tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23302974619457731572024-03-04T20:53:43.234-08:00Jacob's LadderAnd he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-5271828728066501352011-12-05T06:36:00.000-08:002011-12-05T06:36:40.482-08:00Pictures from NCOG 30th Church Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJAxwjfOiPREkZCB2eBwD12_DT5LG9gMxZCbKUzNF4q6NExrhOf3GFSGnPSY-E48cpPMWvwE6P6raoYrtK6kP3BUxHuL0MoE6hed7ftUT9ytVzu6iBKJUujU3Wp1yrnd8N_V-GUa_GSQ/s1600/DSCN1548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJAxwjfOiPREkZCB2eBwD12_DT5LG9gMxZCbKUzNF4q6NExrhOf3GFSGnPSY-E48cpPMWvwE6P6raoYrtK6kP3BUxHuL0MoE6hed7ftUT9ytVzu6iBKJUujU3Wp1yrnd8N_V-GUa_GSQ/s320/DSCN1548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 9</span></b><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHRGzZm1W2uMbUILq3-5CQlrMRT90gJ5ZhrO4f2h6zO1ZcXrB9dfMwSWTIQNVYDknx2CltS0P2Wu-u5qwJDOB3kVYBz09QtjOLsyDtipI6Ul-NQ3P1akcsYDa77YNXwm5IfVHx25JPAI/s1600/Blind+Justice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHRGzZm1W2uMbUILq3-5CQlrMRT90gJ5ZhrO4f2h6zO1ZcXrB9dfMwSWTIQNVYDknx2CltS0P2Wu-u5qwJDOB3kVYBz09QtjOLsyDtipI6Ul-NQ3P1akcsYDa77YNXwm5IfVHx25JPAI/s200/Blind+Justice.png" width="111" /></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">I’m still not clear on why Osama bin Laden was murdered by Seal Team Six and buried at sea. Why wasn’t he captured and brought back to the United States (or Guantanamo Bay as appropriate) where he would stand trial for his involvement in 9/11? If we go back to the first joint declaration by the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, which officially noted the mass murder of European Jewry, the allied powers resolved to prosecute Nazis who were responsible for the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity. Although, they were initially divided over trials, because some political leaders had pushed for summary executions instead, they eventually agreed to court proceedings. The allies did not want those who were guilty of war crimes to be able to piously assert that their admissions of guilt were extracted from them under duress.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">By summarily executing bin Laden, the United States forfeited a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the world that it is a nation that respects the rule of law. By forcing him to stand trial, it would have further established that its motivations for capturing him were fueled by a desire for justice and not a need for vengeance. The transparency of a trial would have also allowed the public to peer into the bowels of the Military Industrial Complex.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> The day after the announcement of bin Laden’s death, the headline in the Washington Post’s lead story read, “U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden; Obama: ‘Justice has been done.’” However, was justice really served? It seems dubious to the Rt. Reverend Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester, England who said, it is “much more reasonably viewed as an act of vengeance or revenge. It a failure of the whole world order that nobody in a position of responsibility trusts that we have systems of justice to cope with such a vast set of crimes as this man is responsible for.” The former mayor of London, Ken Livingston, attacked the killing, saying we should have put bin Laden on trial: “Are we gangsters or a Western democracy based on the rule of law?”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Trying bin Laden would have also given the United States an opportunity to evaluate its own criminal laws. High profile prosecutions test the limits of America’s constitutional protections, and in the case of bin Laden, it would have certainly been one of the most closely examined criminal proceedings in American history: the public; the media; Congress; and the international community would have been riveted to every word of the court’s transcript. This type of scrutiny shines such a disinfecting light on the prosecution, it imposes built-in limitations on the prosecution’s ability to play loose with the facts, and it often exposes the injuries that other suspects have experienced in previous trials. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> Americans should take comfort in the fact that they live in a society that respects the rule of law. Blind Justice is so pure, that she would rather see Ted Kaczynski, Jeffrey Dahmer or the DC Sniper, John Mohammed, set free than to be convicted in violation of their Constitutional rights. This is not to suggest that these men, who were convicted of heinous crimes, were in any way innocent. I simply offer that Justice should be distilled from the impurities of bias and prosecutorial misconduct. However, it is not so reassuring to understand that too often cases are so skewed against an innocent defendant that a guilty verdict will be guaranteed unless the person charged with the crime has a multi-million dollar defense fund to draw from. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVVrCM07FfUjJFhkxeCsjZUWLfZHBLVvQdQM94cRRQfk_gQAIlsrUy2iHNYqjwmCAf4aaUFNLdErO6gkG30wN5O2mn_KLcJ5w9ZQkv2zo6icctcwm2yAsEKoqsTg8aITR2Xreb9llrlY/s1600/Barry+Scheck.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVVrCM07FfUjJFhkxeCsjZUWLfZHBLVvQdQM94cRRQfk_gQAIlsrUy2iHNYqjwmCAf4aaUFNLdErO6gkG30wN5O2mn_KLcJ5w9ZQkv2zo6icctcwm2yAsEKoqsTg8aITR2Xreb9llrlY/s200/Barry+Scheck.png" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Let us consider for a moment the O.J. Simpson trial where he was charged with the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson and her alleged lover, Ron Goldman: If a working-class individual had been charged with the same crime and the prosecution offered the same facts, that man would be serving time in a state penitentiary right now for a crime that he did not commit. However, Simpson’s legal team, led by Johnnie Cochran, proved their client’s innocence in a multimillion-dollar defense effort. Barry Scheck, one of Simpson’s lawyers and a leading expert in the field of DNA evidence, is the co-director of the <a href="http://www.innocenceproject.org/">Innocence Project</a>; an organization that assists prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. To date, 271 convicted inmates have been exonerated by DNA testing, including 17 who were serving time on death row.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> Scheck has pointed to </span><a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/DNA+Evidence"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">research</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> that demonstrates that as many as four percent of the DNA matches produced by laboratories are in error. To a victim of a crime, this small discrepancy may be acceptable; however, for those who fall into that four percent error range, everything that they have ever worked for can be destroyed during the space of a 15 minute court arraignment. Focusing on these types of errors is the beauty of a high profile criminal case.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> A criminal prosecution of bin Laden, although not an American citizen, would have certainly tested the limits of our own Constitution by looking at possible systemic problems in criminal prosecutions, whether in state or federal court or before military tribunals. Plus a trial would have diffused much of the criticism and suspicion surrounding the operation. Human nature tends to be more trusting in what their eyes see than in what their ears hear. Considering that <a href="http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html">the United States Government does not have a sterling record for honesty</a>, and add satan’s resume of deceit to his march for global supremacy (see the <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/01/prelude-to-anti-christ-introduction.html">introduction</a> to this series, along with <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/01/prelude-to-anti-christ-part-1.html">Parts 1-6</a>), it does not bode well for those who expect candor from their leaders. Permitting the evidence of September 11<sup>th</sup> to be scrutinized by interested parties would have been a noble gesture for a country that seems to be accountable to no one.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The evidence surrounding 9/11, that has been presented to the public, seems to be irrefutable; however a nation that boasts about abiding by the rule of law, should not be hesitant about having its evidence examined and then cross examined. It helps to preserve the accuracy of the historical record, which can often be diluted by the ‘fog of war.’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> Within hours of releasing information regarding the bin Laden capture, the Obama Administration had to back-peddle from one of its more sensational claims: According to John Brennan, the White House’s counterterrorism chief, bin Laden used one of his wives as a human shield. If it was true that he used his wife to protect himself from the seal assault, it certainly would have been an ironic end to America’s Public Enemy #1. However, within hours, the administration came back and offered a more accurate version of the events—that bin Laden did not use any human shields and that he may not have been armed, which probably means that he was not armed. And if we are to give any credible consideration to bin Laden’s 12 year old daughter, </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383106/Osama-Bin-Laden-dead-Wife-watched-die-White-House-reveals-WASNT-armed.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">she claims that her father was captured before his execution</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">. If this is true, it seems to suggest that any alleged resistance by bin Laden had been stifled by the seals.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> In the age of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">WikiLeaks</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">, governments must take extra precautions to refrain from the type of hyperbole that could cause a national embarrassment in the event its falsehoods are exposed. The Obama Administration has had to retreat for cover on more than one occasion over disclosures by WikiLeaks, and a leak that contradicted the administration’s official position on the bin Laden operation would be devastating for a president who is campaigning for a second term. Consequently, although I am not certain how pure its motivations were, it certainly took the appropriate action by correcting the record. However, taking the proper steps to preserve the historical integrity of an operation does not exempt the Obama Administration from further scrutiny. In one of the great speeches in American history, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVVrCM07FfUjJFhkxeCsjZUWLfZHBLVvQdQM94cRRQfk_gQAIlsrUy2iHNYqjwmCAf4aaUFNLdErO6gkG30wN5O2mn_KLcJ5w9ZQkv2zo6icctcwm2yAsEKoqsTg8aITR2Xreb9llrlY/s1600/Barry+Scheck.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRtUiGCYJWjzbRQPt1f8PxxwGlWgnXd9lQu3XTYBPYrJtv_qAMKSYh3VWxiUAsfVsODmt6VY2CxHvE1gp5WmnKaOAtBz6jnsGwfYXyVFdcGzftg0yX1jffR2R6MpdPQnrnjbPDBRKakI/s1600/Dwight+Eisenhower.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRtUiGCYJWjzbRQPt1f8PxxwGlWgnXd9lQu3XTYBPYrJtv_qAMKSYh3VWxiUAsfVsODmt6VY2CxHvE1gp5WmnKaOAtBz6jnsGwfYXyVFdcGzftg0yX1jffR2R6MpdPQnrnjbPDBRKakI/s200/Dwight+Eisenhower.png" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together (excerpt from <a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html">President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address</a>, Delivered January 17, 1961).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">…to be continued</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">© 2011 David R. Tolson</span></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;"> <div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>International Military Tribunal At Nuremberg</u>, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - </span><a href="http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007069"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007069</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></div></div><div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;"> <div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383106/Osama-Bin-Laden-dead-Wife-watched-die-White-House-reveals-WASNT-armed.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383106/Osama-Bin-Laden-dead-Wife-watched-die-White-House-reveals-WASNT-armed.html</a>. </div></div><div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fog of War is a term that is ascribed to Carl von Clausewitz which describes the uncertainty in situation awareness experienced by participants in military operations.</span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br />
</div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-42070726042693415152011-05-16T05:56:00.000-07:002011-05-16T06:00:40.823-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 15<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 8</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVwgBSZ43LOzgq6dz5qoPGz0-FLdskTaSZBwbgIRWkArAvLOmw1frCATBkbP7zGWP0YJe56xpKZCjMk-wVodXCzJ_laMnXYLIaZTEVUtuNO0BA7XNQNli3oGCgmVd8o4h-Llp6_jKYrY/s1600/Senator+Russ+Fiengold.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVwgBSZ43LOzgq6dz5qoPGz0-FLdskTaSZBwbgIRWkArAvLOmw1frCATBkbP7zGWP0YJe56xpKZCjMk-wVodXCzJ_laMnXYLIaZTEVUtuNO0BA7XNQNli3oGCgmVd8o4h-Llp6_jKYrY/s200/Senator+Russ+Fiengold.png" width="142" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">It is impossible to question the motives of one’s country during a time of war without being branded as unpatriotic, or even worse—a traitor. The slightest criticism of President George Bush’s actions, immediately after the attacks of September 11<sup>th</sup>, provoked charges of disloyalty and anti-Americanism. Yet, ironically, it was the somnambulant backing of a nation that was under the influence of excessive patriotism that pushed the United States unnecessarily into Iraq. Also, America’s unquestioned support for President Bush’s War on Terror permitted him to authorize illegal, </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/18/washington/18cnd-nsa.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">unwarranted wire taps</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> on American citizens with impunity. And in perhaps the most breathtaking departure from the guarantee of Constitutional protection, Americans woke one morning to the USA Patriot Act. (See endnote for a brief outline on how the Patriot Act diminished American rights under the Constitution.)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">It should be noted that had Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin not voted against the Patriot Act, it would have passed unanimously in the Senate. This is a graphic demonstration of how our nationally elected leaders, who, by the way, swore an allegiance to the Constitution, are susceptible to wilting under the momentum of blind patriotism. However, an <u>honest</u> debate over the administration of America’s war aims is at the heart of responsible citizenship, and this imposes a greater standard of care on elected officials, because they have a sworn duty to uphold the citizens’ rights granted under the Constitution. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">In the case where our governing bodies lack the will, the courage, and the conviction to engage in thoughtful deliberations over questionable policies, it helps to grease the skids for dubious, possibly illegal infringements on the nation’s coveted, Constitutional rights. This is why dissent is often the greatest form of patriotism, particularly when the momentum of a nation’s war aims, tends to censor those who object. Notwithstanding honest debates over this country’s war objectives and policies, most Americans want to see the destruction of the enemy. This is why when the military objectives for victory are met, liberals and conservatives lock arms in celebration. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrW5sAELrfbJkk2ud9gyJzWe0dkIghFYqLHsUualEWj57ME3zd6Gj6RF94YuRiQh2wixsXH64eiZjN1HcypCWcalnftmXL8Dhd22ojZ0NtvUiPuoMMBeE7RQjuF7HXzH-4dzXd4sKAyE/s1600/Osama+bin+Laden.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrW5sAELrfbJkk2ud9gyJzWe0dkIghFYqLHsUualEWj57ME3zd6Gj6RF94YuRiQh2wixsXH64eiZjN1HcypCWcalnftmXL8Dhd22ojZ0NtvUiPuoMMBeE7RQjuF7HXzH-4dzXd4sKAyE/s200/Osama+bin+Laden.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osama bin Laden</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">After President Barack Obama announced to an international audience that the United States Navy had captured and killed Osama bin Laden, there was an undeclared cease-fire in the derisive political climate for roughly 72 hours. Although it was apparent that some conservative Republicans were strained beyond their capacity to suspend animosity towards the president, the murder of bin Laden granted him a temporary respite from opposition.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">How fitting it is to end this series—Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion—discussing the capture and death of Osama bin Laden, who had evaded U.S. efforts to capture him for nearly a decade. In a stunning pre-dawn operation, Seal-Team Six, the Navy’s secret Tier One (reports directly to the president) counter-terrorism group, descended upon the one acre compound deep in Pakistan and within minutes captured and killed bin Laden. As news of his reported death began to emerge, there were spontaneous celebrations in front of the White House and in New York City at what has been christened ‘Ground Zero,’ where the World Trade Towers once stood.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">If Osama bin Laden was really killed by the U.S. Navy, then why haven’t I been swept up in the patriotic fervor that greeted the news of his death? I mean, I was as horrified as anyone else as I watched the World Trade Towers collapse after terrorists plowed commercial airliners into the symbol of American finance; the survivors of those killed in the attacks notwithstanding. However, two weeks after the president announced bin Laden’s death, I find myself struggling to find solace in his demise. This odd sense of indifference, I’m certain, is due in large part to the massive doses of suspicion that have been injected into my being as I learn more about satan’s keen skill at deceiving the leadership at the highest levels of government, business and religion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">I have often wondered if September 11<sup>th</sup> was a strategic bombing campaign by those forces intent on bringing human civilization under global domination. My use of the term strategic bombing does not imply its traditional military description—a military strategy designed to diminish the public will to wage war by bombing civilian targets instead of the military’s land, air, and/or naval forces. Strategic bombing as used in this instance is defined as a strategy to use 9/11 as a weapon to weaken the American public’s innate opposition against any incursions into their Constitutional guarantees. When I consider that President George W. Bush used the mantra of “national security” to obtain dubious domestic and foreign policies during the four year period after the attacks, it heightens my suspicion even further.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 over allegations that Saddam Hussein participated in the 9/11 attacks and that he was pursuing weapons of mass destruction. We later discovered that President Bush was wrong on both counts: Saddam neither contributed to the bombings of the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon, nor was he actively pursuing a WMD arsenal. Now, I am not here to defend Saddam, but America has an intelligence apparatus that is in some respects unbelievable; therefore, it is very difficult for me to accept the notion that Bush authorized the overthrow of Saddam based on solid intelligence. American intelligence does not make blunders of this magnitude, which begs the question: Why did the United States invade Iraq?<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a> I have my theories, which are beyond the scope of this article; however, as the War on Terror continues to rage, nothing has been done to alleviate my doubts, including the capture of bin Laden.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">I can’t be the only apprehensive soul out there after hearing about the killing of Osama bin Laden. If so, will someone please explain to me how the U.S. Military carried out a kill mission in Abbottabad, a city that is nearly 250 miles from the Afghan border, without triggering Pakistan’s early warning system? America’s military could not invade Grenada, one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere, without setting off its enemy detection trip wires; so how does it pull off this feat against a nuclear power? Plus, one would think that the helicopter that crash landed on bin Laden’s compound and the subsequent gun fight would have alerted the police, the military school and the military base that were in close proximity of his posh living quarters. This is akin to a burglar breaking into one’s home while everyone is asleep, and then throwing the family’s fine china against a wall without waking up anyone. I know the American military has remarkable capabilities, and the seals who captured bin Laden are the most highly trained fighting force in the world, and considering their technological advantages, they may be the most highly trained unit in the history of warfare. However, even they could not have pulled off a mission the way it has been described by the Obama administration. They’re good; just not that good.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The seals would have to be able to turn water into wine; raise the dead; walk on the waves of a raging sea; and travel back and forth through our space-time continuum in order to sneak that deep into Pakistan and return safely without detection.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Although bin Laden was Public Enemy #1 in the United States, he edged on sainthood within the Islamic faith and many Muslims saw him as a hero in the same pantheon as the Prophet himself. So then, one must ask—“Why did Pakistan give him up, or at a minimum, turn a blind eye to the American gunships?” Yes, Pakistan had to roll out the red carpet for the American Seals to capture, and then kill bin Laden in order for them to return to Afghanistan unscathed after the assault. I do understand the fictional animosity that is being played out between the Pakistani leaders and the Obama Administration. I mean, for Pete’s sake, they just permitted the American military to kill the most famous Muslim in the world; consequently, they must portray themselves as a sovereign power that had been violated by American aggression; and I am okay with that. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Scripted loathing is a tool of diplomacy which the U.S. used in its opposition to the former Soviet Union for more than 40 years. Their theatrical performance on the world stage permitted them both to spend inhumane amounts of money on their war-making capabilities; however, when either one of them were threatened by a formidable foe, they became allies (see World War II). And at the climax of their little 40-year performance, the wall came down and the Russian bear disappeared in the middle of the night without firing one single, solitary shot; violating the first law of nature—survival. At the most basic building-block of society, the leaders of Russia and the Western world are brothers, and in the post-Cold War world, they can do in public what they had always done in private—cooperate. Did anyone really believe that two brothers would ever drop nuclear weapons on one another? This is why the first nuclear weapons were dropped on Japan and no plans had ever been initiated that had Germany as a target.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Germany’s animosity over the so called Scramble for Africa was the root of both world wars. In 1885 the Western powers met in Berlin and drew up a plan, later called the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin_%281885%29"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Berlin Treaty</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">, which offered each nation exclusive, unobstructed access to various regions in the Dark Continent. Germany, not satisfied with its allocation under the terms of the treaty, sought to gain control over additional territories. Great Britain and France, alarmed at Germany’s expansionist aspirations, sought to limit its control in the region, which precipitated the European Civil War, better known as World War I. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Bin Laden was fighting a different war against the West. While Germany sought to expand its influence and territorial borders in Europe, bin Laden was fighting for something different; the very survival of Islam. According to the Washington Post, the “arrival of U.S. troops in the Middle East, initially deployed in 1990 to oust Iraq from Kuwait, served to focus bin Laden’s ire on the view of the United States as a domineering, corrosive threat to Islam…His deft use of international media helped magnify his message of murderous defiance against Western influences.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a> (In </span><a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/03/prelude-to-antichrist-part-8.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Part 8</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> and </span><a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/04/prelude-to-antichrist-part-10.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Part 10</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> of this series, I quoted Carroll Quigley, who exposed a clandestine effort by the Western world to destroy the modes of thought and action of every non-Western civilization. And he graphically illustrated in his books <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tragedy and Hope</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Anglo-American Establishment</i> that Europeans bearing the culture of Greek, Roman, Aryan and Western Civilizations have destroyed 14 civilizations since the Greek Empire. It should also be noted that the destruction of the Russian Empire (Eastern Orthodox Civilization), which came years after the Quigley publications, also came at the hands of Western Civilization.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The history of Western Civilization is a narrative of death and destruction, and bin Laden understood that he was fighting for a way of life—Islam—which the Western world has pushed to the verge of the grave. And if one considers the recent wave of dissent, fueled by cries for democracy, that has flooded the Muslim world, Islam may already be dead, and the next of kin is simply waiting for the pathologist’s autopsy report. However, if Islam is not dead, the seduction of the Western lifestyle may be too alluring for the new generations of Muslims to resist. Consequently, it may just be a matter of time before they all turn in their Holy Qur’ans, burqas, Hajjes and other pillars of their faith for iPads, smartphones, fine cars, fast-food, Hollywood, overtime pay, 401k retirement plans, paid hospitalization, tele-Imams and all of the other trappings of living in a Western democracy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">…to be continued </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">Note: Part 8 of Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion was scheduled to be the final article in this series; however, as a result of the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, I have added two additional articles to the series. I will be publishing the sequel to this article on bin Laden on May 22<sup>nd</sup>. Please look for it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">© 2011 by David R. Tolson</span></div><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><br />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> Brief comparison of the USA Patriot Act and the Constitution of the United States</span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The First Amendment provides for the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to assemble. The Patriot Act permits the U.S. Government to monitor religious and political institutions without any suspicion of criminal activity.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The Fourth Amendment grants citizens the right to be protected “against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Patriot Act permits the government to search and seize American’s papers and other effects without probable cause.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The Sixth Amendment entitles anyone accused of a crime to a “speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. The Patriot Act permits the government to incarcerate citizens indefinitely without a trial.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">The Sixth Amendment also provides that an accused person has “compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance to council for defense.” The Patriot Act says the government can monitor conversations between attorneys and their defendant clients in federal prison and can even prohibit Americans accused of criminal wrongdoing from accessing a lawyer.</span></li>
</ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;">T</span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">he Sixth Amendment also says an accused criminal must be “confronted with witnesses against him.” The Patriot Act permits Americans to be imprisoned without being charged, let alone face any witnesses (Jesse Ventura, <u>63 Documents that the Government Doesn’t Want You To Read</u>, (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2011), p. 12.)</span></li>
</ul></div><div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> I have written extensively on the presidency of George W. Bush, so I will not repeat my critique of his eight years in office. However, for those who may be interested in a more detailed examination of the Bush years and his campaign on terror, please see my blog where I publish a 4-part series regarding his administration -</span><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> </span><a href="http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2008/02/appraisal-on-bush-presidency-part-i.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2008/02/appraisal-on-bush-presidency-part-i.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> (part 1). Also, my article <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Disturbing Update on the War on Terror</i> was published in conjunction with my appraisal on the Bush administration - </span><a href="http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2008/02/disturbing-update-on-global-war-on.html"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2008/02/disturbing-update-on-global-war-on.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">. </span></div></div><div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> Some will argue that the bomb was not dropped on German because it had surrendered prior to the bomb being ready for use. However a careful study of the Manhattan Project will confirm that as early as 1943 there were never any plans to drop the bomb on German. America’s war strategy always placed Japan in the crosshairs of the first nuclear weapon, which is why Hiroshima was never firebombed like other Japanese cities, in order to preserve it as a justifiable target for incineration - </span><a href="http://www.rense.com/general90/whyhir.htm"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">http://www.rense.com/general90/whyhir.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";">. </span></div></div><div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"> “U.S. forces kill Osama bin Laden; Obama: ‘Justice has been done,’ <u>The Washington Post</u>, 2 May 2011, sec A. p. 6. </span></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-91341787231896957332011-05-01T11:25:00.000-07:002011-05-03T15:15:10.077-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 14<strong>Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 7</strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">>>><strong><span style="color: red;">WARNING - PLOT SPOILER</span></strong>: If you’ve never seen the movie Crimson Tide, you may want to skip to the end of the spoiler so you do not ruin a great thriller starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman.<<<</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QRILoVH_s0GpBZfUjLPyJR1F9O2I2iBpkyS6_rAVo7m_r_vtnSa7PjQ7dfntlU3dW6tvOqde8xx1IV0V4zPstsWFqu5cG_YemDAghWGmOjntTtcPOSzyDuFxbPCGHaHO0eTVyJQvoLg/s1600/747+in+Flight.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="160" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601816044780215858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QRILoVH_s0GpBZfUjLPyJR1F9O2I2iBpkyS6_rAVo7m_r_vtnSa7PjQ7dfntlU3dW6tvOqde8xx1IV0V4zPstsWFqu5cG_YemDAghWGmOjntTtcPOSzyDuFxbPCGHaHO0eTVyJQvoLg/s200/747+in+Flight.png" style="float: left; height: 256px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, two of Hollywood’s all-time greats, teamed up in the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112740/">Crimson Tide</a>, the edge of your seat thriller that takes the viewers to the brink of nuclear holocaust. Denzel plays Lt. Commander Hunter, who must arrest the “gun-slinging” commander of an armed nuclear submarine, Captain Ramsey (played by Hackman), to prevent him from launching an atomic weapon on one of the break-away Russian Republics. As Ramsey is being placed under arrest, he derided Hunter by saying, “You’re way out of your league Hunter. You’re not ready to make the tough decisions yet.”</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not long after Ramsey is relieved of his duties, the U.S.S. Alabama came under attack from a Russian submarine, and a torpedo strike causes flooding in one of the sub’s compartments. While three sailors are in the compartment desperately trying to stop the flooding, Hunter has to make the decision to seal-off that section of the boat or lose the entire sub. His dilemma is obvious—if he issues the order to seal off the compartment, three men will die; however, if he orders his damage control party to get the three men to safety before sealing the compartment, the boat will sink and the entire crew will perish. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After a moment of what appears to be indecision, Hunter, in a voice barely above a whisper, says to his damage control person, Lt. Hellerman, “Seal the bay.” However, Hellerman is pleading with the men in the flooded compartment to come out. Consequently, in a manner more akin to a direct order, Hunter says, “Bilge bay con, I say again, seal the bay.” By now, Hellerman is begging Hunter to give the men more time to come out of the compartment, and it finally dawns on Hunter that he has to make the tough decision with a tone of voice that conveys the urgency of his order: “Lt. Hellerman! You have your orders! Now seal the [expletive] bay before we all go down!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Hellerman confirmed that the bay door had been closed, Hunter’s look of resignation that he had just sealed a watery tomb for three of his loyal subordinates buttressed Ramsey’s scorn that he was not ready to make the tough decisions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">_____________________ End Spoiler </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to former President George W. Bush’s recently published book, Decision Points, he authorized the military to shoot down any domestic planes that were acting suspicious after the attacks of September 11th. In fact, it is a matter of much debate whether it was the military which shot down Flight 93, or if the “Let’s roll” story of heroism—which has the passengers overtaking the terrorists—is the authentic account of that fateful day over the skies of Pennsylvania. We may never know the full story of the events that transpired on 9/11, and perhaps the romantic version of the passengers risking their lives to prevent another terrorist attack is true. However, there are times when the leader(s) of a nation must make decisions that will kill people, and often, some of those people are innocent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Could you make the tough decision that would cost the lives of innocent citizens? If not, then you are not qualified to hold a post that preserves the sovereignty of a nation. It takes more to lead a country than to have the skill to manage a large bureaucracy. There are times when the leader(s) of a nation must make unequivocal decisions that will cost people their lives: plain and simple—there is a time to kill.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
To be fair to every president who I have disagreed with, I will concede that there is no risk in criticizing a foreign policy decision from the stress-free environment of my home-office. Consequently, from the comfort of an easy-chair and with the aid of hindsight, I seem to always answer the ills of the world. However, it doesn’t take hindsight to know that it is a breach of natural law to drop a nuclear device on the innocent citizens of a vanquished foe.(1) It doesn’t take hindsight to know that lying to the public that your enemy has attacked one of your naval vessels in order to gain their support for a dubious war is also contrary to natural law.(2) It doesn’t take hindsight to know that if a democracy overthrows another nation’s democratically elected president in order to install a brutal dictator, the citizens of that country will see that democracy as the enemy.(3) It doesn’t take hindsight to predict that if the Western powers spearhead a military alliance that overthrows and then executes Saddam Hussein, over allegations that are later conceded to be false(4), and in similar fashion invade Libya, then other Muslim nations just might feel threatened. Consequently, these Islamic countries may pursue a nuclear arsenal as a defense measure against subsequent Western invasions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did President Truman wrestle with the decision to incinerate nearly 200,000 Japanese civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or did President Johnson utter a quiet prayer, asking for forgiveness, after he stood before the American public and lied with pious conviction that North Vietnam had attacked a Navy warship in the Gulf of Tonkin? <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/01/prelude-to-anti-christ-introduction.html">In the introduction of this series</a>, I examined the biblical prophecy where more than one quarter of the world’s population, and perhaps as much as one half, will be killed by evil men whose aim is to seize control of a global civilization. Could you participate with that cabal of men to annihilate large chunks of humanity? These are the tough decisions that evil men must make in their quest for global domination. Although many would find themselves at odds with these choices, it is obvious that some very powerful people see the virtue in these highly questionable pursuits.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many Western wartime leaders, policy makers and strategists were not born when the Eisenhower administration overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh. And their knowledge of history is too romantic to understand or to care of the implications associated with the Iranian coup. In 1953 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat">Operation AJAX</a> was carried out by the intelligence agencies of the United States and the United Kingdom in order to replace Mosaddegh with the American puppet, Mohammad-Rezā Shah Pahlavi, later known as the Shah of Iran. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Western arrogance may trigger a temporary case of amnesia regarding why it has been so despised in the Middle East; however, Iranians have not forgotten the Western aggression that installed the Shah. The war that is being waged by NATO on the Muslim populations of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, is a classic demonstration of the violent nature of the enmity between Western Civilization and Islam. This mutual hatred stretches back to the Persian Empire when it was overtaken by Alexander in the 4th Century BC, and there has been fierce hostility since. In fact, Islam is the only civilization that has put the survival of the West in doubt, and it has done it at least twice. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Conflicts between Western Civilization and Islam have been repeated over the centuries like a mantra: Fifty percent of wars involving pairs of states of different religions between 1820 and 1929 were wars between Muslims and Christians. Why has the deadly conflict between Western Christendom and Islam been a recurring theme in history? Civilizations are differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition and, most important, religion. Religion is so central to our basic belief as humans, that not only are some people willing to die for their beliefs, but they will also kill if they believe that an enemy is threatening their faith. This is the dilemma that Muslims now find themselves facing—the destruction of nearly 1,500 years of history and tradition by the spread of Western society. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Deeply entrenched in Western society is the Judeo-Christian concept, leading historians, politicians and many citizens to embrace the idea that Western societies are Christian. However, there is a certain disconnect if one embraces the notion that the West is a Christian civilization and then observes the path of destruction that has been left in its wake wherever it has journeyed. It is difficult to reconcile the historical trek of Western Civilization with the philosophy of Christ. He espoused a way of life that not only encouraged His followers to live modestly, while considering the needs of others, but He also required demonstrating love to one’s enemies:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
43.Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44.But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45.That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46.For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47.And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so (Matthew 5:43-47)?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The typical Westerner, who worships the meaning of the cross and makes every effort to abide by the precepts of their Christian faith, will most likely consider Jesus’ words above as one of the most famous sermons ever uttered. However, it may be difficult for that same Christian follower to recognize that Western Civilization has a different set of principles that governs its existence, and it does not come from the Sermon on the Mount. From the annihilation of the Native Americans to slavery to the destruction of numerous civilizations to the recent revelation that the United States Public Health System infected soldiers, prisoners and mental health patients in Guatemala with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases, it demonstrates that America’s allegiance, and by extension Western Civilization’s, comes from a manual other than the holy Scriptures. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The men who worship at the ‘sacred’ altar of Western power are more inclined to knead the values of Western society into every square mile of the globe than to permit the expansion of Islam, or even the true expression of Christianity, which demands loving your enemies and praying for them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">…to be continued</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">© 2011 by David R. Tolson </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Japan was negotiating the terms of surrender with the Allies during World War II prior to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; however, the Americans demanded an unconditional surrender - </span></span><a href="http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v16/v16n3p-4_Weber.html"><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif";"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v16/v16n3p-4_Weber.html</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">. Also, Truman convinced Stalin to break his 1941 non-aggression pact with Tokyo and team up with the Allies to bring a swift end to the war in the South Pacific.</span></span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Century", "serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[2] In August 4, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson came before the American people and advised them that hostile forces in the Gulf of Tonkin had attacked a naval destroyer; consequently, he was authorizing the military to assist any Southeast Asian country whose government was jeopardized by Communist aggression. However, there never was an attack on the American forces. (There was an incident on August 2, 1964, but Johnson’s claim was that the North Vietnamese had engaged in a second attack.)</span></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[3] In 1953, under the code name AJAX, American and British intelligence forces overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh and replaced him with Mohammad-Rezā Shah Pahlavi. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[4] President George W. Bush’s motivation for attacking Iraq was that Saddam Hussein participated in the September 11th attacks against the United States, and it was also alleged that he was developing weapons of mass destruction. However, it was eventually conceded that there was no connection between Saddam and the terrorist attacks and neither was Iraq actively pursuing a nuclear arsenal.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-58656058006931008572011-04-25T08:55:00.000-07:002011-05-03T15:08:47.078-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 13<strong>Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 6</strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><em>1.After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 2.And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (<strong>because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome</strong>:) and came unto them</em> (Acts 18:1-2, emphasis mine).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI8x1x3CLt-8XJ2QT9w_0WvDsL2_C8OjuSsvh37-1jaLHBEhjvsEU0FHUAUIzS_Pv5TBT3oA87lo2urI_lRHYCG6a5acrQaa5L-edQ9B-DwAwTxYjr7fPAmdGDuc4llBLVX2AcgthbrA/s1600/Martin+King.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI8x1x3CLt-8XJ2QT9w_0WvDsL2_C8OjuSsvh37-1jaLHBEhjvsEU0FHUAUIzS_Pv5TBT3oA87lo2urI_lRHYCG6a5acrQaa5L-edQ9B-DwAwTxYjr7fPAmdGDuc4llBLVX2AcgthbrA/s200/Martin+King.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The greatest honor that the United States can bestow upon an individual is to grant a national holiday named in recognition of their birth-date. Thus far, only two Americans have been granted this lofty distinction: George Washington, for his role in the Revolutionary War and the fact that he was the country’s first president; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his fight to bring equality to the black citizens of this country. In addition to the two Americans whose lives are celebrated, this country has also set aside a day to pay tribute to one of the most notorious criminals this side of the Cross—Christopher Columbus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It could be argued that the most significant event in world history in the last millennium and a half is the Columbus invasion. In fact, it is difficult to imagine the world that we live in today without the exploits of Christopher Columbus. The year 1492 is perhaps the most famous year on the Western calendar, and it is no coincidence that it is the demarcation of the medieval period and the Renaissance. As Europe was emerging from the throes of the Dark Ages, King Ferdinand of Spain commissioned Columbus to launch an attack on the indigenous people of the Americas. They had their sights on a future that was to be illuminated by the blood of the indigenous people: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAG4JIo3Rl7jYOdBP9463hjQjMGkS88z9osSEsFoC4PGFaVhkcKwotEoiao4TiHZisNLQQVvaV7Ys09stq6QEAgyI72DKje0Ok7hmxWGbSFz2A3JFFVqMCA_1Zb9unOU_ORPzIHmEjas/s1600/Columbus+Invasion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAG4JIo3Rl7jYOdBP9463hjQjMGkS88z9osSEsFoC4PGFaVhkcKwotEoiao4TiHZisNLQQVvaV7Ys09stq6QEAgyI72DKje0Ok7hmxWGbSFz2A3JFFVqMCA_1Zb9unOU_ORPzIHmEjas/s320/Columbus+Invasion.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For as much of you, Christopher Columbus, are going by our command, with some of our vessels and men, to <strong>discover and subdue</strong> some Islands and Continent in the ocean, and it is hoped that by God's assistance, some of the said Islands and Continent in the ocean will be <strong>discovered and conquered</strong> by your means and conduct, therefore it is but just and reasonable, that since you expose yourself to such danger to serve us, you should be rewarded for it. And we being willing to [honor] and [favor] You for the reasons aforesaid: Our will is, That you, Christopher Columbus, after <strong>discovering and conquering</strong> the said Islands and Continent in the said ocean, or any of them, shall be our Admiral of the said Islands and Continent you shall so <strong>discover and conquer</strong>…which you and your Lieutenants shall conquer, and freely decide all causes, civil and criminal, appertaining to the said employment of Admiral, Vice-Roy, and [Governor], as you shall think fit in justice, and as the Admirals of our kingdoms use to do; and that you have power to punish offenders (excerpt from <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/15th_century/colum.asp">Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus : 1492</a> (emphasis mine)). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Western expansion under Columbus was the classic case of an outsider coming in with sufficient force to disrupt the mode of thought and the mode of action of the current landholders and eventually wiping them out. It was an all encompassing wave after wave of colonists, who over the course of about 300 years came into North and South America and the Caribbean to transplant Western culture into a world where there was no room for multiculturalism and bilingualism. In fact, the African slaves who were brought to the shores of the Americas were not permitted to speak their language, practice their customs or serve their God. This implied code of conduct, which brought the Americas and the Caribbean under the whip of colonist slave masters, is the reason why Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.(1)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Haiti resisted the French colonialist since the slaves were first brought over from Africa, and on January 1, 1804, an African born slave named Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared independence from the French after 50,000 French soldiers lost their lives in the uprising. In 1804, Haiti became the first black republic in the world and was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery completely. However, in the 1830s, the French demanded reparations from Haiti in the amount of 150 million francs in gold. By the turn of the twentieth century, it was spending 80 percent of its national budget on repayments to France and in 1947, Haiti finally paid off its debt, plus interest.(2) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was not long after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide made a demand for restitution in 2003 that he was forced into an involuntary resignation by American forces. Although this is not the story that the mainstream media was playing out in the United States at the time, Aristide contacted Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Randall Robinson, founder of TransAfrica, to explain that he was removed from office by an American led coup d’état.(3) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The timing of Aristide’s demand could not have been better for America and its Western allies. They were embroiled in the War on Terror; consequently, his appeal fell under the radar screen and largely upon deaf ears. The irony is not lost on me that the first black republic was overthrown by the Bush Administration during its struggle to bring democracy to the Middle East. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Was the Bush coup a response to Aristide’s demand for restitution or is Haiti under the chronic chastisement of the West for its military victory over France more than 200 years ago? This conundrum becomes more significant when we consider that the Western world has endeavored to remove all vestiges of other cultures from its society since Columbus’ fatal strike. However, it is discovering, to the horror of many, that it is an extremely difficult task to wipe away the cultural embrace of other societies; for it is the soul of their civilizations. Consequently, the West has been forced by the yearning of the human spirit to tolerate multiculturalism and bilingualism. However, there have been loud voices in the Western world that are calling for America to abandon its tepid embrace of a multicultural society. Most notably among the dissenters are Tony Blankley in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wests-Last-Chance-Clash-Civilizations/dp/0895260158"><em>The West’s Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations</em></a>; and Pat Buchanan in his books <a href="http://www.amazon.com/State-Emergency-Invasion-Conquest-America/dp/B002PJ4HGM/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303733440&sr=1-4"><em>State of Emergency, The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America</em></a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-West-Populations-Immigrant-Civilization/dp/0312302592/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303733660&sr=1-2"><em>The Death of the West, How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil our Country and Civilization</em></a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Blankley’s, Buchanan’s and a myriad of others’ books urge the West to reverse its experiment with a social concept that has eroded the European values that propelled America to the technological apex of human civilization. However, the late <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_P._Huntington">Samuel P. Huntington</a>, former chairman of Harvard University’s Academy of International and Area Studies, brings a more urgent, some would say racist, cry for Western nationalism. He is perhaps the most influential author demanding that Western Civilization return to the values and distinct culture of the British settlers who ‘founded’ America. He predicted the current war between Islam and the West in his book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clash_of_Civilizations"><em>The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order</em></a>, and was the most quoted author during the period immediately following September 11th. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9G9T0irTSo2Dd0YtSanfwNaRh2XRYoda-J5gMeibOtGa3tQ0kfiir3aI_5uD5EdTpgQkA4-1o5rDgmohdDBIE34WeQSBsKS-TzkR9_Ye1LggiWjOu93044jjgSH21XcsgvbXjGLMwwM/s1600/Samuel+P.+Huntington.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9G9T0irTSo2Dd0YtSanfwNaRh2XRYoda-J5gMeibOtGa3tQ0kfiir3aI_5uD5EdTpgQkA4-1o5rDgmohdDBIE34WeQSBsKS-TzkR9_Ye1LggiWjOu93044jjgSH21XcsgvbXjGLMwwM/s200/Samuel+P.+Huntington.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>Clash of Civilizations</em> first appeared as an article in the influential periodical on international relations—Foreign Affairs; the house organ of the Council on Foreign Relations. According to the editors, Huntington’s article generated more discussion (controversy) than any article in the previous 50 years. The article evolved into the book of the same name, which details a road map for Western democracies to establish an international order, which he claims is the best safeguard for world peace. Huntington’s sequel to <em>Clash of Civilizations</em> titled <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Who-Are-We-Challenges-Americas/dp/0684870541/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303738043&sr=1-1">Who Are We, The Challenge to America’s National Identity</a></em>, confronts the viewpoint that America can remain the leader of the world by embracing varied cultures. According to Who Are We, Europeans came to the United States with a distinct culture which included social, religious and legal values that were once adopted by non-European immigrants. Huntington espouses the notion that American citizenship will be devalued if immigrants are permitted and encouraged to bring their cultural values to America and not embrace its European values.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who Are We is a very disturbing look at white nationalism by one of America’s premier intellectuals. Huntington, never known for his willingness to back away from controversy, seems to suggest that white Americans should gear up for a “racial hygiene” that eliminates any trace of multiculturalism by apparently predicting the resurgence of racism in the West:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“…the various forces challenging the core American culture and Creed could generate a move by native [white] Americans to revive the discarded and discredited racial and ethnic concepts of American identity and <strong>to create an America that would exclude, expel, or suppress people of other racial, ethnic and cultural groups</strong>. Historical and contemporary experience suggest that this is a highly probably reaction from a once dominant ethnic group that feels threatened by the rise of other groups. It could produce a racially intolerant country with high levels of intergroup conflict (Who Are We, page 20, emphasis mine).”(4)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Huntington is emphatic in his belief that white Americans should pursue a path of sequestration against “people of other racial, ethnic and cultural groups.” If white Americans went into full-throttle, expelling, excluding or suppressing citizens of other ethnic, racial or cultural groups, it would not be without precedent. History is replete with majority groups turning against their country’s minority. However, what should be unsettling to any ethnic minority in America or Europe is that the Western world continues to demonstrate that its appetite for ethnic cleansing has not been diminished over time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">…to be continued</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>© 2011 David R. Tolson<br />
<br />
[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_American_and_Caribbean_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_American_and_Caribbean_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
[2] <a href="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/13/cancel_haitis_debt">http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/13/cancel_haitis_debt</a> <br />
<br />
[3] <a href="http://www.nathanielturner.com/aristidekidnapped.htm">http://www.nathanielturner.com/aristidekidnapped.htm</a> <br />
<a href="http://dissidentvoice.org/Mar04/Pitt0302.htm">http://dissidentvoice.org/Mar04/Pitt0302.htm</a> <br />
<br />
[4] I challenged Professor Huntington in 2005 when he held a book signing in Washington, D.C. I quoted this section from page 20, and asked him pointedly if he believed that white Americans were willing to revert back to the age of Jim Crow in order to sequester people of color. He denied it, but had no response when I asked him why he inserted something in his book that he did not believe would happen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-41728768394255168552011-04-17T05:40:00.000-07:002011-04-17T08:52:26.781-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8EBZdQ-al7QV_nJ1PcO3u0gW39utOd3JWFHUSnLENsgT7dQGShhDOOWPmRKvvyFfylKC2BfLq2aXWDiRJW82fG7h5M_EIaI6pP36B0v6zq506dpcNo3OeVxX8GUGZgiIqNhBq4OY4VE/s1600/Native+American+Security.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8EBZdQ-al7QV_nJ1PcO3u0gW39utOd3JWFHUSnLENsgT7dQGShhDOOWPmRKvvyFfylKC2BfLq2aXWDiRJW82fG7h5M_EIaI6pP36B0v6zq506dpcNo3OeVxX8GUGZgiIqNhBq4OY4VE/s320/Native+American+Security.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596532273988850754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:";" >Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 5</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:red;" > </span></b><span style=";font-family:";" >“[I]t’s idiotic to expect people to be stopped by some scrap of paper called a property deed. Property rights are a superstition. One holds property only by the courtesy of those who do not seize it (Bertram Scudder, 1957).”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >I was recently in a debate with some men at a restaurant I frequent, who advance the ridiculous notion that no good thing has ever been produced by the Western World. Once our friendly sparring session was over, one of the guys pulled up his calendar on his Android to check an appointment; his comrade in arms hopped in his Mercedes Benz and departed for home; and the last brother logged off the Internet and packed his lap-top until our next rendezvous. What hypocrisy! I’d have more respect for these men, and their view of the West would be more noble if they shunned the evil and the good like they were the plague. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Like most informed individuals, I have my criticisms of the West, but I must concede that I appreciate many of the accoutrements that are available in America and abroad: Protection against unreasonable search and seizure; the Fifth Amendment shield against self incrimination; freedom of religion; the right to own property, a business or other assets; and as an author and teacher, I particularly value the freedom to write and speak without censorship. I also love the idea of living in a modern society, filled with gadgets and tools that increase my productivity and enhance my leisure time. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Who wouldn’t want to live in a society that offers the prospect of the pursuit of happiness, along with the other perks of a democracy? Well, if one looks at the social landscape right now, the answer seems pretty simple—democracy is winning the war of ideas. And one could easily make a strong argument that the average person would fare better under a democracy than under any other social system. However, a historical examination of Western democracy causes its luster to diminish. It is one of history’s great paradoxes.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >A study of Western democracy is a study of the destruction of human civilization. From its incipient steps on the shores of the Americas to this moment, the presence of Western Civilization has brought death and destruction to mankind, and there lies the paradox: How is it that a society that gave the world the Renaissance; the Industrial Revolution; the 40-hour work week; the concept of overtime, double-time, triple-time and hazard duty pay; paid vacation, holidays and healthcare; instant communication; high-speed transportation; massive computing power; the American dream; and </span><span style=";font-family:";" >rescued the world from the tyranny of World War II</span><span style=";font-family:";" >, have caused so much widespread misery to humanity? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The Native Americans were one of the first to witness the carnage that followed in the wake of Western expansion: their lands were seized and their societies decimated at the hands of the European settlers. This land-grab initiated a domino effect that resulted in the Atlantic slave trade and the subjugation of the Caribbean. By the time the West had focused its attention on Africa, its imperialist appetite had become so efficient, it was able to carve up the entire continent in 15 short years.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In what would later become known as the ‘Scramble for Africa,’ the European powers set up a framework for divvying up the Dark Continent. In 1885 the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin_%281885%29"><span style=";font-family:";" >Berlin Treaty</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > established the ground-rules for how the Western powers would seize control of Africa, offering each nation access to various parts of the land free from interference by others, giving new meaning to the phrase ‘honor among thieves.’ By the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, there was no more land to be had. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >What the Berlin Treaty could not predict, however, was that once the latecomers to imperial expansion – Germany and Italy – had sunk their teeth into the confiscation of the African continent, they were not going to be satisfied with the imperial limitations offered them under the terms of the agreement. Italy snatched parts of Libya and Germany sought to gain hegemony over the crumbling Hapsburg and Ottoman empires. Britain and France took note of Germany’s growing influence in the region, and their alarm intensified as Germany forged an alliance with Austria-Hungary and Turkey. Hostilities between the European expansionist powers soon erupted into the European Civil War, better known as World War I. The struggle for German expansion came at the expense of other Western imperial powers which had made prior claims on territories Germany was seeking to annex.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Germany lost New Guinea, as well as its European and African territories at the conclusion of World War I. However, she came back and seized control of many of those same regions, igniting World War II, and then in a dazed state of déjà vu, she lost them again. In an unusual stroke of imperial irony, both world wars were the results of Western Civilization engaging in a tug-of-war over territories that were already under its control. Those wars taught the Western aristocracy that if it did not want to experience further attrition, then it had to confine its imperial ambitions to non-Western regions.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >With the exception of the hiccup between the end of African colonization (1900) and the end of World War II (1945), Western Civilization has been on an otherwise unrelenting, clandestine march toward global rule since the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. During this 500 year period, no region in the earth has been unscathed by its imperial predation: It has devoured Andean Civilization, Mayan Civilization, Hindu Civilization, Japanese Civilization,<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></a> and many of you reading this article witnessed the destruction of Eastern Orthodox Civilization, where the former Soviet Union sat at the perch of leadership. And if we consider the hundreds of societies simpler than civilizations that have been destroyed by the West, it brings into sharper focus how absolute Western incursion into other cultures has been.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >If we consider that the Chinese are drinking themselves to death with the hemlock of Western Capitalism, the only formidable foe that stands between the West and its total domination of the earth is Islamic Civilization. Islam is formidable in the sense that there are more than one billion Muslims in the earth, and Pakistan has nuclear weapons, while Iran is pursuing its own nuclear weapons’ program. These nuclear ‘chips’ by Pakistan and the push by Iran to enter the atomic poker game, permits a dying Islam to cling to its centuries old modes of thought and actions. However, America’s sustained wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the recent cries for democracy in Africa and the Middle East, demonstrate that Islam’s capacity to resist the crave for Western values has significantly diminished since the days of U.S. flag burning under Ronald Reagan. And in order to accelerate this shift towards democracy in the Muslim world, the Western powers have made plain their willingness to invade sovereign nations that stand in the way. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >When President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, he did so under the pretext that Saddam Hussein participated in the September 11<sup>th</sup> attacks and that Saddam was pursuing an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. On its face, this invasion seemed to be a logical response to an ambitious tyrant who participated in the worst attack on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor and who was becoming an even greater threat to world peace; however, further examination of this war proves otherwise. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It was not long after the Iraq invasion that Bush and his supporters had to concede publicly that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that there was no linkage between Saddam and the 9/11 attacks. However, one would reasonably conclude that with a nearly surreal intelligence apparatus, Bush should have drawn those conclusions before committing American resources to war. The most reliable evidence that the Bush administration was promoting in the preparation for the Iraqi war was the famous “</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_uranium_forgeries"><span style=";font-family:";" >16 words</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >” from a dubious intelligence report that alleged that Saddam had attempted to purchase “yellowcake” uranium from Niger during the Iraq disarmament crisis. However, in 2002, nearly one year before the invasion in Iraq, former United States diplomat, Joe Wilson, went on a fact-finding mission to Niger, at the request of the CIA, to investigate these allegations, and he concluded that “[I]t was highly doubtful that any such transaction had ever taken place.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Wilson went on to contribute an op-ed piece in the July 6, 2003 edition of the New York Times entitled “</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5007&en=6c6aeb1ce960dec0&ex=1372824000&partner=USERLAND"><span style=";font-family:";" >What I Didn’t Find in Africa</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >,” where he concluded that “Based on my experience with the administration in the months leading up to the war, I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat.” Ironically, this is the same conclusion that officials from U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office drew in the now infamous </span><a href="http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/"><span style=";font-family:";" >Downing Street Memo</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >. It was their accrued opinion that Bush was twisting the facts to accommodate the foreign policy goal of removing Saddam: “Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. <span class="underline">But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy</span>.”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn5" name="_ednref5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[v]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It is clear that Bush’s dubious campaign for war in Iraq was a thinly veiled attempt to remove a Muslim leader, who was hostile to the West, and replace him with a more accommodating figure, while simultaneously maintaining a justifiable presence in the Middle East. With “boots on the ground,” the United States and its Western allies would have more surgical access to influencing the affairs of the region. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the current dissent in the Middle East and Africa has avalanched into a region-wide cry for freedom. Since the coup d’état of Saddam, the United States has funneled billions of dollars and other resources into promoting Western democracy and destabilizing the Islamic regimes in that part of the world. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >I have been a big critic of former President George W. Bush (</span><a href="http://thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/2008/02/appraisal-on-bush-presidency-part-i.html"><span style=";font-family:";" >see my four part series on his presidency</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >), but I will concede that he must be somewhere gleefully rehearsing his lecture series titled, “I Told You So,” and President Barack Obama is following his imperial footsteps. His invasion into Libya, betrays the peace initiative that he campaigned on, and certainly defies the spirit of his Nobel Peace Prize. However, once you understand that no man/woman can ascend to the presidency of the United States without the tacit approval of the aristocracy, then you will realize who employs Obama.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn6" name="_ednref6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[vi]</span></span></span></span></a> What makes the Western drive for global hegemony so extremely ingenious is that it now has an African American face to do its bidding. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Notwithstanding that Westerners may oppose Libya’s form of government, Moammar Gadhafi is obligated to suppress any social unrest in his country. It is irrelevant that the dissent may be fueled by cries for democracy. If demonstrations erupted across America advocating the overthrow of its form of government, the president of the United States would have a legal responsibility to subdue the demonstrators. In fact, 18 U.S.C. makes it a federal offense to “knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach [others to] overthrow or destroy the government of the United Sates,” and such lawbreakers shall be subject to a prison sentence of not more than 20 years.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn7" name="_ednref7" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[vii]</span></span></span></span></a> I’d have to believe that most nations have a similar ban on demonstrations that promote the overthrow of its government.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Does not America’s participation in the NATO attacks on Libya rise to the highest level of hypocrisy? On the one hand, it will prosecute those who advocate the overthrow of its government, but on the other hand it has demonstrated a willingness to topple regimes which block the road to global domination. Between 1945 and 2005, the United States has attempted to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn8" name="_ednref8" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[viii]</span></span></span></span></a> In an <a href="http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=21566">EU poll</a>, that ranked which countries contribute most to world instability, the U.S. was seen as a bigger threat to world peace than Iran, Iraq and North Korea – the trio dubbed the “axis of evil” by President George W. Bush. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >For more than 70 years, the world was conditioned to believe that the Western nations were the only barrier between freedom and a world ruled by Communist dictators. However, in one of history’s great surprises, Communism passed away in the middle of the night without firing one desperate shot for survival, and in the greatest irony of all, Western Civilization has made the global soil fertile for the rise of the antichrist.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >…to be continued</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >© 2011 by David R. Tolson</span></p> <div style=""> <hr width="33%" align="left" size="1"> <div style="" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Ayn Rand, <u>Atlas Shrugged</u> (New York: A Dutton Book, 1957) p. 135.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > Chinweizu, The <u>West and the Rest of Us, White Predators Black Slaves and the African Elite</u>, (Legos: Pero Press, 1987), pp. 14-19. (“As a result of Germany’s imperial ambition, Britain and France teamed up with Russia in an effort to prevent the coalescence of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. When in 1914 Serbia sought to assert her independence from the Hapsburg Empire, Austria moved to crush her. Russia moved to aid Serbia; Germany and Turkey moved in to protect their ally Austria; and Britain and France went to aid Russia. The Entente powers were finally pitted against their feared rival, Germany, and World War I began.” (p. 18 of The West and the Rest of Us.))</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn3"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Carroll Quigley, <u>Tragedy and Hope, A History of the World in Our Time</u>, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1966), p. 7.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn4"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Quigley, p. 8. </span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn5"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[v]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Downing Street Memo, July 23, 2002, p. 1.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn6"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref6" name="_edn6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[vi]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > The electoral college was instituted as the means of presidential selection in order to guarantee the succession of power and to eliminate the possibility that a ‘popular’ candidate, who may not have the best interest of the aristocracy at heart, will be elected.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn7"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref7" name="_edn7" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[vii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > 18 U.S.C. §2385: US Code advocating overthrow of the US Government</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn8"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref8" name="_edn8" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[viii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > William Blum, <u>Rogue State, A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower</u> (Maine: Common Courage Press) pp 1-2.</span></p> </div> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-70135942850300305262011-04-10T06:29:00.000-07:002011-04-10T06:35:37.417-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaFwQx0X__CuzrKCjuQUd4Gkr2_5XZrj2p1lPQjKnyR2yoR85c1Jel4IHYA3RVYAF4YP7D8Jg2uTtRvyUfzHeDjM7kY_57RoJuVc-jnLBn-5K8aIVmY29D5NQ4hbbKkkgn4tRxj8_tJk/s1600/Clinton+as+the+devil+on+the+cover+of+Time.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaFwQx0X__CuzrKCjuQUd4Gkr2_5XZrj2p1lPQjKnyR2yoR85c1Jel4IHYA3RVYAF4YP7D8Jg2uTtRvyUfzHeDjM7kY_57RoJuVc-jnLBn-5K8aIVmY29D5NQ4hbbKkkgn4tRxj8_tJk/s320/Clinton+as+the+devil+on+the+cover+of+Time.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593946796311086754" border="0" /></a><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 4</span></b> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >themselves into the apostles of Christ</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (2 Corinthians 11:13).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:red;" > </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:red;" > </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Some branches of human knowledge are nearly impossible for all but a few to understand. When Albert Einstein introduced his theory of relativity, there were only a few scientists who could grasp its implications. Although researchers have had more than 100 years to travel the learning curve of relativity, its counter-intuitive nature is still extremely difficult for many people to comprehend. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >If at the threshold of the 19<sup>th</sup> Century I had offered a hand-held gadget that I called a mobile phone and promoted it as a device that offered instant communication with someone who was virtually anywhere on earth, I’d have been viewed in the same light as a salesman peddling a bogus cure for impotence. However, two centuries later, mobile phone technology has evolved into an indispensable component of our human landscape; yet, most people do not understand the technological process behind its ease of use: to over-simply the electronic wizardry behind a cell phone—it converts spoken words into digital data, or zeroes and ones, called bits, and then transmits that data pack to a relay station, where it is relayed further to other stations or to a satellite, which then transmits the zeroes and ones back to another mobile phone, where the digital data is translated back into intelligible conversation.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >And if life lasts another thousand years, we can only imagine the inexplicable discoveries and technologies that will have been developed, from populating planets in distant galaxies with human life to traveling back and forth through time. However, not all mind-bending concepts are as benign as mobile phone technology.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It could be reasonably argued that preceding World War II, Germany was at the pinnacle of Western culture: It gave the world Bach and Beethoven; Bavarian Motor Works and Daimler Benz; <span style="">Einstein and Marx; aspirin and x-rays; and a host of other artists, concepts and products. However, Adolf Hitler was able to convince millions of people of the virtue of eliminating the Jewish population from the earth. And more than 60 years later, historians are still bewildered by the notion that a man would nearly realize his ambition of total Jewish annihilation and find millions of willing executioners, in an apparently civilized society, to aid him.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/01/prelude-to-anti-christ-introduction.html">In the introduction to this series</a>, I examined Revelation chapter 6, which reveals the four horsemen of the apocalypse. This will be an incomprehensible reign of terror where at least one fourth, and possibly as much as one half, of the world’s population will be killed. If we concede that Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Rhodes or any other despot was evil, Revelation chapter 6 demonstrates a cabal of men who surpass evil. I am certain that I could say without fear of contradiction, that most people cannot imagine the pathology that is necessary to intentionally massacre as many as half the people in the earth. It will take a group of purely evil men, whose hearts are divorced from any vestige of morality to kill 3.5 billion people; yet, this is exactly the road that society is traveling. However, the collective attention of society has been intentionally, and I might add, masterfully, divided to keep the masses away from focusing on humanity’s most urgent issues, like its own destruction at the hands of satanically inspired men. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >I don’t mean to diminish the significance of the questions of abortion, same-sex marriage, illegal immigration, deficit spending, or any other ‘premium’ social concern, but these issues have been deliberately injected into the social discourse to keep the nations polarized. Consequently, if liberals are fighting conservatives, and the poor are fighting the rich, and whites are fighting blacks, and American citizens are fighting illegal immigrants, then we will never be able to focus on the larger social issues: Why gas prices are rising contrary to market forces? Or why a handful of men were permitted to play ‘Russian Roulette’ with the mortgage market and no one has been imprisoned? Or why the U.S. taxpayer was required to rescue the reckless management of our nation’s economy? Or why we invaded Iraq with absolutely no evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction or that he participated in 9/11? Or who are the architects behind the push for globalization and what are their motives. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The answer to any of these questions will give you a glimpse into the pantheon of the Western gods, where the plan for a one-world government resides. </span><span style=";font-family:";" >As a subtle tribute to this pantheon, Rhodes Scholar and former President Bill Clinton gave a veiled acknowledgment of this antichristic scheme during his 1992 acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention by citing Carroll Quigley:<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >“As a teenager, I heard John Kennedy’s summons to citizenship. And then, as a student at Georgetown, I heard that call clarified by a professor name [Carroll] Quigley, who said to us that America was the greatest Nation in history because our people had always believed in two things – that tomorrow can be better than today and that every one of us has a personal moral responsibility to make it so.”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Quigley, Clinton’s history professor while at Georgetown University, was given two years to examine Western Civilization’s secret plan to rule the world (<a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/04/prelude-to-antichrist-part-10.html">see part 10 of this series</a> for more on Carroll Quigley). Clinton’s acknowledgment of Quigley was very significant during his run for president: He campaigned on the theme of “change;” however, he had to assure the Western aristocracy that his mantra was in no way intended to interfere with their policy goals and objectives. Consequently, by invoking Quigley’s name, he signaled to them, that as president of the United States, their aim of bringing the world under the domination of the West would be his top priority. And during his eight-year tenure, he violated the trust of his three largest constituents—African Americans, Labor and the Gay Lobby—while actively promoting the global agenda of the Western aristocracy. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >First, Clinton promised to end the military’s ban on gay service personnel; however, once he ran into the opposition, he backpedaled from his support and offered the watered down policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” and then dropped them from his national agenda.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Second, while Clinton was president, he signed two landmark pieces of legislation that adversely affected the African American community: Welfare Reform; and the Crime Bill. And during his tenure, we saw the explosive use of the sentencing disparity between those who were peddling crack (the black side of cocaine), and those who trafficked in powder (the white side of cocaine). Someone who was found guilty of possessing five grams of crack cocaine was given a mandatory sentence of five years in prison; the same sentence for one who was guilty of possessing 500 grams of powdered cocaine.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The African American community also saw deep erosions in the affirmative action laws that applied to employment, business opportunities and education during Clinton’s presidency. This is disturbing, given the fact that Clinton claimed to support affirmative action. However, the best he could offer in defense of the onslaught to eliminate affirmative action was a clever saying – “Mend but don’t end.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Clinton’s infidelity towards his African American constituents and the gay community does not necessarily suggest that he pursued an antichristic, global agenda. It simply demonstrated that these two significant allies were not a priority during his administration. However, in what was his most egregious betrayal, his pursuit of free trade agreements, which transplanted American jobs overseas, reflected his responsibility as a Rhodes Scholar to bring the world under Western rule.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >During Clinton’s tenure as president, we witnessed an acceleration of entire industries migrating overseas. The labor movement, his largest constituent, watched in horror as he signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). NAFTA and GATT are free trade agreements that encourage domestic corporations to move their manufacturing plants overseas and to take advantage of the lower production costs that these free trade agreements made available. They eliminated trade protections that made such moves unfeasible prior to the enactment of the laws, and subsequently permitted American corporations to send hundreds of thousands of jobs overseas without any sanctions. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >NAFTA and GATT would appear on their faces to be agreements that would be championed by conservative Republicans. However, Clinton did more to accelerate Western globalization during his eight years as U.S. president than the combined 12 years of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And those who understand that Clinton’s academic roots were nourished through his Rhodes Scholarship will understand that he was simply fulfilling his oath to his secret society when he signed those bills into law. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Notwithstanding Clinton’s apathy, some would say hostility, towards the interests of his constituents, he remains one of the country’s most popular Democrats, which at a deeper level of human nature, reflects the nation’s inability to recognize a fox with the keys to the hen house.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >…to be continued <br /></span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: right;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century","serif";"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1312201040&sk=wall">Alexzanda Gordon-King</a> contributed to this article </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >© 2011 David R. Tolson</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <div style=""> <hr width="33%" align="left" size="1"> <div style="" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><a href="http://www.4president.org/speeches/billclinton1992acceptance.htm"><span style=";font-family:";" >http://www.4president.org/speeches/billclinton1992acceptance.htm</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""> </span>(The tribute to Quigley can be found towards the end of the speech.)</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > </span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >The desperate sentencing guidelines seem to betray common logic on a number of fronts: 1) The five-gram threshold is an indiscriminant dragnet that captures the crack user with the “talented” street vendor who may be juggling just enough of his illegal product to claim it is for personal use if apprehended by law enforcement; 2) In a legal system that claims “Justice is blind,” the notion that there is such a considerable distinction between the black side of cocaine and the white side seems to suggest that she peaks every so often; and 3) And more importantly, the sentencing guidelines made the egregious, and possibly illegal, assumption that anyone found with five grams of crack was guilty of trafficking and not simply possession. This is significant given the fact that five grams is less than one-fifth of an ounce, or 0.176 ounces to be exact. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Under the United States Constitution, the presumption of innocence is an implied guarantee for every citizen who has criminal charges leveled against them. Although the constitutional rights to remain silent and to have a jury trial may be extended to an individual possessing five grams of crack, it is a dubious protection given the disparity in sentencing. This institutional bias; some would say racism, strips the possessor of five grams of crack of his presumption of innocence, once we consider the fact that his powder-possessing counterpart is not assumed to be trafficking until his contraband exceeds 500 grams.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Congress had set a self imposed mandate to change the crack-powder disparity by December 31, 1999, which would have altered the guidelines during the Clinton Administration. However, this adjustment was not made until President Barack Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act on August 3, 2010, nearly 10 years after Clinton left office. However, the disparity was simply reduced and not eliminated: it went from 100:1 to 18:1 under the new law.</span></p> </div> </div> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-69180529265054521762011-04-03T09:55:00.000-07:002011-04-04T02:43:10.022-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9-IEY4tu6MdkqNrX1rMu-opfubymsNAZI-oEp7TiX2MfPY-dmEwEOIi5OWd3WuSHpIeKCnnFEpRKN8ZPsQPoUT7ISKI56kJeJn7cBh6X-ecG6VtMFisc49_-XZ6sVcr869NBjlk09eI/s1600/JFK+in+Presidential+Limo.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9-IEY4tu6MdkqNrX1rMu-opfubymsNAZI-oEp7TiX2MfPY-dmEwEOIi5OWd3WuSHpIeKCnnFEpRKN8ZPsQPoUT7ISKI56kJeJn7cBh6X-ecG6VtMFisc49_-XZ6sVcr869NBjlk09eI/s320/JFK+in+Presidential+Limo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591402896749663442" border="0" /></a><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 3<br /></span></b> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;" align="center"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ></span></i></p><div style="text-align: center;">But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many<br />as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the<br />depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none<br />other burden (Revelation 2:24).</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Did a lone gunman assassinate President John F. Kennedy, or as Oliver Stone portrayed in the movie JFK, was there a conspiracy to murder him in order to prosecute the Vietnam War? With a cocktail of fact and conjecture, Stone brought to life what I believe is a reasonable explanation on why John Kennedy had to be killed. According to the movie, he stood in the way of a multi-trillion-dollar, multi-national conglomerate – the Military Industrial Complex – that was intent on fighting a war in Southeast Asia for its own nefarious purposes. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >JFK depicts Jim Garrison, the implacable District Attorney from New Orleans, who began an investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy, and his probe resulted in the arrest and trial of New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw. Although a jury acquitted Shaw, JFK rekindled the debate on what really happened at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. Despite the acquittal of Shaw and the Warren Commission’s<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></a> conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in Kennedy’s assassination, most people are dubious. According to a 2003 Gallup poll, 75 percent of Americans do not believe that Oswald acted alone. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In 1976, the House of Representatives established the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) to investigate the assassinations of Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the assassination attempt of Governor George Wallace. The HSCA only complicated the matter of Kennedy’s death by concluding that he was very likely assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The evidence uncovered by the HSCA must have been compelling for it to contradict the findings of the Warren Commission; however, it strikes me as peculiar that given the weight of this commission, no further inquiry has been made into the death of this country’s 35<sup>th</sup> president. I would think even if Congress did not see the urgency in further investigations to determine the extent of the conspiracy, that the media would pursue its own research. However, to be fair, many researchers, including Mark Lane, Henry Hurt and Seymour Hersh, have published investigatory accounts of this tragic event; yet the country seems to have a collective yawn when it comes to solving the greatest mystery in American history.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Certainly, an exhaustive study of Kennedy’s death is beyond the scope of this series. However, what is relevant in this and all conspiracies is the level of secrecy that is necessary to carry out the criminal activity without being exposed. The David Ferrie character in JFK, played by Joe Pesci, said it best during his interrogation by Garrison: “Oh man! Why don’t you stop!? This is too [expletive] big for you! Who did Kennedy?! It’s a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma! Even the shooters don’t [expletive] know!” The very next morning, Ferrie’s nude, lifeless body was discovered in his apartment, and according to George Lardner, Jr. of the Washington Post, who was the last person to see him alive, Ferrie was in good spirits when he left him at four o’clock that morning.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Stone and other researchers have demonstrated in their investigations of Kennedy’s assassination that certain secrets are above the scrutiny of anyone. It goes without saying that it took a very powerful cadre to execute a plan to assassinate an American president and evade exposure for nearly 50 years. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In his book, <i style="">Tragedy and Hope, A History of the World</i> <i style="">in</i> <i style="">our Time</i>, Carroll Quigley offers a glimpse of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century through the period of Kennedy’s assassination. What is significant about this classic study is that Quigley’s historical narrative ceases in 1964; not because further examination would not reveal additional relevant material. But according to Quigley, the period between 1962 and 1964 marked the end of an era of historical development and was the pause before a new era was ushered in. He notes, almost naively, that this demarcation is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the leaders of all the major countries, except China and France, and many lesser ones were removed in this period.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Was the Kennedy assassination part of a larger global plot to commandeer the direction of human civilization? We may never know for sure, since by their very nature, malicious schemes for planetary control demand strict secrecy. However, when we consider the absolute certainty that an end-time government will be secretly instituted by satanic forces, it does not take massive doses of suspicion to view the larger, global events with a fair amount of skepticism. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The challenge that face students of bible prophecy is to distinguish which sequence of events are part of this furtive plan, which is so incredibly cunning, that many people fail to discern it, despite the fact that it is being erected right before their eyes. Scholars of equal sincerity disagree on who is behind this docile march towards world government: some say it is the Illuminati; others say the Pope and his Jesuit doppelganger, also known as the “Black Pope;” still others say it is the work of the Masonic order, or other secret societies. However, it is my position that these entities lack the capacity to control the flow of commerce, technology and global finance – the buttresses of this system of world government. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The state of our current world is the result of secrets. Everybody has one; from preserving the benign fiction that Santa Clause really does leave the North Pole on Christmas Eve mounted on his sleigh to the more ominous conspiracy of global conquest. The usual suspects – the Illuminati, the Vatican and the Masons – may have had a role to play over the years in prepping the terrain for the son of perdition. However, as I have consistently demonstrated throughout this series, the only institution that can build and maintain the antichristic system of government is Western Civilization. And Carroll Quigley peered into its inner sanctum, and revealed their obsession with destroying all non-Western modes of thought and action: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >“There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Groups, has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, or any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. I have objected, both in the past and recently, to a few of its policies, but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known…At the risk of some repetition, the story will be summarized here, because the American branch of this organization (sometimes called the ‘Eastern Establishment’) has played a very significant role in the history of the United States in the last generation. The original purpose of these groups was to seek to federate the English-speaking world along lines laid down by Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902)…At the end of the war in 1914, it became clear that the organization of this system had to be greatly extended.”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Quigley does not suggest any evil motivations for this aristocratic network; however, he does concede the clandestine nature of their efforts. In his book,<i style=""> Anglo American Establishment</i>, he further distills the role that Rhodes played, through his scholarship fund, in this effort to destroy non-Western modes of thought and action:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >“The Rhodes Scholarships, established by the terms of Cecil Rhodes’s seventh will, are known to everyone. What is not so widely known is that Rhodes in five previous wills left his fortune to form a secret society, which was to devote itself to the preservation and expansion of the British Empire. And what does not seem to be known to everyone is that this secret society was created by Rhodes and his principal trustee, Lord Milner, and continues to this day. To be sure, this secret society is no play thing like the Ku Klux Klan, and it does not have any secret robes, secret handclasps, or secret passwords. It does not need any of these, since its members know each other intimately.”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn5" name="_ednref5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[v]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It is obvious that Quigley sees virtue in a world devoid of multi-culture, and does not oppose the destruction of other civilizations at the hand of the Western aristocracy. He in fact applauds it and laments that the social planners of the Western world are not more transparent about their intentions. 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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Century","serif";">© 2011 David R. Tolson</span></p> <div style=""> <hr width="33%" align="left" size="1"> <div style="" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""> </span>T<span style="">he Warren Commission</span> was established on November 29, 1963, by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the death of President John F. Kennedy. The Commission presented its final report to President Johnson on September 24, 1964, and made public three days later.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >Henry Hurt, <u>Reasonable Doubt, An Investigation into the Assassination of John F. Kennedy</u>, (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1985), p. 264.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn3"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Carroll Quigley, <u>Tragedy and Hope, A History of the World in Our Time</u>, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1966), p. x-xi.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn4"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Quigley, p. 950-951.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn5"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[v]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Quigley, <u>The Anglo-American Establishment</u>, (New York: Books in Focus, 1981), p. ix.</span></p> </div> </div></m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-51815276993473877992011-03-27T05:36:00.000-07:002011-05-15T08:34:37.364-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 9<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim39Lm-OssXHpOc-mx0SURQp4Wd4hvG1jX-f5ZQ_pFpW6jWyO9VENmwP5HMJZyxxMksjU6dmdI6Vm_1wdMPDSkXD-I8HIkrXU59Wp8LaLWC0qNP0EK2Zrew69dB5bC3bHeIYzcGSVEPr4/s1600/Napalm+Girl+-+Vietnam.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591665878109155170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim39Lm-OssXHpOc-mx0SURQp4Wd4hvG1jX-f5ZQ_pFpW6jWyO9VENmwP5HMJZyxxMksjU6dmdI6Vm_1wdMPDSkXD-I8HIkrXU59Wp8LaLWC0qNP0EK2Zrew69dB5bC3bHeIYzcGSVEPr4/s320/Napalm+Girl+-+Vietnam.png" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 226px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 309px;" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Western Civilization's Unrelenting Expansion - Part 2</span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately</div><div style="text-align: center;">wicked: who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)?<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“Why can’t we all just get along?” is the famous question that Rodney King posed in response to the riots that engulfed Los Angeles after a Simi Valley jury acquitted <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZDrZDEqeKk"></a>four Los Angeles Police Department officers of excessive force against him after he was subdued during a traffic stop. This seemingly simple query reaches back to the beginning of human civilization without an optimistic answer: Cain could not get along with Abel; the Hittites could not live with the Hebrews; the Trojans could not settle their differences with Greece; Rome and Carthage discovered that fighting had become a way of life for nearly a century; dozens of Native American nations were annihilated by British settlers; the 13 British colonies declared their independence from Great Britain, resulting in the American Revolution; the Civil War; the French Revolution; World War I; World War II; the Holocaust; The Korean War; Vietnam; Iraq; and the list goes on.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The landscape of man’s interaction with man is tattooed with savagery. The slaughtered carcasses of innocent men, women and children are the consequence of man’s inability to “just get along.” In Caroline Alexander's The War that Killed Achilles, she says that if we took any period of a hundred years in the last five thousand, it has been calculated that on average, ninety-four of these years will be occupied with large-scale conflicts in one or more parts of the earth.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""></a>[i] On its face, without a more sterile analysis of the causes of these conflicts, this statistic seems to speak to the nature of man: that he is a predator like any other beast in the field. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">There is one common thread that unites most wars through World War II, but is of necessity absent from modern warfare: Going back to the BC period of tyrannical rulers like Alexander, like Artaxerxes, like Caesar, societies sought to unleash the entire limits of their arsenal to destroy their enemies. However, when warfare crossed the threshold into the nuclear age, we moved into an era where weapons themselves became the enemy. The current state of military technology and the scale of horror that can now be unleashed on the earth place the existence of the human race in peril. When we consider that today’s hydrogen bombs carry a yield that is as much as 4,000 times greater than the weapon that leveled Hiroshima, it could be reasonably argued that it is inhumane to even possess a weapon of this magnitude. No rational individual could ever advance any justification for its use, because such use falls into the category of grave natural disasters. In his book Dark Sun, The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, Richard Rhodes puts it more succinctly: “By its very nature [the hydrogen bomb] cannot be confined to a military objective, but becomes a weapon which in practical effect is almost one of genocide.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""></a>[ii]</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Western Civilization’s war making capability is unrivaled when we only consider the instruments of war that are public knowledge: NATO, the Western world’s defense federation, simply does not have a military peer. However, when one considers that it would be irresponsible for Western nations to reveal the full extent of their war-making capabilities, it is not unreasonable to conclude that their classified weapons’ arsenal widens the military chasm between the West and the rest. To be sure, non-Western nations who are members of the nuclear club can level the playing field in a non-conventional war. However, and I concede that I may be leaving some of you with the dilemma of not agreeing with my conjecture here, but who do you think was behind the cyber attack that seized control of Iran’s nuclear power station last year? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A malicious computer program, dubbed <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/09/26/worm-affects-computers-irans-nuclear-power-station/"></a>Stuxnet, which has the ability to seize control of industrial plants, commandeered control of Iran’s nuclear facility and other industrial sites during the last half of 2010. Considering that Stuxnet surprised experts in the field of cyber-security because of its sophistication, I would suspect that only a few countries, the United States included, and even fewer hackers, have the skill to launch this attack. This is heavy drama and shows that someone is concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions; however, there is an even larger picture that is emerging here: This malware attack demonstrated that its author has the ability to snatch the nuclear option away from those who could counter an unconventional attack from the West. Certainly, if Las Vegas was taking bets on who the perpetrator(s) of this attack might be, I’m sure that it would be even money on the Pentagon (or perhaps Israel), but I would also offer that a highly skilled hacker may be under contract with the CIA. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Conventional wars, or battles fought with arms that are widely available to most nations, go back to the BC-period of Egypt and Mesopotamia, but simply bombing his way to the throne of human civilization would have been too easy for satan. Sure, he could cajole evil men into decimating half of the human race with non-conventional instruments of death; however, that would betray his skillful ability to deceive. If warfare was his intended path to the apex of human government, then he could have easily set the world ablaze during the climax to World War II, because no other country would have been able to prevent a satanically inspired nuclear holocaust, but then, would those who had remained be willing to worship his hand-picked successor in accordance with Revelation chapter 13? (And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4))</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Instead of forcing men to worship him as their leader; for true worship cannot be imposed upon people, I believe that there is enough scriptural evidence to conclude that satan will deceive mankind into willingly submitting itself to the son of perdition. Remember, one of the themes of this series is that he has deceived angels, pharaohs, Caesars, apostles, presidents, and the most astute of God’s people. Consequently, deceiving the world into embracing and participating in its own destruction, takes the satanic saga and the mystery of iniquity to its logical conclusion. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ruling the world through deceit instead of conquest will be satan’s crown achievement during his reign in this earth. By its nature, this furtive effort to seize control of world government has been cleverly concealed, and when attempts are made to expose it, cries of paranoia are leveled. The average Westerner may agree that Stalin, or Mao, or Hitler were demonically inspired; however, the notion that there is a faction within Western Civilization that is greasing the skids for the seamless rise of the son of perdition is too much of a leap for some to make. But if we agree that the antichrist will ultimately assume leadership of human civilization, then it makes sense to examine the structure that will support him. This examination would be more than an academic effort, because it will reveal that aside from the West, no other civilization has the ability to create and maintain the infrastructure that will be necessary for the administration of the end-time government (see Part 7 of this series – <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/03/prelude-to-antichrist.html"></a>Introduction to Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – where I lay out my reasoning for concluding that Western Civilization is the most likely candidate to unleash the son of perdition on an unsuspecting world.)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Many Bible scholars and religious institutions have attempted to reveal the beast of Revelation. However, it may have been the late Carroll Quigley, a history professor from Georgetown University, who actually walked into the belly of the beast to provide us with a glimpse of this global, satanic scheme. His book, Tragedy and Hope, demonstrated the “hidden” Western hand behind the destruction of most of human civilization. Among other things, Quigley discusses his journey into the inner sanctum of the Western aristocracy, and reveals its intention to create a world that is forged after the ambitions of Cecil Rhodes, the European colonist whose shadow loomed very large over the southern tip of Africa during the latter part of the 19<sup>th</sup> Century. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Most people are familiar with the scholarship that bears Rhodes’ name, but what is not as widely known is that the Rhodes Scholarship is a secret society whose aim is the preservation and expansion of Western rule throughout the world.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""></a>[iii]</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">…to be continued</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">© 2011 David R. Tolson</div><div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="edn1" style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"></div></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""></a>[i] Caroline Alexander, The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer’s Iliad and the Trojan War, (New York: Viking Adult, 2009) p. xiii. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div id="edn2" style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoEndnoteText"></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""></a>[ii] Richard Rhodes, Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb, (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996) p. 401. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div id="edn3"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2330297461945773157&postID=5181527699347387799#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""></a>[iii] Carroll Quigley, The Anglo American Establishment, (New York: Books in Focus, 1981), p. ix. </div></div><xml><w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defpriority="99" defqformat="false" defsemihidden="true" defunhidewhenused="true" latentstylecount="267"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="Normal" priority="0" qformat="true" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 1" priority="9" qformat="true" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 2" priority="9" qformat="true"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 3" priority="9" qformat="true"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 4" priority="9" qformat="true"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 5" priority="9" qformat="true"><w:lsdexception locked="false" name="heading 6" priority="9" 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to the antichrist - Part 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7IYlzo1fNJBBLKl686zeQICy570KQiNF6wUcFqWmg-I3dXu9xEt3xcxSoKInHmq777Qb4g7yazE5FVjrozKJQzk_7BAUTudOUF5gonJCTyfSYEG2H2lWrxl0SrBY_ff3eY9Aq3lUbL8/s1600/Native+American+Contemplation.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7IYlzo1fNJBBLKl686zeQICy570KQiNF6wUcFqWmg-I3dXu9xEt3xcxSoKInHmq777Qb4g7yazE5FVjrozKJQzk_7BAUTudOUF5gonJCTyfSYEG2H2lWrxl0SrBY_ff3eY9Aq3lUbL8/s320/Native+American+Contemplation.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585822042449060258" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Part 1<br /><br /></span></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1.4in 10pt 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places</span></i><span style=";font-family:";" > (Ephesians 6:12).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1.4in 10pt 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It is impossible to examine the history of Western Civilization without witnessing the tragic story of killing. In order to grasp the full extent of Western destruction, one must understand that the road that has led to Western dominance in finance, business, research, military and philanthropy is littered with the corpses of men, women and children who were victims of its unrelenting expansion. It is no coincidence that in the more than 500 years since the invasion of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, Europeans bearing the culture of Western Civilization have destroyed the Andean Civilization, the Mayan Civilization, Hindu Civilization, Japanese Civilization, Eastern Orthodox Civilization, and it is in the process of destroying Chinese Civilization and Islamic Civilization.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></a><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Western expansion and the subsequent decline and fall of once mighty empires were the results of Western Civilization’s ability and willingness to root out established modes of thought and replace them with Western ways of thinking. Consequently, nations which once loathed Western culture are now drinking Coca Cola and eating American cuisine; wearing Levi jeans and Nike sports apparel; mimicking Rap artists and dancing to Pop music; being entertained by Hollywood reruns and syndicated, American sitcoms; and making the demand for a democratic society: economic and political self determination; higher wages and fewer taxes; along with gender, race, and class equality. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The current social unrest that is rippling throughout the Middle East and North Africa is one of history’s great surprises. Thirty years ago, fanatics from these regions were burning effigies of Ronald Reagan and desecrating the American flag. However, in one of the great ironic twists of the last thousand years, these countries have now reversed course and are crying out for Western style democracy. In fact, in an unprecedented act of defiance, the Arab league has endorsed the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, giving legitimacy to the fledgling opposition movement that is attempting to topple Dictator Moammar Gaddafi and replace his regime with a democratic government. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The cries for democracy in the Muslim nations have gained the support of the International Community. In a historic decision last week, the United Nations’ Security Council authorized the use of force or any other measure to protect the civilian protesters in Libya, and as of this writing, France, the U.K. and the United States have said that they are taking steps to carry out this resolution. The U.N.’s action demonstrates the traction that Western democracy has acquired since the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, when Chinese dissidents were rallying for democracy, and no country came to their aid.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It may be difficult for some to see the significance of what is transpiring in Africa and the Middle East, but the developments are truly remarkable. The unrest in Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, Libya and other parts of those regions is extremely significant, because in less than a generation, the rebel forces have discovered that dissent, fueled by cries for democracy, is more surgical than a Cruz Missile. To be sure, these countries have a long way to go before a Constitution is designed and a democracy is established, but the birds are definitely migrating West for the winter. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >How is it that the landscape of human civilization has shifted so dramatically since the day that Native Americans welcomed Europeans to their shores? Well, according to military historian Victor Hanson, he argues that the West has been successful in transplanting its values to the rest of the world because of its knack for killing.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn2" name="_ednref2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Hanson advances the notion that Western Civilization has been successful in its pursuit of cultural dominance because it has mastered the art of warfare. His examination of Western warfare does not place a moral judgement on its motives for waging war. He is only interested in its ability to fight. In fact, according to Hanson, “The Western way of war is so lethal precisely because it is so amoral – shackled rarely by concerns of ritual, tradition, religion, or ethics, by anything other than military necessity.” And he does not pretend that the Western world’s rise to global prominence was the accrued result of luck, geography and natural resources as advanced in the international bestseller <i style="">Guns, Germs and Steel</i> by Jared Diamond. He simply demonstrates that Western warfare is the result of enterprising killers who apply aspects of its culture – individual initiative, strict discipline, access to an unrivaled manufacturing base, tactical adaptation and flexibility – to the battlefield. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Some would argue: Isn’t this enterprising war machine good for defending Western society and promoting its values? It certainly is, but at whose expense? Any introductory economics’ course demonstrates the fallacy of a free lunch. In other words, there are none: One man’s gain is another man’s loss. This axiom applies also to countries, to regions, and to civilizations. Western expansion has resulted in death to civilizations which had survived for thousands of years and it has triggered attrition in those which remain. According to historian Carroll Quigley, Western Civilization has destroyed or is in the process of destroying 14 of the approximate 20 civilizations that have existed in our earth. However, when we consider the untold numbers of other societies, simpler than civilizations which the West has destroyed; societies such as the Hottentots, the Iroquois, the Tasmanians, the Navahos, the Caribs, and countless others, the full frightening power of Western Civilization becomes obvious.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn3" name="_ednref3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></a> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The carnage that lies in the wake of Western expansion is on a scale that is truly remarkable and is unprecedented in human history. No other previous world power can boast the magnitude of devastation that is affixed to the Western resume. In the five centuries since King Ferdinand issued the mandate to Christopher Columbus to “[conquer] the islands and continent in the ocean,”<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_edn4" name="_ednref4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></a> history notes Western Civilization’s theft of two continents; the colonization of one; the genocide of dozens of sovereign, Native American nations; the systematic rape, murder and displacement of hundreds of thousands of African families; and the theft of trillions upon trillions of dollars in world currencies, gold, oil and other natural resources. This is truly astonishing and nearly impossible for the average human to grasp.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Certainly there is no debate about the effect of the Columbus invasion. Some may just refer to it by its more acceptable euphemism, and call it a “discovery.” Nevertheless, the Columbus invasion destroyed dozens of sovereign nations, and nearly purged the Western Hemisphere of all Native Americans; resulting in the loss of their homeland, which today are called North and South America. The devastation of the Atlantic slave trade and the scramble to colonize Africa are irrefutable: Western businessmen descended upon the Dark Continent and captured millions of indigenous people for the treacherous journey across the Atlantic to auction houses littered throughout the “New World,” and they seized control of mineral-rich regions. And the current financial crisis is the result of market manipulation by Western trading houses and ranks as the greatest embezzlement in human history. In the wake of this grand theft, millions of people lost their homes, their businesses, and their livelihoods; yet, not one high-ranking executive has been held accountable for the seizure of the wealth of the working class. Astonishingly, a number of the perpetrators of this fraud are now working in the Obama Administration. (Although a discussion on the financial crisis is beyond the scope of this series, I recommend the lucid, often humorous, examination of this theft by Matt Taibbi in his new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Griftopia-Machines-Vampire-Breaking-America/dp/0385529953/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300462393&sr=1-1">Griftopia</a>.)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Since the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, the forward motion of human civilization has been carefully choreographed by evil men who furtively plan to confiscate control of human government and establish a global regime that will thrust the world into the venomous embrace of the son of perdition. This fact should come as no surprise to students of biblical prophecy; however, what may come as a shock, even to those students, are the faces behind the administration that has been directing humanity’s steps toward the precipice of oblivion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >…to be continued</span></p> <div style=""> <hr width="33%" align="left" size="1"> <div style="" id="edn1"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Carroll Quigley, <u>Tragedy and Hope, A History of the World in Our Time</u>, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1966), p 7. </span><span style=";font-family:";" >(It should be noted that although the citation of these civilizations are from Quigley, other historians disagree on the number, names and current status of human civilization.)</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn2"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""> </span>Victor Davis Hanson, <u>Carnage and Culture, Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power</u>, (New York: Doubleday, 2001), Inside flap of hardback cover.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn3"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iii]</span></span></span></span></a><span style=""> </span><span style=";font-family:";" >Quigley, p 7-8.</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="edn4"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[iv]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style=""> </span>See <i style="">Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus : 1492 </i>- </span><a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/15th_century/colum.asp"><span style=";font-family:";" >http://avalon.law.yale.edu/15th_century/colum.asp</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >. </span></p> </div> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-79606366531869174392011-03-13T17:13:00.001-07:002011-03-18T09:15:06.587-07:00Prelude to the antichrist - Part 7<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqMtt_Jmvm4HtiDLJ1VYZhDeOU9ThVH9bpDbuEcHY8bPUO4yL4JTQTv-Y1H8ZTjZa02tQGJfo-sJbu9ML8m_iO6mjqLsNOquo_LGRU5iOhiKX05h26SeK12TgiOOwaRAzuzFNqqHAxm0/s1600/Dollar+Sign.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihqMtt_Jmvm4HtiDLJ1VYZhDeOU9ThVH9bpDbuEcHY8bPUO4yL4JTQTv-Y1H8ZTjZa02tQGJfo-sJbu9ML8m_iO6mjqLsNOquo_LGRU5iOhiKX05h26SeK12TgiOOwaRAzuzFNqqHAxm0/s320/Dollar+Sign.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583722503669504498" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion – Introduction<br /></span></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1.4in 10pt 1.5in; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places</span></i><span style=";font-family:";" > (Ephesians 6:10).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.4in; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In a recent </span><a href="http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/260-most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exis"><span style=";font-family:";" >survey by the Barna Group</span></a><span style=";font-family:";" >, four out of ten Christians <u>strongly</u> agreed that satan “is not a living being, but is a symbol of evil,” and an additional 19 percent “agree somewhat” with that notion. What I find astonishing is that nearly 60 percent of individuals, who claim to be Christians, espouse views about satan that are inconsistent with the Scripture. While the Scripture is clear about his origin, his downfall, his incursion into the affairs of humanity, and his future demise, the majority of people who believe that Christ came to offer himself for the sins of humanity, believe that the devil is a metaphor for evil. The paradox in this instance is stunning: That a person, claiming allegiance to Christianity, can believe on the one hand, that God disrobed Himself of his royal diadem and entered miraculously into the human family for the express purpose of suffering at the hands of evil men; yet, on the other hand, they deny the existence of satan. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It takes less of a leap of faith to believe that there is a physical being behind the carnage in the earth – rape, pillage, murder, genocide, war, famine, and disease – than it does to embrace the notion that God Almighty set aside his divinity in order to live as a man and die on the cross as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of humanity. The Apostle Paul attests to how some people view this message as silly: <i style=""><span style="color:black;">For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (1 Corinthians 1:18). Notwithstanding the apparent foolishness of the preaching of the cross, to those who believe, it is the power of eternal life; yet, many who proclaim to embrace the message of God’s birth, death and resurrection, deny one of the central tenets of the Scripture: that satan goes to and fro in the earth, walking up and down in it, seeking whom he may devour. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >How has satan created a clandestine sanctuary from which he has furtively operated over the course of human history? In the first part of this series, <i style="">The Mystery of Iniquity</i>, I have graphically demonstrated how he has used his incredible skill of deceit to control the destiny of human civilization. However, this does not explain how human government will have coalesced over the centuries to bring us to that moment in Revelation chapter 13 when the world will freely worship satan: <i style="">And they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him </i>(Revelation 13:4b)? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >In the second series, <i style="">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion</i>, I will demonstrate the only “worthy” candidate who is able to build the necessary infrastructure – political, military, economic, social, and electronic – for the rise of the son of perdition. The next eight articles will be extremely challenging for some to embrace, because many people have their own personal biases towards the institutions that they believe in. Although we have Scriptural evidence that satan deceived angels; that he has deceived Pharaohs; that he has deceived kings; that he has deceived apostles, bishops and the most astute of God’s servants, it would be difficult for some to embrace the notion that he could deceive today’s religious and political leaders; many whom are highly revered. This absurd notion seems to suggest that modernity is a qualified refuge from satanic stealth. If satan was successful in deceiving angels; if he was successful in deceiving men who walked with Christ; if he was successful in deceiving churches that were being shepherded by the original apostles; if he was successful in establishing a perch from within one of the churches in Asia where he ran his entire kingdom, then how can we reasonably expect that the institutions of our modern era have been unscathed by his deceit?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Theologians and other bible scholars have participated in a game of bible trivia for centuries, attempting to name the antichrist. There are religious institutions that have been built by espousing the notion that the Pope of the Catholic Church, or his more opaque colleague, the Jesuit leader, aka the Black Pope, will be the man of sin. Some promoted the belief that President Ronald Wilson Reagan was the antichrist, because the letters in his name equal the number of the beast – 6 6 6 (see Revelation 13:18 – quoted below). The idea that President Barack Obama is the antichrist has been gaining traction on the Internet for a few years now. There are even some who are teaching the ridiculous notion that Oprah and Joel Olsteen are the antichrist.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >It will be just as tricky to name the antichrist as it was for the leaders at Pergamos to discern that the devil was sitting at the apex of their church leadership. In fact, I believe that it may (stressing “may”) be impossible to know with absolute certainty who the antichrist might be for a number of reasons: First, to inspire our modern world to make the leap from spiritual indifference at best and spiritual hostility at worst to worshipping the son of perdition according to Revelation 13:4 (see above), will be satan’s crown achievement in the earth. Consequently, it will be the greatest piece of deception that the world has ever seen; I believe on par with his deceit of the angelic host. <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >I’ve made a variation of the following statement a number of times during this series, and I don’t want it to become simply a mantra, but if Pharaoh could not detect satan; and if the king could not detect satan; and if the most astute of God’s followers could not detect satan; and if all of the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 could not detect satan; and if presidents, prime-ministers, CEOs and directors of large institutions could not detect satan, then how will the world escape his guile of planting his own son at the apex of human government?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Second, and more importantly, the Scripture gives us one clue to who satan’s son will be: <i style="">Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six</i> (Revelation 13:18). To think that this Scripture simply means that we can perform a mathematical expression that adds the number of letters in a potential candidate’s first, middle and last names – Ronald (6); Wilson (6); and <span style=""> </span>Reagan (6) – betrays satan’s cunning ability to deceive and frankly does not give him credit for properly planning the secret takeover of world government. Ironically, those who are looking for a man with six letters in his first name, six letters in his middle name, and six letters in his last name will also be the first ones to defend this wicked global leader’s public policies when he arrives on the scene.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >It is my belief that Revelation 13:18 refers to the genetic sequence of this individual. I am also inclined to believe that he will be the literal offspring of a sexual union between satan and a highly guarded female. I will conduct a more thorough examination of this notion in Part 16. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >The antichrist and his government will rely on the technological advances of modern society to keep track of every individual on earth. The Scripture teaches that only those who are affixed to the electronic database will be able to engage in commerce, which in a modern era is survival itself: <i style=""><sup>16.</sup>And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: <sup>17.</sup>And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name</i> (Revelation 13:16-17). It will take enormous social, political, military, logistical and economic dexterity, on a scale that has never before been witnessed, to control civilization at the level of Revelation chapter 13. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >The proper place to begin an examination into which civilization could possibly support the antichristic infrastructure is to perform a process of elimination to rule out those regions in the earth that are incapable of sustaining a global government. I’ve studied a number of historians, including Carroll Quigley and Samuel Huntington, who differ on the number of civilizations that still remain in the earth today. However, I will use Huntington’s list from 1993 of the world’s major civilizations: African; Hindu; Islamic; Japanese; Latin American; Orthodox, or the Former Soviet Union (excluding the Baltic states); Sinic, or Chinese; and Western (from<i style=""> The Clash of Civilization and the Remaking of World Order</i>, p. 85). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >It should immediately occur to anyone with a basic understanding of world history and politics that African, Latin America and Orthodox Civilizations would not be able to sustain the antichristic government. Although one would not outright discount the prospects of Hindu, Islamic or Japanese Civilizations ruling the world, it would be <u>highly</u> unlikely considering the two remaining superpowers: The United States, which some have called an empire, but it is certainly the dominant influence within the Western Civilization; and China, which is the dominant influence within Sinic Civilization. However, by looking at China’s migration from a society of pure socialism to a Western form of capitalistic economy over the last dozen years, it is apparent that only the Western world has the capability to transplant its values to the broader world community and to simultaneously sustain a global village. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> 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Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >The United States/Western Civilization…</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Is the global security officer;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Created and maintains the global, electronic funds transfer system;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Controls the major international lending institutions (World Bank; IMF; Bank for International Settlement; World Trade Organization; International Finance Corporation; etc.);</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Polices the sea lanes;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Controls the majority of the world’s research laboratories;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Has a military arm, NATO, which spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Is capable of sending massive aid in the wake of natural disasters and has the ability to raise enormous amounts of money for such disasters;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Is the world’s largest customer;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Can provide moral leadership during times of global crisis; </span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Basically funds the United Nations;</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Monitors access into outer space; and</span></li></ul> <ul><li><span style=";font-family:Symbol;color:black;" ><span style=""><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Can stabilize global economies during times of global, economic crisis…</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Consequently, over the next eight weeks, I will be demonstrating how Western Civilization has taken the lead role in forging the future for mankind; whereby it is greasing the skids for the rise of the antichrist. The cabal of men who stand at the signposts of life’s highway, directing the world like a shepherd watching over his sheep, believe that the future of human civilization is too important to leave in the arbitrary hands of a democratic electorate. Ever wonder why the American presidency is selected by the </span><a href="http://www.aei.org/docLib/20021130_38026.pdf"><span style=";font-family:";" >Electoral College</span></a><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > and not the popular vote of the people? The Electoral College is the method used by this cabal to preserve the succession of power from one generation to the next.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >In an examination of Western Countries’ foreign and domestic policies – past, present, and the predictable future – there will be those whose vision is too impaired to see anything but Uncle Sam’s white hat. To those, I caution you to have a prescription filled for motion sickness, because the earth beneath you is about to start shifting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 1.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >…to be continued<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 1.8pt 10pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >© 2011 David R. Tolson</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-8986400833545089112011-03-06T06:18:00.000-08:002011-03-06T06:26:54.512-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 6<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzw5Vsruu4myuyCiua0pcRNCEJxv5g50tq7vZn_TB1HRS9-Kn7hlpDAR0VFt0vsuqS4jJGGs_Q_NJqJNlrxtkelngLZU_XrXVs3WfI2uYkV5Wxg1ZrjfOJyoLvFxPd3xl1qci2RlgCfiE/s1600/War+in+Heaven.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzw5Vsruu4myuyCiua0pcRNCEJxv5g50tq7vZn_TB1HRS9-Kn7hlpDAR0VFt0vsuqS4jJGGs_Q_NJqJNlrxtkelngLZU_XrXVs3WfI2uYkV5Wxg1ZrjfOJyoLvFxPd3xl1qci2RlgCfiE/s320/War+in+Heaven.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580972147860522386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Mystery of Iniquity – Part 6</span> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“Dr. James Dobson pleads for our action,” or so the latest version of the Petition to Ban Religious Broadcasting goes. This petition alleges that according to <a href="http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/Religious.html">Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Petition – RM 2493</a>, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, a widely known, self proclaimed atheist, has formally requested that the FCC consider banning religious broadcasting. Although <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madalyn_Murray_O%27Hair#Murder">O’Hair was murdered more than 15 years ago</a>, her name is still affixed to variations of this phantom petition, which claims that Joel Osteen, TD Jakes, Joyce Myer, Creflo Dollar, Charles Stanley and others are at risk of being removed from the airwaves. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">According to the FCC, In December 1974, Jeremy D. Lansman and Lorenzo W. Milam filed petition <span style="">RM-2493</span> asking the FCC to deny all new license requests for any new noncommercial educational broadcast station until it completed an investigation of the operating practices of the stations that offered religious programming. The FCC denied this petition on August 1, 1975, and since then, it has handled more than 31 million letters, telephone calls, faxes and emails asking that they deny O’Hair’s request. This bogus effort to distract God’s people is a graphic illustration that nothing can marshal the forces of Christianity with more enthusiasm than a ghost. While real satanic destruction is taking place in our society, millions of well intentioned, but naïve people have been chasing a figment of someone’s imagination. This is truly remarkable and borders on the unbelievable; especially considering that most Christians claim to have spiritual insight, foresight and discernment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This FCC petition hoax is part of a procession of pranks and swindles that are intended to cheat, steal, and destroy. Conmen, peddling bogus cures for physical ailments or guaranteeing enormous returns on investments, have been a fixture in every society for centuries. These men deceitfully gain your confidence by skillfully disarming you of your natural tendency to view with suspicion anything that sounds too good to be true: the grieving widow who announces via an unsolicited email that her very wealthy husband recently died in Nigeria, and the country is making it difficult for her to gain access to his estate. However by giving her your name, bank account information and in some cases, a social security number, she will give you one third of a $21 million estate as compensation if you permit her to transfer the money into your bank account. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Nigerian Chain Letter has less to do with deceiving someone than it does with playing on one’s illusion that there are free lunches in society. However, I must concede with astonishment that Americans are still being deceived by this fraud; that someone would blindly hand over their personal identity to a stranger from Nigeria is quite stunning. This brings new meaning to the phrase, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” History demonstrates that there is no scarcity of people, whose shortsighted trust in human nature believes that the finer things in life can be acquired with little more than the promise of a con-artist. The great calamities of human civilization – war; rape; genocide; hunger; famine; disease; and the list goes on, are the direct result of the greatest con-artist of them all: lucifer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">[l]ucifer, one of God’s elite, created beings, secretly plotted to ascend above the angelic host in power and prestige in an effort to be like God. This was no noble objective to be like God, as followers of Christ attempt to be like Him. This was an attempt to become equal to God in glory and majesty. Pride according to Isaiah, convinced lucifer that he could share God’s glory: </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i style=""><sup><span style="color:black;">12.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style="color:black;">How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!</span></i><i style=""><span style=""> <sup>13.</sup><span style="color:black;">For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: <sup>14.</sup>I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; <b style="">I will be like the most High</b></span></span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Isaiah 14:12-14, emphasis mine).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The subject of lucifer’s angelic rebellion is possibly the most complex in the Scripture and is certainly beyond the scope of this short article. However, the notion that an angel would abandon everything he ever held sacred over a delusion of grandeur is a concept that I cannot remotely grasp. That lucifer would act on an impulse to share God’s throne and then conceive a scheme that was clever enough to enlist a significant portion of his angelic colleagues, is a mystery that I believe has been shut out of the realm of human comprehension. This dramatic epoch in the unrecorded expanse of the past, gives us a glimpse into lucifer’s extraordinary skill at deceiving. Certainly I am not here to applaud his rebellion or his ability; however, under any ordinary circumstance, I would consider it impossible for so many angels to be snared by a trap from one of their fellow compatriots.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The scripture does not give any clues regarding the scheme that satan used to destroy Heaven’s tranquility. However, by injecting a little deductive reasoning into the cause(s) of the angelic fall, it is my belief that lucifer tricked the angels into worshipping him as they would worship God. Consequently, there is no greater act of aggression than to preempt God’s majesty by putting one’s self in a position to be worshipped by men, angles or beasts. The first three commandments prohibit the honor, the creation, and/or the worship of any false god (see Exodus 20:2-5), and lucifer’s declaration…<i style="">I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, <b style="">I will be like the most high</b></i>, at a minimum, suggests that he had a reckless disregard for God’s sovereignty. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Though there are no direct Scriptures to back my claim, if we analyze satan’s pathology throughout the Scripture, one of the dominant themes of his appearances is his desire/need to be worshipped: It goes without saying that he is the motivation behind all false worship; and more notably, we see the children of Israel worshipping the golden calf (see Exodus 32:4); we see King Nebuchadnezzar forcing his subjects to bow to an idol (see Daniel 3:1-7); we see lucifer himself tempting Jesus to bow to him in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:8-9); and during the end of the age, satan will deploy a plan on a nearly surreal scale that will inspire all the people of the earth to worship the son of perdition (see Revelation 13:3-4).</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I offer my premise on lucifer’s rebellion simply for perspective, but I have studied other theologians who teach that lucifer attempted to overthrow God with a coup d’état. They use the Scriptures in Revelation 12:7-9 where there was war in Heaven and lucifer was cast out with all of his followers to buttress their position. The reason I am not so inclined to accept this premise is because wars can be declared over issues other than coup attempts. God, or even the archangel Michael, could have declared war on lucifer and his cohorts, but more importantly, it was not a war in the protracted sense. Jesus told us that He saw satan fall from Heaven like lightening: <i style=""><span style="color:black;">And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven </span></i><span style="color:black;">(Luke 10:18). This Scripture seems to suggest that at a particular threshold in the battle, lucifer was cast out of the Heaven at the speed of light; this, I would presume, was when God Almighty stepped in.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What lucifer did – whether he deceived the angelic host into worshiping him or he deceived the angels into assisting in his aim to overthrow God – is really less revealing about his astonishing skill at deception than how he was able to successfully convince angels to rebel against God. Notwithstanding what he did during that fateful episode, what could lucifer have possibly said to legions of angels to have them follow him into what is the heavenly equivalent of a kamikaze mission?! It must have been a masterpiece of deceit. In fact, I believe that a divine mandate has been issued that will conceal forever the blow-by-blow account of satan’s rebellion; from the planning to the campaigning to the execution of the deceit. Since he was able to manufacture a plan that deceived angels, then human reasoning would be no match. Consequently, by censoring this grand rebellion, God has eliminated the possibility that any well meaning, but naïve individuals will see the logic in it, which will deny satan of a useful tool to recruit followers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It would be a series error in judgement to underestimate satan’s ability to deceive; even in his fallen state. When Michael the archangel challenged satan for possession of Moses’ body, he did not depend on his war-time skills, but used the name of the Lord against him: <i style=""><span style="color:black;">Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Jude 9). Apostle John was so concerned about those who were underestimating satan that in his letter to the Church at Thyatira, he suggested to those who did not know the depth of satan’s ability that he would alert them of his skill upon his arrival: <i style="">But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come</i> (Revelation 2:24-25). </span><span style=""></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">[l]ucifer has deceived angels, pharaohs, kings, apostles, bishops, and presidents. In other words, men and women, many who are at the summit of political, business, philanthropic, and religious leadership, have fallen prey to his remarkable ability to deceive. History is bursting at the seams with businessmen, politicians, philanthropists, and ministers who had piously vowed to promote integrity, honesty and the best interest of the people they served, only to discover that their good intentions were no shelter from satan’s ability to furtively manipulate them into betraying their sacred oath.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">…to be continued<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> 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</w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);font-size:11pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">NOTE:<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span><i><span style="color:red;">About the Prelude to the anti-christ:</span></i> I will be publishing a 18 part series titled, <span style="color:red;">Prelude to the anti-christ</span>, which will be divided into three segments: First, <span style="color:red;">The Mystery of Iniquity</span> will be a 6-part series that demonstrate that there has been a furtive hand in the affairs of humanity to create the rich soil for the anti-christ to rise; second, <span style="color:red;">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion </span>will be a 8-part expose on Western Civilization’s effort to control the destiny of human civilization; and third, <span style="color:red;">The Rise of the anti-christ</span> will be a 3-part series on the rise of the global leader who will lead humanity over the precipice into oblivion; and the final article will be a <span style="color:red;">summary and postscript</span> of the entire sequence of series. The introduction to this series was published on Sunday, January 23, 2011, and each subsequent article will be published on each successive Sunday through May. Your comments are welcome.<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">© 2011 by David R. Tolson</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-33712699548308580252011-02-27T05:02:00.000-08:002011-02-27T05:33:50.509-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb6IW8DZNl9NR1AjYLHu66dblXp4BJrKpgeAwNYw_NlImk8WAJgl8EJVHMQsZPdgpndWBTJH5dwoEzqhZPl82iXDRq9p_3wwjhW4XK0e6aDZ7SgcD-xhyphenhyphenM3bTH-LZg3ymsaBQVotpyuI/s1600/Angel+of+Light.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFb6IW8DZNl9NR1AjYLHu66dblXp4BJrKpgeAwNYw_NlImk8WAJgl8EJVHMQsZPdgpndWBTJH5dwoEzqhZPl82iXDRq9p_3wwjhW4XK0e6aDZ7SgcD-xhyphenhyphenM3bTH-LZg3ymsaBQVotpyuI/s320/Angel+of+Light.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578360449125378386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:11pt;" >The Mystery of Iniquity - Part 5</span><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" ><span style=""> </span>“It is a sin to write this,” is the opening line of Ayn Rand’s dystopian novelette titled <i style="">Anthem</i>. In this work of fiction, the world enters a dark age as a result of the irrational governance of the social leaders who declare self determination a crime. The concept of individuality has been abolished, and the use of the word “I” has disappeared from human language; consequently, the concepts of “me,” “my,” “mine,” and “myself” were foreign to those who had sunk into the dregs of individual achievement. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Rand’s world of <i style="">Anthem</i> is similar to the more widely read, but no less dark classic by George Orwell, <i style="">1984</i>, in the sense that both books speak of a futuristic time when the English lexicon was pruned of words that might inspire human imagination and, consequently, threaten those in power. The leaders of the fictional worlds of <i style="">Anthem</i> and <i style="">1984</i> controlled society by controlling the language and making all other modes of thought impossible. In both societies, it was impossible to express love, joy, happiness, satisfaction, discontent, ambition, or any other emotion that inspires the mind, because there were no words to convey those simple sentiments.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >There are more than a quarter of a million words in the English language and depending on how one weaves those words into sentences, they could arouse people to do anything: to love; to dream; to hope; to laugh; to cry; to build; to tear down; to hate; to kill, or to believe a lie. It could be argued that preceding World War II, Germany was at the pinnacle of Western culture: She gave the world Beethoven; Bach; Marx; Einstein; Daimler Benz; Bavarian Motor Works; aspirin; and a host of other artists, concepts and products.<span style="color:red;"> </span>However,<span style="color:red;"> </span>despite the country’s history of achievement and refined culture, Adolf Hitler was able to use language to convince the country that genocide on the Jewish population was permissible. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Historians will ponder for many years how Hitler was able to publicize a program of overwhelming terror, with such frankness, and then find men and women to assist him in his aim of a Jewish-free planet. Although its implications are far more complex, he quite simply used language to enlist millions of willing executioners.</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Language is the most fundamental building block of a person’s identity. From the name that is given at birth to the expressed values that are shared along the road of life, it is the words that we learn that shape our modes of thought and modes of action. Chances are that English speaking African Americans will have more in common with a predominantly white, English speaking neighborhood, than they would with a predominantly African American neighborhood with an exclusive Swahili tongue. It is the language, not the color that gives those African Americans a greater shared sense of identity.</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >It has been said, “One will never be any more than the books they read or the people they meet.” What is implied in this maxim is that the words we come in contact with will establish our values and manufacture the person we become. But what happens when those words dilute the purity of a concept? In <i style="">1984</i>, Orwell introduced two words – doublethink and newspeak – in the fictional land of Oceania. These words were the buttress of Oceania’s success in distorting the language; thereby, controlling the imagination of the citizens. Doublethink and newspeak worked their way into the English language, but ultimately these concepts have been fused into one convenient word – doublespeak. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Doublespeak is the deliberate process of distorting language so that the meaning of words and phrases lose their explicit denotation. For instance, we no longer purchase “used” cars; we buy “previously owned vehicles,” or we do not “overeat;” we have “healthy appetites,” or we use “casualty” to describe deaths and injuries during times of war, or we no longer “consume alcohol” or “drink liquor;” we “have a drink that takes the edge off.” The English language is so saturated with doublespeak, certain concepts are nearly impossible to fully grasp. As an example, there are apologists who are always ready to come to the rescue of some of the most notorious murderers, rapists or other nefarious individuals. They snivel about the neglect that he suffered during childhood, or they whine that the root cause of his acts of violence was an overbearing father, or they proclaim with righteous indignation that his mother demonstrated a lack of love by placing him in an orphanage as a young child. These pretexts mitigate their subjects’ vile acts and in some cases absolve them completely of any wrongdoing. Consequently, these wicked men are considered an abused product of their environment and are as much a victim as the people that they have injured; thereby destroying the concept of evil. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Our modern era has graphically illustrated that the Christian Church is not immune to watering down the notion of evil. Consider the number of scandals that have surfaced in churches across the country over the last few years; men claiming to be servants of the Most High God, implicated in acts of sexual misconduct, including homosexuality and other sordid behavior. For those who understand the mystery of iniquity, it should come as no surprise that sexual predators have made safe-havens in pulpits. It is the perfect refuge for men who cannot control their sexual urges. Few positions are more revered in any community than that of a spiritual leader; consequently, what better place is there to exploit a woman’s trust than from the eminent position of the pulpit? And we are seeing with more frequency that men in positions of spiritual leadership are also preying on other men to satisfy their sexual, deviant desires. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >What is deeply troubling is that when some “celebrity” preachers have been exposed for the predators that they really are, these men are often buoyed with the support of an entire congregation, who exclaim their innocence and/or justify their behavior. This response not only diminishes the notion of evil, but it also erodes the concept of deception. To think that ministers, who prey on men and women to serve their sexual aims, can build congregations to mega-church status; it simply demonstrates the enormous capacity of deceit, which is getting more difficult to recognize.</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Neutralizing the damage done by deceitful men occupied more of the Apostles’ ministry than any other concern. They understood that the virtue of the Gospel was in its pure state, and once men began to taint it, the Gospel would lose the power to remedy the ills of society. Paul was so inflamed over false leaders that when he discovered one, he did not waste time trying to convert him. He swiftly threw them out of the church: <i style=""><sup>4.</sup><span style="color:black;">And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: <sup>5.</sup>To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Galatians 2:4-5). </span></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >The apostles demonstrated God’s power by healing the sick, raising the dead and casting out demons. This is why Paul was so stunned to see that the Galatians had so swiftly abandoned the Gospel of Christ for a watered-down version: <i style=""><sup>6.</sup><span style="color:black;">I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: <sup>7.</sup>Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Galatians 1:6-7). As we see in chapters one and two of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, they became easy prey for false prophets.</span></span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >Paul was so certain of the Gospel’s ability to redeem, to heal, and to deliver that he declared a curse upon himself and the angelic host if either brought a perverted message to the people of God: <i style=""><sup>8.</sup>But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, </i></span><i style=""><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >let him be accursed</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >. <sup>9.</sup>As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, </span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >let him be accursed</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" > (Galatians 1:8-9, emphasis mine). However, Paul’s sanction against tampering with God’s Word seemed to have the opposite effect. By the time the Apostolic Era came to a close, the seven churches of Asia were so contaminated with evil and deceit that John had to send them an explicit warning in his letter, better known as the Book of Revelation:</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >The Church at Ephesus had false apostles attempting to lead the congregation astray (see Revelation 2:1-7);</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" ></span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >The Church at Smyrna had demon possessed men who claimed to be Jews, but were the synagogue of satan (see Revelation 2:8-11); </span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" ></span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >The Church at Pergamos embraced the doctrine of Balaam that permitted eating food sacrificed to idols and gave license to un</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >authorized sexual activity (see Revelation 2:12-17);</span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >The Church at Thyatira, <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/02/prelude-to-anti-christ-part-4.html">which was examined in Part 4</a>, had embraced a culture of sexual promiscuity (see Revelation 2:18-23);</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" ></span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >The Church at Sardis had become so weak that spiritual death was imminent (see Revelation 3:1-6);</span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >The Church at Philadelphia suffered from the same evil as the church at Smyrna: Satanic men who claimed to be Jews, were attempting to control its destiny (see Revelation 3:7-12); and </span></h3> <h3 style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Symbol;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >The Church at Laodicea was in the worst state of all the churches: Because of their increased wealth, they had become lukewarm; the only condition of the seven churches that warranted God’s intention to spit them out of His mouth. (See Revelation 3:13-18, and consider that no one has ever retrieved spittle from their mouth.)</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Chapters two and three of Revelation give us the state of the local churches in Asia, and all of them had been infiltrated by men who had transformed themselves into ministers of righteousness. However, the condition of the Church at Pergamos is stunning testimony to satan’s skill at deceiving the most competent men of God. A careful examination of Pergamos demonstrates that he had successfully transformed himself into an angel of light. It is at Pergamos that we have the unprecedented phenomenon of the devil operating his kingdom from the leadership post of a local church:</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >12.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; <sup>13.</sup>I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even </span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >where Satan's seat is</span></i><i style=""><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, </span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >where Satan dwelleth</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" > (Revelation 2:12-13, emphasis mine).</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >[s]atan’s control of Pergamos was so significant that verses 12 and 13 above utilized the concept of repetition; a literary device where an idea is repeated for emphasis. Consequently, if you missed the declaration of satan’s seat – a position of great authority – in verse 12, then the Scripture reiterates in verse 13 that satan dwelled in the church’s hierarchy. And he is not simply hiding out in Pergamos to keep an eye on the church. He is there, among other reasons, to assassinate God’s faithful servant, Antipas. It is my belief that Antipas had spearheaded such an exceedingly great move of God, that satan decided to take matters into his own hands. He gained access to the highest levels of the church leadership, by possibly possessing the pastor or the bishop, so that he could consequently fabricate a scheme to diminish the authority of the church by killing this man of God. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >As <i style="">Anthem</i> and <i style="">1984</i> demonstrated how the aristocracy could alter the way people think and act by controlling the words and their meanings, the concept of deception and wickedness in the church has been sequestered to a malignant band of liars, fornicators and adulterers. Consequently, the notion that satan could have controlled his domain from the perch of a local church by transforming himself into an angel of light is absurd to some. In fact, there will be those who read this article that believe it was a sin for me to write it. This is the unfathomable nature of the mystery of iniquity, which makes me wonder – Where is the Pergamos(es) of today?</span></h3><br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >…to be continued</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >© 2011 by David R. Tolson</span></h3>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-52498422583336167772011-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:002011-02-20T14:51:39.693-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07duD2eErBUqDg4ZaE79EVz5Pknndv23Md9tG8FZ3tfo7rRjQXxB8mfxU98o7cyU-SWz3zcHHNkwk6pqd5baYOou8nL_byIHrfGV_UUcyoUkkuTH-ML-ltwfYKB5QGdrUV8pnqsD-daM/s1600/Wolf+in+Sheeps+clothing.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07duD2eErBUqDg4ZaE79EVz5Pknndv23Md9tG8FZ3tfo7rRjQXxB8mfxU98o7cyU-SWz3zcHHNkwk6pqd5baYOou8nL_byIHrfGV_UUcyoUkkuTH-ML-ltwfYKB5QGdrUV8pnqsD-daM/s320/Wolf+in+Sheeps+clothing.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575895296819374338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:11pt;"></span> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" > </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >Jesus said something very peculiar to his disciples after giving them their first commission to heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead in Matthew chapter 10: <i style=""><span style="color:black;">Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Matthew 10:16). The serpent is used metaphorically in the Scripture and throughout history to represent satan, yet Jesus cautioned his disciples to embrace this same metaphor. What could possibly be the strategy in this apparently bizarre instruction? What virtue does a serpent possess that would prompt Jesus to </span>charge his disciples to impersonate one? </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >If we examine these words of Christ in Matthew and consider the nature of a serpent, we observe something that is inherent in one of the most subtle creatures in the animal kingdom, and it is this innate skill that gives it an advantage over its prey. A serpent never overexposes itself and will generally slither unnoticed past a predator, and it is this same knack for stealth that makes it so lethal to its prey. Consequently, by the time a serpent’s victim realizes its impending doom, it has already been beset with a massive injection of poisonous venom. It is this ability to remain concealed from predator and prey alike that is the serpent’s greatest asset, and it is this skill that prompted Jesus to direct his disciples to mimic this virtue that is found in all animals of prey. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >As we examine Matthew 16:10 in context, what is implied in Jesus’ charge to his disciples is that if they pursued a promotional campaign announcing their arrivals at various destinations, it would expose them to persecution and possible death at the hands of men who scorn the Gospel. After charging his followers to take on the virtue of a serpent, Jesus warned them to always be on guard against their enemies:</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >17.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; <sup>18.</sup>And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles...<sup>21.</sup>And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. <sup>22.</sup>And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake</span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;color:black;" > (Matthew 10:17-18, 21-22a).</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >As Jesus prepared His disciples for their maiden voyage, He sounded the alarm that there would be a heavy price to pay for following Him; however, He simultaneously gave them a glimpse into the pathology of satan. Although the serpent is not the universal symbol of the devil, God chose to use this imagery in the Garden of Eden to demonstrate his wily skills of deception. [s]atan has been depicted as a dragon, as a gargoyle, as a goat, as a ram’s head, and as a number of hand signs and geometric figures; yet, none of these satanic icons carry the implied capacity of stealth like the serpent. Most people who are struck by serpents, never see them coming. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >The metaphor of a serpent seems to suggest, among other things, that satan will never announce his arrival; consequently, those looking for him to show up with his tail in one hand and a pitchfork in the other will certainly miss him. It is with a fair amount of irony that those who are looking for a depraved, sex driven, thieving, murdering megalomaniac, may unwittingly make their way to the alter during the call for prayer and not know that the man laying hands on them has been planted by the devil. Contrary to the misguided depictions of satan and his followers as stark-raven maniacs, the Scripture advises us of their ability to transform themselves into apostles of Christ and satan himself into an angel of light: <i style=""><sup>13.</sup><span style="color:black;">For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. <sup>14.</sup>And no marvel; for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). </span></span></h3><br /><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >Most illustrations of satan fail to adequately demonstrate his ability to appear as a concerned spiritual leader. He is typically portrayed as one who steals, kills and destroys, which is certainly correct; however, it just isn’t complete. [s]atan has a level of guile that most people will never appreciate or understand with the explanation that human language offers. This is why the Scripture refers to his activity as a mystery (<a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2011/01/prelude-to-anti-christ-introduction.html">see part 1 of this series for an analysis of the mystery of iniquity</a>), and in order to comprehend a mystery, it must come from a revelation. In other words, it takes a spiritual insight to fully grasp satan’s ability to deceive. Many people reading this series, particularly parts 7 through 14 on <i style="">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion</i>, will have difficulty embracing some of the concepts that I advance about the unadulterated guile of satan, and his ability to deceive the leaders of society. Many patriotic, American Christians will find it impossible to digest the notion that satan has been the hidden hand behind human government, including the United States and its NATO allies, since the very first civilization. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >Revelation 2:24 will come up periodically in this series, because it does a greater job at graphically demonstrating the naïveté of many Christians than any other verse in the Scripture. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;" >In one of his letters to the seven churches, John admonished the church at Thyatira that there were some who had not “known the depths of satan”: <i><sup>24.</sup><span style="color:black;">But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and </span></i></span><i><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >which have not known the depths of Satan</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. <sup>25.</sup>But that which ye have already hold fast till I come </span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >(Revelation 6:24-25, emphasis mine). </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >Thyatira, according to Revelation 2:20, followed the teachings of the New Testament Jezebel; a self-proclaimed prophetess, who offered lessons on sexual intimacy: <i style="">Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols</i> (Revelation 2:20). This is extremely heavy drama, because the Christian Church, as well as many other expressions of faith, ban sexual activity between men and women who have not committed to one another in the sacred covenant of marriage. Yet, here we have a church hierarchy that is so saturated with satanic influence, that it is teaching men and women how to become skilled sexual predators; however, the training that was provided by Jezebel went beyond lessons on seduction. The saints at Thyatira were trained on the art of sex and the skills that are necessary to bring enormous pleasure to one’s partner and extreme satisfaction to oneself. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >In order to fully grasp the extent of what was being offered in Thyatira, we need to understand that Jezebel was not simply offering a how-to lesson on the mechanics of sex, where she would describe the human anatomy and instruct her followers on the proper use of their sex organs. I mean, does any man, woman or beast need a seminar on reproduction? What we have in Thyatira that so graphically demonstrates satan’s knack for beguiling the people is an environment that cultivated and encouraged sex before marriage and sex outside of marriage. In verse 20 above, we note the fornicators, and in verse 22, we note the adulterers: <i style="">Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds</i> (Revelation 2:22).</span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >Jezebel was highly skilled at the art of sex, and she offered the saints lessons in sexual techniques that would have made one irresistible in the bed. The cruel irony behind her training in Thyatira is that it most likely would have been scripturally permissible had she only offered it to married couples and then drawn clear lines of demarcation between the act of lovemaking and the forbidden zone sexual activity of fornication and adultery. However, she created an atmosphere of debauchery by fertilizing the sexual passions of those who were single and stimulating the sexual fantasies of those who were married. By deductive reasoning, I have concluded that sex is the first law of nature (see note at the end of this article), and Jezebel fed the sexual passions of the weak and desperate by sanctioning a free-sex zone right in the church. </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >A discussion about the possible techniques that were taught by Jezebel is beyond the scope of this article. However, when one’s sexual passions arise to a near orgasmic state, a highly skilled sexual predator can make them surrender everything that they ever held sacred and abandon a chaste life. This was the spiritual atmosphere in Thyatira, and whether one agrees with the depth of Jezebels training, what is irrefutable is that the plague of fornication and adultery slithered into the church and became a part of the spiritual culture.</span></h3><br /><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" > </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" >…to be continued </span></h3><br /><br /> <h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-size:11pt;color:black;" >NOTE:</span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:11pt;color:black;" > If survival is the first law of nature, then isn’t sex about survival? 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<w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: red;">About the Prelude to the anti-christ:</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> I will be publishing a 18 part series titled, <span style="color: red;">Prelude to the anti-christ</span>, which will be divided into three segments: First, <span style="color: red;">The Mystery of Iniquity</span> will be a 6-part series that demonstrate that there has been a furtive hand in the affairs of humanity to create the rich soil for the anti-christ to rise; second, <span style="color: red;">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion </span>will be a 8-part expose on Western Civilization’s effort to control the destiny of human civilization; and third, <span style="color: red;">The Rise of the anti-christ</span> will be a 3-part series on the rise of the global leader who will lead humanity over the precipice into oblivion; and the final article will be a <span style="color: red;">summary and postscript</span> of the entire sequence of series. The introduction to this series was published on Sunday, January 23, 2011, and each subsequent article will be published on each successive Sunday through May. Your comments are welcome.<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-62321054266572883632011-02-10T16:44:00.000-08:002011-02-13T07:13:53.313-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3fe7LlR5VI6VlSkz0uKe9mgb63A6HYVOUlpcDCkSh38eomXR1K2NydIW4wEYW7-QlvfnjTkKQITrHSM6vrBxoRCUZeQFk8CXqA5rkgCUX7WdbSj7knSYBahyphenhyphen-wfWEtMyLNKiFGbLB90/s1600/Jim+Jones+-+Prelude+Part+3.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3fe7LlR5VI6VlSkz0uKe9mgb63A6HYVOUlpcDCkSh38eomXR1K2NydIW4wEYW7-QlvfnjTkKQITrHSM6vrBxoRCUZeQFk8CXqA5rkgCUX7WdbSj7knSYBahyphenhyphen-wfWEtMyLNKiFGbLB90/s320/Jim+Jones+-+Prelude+Part+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573179311642641442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:11pt;">The Mystery of Iniquity - Part 3<br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The concept of belief in God arches above every other ideal embraced in the human spirit, because for most people, the rewards of faith yield an everlasting return, while the rewards of other ideals are not as enduring. Islamic suicide bombers have been convinced that after they carry out the will of Allah by becoming martyrs in the war against the “infidels,” they will receive a much greater reward and garner more favor from Him once they enter Paradise. Although the Qur’an seems to ban suicide as a weapon against defenseless citizens (see note at the end of this article), deceitful men have seized control of the interpretation of the Muslims’ holy book and have convinced many naïve followers that it is permissible. This demonstrates that other belief systems are not immune to the deceptive practices of devious men, inspired by the devil.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The Apostle Paul took special care to alert the Church that the mystery of iniquity would make bold, surreptitious incursions into its hierarchy. It would not simply attempt to corrupt the work of God by infiltrating into the choir or Deacon Board, but the furtive servants of satan would impersonate the highest officer in the Church – the apostle – in order to lead the followers of Christ away from the profound and deep mystical truths of the Scripture: <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >4.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him…<sup>13.</sup>For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. <sup>14.</sup>And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. <sup>15.</sup>Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15).</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The workers of satan have secretly pursued a course that permits them to control the destiny of the congregational churches, thus limiting its influence in society. By furtively acquiring positions of leadership, these false prophets can spoon-feed their followers a diluted Gospel message. This is why many in the modern church have no idea who Enoch really is; or who Noah really was; or who Nimrod really was; or who Moses really was; and lest we forget the man in the New Testament who, according to Paul, may have been permitted to enter Heaven with his fleshly body. However, notwithstanding that the Scripture does not give us his name, most Christians have never heard of him (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-5 for (I’ll call him) Anonymous). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >It is the objective of the satanic powers to diminish the legacy of great men of God in order to reduce the possibility that anyone will aspire to be like them. For the last six months, I have been randomly querying my Christian brothers and sisters the following question: What was Job’s profession before his encounter with satan? And to my astonishment, no one has responded properly, which buttresses my point that the cabal of men who seek to control the interpretation of the Scripture, do not want us to know who Job and others really were. If young men understood that Job was the greatest social advocate of human existence, and if they could see the remarkable passion that he had for the downtrodden and exploited (see Job 29), then perhaps there would be a few who would seek to be like him. However, the men who sit in the pantheon of the satanic gods and who simultaneously control what many of God’s people consume spiritually, work fervently to conceal Job’s and other great men’s legacies.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >When wicked men ascend into positions of great authority in the church, they are doing enormous harm to the spiritual lives of the church members, and their work reduces the possibility that another Job, or another Ezekiel, or another Isaiah will rise in the midst of the people. This is why when Paul discovered fraudulent leaders, he immediately cast them out of the church: <i style=""><sup>4.</sup></i></span><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: <sup>5.</sup>To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (Galatians 2:4-5). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Paul, who had a reputation for being </span><span style=";font-family:";" >unyielding, moved swiftly against these men, because he knew he was dealing with individuals who could not be converted. This speaks simultaneously to their spiritual blindness and to the depth of their allegiances with the powers of darkness. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><b><span style=";font-family:";" >The evidence of satanic influence in the church is overwhelming in the Scripture. This is why the apostles labored under the heavy burden of warning the followers of Christ that satan could transform himself into an angel of light and that his demonically inspired disciples could become ministers of righteousness. </span></b><span style=";font-family:";" >To simply say that satan is deceptive does not adequately portray his ingenious ability to beguile, because an illusionist is deceptive; as is a skilled general plotting strategy during wartime; as well as highly trained intelligence officers, who practice deceit in defense of their nation. However, satan has affixed to his resume one feat that is unprecedented in recorded history: through an unbelievable performance of deceit, he tricked angels into rebelling against God. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >[s]atan has mistakenly been reviled down through the ages for being less than intelligent for his rebellion and subsequent removal from Heaven. This may be true, but intelligence, or the lack thereof, is not what motivated him. [h]e was driven by a deep-seated compulsion that is beyond the capacity and grandest ambitions of any human. He wanted to share God’s throne: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >12.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! <sup>13.</sup>For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: <sup>14.</sup>I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (Isaiah 14:12-14).</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >This indictment by Isaiah only tells part of the story behind the fall of the lucifer. What God refused to reveal in His Word is a blow-by-blow account of lucifer’s surreptitious scheme that triggered the angelic rebellion. It is my firm belief that this plot by lucifer was so thoroughly deceptive that God deliberately declined to offer it as part of the Scripture. He knew that canonizing lucifer’s rebellion in His Word would wreak confusion in the minds of the most spiritually adept of the human family, causing many to embrace the logic behind his rebellion. I buttress my belief with Matthew 24 where the Scripture says that God will shorten the days of human civilization in order to prevent the <b><i style="">very elect</i></b> from being conned by satan: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i><sup><span style=";font-family:";" >22.</span></sup></i><i><span style=";font-family:";" >And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. <sup>23.</sup>Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. <sup>24.</sup>For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect</span></i><span style=";font-family:";" > (Matthew 24:22-24).</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >This is such a profound assertion by Jesus; it should prompt us to vigilantly guard our hearts and minds against false and diluted doctrines. He suggested that it would not be possible for the <i style="">very elect </i>to be deceived, in the sense that they would abandon redemption for a false, satanic system of belief. However, He did not rule out that they would not fall prey to a weakened state of faith. In fact, he seems to suggest that there would be a lack of faith in the earth when He returns. Speaking on the condition of the church during the end-times, Jesus wondered out loud if there would be men of faith able to meet the needs of the most at-risk members of society: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";" >2.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: <sup>3.</sup>And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary…<sup>7.</sup>And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? <sup>8.</sup>I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. <b style="">Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth</b></span></i><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></b><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >(Luke 18:2-3, 7-8, emphasis mine)?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >If this is the last days as spoken of by the prophets, then Jesus’ words take on a much more significant implication. Certainly He saw the Christian leaders of today who are revered by so many and who would be considered great men of faith; yet, He still posed the question if He could find faith in the earth. This is deeply troubling, because it suggests, among other things, that we are not discerning the lack of faith in the church. Furthermore it seems to demonstrate that our model of Christianity may be significantly misaligned with what Christ’s expectations are for His last day church. Whatever may have been Jesus’ motivation for questioning the faith of the end-time leadership, it is clear that He was cognizant of the fact that the mystery of iniquity would make damaging incursions into the end-time church in order to curb its impact on society.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >The mystery of iniquity has spent thousands of years weaving a near inescapable web of deception. Over the course of human existence, satan has deceived angels; he has inspired men to successfully masquerade as apostles, prophets, and other church leaders; he has established his global headquarters from the pulpit of a local church (this will be addressed in Part 4 of this series); he has been successful in assuming the identity of Christianity (this will be addressed in Part 5 of this series); he has nearly destroyed the concept of faith for the last day’s church (see Luke 18:8 above); and before the end of our age, he will trick the vast majority of humanity into worshiping him as their god: </span><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [satan], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (Revelation 13:8).</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In Revelation chapter 2, John admonished the church at Thyatira that there were some who had not “known the depths of satan.” Because of their naiveté, he was unable to give them deep, mystical insight into God’s Word through his writing: <i><sup>24.</sup><span style="color:black;">But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. <sup>25.</sup>But that which ye have already hold fast till I come </span></i><span style="color:black;">(Revelation 6:24-25). </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >…to be continued </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOTE:</span> It is commonly held in the United States that suicide bombers are taught that they will receive 72 virgins once they enter into Paradise; however, I have been unable to confirm this as Islamic doctrine. Perhaps suicide bombers are lulled by the prospect of living in eternal bliss with beautiful maidens, but this notion is not defined in the Islamic Holy Book – the Qur’an. In fact, the Qur’an seems to expressly prohibit suicide Bombing: <i style=""><sup>29.</sup>O believers, you should not usurp unjustly the wealth of each other, but trade by mutual consent; and do not destroy yourselves. God is merciful to you. <sup>30.</sup>If some does so through oppression or injustice, [W]e shall cast him into Hell: this is how (the Law of) God works inevitably</i> (the holy Qur’an, verses 4:29-30). Another version puts it more succinctly:</span><span style="font-size:11pt;"> <i style=""><sup>29.</sup>But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful! <sup>30.</sup>If any do that in rancour and injustice,- soon shall We cast them into the Fire: And easy it is for God</i> (<span style="">the holy Qur’an, verses 4:29-30)</span>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Also, the Bukhari and Muslim Hadiths are second in authority to the Qur’an, and neither of these endorse suicide bombing. According to Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 445 the prophet pronounced the judgment upon a man who committed suicide by forbidding him to enter Paradise: “</span><span style=";font-family:";" >Narrated Jundab the Prophet said, ‘A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him.’”</span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-25839921332798602922011-01-31T06:39:00.000-08:002011-02-06T06:38:40.486-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4I7_eBoWtPutgtp1zW3q9O2VVNCZ0aty6Uo3sSlOPTNcLTXV0r1KTht-HSo9Ry0hLx9JDbjwcYTU1kcWVGTDuRH97Oom5mKuE6jArAMq9W9p2fUAq2XrPDMbLbXMYSjz5tWLQPiP468/s1600/Trojan+Horse+-+The+Prelude+2.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN4I7_eBoWtPutgtp1zW3q9O2VVNCZ0aty6Uo3sSlOPTNcLTXV0r1KTht-HSo9Ry0hLx9JDbjwcYTU1kcWVGTDuRH97Oom5mKuE6jArAMq9W9p2fUAq2XrPDMbLbXMYSjz5tWLQPiP468/s320/Trojan+Horse+-+The+Prelude+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568360178745439618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Mystery of Iniquity - Part 2</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >>>><b style=""><span style="color:red;">WARNING</span></b> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">- PLOT SPOILER</span>: The first paragraph of this article is a spoiler to the movie <i style="">No Way Out</i>, staring Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman. You may want to skip to the second paragraph so you do not ruin a great thriller.<<< </span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In the brilliantly done and grossly underrated movie, <i style=""><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093640/">No Way Out</a></i>, Russian Intelligence has developed a clever scheme where it has transplanted children into the United States, who will pose as American citizens, but who have been indoctrinated as emerging Russian spies. They will go through America’s educational system and will pursue careers that place them at the pinnacle of power. Their obligation is to embark upon career paths that give them access to national secrets at the highest level so that they can pass them along to their Russian contacts. The thing that makes this film such a treat to watch is that the screenplay writers do not leave any clues throughout the movie to the Russian intelligence officer’s identity. This, you do not discover until the last few minutes of the movie. 5 stars!</span> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > *****</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Infiltrating one’s enemy is as old as civilization. In perhaps the most celebrated effort to secretly penetrate the forces of the opposition, the <i style="">Aeneid</i>, depicts the turning point in the Trojan War when the Greek army leaves a huge, wooden horse at the entrance of the city of Troy in what appears to be a gesture of good will before seemingly sailing back to Greece in defeat. The Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a spoil of war; however, they were unaware that there were 30 highly skilled Greek soldiers inside. Later that night, the Greeks sailed back to Troy and surreptitiously gathered at the entrance of the city, while the men inside the wooden horse crept out and opened the gates for the Greek army to enter. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The Trojan War ended decisively because the Greeks deployed an illusion that disarmed the Trojans’ suspicion and blinded them to their enemy’s deception. The most adroit of Trojan warriors, leaders, and citizens may have seen through the ploy as a hoax; however, those at higher levels of authority could not comprehend the seeds of their own destruction and to their peril, opened the front door and rolled out the red carpet for the enemy.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >There has been an ongoing historical debate over whether the Trojan War was fact or fiction. However, the salient point of Virgil’s depiction of the deception by the Greek army is that those who are charged with the task of leadership have an awesome responsibility since they are often the only barriers between civilization and its destruction. This is why in all democratic nations, the decisions of the presidents and other top leaders come under such intense scrutiny. Unlike the mistakes of the average citizen, poor judgment on the part of the national leadership can cause the destruction of society. It is believed by some historians that President Herbert Hoover’s failure to act decisively during the economic turmoil of 1929 is what caused the Great Depression. This is not to say that he did nothing during the onset of the Great Depression as some historians have advanced, but it is argued by some that he demonstrated poor judgment during a time of economic crisis in America. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Historians may never agree on the role that Hoover played during the incipient stages of the Great Depression. However, in an age where tin-pot despots are attempting to ascertain weapons of mass destruction; and when the multi-trillion dollar derivative market has the potential to destroy national economies around the world in a matter of minutes; and considering that the globe is connected through the sinews of cyberspace and one cyber-attack could set off World War III, national leaders must weigh each word that they utter and each policy that they promote. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Adolf Hitler’s arrogant refusal to consider the apprehension of his generals over his decision to invade Russia in 1941 was the turning point of the war. In the game of “What-Ifs,” Germany would have still been at the mercy of a nuclear armed United States if Hitler had conceded to his generals’ demands and delayed the invasion of the Soviet Union. Had he been more circumspect in his war aims, it is clear that the end game of World War II would have been much different. Hindsight graphically demonstrates the folly of Hitler’s decision; however, the challenge that will confront national leaders during the rise of the son of perdition will not be political, economic or military. The challenge that all people will face with the beast of Revelation 13 (see Part 1 of this series) will be to sift through his charm and near invincible deceit to see his poisoned guile. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The book of Jude provides us with a key to discern the snares of deceitful men and simultaneously demonstrates the consequences for those who lack the spiritual perception to distinguish prophets of God from snake oil salesmen:</span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >3.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. <sup>4.</sup><b style="">For there are certain men crept in unawares</b>, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (Jude 1:3-4, emphasis mine).</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Jude is advancing an urgent message for the saints to challenge them to seek the truth that was once delivered to the earlier church. At least three decades after the death of Christ and the birth of the Church, the message in that region was so diluted that evil men had been able to slither past the church’s leadership into positions where they were imposing much harm on the congregation. This is profound, because these men slipped in past the apostles, past the bishops, past the prophets, past all those who had been charged with protecting the church from the mystery of iniquity. Jude graphically demonstrated that the church is not immune to surreptitious invasions by deceitful men if the saints have lost their passion for truth, because truth is the only insulation against deception.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Jude’s admonition is not unprecedented: The Scripture is littered with examples of wicked men infiltrating the church. In fact, combating fraudulent leaders and men with evil agendas who furtively entered into the church was the single most prominent issue that faced the apostles. Apostle Paul spent three years ministering in Asia Minor, and before he journeyed to Jerusalem, he warned the church leaders that wolves would sneak into the church and devour the flock. He was also concerned that notwithstanding three years of preaching and teaching, some of the church leaders who he trained would rise up and speak perversely against God’s Word and attempt to create cult followings:</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >28.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. <sup>29.</sup>For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. <sup>30.</sup>Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. <sup>31.</sup>Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears</span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > (Acts 20:28-31).</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Why is the church such fertile territory for fraudulent leadership?</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >…to be continued</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">About the Prelude to the anti-christ:</span><span style=";font-family:";" > I will be publishing a 18 part series (including the introduction) titled, Prelude to the anti-christ, which will be divided into three segments: First, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Mystery of Iniquity</span> will be a 6-part series that demonstrate that there has been a furtive hand in the affairs of humanity to create the rich soil for the anti-christ to rise; second, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion </span>will be a 8-part expose on Western Civilization’s effort to control the destiny of human civilization; and third, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Rise of the anti-christ</span> will be a 3-part series on the rise of the global leader who will lead humanity over the precipice into oblivion; and the final article will be a <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">summary and postscript</span> of the entire sequence of series. The introduction to this series was published on Sunday, January 23, 2011, and each subsequent article will be published on each successive Sunday through May. Your comments are welcome.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:";" >Note: Prelude to the anti-christ started out as a 12-part series; however, it has now taken on a life of its own and has evolved into 18 parts.</span><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-59005125509818939282011-01-28T13:08:00.000-08:002011-02-06T06:40:26.390-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8OGa5KjcAKN2SRgK306EO8XR8jU5qaRAEVQ0thNuX7UOw1GAaHTrIA89KP5g51eJSJ_tZxlzP1E-WGa1KQ1TC2M7FtGbsFCZP17bx6FD0mLQfS8Ivg0g-bpANcwVWnY7boRY6eNvGiM/s1600/The+Great+Pyramid.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8OGa5KjcAKN2SRgK306EO8XR8jU5qaRAEVQ0thNuX7UOw1GAaHTrIA89KP5g51eJSJ_tZxlzP1E-WGa1KQ1TC2M7FtGbsFCZP17bx6FD0mLQfS8Ivg0g-bpANcwVWnY7boRY6eNvGiM/s320/The+Great+Pyramid.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567347356985875394" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Mystery of Iniquity - Part 1</span><br /></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >There has always been an allure about discovering the secrets behind a mystery. Researchers have investigated for thousands of years the mysteries behind the Great Pyramid, the hieroglyphs, Stonehenge and other inexplicable puzzles of epochs past. During the episode of the hit TV series Dallas, where we discover who shot John Ross Ewing, Jr.; also known as JR, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2006/nov/14/theatre.pantoseason">a record 360 million viewers from 53 countries tuned in</a>; a figure that has yet to be matched for a single television episode. And America was riveted to their seats during the O.J. Simpson murder trial to see if he really killed his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her alleged lover, Ron Goldman. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Understanding mysteries, from the benign to the profound, satisfies something in our curiosity; however, there are mysteries that we long to understand, but then once their secrets are revealed they become anticlimactic moments. I recall my time in Las Vegas while on a business trip when I visited the Magic Shop in Caesar’s Palace. The magician/salesman performed an illusion where he showed a quarter that was too big to fit through the mouth of a bottle. After he caused the coin to suddenly appear in the bottle, considering my personal interest in magic I had to know the secret behind this illusion; consequently, I paid the $29.95 to discover the key to this mystery.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >After ringing me up, the salesman took me to a private room in the back and opened up the box that had the magic coin, and...surprise, surprise…it was a folding quarter. After demonstrating the trick twice for me and then giving me an opportunity to practice this surreptitious, sure to capture the attention of the crowd, illusion, my wife and I went on our way to explore the other treasures Vegas had to offer. Nineteen years later, the folding quarter is on a shelf in my basement, stuffed in the same box and bag that the salesman placed it in back in his secret chamber.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Notwithstanding the anticlimactic mysteries and those that torment our curiosity, there are secrets that people have very little interest in knowing. Perhaps you are familiar with the clandestine line, “I can tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” The threat of death is enough to prevent most people from pursuing certain knowledge, but there are also secrets that do not have the threat of death affixed to them, but we still discover a certain level of comfort in not knowing what lies behind their veil. One such secret is the mystery of iniquity. The Apostle Paul makes a puzzling reference to this mystery in his second letter to the Thessalonians:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><sup style="font-style: italic;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >3.</span></sup><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">4.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">5.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">6.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">7.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">For </span><b style="font-style: italic;">the mystery of iniquity</b><span style="font-style: italic;"> doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">8.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">9.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, </span><sup style="font-style: italic;">10.</sup><span style="font-style: italic;">And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved </span>(2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, emphasis mine).</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >A mystery is something that cannot be explained or understood without the aid of one who has an understanding of the secret, and iniquity goes beyond simply an act of gross immorality. Many people commit gross immoral acts, but all of them do not rise to the level of iniquity. Iniquity comes from the Hebrew word “<i style="">avon</i>,” which speaks to the condition of the heart at the time of the moral failing. It is a direct and deliberate violation of God’s standard. The distinction between an act of iniquity and an act of sin is that one who commits iniquity has purposed in their heart that they will freely defy God’s standards and it is done in a conscious, remorseless act of rebellion against God. However, one who commits an act of sin may not necessarily want to violate God’s will, but they are either unable or unwilling to resist the temptation. However, to be sure, sin is still subject to the wrath of God.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Paul has revealed, perhaps for the first time, a furtive strategy by the coalescing of satanic forces and the political leadership that would at some future point result in the <i style="">son of perdition</i> sitting at the apex of human government. As a practical matter, in our modern society where this coup will take place, it is profound to consider that a satanically inspired cabal of men will control world politics to the degree that will inspire the election (or appointment) of satan’s handpicked heir. According to 2 Thessalonians above, this son of perdition will make the boast of being divine, and the book of Revelation buttresses this point by saying the masses will worship him: </span><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >And they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him</span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > (Revelation 13:4b)?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >One may ask, “How does humanity become so gullible, that it will initially select the son of perdition as its global leader, and then it will worship him as God?” Well this has less to do with naiveté than it does with the </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >extraordinary ability of the forces behind this coup of human government to deceive the masses. In fact, the Scripture, remarking on the end-time political climate, says that the social atmosphere will be so saturation with incredible deception that if the days were not shortened even the elect would be deceived: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >22.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. <sup>23.</sup>Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.<span style=""> </span><sup>24.</sup>For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect</span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > (Matthew 24:22-24).</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Consequently, the more cogent question is, “<b style="">How do the satanic forces gain the level of traction in society where it will deceive the entire world, and if it was not for an attrition in the number of days, even the elect would be deceived</b>?” The answer: The mystery of iniquity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span></p>...to be continued<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">About the Prelude to the anti-christ:</span><span style=";font-family:";" > I will be publishing a 12-part series (including the introduction) titled, Prelude to the anti-christ, which will be divided into three segments: First, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Mystery of Iniquity</span> will be a 3-part series that demonstrate that there has been a furtive hand in the affairs of humanity to create the rich soil for the anti-christ to rise; second, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion </span>will be a 6-part expose on Western Civilization’s effort to control the destiny of human civilization; and third, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Rise of the anti-christ</span> will be a 3-part series on the rise of the global leader who will lead humanity over the precipice into oblivion. The introduction to this series was published on Sunday, January 23, 2011, and each subsequent article will be published on each successive Sunday through April. Your comments are welcome.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-91383937344557794942011-01-23T09:24:00.000-08:002011-01-23T09:28:59.837-08:00Prelude to the anti-christ - Introduction<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0KNLRrrSuwgmBWzq_L0wA2Qx5_K3rdWAg2wnM8f8WVIeoi7xv_uLw84BEre7cwrOl2B9LaTFHyVRI4o81n-XhuGs5oYSFksOaxGIYjc7HsbVuSCDQgzUIsKP6dSW7CW_P2ltZqvW75E/s1600/Four+Horsemen+of+the+Apocalypse.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0KNLRrrSuwgmBWzq_L0wA2Qx5_K3rdWAg2wnM8f8WVIeoi7xv_uLw84BEre7cwrOl2B9LaTFHyVRI4o81n-XhuGs5oYSFksOaxGIYjc7HsbVuSCDQgzUIsKP6dSW7CW_P2ltZqvW75E/s320/Four+Horsemen+of+the+Apocalypse.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565434023424849010" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:";" >What was the greatest atrocity of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century? For some, the Holocaust immediately comes to mind. If you are of Japanese descent, Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki may rank at the top of the list. Those of the African Diaspora may point to the genocide in Rwanda, the conflict in the Republic of Congo, or the tribal clash in the Sudan. Although the examples of butchery that have been noted above are worthy candidates for discussion, they all pale in comparison with other documented evil that has been unleashed on innocent populations of the world. According to Norman Davies’s <i style="">Europe, A History</i>, he demonstrates an orgy of violence over the last century that sadly depicts man as a beast:<br /><br /></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >27 million European civilians killed during WWII;</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >27 million Soviet citizens killed during WWII;</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >22 million victims of the Soviet Gulag;</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >12 million deaths during Russian Collectivization (Historian Roy Medvedev claims that as many as 40 million perished under Stalin<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[1]</span></span></span></span></a>);</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >6 million died during the Ukranian Terror-Famine;</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >6 million Polish citizens killed during WWII;</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust; </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >5 million European civilians killed during WWI;<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:11pt;" >[2]</span></span></span></span></a> and</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span style="">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style=";font-family:";" >Under the <a href="http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm">Regime of Mao Zedong</a> in the People’s Republic of China, between 45 million and 72 million were killed (20 million died in the labor camps).</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 38.9pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Discussions of human carnage will inevitably bring up other cases of mass killings that do not rise to the level of victims as the above, like September 11<sup>th</sup>. However, they are all nonetheless choruses in a symphony of evil where dissolute men perpetrate wickedness over innocent people. If we simply consider the nearly 3,000 people who perished in the terrorist attacks on September 11<sup>th</sup>; this number is an astonishing demonstration of maliciousness carried out by other humans. Although relatively speaking, September 11<sup>th</sup> does not compare in scope to the Holocaust, or the Soviet Gulag, or Mao’s regime, and this is not to diminish its effect on society; most people still cannot fathom the level of depravity that is necessary to launch a plan that would target a few thousand people for death.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >If September 11<sup>th</sup> is difficult for most people to grasp, then the 60 million +/– people killed by Mao Zedong borders being far-fetched, and if it was not for documented proof, many people would deny that the most extreme examples of human cruelty ever occurred. Even limited trust in human nature makes it difficult to believe that men are as barbaric as history describes. Notwithstanding the years of scholarship that has been exhausted in studying the Holocaust, there are still academics who deny its existence. Certainly, it would be more credible for Holocaust revisionists to argue that the number of deaths were fewer than 6 million; however, to completely deny the Holocaust is to reject a mountain of evidence to the contrary: the gas chambers; testimony at Nuremburg; testimony from participants; testimonies from survivors; photographs; and the results of perhaps the most studied subject of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Unfortunately, the world that we are bequeathing to our children is full of theft, destruction, and murder.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Despite the horrors of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, the Scripture warns us of a period in the not too distance future that can only be described as the genocidal beginning of the end of the human race. According to Revelation 6, there will be contingency plans by <u><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></u><span style=""> </span>men that will eliminate at least ¼ of humanity and possible as much as ½ of the human race. As you can see, I am fishing for a word in our English lexicon to describe these men, because words like evil, like wicked, like depraved, or like corrupt does not seem to be the right choice for men who have plans to rid the world of large segments of its population. We use words like these to describe men like Jeffrey Dahmer; a serial rapist loose in one’s community; terrorists who kill hundreds of people; or men like Hitler, Stalin or Mao. Although the limitations of English will not offer me a proper adjective to describe the men in Revelation chapter 6, I’ll use “evil” for lack of a better word.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Revelation 6 is shrouded in metaphors and symbolism as it describes the beginning of the end of human life as we know it on the earth:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >1.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. <sup>2.</sup>And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. <sup>3.</sup>And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. <sup>4.</sup>And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. <sup>5.</sup>And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. <sup>6.</sup>And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. <sup>7.</sup>And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. <sup>8.</sup>And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth</span></i><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > (Revelation 6:1-8).</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0.4in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><br /></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Considering the above, how does one eliminate between 2 billion and 4 billion innocent people? I mean, these men will dissolve entire nations from the map with the indifference of a cook at a fast food restaurant, flipping burgers for the afternoon lunch crowd. This will be a masterpiece of wickedness that is unprecedented in human history. As we saw earlier in this article, men have always imposed their will on others with instruments of barbarity; however, never have we seen it on a scale described in the Scriptures above.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In the next few months, I will be publishing a 12-part series on the Rise of the anti-christ titled, <i style="">Prelude to the anti-christ</i>. This series will attempt to describe how evil men attained ambitions to annihilate the human race. Man’s craving to destroy himself did not happen as an afterthought. It has been a cleverly weaved plan that has been in an incubation stage for more than 1,000 years, and if we are in fact living in the “last days,” then the arrangement to eliminate half the population of the planet is about to be unleashed on humankind.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Prelude to the anti-christ</span></i><span style=";font-family:";" > will be divided into three series: First<i style="">, The Mystery of Iniquity</i> will be a 3-part series that demonstrate that there has been a furtive hand in the affairs of humanity to create the rich soil for the anti-christ to rise; second, <i style="">Western Civilization’s Unrelenting Expansion</i> will be a 6-part expose on Western Civilization’s effort to control the destiny of human civilization; and third, <i style="">The Rise of the anti-christ </i>will be a 3-part series on the rise of the global leader who will lead humanity over the precipice into oblivion. The first article will be published on Sunday, January 30, 2011, and each subsequent article will be published on each successive Sunday through April.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" >In Revelation chapter 2, John admonished the church at Thyatira that there were some who did not “know the depths of satan.” Because of their naiveté, he was unable to give them deep, mystical insight into God’s Word through his writing: <i style=""><sup>24.</sup><span style="color:black;">But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. <sup>25.</sup>But that which ye have already hold fast till I come </span></i><span style="color:black;">(Revelation 6:24-25).<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >I close this introduction by saying; I trust that the end-time church has not lost its ability to discern good from evil. If so, what I will be advancing will border on the absurd.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >…to be continued</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p> <div style=""> <hr width="33%" align="left" size="1"> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[1]</span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NWYvGYcxCjYC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=conquest+victims+million+stalin+wheatcroft+nove&source=bl&ots=4GwMCPSQZz&sig=6F2zvOt80xKNs-19FPlER0NiMjo&hl=en&ei=BjP8ScrwJIeO_Qa3yszJBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=conquest%20victims%20million%20stalin%20wheatcroft%20nove&f=false">http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NWYvGYcxCjYC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=conquest+victims+million+stalin+wheatcroft+nove&source=bl&ots=4GwMCPSQZz&sig=6F2zvOt80xKNs-19FPlER0NiMjo&hl=en&ei=BjP8ScrwJIeO_Qa3yszJBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=conquest%20victims%20million%20stalin%20wheatcroft%20nove&f=false</a>. </p> </div> <div style="" id="ftn2"> <p class="MsoEndnoteText"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=2330297461945773157#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span style=";font-family:";" > Davies, Norman, <u>Europe, A History</u>, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 1,329.</span></p> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style=""> </span></p> </div> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-1043051151201763802011-01-19T03:23:00.000-08:002011-01-19T13:10:40.789-08:00The Spiritual Nature of the King Years - Part V<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrU0PIyLWoj9ljAps5k1dSJi5vfT4phe0eWh723d3x3yct5TAUHbXJECKVBC5N5onl5QAw8tL1qtPR8-h4AXW7D_yTGa5fOEXamcGVE1yOXFhTarSvstIKe3Gsg7ZJiQ-3UcAcrEI6dY/s1600/Martin+King+-+004+-+Marching.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrU0PIyLWoj9ljAps5k1dSJi5vfT4phe0eWh723d3x3yct5TAUHbXJECKVBC5N5onl5QAw8tL1qtPR8-h4AXW7D_yTGa5fOEXamcGVE1yOXFhTarSvstIKe3Gsg7ZJiQ-3UcAcrEI6dY/s320/Martin+King+-+004+-+Marching.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563856636393654482" border="0" /></a><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >This is the final installment of a five-part series on The Spiritual Nature of the King Years.</span></i> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >…(from “The Drum Major Instinct” delivered by Dr. King on February 4, 1968 at Ebenezer Baptist Church).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > As children, many athletically inclined boys dream of hitting a last second shot to win the NBA Championship, or of throwing the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, or of hitting the game winning homerun in game seven of the World Series, or any one of dozens of last second rescues where victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat. However, while many youngsters have impersonated those triumphant scenarios on the playground and rehearsed them over and over in their youthful minds, how many children dream of raising the consciousness level of humanity through a life of suffering, abuse and then assassination at the hands of the people they came to set free? Yes, King did much more than lead the black community out of its long night of despair; he liberated America from the absurd notion that blacks were somehow exempt from the bedrock principle of its founding documents – “<i style="">We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness</i> (taken from the Declaration of Independence).”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >To be sure, Dr. King has not been the only social champion to give his life serving others; however, his force of will added a dimension to his efforts that has rarely been seen in America. He also possessed the five qualities that strike fear in the heart of those powerful men who attempt to assume control of the destiny of humanity: 1) King did not fear death; 2) He had little desire for earthly possessions, so there was not much to lose; 3) He was a very skilled orator; 4) He spoke out against injustice; and 5) He walked with God. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Many people do not fear death, have no desire for worldly goods, speak out against injustice and walk with God; however, if they possess those attributes, but are unable to use speech as a weapon, then chances are that history will never remember them. Words are more surgical than nuclear-tipped Cruz Missiles if used skillfully. Depending on your source, there are between 250,000 and 1 million words in the English language, and based on how one strings them together, you can get people to do anything from practicing Jim Crow with impunity to engaging in genocide. History is replete with many who have used their words to incite others to commit unspeakable acts, but there are also men, like Dr. King, who used their words for the greater good of society.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >America’s long love affair with racial bigotry had never been confronted in the manner that King opposed it. His speech demonstrated the fallacy of racial superiority and amassed a following that established him, not only as a Civil Rights leader, but he also became the voice of opposition against the international policies of the United States. After receiving the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, King’s focus began to sharpen beyond Civil Rights to the human rights abuses that many were suffering abroad; often at the hands of the United States. As the unquestioned leader of the modern Civil Rights Movement, he became the de facto leader of two other movements of dissent: the anti-war movement; and labor union’s efforts to bring improved working conditions to its members. This was unprecedented in American history, where three major opponents of America’s foreign and domestic policies were coalescing under one voice, and that voice was the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Notwithstanding King’s longing to slay Jim Crow; an objective that would be considered logical by any reasonable white person today looking back on the 1960s struggle, it was his incisive ability to unite people of common interests that marked him as a threat to the aristocracy and men in political leadership. It seemed conspicuously providential that under his leadership, the nation was set on a collision course with the voices of opposition that would alter the course of American history directly and world history indirectly. To place a finer point on this line of reasoning, if America does not reverse the discredited policies of its racial past during the King years, then the country does not evolve by 2008 to elect Barack Obama as its president.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >History has only produced a handful of peaceful men who have posed a threat to the established power structure. Why is this? It is because the ruling class has always insulated itself from threats from the working class. There have always been change agents who have cried “foul,” for one cause or another, while sacrificing their lives to reverse a situation. However, no one in American history pursued their cause with the skill, elegance, determination and epic refusal to resort to violence in the face of constant physical harm like Dr. King.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In dealing with men like Jesus, like King, like Gandhi, like Bonhoeffer, the political leadership has to gauge the level of threat that these men pose, and the simple formula that is used is thus: <b style="">Intent</b> plus <b style="">Capability</b> equals <b style="">Threat</b>. Many righteous warriors, both black and white, attempted to slay Jim Crow or correct some other societal ill; however, which of those men or women were able to marshal the forces of destiny to aid them in their efforts to rid the country of the stain of racism? Here we have plenty of <b style="">Intent</b>, but a very low degree of <b style="">Capability</b>, resulting in limited <b style="">Threat</b>; however, Dr. King’s leadership threatened much more than simply sanitizing the South of its segregated mentality. His opposition to segregation, dangerous working conditions and low pay, the war in Vietnam and other matters of domestic and foreign affairs made him a high priority target for the country and the aristocracy to destabilize. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Dr. King stood out among all of the other black leaders as the one most likely to alter the landscape of America if left unattended. Under the FBI’s Counter-Intelligence Program, also known as “COINTELPRO,” the nation’s top law enforcement agency infiltrated black nationalist groups in an effort to neutralize their effectiveness among the masses. Although other black leaders were considered possible threats, the FBI saw King as the black “messiah.” The imagery of a messiah is profound coming from the Federal government, for it distinguished King from his leadership rivals in the eyes of the national, political structure. The following is taken directly from the COINTELPRO program:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><b style="">Introduction</b> – <span style="color:black;">The purpose of this new counterintelligence endeavor is to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalist, hate-type organizations and groupings, their leadership, spokesmen, membership, and supporters, and to counter their propensity for violence and civil disorder.<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;">The pernicious background of such groups, their duplicity, and devious maneuvers must be exposed to public scrutiny where such publicity will have a neutralizing effect. Efforts of the various groups to consolidate their forces or to recruit new or youthful adherents must be frustrated. No opportunity should be missed to exploit through counterintelligence techniques the organizational and personal conflicts of the leaderships of the groups and where possible an effort should be made to capitalize upon existing conflicts between competing black nationalist organizations. When an opportunity is apparent to disrupt or neutralize black nationalist, hate-type organizations through the cooperation of established local news media contacts or through such contact with sources available to the Seat of Government, in every instance careful attention must be given to the proposal to insure the targeted group is disrupted, ridiculed, or discredited through the publicity and not merely publicized.<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;">Intensified attention under this program should be afforded to the activities of such groups as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Revolutionary Action Movement, the Deacons for Defense and Justice, Congress of Racial Equality, and the Nation of Islam. Particular emphasis should be given to extremists who direct the activities and policies of revolutionary or militant groups such as Stokely Carmichael, H. "Rap" Brown, Elijah Muhammad, and Maxwell Stanford.<br /></span></p><p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 5pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:black;">The Counterintelligence Program is now being expanded to include 41 offices. ... For maximum effectiveness of the Counterintelligence Program, and to prevent wasted effort, long range goals are being set… 2. Prevent the rise of a "<b style="">messiah</b>" who could unify, and electrify, the militant black nationalist movement. Malcolm X might have been such a "messiah;" he is the martyr of the movement today. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Elijah [Muhammed] all aspire to this position. Elijah [Muhammed] is less of a threat because of his age. King could be a very real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed "obedience" to "white, liberal doctrines" (nonviolence) and embrace black nationalism…(COINTELPRO – Black Nationalist Hate Groups (1967-1971), page 1, emphasis mine).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >It is significant to note that Dr. King fulfilled the government’s prediction of his role as the black messiah, and whether he saw himself as the savior, he sacrificed his life for all people of good will. Although, I believe that it is clear that America has embarked upon the course of reducing his stature as an historic figure, we still marvel in the fact that it has bestowed upon him the greatest honor that any nation can grant one of its citizens: It designated a national holiday in recognition of his birth; a distinction that was made to only one other before him, and that was the country’s first president, George Washington.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >As we celebrate the life of Dr. King, let this be a day of public service, where you find an opportunity to do a good deed. There are more than 300 million people in America, and if only half of them committed only one virtuous act per day, the world would be a better place to live.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Long live the Dream, and may the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. live perpetually!</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-42982969315564476782011-01-17T06:40:00.000-08:002011-01-18T06:08:59.453-08:00The Spiritual Nature of the King Years - Part IV (The Tradition of Jesus)<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyisVFtnSOgnKNOroKK1Uujd4GwJdtvtVHc5iFMGKwHDgyaSzYKX2iV1672Y64JQY9JBMHesNhrICSmhsypZVQ_fUlcghWrJmE5PBui_Bex7EWDRlGY6UzMR9yJrDwn_q_qZBFWp4TVs/s1600/Martin+King+003.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyisVFtnSOgnKNOroKK1Uujd4GwJdtvtVHc5iFMGKwHDgyaSzYKX2iV1672Y64JQY9JBMHesNhrICSmhsypZVQ_fUlcghWrJmE5PBui_Bex7EWDRlGY6UzMR9yJrDwn_q_qZBFWp4TVs/s320/Martin+King+003.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563165304118798258" border="0" /></a><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >This series on Dr. King began as a four-part examination into the spiritual nature of his life’s work; however, in order to preserve the succinct nature of the series, I have added a fifth article that will look at the threat that Dr. King posed to the ruling class. It will be published on Wednesday, January 19<sup>th</sup>.</span></i><br /></div><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></span></i> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >If we examine the death of Jesus from a purely social context; not considering its spiritual basis, we will see something very significant in his ministry, as well as the ministry/works of great men who succeeded him as social activists. Jesus had amassed such a large following that he had become a threat to the aristocracy and to the social pecking order that they had established; consequently, the decision was made at the highest level of national government to assassinate him. Jesus was singular in His purpose and certainly understood the infamous nature of His leadership to the ruling class. This is why some of His most profound moments were concealed from the public until after his death.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In the 17<sup>th</sup> chapter of Matthew we see the transfiguration of Christ, where, according to the Western theologian, Jesus demonstrated the harmony of Grace, the law and the prophets. However, Matthew chapter 17 is much, much deeper than a demonstration of the harmony between the messages of Jesus, Moses and Elijah (see note at the end of this article). Let us examine it for a minute, because this passage of Scripture gives us some insight into the inherent danger that all great men face who speak out against injustice.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The proper place to begin examining the Transfiguration is after the event has concluded and Jesus is headed back down the mountain with his three disciples. He says something very peculiar: <i style=""><span style="color:black;">And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead</span></i><span style="color:black;"> (Matthew 17:9). Why would Jesus want to conceal one of the great miracles of Scripture from the rest of His followers? The key to this answer is to understand what had taken place, because in the tradition of the Western theologian, he does not want you to know what you have just seen. Consequently, the best he will offer you is the “Transfiguration,” which is correct, but not complete.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >Jesus has just performed what can be argued to be the greatest miracle of the Scripture: He reached back nearly 1,500 years and raised Moses from the dead, and although he did not reach back as far, he also raised Elijah from the dead. To say that this is profound!!! is an understatement. Just consider the global reaction if you or I reached back just 48 years<span style=""> </span>and raised former U.S. President John Kennedy from the dead. It would be, on one hand, surreal, and on the other hand it would set in motion an international effort to understand the unusual powers that were demonstrated.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >Now watch Peter’s reaction to what he has just witnessed: <i style="">Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias</i> (Matthew 17:4). He has fallen into the trap of many of Jesus’ detractors. Peter believes that He came to establish His Kingdom on earth, and in an unbelievable moment of apparent triumph over evil, Peter is gazing upon the men who he believes will make it happen. While looking at perhaps the three greatest men to ever live, he offers the suggestion of building three tabernacles – one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah, but what he is thinking is, “We can take over the world with the leadership of these three great men!” As the rest of this drama is unfolding, the voice came from Heaven telling Peter and others to pay attention to Jesus, because they (or at least Peter) were missing the point. However, what is not so clear is why Jesus cautioned them to keep this matter confidential until after his resurrection.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >Let’s go back to my example of raising John F. Kennedy from the grave. Once this phenomenon could be verified as factual, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, Naval Intelligence, the Mossad, the MI6, and many other alphabet agencies would be looking to apprehend me to place me on a rack, demanding that I give them the secret of my ability. Jesus understood the controversial nature of His leadership and, unlike the televangelists of today; He did not seek to add to His celebrity status or notoriety, depending on your view of him, by ministering in the limelight. He knew to do such would place Him in the crosshairs of the political leadership. Jesus stayed so far underground that when it was time for His apprehension, the men who came looking for Him had no idea what He looked like:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><i style=""><sup><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" >4.</span></sup></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? <sup>5.</sup>They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am He. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them.</span></i><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > <sup>6.</sup></span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward, and fell to the ground.</span></i><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > <sup>7.</sup></span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.</span></i><i style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > <sup>8.</sup></span></i><i style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" > (John 18:4-8).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;color:black;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Great spiritual men shun the spotlight, because they understand how fame can distract them from their objectives. It is not lost on me that although Jesus was a carpenter, He never built a church for worship services. His ministry was in the streets, to those who were downtrodden and in despair. In the tradition of Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was in the middle of the Poor People’s Campaign just prior to his assassination. Despite the demands that were made on him during that period, he took time out from his effort to bring recognition to the suffering of the poor in America in order to assist the sanitation workers in Memphis during their strike to improve their conditions of employment. A. Philip Randolph called King “the moral leader of our nation,” and as such, King brought a very powerful voice to the plight of the men who were at the bottom of the social ladder. And for his unselfish leadership, he is recognized as one of the great voices in American history.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >King, though misunderstood by many, including some in his own movement, rose above the controversial nature of his efforts to slay Jim Crow, and had a level of social success that is rarely found in the archives of human history. As we recognize his work today, I ask that you take a moment of silent prayer to ask God that America will never revert back to the discarded and discredited racial policies of the past. There is a proverb that says, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >May the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. be a constant reminder that the forces of good will always triumph over the forces of evil.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Long live the Dream!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 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mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Note: I am working on a book titled, <i style="">Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, the Story of the Greatest Miracle in the Scripture</i>, that will be published later this year, so I will not give it away here.</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-64578467866245515052011-01-15T09:50:00.000-08:002011-01-15T10:02:01.099-08:00The Spiritual Nature of the King Years - Part III (The Tradition of Job)<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ5EmOpr0JpseAjuXd7J7W7_BNt-zgS98fkmM-U5EucJLsJ5xYqxy9cdMOnsB_b5rvxLoHVxYy96V9XTzIdswfpkkSmRlXbSPY49wXF8ZyVPRDCbRTaG1GJXhRKe_Y4wMBp-ThDPvukc/s1600/Martin+King+002.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQ5EmOpr0JpseAjuXd7J7W7_BNt-zgS98fkmM-U5EucJLsJ5xYqxy9cdMOnsB_b5rvxLoHVxYy96V9XTzIdswfpkkSmRlXbSPY49wXF8ZyVPRDCbRTaG1GJXhRKe_Y4wMBp-ThDPvukc/s320/Martin+King+002.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562474131428396306" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><br />Not long ago, I was at the barber shop having a discussion with a number of guys waiting for their weekly cut. We bantered back and forth about politics and religion as we attempted to solve the ills of our society, and I made the following statement that caught everyone’s attention: “There are three institutions in the black community that are contributing to its demise: fast food restaurants; liquor stores and churches.” This comment, as expected, provoked a passionate rebuttal from one of the guys as he concurred with me on my submission that fast food restaurants and liquor stores were destroying the black community; however, the notion that churches are also participating in its demise was absurd.</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >I responded thus to those who were listening: “The Western theologian had been enlisted by the global powers to offer a corrupt version of the Word of God by controlling the interpretation of the Scripture. Consequently, those who subscribe to it will never go beyond that Purgatory between darkness and light. And if the leaders of black churches [or any church] parrot what has been advanced by the Western theologian, then isn’t that corrupted version of the Gospel doing as much damage to you spiritually as alcohol and fast food does to your physical body?” I went on to ask the brother who was bothered by my comment if he could tell me what Job’s profession was before his engagement with the devil. He looked puzzled at first and then said, “I don’t know.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >I said to him, “See, you’re making my point. The Western theologian has controlled the story of Job, because he does not want you to know who he really was. He only wants you to see Job as an excessively patient man in the wake of personal calamity so that you will never aspire to be like him. I mean, who wants to follow in the footsteps of a man who lost his family and all of his possessions, and then had to contend with issues of health and betrayal? But if you understood who Job was and that the story of his patience that covers most of the book attributed to him is only a footnote in his life, then perhaps you, along with many other men [and women] would desire to be like him.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >“The story of Job’s encounter with the devil and subsequent period of personal misery and misfortune is the story behind the story. The true story of Job is that he was the greatest social advocate of all time. If you look at the 30th chapter of Job, you will see that he was disturbed at the mockery he sustained regarding his condition and subsequent standing in society: <i>But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock</i> [Job 30:1]. The children of men who were so vile, Job said he would not permit them to be in the company of the dogs that watched over his sheep, were ridiculing him. However, if you go back to chapter 29, you will see Job lamenting over his inability to defend those in need.”<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The 29th chapter of Job is his resume, and it has been buried in the cemeteries of the Western schools of theology so that you and I would not recognize how truly great this man really was. I mean, being patient in the face of personal turmoil is no more than what some of you have endured, or at least most of us have a parent, grandparent, or other loved one who has patiently borne extreme trials. However, Job’s activism has been duplicated by very few during the course of human history, because the aristocracy has always employed techniques of social control to limit the possibility of the rise of the Jobs of the world, or the Gandhis of the world, or the Bonhoeffers of the world, or the Martin Kings of the world, because these are the types of men who will alter the course of human history and disrupt their plans for the future.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >We are introduced to Job through an encounter between God and the devil in the first chapter of Job:<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >1.There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil… 6.Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7.And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8.And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9.Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, <b>Doth Job fear God for nought? 10.Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land</b></span></i><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > (Job 1:1, 6-10, emphasis mine).<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >It is significant to note when satan was queried about Job, he said, “<i>Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him.</i> [s]atan had already attempted to destroy Job, but was prevented from entering into his restricted airspace by God’s protection. Job was disrupting satan’s efforts in the land of Uz, and he wanted to have him assassinated, but when God issued the devil permission to encounter him, the one prohibition was that he could not take his life.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Let’s take a minute to see why satan wanted to destroy Job:<br /></span></p> <ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The secret of God was upon him (see Job 29:4);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The Almighty walked with him (see Job 29:5);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >In addition to the above, he was the most prominent man in Uz who pronounced judgement on wickedness (see Job 29:7);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Job’s judgements were so profound that the mischievous refrained from his presence (see Job 29:8);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The elders revered him (see Job 29:8);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The aristocracy was fearful of him (see Job 29:9);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Verse 10 seems to suggest that those who dared to speak out against him suffered strokes (see Job 29:10);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The multitude were followers of him, because he delivered the poor that cried, and he aided the fatherless and those who were on the margins of society (see Job 29:11-12);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The fortunes were reversed for those who were about to perish, and their good fortune was duplicated upon him as well (see Job 29:13);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The widow; often society’s most downtrodden, was lifted to heights of joy that she had never experienced (see Job 29:13);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Job was such a righteous man that when he spoke, the people thought they were hearing God’s voice (see Job 29:14);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >He corrected the vision impairment of those who could not see the truth, and he corrected the gait of those who were not walking in the ways of righteousness (see Job 29:15);</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >He was the poor's only hope (see Job 29:16); and</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >He plucked the spoils from the teeth of the wicked and returned it to those who had been devoured (see Job 29:17).</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >Job is not the only historical character whose life has been buried out of sight. If the men who stand at the signpost of civilization, directing our paths into the future can conceal the lives of the great men and women who opposed them, then it reduces the possibility that other men and women will rise to emulate them. To buttress my point consider that Enoch (see Genesis 5) is credited with perhaps the greatest miracle in the holy writ, yet have you ever heard one sermon that was exclusive to him? I mean, wouldn’t you think that a man who has escaped death, and to our knowledge has yet to die, that we would want to know as much about him as possible?<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The dearth of material on Enoch and Job, as well as many others, can now be seen in the legacy of Dr. King. Immediately after his assassination, the networks stumbled over themselves producing programs on Civil Rights and his life. In fact, my family watched the documentary, <i>From Montgomery to Memphis</i>, so often that we wore out three video tapes. However, although today would mark his 82nd birthday and this Monday will be the national holiday that has been set aside in honor of his birth, I was unable to find one single program about his ministry or on his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement. The two channels where one would expect to find programming dedicated to the life of Martin King around this time of year – Biography and BET – did have three episodes of American Gangster slated for the prime time slots on Monday and a Jamie Fox marathon running today.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >The diminishing of Dr. King’s legacy has already begun, and I predict that within the next 25 years, the national holiday in recognition of his birthday will be expanded to include all men and women of conscience who opposed oppression and made a mark on society. Now don’t get me wrong, they do deserve a day of honor and recognition too, but I am one voice that is saying, “Do not dilute King’s legacy and work by renaming the date to include others.” And there is precedent for this alteration: Some of you are old enough to remember when the third Monday in February was celebrated as George Washington’s Birthday, but now it is considered Presidents’ Day. This apparently benign change, has effectively reduced the stature of the first president of this nation, and do not think for one minute that there is such loyalty to King’s affect on society that the holiday named in his honor will be immune from any amendment.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" >…to be continued</span></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-76263956391537598032010-02-15T06:06:00.000-08:002010-02-15T06:54:57.714-08:00The Spirtual Nature of the King Years - Part II<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />NOTE: <span style="font-style: italic;">As I articulate the Spiritual Nature of the King Years – Part II, I am aware that I may offend some of my brethren who believe that discussions of race are superfluous in the Church. However, I humbly submit that one cannot properly understand the profound, prophetic nature of the King Years, even 40 years later, without examining his work through the telescope of race. It is not my intention to fan the smoldering cinders of racial animosity that may remain in our society; however, in order to properly understand the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must understand that race was simply the cloak that was brandished by his distracters to camouflage the larger meaning of his ministry. To those who I may offend, both white and colored, please know that I am simply making an observation about the cruel world that we live in, and lament over our inability and refusal to create a color-blind society.</span>
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<br /><span style=""><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1in 0.0001pt 45.8pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style="">“This is Gettysburg. This is where they fought the Battle of Gettysburg. Men died right here on this field, fightin' the same fight that we're still fightin' amongst ourselves...today (Coach Boone, <i style="">Remember the Titans</i>).”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></p> <span style=""><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i style=""><o:p> </o:p></i></p> I grew up during the period of black awareness in the 1960s and 1970s when black Americans began to witness the results of the long struggle for racial equality. On the one hand, black men and women were enrolling into schools of higher learning at unprecedented levels and holding positions of authority that were unheard of just ten years earlier. However, on the other hand, there was this faction that firmly held that black people needed to become more self-aware of their heritage as descendants of the African continent. And from this mode of thinking emerged the Black Power Movement — a loosely knit group who attempted to nationalize black culture in the United States.
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<br />The Black Power Movement’s intentions may have been pure; however, they did not understand that while white-America was reluctantly prepared to remove social barriers to full rights and privileges for blacks, the United States was not ready to integrate black, African culture into America’s European society. Muhammad Ali’s refusal to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War immediately comes to mind. After the United States charged him with draft evasion, he was stripped of his heavyweight championship and was prohibited from fighting for the next three years. Although Ali’s stand against the war had less to do with the Black Power Movement, he was linked with the movement because of his association with the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad, which at the time was viewed as an anti-American, religious organization. Ali was eventually vindicated in his stand by the Supreme Court, which ruled that he had a constitutional right to refuse entry into the military on conscientious objections.
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<br />Another courageous act of self immolation was Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos: While standing on the podium in the 1968 Mexican Olympic Games to receive the gold medal and bronze for the 200 meter race, they both bowed their heads and raised their fists in silent protest regarding the injustice that many black Americans faced. There was such outrage to this non-violent symbol of black power that they were stripped of their medals, suspended from their national team and banned from the Olympic Village.
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<br />I have often heard promoters of the Black Power Movement and Black Nationalism in a chest-thumping frenzy say, “The white man is afraid of the black man, because we have the power to genetically destroy him.” We can argue the merits of this misguided statement; nevertheless, one thing is for sure, the cadre of men who control the launch codes for more than 50,000 nuclear weapons is not frightened by a black man or his penis. However, there is one type of man that threatens all evil men in power, and this man transcends race, creed and color:<o:p>
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<br /></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 1in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><b style="">He is the man that has no desire for earthly possessions, has no fear of death, opposes the injustice that he witnesses, and walks in sync with the God who created the Heavens and the earth.
<br /></b></p><b style=""><o:p></o:p></b>This man is the man who is feared; not the black man grabbing his crotch, thumping his chest, declaring that he has a genetic remedy for the ills of society. All great social crusaders who altered the course of civilization were successful because they were so single focused that nothing else beyond their mission mattered. And unfortunately death is usually their consolation prize, because too often they do not live to see the results of their struggle.
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<br />Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became a threat to those men in power in America, not because he led a successful struggle for civil rights, but because his platform evolved into a struggle against global atrocities. His leadership began to unite other voices of dissent in America at a time when the country was embroiled in a questionable military campaign in Vietnam. The anti-war movement, the labor movement and the Civil Rights Movement began to coalesce under the leadership of Dr. King, and for the first time in history, there was a unified hybrid of voices in this country that opposed America’s foreign policy.
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<br />As long as Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement protested America’s domestic policies that left black Americans on the fringes of society, the ruling class was silent. They saw the struggle for civil rights as a battle that was waged between Dr. King and the “Bull Connors” of the world. However, once his leadership exposed American hypocrisy on a global scale, he became a threat to the self interest of Western society; and for that, he was marked for assassination.
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<br />In a society where leisure trumps productivity and hard work, we’re swiftly losing the spiritual awareness that King personified. My friend Mike Way calls our generation, the “tail-gate” generation, where we are more interested in socializing over a barbeque grill and a beer than we are over what our politicians are doing on Capitol Hill. He laments over the fact that we have C-Spans 1, 2 and 3, which run 24 hours per day and provides us with a bird’s-eye-view of the legislation that is destroying our once great nation, yet people are more interested in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, NASCAR, and the Olympics than they are in the destruction of America by our politicians. I share Mike’s sentiment.
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<br />Dr. King gave his life to save the soul of America; however, it has fallen upon us more than 40 years later to continue that struggle.
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<br />Postscript: In order to preserve the alacrity of this article, I have cut it short and will post Part III, which will discuss the level of threat that Dr. King posed to the ruling class in America.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-3295045594852619072010-01-18T06:52:00.000-08:002010-02-01T13:40:03.876-08:00The Spiritual Nature of the King Years - Part I<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="date"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"WP MultinationalA Roman"; panose-1:2 2 6 4 5 5 5 2 3 4; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A friend once asked me who the most significant person in the twentieth century was. It was his position that Albert Einstein trumped all others because of his theory on relativity. The applications of Einstein’s theory are breathtaking, and it is quite possible that there would be no modern society as we know if it were not for E=MC<sup>2</sup>. To a mathematician, the equation has a certain elegance; to an engineer the equation advanced theoretical physics and was the catalyst of many great inventions; to the multinational corporation it permitted its CEO to bark instructions out to his staff over a global network; to the small businessperson it had a trickle-down affect as he/she benefited from the commerce that was created at the top of the economic/business food-chain; to the hard working citizen, though its impact may have been transparent, it opened unprecedented opportunities for employment, leisure and entrepreneurship; and to the couch potato it permitted one to remotely surf through anyone of more than 500 channels over satellite/cable/FIOS television.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>For purposes of this article, I’d like to ask/answer the question differently: What was the most significant event of the twentieth century? Notwithstanding the detonation of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki; or sending men to the moon and returning them safely to the earth; or creating a global, electronic network, it is my position that the modern world as we know it was created by the defiance of four spiritual men: Mahatma Gandhi; the Ayatollah Khomeini; Pope John Paul II; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I say “spiritual men,” not in the sense that these men were inspired by the same spirituality that may drive you or me, but in the sense that they believed that a power beyond their ability, real or perceived, would aid them in reaching their destiny.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Gandhi led the struggle in <st1:country-region><st1:place>India</st1:place></st1:country-region> to overthrow the <st1:place>British Empire</st1:place>; the Ayatollah led a revolt that overthrew the Western backed Shah of Iran; Pope John Paul II inspired the Poles to fight for democracy; and Dr. King led a movement that slew Jim Crow in the South. It is my opinion that these four events had more influence on the direction that civilization has taken over the last 100 years than any other two, three or four events combined.
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<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Gandhi, the Ayatollah, the Pope and Dr. King are revered in many parts of the world. Gandhi’s birthday, October 2, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday in <st1:country-region><st1:place>India</st1:place></st1:country-region> and a day that is recognized worldwide as the International Day of Non-violence. The Ayatollah brazenly defied the West and is largely credited with the revival of the Islamic revolution, which has more times than not, had chilling consequences. Pope John Paul II delivered his sermon on the future of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Poland</st1:place></st1:country-region> in <st1:place>Krakow</st1:place> on <st1:date year="1979" day="10" month="6">June 10, 1979</st1:date>. This speech inspired a shipyard worker from the Lenin Shipyard in Gda<span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="">n</span></span>sk to establish the Solidarity Movement, which pulled the lynchpin that secured the <st1:place>Soviet Union</st1:place>’s grip on <st1:place>Eastern Europe</st1:place>. The cascading events that followed, led to the fall of communism. Although Ronald Reagan gets more credit than he deserves for the fall of the communism, the seeds of revolt were planted by Pope John Paul II.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., employing Gandhi’s non-violent philosophy, led the Civil Rights Movement in a crusade to break the punishing grip of racism in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He spoke to the conscience of the country and forced white Americans to recognize that until it granted the African American full citizenship that the phrase, “All men are created equal” that was affixed to the Declaration of Independence was a falsehood. In one of the greatest speeches in American history, the prophetic message the night before his assassination, he urged the nation to be true to its founding principles:
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<br /><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">“...All we say to <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in <st1:country-region><st1:place>China</st1:place></st1:country-region> or even <st1:country-region><st1:place>Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> is the right to protest for right...[excerpt from <i style="">I’ve Been to the Mountaintop</i>, <st1:date year="1968" day="3" month="4">April 3, 1968</st1:date>, <st1:place><st1:city>Memphis</st1:city>, <st1:state>Tennessee</st1:state></st1:place>].”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0.5in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Ironically and perhaps unknowingly, Dr. King preached his own eulogy that night by revealing to his audience that he had seen the promise land:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="">“...Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop.</span> And I don't mind. <span style="">Like any man, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land.</span> And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. <span style="">Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord [climax to <span style="font-style: italic;">I’ve Been to the Mountaintop</span>].”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /><span style=""></span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Less than 24 hours later, Dr. King lay in a pool of his own blood.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>In an effort to place Dr. King on his proper, historical pedestal, many books have been written about his contributions to society. Ironically, there are factions within the African American community which argue that Dr. King ruined the self sufficiency of the black community, supposedly because integration was the downfall of many black businesses. Once integration took its full stride, many blacks who once shopped at their local African American business establishments began shopping at chain department stores.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>History has an inevitable consequence on the direction of civilization, and it is littered with a path of destruction. Perhaps one could argue that one downside of the great successes of the King Years was that small businesses in the black community were no match for the big, box store establishments, and they were forced out of business. This is History…some may say at its worst; but it has an unavoidable outcome when powerful forces begin to coalesce. When the Civil Rights Movement collided with racism and Jim Crow through the 1950s and 1960s, Jim Crow was slain; racism ended up in grave condition and was placed on life support by those whites who continued to clutch onto the discarded and discredited policies of America's racist past; and Civil Rights was left standing, opening opportunities for millions of people of color, not only in America, but around the world.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style=""> </span>Dr. King’s work places him in the pantheon of great Americans. And although there will never be an agreement on where he ranks on the all-time list of the great patriots that this great nation has produced, one thing is irrefutable: America has granted Dr. King the highest distinction that any country can convey on a citizen by naming a holiday in recognition of his birth-date; something that has not been granted to any other figure.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">Happy Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-84358228577276755922010-01-13T05:35:00.000-08:002010-01-14T03:25:16.876-08:00Response to Dr. Ray Hagins' Critique of the Christian Scripture<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5COwner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="time"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"WP TypographicSymbols"; panose-1:0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I lament over Dr. Ray Hagins, because I have found myself enjoying some of the things that he advances; however, when he encroaches upon the Word of God, he loses credibility with any serious, Christian scholar. Now, there is a distinction between Christian scholars and Western scholars, and Dr. Hagins’ critique of Christianity is steeped in his observation of what is taught by Western scholars. This is why I promote that I do not practice the form of Christianity that has been put forth by the Western theologian; I practice the form of Christianity that originated in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hagins opens Part 4 by mocking the fact that Christian families teach their children the virtues of their way of life and God’s Word from the cradle, before they can read. Let’s not forget that slaves were forbidden to read in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but did that prevent them from seeking to chart a path to a relationship with the Lord? God Forbid! I’m sure that the audience who Hagins panders too has people who cannot read; therefore, should he condemn them for listening to him? Hagins’ derisive manner goes over well in a lecture of non-critical thinking followers.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I have discovered that most of Hagins’ lectures are really not for the well informed, because they would puncture holes all throughout his teaching. However, the Haginses of the world appeal to non-thinkers’ lack of critical analysis, and for them, this is their road to fame. Any social scientist will tell you that by the time a child is five years old, most of them will have already learned 80 percent of what they will ever learn. Consequently, this implies that if there is a spiritual vacuum by the time the child enters kindergarten, then it will be filled with something other than Christian teachings. Ha, Ha. Perhaps that is Hagins’ strategy.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hagins diminishes the authenticity of the Scripture because he claims, “The Bible as we know it…just came into existence in 1611. What we call the King James’ version of the Bible came into existence in 1611 under the auspicious of Jimmy Stewart...” Again, a knowledgeable student of the Scripture would never embrace the notion that King James had a version of the Scripture. At the end of a lecture on Western Christianity, I once told the audience that I use the Translation of 1611, and a woman wanted to know where she could obtain one. Well the irony was not lost on everyone in the service, because there were a few people who understood that she probably had one as well, but she had been conditioned to call it “the King James’ version of the Scripture.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">King James has never had a version of God’s Word!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hagins utilizes a convenient explanation of History to buttress his position that the Scripture was rewritten by the cadre of men employed by King James. It goes over well with his crowd for Hagins to advance the fiction that 40 men began rewriting the Bible in 1600, while Theologians assert that 40 men wrote the Bible over a 1,600 year period. Again, this is a convenient, almost choreographed explanation, since we know that there were 54 men on the team to work on the Bible translation of 1611, and they started this project in 1604. But his loose explanation of the facts is designed to lend poetic credibility to his lectures.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Another weakness in Hagins’ portrayal of the facts of the translation of 1611 is regarding the role that William Shakespeare served on the team to translate the Scripture. Eastern scholars have for years denied that Shakespeare ever existed, and yet, I am surprised that Hagins makes the claim that Shakespeare worked 11 years on translating the “King James Bible.” As part of their claim that Shakespeare is a fictional, historical character, researchers submit that no one man could have written so many “great” pieces of literary work with the tools that were available at the time. J. A. Rogers (and I believe Ivan Van Sertima, among others) claims that Europeans personified the writings of Egyptian authors and created the name Shakespeare to attribute the pilferage. I’d guarantee that Hagins is familiar with this research, which demonstrates his fraud as a scholar.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The rebuttal regarding the existence of Shakespeare has to do with the number of great works that are contributed to him. According to the logic, no man during the 17<sup>th</sup> century<span style=""> </span>could have written nearly 50 great works<span style=";font-family:";" > - </span>sonnets, plays, poems<span style=";font-family:";" > - </span>plus spend 11 years working on the so called King James Bible using the tools of literature that were available. And I would almost guarantee that Hagins is aware of this position, and he probably advances it when it is convenient to do so.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Although Hagins is correct in his assertion that no European was involved in the writing of any verse of Scripture, I see why that is important in his lecture. He demonstrates it as an irony…that the Scripture has morphed into a Western, European ideology, yet not one European was involved in its creation. In fact, the identity of the followers of Jesus originated, not in Greece as some Western theologians would have you to believe, but in modern day Syria, then known as Antioch: <i style="">And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch</i> (Acts 11:26b). Where Hagins self destructs is not the what (that the Western world has assumed the identity of the Scripture), but the why. Why has Western Civilization gone to great extremes to assume the identity of the Scripture? Without understanding the pathology behind the Western theologian’s motivation to “appear” to be the oracle of God, it would seem that there is a certain deceit in the Holy Scriptures for those who know the deception that has been perpetrated by Western theology. In fact, the greatest lies of all time have their origin in Western theology.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Also, Hagins claims that Francis Bacon was Shakespeare’s lover, and they carried on their relationship during the rewriting of the Scripture. Bacon is a very complex figure and may have been gay, but I also doubt if he made any meaningful contributions to the translation of the Scripture. He was a master alchemist and he understood the al-chemical nature that underlie some aspects of the Scripture. Consequently, it would be highly unlikely that he would participate in their demise. Plus the translation of 1611 is not a rewritten book, as Hagins suggests, but it was translated from an earlier English version; the Bishops translation of 1568, which was itself revised in 1572. The translation of 1611 used the Bishops’ translation, along with the Latin (Vulgate) translation as its starting point. Hagins knows this, but his lectures have a certain level of theatrics that he must preserve, and Bible-bashing is like “Broadway” for him: it is a live show that keeps the paying crowd lined up at the door.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Whether God’s word is the Christian Scripture (which is of course, what I believe), the Islamic Koran, the Buddhist Dhammapada, the Sutras of Patanjali, or the Hindu Rig Veda, He is the custodian over its proliferation throughout human history. Consequently, He has an obligation to His followers to assure that no matter the translation, it is pure. This is why we can rest assured that God has managed every translation of His Word. I submit that one of the great lies of human history is the notion that the New Testament’s original form was Greek. This is easily debunked, however, by asking one simple question: What language did Jesus speak? And the answer is obviously not Greek, but Aramaic. In fact, to authenticate the facts of the original language, God in His infinite wisdom left one verse of Scripture in the original form: <i style="">And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani</span>? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me</i> (Matthew 27:46, emphasis mine)?
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Matthew 27:46 is one of numerous verses of Scripture that proves the authenticity of God’s Word. He foresaw the future attempts by the Western world to personify His Word; therefore He left us clues to buttress the truth. I wonder if Hagins believes that the translation team of 1611 conspired to leave this one verse in its original Aramaic; notwithstanding the fact that it betrays the notion of a Greek New Testament.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hagins deals with two issues in Part six to assert that inconsistencies in the Scripture render it flawed: falsely attributing Isaiah 7:14 to Christ; and the notion that the Scriptural references to Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew and Luke contradict themselves. I happened to address both of these subjects in detail in my upcoming book, <i style="">Flawless, God’s Perfect Plan of Redemption</i> (see www.theflawlessplan.blogspot.com), but I’ll share a little here.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First, concerning Isaiah 7:14, unless he understood the distinction between a virgin birth and a non-virgin birth, which it is clear that he didn’t, he would not understand this verse anyway: <i style="">Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel</i> (Isaiah 7:14). Without revealing too much of my book, I’ll simply ask the question…How can a virgin conceive? Certainly virgins can come together in a sexual union; however, once the initial penetration takes place, before the ejaculation I might add, her virginity has disappeared, and conception does not take place for between three and thirty-six hours later. He claims that the Hebrew word ‘almah,’ is used in Isaiah, meaning young maiden, suggesting that Mary was not a virgin.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is a deep mystical operation that was conducted by the Holy Ghost that fused the genetic makeup of a human to the divinity of Jesus Christ, because in the absence if a miracle from God, virgins cannot conceive. I deal with it in detail in my book.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Second, Hagins' assertion that Christ’s genealogy is contradictory is easier to poke a hole into than the issue of His virgin birth.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Luke 3 gives us the most complete archive of the ancestors of Jesus Christ. This lineage spans seventy-five generations and provides us with every male progenitor of Christ from Adam to His birth. The archive in the first chapter of Matthew provides us with a slightly different genealogy of Jesus. It begins with the patriarch Abraham and traces Jesus’ bloodline down to King David and through his son Solomon, whereas Luke 3 tracks the blood lineage through King David’s son Nathan.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is important to note that the bloodline took divergent paths during the life of King David. One leg passed through his son Nathan and continued down through to Joseph, as outlined by Luke. The other leg passed through David’s son Solomon and descended to Joseph, again as described by Matthew. At first glance, we seem to encounter a problem reconciling the accounts of both lineages: How can Joseph, Mary’s husband, have two fathers; Jacob according to Matthew and Heli according to Luke?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Watch the strategy of God.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The lineages described by Matthew and Luke are the lineages of Joseph and Mary respectively. Matthew’s lineage through Solomon demonstrates Jesus’ right to the royal succession, while Luke’s genealogy provides the actual, genetic ancestry of Jesus through Mary. Although Jesus was not Joseph’s actual son, He was adopted, which gave Him all the rights and privileges of Joseph’s family, including the right to lay claim to the royal lineage and sit on the throne of David as the only legitimate king.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The two genealogies establish two requirements for Jesus to ascend to the throne: first, the Messiah had to come from the House of David (Matthew’s account) and second, He had to be born of a virgin (Luke’s account). Luke’s genealogy, however, states that Jesus was the son of Joseph: <i>And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli </i>(Luke <st1:time minute="23" hour="15">3:23</st1:time>). Joseph in this description is actually the son-in-law of Heli, who is the father of Mary, and of course, she was the vessel chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The genealogy in Matthew provides us with information that is unavailable in Luke. It demonstrates the non-Hebrew contribution to the royal bloodline. Since Jesus had to fulfill the law, including the law of redemption, we must be able to prove scripturally that He did in fact fulfill that component of the Law of Moses. As the lineage of Christ was being developed, God was faced with the challenge of ensuring that there was enough genetic contribution from the Gentile bloodline to qualify Jesus as their near kin.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Praise God for an understanding of his word!<o:p></o:p></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2330297461945773157.post-62788427106876711712009-11-15T06:49:00.000-08:002009-11-19T08:53:03.061-08:00An Open Letter to Dr. Ray Hagins<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="date"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="time"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:date year="2009" day="15" month="11">November 15, 2009</st1:date></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:date year="2009" day="15" month="11">
<br /></st1:date></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dear Dr. Hagins,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Thank you for the work that you have undertaken to educate the people of our community about their history and heritage. Although I do not embrace many of the tenets that you advanced last night, I would much rather see our young men aspire to be like Imhotep, Khufu, Ramses or Amenhotep III than to be standing on the corner grabbing their crotches. This letter is what I trust will be a reasonable and well thought out response to your lecture last night at Everlasting Life. I rarely take the time to offer a written reply to the critics of Christianity; however, you did “challenge” your audience that anyone who could provide irrefutable evidence that your criticisms of Christianity were unfounded would receive a 20-year expense endowment from you. Please be advised that it is my desire to defend my faith that is my motivation for answering you and not the endowment.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First, it struck me as odd that one who grew up Pentecostal would make light of my acknowledgment that I had been baptized in Jesus’ Name and had received the gift of the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave me the utterance. Now Dr. Hagins, it is impossible to deny any experience: attending school; lecturing on a subject on a specific date; getting married; or receiving the Holy Ghost, and if you had ever received the “authentic” gift of the Holy Ghost, your spirit would bear witness to the truth. To follow the theme of your lecture on the Origins of Christianity, I am aware that a counterfeit gift of the Holy Ghost virtually reigns supreme in Western Christendom today, and perhaps you saw too much of that erroneous expression of spirituality in your youth.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">In 1967 a handful of sincere Catholics were looking for a spiritual renewal during a retreat, and they claimed to have experienced the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit with the outward expression of speaking in tongues. It was not long afterwards that the Catholic Church assigned a Cardinal to oversee this phenomenon, eventually diluting the true experience of the early Catholic Charismatics and sabotaging the entire movement. However, the impact of the Charismatics can still be felt today as many sincere, but naïve Christians have not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, but are under the convincing allusion that they have, because they have worked up some type of babble. This is in no means to make light of my brothers and sisters in spirit, but to demonstrate the far-reaching deception of the purveyors of religious dogma.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The spiritual renewal movement in the Western World is light-years away from the apostolic experience on the Day of Pentecost in <st1:city><st1:place>Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city> more than 2,000 years ago (see Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2).
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">You spoke in a satirical way of Christians “living by faith,” but aren’t you also “living by faith” when you declare that Christianity has its origins in Kemetic teachings? You said something last night that suggests that you are/were a law enforcement officer, so I am certain that you are acutely aware of the need to have a “chain of custody” to properly manage evidence. Therefore, unless you can demonstrate a chain of custody from the moment that the evidence you use to buttress your lecture was either uttered or written, aren’t you subjecting yourself to his-story as well?
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Notwithstanding the monuments of human ingenuity that have been left behind by the ancient Egyptians, isn’t all history a tale that is sown by someone; whether it is true or false? It was not until the early 20<sup>th</sup> Century when Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamen’s burial chamber that his name began its ascent from the precipice of oblivion. Who erased King Tut from history? Was it not the very men who you honor as custodians of truth?! And if these men erased King Tut, couldn’t their predecessors/successors in spirit have erased Moses from the kingdom, or Cain from the kingdom, or Nimrod from the kingdom, or any other great Hebrew patriarch?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As I announced last night, I do not practice the form of Christianity that has been handed down by the Western Theologian. I practice the form of Christianity that originated in <st1:city><st1:place>Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city> more than 2,000 years ago, and the teachings of the Apostles have had an unbroken line of dissemination to this day. It is too complicated for me to explain why and preserve the alacrity of this letter; however, for your further reading, I have written an article explaining why the greatest lies of all time have their origin in Western Theology. If your time windfall will permit further reading, please click <a href="http://urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/2009/10/satanic-obstacles-to-human-ingenuity-pt.html">here</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Your lecture seemed to focus on the narrow teachings of Western Theology and not Christianity. There is a distinction; however, since I do not want this letter to dissolve into the trigger point for a theological debate, I will end it by reconciling the greatest contrast in the Christian, Holy Writ. I believe that the story of Moses; the true story, fuses much of what you said last night with a spiritual understanding that has been virtually wiped out in the Western World.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I’m certain as a former Christian you know the Biblical story of Moses, and how when God enlisted him to confront Pharaoh, he gave various excuses why he was not the proper candidate and one of the reasons that he gave was that he was slow of speech and of a slow tongue (see Exodus 4:10). However, you may not be aware that the Scripture also declares that “…<i style="">Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was <b style="">mighty in words</b> and in deeds</i> (Acts <st1:time minute="22" hour="19">7:22</st1:time>, emphasis mine).” Why the apparent paradox? On one hand the Scripture teaches that Moses was mighty in words (as it relates to Egyptian wisdom); however, on the other hand, his testimony is that he was slow of speech. The answer lies in our understanding that the ancient Egyptians had a secret school of wisdom, which Moses was an initiate of.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">When Yahweh called Moses out of the burning bush, this was his first encounter with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he was obviously unaware of His ability. However, being raised in Pharaoh’s house and becoming a member of the inner circle of wisdom in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Moses was keenly aware of the ability of Pharaoh. And I suggest to you that he frankly was not so sure that Jehovah-God was superior to the ‘gods’ of Egyptian knowledge. And considering that there was a death notice out for him, he was not too eager to confront Pharaoh.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">After angering the Lord with excuses of why he could not confront Pharaoh, God told him that Aaron would be his spokesman. However, it is clear that Moses was fearful of Pharaoh and was attempting to hedge his bets that perhaps Pharaoh was a mightier god than Jehovah. However, as we observe Moses’ confidence build in God after watching Him perform alchemical conversions that were beyond the Egyptian, master magicians’ abilities, he began to do most of the talking before Pharaoh; almost boastful. As you would say Dr. Hagins, “This is deep.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As you urged your audience to consider those things that are laid before us that are outside the boundaries of what we’ve been taught, I pray that you will also heed those words and consider my response. As I was departing last night, I had to assure three or four of the brothers that I was not offended at all by what you taught, because frankly, in the microscopic blur between fine-lines, much of what you said is correct. Yes, I understand that there has been a theft of knowledge from the first discoverers and inventors of human ingenuity by the Western World; however, I also understand their motive for the pilferage. In fact, why do you think that <st1:city><st1:place>Constantine</st1:place></st1:city> chose to hijack Christianity? I’ll leave that for you to ponder.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hitler taught the custodians of civilization that the best place to hide something is in plain view, and give it the widest broadcast, because the bigger the lie, the easier it will be to get the people to embrace. The Bible is the best selling book of all time, and its truth is readily available to billions of people across the globe; however, the Western World has controlled its interpretation for more than 1,700 years, leaving the people to grope in darkness. And therein lies the greatest deception of all time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This has been respectfully submitted with an earnest desire that we both may know and understand the truth, and if you have time to respond, I would greatly appreciate it.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Sincerely,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">David R. Tolson</p><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} span.EmailStyle16 {mso-style-type:personal; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-ascii-font-family:Arial; mso-hansi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; color:windowtext;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com/">www.thepeoplespulse.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com/">www.urclimbingjacobsladder.blogspot.com</a><o:p></o:p></p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ><a href="http://www.theflawlessplan.blogspot.com/">www.theflawlessplan.blogspot.com</a></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theflawlessplan.blogspot.com/">
<br /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">p.s. Some believe that the remnants of Solomon’s Temple lie beneath the Western Wall, while others believe that it is situated under the more easterly hills which form the Dome of the Rock. Either way, neither the Jews nor Muslims will permit any archeological digs near those holy sites. And in regard to your query regarding the location of the Ark of the Covenant, I ask this question: Where are the jewelry and the battle accoutrements that King Tut was wearing when he fell from his horse in 1323 B.C.?</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05129662609804650677noreply@blogger.com2