7 Scriptural Proofs We Are Living In The Last Days

Courtesy of YouTube channel:

Zachary Bauer

Published on Nov 20, 2018

Have you ever thought that you might be living in what the Bible calls the LAST DAYS? Have you looked around at this world full of sin and wondered why the Father lets it all happen? I’m here to tell you that our Father’s judgement is close at hand and He will again return to His creation to make things right. The prophets speak of His return.

This coincides with “A Blockchain-Based AI Will Be Impossible to Shutdown, Expert Warns” I reposted on PWE.

The Bible’s Role in the School

From Sons of Liberty –  < live link to site post

“With an education that was explicitly Bible-based, what was the impact on literacy rates in America? They were very high. Dr. D. James Kennedy once put it this way, in contrasting colonial  America (with its emphasis on the Bible) versus modern education (which is often downgrading the Scriptures):

“What was the result of over 200 years of Christian education? John Quincy Adams said that in the early 1800s, only four people out of 1,000 were illiterate, or four-tenths of 1 percent.”
But what about today? Alas, there are millions of functionally illiterate Americans today. Some of those graduating can’t even read their diplomas. Kennedy noted we’re approaching the illiteracy rate of some of the undeveloped countries.”

“Upon This Rock…” – Using the Bible to prove the Bible

WHO IS “THE ROCK”?

Matthew 16:13-:18  [Full Chapter]

¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Peter’s confessional statement (verse 16) is clearly answered by Christ in the next verse, showing that God the Father had revealed Christ’s identity to him.

Bear in mind that this started off the shores of the Sea of Galilee, verified in the previous chapter, 39th verse, having fed the multitude with seven loaves of bread and some fishes:

Matthew 15:39 King James Version (KJV)  ³⁹ And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

The first verse, Matthew 16:1 KJV is continued verification:  16:1  The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.  

Pharisees and Sadducees would not be anywhere remotely near Rome.  Evidence clearly showing that the conversations were nowhere near Rome!

Moreover, In Strong’s Concordance:

“Petra”  Greek, is defined:
petra: a (large mass of) rock
Transliteration: petra
Phonetic Spelling (pet’ra)
Short Definition: rock

“Peter”, Greek is defined:

‘Petros: “a stone” or “a boulder,”

Peter, one of the twelve apostles

Transliteration:  Petros  Phonetic Spelling: (pet’-ros)

Definition: Peter, a Greek name meaning rock.

Short Definition: Peter

Christ was referring to His father.  Petra  a (large mass of) rock; not Petros, “a stone” or “a boulder”.

The Roman church, which insists it was first, ignores Biblical fact:  The disciples of Christ started many churches in the middle east; being indwelled with the Holy Spirit, they were made able to converse with the residents in their own language, witnesses to Jehovah God.  Several of their names are the titles of books in the New Testament; Corinthians, (Corinth) Galatians, (Galatia) Ephesians, (Ephasis) Philippians, (Philippi in eastern Macedonia) Colossians, a city about 100 miles east of Ephesus, (church of Colossae) and Thessalonians, (Thessalonica).

It was 313 AD when the Co-Roman Emporers, Constantine and Licinius, signed the Edict of Milan, which finally ensured religious tolerance for Christians.

Link

Prayer Foundation

Although the Matthew passage has been misconstrued to mean that Peter was “the rock”, we find the true meaning of who IS the rock, found in Deuteronomy 32:

Deuteronomy 32:1-40  King James Version (KJV)

32 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

6 Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

9 For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:

12 So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.

13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;

14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.

17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

19 And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.

24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

26 I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:

27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.

28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?

31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:

33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

34 Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?

35 To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

36 For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,

38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.

39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

Jesus meant His father, NOT Peter. This is not negotiable. Also, I was motivated to use most of this entire passage because largely, our country has nearly mirrored the disobedience of His people, and unless we do a turnaround, and repent, certainly will, (if not already have,) incur His wrath, not blessing.

Sadly, this excerpt from the Washington Times, with news of blatant Apostasy:

By Cheryl K. Chumley – The Washington Times – Monday, June 9, 2014

“For the first time in Vatican history, the pope allowed for the reading of Islamic prayers and Koran readings from the Catholic facility.”

Read more: The Washington Times 

Who are God’s Marines?

Courtesy of Gunny G –  Re My Use of the term “God’s Marines” On my Gunny G Blog…

 

I recently used the term “God‘s Marines” in a post I made on my Gunny G Blog; I also recalled another Marine’s website from years ago using that term…  found it!

Here it is below.

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January 6, 2011 at 1:15 pm | #4

Quote

Here It Is Right Here! http://www.behindthebadge.net/bloodstripes/marines.html

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Who are God’s Marines?

Would it surprise you to know that I think angels are God’s Marines? It might if you think of angels as chubby little kids, or beautiful females in flowing silk robes. Where do people get those ideas? Not from the Bible that is for sure. See for yourself, here are a few passages from the Bible describing angels:

He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility– a band of destroying angels. Psalms 78:49 Sounds a little like a fire team doesn’t it?

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 God’s Word says that the angels are powerful!

I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Exodus 33:2 Only one angel was needed to drive all of these people out of the land.

But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD. 1 Chronicles 21:30 David was no wimp, he was a mighty warrior but he was afraid of the angel.

And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. 2 Chronicles 32:21Again it only took one of God’s Marines to annihilate the whole army.

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Joshua 5:13-14 I love this because of the way the angel answered. He was sure of himself, “I have now come,” period.

There are many more examples in the Bible. Of course many people think of God as a gray haired old man too, but they are wrong there too. The angels are His Marines but He is a battle field Commander-in-Chief. The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. Isaiah 42:13

Now for the good news, I believe we will also be Marines if we believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Savior. Here is why I think this: I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16 I believe we are part of that army which rides out with Christ.

Bloodstripes

Leader Be a Marine In Honor Bloodstripes POW/MIA Weekly Devotional My Testimony

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Gunny G

http://GunnyG.wordpress.com

 

I Don’t Believe in Organized Religion

This received in an e-mail from a most valued Veteran:

As his statement shows, it is not good to be apart from the body; the jobs I’ve had unfortunately have kept me from being part of the gathering of believers. I have many regrets having read this. “X”

Faith in Jesus Christ brings into a believer’s life the unsearchable richness that Christ gives us.  He is our Master and King and Christians want to become perfect as our Savior even though it is an impossible task as long as we remain in this sinful body.  Throughout the Bible God has taught His people the importance of worshiping and gathering together as a body – “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do…“ (Hebrews 10:24-25).  The primary reason a Christian should join a church is because they have accepted Christ as their Savior and want to be identified with him.  He died for the church and wants us to live for it.

 

Exactly what is a church?  It was established by God – Deuteronomy 4:5-14; 26:18; Acts 7:35, 38.  The word church is derived probably from the Greek “kuriakon” (I.e., “the Lord’s house”) which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship.  It is translated “assembly” in the ordinary classical sense (Acts 19:32, 39, 41).  It denotes the whole body of the redeemed, all those whom the Father has given to Christ (Ephesians 5:23, 25, 27, 29; Hebrews 12:23).  All the disciples in Antioch, forming several congregations, were one church (Acts 13:1); we also read of the “church of God at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2), “the church at Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1), “the church of Ephesus” (Revelation 2:1), etc.  The whole body of professing Christians throughout the world (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Matthew 16:18) are the church of Christ.  The day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Christian church.  Before they had been individual followers of Jesus; now they became his mystical body, animated by his spirit.  On the evening of the day of Pentecost, the 3,140 members of which the Church consisted were — (1) Apostles; (2) previous Disciples; (3) Converts.

 

People often think church as merely the building in which people meet to worship or study.  However, the church is not a building, but the people who make up its membership.  The real Church consists of all who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ as his disciples, and are one in love, in character, in hope, in Christ as the head of all though as the body of Christ it consists of many parts.  Even when they are scattered throughout the community or the world, they are still the church.  In the New Testament the church is defined as a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel.  The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ – “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18); “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1 Corinthians 12:27), and “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle (the tent of Jehovah or sanctuary) of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Rev 21:3)

 

God has commanded his people to organize themselves into distinct visible communities, with constitutions, laws, and officers, ordinances, and discipline, for the great purpose of giving visibility to his kingdom, of making known the gospel of that kingdom, and of gathering in all its elect subjects.  Each one of these distinct organized communities which is faithful to the great King is an integral part of the church.  Peter, on the day of Pentecost, at the beginning of the New Testament dispensation, announces the same great principle.  “The promise [just as to Abraham and his seed the promises were made] is unto you, and to your children” (Acts 2:38, 39).  The entirety of the Bible is a primer on how to organize religion, to worship God.  He began by teaching us the ritual of sacrifice and gathering in His Synagogues (literally “an assembly“).  God established in Deuteronomy 4:5-14 that we should obey all commandments.  “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a Sabbath [Sabbath meaning “to rest from labor,” the day of rest] of rest to the LORD…’ (Exodus 25:2).  It is first mentioned as having been instituted in Paradise, when man was in innocence (Genesis 2:2) “The Sabbath was made for man,” as a day of rest and refreshment for the body and of blessing to the soul.

 

In the New Testament the word translated “church” is used 115 times. Some feel the church has very little meaning for their lives. Still others see the church as conflicting with the way they want to live – the church is not to be despised, 1 Corinthians 11:22. Every Christian should feel as Paul did while in chains in a Roman prison, “I thank God upon every remembrance of you.” (Philippians 1:3). Every Christian should feel that way about church and should have a feeling of joy about joining a church. Local church members join together because of their common belief and mission. Sadly, at one of the most critical junctions of life, the transition into adulthood, people are separating faith and church. One of the most staggering findings is how unimportant the church has become with the younger generation. Membership in a church matters; faith is not disconnected from the church. Faith does not have a do-it-yourself option. People do not make solid spiritual journeys apart from a local body of believers. We do not mosey in a spiritual forest alone. “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” (Acts 20:28).

The church and Christ are eternally tied. The two cannot be separated. The two are married to each other. Christ is the groom. The church is His bride. Trying to be a Christian without a connection to the local church is like trying to have a marriage without interacting and communi­cating with your spouse. The church is a critical piece of a relationship with God. In fact, a relationship with God is seriously compromised apart from the local church. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. (Eph. 5:31–32)

 

 

Why organized religion?  It is necessary to fulfill God’s word.  In a nutshell the following verses tells us the importance of it:  Eph. 2:19, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints (Christians), and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

 

God warns us of trying to defeat his words He has given us in the Bible and expects us to fulfill his will not ours.  Some may be looking on organized religion as some do because of the actions of a few fools that mock God.  God is not a respecter of persons and those fools are not a representa­tion of true religion.  Satan delights in using such people to turn others against God’s desire for worship.  One day God will call each of us home to Heaven.  What will people say to Jesus Christ as they look into His eyes and He asks why they did not obey His Father’s Word?

Misguided Christian Supports Obama

posted on October 27, 2012 by Gary DeMar

The Christian Post site is publishing articles by Christians who are making a case for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

I can’t understand how a Christian can vote for someone who supports abortion on demand and homosexual marriage. “President Obama said Thursday [October 25,] that he is formally endorsing same-sex marriage in the states of Washington, Maine and Maryland, joining Minnesota, where he has already lent his support to the issue earlier this year.” There is no way a Christian can support President Obama, especially if the Bible is the standard.

Even so, there are some Christians who will vote for Obama. Here’s the rationale from Rod Snyder from Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia. He serves as president of the Young Democrats of America.

“For some people it might seem counterintuitive that I would end up as president of a progressive political organization like the Young Democrats of America. But the truth is that I support President Obama and Democratic policies because of my faith, not in spite of it.

“Scripture teaches us that, ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40). When viewed through the lens of Christ’s own words, the contrast between the two candidates for president this year could not be clearer.”

Mitt Romney created more jobs through the private sector at no cost to you and me than Barack Obama did. President Obama took money from some Americans and gave to other Americans. Mr. Snyder, please find me a verse in the Bible that supports that.

The Bible has a great deal to say about helping the poor (as it does about abortion and homosexuality), but I can’t find a single verse where it empowers the State to tax the prosperous so it can be redistributed to the less fortunate. Mr. Snyder’s use of Matthew 25:40 is not a call for the State to develop a welfare system.

Tony Campolo, an advocate for the worldview adopted by Mr. Synder, declares “that there are more than 2,000 verses of Scripture that call us to express love and justice for those who are poor and oppressed.”[1] What Campolo needs to find in these 2,000 verses is one verse that gives authority to civil government to redistribute wealth. Campolo takes verses that are directed at individuals and turns them on their head by giving them a political twist. Here’s a representative example:

Most important, when we reflect on all Jesus had to say about caring for the poor and oppressed, committing ourselves to His red-letter message just might drive us to see what we can do politically to help those he called, “the least of these” (see Matt. 25:31–46).[2]

On the day of judgment . . . [God] will ask whether or not we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, received and cared for aliens, and brought deliverance to captive peoples (see Matt. 25:31–46).[3]

Campolo sees a political solution in these verses when Jesus is addressing what individuals have or have not done. By politically, Campolo means government intervention and wealth redistribution.

To base government programs like welfare, food stamps, and social security on Matthew 25:31–46 is without foundation. The division in Matthew 25 is between sheep and goats, that is, individuals in nations. Nations don’t visit people in prison; private citizens do. Governments put people in prison; private citizens do not.

Civil governments are the biggest hindrance in helping the poor, and it’s not because they don’t tax enough and redistribute wealth efficiently. High taxes and control of the money supply (inflation/deflation) enable civil governments to control people and their property.

Wealth redistribution policies, with all their good intentions, have the effect of hurting the poor and making them dependent on civil government — forever. Mr. Snyder is advocating what Jesus condemns the Pharisees for in Mark 7:1–13, nullifying the Word of God for the sake of a political tradition that is neither biblical nor effective.

Read more: http://godfatherpolitics.com/7759/misguided-christian-supports-obama/#ixzz2AmWsbf00

The Biblical Case for Limited Government and Low Taxes

September 9, 2012

By James Arlandson

Liberalism, generally, favors a bigger government and higher taxes to pay for it, while conservatives advocate moving in the opposite direction: limited government and low taxes.

Let’s face it. The government since FDR’s New Deal has gotten bigger. LBJ instituted the Great Society. (I want my Game Show Government, no matter the cost!) By now conservatives would say Uncle Sam is morbidly obese. But liberalism is still winning, and liberals claim the moral high ground.

But do they have the right to it?

Not if we follow what the Bible recommends.

I have to admit from the outset that I get nervous about applying the economic and political specifics of the Bible to the modern era. But maybe we can draw general principles from the ancient theocracy of the Old Testament, which eventually evolved (or devolved) into a royal theocracy.

Of course, we don’t — nor should we — live in a theocracy. So let’s proceed with caution as we look at the Bible.

The main principle here in this article is one that goes wrong: from simplicity to complexity. We need to reverse the process.

From Simplicity

As for political power, Deuteronomy 17:16-20 reads:

16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself … he must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. 18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law … and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20 and not consider himself better than his brothers[.]

 

So the king must not accumulate large amounts of gold and silver, he is to follow the law, and he must not consider himself better than his fellow citizens. Lean and simple.

As for the flow of the material resources, we don’t need to go into the details about taxes and tithes and offerings in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). And I’m certainly not advocating going back to the Old Testament specifics on those policies.

Instead, as we notice that the resources flowed to a centralized place (the tabernacle), we just need to look at the same principle of simplicity.

There are three tithes (a tithe is a tenth) commanded in the Torah. Numbers 18:20-32 provides the tithe for Levites and priests: “It is your wages for your work in the tent of meeting” (v. 31). Second, the ancient Hebrews could bring their tithes, either in kind or in silver, and buy what they needed after they got to the tabernacle and celebrated the harvest. They could have a feast on their own tithe in God’s presence (Deuteronomy 14:22-27). Third, every three years, they were to set a tenth of their produce for the Levites who lived in their towns but were not allowed to have land to farm. This tithe was also for the poor and helpless and foreigners (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Next, the ancient Hebrews were to “redeem” their lives because God redeemed them out of Egypt (Exodus 30:11-16). This yearly payment, a kind of tax, was to go to the temple. In Jesus’ day, the temple tax was two drachmas, or about two days’ wages of a day laborer (Matthew 17:24-27). That’s low. Incidentally, Jesus paid that tax.

Finally, the people were required to bring sacrificial animals to the tabernacle (Leviticus 1:1-7:21). The well-to-do brought more expensive animals, while the poor could bring in less expensive ones or even grain in some sacrifices (Leviticus 5:7-13). The priests and Levites could share in some of the offerings, as their provision for food.

We don’t need to calculate how much these tithes and tax and offerings would cost today (one tithe was eaten by the giver, so how do you calculate that?). These laws were given in an agrarian society, which followed the rhythms of the harvests and animal reproduction.

The main point is that the Torah, which sets the standard, was reasonable, requiring low “payments” flowing to the central tabernacle. Lean and simple.

To Complexity

Later in Israel’s history, the people rejected God as king and insisted on a human king. Samuel the prophet, leading them in this transition, forewarns them that future kings would become oppressive.

Samuel predicts:

11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:11-18)

 

So the king will take the harvests, turn the people into laborers, conscript them into the military, and make their own servants work for him. Becoming slaves of sorts to the centralized government, the people will cry out for relief.

We are far from the simplicity laid out in Deuteronomy 17:16-20.

Solomon fits the description of a king who broke the basic rules.

1 Kings 10:16-18, 21-25 says:

16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

18 Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. … 21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.

23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

 

One positive picture from this long passage is that Solomon traded with other nations, and Israel enjoyed general prosperity. Yet the resources flowed directly back to Jerusalem and the king.

The dominant impression from this passage is what can best be described (anachronistically) as a command economy. That is, the central government accumulates and wields a lot of power and wealth, all of which is concentrated in Jerusalem and managed by a burgeoning bureaucracy, described earlier in 1 Kings 9:22-23. And to pay for this bureaucracy, assessments and duties and taxes in kind and metals increased.

Monarchs do that sort of thing. Should we?

And so it came to pass the people revolted.

After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam ascended to the throne. Would he carry on his father’s oppressive policies or lighten the burdens? The people were crying out for relief, just as Samuel had predicted. Unfortunately, the new king tightened things up. 1 Kings 12:14 says, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier[.]”

Thus, Israel split into two kingdoms, north and south, because of high taxes, an oppressive bureaucracy, and centralized power. We are far from Deuteronomy 17:16-20.

The American Context

We don’t have to — nor should we — apply the particulars of the Old Testament. We’re not a theocracy or monarchy, and we shouldn’t bring back a tithe-tax.

Instead, it is obvious that we have followed the same destructive path away from liberating simplicity, and we’re rushing pell-mell toward oppressive complexity. We’re already there.

A command economy and high and countless taxes and a huge bureaucracy were not the aim of our Founders, who often scoured the Greek, Roman, and biblical authors for principles about what to do and what not to do.

A command economy barges into the private sector to dictate, for example, to segments of the auto industry, which now needs more billions, or to command mortgage companies and force them to lend to the poor, though the poor cannot afford to pay them back.

Therefore, an executive is misguided when he seeks higher taxes on job-creators, while the tax rates are high already compared to those in other nations; when he wields a lot of power on his own, rising above the law and bypassing Congress; and when he walks with his chin held higher than his “subjects,” as he gazes out over the horizon at no one in particular.

Today, many conservatives have reached the sane conclusion that a 15-plus-trillion-dollar debt is immoral. George Bush let himself get co-opted by a Democrat-controlled House and Senate in 2006, and that’s when things went downhill. However, things got worse in 2008 — and much, much worse for the next fourfiscal years — because the Obama administration added five trillion (a record) to the debt. A debt that matches or exceeds our national income (GDP) is oppressive and destroys prosperity and freedom.

Further, heavy-handed regulations that have grown decade by decade, all exerted by a central bureaucracy, are bad for everyone but the central planners. The irony? We have to pay for the overregulation of our freedoms.

The Constitution is small, while the U.S. Code has grown over the decades. Think of the tax code managed by the IRS, another huge bureaucracy. Who can penetrate its labyrinth and come out alive? The tax code has become oppressively complicated.

Do we need to discuss 2,000-plus-page ObamaCare, which has 21 ticking tax bombs built into it, creates a huge bureaucracy, and limits personal freedom? Not to mention we can’t afford already existing Medicare and Medicaid?

Conclusion

Generally, the left teaches that we need a big government to implement social and economic justice (as leftists define the terms). However, when the government grows, freedom is restricted. There’s an inverse relationship between a big and powerful government and individual freedom, by definition.

The Bible teaches the opposite of a morbidly obese government. Therefore, the left no longer occupies the high ground, and the right no longer has to cede it.

Proverbs 13:22 says: “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.”

What kind of national inheritance are we leaving to the next generations? We’re leaving them nothing but oppressive burdens. How sad! How immoral!

You’ve heard of the Greatest Generation? Well, we’re the Irresponsible Generation.

We need to get back to a simple, lean, and reasonable government and low taxes.

That’s the moral high ground.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/09/the_biblical_case_for_limited_government_and_low_taxes.html#ixzz26GSi05bx

BETWEEN THE LINES To those Israel-rejecting Christians …

WND COMMENTARY

by Joseph FarahEmail | Archive

Joseph Farah is founder, editor and CEO of WND

I understand why Israel is increasingly hated by the rest of the world.

I really do.

I understand the growing anti-Semitism in America and around the globe.

If you are a Bible-believing Jew or Christian, it’s no mystery.

In fact, it is predicted.

What I don’t get is why some professing Christians reject Israel. For to reject the Jews and their nation state is to reject the very foundation of Christianity. Even to be lukewarm when it comes to the Jews and Israel is to fundamentally reject the olive tree that to which we grafted in as a wild branch, as Romans 11:24 explains.

What many of today’s Christians have witnessed with the rebirth of Israel in their own lifetimes is described in the Bible as a miracle surpassing the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, the giving of the law on Mount Horeb and all the other works of God associated with the Exodus and the entering of the children of Israel into the Promised Land. That’s what we learn in Jeremiah 23:7-8.

Yet an evil doctrine known as Replacement Theology, every bit as ugly as Liberation Theology, has taken root in the church. I’m sorry to say it, but you’ve got to discard or allegorize much of the Bible to adopt either one of these views and still call yourself a Christian.

Meanwhile, Jewish children are being executed in cold blood on videotape in France. Some of the most well-known “Christians” in America are trying to find common ground with Muslims, who they claim worship the same god. Boycotts of Israel are being organized by people who claim to be Christians. The United Nations continues to approve more resolutions against Israel than against all the rest of the world’s nations combined. The world stands by as a nation sworn to annihilate Israel and the world’s Jews prepares to deploy nuclear weapons and delivery systems. And you know the world will condemn Israel if it lifts a finger to protect itself.

I have a problem with all this.

I have a problem because I see too many Christians on the wrong side or standing on the sidelines.

Anti-Semitism is virulent in our world today. It’s reaching proportions not seen since the Third Reich.

Where’s the church?

Obviously not reading the Bible.

The Word of God not only predicted the return of the Jews to Israel, it also predicts the way Jerusalem would become a burdensome stone to the whole world (Zechariah 12:3).

But it also predicts Israel will triumph over all the adversity and that people and nations will be judged on how they treated Israel (Micah 4) – the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8).

The world hates Israel because its prince hates Israel (John 16:11).

But what about the Christians?

Have they not read their Bible?

Nowhere in its pages does it suggest the “church” has replaced Israel’s promises. In fact, it states unequivocally the opposite. God doesn’t change His mind. He’s the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Christians have their promise only because they have been adopted as the step-children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through faith in the Jewish Messiah.

This is a Bible study that easily could be book length. But let me conclude with Isaiah 62:

“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”

(That means God is never going to give up on Israel.)

“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

“Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,

“And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

“The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

“But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

“Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

“And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.”

(By the way, Christians, this hasn’t happened yet. And God doesn’t go back on His promises.)