Jesus Came to Save Us from Sin!

To hear Armstrongites and Jehovah's Witnesses tell it, Jesus came to this earth the first time with a message about a future Kingdom of God on this earth. Does that view, however, square with Scripture? Judge for yourself:

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:18-21, NLT

https://www.bible.com/bible

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29, NLT

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:17, NLT

https://www.biblegateway.com

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”

I Timothy 1:15, NLT

https://www.biblegateway.com

I don't know about you, but it sure sounds to me like Scripture is clear that Jesus came to save us from our sins. What do you think?

Santa Claus: Christian or Pagan?

In his booklet The Plain Truth About Christmas, Herbert Armstrong wrote: "But surely dear old Santa Claus is not a creature of pagan birth? But he is, and his real character is not so benevolent and holy as many suppose!" He went on to say: "Is it Christian to teach children myths and falsehoods? God says, 'Thou shalt not bear false witness!' It may seem right, and be justified by human reason, but God says, 'There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death!' 'Old Nick' also is a term for the devil! Is there a connection? Satan appears as an 'angel of light,' to deceive! (II Cor. 11:14; Rev. 12:9.)"

Likewise, in the December 1985 edition of The Good News magazine, Clayton Steep wrote an article entitled "Christmas 2,000 Years Before Christ!" He began by speaking in very vague terms about "mythical visitors" associated with the "winter season." Steep continued: "We recognize them today in different nations as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, St. Martin, the Weihnachtsmann, Pere Noel. Whatever name is used, all these winter visitors fulfill a similar role. These fictional persons 'Christianizations' of the pagan Germanic deities - perpetuate certain folk rituals wherein varying degrees of rewards and punishments were dealt out to celebrants. Through the centuries these customs came to be centered around children. It is not hard to see a connection between Santa using the chimney, the shoes and stockings hung by the fireplace and the ancient superstitions about hearth spirits. The fireplace served as the natural entrance and exit of the gods of fire and solar gods when they visited homes. For thousands of years, especially among the Chinese, it was customary to sweep and scour the house in preparation for the visit of the hearth spirit. Each year, dressed in a pointed fiery red cap and red jacket, this fire-god traveled from the distant heavens to visit homes and distribute favors or punishments. Today he is welcomed in the Western world each Christmas season."

Unfortunately, most of what Armstrong and Steep had to say on this subject was a bunch of unsupported speculation which ignored a great deal of history and connected things that had no connection to the things with which they were associated. The "PLAIN TRUTH" is that Santa Claus was a development of the Christian era and had NOTHING to do with paganism!

In an article written by Connor and Graves for Christianity.com titled Who Was Saint Nicholas? The True Story Behind Santa Claus, we read: "St. Nicholas of Myra is a saint in liturgical Christian denominations. As with many Christian saints, he is the patron saint of a particular group. Most notably, he is a patron saint of children and sailors." Continuing, we read: "Nicholas is believed to have been born in Patara, a city in the province of Lycia (part of modern-day Turkey). After becoming a Christian, he became bishop of a church in Myra, another town in Lycia. Myra gets briefly mentioned in Acts 27:5 when Paul and his travelers visit the city enroute to Rome. Nicholas is believed to have been a bishop over the church in Myra during the third and fourth century. His traditional birth and death dates are 270-343 AD." The authors concluded: "Over the nearly two thousand years since St. Nicholas of Myra lived, many Christmas traditions arose around him in different countries. These traditions combined to create the American Santa Claus figure we know today."

Speaking of his life and character, they wrote: "As bishop of Myra, Nicholas resisted tyrants and taught the truth, especially rejecting the Arian heresy. His people loved him. Whereas before, he had done his acts of charity anonymously, he now realized that he must act openly, for he must be an example to his people. 'The doors of his house were open to all. He was kind and affable to all, to orphans he was a father, to the poor a merciful giver, to the weeping a comforter, to the wronged a helper, and to all a great benefactor.' He brought down a local temple of the goddess Diana, confronted unjust rulers, defended individuals who were falsely accused, and prayed for relief during a famine." Now, as this article also points out, there are also a great number of myths and legends associated with Saint Nicholas which may or may not have any basis in actual history.

In the Biography.com article on Saint Nicholas, we read: "There are many legends about Saint Nicholas of Myra. One story tells how he helped three poor sisters. Their father did not have enough money to pay their dowries and thought of selling them into servitude. Three times, Saint Nicholas secretly went to their house at night and put a bag of money inside. The man used the money so that one of his daughters could marry. On the third visit, the man saw Saint Nicholas and thanked him for his kindness. He also reportedly saved three men who were falsely imprisoned and sentenced to death." The same article went on to observe that: "Saint Nicholas went through many transformations in America: Sinterklaas became Santa Claus, and instead of giving gifts on December 6, he became a part of the Christmas holiday. In the 1820 poem 'An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas' by Clement Clarke Moore, he is described as a jolly, heavy man who comes down the chimney to leave presents for deserving children and drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. The cartoonist Thomas Nast added to the Saint Nicholas legend with an 1881 drawing of Santa as wearing a red suit with white fur trim. Once a kind, charitable bishop, Saint Nicholas had become the Santa Claus we know today."

In the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Saint Nicholas of Myra states that: "He is patron of mariners, merchants, bakers, travellers, children, etc. His representations in art are as various as his alleged miracles. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, they have the custom of making him the secret purveyor of gifts to children on 6 December, the day on which the Church celebrates his feast ; in the United States and some other countries St. Nicholas has become identified with Santa Claus who distributes gifts to children on Christmas eve. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari ; up to the present day an oily substance , known as Manna di S. Nicola , which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them." In other words, Nicholas was a real, flesh and blood person who served as a Christian Bishop, and his mortal remains are still with us in 2024! Originally, the sources quoted here all agree that his feast day memorialized the date of his death on the sixth of December (this was the common practice for honoring saints after their deaths).

This narrative may not appeal to Armstrongists or Jehovah's Witnesses, but it does represent the who/where/why of our modern Santa Claus. He is based on a real Christian - a good man who lived long ago and devoted himself to following the example of Jesus of Nazareth!

The Death of Whendy Hendrix

It's never good news when you get a phone call at 3 AM. My brother called this morning to tell me that his wife had just passed away. "Whendy's gone," he announced with a tired and emotion choked voice. She had been waging a very brave battle with cancer this past year and had been in a great deal of pain. Thankfully, that is all over. She is at rest.

Steven had helped her wage that battle. He had supported her and helped her through it all, and he must now face life without her. My heart goes out to him, her mother, her son, and her grandson. May the God who is love, mercy, and comfort supply them with those things in abundance. May God welcome her into his kingdom whole, healthy, and surrounded by love. Amen.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. -- II Thessalonians 2:16-17, NLT

Christ on Trial: The Contrast Between Human and Divine Authority

All four of the canonical Gospels contain an account of Christ's trial before the Roman Governor of Judaea, Pontius Pilate. As such, Pilate served as the representative of Caesar's authority in that region. Now, in those days, Roman authority and control would have seemed both absolute and oppressive to the inhabitants of Judaea. After all, Roman soldiers had occupied the area for almost one hundred years by that time.

In the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, we read:

28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

--The New International Version

Pilate, and the Jews under his authority, had a perspective on kingship that was based on years of real-world experience. Human kings exercised authority and control over people and territory. Kings were to be obeyed, feared, and respected. To these folks, someone claiming to be the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures to restore the Davidic Kingdom represented a challenge or threat to the powers that were then in place.

Jesus, on the other hand, did NOT fit their expectations about kingship. He offered something new and different. His kingdom was NOT of this world! He told them that his Kingdom came from a different place - that it wasn't of human origin or design. Jesus represented service and sacrifice, love and TRUTH. For folks in the First Century, this model of kingship did not make any sense to them - it was not something to which they could relate.

The Nativity: Human Authority VS Divine Service

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. - Isaiah 9:6-7, ESV

In the canonical Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we find two narratives about the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. Interestingly, although those narratives look at that event from different perspectives, both accounts clearly contrast God's notions about leadership with those of humankind. Unfortunately, most folks tend to exclusively focus their attention on the sentimental and emotional nature of the account - on the baby Jesus and his mother. Others rejoice at these accounts of Christ's first advent - his appearance on earth to make eternal life with God possible for humanity. Now, let's be clear, nothing we are about to say is intended to disparage or dismiss those perspectives on that blessed event. Even so, when we are finished, I hope that we will all be able to acknowledge that there was a lot more going on in these two narratives than either one of those important views indicate.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the narrative opens with Jesus being conceived outside of the institution of marriage, and Joseph quietly contemplating extracting himself from his betrothal to Mary (Matthew 1:18-25). Next, we are informed that King Herod learns about the birth of the "King of the Jews" from three wise men from the east. He then summoned all of the religious leaders in Jerusalem and asked them where the Messiah was prophesied to be born. Finally, we are informed that he summoned the wise men and demanded to know when the star which they were following had first appeared to them and instructed them to return to Jerusalem and report back to him when they had found the child (Matthew 2:1-8). Following the star, we are informed that the wise men soon found the child and presented to him gifts which they believed were fitting for a king (Matthew 2:9-11).

However, we are told that an angel warned them not to return to King Herod, and that they returned to their own homelands by another route (Matthew 2:12). Then, we read: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my son.' Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men." (Matthew 2:13-16, ESV)

In this account, we see the human king (Herod) concerned about a report that a prophesied Messiah had been born. In short, the man felt threatened. HE was the king of the Jews, not this child who had just been born! What is his reaction? He ordered people to give him more information, and he lied to the wise men about his true intentions in inquiring about the child whom they were seeking. Clearly, Herod viewed this child as a potential existential threat to his authority and position. Then, when the wise men failed to return to Jerusalem after he had instructed them to do so, he flew into a rage and ordered his soldiers to kill all of the male children under two years of age in Bethlehem - trying to eliminate what he perceived to be a threat to his throne. Thus, the human king is portrayed as deceptive, full of self-interest, authoritarian, and ruthless. This is contrasted with the vulnerability of innocent children under his authority, and with what the angel had told Joseph about the child: "he will save his people from their sins."

Now, before we move on to Luke's account of these events, this is probably as good a place as any to address some of the scholarly criticisms of both of these narratives. In summary, these criticisms generally focus on reliability and the origins of the material. Some scholars see problems with the historicity of these narratives (how closely they line up with what actually happened), while others point to the existence of similar narratives found in pagan traditions. For some folks, these facts present insurmountable challenges to these narratives.

From my perspective, it is obvious that neither Matthew nor Luke was concerned with giving a scrupulously accurate biographical or historical account (which would have been both unexpected from them and unknown to the authors of that day and time). Instead, it is very clear to me that both of them were more interested in conveying just how mundane and extraordinary Christ's birth really was in relation to the grander scheme of things.

In the Gospel of Luke, we are informed that the angel Gabriel announced Christ's birth to his mother, Mary. We read: "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." (Luke 1:26-33, ESV) Notice, that Luke makes very clear that Jesus was destined to be a KING - to inherit the throne of David and to NEVER relinquish it!

In the second chapter, Luke revealed that Joseph and Mary were required to register in his ancestral town of Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus had issued a decree to that effect (Luke 2:1-5). While the couple was there, Luke wrote: "the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2:6-12, ESV) Of course, this is a very familiar narrative, especially at this time of the year; but I have to wonder if most folks are picking up on the contrast between this king (Jesus), and the Roman emperor and other kings of the earth that Luke intended.

Notice, in this account of Christ's birth, that the great king is born in the usual manner, but in very humble circumstances. There is no palace or mansion - there isn't even any room for them at the local inn in the very backwater village of Bethlehem! Indeed, the child is born in a stable and laid in a livestock trough! Then, the angels announce the event to a group of lowly shepherds, NOT to emperors, kings, or the religious leaders of that day. Moreover, Luke portrays these circumstances as being an intentional sign of the one who would be their Savior!

This child/king had arrived to serve them, NOT to be served by them, and this message is reinforced in the other Gospel accounts of Christ's life (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 13:1-17). In stark contrast to these circumstances, the great human emperor was remote, lived in rarified splendor, and issued authoritative decrees requiring his subject to do this or that for him. Moreover, this contrast between human notions about leadership and the Divine model were later reiterated in Christ's own teachings on the subject (Matthew 18:1-5, 20:20-28, Mark 9:33-34, 10:35-45, Luke 22:24-30). Hence, we can see that both of the canonical accounts of Christ's nativity were carefully crafted to reflect the stark contrast between human notions about leadership and the kind of leadership reflected in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. This King was very different!

Are You Paying Lip Service to God?

The phrase "paying lip service" arises from an insincere expression of loyalty, respect, or support for something or someone. In this connection, it is interesting to note something that Jesus once observed about the religious leaders of that day. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:8-9, ESV)

Now, Christ drew this expression from a passage in Isaiah. We read there: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men..." (Isaiah 29:13, ESV) In other words, these folks were all about appearances! They appeared to honor and be worshipful of God, but their hearts just weren't really in it.

Do we see any parallels with what we see and experience in our own time? The United States proclaims on its money "In God we trust," but do we really? Many Americans also like to proclaim: "God, family, country" - implying that God is the priority in their lives. Even so, in a 2015 article for RNS titled "Americans don't cite 'God, family, country' quite like the cliche goes" by Cathy Lynn Grossman, we read: "'God, family and country' might make for a good country music tune, but that’s not really how most Americans see the strongest influences on their personal identity. The real order is family first (62 percent), followed by “being an American” (52 percent). 'Religious faith' lolls way down in third place (38 percent) — if it’s mentioned at all, according to a survey released Thursday (March 19) by The Barna Group."

How about you? Are you paying lip service to God? 

 

Some Political Questions for U.S. Christians?

Do you believe that the founding documents (e.g. Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution) were Divinely inspired? Does that make those documents inerrant and/or the founding fathers infallible?

If so, do you believe that the United States is God's nation? Do you believe that the political system of the United States is the most perfect system of human governance ever created by man?

Do you believe that the United States is a "Christian" nation? If so, does that mean that all other religions should not be tolerated? Should we ensure that any contributions to our system by people of other faiths should not be permitted/tolerated?

Do you believe that the founding fathers were righteous individuals? If so, why did some of them own slaves and/or engage in extramarital affairs? Likewise, do you believe that the United States is/was a righteous nation? If so, how do you explain the way land was taken away from Native Americans? How do you explain the toleration and support of the institution of slavery? How do you explain the exploitation of natural resources, extermination of species, and pollution of our air and waterways?

Do you believe that human political leaders can and/or should be Christians? Do you believe that it is possible or practical for secular leaders to strictly adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ in the performance of their duties within the current system and/or on the world stage?

Do you believe that God intended for Christians to improve the human political systems of this earth? Do you believe that Christians have a responsibility/duty to impose Christian moral standards on the larger society? If so, which denomination's beliefs should we employ as our standard? Also, does that mean that the rights of some groups of citizens should be denied (like homosexuals, atheists, or adulterers)? Should Christians support the public execution of sinners/criminals? If so, do we have any responsibility to encourage repentance, forgive, or show mercy to such individuals? How would that be managed/administered?

If God truly directs the affairs of humankind and is working out some design/plan, what happens if we support or vote for a candidate whom He didn't choose? Do we bear any responsibility for the failure of policy choices that we help to make? Do we bear any responsibility before God for unintended consequences of the choices we make at the ballot box? How do we maintain a clear conscience before God when we support someone who clearly does not live up to God's standard of behavior? Does the end justify the means?

Do you believe that the United States is a democratic republic? If so, how do you explain the fact that blacks and women were only allowed to participate in the political process in just the last century? How do we justify a minority being able to thwart the will of the majority or impose its beliefs/policies on the majority? How do we justify the practice of gerrymandering or the practice of partisanship?

Why do you think that Jesus said that his Kingdom was NOT of this world? Why do you think that Jesus instructed his disciples to pray that God's Kingdom come to this earth? Why do you believe that he also instructed them to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it currently is in heaven? Does that imply that human leaders are NOT doing God's will? Why did the Apostle Paul instruct the saints to NOT get entangled in civilian affairs? What did he mean by that? Why did John refer to human governance as Babylon and "Beast"? What do you think it meant when he wrote for God's saints to come out of her and NOT participate in her sins?

I'm truly interested in hearing some responses to these questions - especially for those who answered yes to the first few questions! Did any of the above questions prompt you to reconsider your political views or better understand why some Christians choose not to involve themselves in secular politics?

CGI's Vance Stinson's Response to Bill's Sermon

As with many of my relationships with my former associates in the Armstrong Churches of God, my once cordial and friendly relationship with CGI's Vance Stinson has deteriorated over time. Why? Because I am seen as an adversary - a disgruntled former member with a "bad attitude." Unfortunately, most of the folks who are still there have zero interest in growing in grace and knowledge. They've found the "truth," and they're only interested in protecting and defending that "truth." What I formerly would have considered private correspondence, I now regard as evidence of my contention that these folks are NOT interested in growth, change, or repentance. Hence, what follows is email correspondence between myself and Vance Stinson over my last post. I am happy to allow my readers to evaluate our respective views of the scriptural responsibilities of Church leadership on these questions:

From: Lonnie Clayton Hendrix [mailto:lc.hendrix@yahoo.com]

Sent: Monday, December 02, 2024 11:45 PM

To: Vance Stinson

Cc: Mike James; Jeffrey Reed

Subject: Unbelievable

You publish a fantastic article by Mike James and follow it up by posting a message from Bill which totally contradicts it. If you really can't see the dissonance, then CGI is in even worse shape than I thought it was!

Lonnie

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 02:01:19 PM CST, Vance Stinson <vancestinson@cgi.org> wrote:

Well, Lonnie, I reckon we just think it’s good to try to keep our diverse little membership happy. The folks that don’t care for Bill’s stuff don’t watch it; they’re content with all the other material available to them. The ones who rush home after Sabbath services to watch the replay from Medina (when they know Bill is speaking) would be upset if it wasn’t there—yet those same folks think articles like the one from Mike (which, I agree, was excellent) are just fine and dandy. So it would seem that you’re about the only viewer who even notices the contradiction (if that’s what it is). Besides, does it really matter that Bill thinks Trump may turn out to be some kind of temporary “restrainer of lawlessness”? I hope he’s right. I don’t like lawlessness.

VS

Vance Stinson

From: Lonnie Clayton Hendrix [mailto:lc.hendrix@yahoo.com]

Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2024 4:50 PM

To: Vance Stinson

Subject: Re: Unbelievable

Vance,

Thank you for replying. Yes, by all means, keep the little group of old folks happy and oblivious to what they are doing! As you know, the elders in the ekklesia who are doing God's work were placed there to nourish the spiritual life of the saints and help them to grow in grace and knowledge. You folks are NOT there to keep them happy and feed them what they want to hear (and I know that you know this - I shouldn't even have to say it). Christ's message was NOT meant to keep folks content and satisfied. His message is one of reflection, confrontation, and change. Is CGI preparing saints to be kings and priests in the Kingdom, or babysitting a bunch of geriatrics and feeding them pablum?

Diversity is a good thing - making everyone feel welcome is an imperative for the Church, but it should NEVER be employed as an excuse for confronting people with unpleasant truths (You folks don't seem to have any hesitation on that front when it comes to your beliefs about human sexuality). While it is certainly permissible and advisable to allow for the operation of each person's conscience in drawing the boundaries between spiritual and secular (as in let each person be fully persuaded in his/her own mind), it is, however, your responsibility as someone who claims to be a minister of Jesus Christ to remind your flock that they are citizens of the Kingdom first and foremost; and that it is dangerous for saints to become too involved and/or dependent upon any human system of governance.

Finally, I will admit that Bill is in good company in this regard. There are a great many ACOG folks who view Donald Trump as God's servant to make America great again and/or to buy them more time to preach the Gospel (Gerald Flurry being another proponent of the view which Bill subscribes to). Theologically, the problem with this should be apparent to you - Donald Trump is God's servant only in the same sense that Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin, or any other secular leader is! Donald Trump is NOT in the Bible any more than Herbert Armstrong was a part of those writings. Once again, I know that you know these things (which makes your cavalier and dismissive attitude even worse). Yes, this headline prophecy stuff has always proven to be titillating to some folks, but it has done irreparable damage to the credibility of the Church and has led to unending speculation and disappointment over the years.

In short, turning a blind eye to this behavior or pretending that these positions do not contradict each other will come back to bite you in the hind parts. Think of how much easier all of this would have been to deal with twenty years ago if anyone had taken the initiative to do so back then. Instead, the objective has NOT been the spiritual health of the body, it has been to not piss off anyone - to keep everyone content! Let me ask you something, do you honestly believe that Bill and his supporters are happy/satisfied with the status quo? Do you honestly believe that Bill's detractors are happy/satisfied with this mealy-mouthed, lukewarm, fence-straddling course that CGI leadership has pursued. How many times has CGI experienced splits and very public catastrophes over the course of its brief existence on this planet? Some folks have observed that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome (I think they may be right).

I will await your reply. If I don't receive one, I'll assume that the above will serve as your reply to my post. Vance, in my estimation, you are a smart and sincere person, and you know the truth of what I have been saying. I am NOT and NEVER have been your enemy. Nevertheless, from where I'm sitting, you do very clearly have some enemies who are actively working against you.

Lonnie

From:

vancestinson@cgi.org

To:

'Lonnie Clayton Hendrix'

Wed, Dec 4 at 1:12 PM

Yes, I do well know that the elders’ job is to nourish the spiritual life of the saints and help them grow in grace and knowledge, and I think that’s exactly what the CGI ministry in general is trying to do, and most do a pretty good job of it. At the same time, I don’t see how keeping Bill’s fans happy interferes with the ministries of the rest of the elders. I might add that it’s a bit more than just keeping them happy; it’s also about preventing conflicts that will ultimately adversely affect the people we’re trying to serve.

VS

A Window of Mercy?

CGI's Mike James shined some Divine light on "Christian Nationalism," and Bill Watson came along behind him with the Satanic Darkness of Anglo-Israelism and Trumpism! In his Sabbath message today, Bill noted that it is very probable that God has given his people a "window of mercy" with the results of the recent U.S. election. According to Mr. Watson, we all need to "wake up and start to smell the roses." In other words, the people of the U.S. need to take advantage of this opportunity which God has given them to get their nation back on track!

You see, Mr. Watson still believes that the people of the United States are the descendants (and heirs) of Joseph's son, Manasseh! Likewise, he still believes that the people of Great Britain are the descendants (and heirs) of Manasseh's brother, Ephraim. Although Mr. Herbert Armstrong borrowed this teaching from a founder of the Church of God Holiness, who was formerly a pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Wesleyan Methodist Church, John H. Allen (see Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright), the teaching of Anglo-Israelism has been thoroughly discredited by biblical scholars, historians, archaeologists, and geneticists.

Like Armstrong before him, Watson makes a distinction between the spiritual and "physical" promises which God made long ago to Abraham. Moreover, Bill believes that no other nation(s) fit the "profile" outlined in Scripture for the fulfillment of those promises. According to him, the people of the United States are the only people who fit the "profile" for Manasseh (to hell with all of the scriptural, scientific, and historical evidence to the contrary!).

Now, of course, when the message is founded on the fairytale of Anglo-Israelism, logic dictates that everything which follows is invalidated. And, what follows, is based on a pattern observed in the book of Judges - whereby, the children of Israel would rebel against God and succumb to their enemies, then God would raise up a judge to deliver them from their oppressors. Watson speculated that maybe God was giving his people today (America) one of those "windows of mercy" which he allowed them during the time of the judges.

Moreover, although he never mentioned Trump or the Republicans by name, the clear implication was that God had raised them up to deliver America from its enemies (e.g. abortionists, transgender folk, homosexuals, immigrants, the mainstream media, the "deep" state, the Federal Reserve, China, and Ukraine). According to Bill, we will soon have "adult leadership" taking control of the "steering wheel." Thus, in the light of this blessed development, Mr. Watson wants to know if we are going to take advantage of this opportunity - "Are we going to do the right thing?"

Finally, although the pastor disavows the use of the term "savior," the clear implication of his message is that Trump and the Republicans are the instruments of God's mercy. In Bill's mind, Trump is the modern-day "judge" or "deliverer" of God's people in these end times. Sorry, Bill, whether you call him savior, redeemer, or judge, I believe that this is the very role that Jesus Christ was designated by Almighty God to fulfill! Hence, you'll forgive me for wondering if this is a window of mercy OR a doorway to hell! As John always reminds us, I guess time will make the outcome of this matter clear. What do you think?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.

His faithful love endures forever.

--Psalm136

I give thanks to the Lord for the life he gave to me,

for the grandparents who raised me,

for Darlene, and the daughters we raised together,

for the grandchildren whom they and their young men gave me,

for the rest of my family,

for the mountains, rivers, woodlands, deserts, lakes and oceans I've been allowed to see,

for good music, and good food,

for good teachers,

for good pets, and the companionship they provided me,

for happiness, joy, sadness and pain,

for forgiveness, mercy, and love

for Jesus, the Messiah! Amen!

CGI's Mike James on Christian Nationalism

As longtime readers of this blog know, I have been a vocal critic of politics from the pulpit, and secular partisanship within the ekklesia. Moreover, as a former member of an Armstrong Church of God, I have especially focused on the tendency of some of those groups to get entangled in American politics. Thus, it is a pleasure to be able to report on a positive development in this area. Mike James, of the Church of God International, has contributed an article to the winter edition of The International News that deserves our attention and praise.

The article is titled "Christian Nationalism, Good or Bad for America?" Pastor James began by quoting from a number of different sources attempting to define Christian Nationalism. The most succinct statement in this regard was drawn from a Christianity Today article: "Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way." Mike went on to observe: "One major problem with Christian Nationalism is who gets to define what is meant by 'Christian.' Would you want to support something that promotes Sunday observance as the Sabbath or Christmas and Easter observance? Obviously not, and it remains to be seen how far some Christian Nationalists would want to go, but I cannot support something that teaches things that are not true." In other words, the pastor clearly understands that this movement has the real potential to actually limit religious freedom in this country.

Mr. James then pointed to two of the most recent actions of the Christian Nationalists in Oklahoma and Louisiana. Oklahoma mandated the Bible in the classroom, and Louisiana has mandated the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Mike went on to observe that "These two initiatives in Oklahoma and Louisiana are influenced by Christian Nationalists, but is this what Christians should be concerning themselves with—politics? Some of these Christian Nationalists are part of dominionist groups that believe Christians should seek to take over positions of power in culture and government." The pastor then went on to point out that this is inconsistent with CGI's theology surrounding the Kingdom of God - that Jesus Christ would return to this earth someday and establish that kingdom, not by Christians working within the parameters of human political systems.

As with many ACOG folks, Mike was honest about his own right of center political leanings. He wrote: "Listen, I probably agree with many Christian Nationalist positions. But one of the problems with Christian Nationalism is they can turn politicians and our nation into an idol. We can’t expect any nation or any leader to be a Messiah figure or an answer to all that ails our country. The Bible is definitive and clear: Christ is the only answer to the problems our nation and the world is experiencing. Be careful that you don’t turn your nation into an idol (Deuteronomy 5:6–7)." A little later in the article, he added: "Galatians 3:28 tells us that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.” What this means is when you commit to Jesus Christ first and foremost in your life you now belong to Him and His Kingdom. Any other group you are a part of (nation, ethnicity, club, organization, church, town, or family) pales in significance and could become an idol."

In addition to numerous citations of Scripture throughout his article, Mike also listed a substantial list of the other sources of information he used in writing his own well-articulated piece. We can only hope and pray that Pastor James' article will be well-received and implemented by the membership of the Church of God International. After all, God is NOT going to reward his people for making an idol out of one of the secular nations of this present world influenced by Satan, and he has already sent us a Savior!

What About Ephesians 5:22-24?

Whenever I write something against paternalism, I am inevitably confronted with a passage from the fifth chapter of Paul's epistle to the saints at Ephesus. It is a favorite of both conservative Evangelicals and Armstrongists alike. They quote: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands." (Ephesians 5:22-24, ESV)

"Try that one on for size, Lonnie!" "It plainly says wives SUBMIT to your husbands - case closed!" Of course, the clear implication being that no further investigation or commentary is needed. The thinking goes something like this: "It's in the Bible. You either accept it or reject it." However, as is common with these prooftexts, there is no context offered, and no discussion about other related texts that might contribute to our understanding of the one offered as proof of a particular belief. After all, in isolation, this text does seem to support the traditional paternalistic, male authoritarian model which has been pushed for hundreds and hundreds of years.

However, if we are truly interested in understanding what the Apostle Paul was saying to the Ephesians, we might want to get some of the surrounding context. In this letter to these First Century Gentile Christians, Paul talks about the great gift which had been made available to them through Jesus the Messiah (Ephesians 1-3). Then, in chapter four, he appealed to them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of such a gift (Ephesians 4:1-7). Next, Paul reminded them that they should all be striving to exhibit the love, harmony, and unity of purpose which Christ expected of them (Ephesians 4:8-16). Finally, he explained that their current behavior must reflect the change which Christ had wrought in them (Ephesians 4:17-30). Paul concluded: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV) Once again, this is addressed to Christians, and it is concerned with how they should be treating each other.

Keeping in mind that there weren't any of our chapters and verses dividing the original text, we read at the beginning of the next chapter: "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2, ESV) Once again, Paul reminded them about what Christ had done for them and demanded that their lives reflect that fact (Ephesians 5:3-14). Then, just before the relevant passage, we read: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-21, ESV) Hence, we see that the context makes clear that Paul is reminding these Christians about how they should be treating each other in the light of what Christ had done for them!

Thus, we see that Paul is addressing the behavior of wives AND husbands in the ekklesia/Church in the verses which follow. This is the proper context for what follows: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. 'Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." (Ephesians 5:22-33, ESV, emphasis mine)

Notice that this submission and love that Paul is talking about is likened to Christ and the ekklesia/Church. Once again, the context is about what is happening within the body of believers - between believing husbands and wives. Moreover, this is all made even clearer when we remember Christ's instructions to his disciples recorded in the Gospel of John. After washing his disciples' feet (an act of service and humility), we read: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35, ESV, emphasis mine)

Likewise, in response to a request by two of his disciples to have positions of authority directly under him, Christ said: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV, emphasis mine) In other words, love and leadership within the ekklesia/Church would look very different from that which was practiced on the outside of that body!

Moreover, so that we don't leave any wiggle room for the more traditional understanding of this passage, we must note that this same stream of thought continues into the next chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:1-20). In short, there is NO mistaking who Paul was addressing, and that his teachings were consistent with Christ's expectations of his disciples. Hence, we have seen that using this passage from Ephesians as a prooftext to defend traditional notions about paternalistic male dominance just doesn't hold any water when we take a closer look!

The Nonbinary God

In the Hebrew Scriptures, God is portrayed most often as a male. This, of course, makes sense in the context of a very paternalistic and primitive society. Indeed, the entire Law (Torah, including the Ten Commandments) are most often addressed to MEN! Nevertheless, even in those ancient writings, we can discern the fact that Almighty God transcends our notions about gender.

Moreover, this suggestion of someone/something which transcends gender is found in the very first chapter of the book of beginnings, Genesis! We read there: "Then God said, 'Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." [h=The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam] (Genesis 1:26-27, ESV, emphasis mine) We see here that both God and man contained the elements of BOTH male AND female!

Many years ago, I posted on this blog an article titled Does God have a penis? It pointed out the absurdity of assigning an actual gender to God. After all, the passage that we just read made very clear that both genders (male and female) reflected Almighty God!

Before leaving the Hebrew Scriptures, we should also note that the paternalism evident in most of those writings is more of a reflection of the culture of both the land of Abraham's birth, and the land which had been promised to him and his descendants. In other words, it does NOT follow that this paternalism necessarily reflects God or "his" will for us. For example, while the law portrays a menstruating woman or new mother as being ceremonially unclean, it is self-evident that there is NOTHING inherently unclean about a woman in either one of these circumstances (After all, God designed a woman's body to work that way, and we are told that EVERYTHING that "he" had made was very GOOD! (Genesis 1:31) Likewise, although the Israelites were commanded NOT to covet your neighbor's wife, his servants, his livestock, or any other thing that belongs to him (Exodus 20:17, ESV, emphasis mine), I don't know of anyone who has proposed that the prohibition against coveting only applies to men!

In the New Testament Synoptic Gospels, there is a story about Jesus being asked about the resurrection. We are informed that he answered in part by telling his audience that people who experience the resurrection will not marry thereafter, and that they will be like the angels in this respect (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:35). Apparently, those of us who will have the privilege of being a part of God's Kingdom will no longer have any need of that institution for a relationship or reproductive capacity.

In a similar vein, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians about a Christian's proper relationship with the Law (Torah). Indeed, he equated the status of not being under the law with being freed from supervision. He wrote: "But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:25-29, ESV, emphasis mine) In other words, having believed and accepted what Christ has done for them, things like ethnicity, social status, and gender no longer matter! In Christ, there is no longer any need for one person lording it over another person (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV).

Unfortunately, there have been many folks within the ekklesia down through the centuries (male and female) who have tried to make this paternalism into a universal spiritual truth. It is clear, however, both historically and scripturally, that paternalism is a human invention - and a feature of human societies/cultures! Thus, many people have sought to make Paul's reference to not allowing women to speak in the gathering of the saints together (I Corinthians 14:34-35, I Timothy 2:11-12) into a feature of the Divine will. Of course, we know that such a notion would contradict Paul's own experience in the faith with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18, Romans 16:3)! Moreover, we know that Paul attributed Timothy's knowledge of Christianity to his mother and grandmother (II Timothy 1:5). So, I ask again: Was Paul reflecting (in these passages) an eternal spiritual principle applicable to all people everywhere in all times? OR Was Paul reflecting the paternalistic values of the society which produced him?

God and Jesus employed the guise of Father and Son, because they knew that the human cultures whom they were addressing would understand that language and imagery. In other words, their use of that imagery/symbolism did NOT mean that they were endorsing human notions of a paternalistic society! God is God. God is NOT bound by the roles and necessities which frame our existence! God is beyond gender. God does not need sexual reproduction. God doesn't have to urinate. Yes, God is a father and a son, but God is also a mother and a daughter. There is no such thing as primogeniture in God's realm. A person's gender has no bearing on his/her ability to inherit what his/her parent has prepared for him/her!

In short, our God is a nonbinary God. My search engine defines the "nonbinary" adjective in this way: "denoting, having, or relating to a gender identity that does not conform to traditional binary beliefs about gender, which indicate that all individuals are exclusively either male or female." Almighty God is NOT bound by our experiences of male and female! Our God cannot be contained!

 

The Prophetic Biblical Symbols of Human Governance: Egypt and Babylon

The flawed eschatology of Herbert Armstrong and his disciples is directly attributable to a number of extrabiblical interpretations of prophecy. On this blog (and many others), we have certainly underscored the problems which have flowed from his identification of the English-speaking peoples of the earth as Israelites (British or Anglo-Israelism). However, it is also very clear that many of his interpretations of other prophetic writings were equally flawed as a consequence of his failure to allow the Bible to interpret itself (the very axiom which he claimed to scrupulously follow)!

One of the most egregious examples of this was his identification of the Babylon of Revelation as the Roman Catholic Church. Laying aside the historical fact that there wasn't any such thing as a "Roman Catholic Church" at the time that John penned his Revelation, we must also conclude that he did not fully appeal to the Hebrew Scriptures in trying to understand what John had written (unfortunately, many Protestants have made the same mistake). As we shall see, his failure to interpret the Biblical symbols for human governance led him into a host of other misinterpretations of prophecy - especially related to the book of Revelation!

According to Blue Letter Bible, the word "Egypt" appears 611 times in 558 verses of the King James Version of the Bible. Likewise, the word "Babylon" appears 286 times in 252 verses in that version of the Bible. In fact, only the nation of Israel is mentioned more that these two nations (2,568 times). Israel, however, is portrayed throughout the Bible as the nation which God was using to introduce himself to the rest of humanity. Egypt and Babylon, on the other hand, are portrayed as typical of the governments which a deceived and alienated mankind had erected apart from God. Now, of course, there are a few other nations which are occasionally employed in this capacity in the pages of the biblical canon (e.g. Assyria, Persia, Sodom and Gomorrah); but Egypt and Babylon are employed in a symbolic and prophetic capacity more than any others!

In Torah, "Egypt" appears prominently as a refuge for the children of Israel (Genesis 41-50), and the principal human oppressor of Israel - the powerful nation which had enslaved them and used them to build its great cities and monuments (Exodus 1). Moreover, pharaoh was portrayed as the ultimate expression of human authority over other people. He is portrayed there as an impersonal, unnamed, and ruthless force who is powerful, prideful, willful, and full of his own self-interest. Moreover, in the Exodus narrative, the king of Egypt is portrayed as repeatedly resisting God and his will for the Israelites. He clearly believes that the Israelites are his personal property, and he does not want to allow them to go into the wilderness and worship their own God (Exodus 5-14). In other words, Egypt and its king appear as the personification of evil and sin - the epitome of man's flawed systems of governance supervised by Satan himself! Later, in the other writings of the Hebrew Bible, Egypt is repeatedly portrayed as both the enemy of Israel, and a potential ally.

In the prophets, Israel is warned against depending on Egypt to rescue her from her enemies (See Isaiah 30, 31, 36, Jeremiah 42). Indeed, Israel's solicitation of Egypt's protection is portrayed as spiritual prostitution and adultery! In other places, Egypt's ultimate destruction is predicted (Isaiah 19, Jeremiah 46, Ezekiel 29-32). Moreover, Egypt's punishment is repeatedly tied to its state religion, dependence on its military might, glorying in its wealth and trade, its reliance on the Nile and Mediterranean Sea, and the king's dependence on mediums as his counselors. Nevertheless, in the histories of the kingdom period, Israel is variously portrayed as being attacked by Egypt and in alliance with them (I Kings 3:1, 9:16, 14:25, II Kings 17:4, II Kings 23:29-34, II Chronicles 12:2-9). Even so, with reference to Egypt, the central message of the entire Hebrew Bible was that God had delivered his people from Egypt - had rescued them from that land and the evil and suffering which the Egyptians had inflicted upon them.

In Bible Study Tools' article on Egypt, we read: "In the Gospel of Matthew, Egypt is both a place of refuge and a place to come out of. One of Matthew's goals in writing his Gospel is to present Jesus as a new Moses. Matthew reports that Joseph was warned in a dream to take Jesus and his mother "and escape to Egypt" (Matthew 2:14). After the death of Herod, an angel tells Joseph to return to the land of Israel. Matthew applies the oracle of Hosea 11 to this situation, further linking Jesus with the historic suffering of the people of God (Matthew 2:15). Like Moses, Jesus comes out from Egypt, escaping the temptation of luxury, ease, and a peaceful life. Instead, he will fulfill the will of God and follow the lifelong road to Jerusalem." In the book of Acts, Egypt figures prominently in Stephen's speech before the Council and High Priest (Acts 7). Also, in that book which is the epitome of symbolism in the New Testament, there is a reference to Jerusalem within the context of a passage related to the Two Witnesses where that city is called "Sodom and Egypt" (Revelation 11:8). Hence, we see that this symbolism surrounding Egypt is even carried over into the New Testament.

In similar fashion, Babylon is portrayed in Scripture as both the instrument of God's wrath, the oppressor of his people, and a refuge for his people (II Kings 20, 24, 25, II Chronicles 36, Jeremiah 29). Interestingly, the symbolic representation of human governance is clearly delineated in these historical narratives as passing from Egypt to Babylon. In the account of Babylon's destruction of the Kingdom of Judah, we read: "And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates." (II Kings 24:7, ESV) Clearly, from that point forward in Scripture, Babylon became the epitome of human governance both literally and figuratively.

Like Egypt before her, in the writings of the Hebrew prophets, Babylon began to take on an oversized role in relation to other Gentile nations. In the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah, we see again that Babylon is portrayed as the instrument of God's punishment of Judah - even while its own destruction is predicted! Moreover, in the following chapter (Isaiah 14), as the symbol of the state, the king of Babylon is associated with Satan, and the things which are typical of human governance without God are enumerated as the reasons for his fall. More particularly, the king's role as oppressor, authoritarian, conqueror, the source of "unrelenting persecution," and an overly ambitious and prideful foe of God is underscored.

Later in the book (Isaiah 39), the prophet provides some background for Babylon's intervention in the affairs of Judah. We read there an account of how the then king of Babylon used the opportunity of King Hezekiah's illness to ingratiate himself with the king of Judah and gather intelligence on his kingdom. Indeed, we read in the account of this diplomatic mission that Isaiah used this opportunity to predict Babylon's future destruction of Judah. 

Likewise, the prophet Jeremiah predicted that God would use Babylon to punish the Kingdom of Judah (Jeremiah 20-27). Moreover, in repudiating a false prophet who had predicted the end of Judah's captivity, Jeremiah proclaimed: "For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field." (Jeremiah 28:14, ESV) In other words, God was using this powerful king to achieve his own ends, and he makes clear that the extent of Nebuchadnezzar's authority would stretch well beyond Judah.

Indeed, in the following chapter (Jeremiah 29), the Jews were informed to relax and settle down in the land of Babylon, because they were going to be there for seventy years! In much of the rest of the book, the narrative regarding Babylon's conquest of Judah is repeated. Then, in the fiftieth chapter of the book, Jeremiah predicted the eventual fall of Babylon - that she herself would eventually be overwhelmed and conquered. This message is reiterated in the following chapter of the book (Jeremiah 51). Finally, the book of Ezekiel was written in the midst of Judah's captivity in Babylon.

Of course, the genesis of the narrative about Babylon actually began in the writings describing the later history of the Kingdom of Judah. It is here that we find the historian's account of Hezekiah's sickness, and the visit by the King of Babylon's diplomat/spies (II Kings 20). According to this text, Isahiah warned the Jewish king that "the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." (II Kings 20:17-18, ESV)

Nevertheless, in this account, the actual fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction happened many years later and in stages. Initially, Nebuchadnezzar made King Jehoiakim his vassal for three years (II Kings 24:1-6). Then, when that king rebelled against him, we are informed that Nebuchadnezzar sent some of his surrogates against the Kingdom of Judah, and Jehoiakim died in the midst of the melee. His son, Jehoiachin, succeeded his father on the throne of Israel, but only managed to hold on to the throne for three months (II Kings 24:8-9)! Nebuchadnezzar then deposed the king and carried him and most of his family away to Babylon (II Kings 24:10-12).

We are informed that he also carried away the valuables in the Lord's Temple, many of the elite citizens of Jerusalem to Babylon, and appointed the deposed king's uncle to reign in his place (II Kings 24:13-17). Finally, after King Zedekiah also rebelled against Babylon, the king again invaded the land, ended the Kingdom of Judah, executed many of the Jewish political and religious leaders, and destroyed both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem (II Kings 24:18-20, II Kings 25:1-21, and II Chronicles 36)!

Now, all of this background has set the stage for the prophetic books of Daniel in the Old Testament, and Revelation in the New Testament. As we shall shortly see, these two books of prophecy are companion pieces in understanding the symbolic significance of Babylon in Scripture. In other words, most of the scholars of the Christian Bible believe that it is impossible to fully comprehend the meaning of the symbolism surrounding the Babylon of Revelation without some comprehension of the Babylon described in Daniel.

In the first chapter of Daniel, the king of Babylon's military conquest of the Kingdom of Judah is underscored. Also, we learn that there was a system in place to recognize talent and aesthetic beauty among the conquered people and educate/train them in the ways of the Babylonian court. Likewise, in the second chapter of the book we see a king that is obstinate and authoritarian in nature - demanding that his servants interpret one of his dreams.

Moreover, when none of his advisors could do that, a young Jew named Daniel stepped forward and offered to give him God's interpretation of the dream. He began by describing the great image that the king had seen in his dream, starting with a head of gold, and descending to the legs and feet of the image with each body part being composed of a material inferior to the one before it. Then, while the king watched, a stone was supernaturally cut out of rock and hurled at the feet of the statue causing it to collapse in pieces. Eventually, Daniel explained, the stone grew into a great mountain that filled the whole earth (Daniel 2:31-35).

Daniel then proceeded to explain the meaning of the statue to the king. He said: "You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:37-44, ESV)

So, according to Daniel's interpretation of the king's dream, the King of Babylon represents the first of a series of human kingdoms that would rule over the earth until God's Kingdom finally enveloped the whole earth! Moreover, as we can see, Nebuchadnezzar becomes the gold standard - the template for all of the kingdoms which would succeed his over the course of human history (See my post Babylon as a Prophetic Template). In other words, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon represented the epitome of government devised by humans - the control of a physical territory, the economic and military power to sustain it, the conquest and domination of other nations and peoples, the glory associated with all of that, and the people and resources over which that government ruled. Now, the importance of these characteristics of human governance will become apparent to us when we examine John's Babylon in the book of Revelation.

The third chapter of Daniel underscores some more important characteristics of human governance. In that chapter, we learn that Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of a very tall statue made of gold and then commanded all of his subjects to worship it. In this narrative, we see the king's hubris, and his authoritarian nature is on full display. Also, given the dream that he had previously, the text strongly suggests that Nebuchadnezzar expected his subjects to worship the state (and more particularly, him as the head of state)! What follows is the inspirational story about the defiance of the king's edict by three Jews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The moral of the story? God's people should obey and worship him over and above any human authority on this earth! Likewise, the fourth chapter of Daniel recounts the story of God's humiliation of Nebuchadnezzar to teach him the truth that God is the ultimate authority - that the God of Israel was superior to Nebuchadnezzar and every other human leader on the planet!

Later, in this same book, we learn that the Medes and Persians eventually took over the empire of the Babylonians (Daniel 5 and 6). Then, in the seventh chapter, we find Daniel having a dream of his own about four great beasts who emerged from the sea with the characteristics of various animals (Daniel 7:1-8). In the dream, the "Ancient of Days" (God) appeared and took his place on a throne surrounded by an enumerable multitude (Daniel 7:9-10). Next, the fourth beast is destroyed and the other three are stripped of their power (Daniel 7:11-12). Daniel continued: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14, ESV)

Daniel then asked one of the entities surrounding the throne to interpret the symbols for him (Daniel 7:15-16). The entity replied: "These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever." (Daniel 7:17-18, ESV) He went on to explain in more detail the meaning of the symbols surrounding the fourth beast and concluded by assuring Daniel that the kingdom would eventually be given to the saints (Daniel 7:19-27, ESV).

Now, it is widely understood by biblical scholars that the four kingdoms portrayed in the dreams/visions of the book of Daniel refer to the empires of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Nevertheless, as we are about to see in the book of Revelation, John employed both the symbolism of Babylon and the symbolism of the beasts in his own take on the history of humankind, and the eventual supremacy of the Kingdom of God.

The book of Revelation is literally full of symbols and imagery borrowed from the Hebrew Bible. In my opinion, the best and most comprehensive summary of the meaning of that symbolism is found in two short video presentations by the Bible Project. For anyone who is interested in the wider context and message of the book of Revelation, I highly recommend these videos for your consideration (They can also be viewed on Banned by HWA in The Book of Revelation).

Bible Project stated that John "makes it clear in the opening paragraph that this book is a 'revelation.' The Greek word used here is apokalypsis, which refers to a type of literature found in the Hebrew Scriptures and in other popular Jewish texts. Jewish apocalypses recounted a prophet’s symbolic visions that revealed God’s heavenly perspective on history so that the present could be viewed in light of history’s final outcome. These texts use symbolic imagery and numbers not to confuse but to communicate. Almost all the imagery is drawn from the Old Testament, and John expects his readers to interpret by looking up the texts to which he alludes." (Emphasis mine)

As for the imagery borrowed from the book of Daniel, in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation, we find the description of John's vision of two beasts. Like the beasts of Daniel, we are informed that John's first beast emerged from the sea, and that the Dragon (Satan) had given the beast its authority. Moreover, we are informed that the whole earth followed the beast and worshipped him and proclaimed: "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" (Revelation 13:1-4) And, as the context and subsequent verses suggest, this first beast is symbolic of the human system's political and military influence over the earth. We are told, however, that the second beast emerged from the earth (Revelation 13:11). This beast is portrayed as reinforcing the worship of the first beast by employing false propaganda and exercising both supernatural and economic control (Revelation 13:11-18). Indeed, this is the passage where the infamous "mark" and "number" of the beast is revealed.

Bible Project has this to say about the "mark" and "number" of the beast: "The meaning of this image is found in the Old Testament. The mark is the 'anti-Shema.' The Shema is an ancient Jewish prayer of allegiance to God found in Deuteronomy 6:4-8 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.' It was to be written on the Israelites’ foreheads and hands as a symbol of devoting all your thoughts and actions to the one true God. But now the rebellious nations demand their own god-like allegiance."

The same source has this to say about the "number" of the beast: "John was fluent in both Hebrew and Greek, and his readers knew that Hebrew letters also function as numbers. If you spell the Greek words 'Nero Caesar' or 'beast' in Hebrew, both amount to 666. John isn’t saying that Nero was the precise fulfillment of this vision; rather, he’s a recent example of the pattern explored in Daniel. Human rulers become beasts when they assign divinity to their power and economic security and demand total allegiance to it. Babylon was the beast of Daniel’s day, followed by Persia, then Greece, and now Rome in John’s day. The pattern stands for any later nation who acts the same." In other words, the fourth beast of Daniel, the Roman Empire, was the latest manifestation of that original template of human governance: BABYLON!

Indeed, in the very next chapter of Revelation, John revealed an even more explicit connection in the messages of the three angels (Revelation 14:6-11). The first angel announces with a loud voice that earth's inhabitants should: "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Revelation 14:7, ESV) John continued: "Another angel, a second, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.' And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.'" (Revelation 14:8-11, ESV, emphasis mine) John's contrast between allegiance to God and allegiance to any human government is clear.

This connection is made even clearer in the seventeenth chapter of this book. For our purposes, we will skip over the plagues and bowls of wrath in the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of Revelation (Again, for those who may be interested in how they relate to all of this, I am happy to refer them to the two video presentations cited above). Our chapter of focus begins with one of the angels who carried the bowls of wrath telling John that he will show him "the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." (Revelation 17:1-2, ESV)

Continuing, John then revealed what the angel had shown him. He wrote: "I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: 'Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.' And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." (Revelation 17:3-6, ESV, emphasis mine)

Next, we are informed that the angel revealed to John the meaning of the beast and the woman known as "Babylon the Great." First, the angel tells him that the beast refers to a number of political entities or "kings/kingdoms" that will reign on the earth and wage an unsuccessful war against the "Lamb" (Jesus Christ) and his saints (Revelation 17:7-14). He continued: "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." (Rome, of course, was that city in John's day! Revelation 17:15-18, ESV) In other words, this "Babylon" has ruled over and dominated many different peoples and nations, and John is assured that those same people will eventually turn against her and destroy her!

Moreover, in the eighteenth chapter of the book, we find a eulogy for this fallen "Babylon" that is strangely reminiscent of things we have already read in the Old Testament. John saw an angel descend from heaven and proclaimed: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." (Revelation 18:1-3, ESV) Notice that this Babylon was GREAT, had many alliances with other kingdoms, exerted great economic power through trade and her own pursuit of "luxurious living." Once again, this was obviously Rome in John's day - in ancient times, it was Egypt and Babylon! One important question: Can you think of any modern nations who might fit this same template in our own time?

Then, John heard another voice from heaven which addressed God's people on this occasion. He said: "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed." (Revelation 18:4-6, ESV) Clearly, God did NOT want his people to be a part of this Babylonian system of human governance!

Finally, the chapter concluded, with the mourning of the woman's former partners in crime - the other peoples and nations who had participated in her political and economic system. First, we learn that the nations who had made alliances with her wept and wailed over her destruction (Revelation 18:9). Next, we are informed that the merchants of the earth mourned her fall (Revelation 18:11-17). Finally, we are informed that the shipmasters and sailors of the world mourned Babylon's fall (Revelation 18:17-20).

The chapter ends with this epitaph to Babylon: "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth." (Revelation 18:21-24, ESV)

All of this, of course, is followed with rejoicing in heaven and the proclamation of God's Kingdom on earth, and the return of Jesus Christ as "King of Kings." (Revelation 19) In other words, God will have then overthrown the human system of governance that was typified by Babylon! Moreover, having studied in some detail all of the characteristics of that system revealed in various passages of Scripture (in both Testaments), it would be incumbent upon all of us to remind ourselves of the features of that system which God wants his people to avoid. Remember, Babylon created a system that was: ruthless, prideful, full of self-interest, exploitative of other nations, peoples, and resources, oppressive, authoritarian, wealthy and economically dominant, commanded allegiance to, and worship of, the state, possessed military might, controlling, and persecuting God's people. Does that sound like any of the nations that you're familiar with? What about you? Do you wear the mark and number of the beast? OR, Are you a citizen of God's Kingdom? 

Divided Loyalties?

Jesus said:

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. --Matthew 6:24, NLT

The Apostle Paul wrote:

II Timothy 2:1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.

Serpents! O Brood of Vipers! Hypocrites!

There is a large group of folks who condemn homosexuality, transgenderism, "illegal" immigration, abortion, and government spending on social programs - "welfare." They are self-righteous and sure that they are on the side of right, good, and God! They call the folks who are "guilty" of these "sins" names like "perverts, fools, deranged, sinners, criminals, murderers, communists, Marxists, Globalists, and worse! Moreover, they do all of this knowing that they are liars, idolaters, thieves, perverts, adulterers, serial monogamists, and descendants of aliens/immigrants. In short, they are experts at discerning the speck of sawdust in the eyes of their brothers and sisters and dismissing the beams in their own eyes.

In Christ's day, the Pharisees demanded strict adherence to the commandments of Torah, and they reprimanded his disciples for violating the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-6). In that same account, we read that Jesus responded: "But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless." (Matthew 12:7, NKJV) A little later, in that same chapter, we are told that Christ said: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37)

On another occasion, in the same Gospel account, we read that Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees for their incessant hypocrisy. First, he told his audience that these men occupied the office of Moses. Then, he said: "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men." (Matthew 23:1-5) He continued: "woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matthew 23:13) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves." (Matthew 23:15) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." (Matthew 23:25-26) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23:27-28)

From Christ's perspective, the scribes and Pharisees were insincere. They wanted to be admired as holy and righteous, but they didn't walk the walk. They were quick to point out sins and flaws in others while ignoring their own sins and mistakes. Condemnation was easy for them, and they felt no responsibility to practice kindness, mercy, or forgiveness. Clearly, the folks that I mentioned in the first paragraph of this post are the modern-day equivalents of the scribes and Pharisees!

The canonical Gospels also make very clear that Christ didn't want his disciples to follow their example! In his famous Sermon on the Mount, he said: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5) Indeed, in that same sermon, Christ told them: "whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12) On another occasion, he confronted an indignant mob who was about to stone to death a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery (which was clearly consistent with Torah). (John 8:1-5) Christ told them: "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7) Instead of hostility and condemnation, Christ clearly expected his followers to offer kindness and mercy!

In his letter to the saints at Rome, Paul gave them a principle that was completely consistent with what Christ had said earlier. He wrote: "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4) This is a message that all of the self-righteous, self-important "Christians" of the world desperately need to hear!  

Faith in God, NOT in Politicians

“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.” -- Psalm 146:3-4

A Blessing in Disguise

The victory of Donald Trump spells the end of the republic which I had formerly held in such high esteem. Sure, it will continue to be called the United States of America, but it will not be the same country that I have served and celebrated for all of my life. Nevertheless, there is a blessing in this outcome for me. It has reminded me that my citizenship is in God's Kingdom, NOT in the very flawed United States. It has demonstrated to me that ALL of the nations of this earth really are hopelessly flawed, and that they are ALL destined to fail. Yes, persecution will come from the winners of this contest against their perceived enemies, but I have been liberated from any attachment to, or obligation to, the system they have created. Now, my only obligation is to what it should have been all of my life anyway. The obligation to love God with all of my heart and soul, and to love my neighbors as myself. At last, my loyalty is where it should have been all along.

I do, however, mourn for the world that my grandchildren will inherit. They will inherit a government that has returned to the spoils system. They will inherit a country where talent, education, and merit will take a backseat to loyalty. They will inherit a country that does not respect the democratic principles on which this nation professed to have been founded upon. They will inherit a country that puts economic prosperity over character, the environment, and the needs of the disadvantaged. They will inherit a country with a gutted public health system that will be more vulnerable to disease and the pandemics which will almost certainly arise from them. They will inherit a country where the rule of law and justice will become even more perverted and unfair than it already is. They will inherit a country that is more insular and xenophobic. They will inherit a country that does not honor its alliances and commitments on the world stage and befriends dictators and corrupt regimes around the world. They will inherit a country in which a religious minority insists on imposing its notion of morality on everyone and will persecute anyone who attempts to thwart them. I, however, will continue to love my grandchildren and encourage them to be good and kind to others and to seek God's Kingdom.

The handwriting is now on the wall. The United States will eventually suffer the same fate which the other beastly Babylons of the past suffered:

Revelation 18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” - NKJV

The shining city on the hill is no more! I will no longer stand before the night sky and rejoice in the fireworks exploding above my head. I cannot celebrate with a clear conscience that which was only an illusion. I had formerly entertained a romantic notion of what this country was - "the last, best hope of man on earth." Moreover, I had effectively worshipped that false idol for years - I had worn the mark of the beast in my forehead and on my hand!

As a student of history, a part of me had known that it was all romantic nonsense - that the United States was NOT good - that it had NEVER been good! Our forebearers had ruthlessly stolen this land from its natives and systematically exterminated them and their culture. Our forefathers had enslaved their African brethren and ruthlessly exploited them. They had started on the eastern shore of an Eden and had proceeded westward like a plague of locusts - felling the great forests and ruthlessly exploiting the abundant resources of the wholly defenseless continent that lay before them. Likewise, the lust for wealth and more had always motivated them to push forward - self-interest had always been the motivation of the economy which they had developed, and they had done it all proclaiming themselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ! I was blind, but now I see!

Even so, Lord, May Thy Kingdom come, and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!