AND GOD SPOKE

AND GOD SPOKE

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Immigration - The New Modern Warfare


Once upon a time, vast armies would invade nations or walled cities.  Often, two armies would go out into the open field to confront one another in mortal combat.  Artillery consisted of an array of archers shooting scores of arrows in unison or catapults projecting boulders or balls of fire over the walls.   Expendable soldiers could be used to man battering rams that would breach the gates of the city leaving its inhabitants helpless before the pillaging invaders.  But the most common form of combat consisted of men equipped with armor, shield, and sword.  These combatants would fight to the death while looking into the eyes of the one whom they had to kill lest they, themselves, die.  I suppose that the noble combatant was the one who, out of necessity, engaged in the conflict to protect his wife and children who, should the enemy win, would, no doubt, be raped, murdered or enslaved by the invading hoard.  As the battle would progress, General (or field-marshall) would direct the strategy from a safe distance.

Nowadays, there are many new forms of artillery.  We have drones for striking small “targets” and ICBMs for destroying big targets, like entire cities.  Out on the battlefield, I suppose the closest thing we have to hand-to-hand combat is tanks and guns capable of killing from a distance of several hundred yards.  It’s unlikely that anyone looks into the eyes of his enemy any more not on the battlefield anyway.

Primitive armies, intent on invading nations that possess advanced weaponry don’t have the technologically to do so, so a new tactic had to be devised.  Women and children, who in the old days, would have helplessly fallen prey to a victorious invading army, could now be used as those expendable “battering rams” for busting open the gates of the metaphorical city.  The defenders are forced now to look into the eyes of, not the combatants, but of the “expendable” battering rams.  Indeed, righteous people cannot bring themselves to kill these battering rams!  The field-marshall of the invading hoard directing the battle from a distance knows that, so he anticipates that his target will let the invading hoards into the “city” where they will begin engaging in hand-to-hand combat.  And the field-marshall will direct the conflict from his lazy-boy with his remote while laughing “all the way to the bank.”  There’s one caveat ‘though.  He is the bank!

May I direct your attention, however, to yet another caveat, There is One who sits in the heavens.  He owns the bank.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

If You Want to “Make America Great Again” You Need Repentance and Jesus


 (I Like Donald Trump But)

I like Donald Trump.

I like it that jobs are coming back to America so that people no longer live off of handouts but can earn a living and, by doing so, have some dignity.

I like it that he’s cutting back on unnecessary regulations so that small business owners can run their businesses and not spend all of their time filling out paperwork.

I like it that he wants a strong military because a strong military means that you’re less likely to have to use it.

I like it that he, at least temporarily (and hopefully permanently) averted a nuclear showdown with North Korea.  I pray that this might lead to the freeing of the people of North Korea from slavery to a dictator.

I like it that he affirmed Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel, a fact substantiated by myriad Biblical and archaeological evidence.

I like it that he wants to control who comes into the United States so that no harm can happen to her citizens.

I like many things about Donald Trump

BUT

I don’t like his apparent arrogance and bombast, and I’m alarmed by his tendency to attack people personally (‘though I, myself, have been overly reluctant to excuse it) and perhaps you don’t like some of the policies mentioned above which I like.  That’s OK.  I understand why you might have genuine areas of concern and even fear.

And

It takes far more than jobs, a great economy, a strong military and secure borders to Make America Great Again (M.A.G.A or M.A.G. if you’re of the opinion that America was never great).  It takes people, who in spite of their differences in ethnicity, gender and even opinions, living together harmoniously regardless of their politics.

Jesus said:
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
(Matthew 5:22)

Translation?  Don’t marginalize people and don’t classify them!  People may have a liberal-leaning or a conservative-leaning.  They may vary in gender or ethnicity.  On issues, they may have their reasons for what they think, and they may feel passionate about them.  In that case, agree to disagree and walk away.  But never think of them as anything less than human.  Jesus never did. 



Monday, March 26, 2018

If it Weren’t for SIN, We wouldn’t be Talking About GUNS



Scripture tells us that because of jealousy a man by the name of Cain killed his brother Abel.  This event happened such a long time ago that it goes without saying that he carried out this murder even before the invention of the gun.  One might presume that Abel never suspected that his brother would cause his demise and therefore never took precautionary steps to prevent that from happening.
            Later on, the Bible tells us that as the population of the world grew, it became exceedingly violent.  It says:

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

God created a flood that would destroy the population of the entire world save for one man by the name of Noah and his family.
It is important to pause and think about that verse mentioned above. God saw that “every,” not some, but EVERY thought and intention of the heart of man was continually evil.  Nothing man even so much as thought about did not come with some malevolent motive even if seemingly altruistic.  Hence, God proceeded to do what the human race was already bent on doing eliminating itself from the face of the earth.  But Noah found favor with God, so God spared him and his family.
            Noah was not innocent, however.  The Bible tells us that he became drunk one day and unwittingly embarrassed himself in front of one of his sons who consequently mocked him behind his back.  Sin was still prevalent in the life of Noah and his sons.  That one family is the progenitor of every person living since then including every person living today.  Sin still existed in the seed and heart of Noah and history tells us that since his time, there have been countless wars and murders and incidences of man’s inhumanity to his fellow.
            What was true before Noah’s time is evident today. “Every intent of thoughts of his [man’s] heart is only evil continually.  The Shaliach (Apostle) Paul wrote

“… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:23)
The Shaliach John wrote

 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
(1 John 1:8)

It is sin which results in murder.  James confirmed this when he wrote

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.
(James 4:1-2)

Rather obviously throughout history, guns have not been the only instruments people have used for killing others, but in this present era, they seem to be the instrument of choice. A vast number of people rightfully wish that guns might cease to exist.
One can empathize with idealists who would like a world without guns.  Hey, I would like that!  It’s not unlikely, however, that many of these idealists perceive of NRA supporters as evil “war-mongers” who don’t want peace and don’t want a world without violence.  But as well-intentioned as this mindset might be, it is unrealistic. People are violent.  And just perhaps, NRA members are realists.  Whereas Able probably never anticipated that his brother would kill him, history has shown that we humans really ought not to be so naïve.
 I recently saw a video in which idealists got extremely angry with an NRA supporter.  One of them said to the NRA supporter “We need to get rid of you.”  The vitriol that this man was spouting in the video was breathtaking.  I rhetorically ask “how does this idealist plan on getting rid of the NRA member?”  Is it with a gun?
It is almost a cliché to say that “guns don’t kill people.  People do.”  But it’s true.  Guns, like bows and arrows before them, and spears before them and rocks before them are only instruments used for fulfilling the whims of men which is to kill other men either aggressively or in self-defense.  People like that angry man in that video would not even dream of the possibility that he might be violent.  But he refused to listen to the NRA supporter’s argument that he only uses guns for protection.  The idealist can’t even bring himself to consider that this world has a lot of evil people in it.  He can’t even imagine his potential for violence because he has an inaccurate understanding of himself.  He can’t see himself objectively.  He got angry on camera beyond a level he probably imagined that he ever would.  He is the type of person who says “he has no sin, thus deceives himself.”
The answer to the problem of violence is not “do we keep guns or get rid of guns.”  The problem is SIN and people need to admit that they’re sinners and turn their lives over to Jesus who died because people sin.  None of us has an accurate understanding of ourselves.  Some of us think too highly of ourselves, and some of us undervalue ourselves.  And most of us don’t wish to admit that we sin.  But we do.  And the major part of the problem of violence is that people don’t admit it.