like to summarize the upcoming series -

1. The All-American Series will focus on the things that make America great, both historically and presently, as it revolves around a particular holiday or day of observation. The first post to roll out will be on Memorial Day and continue through the remainder of the year.

2. The Ideas Have Consequences Series will focus on the ideas shaping today's polical and cultural climate. It will vary from the language people use to the thoughts that drive people in their political, economic and spiritual transactions. This series will conclude on Election Day 2012.

Once again, thank you for your readership and kind words. I really do appreciate them. My hope is that these series will be a blessing for you and yours. May the Lord richly bless you in these times because it is times like these that we need a Saviour! In times like these we need the Bible. His name is Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, the Son of the Living God!

Have a blessed summer as well as a blessed winter, for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere!

No Time Like the Present to Get Right With God!