Category: Resource Notes

On Monday, January 15 the U.S. celebrated the Martin Luther King holiday, honoring the life of an American hero and a Christian martyr.

Dr. King grew up in a world where many people believed that the black African people were inferior to the white Europeans. This belief, which was used to support slavery in the U.S. and the colonization of Africa by Europe, directly contradicts Biblical teaching that all humans are from the same family and that God commands us to love our brothers. However, the rise of Secularism and a Darwinistic view of the human race gave a scientific veneer to the myth of racial superiority. To their shame, even some Churches went along with the lie. Modern science has now proven that all humans came from the same mother, as the Bible teaches, and that there is more genetic difference within the races than between them.

So Thomas Jefferson was right when he said all men are created equal. But making that statement a reality has been a long battle in the U.S. We fought the Civil War to end slavery, and the war brought God’s judgment, as one soldier died for each person left in slavery after the American Revolution, and the slaveholding South was devastated. Nevertheless, racial inequality was reborn in the “Jim Crow” system of laws which discriminated against black people in the South. After the Second World War black servicemen who had proven themselves the equal of their white brothers found it more and more difficult to accept their oppression.

In many countries oppressed minorities had taken up arms, but the U.S. was spared from this fate. Instead, a black Baptist pastor called on his people to use nonviolent Christian principles to bring about change. Dr. King’s Civil Rights crusade eventually bought an end to the Jim Crow laws and led to a broad level of reconciliation between the races. Sadly, he and many others gave their lives to bring about the nonviolent Civil Rights revolution.
We still have some work to do to reach Dr. King’s goal of a color blind society and full racial reconciliation. But on this day we celebrate a Baptist pastor who used Christian principles and his Christian faith to bring his white and black brothers together.
Let us pray that Dr. King’s memory will be honored by reconciliation and unity, and that those who would divide and promote hatred, whether white or black, will be exposed and repudiated.

Today, January 10 holds the dubious distinction of being the anniversary of the convening both the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1946.
The League of Nations was formed in the aftermath of World War I as an attempt to bring dialogue to the nations and avoid war. Progressive U.S. President Woodrow Wilson pushed the idea, apparently believing that tyrants could be talked out of tyranny. Americans were unconvinced and never joined. Tyrants in Japan, Italy, and Germany ignored the League of Nations and it collapsed in the flames of World War II.
After the war the League of Nations was resurrected as the United Nations. In the beginning the U.N. was somewhat successful, and even supported the formation of Israel in 1947. The U.N. also supported the Korean War against communist aggression in 1950, but only because the Russians were boycotting the U.N. when the vote was taken. Thereafter the Cold War overwhelmed most U.N. opportunities and the U.N. became largely a propaganda entity.
The end of Colonialism and the birth of new nations brought a burst of hope to the U.N. However, most of the new nations were taken over by tyrants and the U.N. became something of a club for authoritarian governments. While the tyrants use the U.N. for their propaganda purposes, putting countries like Iran on the human rights committee is not calculated to produce any real advances in human freedom. Naturally, the tyrants oppose the freedom agendas of the U.S. and the other democracies.
A particular target of the authoritarian governments of the U.N. has been the democratic state of Israel. Acts of terrorism, wanton attacks on civilians by rockets, and military aggression against Israel are routinely ignored, while Israel is condemned for defending itself. Last year, the U.N. condemned Israel for “endangering peace” by building settlements, while ignoring the refusals of Palestinians to recognize Israel’s right to exist and their continuing policy of placing a bounty on murdered Israelites. Then, in December, the tyrant majority of the U. N. voted to condemn the U.S. for recognizing that Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 50 years.
Why do the nations rage? The Bible says that they want to throw off the restraints on their evil activities (Psalm 2:1-3). They are at war with God’s plans and purposes, especially as it relates to Israel.
The only force consistently standing against the tyrant majority in the U.N. has been the U.S., which has a Security Council Veto. We must pray that the U.S. will continue to stand up to the tyrants and enemies of Israel.
And let us not forget to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Next week, on January 8, the American Dialect Society will pick the “Word of the year” for 2017.

One of the top candidates is “Reckoning”, a word which nominator Mary Schmick of the Chicago Tribune said “Has been everywhere”. According to Wall Street Journal writer Ben Zimmer the word “reckoning” “suggests a settling of accounts, especially for past misdeeds.” He states that the world dates back to 14thcentury English “Referring to the last judgement”. Indeed, 2017 has been a year of “Reckoning”, or judgment, from God.

It is not as if we were not warned. Many commentators, ourselves included, saw in the Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017 a warning from God. The fact that this eclipse occurred on the first day of the Hebrew repentance season of Teshuvah magnified the message of Teshuvah to return to the presence of God. For more information you can download our book Teshuvah Eclipses for free at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/835gr2gnzg1labn/Teshuvah%20Eclipses.pdf?dl=0

While many did repent and pray through Teshuvah, the nation as a whole did not. The day after the Eclipse the floods began, with the first in Kansas City where torrents of rain had covered the view of the Eclipse. Next came Hurricanes dumping 4 feet of water in southeast Texas, raking Florida from the Keys and up the western seaboard, and destroying the infrastructure of Puerto Rico. Then came the wind driven fires, raging through the wealthy Napa Valley and devastating large areas around Los Angeles.
Now comes Ice, as most of the nation has seen the coldest New Year in a century.

Back in the Spring of 2017 scientists noticed that the energy output of the sun, measured by sunspot activity, had fallen to its lowest level in 100 years. Lower solar energy had historically led to a cooling climate cycle which features torrential rains, high winds which can drive fires, and colder temperatures. Scripture teaches us that the Lord uses the forces of nature to send Judgment (See Deuteronomy 11:16-17, Ezekiel 13:13, and Job 37:6-13). These reckonings of rain, fire, and ice have forced a rebellious people to stop and pay attention to Him (Job 37:7).

Another form of reckoning, or judgment, came as the secret sins of powerful men were exposed (See Proverbs 26:24-26). It began with sexual exploitation in the entertainment business, as women came forward with credible accusations which people began to believe. This exploitation had been covered over for years because of the “Progressive” politics espoused by the abusers. Even the Democratic Party, which had stood steadfast by Bill Clinton when his sexual abuses were exposed, turned on some of their own politicians in an amazing recognition that perhaps character does matter. For their part, the Republicans re-learned the lesson that character matters in a stunning electoral defeat in Republican Alabama.

Secret sins in the government were also exposed as the “Russia Collusion” investigation, intended to entangle the Trump presidency, began instead to show that the Democrats had used Russian sources to manipulate the FBI and Justice Department into spying on the Trump campaign. Many high government officials have been implicated in an apparent conspiracy to interfere with the Trump campaign while covering up the over $100 million Russian payment to the Clinton Foundation and failing to mount a real investigation of the Clinton Server Scandal. Of course, the secret sins of some Trump campaign workers have also been exposed, even though they are unrelated to the “Russia Collusion “story. It seems that those who lied to the President and those who lied about the President may both fall into the pit they dug for him (Psalms 35:7-8).

As people of prayer we should be praying that those under judgment will repent and learn righteousness in accordance with God’s plan, as expressed in Isaiah 26:9. Because He is gracious and compassionate, the Lord may relent from sending further calamity (Joel 2:13).

Let us pray that the year of reckoning will bring forth a year of reconciliation with God and man, and healing for our land.

Last night at sundown the Hebrew Feast of Hanukah began. The Feast memorializes the dedication of the Temple in 165 BC, after Antiocus IV Epiphanes attempted to stamp out the Hebrew religion. It also celebrates a miracle where a one day supply of Temple oil lasted eight days. Thus, it is called both the “Feast of Dedication” and the “Feast of Lights”.

With the cleansing of the Temple in 165BC, the Nation of Israel was reborn and the Temple and the Nation of Israel were made ready to receive the Messiah. However, it was 160 years later that He was born and 190 years later that He began His ministry. Jesus celebrated the Feast of Dedication and used the occasion to clarify that He was the Messiah while teaching in the Temple (see John 11:22-39).

Last week on December 9, we marked a significant date leading to the Second Coming of
Christ. It was 100 years ago on December 9, 1917 that the Turks surrendered Jerusalem to the British. The British mandate ultimately lead to the U.N. vote to form Israel thirty years later in 1947, and to the birth of Israel in 1948. Christians all over the world saw the miraculous rebirth of Israel as preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.

Few Christians expected the return of Christ to be delayed so long after the nation of
Israel was made ready. However, if we look back to the formation of Israel in 165 BC, preparatory to the advent of Christ, then a waiting period of 160 or 190 years is not so surprising. At 100 years, if counting began in 1917 instead of 1948, we would only be half way through a 190 year wait.

Let us pray over the Feast of Dedication and let us remember how it made the way ready for the Messiah. The Feast of Dedication also reminds us to purify our hearts, the New Convent temple of the Holy Spirit, as the Second Temple was purified in 165 B.C.

And let us also pray that Christians do not get discouraged by the delay in Christ’s return, for no one knows the day or the hour.

Instead, let us joyfully add to the numbers of the Church and look forward to the day that the number is completed and the Lord returns (Revelation 6:9-11)

Even so, come Lord Jesus

It is time to dust off your copy of The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek and begin praying, as one of the most egregious threats to our freedoms heads to court this week.

Hayek, a Nobel Prize winning economist, wrote the book during the Second World War as a warning against Socialism and its cousins Fascism, National Socialism (Nazism), and Communism. As a European citizen he had watched as 18 of the 28 European democracies in place at the end of the First World War had lost their freedoms to become authoritarian or totalitarian nations. He identified the processes by which freedom was lost, calling it The Road to Serfdom. These processes are still as work today, threatening our freedoms even in America.

The slippery slope to slavery begins with good intentions to meet demands for justice, fairness, or some other good cause. Democracies, being messy and slow to act, begin to turn over their legislative functions to bureaucrats who are believed to be wiser and more efficient. It then falls to unelected government officials to pick winners and losers. And to limit individual freedoms to force compliance with their rulings. In the end the government eliminates constitutional limits on its power, shutting out democratic input and eliminating individual rights.

We are witnessing such a drama play out with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) this week. Originally conceived as a “Good idea”, it was given dictatorial powers when organized. Almost immediately the CFPB began making rulings in areas prohibited by its organizing statute, claiming that it was not accountable to the U.S. Congress. Now the head of the CFPB is claiming that he can appoint an interim director in defiance of Presidential authority. If the counts agree, the CFPB will not be answerable to the Congress, the President, or the courts. In effect we will have a dictator who can control the entire American economy.

When the people of ancient Israel wanted a king to solve their problems, God warned them against the abuses of authoritarian government (1 Samuel 8:11-17). Samuel spoke to them about abuse of power, economic cronyism, high taxes, and, 3000 years before Hayek, the end result of slavery. The Israelites marched down the Road to Serfdom because they had rejected God as their King (1 Samuel 8:7), and America is in great danger of following that same path to tyranny.

Let us pray that our courts will protect us from dictatorial government power and our Congress will take back its constitutional authority to make our laws. We also pray that the eyes of our people will be opened to the threats to our freedom, and that they will repent and return to the Author of our freedom.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” –John 8:31-32

In the first year of the Untied States of America under its new Constitution, 228 years ago on November 26, 1789, the New Nation celebrated its first Thanksgiving.
President George Washington’s proclamation, thanking the Lord for His protection and provision, and praying for unity, repentance, and good government, is as relevant today as it was 1789:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor . . . .
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these United States . . . that we then may all unite unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are now blessed. . . .
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discretely and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice for the true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows best.
So let us follow Washington’s admonition to be thankful, united, and prayerful this Thanksgiving.

The recent mass murder at the Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas has reignited the national debate on gun violence. It has also highlighted the question of guns and churches.

One thing which has become abundantly clear is that no one can count on the government for protection against a madman. Our existing gun laws could have prevented the tragedy, but government officials failed to report the killer’s family abuse conviction. Even so, it seems that criminals can find ways to obtain guns. In addition, the police cannot arrive in time to prevent loss of life. Something more is needed.

Many believe that banning guns from churches or other public gatherings is the answer. The problem with this approach is that only the law abiding citizens will leave their guns at home. We must remember that those mass killers are cowards looking for helpless victims. A gun free zone is an open invitation to killers and an encouragement to gun violence. Only when confronted by armed opponents do the cowards stop killing innocents and try to run away or just commit suicide to avoid a fight.

Some believe that taking a gun to church is a violation of the peace of God which is present in the Church. But we know from Scripture that the Temple guards were armed, and even the Levites carried swords when necessary (See 2 Chronicles 23:6-10). Apparently God has no problem with weapons in His presence, and neither should we.

In Texas, as in many other states, citizens can pass a background test and a firearm training course to receive a license to carry a concealed hand gun. Most of those people are willing to use their firearms to defend themselves, their families, their neighbors, and their church families. It was such an armed citizen who stopped the Sutherland Springs shooter before he could take more lives. Sadly, no one in the Church was armed, and many lives were lost.

We urge the Pastors and Churches to welcome those legally licensed to carry guns so that they can fulfil the calling on their lives to protect their Church family. And don’t keep it a secret. Call a “Carry your gun to Church Sunday” so the cowardly killers in your community will know they can’t turn your Church into a shooting gallery.

We should continue to pray for God’s protection and ask Him to send His guardian angles to our churches. But let’s not turn away the guardian angels who have concealed hand gun permits.